Heterogeneity in the gingival fibromatoses
Article Abstract:
Gingival hyperplasia is an overgrowth of gum tissue. The condition is also called gingival fibromatosis, but this term erroneously implies a relation with other forms of fibromatosis. Gingival hyperplasia is often inherited, but a recent review of 49 cases indicates that the condition is not a single disorder, but rather a heterogeneous group of related disorders. Twelve of the 49 cases in the present study occurred in six families, and 37 cases were idiopathic, that is, without immediately apparent cause. Analysis of the inheritance patterns in five of the families suggested that the mode of inheritance was dominant in four and recessive in one. In addition, the penetrance of the disorder varied from family to family. (Penetrance is the degree to which carriers of a particular gene actually express the associated trait; in incomplete penetrance, not all people with the gene show the full clinical symptoms.) The findings among these 49 cases prompted the review of a further 218 cases from the medical literature. It was found that some cases are associated with hypertrichosis, or excessive hair growth, while most are not. Furthermore, some cases are associated with not only hypertrichosis but also mental retardation or epilepsy, or both. It was also found that the overgrowth of the gums tended to begin earlier in life (under 12 years of age) in the familial cases than among the isolated cases. Furthermore, the cases of gingival hyperplasia associated with retardation or epilepsy also tended to occur at a younger age. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1991
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Radar troubleshooters receive Hammer Award
Article Abstract:
A team of radar troubleshooters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force Weather Agency and the Navy were presented with Vice Pres Gore's Hammer Award for reinventing government. The group known as the Next Generation Weather Radar Hotline Team is in-charge of running the nation's Doppler weather network and provide telephone and onsite support to 304 radar and use sites.
Publication Name: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Subject: Earth sciences
ISSN: 0003-0007
Year: 1999
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An encounter with the orca
Article Abstract:
A physician and his family went on an expedition to visit with killer whales who frequent the waters off Vancouver, Canada. The group was particularly excited to see the huge, playful animals up close.
Publication Name: Reader's Digest (Canadian)
Subject: General interest
ISSN: 0034-0413
Year: 1996
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