[Causes of exodontia in the Navarra Health Service-Osasunbidea: epidemiological study]

The aim of this paper is to show the causes of the dental extractions in the Navarra Health Service-Osasunbidea. For 6 months all the dental extractions carried out in the clinics of the Navarra Health Service in Pamplona were registered. Data was registered for each extraction carried out. A note was made of the age and sex of the patient, the tooth extracted and the cause of the exodontia. The causes considered were: periodontia, caries, mixed causes, orthodontia, fracture and others. 4,259 extractions were carried out; 62.1% were on men and 37.9% on women (significatively different from the general population, p < 0.0001). The average age was 53.14 years (SD = 16.77 years, 95% CI: 52.62 to 53.66 years). 49.9% of extractions were due to caries, 33.7% for periodontal reasons, 3.6% for mixed causes, 1.6% for orthodontia, 0.7% because of fracture, and 10.4% for other causes. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution by sexes of the exodontias due to periodontia (p = 0.0001), orthodontia (p < 0.0001) and other causes ((p = 0.0009). The average age of the exodontias due to periodontia, accumulated in the front teeth, was greater than that for caries (p < 0.0001), accumulated in the back teeth. The average age of the exodontias due to orthodontia was 20.16 years (p < 0.0001 with all of the other causes).

Total Synthesis of (−)-Rosmarinecine by Intramolecular Cycloaddition of (S)-Malic Acid Derived Pyrroline N-Oxide

[reaction in text] Straightforward total syntheses of (-)-rosmarinecine have been achieved from L-malic acid derived pyrroline N-oxides by two novel useful cascade processes, which join the family of domino reactions. Both strategies, which furnished the target alkaloid in enantioenriched and enantiopure forms, respectively, allow complete control of configuration at all the three newly created contiguous stereogenic centers.

Group A streptococcal infections and tic disorders in an Italian pediatric population

BACKGROUND

The relationship between childhood tic disorders and group A streptococcal (GAS) infections has been recently investigated by several research groups, but no systematic evaluation of laboratory indicators of GAS infections has been provided.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to seek clinical and laboratory evidence of GAS infections in a large population of children affected with tic disorders.

STUDY DESIGN

This investigation was a case-control study: 150 consecutive children presenting with tics were investigated for clinical and laboratory signs of streptococcal infections on the occasion of their first neuropsychiatric consultation. To compare the rate of exposition to GAS in a similar population, a control group of 150 children without tic disorders was examined during the same period.

RESULTS

In children with tics, mean antistreptolysin O (ASO) titer (434 +/- 338 IU) was significantly higher compared with that of control subjects (155 +/- 126 IU); 38% of the children with tics compared with 2% of the control subjects (P <.001) had ASO titers > or =500 IU. Twenty-six children with tics (17%) had throat cultures positive for GAS, but in all cases, only few colonies per plate were isolated. Among the strains isolated, no prevalent T pattern or M type was observed. In children with tics a positive correlation between ASO titers and severity of tic disorder (measured by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale) was found.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that children with tic disorder could be a unique population in which GAS infection, or at least the exposure to streptococcal antigens, is correlated to the neurobehavioral disorder. Moreover, our data indicate a relationship between the severity of tic disorder and the magnitude of the serologic response to GAS antigens.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses: a review

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are among the most common neurodegenerative diseases in childhood but rarely present in adulthood. The main symptoms are psychomotor deterioration, visual failure, epilepsy and motor disturbances. The NCLs are morphologically characterized by the accumulation of lipopigments within numerous cell types and loss of neurons. Pathogenesis is unknown. The current clinical classification recognizes six classic types of NCL and several atypical forms. Electrophysiological and neuroradiological findings may be of diagnostic significance, but disease recognition rests on the demonstration of a typical ultrastructural pattern. Genetic studies have demonstrated that several different genetic loci are involved in the pathogenesis of NCL, but the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal death and lipopigment accumulation are not understood.

Preliminary investigation of the association of oral lichen planus and hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this investigation was to determine if an association exists between hepatitis C virus and oral lichen planus.

STUDY DESIGN

Three groups of subjects were selected: 505 patients with hepatitis C virus infection (group 1), 100 patients with oral lichen planus (group 2), and a randomly selected control group (age- and gender-matched) of 100 healthy subjects (group 3). The prevalence of oral lichen planus was determined in groups 1 and 3, and the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection was established in groups 2 and 3.

RESULTS

The prevalence of oral lichen planus was 3.36% (n = 17) in group 1 and 1% (n = 1) in the control group; the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection was 23% (n = 23) in group 2, and 5% (n = 5) in the control group. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of oral lichen planus in group 1 between those patients who received interferon and those who did not. The 17 patients in group 1 who manifested oral lichen planus and hepatitis C virus infection simultaneously exhibited a marked tendency to have only reticular lesions (70.6%), with involvement of the buccal mucosa in 88.2% of these patients, the tongue in 29.4%, and the gingiva in 11.8%. Analyzing a randomized subgroup of 143 patients from group 1 (subgroup 1) that was matched by age and gender with groups 2 and 3, we found that the incidence of oral lichen planus in patients with hepatitis C virus infection (subgroup 1) was greater than in the control group (5.59% vs 1%), though this was not statistically significant (chi2 = 0.119; p = 0.06). In contrast, group 2 exhibited a statistically significant higher incidence of hepatitis C virus infection (23%) than the controls (5%; chi2 = 0.259, p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with oral lichen planus was greater than in the control series. In our opinion this observation warrants the investigation of potential concomitant hepatitis C virus infection in patients with oral lichen planus.

Mapping of 22 new ESTs around a tumor suppressor gene and a senescence gene at 6q16-->q21

Twenty two expressed sequence tags (ESTs) have been mapped at the border of 6q16-->q21 and at the proximal end of 6q21, a candidate for two tumor suppressor genes and a senescence gene. Use of a translocation and deletion hybrid panel together with a 4-Mb YAC contig allowed us to precisely define the position of the ESTs. Thirteen ESTs were placed within the 4-Mb interval at the proximal portion of 6q21 using a restriction map of the YAC contig, seven ESTs span a 2-Mb region on the 6q16-->q21 border, and two are distal to the contig. Refinement of the localization of these ESTs will provide substantial assistance in identifying new genes within the region 6q16-->q21.

Low mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in lymphocytes of women with gestational diabetes

An abnormally low activity of mitochondrial FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (m-GDH), relative to the paired measurement of glutamate dehydrogenase, was found in CD3+ lymphocytes from 4 out of 14 mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, but in none of 36 control mothers. The low m-GDH activity coincided with an abnormally high incidence of familial history for non-insulin-dependent diabetes. These findings are compatible with the view that an inherited or acquired defect of m-GDH may participate to the pathogenesis of beta-cell dysfunction in a subgroup of patients with gestational diabetes.

Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses in Italy: an epidemiological study

To establish the incidence of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses (NCL) in Italy, we sent a questionnaire to all Neuropediatric and Child Neuropsychiatric Departments (answer rate 15/34 = 44%). Diagnoses were accepted only when based on firm clinical and/or electron microscopic criteria. We collected 58 cases born between 1966-1991 (2 infantile NCL, 37 late infantile NCL, and 19 juvenile NCL). The incidence was calculated only on patients born between 1974-1984. In this period, the incidence of overall NCL in the Italian population was calculated to be 0.56 per 100,000 live births (0.36 for late infantile NCL, and 0.20 for juvenile NCL). Our data show that infantile NCL is very rare in Italy, and that late infantile seems to be the most frequent form of NCL.