Medication related to pigmentation of oral mucosa.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of oral melanotic lesions is, more often than not, challenging in the clinical practice due to the fact that there are several reasons which may cause an increase in pigmentation on localized or generalized areas. Among these, medication stands out. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this work, we have carried out a review in the reference pharma database: Micromedex® followed by a review of the scientific published literature to analyse coincidences and possible discrepancies. RESULTS: Our findings show that there are several prescription drugs that can cause pigmented lesions in the oral mucosa. This must be known by clinicians in order to properly diagnose pigmented lesions. We have identified a set of 21 medicaments which cause these lesions, some of which are used frequently in the clinic, such as Metronidazole, Amitriptyline, conjugated oestrogens and Chlorhexidine gluconate. We also found discrepancies with the data published in specialized literature, some of which wasn't reflected in the Summary of Product Characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Our work highlights the importance of the proper communication of adverse drug reactions (ADR) by health professionals in order to provide thorough and accurate information and diagnosis.

Inteligencia emocional en individuos dependientes de cocaína / Emotional intelligence in cocaine dependent individuals

Objetivo. La dependencia de cocaína afecta de manera drástica al funcionamiento social del paciente adicto, lo que podría ser el reflejo de una deficitaria inteligencia emocional (IE). A pesar de su relevancia, la mayoría de los estudios realizados en dependientes de cocaína se han centrado en estudiar el reconocimiento de expresiones faciales emocionales, pero sin profundizar en el estudio de este constructo. El objetivo principal de este estudio es explorar el constructo de IE en consumidores de cocaína y examinar la relación entre dicho constructo y las habilidades más básicas de reconocimiento de expresiones faciales emocionales. Material y métodos. Treinta y un pacientes dependientes de cocaína (PDC) y 53 controles sanos fueron evaluados con el Inventario de pensamiento constructivo (para IE) y el Test de reconocimiento de expresiones faciales de Ekman (para reconocimiento). Resultados. Los PDC obtuvieron puntuaciones más bajas en IE y en las dimensiones emotividad, eficacia y rigidez. Los PDC tenían peor reconocimiento emocional global y peor reconocimiento del asco. La IE se correlaciona con la capacidad de reconocer emociones, corroborando el vínculo entre ambas destrezas. Conclusiones. Los PDC presentan déficits en IE y en la habilidad específica de reconocimiento de expresiones faciales emocionales. Estas carencias se relacionan con una estructura de pensamiento inflexible, falta de decisión sobre la conducta ante situaciones percibidas como descontro lables y, como consecuencia, dificultades en el establecimiento de relaciones personales y sociales gratificantes. Estos déficits podrían poner en peligro la continuidad y el éxito de los programas de rehabilitación dirigidos a estos individuos (AU)

Aim. Cocaine dependence drastically affects the social functioning of cocaine users, which could reflect an impairment of emotional intelligence. Despite its importance, most studies in cocaine users have focused only on the recognition of facial emotional expressions. The main aim of this study is to explore emotional intelligence in cocaine users and to examine its relation with emotional recognition. Material and methods. Thirty-one cocaine dependent individuals (CDI) and 53 healthy control individuals were assessed using The Constructive Thinking Inventory (for emotional intelligence) and The Ekman Faces Test (for emotional recognition). Results. CDI scored lower in emotional intelligence and on the subscales: emotional coping, behavioral coping and categorical thinking. CDI had significantly poorer global emotional recognition and poorer recognition for facial expressions of disgust. Emotional intelligence correlates with the ability to recognize facial emotional expressions, showing the link between both skills. Conclusions. CDI show impairments on emotional intelligence and on the ability to recognize facial emotional expressions. These impairments are related with an inflexible structure of thought, lack of decision on unpredictable situations and therefore difficulties in establishing rewarding social relationships. These impairments may affect the success of cocaine rehabilitation programs (AU)

NID2 and HOXA9 promoter hypermethylation as biomarkers for prevention and early detection in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma tissues and saliva.

Differentially methylated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) biomarkers, identified in vitro and validated in well-characterized surgical specimens, have shown poor clinical correlation in cohorts with different risk profiles. To overcome this lack of relevance, we used the HumanMethylation27 BeadChip, publicly available methylation and expression array data, and quantitative methylation specific PCR to uncover differential methylation in OSCC clinical samples with heterogeneous risk profiles. A two stage design consisting of discovery and prevalence screens was used to identify differential promoter methylation and deregulated pathways in patients diagnosed with OSCC and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Promoter methylation of KIF1A (κ = 0.64), HOXA9 (κ = 0.60), NID2 (κ = 0.60), and EDNRB (κ = 0.60) had a moderate to substantial agreement with clinical diagnosis in the discovery screen. HOXA9 had 68% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and a 0.81 Area Under the Curve (AUC). NID2 had 71% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and a 0.79 AUC. In the prevalence screen, HOXA9 (κ = 0.82) and NID2 (κ = 0.80) had an almost perfect agreement with histologic diagnosis. HOXA9 had 85% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and a 0.95 AUC. NID2 had 87% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and a 0.91 AUC. A HOXA9 and NID2 gene panel had 94% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and a 0.97 AUC. In saliva, from OSCC cases and controls, HOXA9 had 75% sensitivity, 53% specificity, and a 0.75 AUC. NID2 had 87% sensitivity, 21% specificity, and a 0.73 AUC. This phase I Biomarker Development Trial identified a panel of differentially methylated genes in normal and OSCC clinical samples from patients with heterogeneous risk profiles. This panel may be useful for early detection and cancer prevention studies.

Progressive bulbar palsy: a case report diagnosed by lingual symptoms.

The aim of this report is to show a case of Progressive Bulbar Palsy (PBP), diagnosed by oral medicine specialists, from oral symptoms of the disease. We have found no more than two published cases of PBP diagnosed by lingual alterations. We have followed the patient for almost four years, which is remarkable considering that the normal survival period for these patients is up to three years. We would like to emphasize the role of general dentists in the diagnosis of systemic conditions based on an oral examination that should include the oro-facial muscles.

Risk of oral cancer associated with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and oral hygiene: a case-control study in Madrid, Spain.

Oral cancer is a disease whose principal etiological factors are tobacco and alcohol consumption, which if controlled could help avoid many tumors. However, consumption has continued to grow for years. We have studied the risk of the principal factors established in the development of oral cancer and the influence of the oral hygiene level on the appearance of these tumors. Seventy-five cases of oral cancer and 150 controls from the Madrid community were interviewed on tobacco and alcohol consumption habits and their oral hygiene level. The Odds Ratio (OR) for consumption of 6-20 cigarettes/day is 3.1 and 7.96 for more than 20 cigarettes/day. When more than 50 g of alcohol/day is consumed the risk results in an OR of 5.3. Daily brushing is a protective factor (OR, 0.41). In conclusion, the most important risk factor for developing oral cancer is tobacco consumption followed by alcohol consumption.

Purification of bovine papilloma virus by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-1000 superfine.

Bovine papilloma virus was purified from crude extracts of bovine warts by gel filtration in Sephacryl S-1000 Superfine. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy shows that the virus preparation is as pure as that obtained by alternative techniques. The yield of virus particles is in the range 55-80%. The main advantage of using the gel filtration technique is that it is much less time-consuming than currently used centrifugation procedures.