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.

Iis--integrated Interactome System: A Web-based Platform For The Annotation, Analysis And Visualization Of Protein-metabolite-gene-drug Interactions By Integrating A Variety Of Data Sources And Tools.

High-throughput screening of physical, genetic and chemical-genetic interactions brings important perspectives in the Systems Biology field, as the analysis of these interactions provides new insights into protein/gene function, cellular metabolic variations and the validation of therapeutic targets and drug design. However, such analysis depends on a pipeline connecting different tools that can automatically integrate data from diverse sources and result in a more comprehensive dataset that can be properly interpreted. We describe here the Integrated Interactome System (IIS), an integrative platform with a web-based interface for the annotation, analysis and visualization of the interaction profiles of proteins/genes, metabolites and drugs of interest. IIS works in four connected modules: (i) Submission module, which receives raw data derived from Sanger sequencing (e.g. two-hybrid system); (ii) Search module, which enables the user to search for the processed reads to be assembled into contigs/singlets, or for lists of proteins/genes, metabolites and drugs of interest, and add them to the project; (iii) Annotation module, which assigns annotations from several databases for the contigs/singlets or lists of proteins/genes, generating tables with automatic annotation that can be manually curated; and (iv) Interactome module, which maps the contigs/singlets or the uploaded lists to entries in our integrated database, building networks that gather novel identified interactions, protein and metabolite expression/concentration levels, subcellular localization and computed topological metrics, GO biological processes and KEGG pathways enrichment. This module generates a XGMML file that can be imported into Cytoscape or be visualized directly on the web. We have developed IIS by the integration of diverse databases following the need of appropriate tools for a systematic analysis of physical, genetic and chemical-genetic interactions. IIS was validated with yeast two-hybrid, proteomics and metabolomics datasets, but it is also extendable to other datasets. IIS is freely available online at: http://www.lge.ibi.unicamp.br/lnbio/IIS/.

Newborn Hearing Screening And Early Diagnostic In The Nicu.

The aim was to describe the outcome of neonatal hearing screening (NHS) and audiological diagnosis in neonates in the NICU. The sample was divided into Group I: neonates who underwent NHS in one step and Group II: neonates who underwent a test and retest NHS. NHS procedure was automated auditory brainstem response. NHS was performed in 82.1% of surviving neonates. For GI, referral rate was 18.6% and false-positive was 62.2% (normal hearing in the diagnostic stage). In GII, with retest, referral rate dropped to 4.1% and false-positive to 12.5%. Sensorineural hearing loss was found in 13.2% of infants and conductive in 26.4% of cases. There was one case of auditory neuropathy spectrum (1.9%). Dropout rate in whole process was 21.7% for GI and 24.03% for GII. We concluded that it was not possible to perform universal NHS in the studied sample or, in many cases, to apply it within the first month of life. Retest reduced failure and false-positive rate and did not increase evasion, indicating that it is a recommendable step in NHS programs in the NICU. The incidence of hearing loss was 2.9%, considering sensorineural hearing loss (0.91%), conductive (1.83%) and auditory neuropathy spectrum (0.19%).

Quantum Dots As Biophotonics Tools.

This chapter provides a short review of quantum dots (QDs) physics, applications, and perspectives. The main advantage of QDs over bulk semiconductors is the fact that the size became a control parameter to tailor the optical properties of new materials. Size changes the confinement energy which alters the optical properties of the material, such as absorption, refractive index, and emission bands. Therefore, by using QDs one can make several kinds of optical devices. One of these devices transforms electrons into photons to apply them as active optical components in illumination and displays. Other devices enable the transformation of photons into electrons to produce QDs solar cells or photodetectors. At the biomedical interface, the application of QDs, which is the most important aspect in this book, is based on fluorescence, which essentially transforms photons into photons of different wavelengths. This chapter introduces important parameters for QDs' biophotonic applications such as photostability, excitation and emission profiles, and quantum efficiency. We also present the perspectives for the use of QDs in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), so useful in modern microscopy, and how to take advantage of the usually unwanted blinking effect to perform super-resolution microscopy.

Paralisia cerebral : atividades ludicas e processos desenvolvimentais em ambiente hospitalar

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Diagnostic and clinical factors associated with pulpal and periapical pain

A retrospective survey was designed to identify diagnostic subgroups and clinical factors associated with odontogenic pain and discomfort in dental urgency patients. A consecutive sample of 1,765 patients seeking treatment for dental pain at the Urgency Service of the Dental School of the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil, was selected. Inclusion criteria were pulpal or periapical pain that occurred before dental treatment (minimum 6 months after the last dental appointment), and the exclusion criteria were teeth with odontogenic developmental anomalies and missing information or incomplete records. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed to assess clinical presentation of pain complaints including origin, duration, frequency and location of pain, palpation, percussion and vitality tests, radiographic features, endodontic diagnosis and characteristics of teeth. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze association between pulpal and periapical pain and independent variables. The most frequent endodontic diagnosis of pulpal pain were symptomatic pulpitis (28.3%) and hyperreactive pulpalgia (14.4%), and the most frequent periapical pain was symptomatic apical periodontitis of infectious origin (26.4%). Regression analysis revealed that closed pulp chamber and caries were highly associated with pulpal pain and, conversely, open pulp chamber was associated with periapical pain (p<0.001). Endodontic diagnosis and local factors associated with pulpal and periapical pain suggest that the important clinical factor of pulpal pain was closed pulp chamber and caries, and of periapical pain was open pulp chamber.

Diagnostic agreement between panoramic radiographs and color doppler images of carotid atheroma

The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement between diagnoses of calcified atheroma seen on panoramic radiographs and color Doppler images. Our interest stems from the fact that panoramic images can show the presence of atheroma regardless of the level of obstruction detected by color Doppler images. Panoramic and color Doppler images of 16 patients obtained from the archives of the Health Department of the city of Valença, RJ, Brazil, were analyzed in this study. Both sides of each patient were observed on the images, with a total of 32 analyzed cervical regions. The level of agreement between diagnoses was analyzed using the Kappa statistics. There was a high level of agreement, with a Kappa value of 0.78. In conclusion, panoramic radiographs can help detecting calcifications in the cervical region of patients susceptible to vascular diseases predisposing to myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents. If properly trained and informed, dentists can refer their patients to a physician for a cardiovascular evaluation in order to receive proper and timely medical treatment.

A novel A2 allele found in Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a widely spread zoonotic disease. In Brazil the disease is caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi. Peridomestic sandflies acquire the etiological agent by feeding on blood of infected reservoir animals, such as dogs or wildlife. The disease is endemic in Brazil and epidemic foci have been reported in densely populated cities all over the country. Many clinical features of Leishmania infection are related to the host-parasite relationship, and many candidate virulence factors in parasites that cause VL have been studied such as A2 genes. The A2 gene was first isolated in 1994 and then in 2005 three new alleles were described in Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. In the present study we amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced the A2 gene from the genome of a clonal population of L. (L.) infantum chagasi VL parasites. The L. (L.) infantum chagasi A2 gene was amplified, cloned, and sequenced in. The amplified fragment showed approximately 90% similarity with another A2 allele amplified in Leishmania (Leishmania) donovani and in L.(L.) infantum described in literature. However, nucleotide translation shows differences in protein amino acid sequence, which may be essential to determine the variability of A2 genes in the species of the L. (L.) donovani complex and represents an additional tool to help understanding the role this gene family may have in establishing virulence and immunity in visceral leishmaniasis. This knowledge is important for the development of more accurate diagnostic tests and effective tools for disease control.

Wing diagnostic characters for Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex nigripalpus (Diptera, Culicidae)

Wing diagnostic characters for Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex nigripalpus (Diptera, Culicidae). Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex nigripalpus are mosquitoes of public health interest, which can occur sympatrically in urban and semi-urban localities. Morphological identification of these species may be difficult when specimens are not perfectly preserved. In order to suggest an alternative taxonomical diagnosis, wings of these species were comparatively characterized using geometric morphometrics. Both species could be distinguished by wing shape with accuracy rates ranging from 85-100%. Present results indicate that one can identify these species relying only on wing characters when traditional taxonomical characters are not visible.

Psicofísica clínica: aplicação de metodologia psicofísica no auxílio de diagnósticos. Descrição de método

A Psicofísica aplicada à Clínica com seres humanos pode prover ferramentas alternativas que auxiliem o acesso objetivo e quantificável a condições internas do paciente, que só poderiam ser obtidas, de outra forma, através de seus relatos e descrições. Um exemplo dessa parceria e aplicação da Psicofísica é o aparelho comercial C-Quant (Oculus Optikgeräte, Alemanha), cujo método psicofísico de acesso ao valor de dispersão de luz na retina foi desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisadores holandeses liderados pelo Prof. Dr. Thomas van den Berg, do Netherland Institute of Neuroscience (NIN). O acesso ao valor de dispersão de luz na retina é útil para auxiliar no diagnóstico de várias doenças oculares, como catarata. Neste artigo o método psicofísico presente no aparelho (Comparação da Compensação) é descrito.

Dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos: uma revisão

OBJETIVO: Com a inclusão das novas tecnologias contemporâneas, a Internet e os jogos eletrônicos tornaram-se ferramentas de uso amplo e irrestrito, transformando-se em um dos maiores fenômenos mundiais da última década. Diversas pesquisas atestam os benefícios desses recursos, mas seu uso sadio e adaptativo progressivamente deu lugar ao abuso e à falta de controle ao criar severos impactos na vida cotidiana de milhões de usuários. O objetivo deste estudo foi revisar de forma sistemática os artigos que examinam a dependência de Internet e jogos eletrônicos na população geral. Almejamos, portanto, avaliar a evolução destes conceitos no decorrer da última década, assim como contribuir para a melhor compreensão do quadro e suas comorbidades. MÉTODO: Foi feita uma revisão sistemática da literatura através do MedLine, Lilacs, SciELO e Cochrane usando-se como parâmetro os termos: "Internet addiction", pathological "Internet use", "problematic Internet use", "Internet abuse", "videogame", "computer games" e "electronic games". A busca eletrônica foi feita até dezembro de 2007. DISCUSSÃO: Estudos realizados em diferentes países apontam para prevalências ainda muito diversas, o que provavelmente se deve à falta de consenso e ao uso de diferentes denominações, dando margem à adoção de distintos critérios diagnósticos. Muitos pacientes que relatam o uso abusivo e dependência passam a apresentar prejuízos significativos na vida profissional, acadêmica (escolar), social e familiar. CONCLUSÕES: São necessárias novas investigações para determinar se esse uso abusivo de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos pode ser compreendido como uma das mais novas classificações psiquiátricas do século XXI ou apenas substratos de outros transtornos.

Fluorescence images combined to statistic test for fingerprinting of citrus plants after bacterial infection

The citrus greening (or huanglongbing) disease has caused serious problems in citrus crops around the world. An early diagnostic method to detect this malady is needed due to the rapid dissemination of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) in the field. This analytical study investigated the fluorescence responses of leaves from healthy citrus plants and those inoculated with CLas by images from a stereomicroscope and also evaluated their potential for the early diagnosis of the infection caused by this bacterium. The plants were measured monthly, and the evolution of the bacteria on inoculated plants was monitored by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) amplification of CLas sequences. A statistical method was used to analyse the data. The selection of variables from histograms of colours (colourgrams) of the images was optimized using a paired Student's t-test. The intensity of counts for green colours from images of fluorescence had clearly minor variations for healthy plants than diseased ones. The darker green colours were the indicators of healthy plants and the light colours for the diseased. The method of fluorescence images is novel for fingerprinting healthy and diseased plants and provides an alternative to the current method represented by PCR and visual inspection. A new, non-subjective pattern of analysis and a non-destructive method has been introduced that can minimize the time and costs of analyses.

Balance control in hemiparetic stroke patients: Main tools for evaluation

Balance problems in hemiparetic patients after stroke can be caused by different impairments in the physiological systems involved in Postural control, including sensory afferents, movement strategies, biomechanical constraints, cognitive processing, and perception of verticality. Balance impairments and disabilities must be appropriately addressed. This article reviews the most common balance abnormalities in hemiparetic patients with stroke and the main tools used to diagnose them.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of PCR for the rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: Tuberculosis is one of the most prominent health problems in the world, causing 1.75 million deaths each year. Rapid clinical diagnosis is important in patients who have comorbidities such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. Direct microscopy has low sensitivity and culture takes 3 to 6 weeks [1-3]. Therefore, new tools for TB diagnosis are necessary, especially in health settings with a high prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection. Methods: In a public reference TB/HIV hospital in Brazil, we compared the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic strategies for diagnosis of pulmonary TB: Acid fast bacilli smear microscopy by Ziehl-Neelsen staining (AFB smear) plus culture and AFB smear plus colorimetric test (PCR dot-blot). From May 2003 to May 2004, sputum was collected consecutively from PTB suspects attending the Parthenon Reference Hospital. Sputum samples were examined by AFB smear, culture, and PCR dot-blot. The gold standard was a positive culture combined with the definition of clinical PTB. Cost analysis included health services and patient costs. Results: The AFB smear plus PCR dot-blot require the lowest laboratory investment for equipment (US$ 20,000). The total screening costs are 3.8 times for AFB smear plus culture versus for AFB smear plus PCR dot blot costs (US$ 5,635,760 versus US$ 1,498, 660). Costs per correctly diagnosed case were US$ 50,773 and US$ 13,749 for AFB smear plus culture and AFB smear plus PCR dot-blot, respectively. AFB smear plus PCR dot-blot was more cost-effective than AFB smear plus culture, when the cost of treating all correctly diagnosed cases was considered. The cost of returning patients, which are not treated due to a negative result, to the health service, was higher in AFB smear plus culture than for AFB smear plus PCR dot-blot, US$ 374,778,045 and US$ 110,849,055, respectively. Conclusion: AFB smear associated with PCR dot-blot associated has the potential to be a cost-effective tool in the fight against PTB for patients attended in the TB/HIV reference hospital.