Even without changing the bone mineral density, alcohol consumption decreases the percentage of collagen, the thickness of bone trabeculae, and increases bone fragility.

Excessive alcohol consumption is considered a risk factor for bone health, as it causes a reduction in mass and increases the risk of fracture. However, the determination of bone mineral density (BMD) has not always been an adequate predictor of bone fragility. Thus, the hypothesis arises that chronic alcohol consumption interferes with collagen synthesis and the quality of bone trabeculae, with consequent bone fragility.

Width of sulcus and thickness of gyrus in patients with cerebral atherosclerosis: a new tool for the prevention of vascular cognitive impairment.

Background And Purpose: Cerebral atherosclerosis is the main cause of lesions that contribute to vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia, followed by arteriosclerosis of small vessels and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. The purpose of this study was to compare the post-mortem radiological alterations of autopsied adults with the macroscopic alterations in the posterior region of these brains in order to establish a relationship between the two forms of analysis and to discuss the relevance of the prevention of vascular cognitive impairment in patients with encephalic atherosclerosis.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen brains were analysed macroscopically to assess the degree of atherosclerosis of the basilar and the posterior cerebral arteries.

Tongue development in stillborns autopsied at different gestational ages.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze, through the morphometric method, the perimeter and length of the tongue, the collagen fibers, and the perimeter of blood vessels at different gestational ages and fetal weights.

Material And Methods: Tongues (n=55) of stillborns autopsied at 23-40 weeks of gestational age were macroscopically analyzed, and their length and perimeter were measured. Fifty-five tongue fragments were collected through a longitudinal section in the region that accompanies the median lingual sulcus and histologically processed.

T Cell Activation and Proinflammatory Cytokine Production in Clinically Cured Tuberculosis Are Time-Dependent and Accompanied by Upregulation of IL-10.

Background: Th1 cytokines are essential for the control of M. tuberculosis infection. The role of IL-10 in tuberculosis is controversial and there is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that the relationship between Th1 cytokines and IL-10 is not as antagonistic as it was first believed, and that these cytokines may complement each other in infectious diseases.

Phenotypic and functional characterization of pulmonary macrophages subpopulations after intratracheal injection of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis cell wall components.

A shift in the activation of pulmonary macrophages characterized by an increase of IL-1, TNF-α and IL-6 production has been induced in mice infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. It is still unclear whether a functional shift in the resident alveolar macrophage population would be responsible for these observations due to the expression of cell surface molecules. We investigated pulmonary macrophages by flow cytometry from mice treated with P.

Quantification of fibrosis and mast cells in the tissue response of endodontic sealer irradiated by low-level laser therapy.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) accelerates tissue repair. Mast cells induce the proliferation of fibroblasts and the development of local fibrosis. The objective of this study was to quantify fibrosis rate and mast cells in connective tissue after endodontic sealer zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) was implanted and submitted to LLLT, immediately after implant and again 24 h later.

T-helper cell type 17/regulatory T-cell immunoregulatory balance in human radicular cysts and periapical granulomas.

Introduction: Cysts and granulomas are chronic periapical lesions mediated by a set of inflammatory mediators that develop to contain a periapical infection. This study analyzed the nature of the inflammatory infiltrate, presence of mast cells, and in situ expression of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-17 and transforming growth factor [TGF]-beta), chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1beta and monocyte chemotactic protein [MCP]-1), and nuclear transcription factor (FoxP3) in human periapical granulomas and cysts compared with a control group.

Methods: Fifty-five lesions (25 periapical cysts, 25 periapical granulomas, and 5 controls) were analyzed.

In situ detection of inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis in pemphigus foliaceus patients.

Context: Endemic pemphigus foliaceus, or fogo selvagem, is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the formation of intraepidermal blisters that reduce adhesion between keratinocytes. Endemic pemphigus foliaceus is associated with the presence of autoantibodies and high levels of cytokines involved in the inflammatory response.

Objectives: To evaluate the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 1, interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factor alpha; the proapoptotic inducers Fas and inducible nitric oxide synthase; and the apoptosis inhibitor Bcl-2; and to evaluate the presence of apoptosis.

High levels of interleukin-1 in patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus.

Endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF) is an autoimmune disease characterized by blister formation with a loss of cohesion and infiltration of inflammatory cells. We observed that supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients produced significantly more interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) than those from stimulated healthy controls. Furthermore, a Th2 bias was observed in EPF patients when the IL-5/gamma interferon ratio was analyzed.