High Diagnostic Accuracy And Reproducibility Of Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology For Diagnosing Salivary Gland Tumors: Cytohistologic Correlation In 182 Cases.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and reproducibility of the cytologic diagnosis of salivary gland tumors (SGTs) using fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). The study aimed to determine diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and to evaluate the extent of interobserver agreement. We retrospectively evaluated SGTs from the files of the Division of Pathology at the Clinics Hospital of São Paulo and Piracicaba Dental School between 2000 and 2006. We performed cytohistologic correlation in 182 SGTs. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 94%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. The interobserver cytologic reproducibility showed significant statistical concordance (P < .0001). FNAC is an effective tool for performing a reliable preoperative diagnosis in SGTs and shows high diagnostic accuracy and consistent interobserver reproducibility. Further FNAC studies analyzing large samples of malignant SGTs and reactive salivary lesions are needed to confirm their accuracy.

Health-related And Socio-demographic Factors Associated With Frailty In The Elderly: A Systematic Literature Review.

Frailty is a syndrome that leads to practical harm in the lives of elders, since it is related to increased risk of dependency, falls, hospitalization, institutionalization, and death. The objective of this systematic review was to identify the socio-demographic, psycho-behavioral, health-related, nutritional, and lifestyle factors associated with frailty in the elderly. A total of 4,183 studies published from 2001 to 2013 were detected in the databases, and 182 complete articles were selected. After a comprehensive reading and application of selection criteria, 35 eligible articles remained for analysis. The main factors associated with frailty were: age, female gender, black race/color, schooling, income, cardiovascular diseases, number of comorbidities/diseases, functional incapacity, poor self-rated health, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol use. Knowledge of the complexity of determinants of frailty can assist the formulation of measures for prevention and early intervention, thereby contributing to better quality of life for the elderly.

The Sperm Of Hexagenia (pseudeatonica) Albivitta Walker (ephemeroptera: Fossoriae: Ephemeridae)

This study describes the sperm morphology of the mayfly Hexagenia (Pseudeatonica) albivitta (Ephemeroptera). Its spermatozoon measures approximately 30 μm of which 9 μm corresponds to the head. The head is composed of an approximately round acrosomal vesicle and a cylindrical nucleus. The nucleus has two concavities, one in the anterior tip, where the acrosomal vesicle is inserted and a deeper one at its base, where the flagellum components are inserted. The flagellum is composed of an axoneme, a mitochondrion and a dense rod adjacent to the mitochondrion. A centriolar adjunct is also observed surrounding the axoneme in the initial portion of the flagellum and extends along the flagellum for at least 2 μm, surrounding the axoneme in a half-moon shape. The axoneme is the longest component of the flagellum, and it follows the 9+9+0 pattern, with no central pair of microtubules. At the posterior region of the flagellum, the mitochondrion has a dumb-bell shape in cross sections that, together with the rectangular mitochondrial-associated rod, is responsible for the flattened shape of the flagellum. An internal membrane is observed surrounding both mitochondrion and its associated structure.