In Vitro Evaluation of the Antibacterial Effect of Photodynamic Therapy with Methylene Blue

Objective: To evaluate, in vitro, the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) compared to laser therapy and the use of a photosensitizer alone. Material and Methods: The following therapies were used: PDT, laser therapy and photosensitizer alone. For PDT, methylene blue (MB) at different concentrations and red laser InGaAlP 660nm were used. For the use of low-power laser (LPL) alone, red laser InGaAlP 660 nm and infrared laser AsGaAl, 830 nm, both in continuous emission were used. Standard ATCC strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) species were used. The antibacterial effect of PDT was quantified by the diameter of the inhibition halos. Results: PDT (LPL 660 nm, 320 J/cm2) with MB at concentration of 50 μg/mL showed antibacterial efficacy only when tested against S. aureus and E. coli strains, as well as with the isolated use of MB at the same concentration. Using LPL alone, whether red or infrared, with different dosimetry, no antibacterial effect was observed. In none of the therapeutic modalities used, P. aeruginosa inactivation was observed. Conclusion: Antibacterial effects of PDT (LPL 660 nm + MB 50 μg/mL) were observed for S. aureus and S. coli, as well as with the isolated use of MB (50 μg/mL). For P. aeruginosa, no antibacterial effect with any of the protocols recommended in the study was observed

Laser therapy as treatment for oral paresthesia arising from mandibular third molar extraction

Oral paresthesia is a localized condition of sensory abnormality that occurs in the presence of injury in one of the nerves in the region after certain dental procedures. The aim of this study was to present a case report of a patient who received low-level laser therapy as treatment for inferior alveolar nerve paresthesia due to mandibular third molar extraction surgery. A 25-year-old female patient reported lack of sensitivity for 6 months in various regions of the bucomaxillofacial complex after surgery. Laser therapy (808 ± 10nm, 100 mW, 3J per point and 30 seconds per point) was indicated twice a week. The degree of sensitivity was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and with the aid of a microbrush. Prior to laser therapy, the patient reported VAS = 10, i.e., total lack of sensitivity. After 72 hours of the first session, the patient reported improvement of sensitivity in the chin (VAS = 5) and oral regions (VAS = 5), reporting recovery of sensitivity and that the area of paresthesia decreased. After 8 sessions, the patient reported total recovery of sensitivity in the chin, oral and gum regions (VAS = 0), with paresthesia being limited only to the left lower lip region and below it. After 26 sessions, the patient reported recovery of sensitivity in all affected regions (VAS = 0), with positive responses to the brush touch. Within the parameters used, laser therapy was effective in the treatment of inferior alveolar nerve paresthesia after third molar tooth extraction

Use of high- and low-intensity lasers in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity : a literature review

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is defined as an exaggerated sensitivity of vital dentin exposed to thermal, chemical and tactile stimuli. This study aimed to evaluate, through a literature review, the applicability of high- and low-intensity lasers in the

Evaluation of dental enamel microproperties after bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide and different light sources : an in vitro study

To evaluate the tooth enamel surface morphology after the action of 35% hydrogen peroxide with and without LED activation. Material and Methods: 70 bovine incisors with an enamel surface of 4x4x3 mm were used, prepared for reading superfic

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Educomunicação e suas áreas de intervenção: Novos paradigmas para o diálogo intercultural

oai:omp.abpeducom.org.br:publicationFormat/1O material aqui divulgado representa, em essência, a contribuição do VII Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação ao V Global MIL Week, da UNESCO, ocorrido na ECA/USP, entre 3 e 5 de novembro de 2016. Estamos diante de um conjunto de 104 papers executivos, com uma média de entre 7 e 10 páginas, cada um. Com este rico e abundante material, chegamos ao sétimo e-book publicado pela ABPEducom, em seus seis primeiros anos de existência. A especificidade desta obra é a de trazer as “Áreas de Intervenção” do campo da Educomunicação, colocando-as a serviço de uma meta essencial ao agir educomunicativo: o diálogo intercultural, trabalhado na linha do tema geral do evento internacional: Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Expressão imuno-histoquímica das proteínas Ki-67 e Bcl-2 em crescimentos gengivais induzidos por drogas e hiperplasias gengivais inflamatórias

Considerando-se que o desequilíbrio entre a apoptose e a proliferação celular pode exercer um papel importante na patogênese do crescimento gengival induzido por drogas (CGID), o presente estudo se propôs a avaliar a expressão imuno-histoquímica das proteínas Ki-67 e Bcl-2 e a sua relação com as características histomorfológicas em CGIDs e hiperplasias gengivais inflamatórias (HGIs), em comparação com espécimes de gengiva saudável (GS). O estudo foi descritivo-analítico, transversal, observacional, qualitativo e quantitativo. A amostra foi constituída por 20 casos de CGID, 20 casos de HGI e 20 casos de GS, os quais foram submetidos à análise histomorfológica e imuno-histoquímica. Na análise histomorfológica, foram avaliados os seguintes aspectos: presença de cristas epiteliais alongadas, grau de colagenização, grau de vascularização, intensidade e distribuição do infiltrado inflamatório. No estudo imuno-histoquímico, foram determinados os índices de positividade (IPs) para os anticorpos anti-Ki-67 e anti-Bcl-2, tanto no revestimento epitelial quanto no tecido conjuntivo dos espécimes teciduais. Os resultados histomorfológicos revelaram a presença de cristas epiteliais alongadas em direção ao tecido conjuntivo apenas nos CGIDs, bem como associação estatisticamente significativa deste grupo com o grau de colagenização intenso (p = 0,010). Para todos os grupos, constatou-se uma maior proporção de casos com intensa vascularização, apresentando infiltrado inflamatório de moderado a intenso e com distribuição focal (p > 0,05). Quanto à análise imunohistoquímica, não foram constatadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos em relação aos IPs para o Ki-67 no revestimento epitelial (p > 0,05). No tecido conjuntivo, CGIDs, HGIs e GSs apresentaram baixos IPs para o Ki-67 (p > 0,05). No tocante aos IPs para o Bcl-2 no epitélio, a maior média foi encontrada no grupo de CGID (p = 0,061). Por sua vez, no tecido conjuntivo, CGIDs revelaram maior número de casos imunopositivos para o Bcl-2 (45,0%), mas sem diferenças entre os IPs em relação às HGIs e GSs (p > 0,05). Não foram constatadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas nos IPs para o Ki-67 e para o Bcl-2 em relação às características histomorfológicas dos CGIDs, HGIs e GSs (p > 0,05). Além disso, não foram observadas correlações estatisticamente significativas entre os IPs para o Ki-67 e para o Bcl-2, em nenhum dos três grupos. Portanto, os achados do presente estudo sugerem que o aumento da proliferação e a diminuição da apoptose dos fibroblastos não estão envolvidos na patogênese dos CGIDs. Por outro lado, o padrão morfológico das cristas epiteliais alongadas, observadas nessas lesões, poderiam ser decorrentes da inibição da apoptose dos ceratinócitos e não do aumento na proliferação destes tipos celulares.Considering that the imbalance between apoptosis and cell proliferation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO), the present study aimed to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67 and Bcl-2 proteins and their relationship with histomorphologic features in DIGOs and inflammatory gingival hyperplasias (IGHs), compared with specimens of healthy gingiva (HG). The study was descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional, observational, qualitative and quantitative. The sample consisted of 20 cases of DIGO, 20 cases of IGH and 20 cases of HG, which underwent histomorphologic and immunohistochemical analysis. In histomorphologic analysis, the following aspects were evaluated: presence of elongated epithelial rete pegs, degree of collagenization, degree of vascularization, intensity and distribution of the inflammatory infiltrate. In immunohistochemical study, the labeling indexes (LIs) for anti-Ki-67 and anti-Bcl-2 antibodies were determined, both in epithelial and connective tissue of specimens. The histomorphologics results revealed presence of elongated epithelial rete pegs toward the connective tissue only in DIGOs, as well as statistically significant association of this group with intense degree of collagenization (p = 0.010). For all groups it was found a higher proportion of cases with intense vascularization, and moderate to intense inflammatory infiltrate with focal distribution (p > 0.05). With respect to immunohistochemical analysis, there were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding the Ki-67 LIs in the epithelial lining (p > 0.05). In the connective tissue, DIGOs, IGHs and HGs showed low Ki-67 LIs (p > 0.05). Regarding the Bcl-2 LIs in the epithelium, the highest mean was found in the group of DIGO (p = 0.061). In turn, in connective tissue, DIGOs showed higher number of immunopositive for Bcl-2 (45.0%) in comparison with IGHs and HGs, but no differences regarding LIs (p > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in Ki-67 and Bcl-2 LIs in relation to the histomorphologic characteristics of DIGOs, IGHs and HGs (p > 0.05). Furthermore, in all groups, there were no statistically significant correlations between Ki-67 and Bcl-2 LIs. Therefore, the findings of this study suggest that neither increased fibroblast proliferation nor reduced fibroblast apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of DIGOs. On the other hand, the morphology of elongated epithelial rete pegs observed in these lesions may be due to inhibition of apoptosis of keratinocytes rather than an increase in the proliferation of these cell types