Postnatal diagnosis of constitutive ring chromosome 13 using both conventional and molecular cytogenetic approaches.

We describe the first postnatal diagnosis of a child from Central Brazil with de novo cytogenetic alterations in 13q showing malformations of the brain, eyes, distal limbs, and genitourinary tract, and severe intellectual disability. The karyotype was a constitutive 46,XX,r(13)[77]/45,XX,-13[17]/46,XX,idic r(13)[6]. Interphase and metaphase fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses also showed the absence of 13qter and the presence of 13q14.3 in the cells with r(13), and chromosome microarray analysis detected a 15.39 Mb deletion in chromosome region 13q32.3-q34. This study is intended as the registry of a rare case of chromosomal rearrangement involving chromosome 13 in Central Brazil. Further studies are needed to define whether genetic haploinsufficiency is associated with each major 13q deletion anomaly.

Cytogenetic damage in the buccal epithelium of Brazilian aviators occupationally exposed to agrochemicals.

The frequency of micronuclei in both buccal cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes is extensively used as a biomarker of chromosomal damage and genome stability in human populations. We examined whether prolonged exposure to complex mixtures of pesticides leads to an increase in cytogenetic damage. The exposed group comprised 50 agricultural aviators, mainly from Central and Southeast regions of Brazil, who had inhaled agrochemicals for more than 10 years without personal protection equipment; the control group consisted of 17 men from the same regions, without indication of exposure to pesticides, There were three times higher frequencies of micronuclei (P < 0.05) and 2.5 times higher frequencies of binucleated cells in the aviators when compared to controls. However, cytotoxic alterations such as broken eggs and karyorrhexis did not present statistically significant differences between the exposed and control groups. Therefore, diverse agrochemicals used to combat pests in agriculture possess genotoxic effects in the oral mucosa of the agricultural pilots, as showed in this study.

Gait analysis following treadmill training with body weight support versus conventional physical therapy: a prospective randomized controlled single blind study.

STUDY DESIGN: Single-blind randomized, controlled clinical study. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate, using kinematic gait analysis, the results obtained from gait training on a treadmill with body weight support versus those obtained with conventional gait training and physiotherapy. SETTING: Thirty patients with sequelae from traumatic incomplete spinal cord injuries at least 12 months earlier; patients were able to walk and were classified according to motor function as ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) impairment scale C or D. METHODS: Patients were divided randomly into two groups of 15 patients by the drawing of opaque envelopes: group A (weight support) and group B (conventional). After an initial assessment, both groups underwent 30 sessions of gait training. Sessions occurred twice a week, lasted for 30 min each and continued for four months. All of the patients were evaluated by a single blinded examiner using movement analysis to measure angular and linear kinematic gait parameters. Six patients (three from group A and three from group B) were excluded because they attended fewer than 85% of the training sessions. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in intra-group comparisons among the spatial-temporal variables in group B. In group A, the following significant differences in the studied spatial-temporal variables were observed: increases in velocity, distance, cadence, step length, swing phase and gait cycle duration, in addition to a reduction in stance phase. There were also no significant differences in intra-group comparisons among the angular variables in group B. However, group A achieved significant improvements in maximum hip extension and plantar flexion during stance. CONCLUSION: Gait training with body weight support was more effective than conventional physiotherapy for improving the spatial-temporal and kinematic gait parameters among patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries.