Determinación de la reserva ovárica mediante el recuento de folículos antrales en mujeres en edad reproductiva / Association between antral follicle count and age in fertile women

Background: Age plays a crucial role in women fertility and is related with a decreased oocyte quality and quantity. The evidence for this asseveration comes from data obtained in infertile women. However there is a paucity of studies in patients with proven fertility evaluating ovarian reserve and its decline with time. Aim: To measure antral follicle count (AFC) in probed fertile patients and to create a distribution chart based on variables that may affect its natural decline. Material and Methods: Observational prospective study. A transvaginal ultrasound was made between menstrual cycle days 3 and 5, evaluating AFC in 100 patients, followed during a year. Results: Median antral follicle count media was 14.5 (interval 3 to 26). There was a lineal decline of AFC with age. Women with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus had significantly less follicles. However, a multiple regression analysis showed that only women's age was a significant predictor of AFC (R2 = 0.84). Conclusions: There was a lineal relationship between AFC and age in women with probed fertility.

Modificaciones del endotelio corneal en el paciente adulto mayor / Changes of the corneal endothelium in the older adult

OBJETIVO: describir las características del endotelio corneal en pacientes adultas mayores internadas en el Hogar de ancianos Hermanas Giralt. MÉTODOS: se estudiaron 120 ojos de 60 pacientes mujeres, adultas mayores, en una investigación de tipo descriptiva y transversal realizada entre abril y septiembre de 2013. Se realizó biomicroscopia y microscopia endotelial. Se analizaron las imágenes y se evaluaron la densidad celular, el coeficiente de variabilidad, la hexagonalidad celular y la paquimetría. RESULTADOS: la densidad celular media fue de 1 926 cel/mm2 entre 60 y 69 años, la cual disminuyó progresivamente hasta 1 495 en pacientes mayores de 90 años. El coeficiente de variabilidad se incrementó con la edad, con valores de 0,37 para las edades 60-69 y 70-79 años, y en mayores de 91 años fue de 0,41. La hexagonalidad fue mayor en los grupos de 70-79 años (49 por ciento) seguida de las edades 80-89 (48 por ciento). Se observó una disminución del 13 por ciento entre los grupos de 60-69 (43 por ciento) y 90 y más (30 por ciento), con significación estadística. La densidad celular, el coeficiente de variabilidad y la paquimetría no tuvieron diferencias significativas con la edad. CONCLUSIONES: a medida que se incrementa la edad se produce un aumento de la variabilidad celular y una disminución de la densidad celular y la hexagonalidad, así como un incremento de la paquimetría(AU)

OBJECTIVE: to describe the characteristics of the corneal endothelium in older people living in "Hermanas Giralt" home for the elderly. METHODS: one hundred twenty eyes from 60 old women were studied in a descriptive and cross-sectional study performed from April through September 2013. The patients were examined by biomicroscopy and endothelial microscopy. The images were analyzed and the cellular density, the variability coefficient, the cellular hexagonality and the pachymetry were all evaluated. RESULTS: the average cell density was 1 926 cel/mm2 in 60-69 years-old patients, which gradually lowered to 1 495 in patients older than 90 years. The variability coefficient increased with age, showing 0,37 for ages 60-69 years and 70-79 years and it was 0,41 in older than 91 years. Hexagonality was higher in 70-79 years-old agroup (49 percent) followed by the 80-89 years age group (48 percent). In 60-69 years-old (43 percent) and in 90 and over age group (30 percent), there was a 13 percent hexagonality reduction with statistical significance. Cell density, variability coefficient and pachymetry did not show significant differences in relation to age. CONCLUSIONS: the cell density and hexagonality decreased with the age, but variability coefficient and pachymetry increased. The values of corneal endothelium were normal in older adults in our setting(AU)

Microscopia especular con corrección manual vs. software automatizado / Specular microscopy with manual correction vs. automated software

OBJETIVO: comparar los resultados del análisis del endotelio corneal, obtenidos mediante el software automatizado y la corrección manual. MÉTODOS: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, comparativo y longitudinal de la microscopia endotelial practicada a 20 adultos sanos (40 ojos). Fueron tomadas tres imágenes de cada ojo con el fin de seleccionar la de mejor calidad, para proceder posteriormente a la corrección manual del software en la pantalla del ordenador. La información de la base de datos fue procesada en el programa estadístico SPSS versión 19. Las variables cuantitativas se expresaron según sus respectivas medidas de resumen y se utilizó t Student para medir el grado de asociación entre las variables estudiadas (total de células identificadas, coeficiente variabilidad, densidad celular e índice de hexagonalidad). Se trabajó con un nivel de confianza del 95 % y de error inferior al 0,05 %. RESULTADOS: al trazar los contornos celulares de forma manual, las medidas obtenidas respecto a la densidad celular, el índice de hexagonalidad y el coeficiente de variación coincidieron con lo obtenido en otros estudios. El primer parámetro analizado y comparado fue el número de células que son identificadas por el software, el cual reconoció los límites celulares por el cambio de coloración. La media osciló entre 106,8 para el ojo derecho, con un rango de 121/88 y 105,05 para el izquierdo, con un rango de 121/79; con una desviación estándar de 9,393. Por su parte, al realizar la corrección manual aumentó la media para todos los grupos de edades, de 113,5 en el ojo derecho (rango 151/80) y 112,1 en el ojo izquierdo, (rango de 147/88), con una desviación estándar de 13,657. Como puede apreciarse, se modificó significativamente la cantidad de células contabilizadas para ambos ojos, y pudo constatarse que hubo células que no fueron identificadas y otras que fueron interpretadas como dobles, errores que pueden ser corregidos manualmente y con esto se modifican los valores prestablecidos por el software.CONCLUSIONES: la opción de trazar manualmente los límites celulares en la pantalla del ordenador para el análisis de los parámetros cuantitativos del endotelio corneal resulta efectiva durante la realización de la microscopia especular.

OBJECTIVE: to compare the results of the corneal endothelium analysis through the automated software and its manual correction. METHODS: a longitudinal, comparative and descriptive study of the endothelial microscopy performed on 20 healthy adults (40 eyes). Three images from each eye were taken to select the best quality one in order to later make manual correction of the software on the computer screen. The information from the database was processed by the SPSS statistical program version 19. The quantitative variables were expressed as per their respective summary measures whereas Student's t test measured the level of association among the studied variables (total number of identified cells, variability coefficient, cell density and hexagonality index). The 95% confidence interval and the error below 0,05 % were used. RESULTS: the manual drawing of cell contours yielded cell density, hexagonality index and variation coefficient values similar to those of other studies. The first analyzed and compared index was the number of cells that the software identified by recognizing the cell limits based on color changes. The mean ranged from 106,8 for the right eye with a range of 121/88 to 105,05 for the left eye with a range of 121/79, being the standard deviation of 9,393. On the other hand, the manual correction increased the mean for all the age groups to 113,5 for the right eye (range 151/80) and 112,1 for the left eye (range of 147/88), being the standard deviation of 13,657. As it may be observed, the number of cells for both eyes significantly changed and there were cells which were either unidentified or taken as doubles; these are errors that may be manually corrected, thus changing the set values of the software. CONCLUSIONS: the choice of manually drawing the cell limits on the screen for the analysis of the quantitative parameters of the corneal endothelium proves to be effective during the specular microscopy.

Comparação entre a concentração de mastócitos em carcinomas espinocelulares da pele e da cavidade oral / A comparison between the concentration of mast cells in squamous cell carcinomas of the skin and oral cavity

FUNDAMENTOS: A letalidade dos carcinomas espinocelulares (CECs) de pele é considerada baixa. Os CECs de boca têm prognóstico ruim. Evidências atuais sugerem que os mastócitos, residentes no tecido normal, contribuem para a tumorigênese dos CECs, provavelmente por promoverem angiogênese. OBJETIVO: Comparar a concentração de mastócitos em CECs da pele e da boca e avaliar se há correlação com o grau de diferenciação desses tumores. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Foram analisados 30 casos de CEC de pele e 34 casos de CEC de boca. A coloração de azul de toluidina, para evidenciar os mastócitos, foi realizada nos blocos com a área central da neoplasia. RESULTADOS: Apenas um caso de CEC de pele apresentou concentração de mastócitos de 0-10 e nenhum caso de CEC de boca apresentou concentração maior que 201 mastócitos no tumor. A maioria dos CECs de boca tem concentração de mastócitos entre 0 e 10 (47 por cento - n = 16); 80 por cento dos CECs de pele têm concentração acima de 51 mastócitos. Todos os casos de CEC de boca com concentração entre 100 e 200 mastócitos e 80 por cento daqueles com concentração entre 51 e 99 eram de lábio. A concentração de mastócitos não está relacionada ao grau de diferenciação do tumor. CONCLUSÃO: A concentração de mastócitos é menor nos CECs de boca, exceto nos de lábio, podendo refletir uma menor necessidade de ativação de células do microambiente para melhorar a vascularização nos cânceres de boca.

BACKGROUND: The lethality of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the skin is considered low. SCC in the mouth is usually associated with poor prognosis. Current evidence suggests that mast cells in the normal tissue contribute to the tumorigenesis of SCC, probably by promoting angiogenesis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the concentration of mast cells in SCC of the mouth and skin and evaluate whether there is a correlation with the degree of differentiation of these tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty cases of SCC of the skin and 34 of the mouth were investigated. Toluidine blue staining was used to identify mast cells in blocks containing the central portion of the neoplasm. RESULTS: A concentration of between 0 and 10 mast cells was found in one single case of SCC of the skin and there were no cases of SCC of the mouth with concentrations of mast cells in the tumor >201. In the majority of cases of SCC of the mouth (47 percent; n=16), mast cell concentration was between 0 and 10, with a concentration >51 mast cells in 80 percent of cases of SCC of the skin. All the cases of SCC of the mouth with a concentration of mast cells between 100 and 200 and 80 percent of those with a concentration of 51-99 were located on the lip. The concentration of mast cells was unrelated to the degree of differentiation of the tumor. CONCLUSION: The concentration of mast cells is lower in SCC of the mouth except when the tumor is located on the lip. This may reflect a lower need for cell activation in the microenvironment to improve vascularization in oral cancer.

Establishment of T-lymphocyte subset reference intervals in a healthy adult population in Chennai, India.

Estimation of CD4+ T-lymphocytes continues to be an important aspect for monitoring HIV disease progression and response to antiretroviral therapy. Most of the diagnostic laboratories often rely on western text books for CD4+ T-lymphocyte reference values, which could, often be unreliable for usage in local settings. Therefore, we attempted to establish the reference values for T-lymphocyte subsets among healthy adults in a cross-sectional study carried out at the YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE) in Chennai, south India, in 213 (84 female and 129 male) healthy, HIV-1/2 seronegative adults as volunteers. Whole blood specimens were processed for CD4+, CD8+ T-lymphocyte estimation and haematological parameters. The established range of CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts for men and women were 383-1347 cells/microl (mean 865 and median 845 cells/microl) and 448-1593 cells/microl (mean 1021 and median 954 cells/microl), respectively. Women had significantly higher absolute CD4+ Tlymphocyte counts (P<0.001) and CD4+:CD8+ T-lymphocyte ratio as compared to men. The established normal range of CD4+ T-lymphocyte % was 21-59 (mean 40.2 and median 40.1). The influence of age was not observed in any of the parameters except CD4+/CD8+ T-lymphocyte ratio with the >45 yr age group. Further studies with greater sample size may be required to define the staging of HIV disease in relation to the normal CD4 T-lymphocyte count in the general population.