Vaccination against COVID-19: the view of Brazilian federal judges

The aim was to analyze the perception of Brazilian federal judges on the implications of COVID-19 vaccination. A study was carried out with Brazilian federal judges, who received a survey designed with multiple-choice questions on COVID-19 vaccination, covering topics such as its mandatory aspect, the application of coercive measures, hesitation to vaccinate, priority groups, the duties of Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa, acronym in Portuguese), the role of the Judiciary branch, and immunity passports. A total of 254 out of 1,300 federal judges from all states responded to the survey. Most respondents have a Bachelor's degree or a specialization (59.1%) and have been judges for more than 10 years (63.8%). A great majority of the judges (87.7%) agree with vaccine mandates for adults and for children and adolescents (66.1%). Over 75% of judges believe that all levels of government can impose sanctions on those who refuse to get vaccinated. The judges trust vaccination 93% of the time, 56.1% reject anti-vaccination movements, and 75.2% believe that Anvisa duties should be respected. The Judiciary branch actions concerning the COVID-19 pandemic are approved by 62.6% of judges, and 88.2% support immunity passports. There is a direct connection among mandatory vaccination, trust in the vaccine, and the adoption of immunity passports. Most federal judges agree with vaccine mandates for children and adults, support the application of sanctions for vaccination refusal, disapprove of anti-vaccination movements, agree with Anvisa's duties, and support judicial intervention in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association between schizophrenia and increased COVID-19 mortality in a cohort of over 2 million people in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical outcomes and risk factors of death related to mental disorders in a cohort of Brazilian hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study utilized the Brazilian database SIVEP-Gripe to analyze patients aged ≥18 years who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022. The exposure of interest were mental disorders (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder), identified through self-reported fields. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Covariates included demographic and clinical features. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

A cohort of 2,124,285 patients was included in the analysis, with 23,246 individuals (1.1%) having self-reported mental disorders. Among these mental disorders, depression was the most prevalent (52.3%). The mortality rate of the patients with mental disorders was 30.8%. Analysis of risk factors for mortality revealed that age, gender, region, dyspnea, low oxygen saturation, and comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of death. Patients with schizophrenia had a higher mortality risk (aOR:1.68;95%CI:1.54-1.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have a greater likelihood of COVID-19- related death than those without mental health conditions. These findings underscore the significant effect of serious mental disorders on COVID-19 mortality.

Generalized anxiety disorder and associated factors in primary health care workers in Minas Gerais, Brazil

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic had direct and indirect impacts on public health, also affecting the mental health of the population.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and associated factors, in primary health care (PHC) professionals.

METHODS

Cross-sectional and analytical study conducted with professionals who work in the Primary Health Care (PHC) of the Northern health macro-region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data collection was carried out through an online, self-administered questionnaire, made available from August 27, 2021, to October 30, 2021 using the Google Forms tool. The questionnaire included sociodemographic questions as well as questions related to the history of anxiety and work during the pandemic. To assess anxiety symptoms, the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) instrument was used. Data treatment consisted of descriptive analysis of the variables, bivariate analysis followed by multivariate Poisson Regression with robust variance.

RESULTS

702 health professionals participated in the study and the general prevalence of GAD was 32.2%. Current anxiety symptoms were self-reported by 37.6% of the participants. In the final model, the associated factors identified were: female sex (PR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.17-2.84; p = 0.007), previous symptoms (PR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.19-2.10; p = 0.002) and (PR = 2.68; 95% CI = 2.00-3.62; p < 0.001) current self-reported anxiety.

CONCLUSION

The results show the need to implement actions in mental health promotion and anxiety prevention, through the dissemination of information about mental health care, health education activities, encouraging the adoption of healthy habits and professional monitoring when necessary.

Maternal consumption of caffeine and second-hand tobacco smoke as risk factors for the development of oral clefts

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this case-control study was to investigate environmental factors, such as caffeine, folic acid, nutritional iron supplementation, multivitamin complexes, alcohol, and tobacco (second-hand smoking), which have been described as risk factors for the development of oral clefts.

METHODS

This case-control study employed convenience sampling and included 409 mothers: 132 with children with oral clefts (cases) and 277 with children without oral clefts (controls). The age range of the children in both groups was 0 to 2 years. A questionnaire was administered to each mother to inquire about their habits and food consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy.

RESULTS

Folic acid supplementation was observed in 116 (87.8%) of the case group (p < 0.001) and 271 (97.8%) of the control group. Regarding the use of ferrous sulfate, 114 (86.3%) of the case group and 271 (97.8%) of the control group reported using it. In the case group, 84 (63.6%) mothers reported being exposed to second-hand smoke, and 5 (3.7%) reported alcohol consumption (p = 0.797). In terms of caffeine consumption, 127 mothers (95.4%) in the case group consumed it (p = 0.13), while 247 (88.8%) reported consumption in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest a direct relationship between secondhand smoke, alcohol consumption, and the lack of maternal supplementation with oral clefts.

The continuous increase in the number of systemic lupus erythematosus cases in Brazil in the COVID-19 era

This study aims to reevaluate and compare the data from the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) on the number of diagnoses of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the pre-pandemic period with those in the pandemic period, as well as to compare the first year (2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil with the last year (2021), to update the data, and to verify whether SLE disease control measures were effective in 2021. There was a consistent and significant increase in the incidence of SLE cases all over Brazil between the first and second pandemic years and between the pre-pandemic triennium and the second pandemic year. Therefore, it is inescapable to have larger clinical studies with different populations to better understand the relationship between these two conditions and find measures to improve the control of this disease.

Common mental disorders in Primary Health Care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic period: a cross-sectional study in the Northern health macro-region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, 2021

OBJECTIVE

to analyze the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMDs) in Primary Health Care professionals between August-October/2021.

METHODS

this was a cross-sectional study conducted with health professionals in the Northern health macro-region of Minas Gerais state; snowball sampling was used; the dependent variable, CMDs, was evaluated using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20); Poisson regression was used to perform the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

a total of 702 health professionals took part in the study; the prevalence of CDMs was 43.2%. It was higher in those with previous [prevalence ratios (PR) = 2.42; 95%CI 1.43;4.08] and current (PR = 1.54; 95%CI 1.25;1.89) symptoms of mental disorders, overwork during the pandemic (PR = 1.42; 95%CI 1.16;1.73), previous symptoms of anxiety (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.01;1.61), depression (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.06;1.52) and other mental disorders (PR = 1.20; 95%CI 1.01;1.43).

CONCLUSION

there was an association between CDMs and presenting previous and current symptoms of mental disorders and work overload during the covid-19 pandemic.

Ethnic Differences in the Brazilian Population Influence the Impact of BMP4 Genetic Variants on Susceptibility of Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts

OBJECTIVE

The study evaluated the association of BMP4 tag-SNPs and SNP-SNP interactions involving genes active by BMP4 pathway during craniofacial development in the susceptibility of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOC) in the Brazilian population.

DESIGN

Case-control study.

SETTING

Brazilian Oral Cleft Group.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 881 healthy controls and 800 patients with different types of NSOC: 232 with cleft lip only (NSCLO), 568 with cleft lip and palate (NSCLP), and 274 with cleft palate only (NSCPO).

INTERVENTIONS

The genomic DNA was genotyped with allelic discrimination assays for five BMP4 tag-SNPs (rs11623717, rs17563, rs2071047, rs2761887 and rs4898820), and analyzed their allelic and genotypic associations using multiple logistic regression. The interactions of these variants with genes involved in the BMP4 signaling pathway, including FGFR1, GREM1, NOG, VAX1 and the 4p16.2 locus, were explored.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

BMP4 variants in the NSOC risk.

RESULTS

Although only nominal p values were identified when the whole sample was considered, subgroup analysis including the patients with high African genomic ancestry showed significant associations of rs2761887 with risk for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL  ±  P)[(OR_hom: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.21-3.85; p  =  0.01) and (OR_rec: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.21-3.47; p  =  0.006)]. Thirteen significant SNP-SNP interactions involving BMP4 and the SNPs at FGFR1, GREM1, NOG and VAX1 and at locus 4p16.2 for increased risk of NSCL  ±  P were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate an increased risk of NSCL  ±  P in Brazilian individuals with enrichment of African ancestry in the presence of the BMP4 rs2762887 polymorphism, and reveal relevant genetic contribution of SNP-SNP epistatic interactions involving BMP4 variants to NSCL  ±  P risk.

Brazilian Multiethnic Association Study of Genetic Variant Interactions among FOS, CASP8, MMP2 and CRISPLD2 in the Risk of Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip with or without Cleft Palate

Associations of CRISPLD2 (cysteine-rich secretory protein LCCL domain containing 2) and genes belonging to its activation pathway, including FOS (Fos proto-oncogene), CASP8 (caspase 8) and MMP2 (matrix metalloproteinase 2), with nonsyndromic orofacial cleft risk, have been reported, but the results are yet unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FOS, CASP8 and MMP2 and to determine their SNP-SNP interactions with CRISPLD2 variants in the risk of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL±P) in the Brazilian population. The SNPs rs1046117 (FOS), rs3769825 (CASP8) and rs243836 (MMP2) were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays in a case-control sample containing 801 NSCL±P patients (233 nonsyndromic cleft lip only (NSCLO) and 568 nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP)) and 881 healthy controls via logistic regression analysis adjusted for the effects of sex and genomic ancestry proportions with a multiple comparison p value set at ≤0.01. SNP-SNP interactions with rs1546124, rs8061351, rs2326398 and rs4783099 in CRISPLD2 were performed with the model-based multifactor dimensionality reduction test complemented with a 1000 permutation-based strategy. Although the association between FOS rs1046117 and risk of NSCL±P reached only nominal p values, NSCLO risk was significantly higher in carriers of the FOS rs1046117 C allele (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.10-1.64, p = 0.004), TC heterozygous genotype (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.16-2.18, p = 0.003), and in the dominant model (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.10-2.02, p = 0.007). Individually, no significant associations between cleft risk and the SNPs in CASP8 and MMP2 were observed. SNP-SNP interactions involving CRISPLD2 variants and rs1046117 (FOS), rs3769825 (CASP8) and rs243836 (MMP2) yielded several significant p values, mostly driven by FOS rs1046117 and CASP8 rs3769825 in NSCL±P, FOS rs1046117 in NSCLO and CRISPLD2 rs8061351 in NSCLP. Our study is the first in the Brazilian population to reveal the association of FOS rs1046117 with NSCLO risk, and to support that CRISPLD2, CASP8, FOS and MMP2 interactions may be related to the pathogenesis of this common craniofacial malformation.

Scientific production of Brazilian researchers focusing on oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology

We analyzed the distribution characteristics of the scientific production of Brazilian dentistry researchers of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. The Lattes curriculum data of 211 researchers from Oral Pathology, Oral Surgery, and Oral Medicine fields were included (2018-2020). Over their academic career, 39 researchers published 7,555 papers (average, 175 articles/researcher); 3,876/7,555 papers were indexed in the Web of Science. During 2018-2020, 1,440/7,555 (19%) papers were published. Brazilian dental researchers contribute significantly to international research by participating in scientific journals' editorial boards, evaluating research promotion agencies, training researchers, and contributing to scientific and technological development.

Public oral health services: impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of this study was to describe the oral health services offered by the Unified Health System in the northern macro-region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study. Data collection took place between August and September 2020 through the completion of online questionnaires by oral health managers in the northern municipalities of Minas Gerais and by consultation of information available in the Special Epidemiological Bulletin Coronavirus North Macro-region n° 14. After collection, data were transferred to SPSS® (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows, version 24.0). Analyses were performed using frequency, mean, standard deviation and percentages. It was found that all included municipalities suspended elective treatments and maintained emergency dental care at all levels of care. In 62.5% of municipalities there were oral health professionals contaminated by COVID-19. Oral health teams implemented specific interventions to address the pandemic,with the most frequent being tele-orientation (74.7%), use of sanitary barriers (72%), and telemonitoring (68%). At the beginning of the pandemic, 62.5% of municipalities lacked personal protective equipment. Comsidering these results, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the supply of dental services in northern Minas Gerais due to the suspension of elective care, contamination of professionals, lack of personal protective equipment, and development of new interventions. Thus, oral health teams had to adapt to new contexts of health interventionsto face COVID-19 and maintain dental care services.

Prevalência de transtornos mentais em profissionais de saúde durante a pandemia da COVID-19: revisão sistemática

RESUMO Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão sistemática da literatura avaliando a prevalência de transtornos mentais em profissionais da saúde durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Métodos: Trata-se de revisão sistemática conduzida com base no checklist Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). As bases de dados usadas foram a Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS) e os serviços da United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) via PubMed, com as estratégias de busca: “COVID-19” AND “Saúde mental”; “COVID-19” AND “Saúde mental” AND “pessoal de saúde”, em português e inglês, selecionando artigos observacionais e/ou de prevalência publicados a partir de 2020. Resultados: A busca resultou na identificação de 18.643 artigos, e a amostra final foi composta por 9 artigos. Os sintomas mais frequentes foram os de depressão, ansiedade e insônia em profissionais que atuaram no período da pandemia da COVID-19, predominantemente do sexo feminino e idade média de 34,5 anos. A média da prevalência de ansiedade, depressão e insônia foi, respectivamente, de 40,3%, 39,9% e 36,1%, aferidas em 8.866 profissionais da saúde. Os profissionais atuantes na linha de frente no combate à COVID-19 apresentaram maiores prevalências de transtornos mentais comuns em relação a outros profissionais de saúde. Conclusões: Mostraram-se associadas a maiores prevalências de sintomas de TMC: sexo feminino, atuação na linha de frente, maior jornada de trabalho, histórico de uso de medicamentos psicotrópicos, condições inadequadas de trabalho, uso de álcool e tabaco e atuação na área de enfermagem. Observa-se a importância de estratégias de atenção à saúde mental dos profissionais de saúde.

Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 on the diagnoses of Hansen's disease in Brazil

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has limited the access of patients with Hansen's disease (HD) to care due to changes in routine health services.

METHODS

To ascertain this, we compared the number of HD cases diagnosed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

The decrease in HD cases in Brazil reached 18,223 (-48.4%), corresponding to an average reduction of 1,518 cases per month during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, effective measures should be implemented to minimize the damage and the consequent negative health impact of COVID-19 on the care of HD patients.

Potential link between SARS-CoV-2 and Kawasaki disease: importance of dentists for the diagnosis

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis with predilection for coronary arteries. Due to a lack of reliable confirmatory laboratory tests, the diagnosis of KD is based on a characteristic pattern of clinical findings that appear in a typical temporal sequence. The diagnostic criteria have been periodically modified and the American Heart Association has proposed the most recent guidelines for its diagnosis. However, patients may have incomplete or atypical forms of KD and diagnosis can often be difficult. Because oropharyngeal manifestations are a common and important feature for diagnosing KD and recent studies have hypothesized a possible association between KD and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in this review we highlight the importance of dentists in the diagnosis of KD and its potential association with SARS-CoV-2.

Cancer diagnosis in Brazil in the COVID-19 era

The comprehensive care and treatment for cancer patients in Brazil, regulated by the National Cancer Prevention and Control Policy, is provided by Brazilian Unified Healthcare System (SUS) in certified health institution. Due the COVID-19 pandemic, several restrictive measures have been implemented by the State federation's governments, and cancer diagnosis reference centers were also impacted by these measures. Thus, this study aimed to compare SUS-oriented cancer diagnosis in Brazil before and during the pandemic so far. The average number of cancer diagnoses has dropped considerably in all Brazilian Regions since the pandemic period started. The number of new cancer cases has plunged in all regions, ranged from -24.3% in the North to -42.7% in Northeast region. The overall Brazilian average deficit reached 35.5%, corresponding to about 15,000 undiagnosed cases of cancer monthly. The pandemic period has dramatically reduced the diagnosis of new cases of cancer in Brazil, since consultations in public health services were compromised by restrictive measures. Therefore, effective measures must be urgently put in action in order to minimize the damage, and consequently, the negative health impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the care of cancer patients.

The 100 most-cited papers in oral medicine and pathology

This study aimed to analyze the 100 most-cited papers in the field of oral medicine and pathology over time, identifying the areas of more intense research. Papers in journals of oral medicine and pathology were identified using the Web of Science database. The specified research period was between 1900 and 2019. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships among Web of Science citations, Dimensions citations, and Altmetric Attention Score. The number of citations of an article in the top 100 most-cited papers published in 1953 or later ranged from 541 to 3623. The papers were published in 47 different journals. The New England Journal of Medicine, American Cancer Society, and Nature Genetics published the most papers. Authors from 18 different countries published papers on head and neck cancer, craniofacial congenital anomalies, and osteonecrosis. Most of the papers were laboratory and descriptive studies. A correlation analysis showed a strong correlation only between Web of Science and Dimensions citations. In sum, although non-specific journals for pathology and oral medicine published the majority of the 100 most-cited papers, this biometric citation study show that head and neck cancer was the issue with the most citations. Together, these results make an important scientific contribution by providing a historical perspective on the research carried out.

Dental anomalies in the deciduous dentition of non-syndromic oral clefts patients

Abstract Objectives: to investigate the prevalence of dental anomalies in complete deciduous dentition of children with NSCL/P. Methods: this study included 75 children with NSCL/P and 286 healthy control. In both groups the children had deciduous dentition with ages varying from 4 to 6 years. Clinical examination, panoramic and periapical radiographies were performed and dental anomalies of number and shape were considered. Results: there was a higher prevalence of dental anomalies in the case group, compared to the control group. In all, 42 dental anomalies were identified, 25.33% in the case group and 8.04% in control group (p<0.001). Therewas a higher frequency of dental anomalies in NSCL/P (47.36%), followed by non-syndromic cleft lip (31.57%) and non-syndromic cleft palate (21.05%). The occurrence of agenesis (p= 0.005) and twinning (p = 0.029) were higher in the case group. Conclusions: the occurrence of agenesis and dental twinning was more frequent in the case group and may contribute to the definition of oral cleft subphenotype.

Absence of history of oral cleft in first-degree relatives of patients with prostate cancer

Objective: To evaluate the occurrence of nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) in families of patients with prostate cancer (PC).Study design: We conducted a case-control study involving a total of 748 individuals, 280 of which had PC, and 468 were free-cancer healthy individuals. The patients answered a questionnaire with basic demographic information and family history of NSCL/P in first-degree relatives. The information collected was stored in a database and analyzed by using the statistical program SPSS® 24.0 for Windows (Chicago, IL, USA). In order to determine the association with NSCL/P, chi-square and Fisher’s exact test and odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for risk magnitude assessment. Values with p<0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: Of total patients with PC, 2 had a positive history of NSCL/P. In the control group, 7 patients reported family history of NSCL/P (1df chi-square, p=0.34; Fisher´s exact test, p=0.49). The average age of the cases diagnosed with PC was 71.35±7.70 years, and control group was 64.42±9.67 years.Conclusion: Despite the limited population, the frequency of NSCL/P was not significantly increased in the first-degree relatives of patients with PC. Studies with larger samples and molecular analyses are needed to better understand the possible relationships in the etiology of cancer and NSCL/P.

Profile evaluation of patients diagnosed with non-neoplastic proliferative lesions in a dentistry clinic

Non-neoplastic proliferative lesions (NNPLs) are alterations that affect oral mucosal tissues. The etiology of these lesions is associated with local irritant processes, principally inflammation, infections and mechanical irritants. NNPLs are classified into four groups: inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia, pyogenic granuloma, peripheral ossifying fibroma, and peripheral giant cell lesion. Aim: This cross-sectional, quantitative, retrospective, analytical, informative and educational study aimed to evaluate the profiles of patients who were diagnosed with any non-neoplastic proliferative lesion in the Unimontes Stomatology Clinic, Brazil. Methods: From January 2001 to June 2012, 1505 patients were counted who underwent anatomopathological examination, in addition to evaluations for other conditions. Results: Of these 1505 patients, 223 were diagnosed with some type of non-neoplastic proliferative lesion, and statistical analysis showed that 76% were female and 24% male and that 23.3% were between 41 and 50 years of age. Inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia was the most common NNPL (86.5%). Conclusion: Due to the high frequency of these lesions in the dental clinic, this type of survey has significant relevance for informing health professionals about these proliferative processes. This information is necessary, since the dentist is intimately involved in both the etiology, treatment and prevention of these lesions.

Scientific production indicators and researchers training in the Brazilian Collective Health

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the scientific production, generation of patents and researchers training among Brazilian Collective Health professors who were awarded a Pq/CNPq productivity scholarship from 2000 to 2012 and to verify the existence of an association between these production modalities and the characteristics of the professors, such as gender, training and origin.

METHOD

An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out from 2000 to 2012, and the Prevalence Ratio was calculated using Poisson regression. For the statistical analyzes, the SPSS® program was used.

RESULTS

Of particular note are regional and institutional concentration, consistent scientific output, important researchers training, and a primordial but still timid generation of patents. We found an association between the "scientific production", "researchers training" outcomes, and the gender characteristics, such as the formation and origin of the Pq professor.

CONCLUSION

These findings can guide the decision-making aimed at the deconcentration of scientific production and researchers training in the Brazilian Collective Health.

Incidence of bifid uvula and its relationship to submucous cleft palate and a family history of oral cleft in the Brazilian population

Introduction

Bifid uvula is a frequently observed anomaly in the general population and can be regarded as a marker for submucous cleft palate.

Objective

In this study aimed to determine the frequency of bifid uvula and submucous cleft palate and their relationship with oral clefts in a Brazilian population.

Methods

We conducted a transversal, descriptive and quantitative study of 1206 children between August 2014 and December 2015. A clinical examination of the children was conducted by means of inspection of the oral cavity with the aid of a tongue depressor and directed light. After the clinical examination in children, parents answered a questionnaire with questions about basic demographic information and their family history of oral clefts in their first-degree relatives. After application of the questionnaires, the information collected was archived in a database and analyzed by the statistical program SPSS^® version 19.0, by applying Chi-Square tests. Values with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results

Of the 1206 children included in this study, 608 (50.40%) were female and 598 (49.60%) were male (p = 0.773). The average age of children was 3.75 years (standard deviation ± 3.78 years). Of the 1206 children studied, 6 (0.5%) presented with bifid uvula. Submucosal cleft palate was not found in any child. When the family histories of children were examined for the presence of nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or cleft palate, no first degree relatives presented with the congenital anomaly.

Conclusion

This study revealed that the incidence of bifid uvula and submucous cleft palate in this population was quite similar to previously reported incidence rates. Our study suggests an intensification of new reviews, with broader and diverse populations, seeking to associate the occurrence of bifid uvula, submucous cleft palate and oral clefts.

Report of two unrelated families with Jalili syndrome and a novel nonsense heterozygous mutation in CNNM4 gene

Jalili syndrome (JS) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a combination of cone-rode retinal dytrophy (CRD) and amelogenesis imperfect (AI). Mutations in cyclin and CBS domain divalent metal cation transport mediator 4 (CNNM4) gene cause JS. Here we described 2 families (3 members) affected by JS. In the first family, JS was caused by the homozygous p.Leu324Pro (c.971T > C) missense mutation and the affected patient developed both CRD and AI. In the second family, a specific combination of a compound heterozygous mutation was found - the p.Leu324Pro (c.971T > C) missense transition and the novel p.Tyr581* (c.1743C > G) nonsense mutation. The proband showed CRD and AI, but her father just developed eye alterations. Together, these findings suggest that the p.Leu324Pro mutation in homozygosis induces a complete phenotype with both CRD and AI, but in heterozygosis and in composition with the novel p.Tyr581* nonsense mutation in CNNM4 promotes variable clinical expressivity, particularly with lack of dental phenotypes. These different phenotypes could be explained by deletions affecting the proband's homologous allele, epistasia or interactions with environmental factors leading to residual activity of protein.

Parental age is related to the occurrence of cleft lip and palate in Brazilian populations

Aim: To evaluate the association of environmental risk factors, particularly paternal and maternal age, with gender and type of oral cleft in newborn with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P). Methods: This study included 1,346 children with NSCL/P of two Brazilian Services for treatment of craniofacial deformities. Parental ages were classified into the following groups: maternal age <35, 36-39, and ≥40 years; paternal age <39 and ≥40 years. The data was analyzed with chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios were estimated with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Of the 1,346 children included in this study, CLP was the type of NSCL/P with highest prevalence, followed by, respectively, CL and CP. There was a greater occurrence of NSCL/P in males compared to females (55.8% versus 44.2%). CLP was more common in men, while the CL and CP were more prevalent in women (p=0.000). No association between maternal age and clefts was observed (p=0.747). However, there was evidence of association between father’s aged ≥40 years old and NSCL/P (p=0.031). When patients with CP were analyzed separately, no association between the father’s age and the child’s gender (p=0.728) was observed, i.e. the female gender prevails among patients with CP, regardless of the father’s age. Conclusions: This study showed that there were differences in the distribution of the non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate and the gender, and fathers aged ≥40 years old may have increased risk of oral cleft. Further studies involving different populations are needed for a better understanding of the effect of maternal and paternal ages as a risk factor for the occurrence of oral clefts.

Comparison of digit ratio (2D:4D) between Brazilian men with and without prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Digit ratio (2D:4D) has been suggested as a proxy biomarker for prenatal androgen activity and has been linked to prostate cancer, as the genes that regulate the formation and differentiation of the fingers are also related to the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. To investigate the possible correlation between right hand, left hand and right hand minus left hand (DR-L) 2D:4D and prostate cancer of Brazilian subjects by comparing 2D:4D ratios of individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer and individuals without the disease. Also, to inquire the relationship between 2D:4D and severity of prostate cancer through Gleason scores.

METHODS

Digital measurements of the lengths of the index and ring fingers of both hands of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCA group, n=100) and healthy control individuals (n=100) were obtained using a digital vernier caliper. Means of the 2D:4D ratios were compared. Data were analyzed by the Student's t-test for unpaired samples, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman's correlation with a significance level of 5%.

RESULTS

The PCA group presented significantly lower right and left 2D:4D (P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively) in comparison to healthy controls, but DR-L were not significantly different between groups (P=0.589). In addition, digit ratios were not correlated to Gleason score for either hand or in DR-L.

CONCLUSIONS

2D:4D seems to be a marker for screening patients for prostate cancer in an admixed population, as males with prostate cancer present lower 2D:4D than healthy subjects. On the other hand, 2D:4D does not appear to be associated with the severity of prostate cancer.

Association between maternal smoking, gender, and cleft lip and palate

Introduction

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) represent the most common congenital anomalies of the face.

Objective

To assess the relationship between maternal smoking, gender and CL/P.

Methods

This is an epidemiological cross-sectional study. We interviewed 1519 mothers divided into two groups: Cases: mothers of children with CL/P (n = 843) and Controls: mothers of children without CL/P (n = 676). All mothers were classified as smoker or non-smoker subjects during the first trimester of pregnancy. To determine an association among maternal smoking, gender, and CL/P, odds ratios were calculated and the adjustment was made by a logistic regression model.

Results

An association between maternal smoking and the presence of cleft was observed. There was also a strong association between male gender and the presence of cleft (OR = 3.51; 95% CI 2.83–4.37). By binary logistic regression analysis, it was demonstrated that both variables were independently associated with clefts. In a multivariate analysis, male gender and maternal smoking had a 2.5- and a 1.5-time greater chance of having a cleft, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings are consistent with a positive association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and CL/P in male gender. The results support the importance of smoking prevention and introduction of cessation programs among women with childbearing potential.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with cleft lip and palate

Introduction

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) represent the most common congenital anomalies of the face.

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (nsCL/P).

Methods

We conducted an observational, case-control study, with a case study group composed of 61 patients with nsCL/P, aged 7–17 years, and a control group of 61clinically normal patients. Both groups were selected at the same institution.

Results

Depressive symptoms were observed in the case group (nsCL/P), but there were no statistically significant differences compared to the control group. No association was found between the two groups (case and control) in relation to sociodemographic variables: gender, age and education.

Conclusions

This study identified the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with nsCL/P from a localized geographic population, although the results were not statistically significant when compared to the control group, not justifying the use of CDI (Child Depression Inventory) as a screening instrument for depressive symptoms in the examined population.

Non-syndromic oral clefts and risk of cancer: a systematic review

Objective: To discuss the risk of cancer among relatives of individuals with cleft lip and palate (CL/P), as well as the risk of CL/P among relatives of individuals with cancer, since studies published currently have suggested  an increased risk of cancer among relatives of cleft individuals. Design: A systematic literature review was carried out in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration Group protocol, including literature search strategy, selection of papers through the inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction and quality assessment. PubMed, Scopus and ISI - Web of Science databases were systematically searched using the fallowing search strings: “cleft lip and palate” AND “cancer”, “oral clefts” AND “cancer” and “orofacial clefts” AND “cancer”. Results: From 653 studies accessed, 8 comprised the final sample: 6 investigating CL/P index cases and their family history of cancer and 2 investigating individuals with cancer and their family history for CL/P. The sample sizes were not homogeneous. Oral clefts, the type of cancer and the degree of kinship family were not categorized in all studies. Leukemia, breast cancer and colon cancer were the most cited types, even as first-and-second degree relatives. Conclusions: An increased risk of cancer among relatives of cleft individuals could not be entirely confirmed. However, studies with this specific purpose suggest that first-and-second degrees relatives of cleft individuals have some types of cancer more often than unexposed families, highlighting that future studies should expand their samples to investigate possible common molecular mechanisms that allow relating oral clefts and cancer.

Frequency of Cancer in First-Degree Relatives of Patients with Cleft Lip and/or Palate in the Brazilian Population

Congenital malformations and cancer may share common etiological factors and the association between nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and cancers has been observed in different studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of cancer in relatives of patients with NSCL/P. This investigation was a cross-sectional, case-controlled study, evaluating 358 patients with NSCL/P treated at a Referral Center for craniofacial deformities (case group) and 358 patients without craniofacial alterations (control group). Information concerning the gender, age and family history of cancer in first-degree relatives for both groups was obtained. The frequency of cancer was 6.4% (n=46) in the studied population, with 18 subjects in the case group (5%) and 28 (7.8%) in control. In both groups, the most frequently reported cases were those of breast, colorectal, stomach, prostate and uterus cancers, but there was no association between the two groups. There was no association with a family history of cancer among the first-degree relatives (odds ratio=0.62; 95% IC: 0.34 to 1.15), neither when the analysis was made by type of cancer. In conclusion, both epidemiological and genetic studies have suggested common etiological factors for NSCL/P and cancer. However, in this population-based study, no association between cancer and NSCL/P could be confirmed.

The quality of life of disease-free Brazilian breast cancer survivors

The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life of women who survived breast cancer and women who have not had the disease, and to identify associated factors. It is cross-sectional study in which the comparison group includes survivors of breast cancer aged between 40 and 69 years. One hundred and fifty-four women were included, 70 with breast cancer and 84 without the disease. The SF-36 was used to evaluate quality of life. The chi-square test and multivariate linear models were used to compare the groups. The estimated mean physical and mental components were significantly better for the group who survived the disease (51.10 and 52.25, respectively) compared to the group without cancer (47.26 and 47.93, respectively). The study indicates that survivors of breast cancer had a better quality of life compared to women without the disease.

Non sindromic cleft lip and palate: relationship between sex and clinical extension

Cleft lip and/or palate represent the most common congenital anomalies of the face.

Aim

Describe the relation between non sindromic cleft lip and/or palate and sex and severity of the clef in Brazilian population.

Methods

Conducted cross-sectional study, between the years 2009 and 2011, with a population of 366 patients. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and using the multinomial logistic regression with an interval of 95% estimated the chances of the types of cleft lip and/or palate between sex.

Results

Among the 366 cases of non sindromic cleft lip and/or palate, the more frequent clefts were cleft lip and palate, followed respectively by cleft lip and cleft palate. It is noted that cleft palate were more frequent in females, while the cleft lip and palate and cleft labial predominated in males. The risk of occurrence of cleft lip in relation the cleft palate was 2.19 times in males compared to females. While the risk of cleft lip and palate in relation cleft palate was 2.78 times in males compared to females.

Conclusion

This study showed that there were differences in the distribution of the non sindromic cleft lip and/or palate between male and female.