Postorthodontic external root resorption is associated with IL1 receptor antagonist gene variations.

OBJECTIVE: External apical root resorption (EARR) is a frequent iatrogenic effect of orthodontic treatment. Patients with genetic variants in the interleukin 1 gene have been related to an increased risk of suffering EARR. The objective of this study is to determine whether variants in the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist gene are positively/negatively associated with interleukin 1 gene polymorphisms, particularly in relation to the clinical features of EARR patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genetic screening of 54 orthodontic patients was performed for three polymorphisms (rs1800587, rs1143634 and rs419598) in the IL1 gene cluster. Subjects were divided according to the presence or absence of EARR of more than 2 mm. The genotype distributions and allelic frequencies were calculated by the chi-square-test. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated. RESULTS: A highly significant association was found in the comparative analysis of homozygous subjects [1/1(CC)] for the IL1B gene, resulting in an increased risk of suffering postorthodontic EARR (OR: 3.47; P = 0.027; CI: 95%). While no association was found for the IL1A gene (P = 0.097), subjects who were homozygous [1/1(TT)] for the IL1RN gene were more likely to be affected with EARR (OR: 6.75; P = 0.001; CI: 95%). CONCLUSION: Variations in the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist gene (rs419598) - and not only in the IL1B gene (rs1800587) - are determinants of a predisposition to postorthodontic EARR.

[Study of urethritis in males using Papanicolaou smear]. / Estudio de las uretritis masculinas mediante la tinción de Papanicolaou.

Sexual pathogens, cell types and morphologic alterations of urethral epithelial cells were investigated by means of the Papanicolaou smear in 110 heterosexual men. Seventy-five patients with urethritis were included: 17 (22.6%) with gonococcal urethritis (GU) and 58 (77.3%) with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). Thirty-five males without symptoms or signs of urethritis comprised the control group. An increase in epithelial cell dissociation was observed in patients with urethritis. Non-specific inflammatory changes were statistically more common in patients with urethritis than in controls, and more severe in GU (65%) than in NGU (15.5%). Nuclear atypia was a common finding (43.5%) in infections due to C. trachomatis. Mucus was associated with the presence of urethritis although no differences regarding etiology were found. No polimorphonuclear neutrophils were observed in the exudate of three patients (5%) with NGU. There was a statistically significant presence of lymphocytes in patients with urethritis, particularly in GU (45%), more frequent than in NGU (15.5%). Erythrocytes were also significantly more frequent in urethritis, with a greater proportion in GU (94%) than in NGU (64%). Plasma cells, eosinophils, and histiocytes were only observed in a few patients with urethritis. The Papanicolaou smear had a sensitivity of 47% and a specificity of 90% in Chlamydia trachomatis infections.

[Incidence of diarrhea among groups of children in the city of Seville]. / Incidencia de diarreas en una cohorte de niños en la ciudad de Sevilla.

We studied prospectively the cases of diarrhoea that were produced during one year of follow-up in three groups of children (31 newborn, 62 of 1 year and 51 of 2 years) selected randomly from the Civil Register of Sevilla. The incidence of diarrhoea was 47 episodes for every 100 children per year, with a peak of higher incidence detected in July and August. Diarrhoea was more frequent in children of low socioeconomic level. The most common producers of diarrhoea were rotavirus (30%) and enteropathogenic E. coli (12%). The most frequent accompanying symptoms of diarrhoea were anorexia (68%), fever (35%), abdominal pain (32%) and vomiting (30%).