Bioethical conflicts of gene therapy: a brief critical review.

Methods and techniques employed in gene therapy are reviewed in parallel with pertinent ethical conflicts. Clinical interventions based on gene therapy techniques preferentially use vectors for the transportation of therapeutic genes, however little is known about the potential risks and damages to the patient. Thus, attending carefully to the clinical complications arising as well as to security is essential.

[Public water supply fluoridation in Brazil according to health sector leaders].

Various groups have opposed water supply fluoridation in Brazil, while others have supported the measure based on scientific evidence. This article describes the perceptions of delegates to the 13th National Health Conference on mandatory fluoridation of the country's public water supply. Interviews were processed using collective subject discourse analysis.

[Multiple aspects of the use of fluorine in public health from the viewpoint of healthcare leaders].

The article describes the perceptions of health care leaders on issues relating to the use of fluorine in public health. This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, using Collective Subject Discourse (DCS) as technique for processing the statements. The study population was comprised of delegates to the 13th National Health Conference; the sample was defined by convenience and consisted of 310 delegates: 56 at municipal level in Fortaleza (CE), 143 at state level (Ceará) and 111 at national level.

[Analysis of protection or risk factors for dental fluorosis in 6 to 8 year-old children in Fortaleza, Brazil].

Objective: To investigate protection or risk factors for dental fluorosis in permanent teeth of 6 to 8 year-old children in a neighborhood of Fortaleza, Brazil.

Methods: This case-control study included 57 controls and 67 children with fluorosis affecting superior and inferior incisors teeth as determined by the Dean classification criteria. Presence of fluorosis was considered as the dependent variable.

Bone as a biomarker of acute fluoride toxicity.

The use of bone as a biomarker for chronic and acute exposure to fluoride salts has been suggested, but there are no data published about its use to evaluate lethal intoxication. One hundred and sixty rats were divided into eight groups that received a single oral intubation dose from 0 (control) to 90 mg F/kg as NaF. The animals' time of death was recorded and their femurs were removed for fluoride analysis.

[Self-perception of fluorosis due to fluoride exposure to drinking water and dentifrice].

The impact of dental fluorosis in children exposed to fluoride in drinking water and dentifrice was evaluated. Dental fluorosis was found in 72% of the children, but the children's well-being was not affected. It was concluded that although dental fluorosis due to the intake of optimally fluoridated drinking water and dentifrice did not affect the dental aesthetics of this studied population sample, there is a need of further studies on the subject.