Global Trends and Scientific Impact of Topical Probiotics in Dermatological Treatment and Skincare.

The skin plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and protecting against external aggressors. Recent research has highlighted the potential of probiotics and postbiotics in dermatological treatments and skincare. These beneficial microorganisms interact with the skin microbiota, modulate the immune response, and enhance the skin barrier, offering a promising therapeutic avenue for various skin conditions, such as acne, dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis.

Cochlear Implants after Meningitis and Otosclerosis: A Comparison between Cochlear Ossification and Speech Perception Tests.

(1) Background: Performance after Cochlear Implantation (CI) can vary depending on numerous factors. This study aims to investigate how meningitis or otosclerosis can influence CI performance. (2) Methods: Retrospective analysis of CI performance in patients with etiological diagnosis of meningitis or otosclerosis, comparing the etiologies and analyzing the image findings, along with electrode array insertion status and technique.

Efficacy of Sacrospinous Fixation or Uterosacral Ligament Suspension for Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Stages III and IV: Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective:  To evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of the surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in stages III and IV by sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) or uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) by comparing anatomical and subjective cure rates and quality-of-life parameters (through the version validated for the Portuguese language of the Prolapse Quality of Life [P-QoL] questionnaire) under two definitions: genital prolapse Ba, Bp, and C < -1 (stage I) and Ba, Bp, and C ≤ 0 (stage II).

Materials And Methods:  After we obtained approval from the Ethics Committee (under CAAE 0833/06) and registered the study in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01347021), 51 patients were randomized into two groups: the USLS group (N = 26) and the SSLF group (N = 25), with follow-up 6 and 12 months after the procedures.

"Catheter Hole Support": A Novel Technique for Increasing Guide Catheter Support.

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in the setting of tortuosity, calcification, and some types of coronary takeoffs can be challenging. In such cases, the choice of strategies that promote optimal catheter support is essential for the success of the procedure, by facilitating the delivery of the equipment. We have developed a new support technique: "Catheter Hole Support Technique" is a simple, low-cost, and widely available technique that effectively increases catheter support and system stability.

Evaluation of Bone Response to a Nano HA Implant Surface on Sinus Lifting Procedures: Study in Rabbits.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone response to two different implant surfaces on sinus lift procedures in rabbits. Bilateral sinus lifting with inorganic bovine bone associated with collagen membrane and immediate implantation were performed in 16 rabbits. Custom mini-implants were randomly installed in the prepared sites: one side received a double acid-etched (DAE) surface and the other a nano-hydroxyapatite (NHA) surface.

Historical perspective of vaginal hysterectomy: the resilience of art and evidence-based medicine in the age of technology.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe, from a historical perspective, the relevance, resilience and outcomes of vaginal hysterectomy (VH) in gynecology in the age of technological scenario.

Methods: The authors searched records from January 2011 to January 2021 on the following databases: Medline, EMBASE, and CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library) for combinations of the terms "vaginal hysterectomy," "outcomes" AND "history"; and before that period, if the search had historical relevance.

Inclusion Criteria: randomized clinical trials; hysterectomy performed for benign gynecological conditions; and VH outcomes compared with Abdominal Hysterectomy (AH), Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (LH) or Robotic Hysterectomy (RH).

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gynecological Health: An Integrative Review.

Objective:  To analyze the existing scientific literature to find out if the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has an effect on gynecological health.

Search Strategy:  We performed an integrative review of articles published between April 2020 and April 2021 on the PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases, using and the following relevant terms: ; ; ; ; ; ; and .

Selection Criteria:  Among the eligible studies found, editorials and primary research articles, which describe the dynamics between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection (the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic) and gynecological health, were included.

Myocardial function reclassification: Echocardiographic strain patterns in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy and intraventricular dyssynchrony.

Background: We aimed to identify, among Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC) patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and non-left bundle branch block (non-LBBB), subgroups with different functional and mechanical patterns of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and intraventricular dyssynchrony (IVD) at rest and after exercise stress test, and reclassify them using a new echocardiographic approach.

Methodology: In this single-center cross-sectional study, 40 patients with CCC, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35% and non-LBBB underwent rest echocardiography and then treadmill exercise stress echocardiography with GLS and IVD analysis. The sample was divided into four groups, based on GLS and IVD significant variation between rest and exercise: GLS + IVD+ (9 patients); GLS + IVD- (9 patients); GLS-IVD+ (10 patients); GLS-IVD- (10 patients).

Multiple sessions of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy associated with surgical periodontal treatment in patients with chronic periodontitis.

Background: This double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial assessed the efficacy of multiple sessions of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an adjunct to surgical periodontal treatment (ST) in patients with severe chronic periodontitis (SCP).

Methods: Sixteen patients with SCP were treated with aPDT+ST (test group, TG) or ST only (control group, CG), in a split-mouth design. aPDT was applied at 0, 2, 7, and 14 postoperative days only in TG.

Surgical Treatment for Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective:  To compare surgical treatments for stress urinary incontinence in terms of efficiency and complications.

Data Sources:  We searched the MEDLINE and COCHRANE databases using the terms , and .

Selection Of Studies:  Forty-eight studies were selected, which amounted to a total of 6,881 patients with scores equal to or higher than 3 in the Jadad scale.

A cohort study of cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established procedure for patients with heart failure. However, trials evaluating its efficacy did not include patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). We aimed to assess the role of CRT in a cohort of patients with CCC.

Effect of surgical periodontal treatment associated to antimicrobial photodynamic therapy on chronic periodontitis: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Aim: This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the effects of an adjunctive single application of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) in Surgical Periodontal Treatment (ST) in patients with severe chronic periodontitis (SCP).

Material And Methods: In a split-mouth design, 20 patients with SCP were treated with aPDT+ST (Test Group, TG) or ST only (Control Group, CG). aPDT was applied in a single episode, using a diode laser and a phenothiazine photosensitizer.

Environmental vulnerability and phosphorus fractions of areas with pig slurry applied to the soil.

The application of pig slurry as a fertilizer can cause soil and water contamination. Intrinsic characteristics of the environment may enhance this effect and influence the vulnerability of the agricultural system. The goal of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of soil P fractions in areas treated with pig slurry and in forest areas and to propose an evaluation of the areas' vulnerability to P contamination.

A Family of Styrylcoumarins: Synthesis, Spectroscopic, Photophysical and Photochemical Properties.

Keeping it in the family: A new family of 5-styrylcoumarins exhibit E-Z isomerization around the C C bond with large extinction coefficients, medium-lived excited states, and moderate fluorescence quantum yields. The alteration of these photophysical properties is also corroborated by computational studies.

Male fertility versus sterility, cytotype, and DNA quantitative variation in seed production in diploid and tetraploid sea lavenders (Limonium sp., Plumbaginaceae) reveal diversity in reproduction modes.

The genus Limonium Miller, a complex taxonomic group, comprises annuals and perennials that can produce sexual and/or asexual seeds (apomixis). In this study, we used diverse cytogenetic and cytometric approaches to analyze male sporogenesis and gametogenesis for characterizing male reproductive output on seed production in Limonium ovalifolium and Limonium multiflorum. We showed here that the first species is mostly composed of diploid cytotypes with 2n = 16 chromosomes and the latter species by tetraploid cytotypes with 2n = 32, 34, 35, 36 chromosomes and had a genome roughly twice as big as the former one.

Sexual function after anterior vaginal wall prolapse surgery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare female sexual function after surgical treatment of anterior vaginal prolapse with either small intestine submucosa grafting or traditional colporrhaphy.

Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned, preoperatively, to the small intestine submucosa graft (n = 29) or traditional colporrhaphy (n = 27) treatment group. Postoperative outcomes were analyzed at 12 months.

Aspergillus fumigatus suppresses the human cellular immune response via gliotoxin-mediated apoptosis of monocytes.

Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) is a ubiquitous mold and is the most common cause of invasive aspergillosis, an important source of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. Using cytokine flow cytometry, we assessed the magnitude of functional CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses following stimulation with Aspergillus antigens. Relative to those seen with cytomegalovirus (CMV) or superantigen stimulation, responses to Aspergillus antigens were near background levels.

Functional assessment and specific depletion of alloreactive human T cells using flow cytometry.

Human T-cell alloreactivity plays an important role in many disease processes, including the rejection of solid organ grafts and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. To develop a better understanding of the T cells involved in alloreactivity in humans, we developed a cytokine flow cytometry (CFC) assay that enabled us to characterize the phenotypic and functional characteristic of T cells responding to allogeneic stimuli. Using this approach, we determined that most T-cell alloreactivity resided within the CD4(+) T-cell subset, as assessed by activation marker expression and the production of effector cytokines (eg, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF]alpha) implicated in human GVHD.

Microgranular and t(11;17)/PLZF-RARalpha variants of acute promyelocytic leukemia also present the flow cytometric pattern of CD13, CD34, and CD15 expression characteristic of PML-RARalpha gene rearrangement.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype acute myeloid leukemia in which leukemic promyelocytes predominate in the bone marrow (BM). Rapid diagnosis is critical for treatment decision since all-trans-retinoic acid must be administrated promptly. The microgranular variant may be of difficult diagnosis, as it may be confused with other diseases on morphological grounds.

CD25 expression on donor CD4+ or CD8+ T cells is associated with an increased risk for graft-versus-host disease after HLA-identical stem cell transplantation in humans.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurs in an unpredictable fashion after 30% to 50% of matched-related transplantations. The presence of increased frequencies of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in donor grafts has been shown to ameliorate GVHD after allogeneic transplantation in murine models. To determine whether a similar relationship exists in humans, we quantitated the coexpression of CD25 on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells within 60 donor grafts infused into matched siblings and examined GVHD incidence in the respective recipients.

Expression of CD117 and CD11b in bone marrow can differentiate acute promyelocytic leukemia from recovering benign myeloid proliferation.

The morphologic characteristics of bone marrow aspirates from patients recovering from acute agranulocytosis may be closely similar to the pattern observed in cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The clinical manifestation also can be ambiguous in a substantial number of cases. The immunophenotypic features of bone marrow from 5 patients recovering from acute agranulocytosis, showing an increase in the percentage of promyelocytes (26%-66%), were compared with the immunophenotype of 31 consecutive patients with APL whose diagnosis was confirmed by PML-RAR alpha gene rearrangement.