Spontaneous Bone Healing after Cysts Enucleation without Bone Grafting Materials: A Randomized Clinical Study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate spontaneous bone regeneration after cysts enucleation of the jaws without the use of bone grafting materials. We included 18 patients at random (11 men and 7 women) with a mean age of 31.8 years, with jaw cysts treated by enucleation, without the use of grafting materials. A method of measurements to assess the percentage of reduction of the bone cavities was used to objectify the results. The patients were evaluated before and at least 6 months after surgery, with radiographic scans based on linear measures with a computerized method using Nemoceph program (Nemotec, NemoCeph Software, Madrid, España). The analysis of the sample shows an average of 85.59% decrease in horizontal measures, 89.53% in the vertical, and 88.98 and 89.81% in the diagonal left and right, respectively. The total average reduction was 88.47%. It showed a greater decrease in vertical and diagonal measurements with respect to horizontal. Regeneration in 12 patients was 100% and in 6 patients was higher at 50.4%. Bone density increased in the postoperative radiographs. The results suggest that in some cases, spontaneous bone regeneration can be achieved by cysts enucleation without bone grafting materials.

Use of multispecies occupancy models to evaluate the response of bird communities to forest degradation associated with logging.

Forest degradation is arguably the greatest threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and rural livelihoods. Therefore, increasing understanding of how organisms respond to degradation is essential for management and conservation planning. We were motivated by the need for rapid and practical analytical tools to assess the influence of management and degradation on biodiversity and system state in areas subject to rapid environmental change. We compared bird community composition and size in managed (ejido, i.e., communally owned lands) and unmanaged (national park) forests in the Sierra Tarahumara region, Mexico, using multispecies occupancy models and data from a 2-year breeding bird survey. Unmanaged sites had on average higher species occupancy and richness than managed sites. Most species were present in low numbers as indicated by lower values of detection and occupancy associated with logging-induced degradation. Less than 10% of species had occupancy probabilities >0.5, and degradation had no positive effects on occupancy. The estimated metacommunity size of 125 exceeded previous estimates for the region, and sites with mature trees and uneven-aged forest stand characteristics contained the highest species richness. Higher estimation uncertainty and decreases in richness and occupancy for all species, including habitat generalists, were associated with degraded young, even-aged stands. Our findings show that multispecies occupancy methods provide tractable measures of biodiversity and system state and valuable decision support for landholders and managers. These techniques can be used to rapidly address gaps in biodiversity information, threats to biodiversity, and vulnerabilities of species of interest on a landscape level, even in degraded or fast-changing environments. Moreover, such tools may be particularly relevant in the assessment of species richness and distribution in a wide array of habitats.

Chips: Algunas consideraciones sobre la apnea del sueño / Chips: Some considerations on sleep apnea

La apnea obstructiva del sueño es conocida bajo varias denominaciones sinóminas: SAHOS (síndrome de apneas hipoapneas del sueño), SAOS (síndrome apnea obstructiva del sueño); aunque la más conocida es OSA, por las siglas en inglés (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Muchas personas presentan una predisposición anatómica: mandíbulas retrusivas, retromentonism con posición baja y posterior del hueso hioides, circunferencia de cuello amplia, con adiposidad extrema, etcétera. Si a esto se le suma la relajación muscular en el momento del sueño, es lógico inferir que la entrada de aire disminuya o se cierre. No necesariamente debe producirse una apnea completa. En muchas ocasiones puede tratarse de hipoapneas, es decir, interrupciones parciales.

Chips: Algunas consideraciones sobre la apnea del sueño / Chips: Some considerations on sleep apnea

La apnea obstructiva del sueño es conocida bajo varias denominaciones sinóminas: SAHOS (síndrome de apneas hipoapneas del sueño), SAOS (síndrome apnea obstructiva del sueño); aunque la más conocida es OSA, por las siglas en inglés (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Muchas personas presentan una predisposición anatómica: mandíbulas retrusivas, retromentonism con posición baja y posterior del hueso hioides, circunferencia de cuello amplia, con adiposidad extrema, etcétera. Si a esto se le suma la relajación muscular en el momento del sueño, es lógico inferir que la entrada de aire disminuya o se cierre. No necesariamente debe producirse una apnea completa. En muchas ocasiones puede tratarse de hipoapneas, es decir, interrupciones parciales.(AU)

Sorafenib for non-selected patient population with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: efficacy and safety data according to liver function.

OBJECTIVE: Sorafenib is the standard treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, regardless of the liver functional reserve. We present a single institutional series of Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B patients treated with sorafenib with the aim to establish the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients of daily clinical conditions and to compare these results between Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 51 patients were treated with sorafenib 400 mg/12 h until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: The median progression-free survival and overall survival for the overall population were 3.5 and 8.2 months, respectively, with a 1-year survival rate of 27 %. Overall survival was significantly longer for patients Child-Pugh A compared with those with Child-Pugh B liver function (8.7 vs. 4.7 months, respectively). The most common adverse events were fatigue (62.7 %), diarrhea (58 %), hypertension (31.3 %), and hand-foot syndrome (31.3 %), and in most cases grade 1 or 2 according to the NCI-CTC 3.0. Grade 4 liver-related events occurred mainly in Child-Pugh B patients with decompensated cirrhosis at the time of sorafenib initiation (54.5 % of that group). DISCUSSION: The benefit of sorafenib in Child-Pugh B patients, if exist, may be limited by frequent liver-related events, especially in decompensated patients, and then, toxicity and impact in quality of life should be carefully monitored.

Chips: Elevación quirúrgica del segundo molar / Chips: Surgical augmentation of second molar

Vamos a extendernos un poco más en una técnica quirúrgica que es poco utilizada. Se trata de lo que genéricamente se llamó "técnica de Pogrel", pero que si uno se guía por su descripción, podría llamarse "la elevación del segundo molar", tal como Pogrel la publica en su artículo original. La utilización de esta técnica, arranca ante la disyuntiva de qué hacer cuando se trata de retenciones, originadas por los terceros molares

Chips: Elevación quirúrgica del segundo molar / Chips: Surgical augmentation of second molar

Vamos a extendernos un poco más en una técnica quirúrgica que es poco utilizada. Se trata de lo que genéricamente se llamó "técnica de Pogrel", pero que si uno se guía por su descripción, podría llamarse "la elevación del segundo molar", tal como Pogrel la publica en su artículo original. La utilización de esta técnica, arranca ante la disyuntiva de qué hacer cuando se trata de retenciones, originadas por los terceros molares

Topoisomerase 2 alpha: a real predictor of anthracycline efficacy?

Anthracyclines are frequently used in the adjuvant setting for breast cancer treatment since it is considered that anthracycline-based chemotherapy treatment benefits breast cancer patients. Nonetheless, these drugs are associated with severe side effects and predictive factors, for sensitivity to anthracyclines, are warranted in clinical practice. Topoisomerase 2 alpha (TOP2A) is considered to be the molecular target of these drugs. The potential predictive value of TOP2A amplification and overexpression has been extensively studied in breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines. However, results are not conclusive. In this paper, we review some of the published studies addressing the predictive value of TOP2A as well as the cellular functions of this enzyme and its status in breast cancer tissue.

Is trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity involved in onco-cardiology outcome?

Targeted therapies alone or combined with chemotherapy have improved response rates as well as the progression-free survival and overall survival in several solid tumors. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody with a revolutionary effect on tumoral breast cells, but also on the myocardium, as has been identified recently, following the inherent cascade signaling shared between both cells. Instead of decreasing the use of trastuzumab, investigations based on the results of Metastatic and Adjuvant Breast Cancer Trials tend to develop monitoring schemes as well as risk factor identification and prophylactic applications in order to improve the number of patients receiving full treatment instead of restricting it. Moreover, the largely reversible trastuzumab effect (different from anthracyclines) allows its reintroduction or its later withdrawal with cardiologic directed therapy. In conclusion, every action is aiming at optimizing trastuzumab's application instead of abandoning.

Treatment recommendations for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) represents an important health problem in which several biological predictive and prognostic factors have been identified, including clinical features and molecular markers that might influence the response to treatment. Actually, certain prognostic factors are considered key elements, along with disease extent, for deciding the therapeutic approach. However, a distinction between resectable/potentially resectable and unresectable patients must be made in order to establish an adequate therapeutic strategy. Different drugs and chemotherapy regimens are currently available, and their administration depends on patient characteristics, disease-related factors and the treatment objective. Moreover, special situations such as peritoneal carcinomatosis and local treatment of CRC in the setting of metastatic disease should be considered when deciding the most appropriate treatment strategy. This article reviews all the previously mentioned issues involved in the management of metastatic CRC and suggests some general recommendations for its treatment.