Identification of Epstein-Barr virus after topical treatment for oral hairy leukoplakia: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the presence of Epstein-Barr virus type 1 (EBV-1) DNA in patients living with HIV, before and after three different topical therapy protocols for oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). METHODS: The sample consisted of five patients treated with topical solution of 25% podophyllin resin; six with 25% podophyllin resin plus 5% acyclovir cream; and four with 25% podophyllin resin plus 1% penciclovir cream. DNA was extracted from OHL scrapings and amplified by the PCR using specific primers for EBV-1 (EBNA-1). RESULTS: Clinical healing of OHL lesions was observed across all treatment groups over time. At baseline, EBNA-1 was detected in all OHL lesions. After treatment, OHL samples from three patients treated with 25% podophyllin resin plus 5% acyclovir cream and from one patient treated with 25% podophyllin resin plus 1% penciclovir cream exhibited negative EBNA-1 viral gene encoding. Despite the clinical resolution of OHL, 11 patients (73.3%) showed EBNA-1 positivity immediately after the lesion disappeared. Three patients (20%) treated with podophyllin resin displayed both EBNA-1 positivity and a recurrence of OHL, in contrast to no recurrence in the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest potential associations between treatment formulations, EBNA-1 persistence, and the recurrence of OHL lesions.

The use of social networks in scientific research with questionnaires

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the response rate of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire sent and received by mail and over a social network to caregivers of individuals with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in Brazil. Methods: All volunteers were first-degree relatives of patients with EB that directly spent time helping them with their basic activities of daily living. A maximum of two caregivers per patient could answer the questionnaire. Volunteers were divided into two groups: for group 1, questionnaires were sent to 53 members of a support association for the disease by mail, and for group 2, 798 members of the Facebook™ page of friends and relatives of patients with EB were invited to participate using an access link to Google Drive™ to gain access to the questionnaire. The data from both groups were analyzed 150 days after the start the study. Descriptive analysis was performed by EpiInfo8 and the return of questionnaires was evaluated according to age, sex, and time of return using the Chi-squared and Fisher's exact test. Results: After 150 days, 30 questionnaires were returned, 17 (56.7%) of which from group 1 and 13 (43.3%) from group 2. Approximately 12 questionnaires were returned by mail and 11 over the social network. Conclusions: The data collection of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire from caregivers of individuals with EB over a social network seems to be efficient mainly when it is necessary to collect results within a short timeframe, highlighting the importance of social networks as a means for conducting this type of research. However, in our study, the most efficient method was distributing the questionnaires by mail

Dentists' perceptions of HIV/AIDS: psychometric properties of a first questionnaire for dentistry

Aim: The present study outlines the testing the first questionnaire to the field of dentistry to evaluate dentists' perceptions of HIV/AIDS, and its psychometric properties. Methods: A first questionnaire developed to evaluate dentists' perceptions of HIV/AIDS at this cross-sectional study contained 33 items in its original version. Randomly subsample of 251 Argentine dentists was invited to participate in the study. A four-factor structure (Transmission, Oral Manifestations, Dentists' practice, and Infection Controls) was tested through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well reliability was assessed. Results: The deletion of eight items from the original questionnaire improved the goodness of fit for the instrument. The retained 25 items revealed an acceptable reliability (internal consistency of 0.68), while the four factors revealed a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.53 for Transmission factor items, 0.71 for Oral Manifestations factor items, 0.59 for Dentists' Practice factor items, and 0.48 for Infection Controls factor items. Higher scores were observed on the Oral Manifestations factor items, but convergent and discriminant validity was compromised for the others factors. Conclusions: The findings presented here demonstrate the value of this first questionnaire with 25 items as a starting point for further inquiry. However, it would be desirable to add more items and a replication of the questionnaire is suggested to determine the stability of its psychometric properties

Development of questionnaire on dentists' knowledge of HIV/AIDS / Desenvolvimento de um questionário sobre HIV/AIDS para dentistas

Aim: This study aimed to construct and evaluate the cross-cultural adaptation of DK-HIV-Q in an Argentine Spanish version. Methods: A translation and back translation of the DK-HIV-Q questionnaire were completed, as the original questionnaire had been formulated in Portuguese by a Brazilian researcher. The DKHIV- Q was tested in two pilot studies conducted with Argentine dentists. Results: The committee of experts, consisting of three bilingual dentists, an epidemiology dentist, a general clinical dentist, and an oral pathology specialist, fully agreed on the conceptual relevance of the general domain and the 4-domain structure for the DK-HIV-Q, such as the declarative knowledge of the transmission of HIV/AIDS, the declarative knowledge of oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS, the procedural knowledge of proper dental practice, and the procedural knowledge of infection control measures. A final version of the DK-HIV-Q showed a satisfactory degree of semantic accuracy and semantic equivalence with the original version, and proved to be satisfactorily conceptual and useful as an initial indicator for a subsequent study of construct validity. Conclusion: This study described the specific details of the construction of the DK-HIV-Q and aspects of the content validity process, which is one of the main procedures to be considered by healthcare researchers and professionals who are interested in using reliable and appropriate measurements and instrument scales for given population groups, such as HIV/AIDS patients.

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi construir o DK-HIV-Q na versão espanhola Argentina e avaliar sua adaptação transcultural. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizada a tradução e a retro-tradução, porque o DK-HIV-Q foi feito em português pela pesquisadora brasileira. O DK-HIV-Q foi testado em dois estudospiloto entre dentistas argentinos. Resultados: O comitê de especialistas, composto por três cirurgiõesdentistas bilíngues, um epidemiologista, um clínico geral e um especialista em patologia oral, concordaram completamente com a relevância conceitual do domínio geral e com a estrutura de quatro domínios para o DK-HIV-Q, que foram conhecimento declarativo dos métodos de transmissão do HIV, conhecimento declarativo das manifestações orais de HIV/AIDS, conhecimento processual de práticas gerais odontológicas, e conhecimento processual de controle de infecção. A versão final do DKHIV- Q mostrou um grau satisfatório de precisão e de equivalência semânticas com a versão original e provou ser satisfatoriamente conceitual e útil como um indicador inicial para realizar um estudo posterior de validade de construto. Conclusão: Este estudo descreveu detalhes da construção do DK-HIV-Q e aspectos do processo de validade de conteúdo, um dos procedimentos a serem considerados por pesquisadores de saúde e profissionais que estão interessados em usar medidas confiáveis e adequadas e escalas de instrumentos para determinados grupos de população, tais como pacientes com HIV/AIDS.

Risk factors for oral candidiasis in Brazilian HIV-infected adult patients

Aim: The goals of this study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of oral candidiasis (OC) in a sample of Brazilian HIV-infected adult patients, and 2) to investigate the risk factors for HIVassociated OC in this sample. Methods: This case-control study included 112 HIV-infected patients treated between 2002 and 2004 at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Data were collected from medical records and clinical examinations. Diagnosis of OC was performed in accordance with the International Classification System and cytological features. Seventeen clinical and laboratorial variables were registered. Univariate analyses were performed on all variables. Multiple logistic regression techniques were used to develop a model and identify the set of variables that may predict risk factors in HIV-infected adult patients with OC. Results: Prevalence of OC was 31.3%. OC was associated with oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) [p<0.001; odds ratio (OR) = 10.2 (95%CI: 4.0-26.0)], previous use of fluconazole [p<0.001; OR=27.4 (95%CI: 8.1-92.0)] and viral load [p=0.042; OR=2.3 (95%CI: 1.0-5.3)]. Conclusions: These results are important for the development of strategies to eliminate these risk factors and significantly reduce OC in HIV-infected patients.

A new topical treatment protocol for oral hairy leukoplakia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present a new topical treatment protocol for oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL), consisting of a 25% podophyllin resin with a 1% penciclovir cream (PP), and to compare this topical treatment protocol's efficacy with that of 2 other topical treatment protocols: a 25% podophyllin resin (P) and a 25% podophyllin resin with a 5% acyclovir cream (PA). STUDY DESIGN: Forty-two human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with 69 OHL lesions were randomly treated using P, PA, or PP (14 patients in each topical treatment protocol). Clinical healing was determined when the white plaque could no longer be seen in the primary location of the lesion. Topical treatment performance was evaluated by clinical healing within each week of topical treatment protocol as well as by the recurrence of the lesion. Statistical survival analysis was performed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Approximately 55% of the patients presented with clinical healing of OHL within 7-8 weeks of each topical treatment protocol. After the sixth week, the PA treatment protocol presented a faster clinical healing rate of OHL. Recurrence was observed in 3 and 7 OHL lesions treated with P and PP treatment protocols, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PP treatment protocol proved to be effective; however, the PA treatment protocol was more effective in the clinical healing rate for OHL than P and PP after the sixth week of treatment, and no recurrent OHL was observed in the PA treatment group.

Tratamento da leucoplasia pilosa: revisão da literatura / Treatment of oral hairy leukoplakia: a literature review

Introdução: Pacientes com imunosupressão pela infecção do HIV (Human Immunodefi ciency Vírus) freqüentemente desenvolvem lesões de boca como a leucoplasia pilosa (LP). LP é uma lesão quase que exclusivamente observada em indivíduos infectados pelo HIV que apresentam uma baixa contagem de linfócitos T CD4. LP é assintomática e aparece como placa branca na borda lateral da língua, de superfície plana, corrugada ou pilosa e não removível quando raspada. A etiologia da LP é relacionada ao vírus Epstein-Barr, que pode ser identificado através de técnicas de microscopia eletrônica, hibridização "in situ", imunoistoquímica e reação em cadeia da polimerase. A citologia esfoliativa é uma boa opção para o diagnóstico da LP, por ser um método simples, confiável, seguro, não invasivo e não traumático. O tratamento da LP é recomendado para eliminar as pilosidades, restaurar o conforto do paciente, re-estabelecer as características normais da língua e eliminar nichos de bactérias, vírus e fungos desencadeadores de outras doenças da boca. Os tratamentos propostos na literatura para LP incluem cirurgia, terapia anti viral sistêmica e a terapia tópica. Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão de literatura sobre as opções de tratamento para a LP. Conclusão: A terapia tópica tem sido a mais recomendada, por ser de fácil aplicação, pouco invasiva, de baixo custo, com poucos efeitos colaterais e, principalmente, para eliminar as pilosidades e EBV, para restabelecer as características normais da língua sem desenvolvimento de resistência aos vírus e para eliminar nichos bacterianos e fúngicos. Indicações clínicas para esse tratamento devem incluir sintomas associados à lesão ou um desejo do paciente, por razões estéticas de eliminar a lesão.

Introduction: Patients with immunosupression caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection frequently develop oral lesions such as oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). OHL is a lesion almost exclusively observed in HIV-infected individuals, who present low T CD4 lymphocyte count. OHL is asymptomatic and appears as a white plaque on the lateral border of the tongue, with fl at, corrugated or hairy surface, which is not detachable when scraped. The etiology of OHL is related to Epstein-Barr virus, which may be detected by electron microscopy, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction techniques. Exfoliative cytology is a good option for the diagnosis of OHL, for being a simple, reliable, safe, noninvasive and non-traumatic method. The treatment of OHL is recommended to eliminate the filiform structures on lesion surface, provide comfort to the patient, re-establish the normal characteristics of the tongue and eliminate possible niches for bacteria, viruses and fungi that may cause other oral diseases. The treatments proposed in the literature for OHL include surgery, anti viral systemic therapy and topical therapy. Objective: This paper presents a literature review about the treatment options for OHL. Conclusion: Topical therapy has been the most recommended because it is easy to apply, is a low-invasive and low-cost procedure, and has few side effects. It is mainly indicated for removing the filiform structures on lesion surface, eradicating the Epstein-Barr virus, reestablishing the normal characteristics of the tongue without developing resistance to the virus, and eliminating bacterial and fungal niches. Clinical indications for this treatment should include symptoms associated with the lesion or the patient's desire of eliminating the lesion for esthetic reasons.

Oral mucosal conditions in chronic hepatitis C Brazilian patients: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to carry out an epidemiological study to assess the prevalence of oral mucosal conditions in Brazilian patients with chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 215 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were examined for oral mucosal conditions, including oral mucosal lesions and variations of normality. RESULTS: The prevalence of patients with chronic hepatitis C presenting oral mucosal conditions was 96.3 percent (207 patients). Oral mucosal lesions were present in 147 patients (68.4 percent), whereas variations of normality were observed in 173 patients (80.5 percent). The most common lesions included cheek biting in 42 cases (19.5 percent), candidiasis in 39 cases (18.1 percent), and leukoplakia in 28 cases (13.0 percent). The association of oral lichen planus with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection proved to be statistically significant (P = 0.002). The most frequent variations of normality included Fordyce's spots in 96 cases (44.7 percent), lingual varicosities in 67 cases (31.2 percent), and fissured tongue in 60 cases (27.9 percent). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of patients with chronic hepatitis C presenting oral mucosal conditions was 96.3 percent. Despite this high prevalence, only the association between oral lichen planus and hepatitis C showed statistical significance. Considering that HCV infection may be associated with extrahepatic disorders, such as oral manifestations, efforts should be made to clarify the possible relation between oral conditions and HCV infection. This may be helpful in the earlier diagnosis of the infection mainly in asymptomatic patients.

Tratamento tópico da leucoplasia pilosa bucal e desenvolvimento e validação de um instrumento para avaliação do conhecimento de cirurgiões dentistas sobre HIV/AIDS / Topical treatment for oral hairy leukoplakia and development and construct validation of a questionnaire for assessment od dentists knowledge about HIV/AIDS

A tese apresentada constou de duas pesquisas. A primeira foi um estudo de ensaio clínico randomizado com os objetivos de apresentar um novo tratamento tópico para a leucoplasia pilosa bucal (LPB), utilizando-se solução alcoólica de podofilina a 25% associada ao penciclovir creme a 1% (PP); avaliar variáveis de prognóstico que podem influenciar nos tratamentos tópicos com solução alcoólica de podofilina a 25% (P), com solução alcoólica de podofilina a 25% ao aciclovir a 5% (PA) e com PP; e avaliar o desempenho desses três protocolos de tratamento tópico através da cura ou não da LPB, do índice de cura em relação ao tempo e da recidiva doze meses após a cura. As variáveis de prognóstico avaliadas foram: gênero, idade, anos de educação formal, rota de transmissão, CD4, CD8, carga viral, plaquetas, candidíase oral, uso de terapia antiretroviral altamente ativa (HAART), uso prévio de aciclovir, uso prévio de antifúngico, uso de drogas injetáveis, uso de AZT, consumo de cigarro e álcool. Realizou-se também a pesquisa da presença do vírus Esptein-Barr (EBV) antes e depois do tratamento tópico da LBP. Os 42 pacientes HIV-positivos e portadores de 69 lesões de LPB foram recrutados aleatoriamente do Centro de Treinamento e Referência em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias Orestes Diniz (CTR-DIP), em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. A presença do EBV foi avaliada em 15 destes 42 pacientes, onde a extração do DNA foi realizada por meio de raspado da borda lateral de língua e amplificada pela reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR) antes e após o tratamento tópico. A LPB foi diagnosticada pela citologia esfoliativa. O modelo proporcional de Cox foi usado para avaliar as variáveis de prognóstico e o desempenho dos três protocolos de tratamento...

Oral adverse effects due to the use of Nevirapine.

AIM: The aim of this article is to present the clinical characteristics and management of an oral adverse effect stemming from the use of the antiretroviral medication Nevirapine (NVP). BACKGROUND: NVP is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used in the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old black man, HIV-infected since 1996, began highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with zidovudine, lamivudine, and indinavir. From 1996 to 2002 several medications were changed due to their adverse effects: indinavir (renal colic and fever), nelfinavir (cutaneous rash), and efavirenz (nausea and temporary memory loss). When the patient presented to our service he was taking NVP, zidovudine, and lamivudine. A whitish plaque in the lips and bilateral buccal mucosa, burning, taste disturbance, and xerostomia were observed. The discontinuation of HAART led to the complete resolution of signs and symptoms. The patient has received follow-up treatment for three years and five months without local or systemic effects observed. SUMMARY: Unfortunately, the clinical features of the oral adverse effect from NVP are not well known. This paper contributed to the identification of possible reactions in the oral cavity due to antiretroviral medication. Although HAART is very important in the treatment of HIV, its side effects are responsible for patients' non-adherence to medications. While more studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of action after suspending HAART, the complete resolution of the signs and symptoms was observed. Therefore, physicians and dentists alike must understand how to identify and prevent these adverse effects in order to further improve HIV patient treatments.

A random clinical trial study to assess the efficiency of topical applications of podophyllin resin (25%) versus podophyllin resin (25%) together with acyclovir cream (5%) in the treatment of oral hairy leukoplakia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of topical applications of podophyllin resin (25%) (P) versus podophyllin resin (25%) together with acyclovir cream (5%) (PA) in the treatment of oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) in accordance with the following criteria: (1) number of applications necessary for the total clinical resolution of OHL; (2) correlation between the decrease of lesion size and the number of applications; (3) total clinical resolution of OHL; and (4) clinical reevaluation 12 months after the end of treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-six OHLs were treated with P (P group) or with PA (PA group). Applications were performed weekly. Student t, Fisher exact, and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: All 24 lesions from the PA group presented total clinical resolution while 4 lesions from the P group did not. The P group required up to 25 applications performed weekly while the PA group required up to 18. Observed was a negative significant association between the size of the lesions and the number of applications performed weekly in the PA group. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the following: (1) P and PA topical treatments presented a similar average number of applications performed weekly; (2) both groups showed the same clinical response at 12 months post-therapy; and (3) PA presented a 100% clinical resolution and a continuous decrease in OHL size over the course of weekly applications.

Risk factors for oral hairy leukoplakia in HIV-infected adults of Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) may be an indicator of the progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-induced immuno-depression, and the evaluation of risk factors leading to OHL is important in the management of these HIV-infected patients. However, there are few studies that analyze risk factors leading to OHL in the Brazilian population. The aim of this case-control study is to present data about prevalence rates and risk factors leading to OHL in a sample of HIV-infected adults in Brazil. METHODS: This case-control study included 111 HIV-infected patients treated at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. In the initial examinations with dentists, variables were collected from all patients. Diagnosis of OHL was performed in accordance with the International Classification System and cytological features. The Fisher and the chi-squared tests were used for statistical analysis. The proportional prevalence and odds ratio were estimated. RESULTS: Outcome presented a positive, statistically significant association among the presence of OHL and viral load of 3000 copies/mul or greater (P = 0.0001; odds ratio (OR) = 5.8), presence of oral candidiasis (P = 0.0000; OR = 11.1), previous use of fluconazole (P = 0.0000; OR = 24.6), and use of systemic acyclovir (P = 0.032; OR = 4.3). Antiretroviral medication presented a negative, statistically significant association with the presence of OHL (P = 0.002; OR = 8.4). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of OHL was 28.8%. Viral load, oral candidiasis, previous use of fluconazole, and systemic acyclovir were determined to be risk factors for OHL. Antiretroviral medication proved to be protective against the development of OHL.

Condiloma acuminado na mucosa bucal de pacientes HIV positivo: relato de três casos clínicos / Condyloma acuminatum in the oral mucosa of HIV positive: report of three clinical cases

Três casos de condiloma acuminado acometendo a mucosa bucal de pacientes HIV positivos são descritos. Todos os indivíduos eram do sexo masculino com idade entre 32 e 43 anos e apresentaram lesões múltiplas. Os três relataram que seus respectivos parceiros haviam desenvolvido doenças semelhantes na genitália. Discute-se, também, a relação entre as infecções pelo papilomavírus humano (HPV) e o uso da terapia antiretroviral altamente efetiva (HAART).

Botulinum toxin type A in the management of masseter muscle hypertrophy.

PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate the response of 6 patients with masseter muscle hypertrophy to botulinum toxin type A therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six patients with unilateral or bilateral masseter muscle hypertrophy received intramuscular injection of the botulinum toxin type A. The functional and cosmetic results were evaluated as well as recurrence. RESULTS: In all patients, satisfactory regression of the masseter muscle hypertrophy occurred and mild muscular pain was relieved. Recurrence was observed in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The use of botulinum toxin type A in masseter muscle hypertrophy therapy was shown to be a successful and safe treatment method. This procedure to control parafunctional activities involving the masticatory muscles of patients appears to be useful.

Osteorradionecrose na cavidade bucal / Osteoradionecrosis in the oral cavity

A osteorradionecrose (ORN) é uma exposição óssea persistente em um paciente previamente irradiado para tratamento de uma neoplasia. A alteração pode manifestar-se através de apresentações clínicas variadas e imagens radiográficas, que geralmente são pobremente definidas no estadio inicial da doença. O tratamento odontológico mal planejado no paciente submetido à radioterapia, pode resultar no desenvolvimento de uma ORN. Sendo assim, o conhecimento dessa afecção, sobretudo no que se refere à sua etiologia, prevenção, diagnóstico e tratamento, torna-se essencial ao cirurgião-dentista, que é o responsável pela manutenção da saúde bucal nestes pacientes. Este trabalho faz uma revisão sobre os principais aspectos da ORN na cavidade bucal.

Lesões bucais em crianças infectadas pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana oral / Oral lesions among children infected with human immunodecifiency virus

Lesões bucais de origem infecciosa ou neoplásica são comuns em pacientes infectados pelo HIV. No grupo pediátrico, estas doenças são observadas com muita freqüência e por vezes, relacionam-se com a saúde geral e com o prognóstico do paciente. Este trabalho descreve e discute as principais lesões bucais relacionadas com a infecção HIV no grupo pediátrico