Inference of stature using segmental measures in comparison with directly measured height in children and adolescents: an analytical cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: In the clinical routine of pediatricians, height is the most reliable indicator for assessing growth. However, there are situations where it is not possible to measure this parameter directly, making the estimation of height or length a useful alternative. The main goal of this study is to identify which segmental measure, including upper arm length (UAL), tibial length (TL), and knee-heel length (KHL), provides the stature estimate that most closely approximates directly measured height in the study participants. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study of the anthropometric and segmental measures of 248 participants, aged 0 to 14 years old, using Stevenson's and Kihara's equations to estimate indirectly measured height. RESULTS: The segmental measure that provided a measurement that deviated the least from the actual height was the KHL, followed by TL, both calculated using Stevenson's equations. CONCLUSION: The use of segmental measures to infer a child's stature is valuable in clinical practice, particularly in bedridden and incapacitated patients. Based on the present findings, the KHL and TL segments yielded more accurate results than the UAL.

Association and birth prevalence of microcephaly attributable to Zika virus infection among infants in Paraíba, Brazil, in 2015-16: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: In 2015, the number of infants born with microcephaly increased in Paraíba, Brazil, after a suspected Zika virus outbreak. We did a retrospective case-control investigation to assess the association of microcephaly and Zika virus. METHODS: We enrolled cases reported to the national database for microcephaly and born between Aug 1, 2015, and Feb 1, 2016, on the basis of their birth head circumference and total body length. We identified controls from the national birth registry and matched them to cases by location, aiming to enrol a minimum of two controls per case. Mothers of both cases and controls were asked about demographics, exposures, and illnesses and infants were measured at a follow-up visit 1-7 months after birth. We took blood samples from mothers and infants and classified those containing Zika virus IgM and neutralising antibodies as evidence of recent infection. We calculated prevalence of microcephaly and odds ratios (ORs) using a conditional logistic regression model with maximum penalised conditional likelihood, and combined these ORs with exposure probability estimates to determine the attributable risk. FINDINGS: We enrolled 164 of 706 infants with complete information reported with microcephaly at birth, of whom we classified 91 (55%) as having microcephaly on the basis of their birth measurements, 36 (22%) as small, 21 (13%) as disproportionate, and 16 (10%) as not having microcephaly. 43 (26%) of the 164 infants had microcephaly at follow-up for an estimated prevalence of 5·9 per 1000 livebirths. We enrolled 114 control infants matched to the 43 infants classified as having microcephaly at follow-up. Infants with microcephaly at follow-up were more likely than control infants to be younger (OR 0·5, 95% CI 0·4-0·7), have recent Zika virus infection (21·9, 7·0-109·3), or a mother with Zika-like symptoms in the first trimester (6·2, 2·8-15·4). Once Zika virus infection and infant age were controlled for, we found no significant association between microcephaly and maternal demographics, medications, toxins, or other infections. Based on the presence of Zika virus antibodies in infants, we concluded that 35-87% of microcephaly occurring during the time of our investigation in northeast Brazil was attributable to Zika virus. We estimate 2-5 infants per 1000 livebirths in Paraíba had microcephaly attributable to Zika virus. INTERPRETATION: Time of exposure to Zika virus and evidence of infection in the infants were the only risk factors associated with microcephaly. This investigation has improved understanding of the outbreak of microcephaly in northeast Brazil and highlights the need to obtain multiple measurements after birth to establish if an infant has microcephaly and the need for further research to optimise testing criteria for congenital Zika virus infection. FUNDING: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ossifying fibroma of the jaws: a clinicopathological case series study.

The aim of this study was to assess the clinical, radiographic and microscopic features of a case series of ossifying fibroma (OF) of the jaws. For the study, all cases with OF diagnosis from the files of the Oral Pathology Laboratory, University of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, were reviewed. Clinical data were obtained from the patient files and the radiographic features were evaluated in each case. All cases were reviewed microscopically to confirm the diagnosis. Eight cases were identified, 5 in females and 3 in males. The mean age of the patients was 33.7 years and most lesions (7 cases) occurred in the mandible. Radiographically, all lesions appeared as unilocular images and most of them (5 cases) were of mixed type. The mean size of the tumor was 3.1 cm and 3 cases caused displacement of the involved teeth. Microscopically, all cases showed several bone-like mineralized areas, immersed in the cellular connective tissue. From the 8 cases, 5 underwent surgical excision and 1 patient refused treatment. In the remaining 2 cases, this information was not available. In conclusion, OF occurs more commonly in women in the fourth decade of life, frequently as a mixed radiographic image in the mandible. Coherent differential diagnoses are important to guide the most adequate clinical approach. A correlation between clinical, imaginological and histopathological features is the key to establish the correct diagnosis.

Spatial memory decline after masticatory deprivation and aging is associated with altered laminar distribution of CA1 astrocytes.

BACKGROUND: Chewing imbalances are associated with neurodegeneration and are risk factors for senile dementia in humans and memory deficits in experimental animals. We investigated the impact of long-term reduced mastication on spatial memory in young, mature and aged female albino Swiss mice by stereological analysis of the laminar distribution of CA1 astrocytes. A soft diet (SD) was used to reduce mastication in the experimental group, whereas the control group was fed a hard diet (HD). Assays were performed in 3-, 6- and 18-month-old SD and HD mice. RESULTS: Eating a SD variably affected the number of astrocytes in the CA1 hippocampal field, and SD mice performed worse on water maze memory tests than HD mice. Three-month-old mice in both groups could remember/find a hidden platform in the water maze. However, 6-month-old SD mice, but not HD mice, exhibited significant spatial memory dysfunction. Both SD and HD 18-month-old mice showed spatial memory decline. Older SD mice had astrocyte hyperplasia in the strata pyramidale and oriens compared to 6-month-old mice. Aging induced astrocyte hypoplasia at 18 months in the lacunosum-moleculare layer of HD mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that the impaired spatial learning and memory induced by masticatory deprivation and aging may be associated with altered astrocyte laminar distribution and number in the CA1 hippocampal field. The underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown and merit further investigation.

Lateral periodontal cyst: report of case and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: As the lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) is an unusual odontogenic cyst, most papers are single case reports or series with a limited number of cases, with few large series. The aim of this study is to report an additional case of LPC, emphasizing the clinical, radiographic, and histopathological features, differential diagnosis, and review of 264 cases reported in the English-language literature. CASE REPORT: A 51-year-old male patient presented with a well-delimited, radiolucent, mandibular lesion, located between the roots of the right lower lateral incisor and canine and evidenced during routine radiographic examination. A surgical excision was performed. Microscopically, there was a cystic cavity lined by simple squamous epithelium, compatible with LPC. DISCUSSION: LPC is an unusual odontogenic cyst and presents a marked predilection for occurring in the mandible between the roots of canines and premolars. Accurate clinical and imaging exams should be performed for a correct approach and diagnosis.

Absence of peritumoral fibrosis or inflammatory infiltrate may be related to clinical progression of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.

Rio Grande do Norte (RN) shows the highest relative incidence of papillary carcinomas in Brazil. To analyze histological features that might be associated with this incidence, the authors compared thyroid glands from 463 autopsies performed in RN with 427 surgical and autopsy glands previously studied in Sao Paulo (SP). The authors found 41 papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMs) in 35 glands (8.1%), an incidence similar to the one reported in SP (7.8%). However, PTMs were predominantly nonencapsulated nonsclerosing at microscopy (44.0%), in contrast with SP where these types of lesion represented only 4 out of 32 PTMs (12.5%; P = .0046). The authors suggest that these nonencapsulated lesions with no sign of inflammation may represent an early stage that may evolve to clinical cancers, contributing to the high incidence of clinically differentiated thyroid carcinomas observed in RN.

Rumos e diretrizes dos cursos de psicopedagogia: análise crítica do surgimento da psicopedagogia na américa- latina / Routes and directions of psychopedagogic courses: critical analysis of psychopedagogic outbreak in Latin America

Este artigo remete ao resgate histórico da psicopedagogia na América Latina, em especial na Argentina e Brasil. Traz um breve recorte do contexto social, econômico e cultural dos dois países desde a colonização até o início do século XXI, ressaltando etapas marcantes para o surgimento e constituição dessa área de conhecimento na região focalizada. Levanta os principais indicadores explicitados no conteúdo apresentado, sistematizando categorias de análise das práticas psicopedagógicas, iluminando, a situação da psicopedagogia enquanto área de conhecimento.

Rumos e diretrizes dos cursos de psicopedagogia: análise crítica do surgimento da psicopedagogia na américa- latina / Routes and directions of psychopedagogic courses: critical analysis of psychopedagogic outbreak in Latin America

Este artigo remete ao resgate histórico da psicopedagogia na América Latina, em especial na Argentina e Brasil. Traz um breve recorte do contexto social, econ¶mico e cultural dos dois países desde a colonizaþõo até o início do século XXI, ressaltando etapas marcantes para o surgimento e constituiþõo dessa área de conhecimento na regiõo focalizada. Levanta os principais indicadores explicitados no conteúdo apresentado, sistematizando categorias de análise das práticas psicopedagógicas, iluminando, a situaþõo da psicopedagogia enquanto área de conhecimento.(AU)