The impact of dental care intervention on ventilator-associate events: A Quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate a multidisciplinary intensive oral health protocol, proposed and applied by a dentist, in an adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU), in regards to the prevention of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP), compared with retrospective data. METHODS: 4,103 patients admitted to the adult ICU from January 2013 to December 2017 and selected patients who were under mechanical ventilation with an orotracheal tube for at least 48 hours. These patients were compared before (Baseline Group) and after (Intervention Group) the hygiene protocol established and carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by a dentist. The Baseline Group, from January 2013 to May 2015, 213 patients, and the Intervention Group, from June 2015 to December 2017, 137 patients. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (21.12%) in the Baseline Group and 5 patients (3.65%) in the Intervention Group developed VAP (P < .05). Twenty-two patients (10.33%) died due to VAP in the Baseline Group, and 1 patient (0.73%) died due to VAP (P < .05) in the Intervention Group. The mortality rate of  VAP was 48.89% for Baseline Group and 20.00% for Intervention Group (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed better outcomes when patients' oral health is led, evaluated and treated by a dentist in the ICU. The dental care intervention contributed to the reduction of VAP episodes and deaths due to VAP.

Molecular characterization of commonly used cell lines for bone tumor research: a trans-European EuroBoNet effort.

Usage of cancer cell lines has repeatedly generated conflicting results provoked by differences among subclones or contamination with mycoplasm or other immortal mammalian cells. To overcome these limitations, we decided within the EuroBoNeT consortium to characterize a common set of cell lines including osteosarcomas (OS), Ewing sarcomas (ES), and chondrosarcomas (CS). DNA fingerprinting was used to guarantee the identity of all of the cell lines and to distinguish subclones of osteosarcoma cell line HOS. Screening for homozygous loss of 38 tumor suppressor genes by MLPA revealed deletion of CDKN2A as the most common event (15/36), strictly associated with absence of the CDKN2A (p16) protein. Ten cell lines showed missense mutations of the TP53 gene while another set of nine cell lines showed mutations resulting in truncation of the TP53 protein. Cells harboring missense mutations expressed high levels of nuclear TP53, while cell lines with nonsense mutations showed weak/absent staining for TP53. TP53(wt) cell lines usually expressed the protein in 2-10% of the cells. However, seven TP53(wt) osteosarcomas were negative for both mRNA and protein expression. Our analyses shed light on the correlation between immunohistochemical and genetic data for CDKN2A and TP53, and confirm the importance of these signaling pathways. The characterization of a substantial number of cell lines represents an important step to supply research groups with proven models for further advanced studies on tumor biology and may help to make results from different laboratories more comparable.

Reduced human leukocyte antigen expression in advanced-stage Ewing sarcoma: implications for immune recognition.

Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a tumour most commonly arising in bone, although on occasion in soft tissue, with a poor prognosis in patients with refractory or relapsed disease, despite multimodal therapy. Immunotherapeutic strategies based on tumour-reactive T and/or natural killer cells may improve the treatment of advanced-stage EWS. Since cellular immune recognition critically depends on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, knowledge about HLA expression in EWS is crucial in the design of cellular immunotherapeutic strategies. Constitutive and IFNgamma-induced HLA class I expression was analysed in EWS cell lines (n = 6) by flow cytometry, using antibodies against both monomorphic and allele-specific antigens. Expression of antigen processing pathway components and beta-2 microglobulin (beta2m) was assessed by western blot. Expression of class II transactivator (CIITA), and its contribution to HLA class II expression, was evaluated by qRT-PCR, transduction assays, and flow cytometry. beta2m/HLA class I and class II expression was validated in EWS tumours (n = 67) by immunofluorescence. Complete or partial absence of HLA class I expression was observed in 79% of EWS tumours. Lung metastases consistently lacked HLA class I and sequential tumours demonstrated a tendency towards decreased expression upon disease progression. Together with absent or low constitutive expression levels of specific HLA class I loci and alleles, and differential induction of identical alleles by IFNgamma in different cell lines, these results may reflect the existence of an immune escape mechanism. Inducible expression of TAP-1/-2, tapasin, LMP-2/-7, and the beta2m/HLA class I complex by IFNgamma suggests that regulatory mechanisms are mainly responsible for heterogeneity in constitutive class I expression. EWSs lack IFNgamma-inducible HLA class II, due to lack of functional CIITA. The majority of EWS tumours, particularly if advanced-stage, exhibit complete or partial absence of both classes of HLA. This knowledge will be instrumental in the design of cellular immunotherapeutic strategies for advanced-stage EWS.

Microarray analysis of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours reveals characteristic gene expression signatures associated with metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy.

In Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours (ESFT), the clinically most adverse prognostic parameters are the presence of tumour metastasis at time of diagnosis and poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. To identify genes differentially regulated between metastatic and localised tumours, we analysed 27 ESFT specimens using Affymetrix microarrays. Functional annotation of differentially regulated genes revealed 29 over-represented pathways including PDGF, TP53, NOTCH, and WNT1-signalling. Regression of primary tumours (n=20) induced by polychemotherapy was found to be correlated with the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis, apoptosis, ubiquitin proteasome pathway, and PI3 kinase and p53 pathways. These findings could be confirmed by in vitro cytotoxicity assays. A set of 46 marker genes correctly classifies these 20 tumours as responding versus non-responding. We conclude that expression signatures of initial tumour biopsies can help to identify ESFT patients at high risk to develop tumour metastasis or to suffer from a therapy refractory cancer.

Extração de terceiros molares retidos sob anestesia local. Avaliação de ansiedade, dor, alterações hemodinâmicas e respiratórias / Extraction of retained third molar teeth under local anesthesia. Evaluation of anxiety, pain, hemodynamic and respiratory alterations

Trata-se de estudo corte transversal, descritivo com componente analítico, com o objetivo de avaliar a ansiedade dos pacientes no período que precede o procedimento, as alterações hemodinâmicas, respiratórias e dor no intra-operatório em pacientes submetidos à extração de terceiros molares retidos sob anestesia local. Foram incluídos no estudo 42 sujeitos do sexo masculino, hígidos, com idade compreendida entre 18 e 34 anos. A anestesia foi feita com cloridrato de lidocaína a 2% com adrenalina 1:50.000, na dose que variou de 72 a 144mg. Com auxilio de monitor multiparamétrico não-invasivo avaliaram-se os parâmetros: pressão arterial média, freqüência cardíaca, saturação periférica de O2 e frequência respiratória; o grau de ansiedade (escala de ansiedade para cirurgia odontológica) e dor (escala analógica visual). A análise estatística foi realizada por meio dos testes t de Student e Wilcoxon pareado. O nível de significância foi fixado em 5%. O tempo médio máximo de cirurgia foi 60 minutos, período considerado para análise dos resultados. Neste estudo, vinte pacientes apresentavam algum grau de ansiedade. Dor intensa foi referida por sete pacientes nos momentos da osteotomia, odontosecção e luxação que necessitaram de complementação com anestésico local. A análise individual dos parâmetros hemodinâmicos e respiratórios mostrou alterações consideradas clinicamente significativas. Os resultados deste estudo permitem concluir que alterações hemodinâmicas e respiratórias podem ocorrer durante extrações de terceiros molares retidos, especialmente em pacientes ansiosos e com dor. A monitorização é importante na detecção e conseqüentemente prevenção dessas intercorrências, sendo particularmente útil em pacientes em que essas repercussões devam ser evitadas.

A transversal, descriptive study with an analytical component was conducted, aimed at evaluating anxiety during the period preceding the procedure, as well as hemodynamic and respiratory alterations and pain during the intraoperative period in patients undergoing the extraction of retained third molars under local anesthesia. Forty-two healthy male subjects, ranging in age from 18 to 34 years were included in the study. Anesthesia was performed with lidocaine hydrochloride 2% with epinephrine 1:50.000, at a dose ranging from 72 to 144mg. A non-invasive multiparametric monitor was used to monitor the following parameters: mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, peripheral O2 saturation, respiratory rate; level of anxiety (anxiety scale for dental surgery) and pain (visual analog scale). Statistical analysis was performed with a paired Student’s t and Wilcoxon’s test. The significance level was set at 5%. In this study, twenty patients had some level of anxiety. Severe pain was reported in seven patients who required supplementation with local anesthesia during osteotomy, tooth sectioning and luxation. Individual analysis of hemodynamic and respiratory parameters showed alterations that were considered significant. The results of this study enabled us to conclude that hemodynamic and respiratory alterations may occur during the extraction of retained third molars. Monitoring is important for the detection and thus prevention of these complications. Furthermore, it is particularly useful in patients in whom these repercussions must be avoided.