Effect of 1% sodium alendronate in the non-surgical treatment of periodontal intraosseous defects: a 6-month clinical trial.

Background And Objectives: Few studies have evaluated the effect of the topical application of sodium alendronate (ALN) on the treatment of intrabuccal bone defects, especially those caused by periodontitis. This 6-month randomized placebo controlled clinical trial aimed at evaluating the effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment associated with the use of 1% ALN, through clinical evaluations and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Material And Methods: Twenty individuals with chronic periodontitis underwent periodontal examination at the baseline as well as 3 and 6 months after periodontal treatment, registering clinical attachment level (CAL), periodontal probing depth (PPD), and bleeding on probing (BOP) as the clinical outcomes.

Coinheritance of Hb Bristol-Alesha [β67(E11)Val→Met; HBB: c.202G>A] and the α212 Patchwork Allele in a Brazilian Child with Severe Congenital Hemolytic Anemia.

Hb Bristol-Alesha [HBB: c.202G>A; β 67 Val>Met] is a rare structural variant of hemoglobin (Hb) resulting from a GTG>ATG substitution at codon 67 of the β-globin gene that leads to the replacement of valine by methionine in the corresponding position of the β-globin chain. The methionine residue is subsequently modified to aspartic acid [β67(E11)Val-Met→Asp], possibly by autoxidation mechanisms.

Association of plasma CD40L with acute chest syndrome in sickle cell anemia.

Platelet activation and platelet-derived cytokines contribute to the vascular inflammation and increased thrombotic activity known to occur in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). CD40 ligand (CD40L), a platelet-associated pro-inflammatory molecule that promotes endothelial cell activation, is elevated in the circulation of SCA patients. We sought to evaluate the association of CD40L and inflammation with sickle-related clinical complications and laboratory variables in SCA patients.

Telomere length correlates with disease severity and inflammation in sickle cell disease.

Background: Telomeres, the ends of linear chromosomes, shorten during mitotic cell division and erosion may be aggravated by inflammation or proliferative and oxidative stress. As the bone marrow is under hyperproliferative pressure in sickle cell disease and several tissues are submitted to chronic inflammation, this study sought to determine the telomere length of patients with sickle cell disease.

Methods: The mean telomere length was measured in peripheral blood leukocytes by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Periodontitis and Endothelial Dysfunction: Periodontal Clinical Parameters and Levels of Salivary Markers Interleukin-1β, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, Matrix Metalloproteinase-2, Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-2 Complex, and Nitric Oxide.

Background: Periodontitis has been associated with a greater risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACD). Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is a parameter of early ACD, and its association with periodontitis has rarely been investigated to date. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between periodontitis and ED by means of periodontal clinical parameters and salivary markers interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, nitric oxide (NO), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-2 complex.

Investigation of the Anti-Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum Activity of Some Natural Sesquiterpene Lactones.

Leishmaniases are neglected infectious diseases caused by parasites of the 'protozoan' genus . Depending on the parasite species, different clinical forms are known as cutaneous, muco-cutaneous, and the visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is particularly fatal and the therapy presents limitations.

Tissue factor-dependent coagulation activation by heme: A thromboelastometry study.

Heme has been characterized as potent trigger of inflammation. In hemostasis, although heme has been shown to both induce and inhibit different compartments of hemostasis, its net effect on the hemostatic balance, and the biological relevance of these effects remain to be determined. Herein we evaluated the effect of heme on hemostasis using a global assay able to generate clinically relevant data in several other complex hemostatic diseases.

Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes among women with previous gestational diabetes: epidemiological and immunological aspects in a follow-up of three years.

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the incidence on the development of type 2 diabetes in women with previous gestational diabetes with and without periodontitis after a three-year time interval.

Material And Methods: Initial sample of this follow-up study consisted of 90 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who underwent periodontal examination. After three years, 49 women were subjected to new periodontal examination and biological, behavioral, and social data of interest were collected.

Role of F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis and management of multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders: a consensus statement by the International Myeloma Working Group.

The International Myeloma Working Group consensus aimed to provide recommendations for the optimal use of fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/CT in patients with multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders, including smouldering multiple myeloma and solitary plasmacytoma. F-FDG PET/CT can be considered a valuable tool for the work-up of patients with both newly diagnosed and relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma because it assesses bone damage with relatively high sensitivity and specificity, and detects extramedullary sites of proliferating clonal plasma cells while providing important prognostic information. The use of F-FDG PET/CT is mandatory to confirm a suspected diagnosis of solitary plasmacytoma, provided that whole-body MRI is unable to be performed, and to distinguish between smouldering and active multiple myeloma, if whole-body X-ray (WBXR) is negative and whole-body MRI is unavailable.

Case-Case Analysis Using 7 Years of Travelers' Diarrhea Surveillance Data: Preventive and Travel Medicine Applications in Cusco, Peru.

AbstractIn Cusco, Peru, and South America in general, there is a dearth of travelers' diarrhea (TD) data concerning the clinical features associated with enteropathogen-specific infections and destination-specific risk behaviors. Understanding these factors would allow travel medicine providers to tailor interventions to patients' risk profiles and travel destination. To characterize TD etiology, evaluate region-specific TD risk factors, and examine relationships between preventive recommendations and risk-taking behaviors among medium- to long-term travelers' from high-income countries, we conducted this case-case analysis using 7 years of prospective surveillance data from adult travelers' presenting with TD to a physician in Cusco.

Sympathetic Hyperactivity, Increased Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Exaggerated Corpus Cavernosum Relaxations Associated with Oxidative Stress Plays a Major Role in the Penis Dysfunction in Townes Sickle Cell Mouse.

Background: Sickle cell disease patients display priapism that may progress to erectile dysfunction. However, little is known about the pathophysiological alterations of corpus cavernosum in sickle cell disease.

Objective: Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the functional and molecular alterations of sympathetic machinery and nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling pathway in Townes transgenic sickle cell disease mice.

Red blood cell alloimmunization in patients with sickle cell disease: correlation with HLA and cytokine gene polymorphisms.

Background: The reason for the difference in susceptibility to red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is not clearly understood and is probably the result of multiple factors. Our hypothesis is that genetic polymorphisms are associated with RBC alloimmunization.

Study Design And Methods: We investigated the possible association of susceptibility to RBC alloimmunization with polymorphisms of HLA and cytokines genes in 161 SCD patients prior exposed to RBC transfusion.

Expanding the Knowledge on Lignocellulolytic and Redox Enzymes of Worker and Soldier Castes from the Lower Termite .

Termites are considered one of the most efficient decomposers of lignocelluloses on Earth due to their ability to produce, along with its microbial symbionts, a repertoire of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). Recently, a set of Pro-oxidant, Antioxidant, and Detoxification enzymes (PAD) were also correlated with the metabolism of carbohydrates and lignin in termites. The lower termite is considered the main urban pest in Brazil, causing damage to wood constructions.

Solute lean Ti-Nb-Fe alloys: An exploratory study.

In this study, we explored the Ti-Nb-Fe system to find an optimal cost-effective composition with the lowest elastic modulus and the lowest added Nb content. Six Ti-(31-4x)Nb-(1+0.5x)Fe ingots were prepared and Nb was substituted with Fe, starting at Ti-31Nb-1.

ent-Pimarane and ent-Kaurane Diterpenes from Aldama discolor (Asteraceae) and Their Antiprotozoal Activity.

Aldama discolor (syn.Viguiera discolor) is an endemic Asteraceae from the Brazilian "Cerrado", which has not previously been investigated for its chemical constituents and biological activity. Diterpenes are common secondary metabolites found in Aldama species, some of which have been reported to present potential antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activities.

Effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment by full-mouth disinfection or scaling and root planing per quadrant in halitosis-a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effect of one-stage full-mouth disinfection (FMD) and conventional quadrant scaling in four weekly sessions (QS) on periodontal clinical parameters and halitosis among individuals with advanced chronic periodontitis.

Materials And Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 30 individuals were divided into two groups: FMD (n = 15) and QS (n = 15). The following data were collected at the baseline and 90 days after treatment: plaque index, tongue-coating index (TCI), bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level.

Featured Article: Modulation of fetal hemoglobin in hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin deletion type-2, compared to Sicilian δβ-thalassemia, by BCL11A and SOX6-targeting microRNAs.

Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin deletion type-2 (HPFH-2) and Sicilian-δβ-thalassemia are conditions described as large deletions of the human β-like globin cluster, with absent β-globin chains and a compensatory variable increase in γ-globin. HPFH, in general, may be distinguished from DB-Thalassemia by higher fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels, absence of anemia and hypochromic and microcytic erythrocytes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate a range of cellular processes including erythropoiesis and regulation of transcription factors such as the BCL11A and SOX6 genes, which are related to the regulation of γ-globin expression.

Is chronic periodontitis premature in systemic lupus erythematosus patients?

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency and severity of chronic periodontitis (CP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with individuals without rheumatic diseases. Seventy-five patients with SLE were compared to 75 individuals without rheumatic diseases (control group) matched for age, educational level, and income. The activity of SLE was assessed with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000.

Dental Implants With Immediate Loading Using Insertion Torque of 30 Ncm: A Systematic Review.

Objective: This study aimed to perform a review of the literature regarding the survival rate of dental implants with immediate loading using insertion torque of 30 Ncm.

Material And Methods: A systematic review was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (PROSPERO CRD42014015323). The search was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library electronic, OVID, and Scielo databases.

Beneficial Effect of the Nitric Oxide Donor Compound 3-(1,3-Dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)Benzyl Nitrate on Dysregulated Phosphodiesterase 5, NADPH Oxidase, and Nitrosative Stress in the Sickle Cell Mouse Penis: Implication for Priapism Treatment.

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) display priapism, and dysregulated nitric oxide (NO) pathway may contribute to this condition. However, current therapies offered for the prevention of priapism in SCD are few. The 3-(1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)benzyl nitrate (compound 4C) was synthesized through molecular hybridization of hydroxyurea and thalidomide, which displays an NO-donor property.

A randomized trial of amlodipine in addition to standard chelation therapy in patients with thalassemia major.

Cardiovascular disease resulting from iron accumulation is still a major cause of death in patients with thalassemia major (TM). Voltage-gated calcium-channel blockade prevents iron entry into cardiomyocytes and may provide an adjuvant treatment to chelation, reducing myocardial iron uptake. We evaluated whether addition of amlodipine to chelation strategies would reduce myocardial iron overload in TM patients compared with placebo.