Fear of the unknown: Inlfuenza vaccination

Influenza is a major cause of morbidity and mortality; current estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) are 3 to 5 million cases and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide every year. Most deaths associated with it occur among people age 65 or older, as well as among persons suffering a chronic debilitating disease regardless of age. The recent 2009 pandemic served to foster interest in this disease. An inactivated virus vaccine has been available since the late 1940´s but it only began to be used extensively when the influenza virus antigenic variability was taken into account. Aside from such variability, influenza viruses are capable of infecting a wide variety of vertebrates, including many avian species, both wild and domestic, thus it is essential to monitor the antigenic characteristics of influenza virus strains currently circulating, and so the vaccine formula has to be evaluated and modiied accordingly every yea

The effect of hypnotherapy on the quality of life in women with breast cancer

Background. Cancer is a chronic disease that significantly affects the quality of life of patients who suffer from it, because they must face stressful situations, including their diagnosis, surgical procedures, and the adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Objective. To evaluate the effects of hypnotherapy on breast cancer patients’ quality of life during chemotherapy. Design. A quasi-experimental design was used with a convenience sample. Method. Two groups of patients with early breast cancer diagnoses were assigned to either a control group that received standard medical care (n = 20), or a hypnotherapy group (n = 20) that received 12 intensive sessions over the course of 1 month, and 12 additional sessions over the course of 6 months. The patients’ quality of life was evaluated using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Results. The hypnotherapy group showed a statistically significant improvement and a large effect size on the cognitive functioning and social functioning scales compared to the control group. The physical functioning, role functioning, and quality of life scales showed improvement with a medium effect size, but the changes were not statistically significant. Conclusion. The improvement observed in the cognitive functioning and social functioning scales allows us to suggest that hypnotherapy improves the quality of life of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy. Keywords: hypnotherapy, quality of life, breast cancer, cognitive functioning and social functionin

Antimicrobial Activity of a Cationic Guanidine Compound against Two Pathogenic Oral Bacteria

This study evaluated the potential antimicrobial properties of a polyguanidine (CatDex) on two oral bacteria. Chlorhexidine gluconate 134

Quality and high yield synthesis of Ag nanowires by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method

Silver nanowires (Ag-NWs) were obtained using microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MAH). The main advantage of the method is its high NWs production which is greater than 90%. It is also easy, fast, and highly reproducible process. One of the drawbacks presented so far in the synthesis of nanostructures by polyol path is the high temperature used in the process, which is superior than the boiling point of solvent (ethylene glycol), and also its excessive reaction time. Here, Ag-NWs with diameters of 70 to 110 nm were synthesized in 5 min in large quantities. Results showed that dimensions and shape of nanowires were very susceptible to changes with reaction parameters. The reactor power and reactor fill capacity were important for the synthesis. It was found that the reaction time needs to be decreased because of the NWs which start to deform and break up due to significant increase in the pressure's system. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron diffraction analysis (SAED) did not show corresponding phases of AgO. Some aspects about synthesis parameters which are related to the percent yield and size of nanowires are also discussed

Inmunomoduladores como terapia adyuvante en la enfermedad infecciosa

La resistencia a los antibióticos se ha convertido en uno de los principales problemas de salud. El combatir a los organismos patógenos con terapias combinadas que involucren la participación del sistema inmune y de fármacos antimicrobianos, representa un modelo exitoso para el tratamiento de enfermedades infecciosas agudas y crónicas. La presente revisión de inmunomoduladores de origen bacteriano, eucariótico y farmacológico, muestra que pueden estimular los mecanismos de defensa del hospedero contra diversas enfermedades virales, bacterianas, parasíticas y fúngicas. El potencial de estos agentes para modular la respuesta inmune puede ser utilizado como tratamiento o como terapia adyuvante de diversas enfermedades microbianas

Epidermal growth factor enhances osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells in vitro

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) play an important role in extracellular matrix mineralization, a complex process required for proper bone regeneration, one of the biggest challenges in dentistry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of EGF and bFGF on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Material and methods: Human DPSCs were isolated using CD105 magnetic microbeads and characterized by flow cytometry. To induce osteoblast differentiation, the cells were cultured in osteogenic medium supplemented with EGF or bFGF at a low concentration. Cell morphology and expression of CD146 and CD10 surface markers were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. To measure mineralization, an alizarin red S assay was performed and typical markers of osteoblastic phenotype were evaluated by RT-PCR. Results: EGF treatment induced morphological changes and suppression of CD146 and CD10 markers. Additionally, the cells were capable of producing calcium deposits and increasing the mRNA expression to alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) in relation to control groups (p < 0.001). However, bFGF treatment showed an inhibitory effect. Conclusion: These data suggests that DPSCs in combination with EGF could be an effective stem cell-based therapy for bone tissue engineering applications in periodontics and oral implantology