OSTEOCHONDROSES IN CHILDREN'S SPORTS PRACTICE - A RARE CASE OF VAN NECK-ODELBERG DISEASE.

Background: Osteochondroses are a set of conditions concerning the ossification of the developing bone. Higher intensity in sports activities can increase its occurrence in children. There is no consensus on its etiology, with multiple factors being involved. Van Neck-Odelberg disease is a rare osteochondrosis located in ischiopubic synchondrosis. Treatment is mainly conservative, with activity suspension. Addressing and correcting the predisposing factors is crucial to these injuries. Case report: We present a case of a 6-year-old futsal player who experienced mechanical inguinal moderate pain during sports practice. After performing physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiographic evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with Van Neck-Odelberg disease. Sports activities were suspended while a conservative treatment was performed, with subsequent follow-up over 3.5 years. No symptom recurrence was reported. Conclusion: Increased intensity of sports activities is associated with overuse injuries in children, especially before completing the ossification process. Preventive measures must remain the primary concern in children's sports practice.

Evaluation of two methods for computational HLA haplotypes inference using a real dataset.

BACKGROUND: HLA haplotype analysis has been used in population genetics and in the investigation of disease-susceptibility locus, due to its high polymorphism. Several methods for inferring haplotype genotypic data have been proposed, but it is unclear how accurate each of the methods is or which method is superior. The accuracy of two of the leading methods of computational haplotype inference--Expectation-Maximization algorithm based (implemented in Arlequin V3.0) and Bayesian algorithm based (implemented in PHASE V2.1.1)--was compared using a set of 122 HLA haplotypes (A-B-Cw-DQB1-DRB1) determined through direct counting. The accuracy was measured with the Mean Squared Error (MSE), Similarity Index (IF) and Haplotype Identification Index (IH). RESULTS: None of the methods inferred all of the known haplotypes and some differences were observed in the accuracy of the two methods in terms of both haplotype determination and haplotype frequencies estimation. Working with haplotypes composed by low polymorphic sites, present in more than one individual, increased the confidence in the assignment of haplotypes and in the estimation of the haplotype frequencies generated by both programs. CONCLUSION: The PHASE v2.1.1 implemented method had the best overall performance both in haplotype construction and frequency calculation, although the differences between the two methods were insubstantial. To our knowledge this was the first work aiming to test statistical methods using real haplotypic data from the HLA region.

Low-level laser therapy on skeletal muscle inflammation: evaluation of irradiation parameters.

We evaluated the effect of different irradiation parameters in low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for treating inflammation induced in the gastrocnemius muscle of rats through cytokines concentration in systemic blood and analysis of muscle tissue. We used continuous (830 and 980 nm) and pulsed illuminations (830 nm). Animals were divided into five groups per wavelength (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mW), and a control group. LLLT was applied during 5 days with a constant irradiation time and area. TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-2, and IL-6 cytokines were quantified by ELISA. Inflammatory cells were counted using microscopy. Identical methodology was used with pulsed illumination. Average power (40 mW) and duty cycle were kept constant (80%) at five frequencies (5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 Hz). For continuous irradiation, treatment effects occurred for all doses, with a reduction of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 cytokines and inflammatory cells. Continuous irradiation at 830 nm was more effective, a result explained by the action spectrum of cytochrome c oxidase (CCO). Best results were obtained for 40 mW, with data suggesting a biphasic dose response. Pulsed wave irradiation was only effective for higher frequencies, a result that might be related to the rate constants of the CCO internal electron transfer process.