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The thermodynamic characteristics, antioxidant potential, and photoprotective benefits of full-spectrum cannabidiol (FS-CBD) against UVB-induced cellular death were examined in this study. In silico analysis of CBD showed antioxidant capacity via proton donation and UV absorption at 209.09, 254.73, and 276.95 nm, according to the HAT and SPLET methodologies. FS-CBD protected against UVB-induced bacterial death for 30 min. FS-CBD protected against UVB-induced cell death by 42% (1.5 µg/mL) and 35% (3.5 µg/mL) in an in vitro keratinocyte cell model. An in vivo acute irradiated CD-1et/et mouse model (UVB-irradiated for 5 min) presented very low photoprotection when FS-CBD was applied cutaneously, as determined by histological analyses. In vivo skin samples showed that FS-CBD regulated inflammatory responses by inhibiting the inflammatory markers TGF-ß1 and NLRP3. The docking analysis showed that the CBD molecule had a high affinity for TGF-ß1 and NLRP3, indicating that protection against inflammation might be mediated by blocking these proinflammatory molecules. This result was corroborated by the docking interactions between CBD and TGF-ß1 and NLRP3, which resulted in a high affinity and inhibition of both proteins The present work suggested a FS-CBD moderate photoprotective agent against UVB light-induced skin damage and that this effect is partially mediated by its anti-inflammatory activity.

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Mashua is an edible-tuber crop that grows in the Andean region. Folk medicine describes the use of mashua to reduce reproductive function in men. The present study aimed: (i) to determine whether different doses of mashua (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 2 g kg(-1)) produced a dose-response reduction on sperm production and quality; and, (ii) to determine whether these anti-reproductive effects of mashua can be reversible after cessation of treatment (12 and 24 days of recovery time). Mashua-treated rats showed lower values of daily sperm production, epididymal and vas deferens sperm count and sperm motility; meanwhile, mashua increased the percentage of abnormal sperm morphology and epididymal sperm transit rate. The following variables follow a dose-response effect: sperm number in vas deferens, sperm motility and sperm transit rate. In addition, it was demonstrated that the reduction in reproduction function in male rats treated with mashua was reversible after 24 days of recovery time. Finally, lower doses mashua reduces sperm number and quality (motility and morphology), and these adverse effects on male reproductive system may be reversible after 24 days after cessation of the treatment.

Assuntos

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Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavon, along with other several species, is an edible-tuber crop that grows in the Andean region. Folk medicine describes the use of mashua to reduce reproductive function in men. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mashua (1 g kg(-1)) on sperm production in rats during 7, 12, 21 and 42 days of treatment. The following parameters were assessed: reproductive organ weights, spermatid count and daily sperm production (DSP), sperm count in epididymis and sperm transit and serum testosterone levels. Freeze-dried extract of mashua had 3.7 g 100 g(-1) of benzyl glucosinolate. Mashua-treated rats showed a reduction in testicular spermatid number and DSP from day 12 to day 42; meanwhile, the effect of mashua was noted in epididymal sperm count after 12 and 42 days of treatment. In addition, epididymal sperm transit time was delayed at day 7 and it was accelerated on days 12 and 21 of treatment. No differences in serum testosterone levels were found between rats treated with vehicle and mashua after 42 days of treatment. Finally, mashua reduces testicular function after one spermatogenic cycle by reducing spermatid and sperm number, DSP and epididymal sperm transit time.

Assuntos

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The aim of the present study was to compare the personality pattern, the anxiety level and the temporomandibular disorders (TMD) between bruxist and non-bruxist children with mixed dentition. Fifty-two subjects, with a mean age of 9.45 years (range 8-11) were evaluated and classified as bruxist (n = 26), according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the presence of dental wear clinically visible, under the same conditions of artificial light and position. The control children (n = 26) did not present dental wear and did not accomplished all the AASM criteria. The personality pattern and the anxiety of the bruxist children were studied by means of the Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ) and the Conners' Parents Rating Scales (CPRS), respectively, and compared with the personality traits and the anxiety level of a non-bruxist population. The TMD were also evaluated using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) criteria. The data were analysed with the student's t-test, Fisher's exact test and chi-squared tests. A multivariated analysis was performed using a logistic regression with the stepwise likelihood ratio method. Compared with the controls, the bruxist children had significantly higher tension personality and were more anxiety prone. The bruxist children presented more TMD-related signs and symptoms than children in the control group. A strong correlation was found among bruxism, TMD, the high anxiety level and the high tension personality trait.

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BACKGROUND: During long-term culture of primitive hematopoietic cells large numbers of mature cells are generated that, on the one hand, consume nutrients and cytokines present in the medium and, on the other hand, may produce or elicit the production of soluble factors that limit the growth of primitive cells. Thus it is possible that under standard culture conditions hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are unable to display their true proliferation and expansion potentials. METHODS: Hematopoietic cell populations, enriched for CD34+ cells, were obtained from both umbilical cord blood (UCB) and mobilized peripheral blood (MPB), and cultured in cytokine-supplemented liquid culture, under continuous removal of mature cells by means of weekly re-selection of primitive, lineage-negative (Lin-) cells. Proliferation and expansion capacities of such cells were determined weekly for a 42-day culture period. RESULTS: As expected, based on our previous studies in standard liquid cultures, throughout the culture period there was a continuous decrease in the proportion of progenitor cells; however, after every re-selection on days 7, 14 and 21, there was a significant enrichment for both CD34+ cells and colony-forming cells (CFC). As a result of such an enrichment, the cumulative increase in the numbers of total cells and CFC in cultures with two, three or four selections was significantly higher than the increments observed in standard cultures, in which only a single selection was performed on day 0. Cultures of UCB cells showed consistently higher levels of both total cells and CFC than cultures of MPB cells. DISCUSSION: Taken together, these results indicate that continuous removal of mature cells from liquid cultures of primitive progenitors results in higher increments in the levels of both total cells and CFC.

Assuntos

Assuntos

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Four main causes of bruxism have been studied - high anxiety level, malocclusion, temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral habits. Effective dental treatment for this problem is unknown in children with primary teeth, although, high prevalence has been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of psychological techniques in children with bruxism. A total of 33 children, 3-6 years of age with normal occlusal features, without oral habits, rate in the Conners' parent rating scales (CPRS) and more than 0.75% in Conners' teacher rating scales (CTRS), and one or more temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders registered in the Bernal and Tsamtsouris examination, were selected from 188 children. Two psychological techniques, 'directed muscular relaxation' and 'competence reaction', were applied for 6 months. The results were analysed with a Wilcoxon rank sum test. All patients reduced their anxiety level and TMJ disorders, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The psychological techniques were effective in the reduction of signs of bruxism in children with primary teeth.

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OBJECTIVE: To characterize the epidemiological, clinical, and histopathological features of patients with cancer who develop widespread polymorphic and pruritic skin lesions following radiotherapy. PATIENTS, DESIGN, AND INTERVENTIONS: During phase 1, epidemiological and clinical features of 103 patients with cancer, 83 treated with radiotherapy (71 women and 12 men) and 20 controls who did not undergo radiotherapy (16 women and 4 men), were explored during 3 months (October 1995 to January 1996). During phase 2, in 30 additional patients with cancer who were treated with telecobalt or linear accelerator, 18 with skin lesions (15 women and 3 men) and 12 without lesions (10 women and 2 men), the following were investigated: (1) hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections for routine histopathological examination and direct immunofluorescence, and lymphocytic markers; (2) blood, skin, and primary tumor eosinophilia; and (3) the presence of antiepidermal autoantibodies. Patients were examined during 5 months (February 1996 to June 1996). SETTING: A dermatology department at a university hospital. RESULTS: During phase 1, 14 (17%) of the 83 patients undergoing radiotherapy developed an eruption. Acral excoriations, erythematous papules, vesicles, and bullae were the most frequent lesions. During phase 2, in 18 patients, a superficial and deep lymphocytic perivascular infiltrate with numerous eosinophils, intraepidermal and interstitial eosinophilic infiltrates, eosinophilic panniculitis, IgM and C3 perivascular deposits, and slightly predominant CD4+ cells were observed. No antiepidermal autoantibodies were found. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical, histopathological, and immunopathologic features in patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy are described. To our knowledge, this condition has not been well characterized. Because of its unique presentation, the denomination "eosinophilic, polymorphic, and pruritic eruption associated with radiotherapy" is suggested.

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In the present study, we have established Dexter-type long-term cultures (D-LTC) from human umbilical cord blood (UCB) and followed the kinetics of different hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs)--including multipotent (colony forming unit [CFU]-Mixture), erythroid (CFU-erythroid, BFU-E), and myeloid (CFU-granulocyte, CFU-macrophage, CFU-granulocyte/marcophage) progenitors as well as of morphologically recognizable erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid cells--during a nine-week culture period. D-LTC were also established from adult bone marrow (BM) as controls. On day 0, both UCB and BM showed similar total numbers of HPCs (about 310/10(5) cells), however, UCB showed a higher proportion of primitive HPCs (i.e., CFU-Mixture, CFU-granulocyte/macrophage and BFU-E). A poor adherent cell layer, consisting almost exclusively of macrophages, was developed in UCB D-LTC and this correlated with a continuous decline in HPC numbers throughout the culture period. In contrast, adherent cell numbers in BM D-LTC, including fibroblasts and macrophages, were two- to fourfold higher than in UCB cultures, and the numbers of HPCs were also significantly higher, reaching plateau levels between weeks 6 and 9. In both types of cultures, erythroid and multipotent progenitors declined relatively fast, reaching undetectable levels after five weeks of culture. Myeloid progenitors, on the other hand, were sustained longer (always at higher levels in BM cultures) and were still detected by week 9. Among myeloid progenitors, a shift towards the predominance of macrophage HPCs was observed, both in UCB and BM D-LTC, and this correlated with an increase in the proportion of mature monocytes and macrophages. Taken together, our results indicate that myeloid progenitor cell growth is deficient in UCB D-LTC and suggest that this is due to the impaired development of an adherent cell layer, unable to provide the factors and conditions required for their growth. Interestingly, throughout the culture period the total numbers of multipotent and erythroid progenitors were similar both in UCB and BM cultures regardless of the number and types of adherent cells present; this suggests that the stroma developed in D-LTC is not sufficient for the proliferation of these progenitor cells.

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The subtype(t) of alpha-adrenoceptor-mediating contractions to alpha-methynoradrenaline in the rat aorta has been investigated by using alpha-adrenoceptor-selective competitive antagonists and the alpha 1-adrenoceptor selective agonist, phenylephrine, for comparison. alpha-Methylnoradrenaline and phenylephrine elicited concentration-dependent contractions in the endothelium-denuded and endothelium-intact aortic rings with similar potencies and maximal effects. alpha-Methylnoradrenaline- and phenylephrine-induced contractions in endothelium-denuded aortic rings were competitively antagonized by prazosin (pA2 = 9.38 and 9.13; respectively) and rauwolscine (pA2 = 7.19 and 6.60, respectively). This confirms that there is an alpha 1- and a non alpha 2-adrenoceptor response to alpha-methylnoradrenaline in the rat aorta. The subtype selective alpha 1D-adrenoceptor antagonist, BMY 7378, was found to antagonize contractions to alpha-methylnoradrenaline and phenylephrine competitively in endothelium-denuded and endothelium-intact aortic rings. The pA2 values of BMY 7378 against alpha-methylnoradrenaline (8.39 and 8.41; endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded, respectively) and phenylephrine (8.64 and 8.76; endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded, respectively), are consistent with its published functional potency and clonal alpha 1D-adrenoceptor binding affinity. In addition, contractions to alpha-methylnoradrenaline and phenylephrine in endothelium-denuded aortic rings, were potently inhibited by WB 4101 with pA2 values of 9.75 and 9.25, respectively. The high pA2 values for WB 4101 indicate that the alpha 1B-adrenoceptor subtype does not seem to participate in alpha-methylnoradrenaline (and phenylephrine) induced contractions in this artery. These results suggest that the alpha 1D-subtype plays a determining role in rat aorta contractions induced by alpha-methylnoradrenaline.

Assuntos