The Preferences of Dentists’ Attire among a Selected Population of Parents

Aim:To evaluate the preferences of the dentists' attire among parents.Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.Methodology:A questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic information and their preferences from Parents that accompanied their children to the Paediatric dental clinic. Information was also elicited from photographs showing male and female dentists’ with different attires and protective wears. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 and the level of significance was set at <0.05.Results: One hundred and fifty parents, comprising of 105(70%) females and 45(30%) males were assessed. The 40-49 year age-group were the majority [73(48.7%)], the female dentist was the preferred gender and there were statistically significant differences between the male and female subjects (p=0.047). One hundred and forty-six (97.3%) wanted the dentists to wear name tags mostly for ease of identification 103(68.8%) and communication 20(13.3%). All parents wanted the dentist to don protective coat and gloves, while 123(82%) and 80(53.3%) parents preferred dentists' wearing facemasks and protective glasses, respectively. One hundred and twenty-eight (85.3%) preferred the white coats because it depicts purity/cleanliness (51.4%) and professionalism (45.7%).Dentists attire was important to 82% and there were statistical significant differences (p=0.01) between those with previous dental exposure and first-timers. There were statistically significant differences (p=0.03) between procedures [orthodontics and other procedures] done in the present visit and their perception of dentist attire.Conclusion:The preferences of the parents on protective wears, use of name tags and gender of the dentist show that identification, safety, empathy and rapport were desiredfrom the dentist by the parents. Previous exposure of their children to the dental setting had an influence on the parents’ preferences

Role of probiotic for impetigo in children

Back ground: Impetigo is the most common bacterial infection in children. This acute, highly contagious infection of the superficial layers of the epidermis is primarily caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus Pyogenes. The Objective of this study is to find out the role of probiotic among children suffering from impetigo. Materials and methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single-blinded interventional study, conducted in Paediatric OPD, Dermatology OPD and Paediatric Ward in Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital for a period of 6 months. A total of 50 patients were enrolled in the study as per the inclusion criteria. They were treated with probiotic (50 million spores of Lactobacillus sporegenes, Streptococcus faecalis 30 million spores, Clostridium butyricum 2 million spores, Bacillus mesentericus 1 million spores) twice daily for 5 days. As a conventional treatment, Azithromycin 10 mg/kg/day once a day for 5 days given along with probiotic. Microbiological examination of pus from the first swab was used to prepare smears and was stained by Gram’s method. The pus from the second swab was inoculated on blood agar and Mc Conkey’s agar. Results: Bacteriological response and the clinical response were highly significant from baseline to the fifth day of treatment with probiotic along with azithromycin. Conclusion: The result of our study explores a new possibility in the horizon of treatment of impetigo. Since the adverse effects caused by probiotic are minimal and tolerable, it could be further exploited for the treatment of other inflammatory or immune conditions that are refractory to treatment with current chemotherapeutic agents.

Role of allopurinol in the treatment of hyperuricemic patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease [NAFLD] is the most common cause of chronic liver injury, recently elevated uric acid [UA] level was found to be an important factor in the development of NAFLD so lowering the level of UA by allopurinol might play an important role in the improvement of NAFLD. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of treating hyperuricemia by allopurinol on NAFLD patients assessed by ultrasonography [U/S] and liver enzymes. 3l hyperuricemic patients suffering from NAFLD were enrolled in the study. These patients were randomly assigned into two groups; Group A [14 patients]: Placebo group who received starch based placebo for 2-3 months and Group B [17 patients]: Treatment group who received allopurinol for 2-3 months. Fatty liver [FL] grade and size were assessed by U/S before and after treatment; also liver enzymes [GPT , GOT] and UA were measured before and after treatment. The present study showed significant difference between GPT and GOT before and after lowering UA level [P<0.001 and P=0.013, respectively] in the treatment group while U/S parameters showed no significant difference in the FL size and grade before and after treatment [P:0.208 and 0.325 respectively]. We concluded that Allopurinol can be used to improve patients with NAFLD associated with hyperuricemia as assessed by improved liver enzymes

Pityrosporum folliculitis in a patient diagnosed with acneiform drug eruption

Pityrosporum folliculitis (PF) is a polymorphic dermatomycosis characterized by the development of multiple follicular papules and pustules. This disease occurs mainly in the seborrheic areas of the face, back and chest. Being aggravated by hot weather and sweating, PF has shown to be a common disease in the tropics. Clinically, it may present similarly as other diseases such as acneiform drug eruption. Differentiation between these two disease entities and an objective method of ruling out PF are important in our setting as management will differ. We report a case of pityrosporum folliculitis in a patient who had a history of chronic oral steroid intake and presented clinically with an acneiform eruption on his face, chest and back. Microscopy and skin biopsy revealed the presence of Pityrosporum. The patient was successfully treated with systemic and topical anti-fungal medications. We postulate that in this patient, immunosuppression due to exogenous steroids may be the predisposing factor for pityrosporum folliculitis. Since acneiform drug eruption and pityrosporum folliculitis may present similarly, misdiagnosis is common. We suggest that when presented with an acneiform eruption in an immunosuppressed patient, direct microscopy of KOH mounts of lower comedonal

Tenho medo de quê? / What am I afraid of? / ¿A qué tengo miedo?

Verificar se adolescentes de ambos os sexos referem o medo como uma emoção presente e quais são as causas mais comuns de medo. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo, prospectivo, de corte transversal, com determinação da amostra por conveniência, que envolveu a análise de questionários aplicados aos adolescentes atendidos entre 2004 e 2006 em um ambulatório de Medicina do Adolescente. Os adolescentes responderam na sala de espera o Youth Self Report (YSR) - instrumento de triagem para problemas de comportamento. Foram analisadas as respostas ao item 29 - "tenho medo de animais, situações ou lugares, sem incluir a escola. Quais?" O teste do qui-quadrado foi utilizado para verificar a associação entre as faixas etárias (10-12, 13-15 e 16-19 anos) e sexo com o item 29 do YSR. RESULTADOS: Avaliaram-se 323 protocolos, 184 (57 por cento) eram do sexo feminino. A emoção medo foi predominante no sexo feminino (p=0,009). Houve uma associação significante entre as respostas ao item 29 e a faixa etária, em que os mais velhos assinalaram mais a opção "frequentemente presente" do que os mais novos (p=0,048). Os motivos de medo foram diversos, mas os animais predominaram. CONCLUSÕES: A emoção medo esteve mais associada ao sexo feminino e a faixa etária dos adolescentes mais velhos. A educação, a cultura e a preservação da espécie podem estar influenciando a presença de medo nas mulheres. Diferentemente da literatura, os mais velhos relataram mais terem medo, talvez devido à maior consciência desta emoção ou pelas expectativas da faixa etária.

To determine whether male and female adolescents report currently experiencing fear and to identify their most common causes of fear. METHODS: This was a descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study of a convenience sample, involving analysis of questionnaires administered to adolescents seen at a public university adolescent clinic between 2004 and 2006. The adolescents self-administered the Youth Self Report (YSR - a screening tool for behavioral problems) while in the waiting room. The responses to item 29, "I am afraid of certain animals, situations or places other than school. (Describe)" were analyzed. The chi-square test was used to determine whether age group (10-12, 13-15 or 16-19 years) and gender were associated with responses to item 29 of the YSR. RESULTS: 323 adolescents' questionnaires were analyzed, 184 (57 percent) of whom were female. Fear was more common among the females (p=0.009). There was a significant association between the responses to item 29 and age group. Older adolescents were more likely to check the option "often true" than younger adolescents (p=0.048). There were a variety of different causes of fear, but animals predominated. CONCLUSIONS: Among these adolescents, fear tended to be associated with the female gender and older age groups. Education, culture and preservation of the species may affect the degree of fear in females. In contrast with reports in the literature, in this study older students reported more fear, perhaps due to greater awareness of the emotion or due to the expectations of the age group analyzed.

Verificar si adolescentes de ambos sexos refieren el miedo como una emoción presente y cuáles son las causas más comunes de miedo. MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo, de corte transversal, con determinación de la muestra por conveniencia, que implicó el análisis de cuestionarios aplicados a los adolescentes atendidos entre 2004 y 2006, en un ambulatorio de Medicina del Adolescente. Los adolescentes contestaron en la sala de espera el Youth Self Report (YSR) - instrumento de selección para problemas de comportamiento. Se analizaron las respuestas en el ítem 29 - ®tengo miedo a animales, situaciones o lugares, no incluyendo la escuela. ¿Cuáles?¼ Se utilizó el test de chi-cuadrado para verificar la asociación entre las franjas de edad (10-12 años, 13-15 años y 16-19 años) y sexo con el ítem 29 del YSR. RESULTADOS: Se evaluaron 323 protocolos, 184 (57,0 por ciento) eran del sexo femenino. La emoción miedo fue predominante en el sexo femenino (p=0,009). Hubo una asociación significante entre las respuestas al ítem 29 y la franja de edad, en la que los mayores señalaron más la opción ®frecuentemente presente¼ que los menores (p=0,048). Los motivos de miedo fueron diversos, pero los animales predominaron. CONCLUSIONES: La emoción miedo estuvo más asociada al sexo femenino y a la franja de edad de los individuos mayores. La educación, la cultura y la preservación de la especie pueden estar influenciando la presencia del miedo en las mujeres. Diferentemente de la literatura, los mayores relataron más tener miedo, quizá debido a la mayor consciencia de esta emoción o por las expectativas de la franja de edad.

Deficiência de ferro na criança: [revisão] / Iron deficiency in infants and children: [review]

Estima-se que dois bilhões de indivíduos sejam anêmicos e que a deficiência de ferro ocorra em cerca de quatro bilhões de indivíduos, afetando a população de países desenvolvidos e, com mais intensidade, a dos países em desenvolvimento. No Brasil, estudos apontam elevada prevalência de anemia ferropriva em crianças dependendo da região e da faixa etária. A velocidade de crescimento aumentada, determinando maior necessidade de ferro, aliada a dieta inadequada em ferro e ao desmame precoce, contribuem para a elevada prevalência de anemia, principalmente nos dois primeiros anos de vida. Outros fatores de risco são apontados, como a prematuridade, o baixo peso ao nascer, a ligadura precoce do cordão umbilical e o abandono do aleitamento materno exclusivo. O impacto da deficiência de ferro no crescimento permanece controverso, uma vez que inúmeras outras variáveis poderiam contribuir para melhora ou piora do estado nutricional. Alterações no desenvolvimento psicomotor e neurocognitivo, nos lactentes deficientes com ferro, têm sido relatadas em diversos estudos, sendo controversa a recuperação após o tratamento. Há trabalhos que demonstram queda no rendimento intelectual e nas aquisições cognitivas também no período escolar e adolescência, com reversão após a terapia marcial. Entre as medidas preventivas, a educação nutricional é a forma ideal; entretanto, frente à elevada prevalência, outras formas de prevenção devem ser também utilizadas, como a suplementação com ferro e a fortificação de alimentos com ferro.

Iron deficiency anemia afflicts an estimated two billion people and iron deficiency approximately 4 billion people in developed countries and is even more common in developing countries. In Brazil, depending on the region and age, studies point to high prevalences of iron-deficiency anemia in children. The high growth speed, which requires a greater amount of iron, connected with an inadequate iron diet and early weaning contribute to the high prevalence, mainly within the first 2 years of life. Other risk factors, such as prematurity, low birth weight, early umbilical cord clamping and weaning from exclusive breastfeeding may contribute. The impact of iron deficiency on growth is controversial as several other variables contribute to improve or worsen the nutritional status. Alterations in the psychomotor and neural-cognitive development of infants with iron deficiency have been reported in various studies with the catch-up growth rate after treatment being controversial. Additionally, some studies have demonstrated a decrease in the intellectual development and cognitive acquisition in school age children and adolescents that is reverted after iron therapy. The best preventive measure is nutritional education, however due to the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, other measures should also be used as iron supplementation and food fortification with iron.

Generalized asymptomatic red nodules in a 21-year old Filipino male

A 21 year old Filipino male presented with swelling of the second right hand digit unresponsive to antibiotics. Amputation revealed chronic inflammation and negative cultures. He developed sterile conjunctivitis and a generalized eruption of asymptomatic red papules and nodules. First skin biopsy revealed a diffuse infiltrate of epithelioid and foamy histiocytes, diagnosed as "juvenile xanthogranuloma." The second biopsy revealed large histiocytes with a "ground-glass" eosinophilic cytoplasm, multinucleated giant cells, and mixed cell infiltrate. Immunohistochemistry showed histiocytes staining with (+)S100 and (+)CD68, and (-)CD1a. Final diagnosis was "multicentric reticulohistocytosis." Despite treatment with oral prednisone, methotrexate and alendronate, lesions were progressive. CONCLUSION: This fascinating case manifests with overlapping features of both juvenile xanthogranuloma and multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, and lead the authors to suggest considering the spectrum of diseases called the non-Langerhans cells histiocytosis when presented with a generalized nodular eruption.

O conhecimento das adolescentes sobre questões relacionadas ao sexo / Adolescent females' knowledge about pregnancy prevention methods and sexually transmitted diseases

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o conhecimento sobre sexualidade, métodos contraceptivos e doenças sexualmente transmissíveis (DST) entre adolescentes do sexo feminino, das zonas rural e urbana, de uma escola pública. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, realizado com 506 meninas, com idades entre 10 e 16 anos, da Escola Dr. Roberto Feijó, em Guararema, SP. Utilizou-se questionário semi-estruturado, contendo perguntas gerais sobre sexualidade e métodos de prevenção de gravidez e DST. O teste do Qui-quadrado foi usado para verificar a associação entre as variáveis. RESULTADOS: A média de idade da população adolescente da escola proveniente da área rural foi 13 anos e 11 meses e da área urbana foi 13 anos e 7 meses, não havendo diferença estatística entre as médias. Trinta e um por cento eram provenientes da zona rural e 69 por cento da urbana. As jovens da zona rural buscaram mais informações sobre a sexualidade (81,2 por cento), comparadas com as da zona urbana (72,2 por cento) (p<0,0568), e a principal fonte de informação foram os pais nas duas regiões. A camisinha foi o método contraceptivo mais conhecido pelas adolescentes em ambas as áreas, 44 por cento a conheciam na zona rural e 45 por cento na urbana (p=0,0022). A Aids é a DST mais conhecida nos dois grupos; 43 por cento das jovens da zona rural e 39 por cento da zona urbana referiram conhecer a doença (p=0,7843). CONCLUSÃO: A maioria das adolescentes buscou informações sobre sexualidade, mas os conhecimentos sobre doenças sexualmente transmissíveis e contracepção são inadequados.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate knowledge about sexuality, contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) by female adolescents from both rural and urban zone attending public school. METHODS: A cross sectional study was made with 506 teenagers, 10 to 16 years old, attending Dr. Roberto Feijó Public School in Guararema, São Paulo. A semi-structured questionnaire with general questions about sexuality, contraceptive methods and STD was administered. The Chi-square test was used to verify the association between variables. RESULTS: Mean age of the girls from the rural zone was13 years and 11 months and from the urban zone age was 13 years and 7 months, with no statistical difference. Of all the girls, 31 percent came from the rural and 69 percent from the urban zone. Adolescents from the rural zone looked for more information about sexuality (81.2 percent) when compared to those from the urban zone (72.2 percent) (p<0.0568). Parents were the main source of information for both zones. The condom was the most familiar method in the rural (44 percent) and the urban (45 percent) zones (p=0.0022). AIDS was the best known STD by girls from the rural (43 percent) and urban (39 percent) zones (p=0.7843). CONCLUSION: Most of the surveyed female adolescents sought information about sexuality, however their knowledge about STD and contraceptive methods was inadequate.