The copy number variation of GSTM1 as a promising prognostic factor of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the copy number variation (CNV) of GSTM1 and GSTT1 is related to the occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) relapses, along the overall and progression-free survival of patients.

Study Design: A total of 234 OSCC patients were recruited from the Heliópolis hospital and they were distributed among 4 groups according to the occurrence of OSCC relapses. Fisher exact test, odds ratio (OR), and 95% CI were determined to investigate the chances of OSCC progression.

Exploring the Role of Alcohol Metabolizing Genotypes in a 12-Week Clinical Trial of Naltrexone for Alcohol Use Disorder.

The efficacy of naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with a set of variables not directly related with the expression of opioid receptors. All the variables have been found to be highly associated with AUD itself or more severe clinical levels of AUD. Given the high association between alcohol metabolizing enzymes (AME) and the outcome of AUD, the present study aims to investigate the role of AME genotype variants in the treatment of AUD with naltrexone.

Polymorphisms of CHRNA3 and CHRNA5: Head and neck cancer and cigarette consumption intensity in a Brazilian population.

Background: Cigarette consumption has been identified as the main non-etiological factor in head and neck cancer (HNC) development. One of the main compounds in cigarettes is nicotine, which binds directly to nicotine acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) in the body, which are encoded by different genes of the CHRNA family. Polymorphisms in some of these genes have been studied in relation to the risk of HNC and cigarette consumption intensity.

Genetic Variants Involved in One-Carbon Metabolism: Polymorphism Frequencies and Differences in Homocysteine Concentrations in the Folic Acid Fortification Era.

Folate and other B vitamins are essential co-factors of one-carbon metabolism, and genetic variants, such as polymorphisms, can alter the metabolism. Furthermore, the adoption of food fortification with folic acid showed a decrease of homocysteine concentration. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequencies of the polymorphisms of enzymes and carrier proteins involved in one-carbon metabolism, and to evaluate homocysteine concentrations in the presence of these genetic variants in a population exposed to mandatory food fortification with folic acid.

Arginine intake is associated with oxidative stress in a general population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between protein and arginine from meat intake and oxidative stress in a general population.

Methods: Data came from the Health Survey for Sao Paulo (ISA-Capital), a cross-sectional population-based study in Brazil (N = 549 adults). Food intake was estimated by a 24-h dietary recall.

Polymorphisms in the p27kip-1 and prohibitin genes denote novel genes associated with melanoma risk in Brazil, a high ultraviolet index region.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major environmental risk factor to the development of cutaneous melanoma as it induces pyrimidine dimers in DNA. Genes that exert their function by arresting the cell cycle are critical to avoid carcinogenic mutations, allowing the processing of DNA repair systems. This study was carried out to evaluate the role of polymorphisms in cell cycle genes such as TP53, p27, CDKN2A, prohibitin, and GADD153 in melanoma risk as well as their influence on known risk factors in a high UV index region.

Burnt sugarcane harvesting: particulate matter exposure and the effects on lung function, oxidative stress, and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene.

Non-mechanised sugarcane harvesting preceded by burning exposes workers and the people of neighbouring towns to high concentrations of pollutants. This study was aimed to evaluate the respiratory symptoms, lung function and oxidative stress markers in sugarcane workers and the residents of Mendonça, an agricultural town in Brazil, during the non-harvesting and harvesting periods and to assess the population and individual exposures to fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)).

Ethnicity and cutaneous melanoma in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil: a case-control study.

Background: Over the last century the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased worldwide, a trend that has also been observed in Brazil. The identified risk factors for melanoma include the pattern of sun exposure, family history, and certain phenotypic features. In addition, the incidence of melanoma might be influenced by ethnicity.

European ancestry and polymorphisms in DNA repair genes modify the risk of melanoma: a case-control study in a high UV index region in Brazil.

Background: UV radiation is the major environmental factor related to development of cutaneous melanoma. Besides sun exposure and the influence of latitude, some host characteristics such as skin phototype and hair and eye color are also risk factors for melanoma. Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes could be good candidates for susceptibility genes, mainly in geographical regions exposed to high solar radiation.

[Interaction between dietary intake and GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms in head and neck cancer risk: a case-control study in São Paulo, Brazil].

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to investigate the potential interaction between dietary factors and polymorphisms in phase II metabolic enzymes GSTM1 and GSTT1, associated with head and neck cancer risk. The study included 103 histologically confirmed incident cases and 101 controls. Food intake was estimated with a validated food frequency questionnaire.

DNA damage and repair in leukocytes of melanoma patients exposed in vitro to cisplatin.

Resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs can be an obstacle to a successful treatment of cancer patients in part associated with individual response and differences in the DNA repair system. The Comet assay is an informative test to investigate DNA damage and repair in cells in response to a variety of DNA-damaging agents, including chemotherapeutic drugs. The aim of this study was to assess leukocytes damage after in-vitro cisplatin treatment and DNA repair action using the Comet assay in 20 patients with melanoma and 20 cancer-free individuals.

Establishment and characterization of androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell lines, PcBra1, PcBra2, and PcBra3.

One of the main obstacles for understanding biological events involved in cancer is the lack of experimental models for in vitro studies especially for prostate cancer (PC). There are a limited number of PC cell lines being the majority originated from metastatic tumors mostly acquired from American Tissue Cell Culture which demands importation an expensive and bureaucratic process. Also it is well known that there are ethnic differences between populations concerning the behavior of tumors and the research based on cell lines derived from Brazilians should be interesting.

Establishment and characterization of human bladder cancer cell lines BexBra1, BexBra2, and BexBra4.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the fourth most common cancer in the USA. In Brazil, BC represents 3% of the total existing carcinomas in the population and represents the second highest incidence among urological tumors. The majority of bladder cancer cell lines available were derived from Caucasians and established in the seventies or eighties.

Polymorphisms in alcohol metabolizing genes and the risk of head and neck cancer in a Brazilian population.

Aims: The incidence of head and neck cancer (HNC) in Brazil has increased substantially in recent years. This increase is likely to be strongly associated with alcohol and tobacco consumption, but genetic susceptibility also should be investigated in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of polymorphisms in genes of alcohol metabolism enzymes and the risk of HNC.

The scientific production of full professors of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo: a view of the period of 2001-2006.

Introduction: The scientific production of institutions of higher education, as well as the dissemination and use of this published work by peer institutions, can be assessed by means of quantitative and qualitative measurements. This type of analysis can also serve as the basis of further academic actions. Variables such as the type of evaluation, the number of faculty members and the decision to include or exclude researchers who are not professors are difficult to measure when comparing different schools and institutions.

Brazilian population profile of 15 STR markers.

Allele frequencies for 15 STR markers included in the AmpFISTR Identifiler kit (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818, and FGA) were obtained from a sample of 561 unrelated individuals from São Paulo, Brazil.

Assessment of occupational genotoxic risk among Brazilian hairdressers.

Objectives: To evaluate the genotoxic risk to hairdressers exposed daily to chemical substances such as hair dyes, waving and straightening preparations and manicurists' products by the Comet assay test (single-cell gel electrophoresis).

Methods: The Comet assay was performed on blood samples from 69 female hairdressers (36.4 +/- 10.

Y-STRs in forensic medicine: DNA analysis in semen samples of azoospermic individuals.

The incidence of rape has increased, especially in metropolitan areas, such as the city of São Paulo. In Brazil, studies about it have shown that the majority of this type of crime is committed by the relatives and persons close to the victim. This has made the crime more difficult to be denounced, as only 10% of the cases are reported to competent police authorities.

Genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1, CYP2E1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 associated with head and neck cancer.

Background: Alcohol intake and tobacco smoke, in addition to other environmental and genetic factors, have been associated with head and neck cancer. We evaluated the role of metabolic enzyme polymorphisms on the risk of head and neck cancer in a hospital-based case-control study.

Methods: CYP1A1MspI, CYP2E1PstI, GSTM1, and GSTT1polymorphisms were evaluated in 103 histologically confirmed head and neck cancer cases and 102 controls by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods.

[Relationship between the outcome and the frequency of micronuclei in cells of patients with oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma].

Background: To verify the correlation between the micronucleus frequency and the presence of local recurrences or second primary lesion in patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity.

Methods: We studied the frequency of micronucleus of the oral mucosa in 27 untreated patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx. The patients were monthly followed after initial treatment, in an attempt to identify local recurrences or second primary lesions.

Fusion of COL1A1 exon 29 with PDGFB exon 2 in a der(22)t(17;22) in a pediatric giant cell fibroblastoma with a pigmented Bednar tumor component. Evidence for age-related chromosomal pattern in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and related tumors.

In contrast with classic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DP), genetic information about the juvenile or pigmented variant forms of DP, so-called giant cell fibroblastoma (GCF) and Bednar tumor (BT), is limited. In the sole karyotyped case of BT a supernumerary ring containing chromosomes 17 and 22 sequences, similar to DP rings, was reported, whereas in three GCF cases, t(17;22) or der(22)t(17;22) with COL1A1-PDGFB fusion involving exons 11, 40, and 47, respectively, have been described. Here, we report the first cytogenetic and molecular analysis of a tumor from a 5-year-old child that contained both GCF and BT components.