A number of structurally diverse antigens preferentially stimulate the synthesis of IgE antibodies, but no unifying principle has been proposed that explains the nature of isotype selection. In the present study, we show that common allergens present in bee venom, house dust mite emanations and parasite proteins induce mast cell and basophil degranulation and stimulate interleukin-4 synthesis, and secretion in the absence of antigen-specific IgE. These data point to a linkage between the initial activation of cells of the innate immune system and subsequent adaptive immune responses. They suggest that IgE-independent mast cell and basophil degranulation is predictive of potential allergenicity and can be evaluated by means of a cellular assay. Our study indicates that non-immunological degranulation by prototypic allergens, such as bee venom phospholipase A2 or proteases associated with house dust mite emanations, is critically dependent on enzymatic activity. These findings have potentially important implications for vaccine design in allergic and parasitic disease.

Loss of teeth is frequently associated with periodontal disease in older adults. The aim of this review was to present the effects of aging on the periodontal tissues. Aging alone does not lead to critical loss of periodontal attachment in healthy elderly persons. The effects of aging on periodontal tissues are based on molecular changes in the periodontal cells, which intensify bone loss in elderly patients with periodontitis. These effects may be associated with (1) alterations in differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts; (2) an increase in periodontal cell response to the oral microbiota and mechanical stress leading to the secretion of cytokines involved in osseous resorption; and (3) systemic endocrine alterations in the elderly people.

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The positive behavioral effects observed in our study indicate that BMMCs could represent a promising therapeutic option in the management of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy.

In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMCs) in a model of epilepsy induced by pilocarpine in rats. BMCs obtained from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice or rats were transplanted intravenously after induction of status epilepticus (SE). Spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) were monitored using Racine's seizure severity scale. All of the rats in the saline-treated epileptic control group developed SRS, whereas none of the BMC-treated epileptic animals had seizures in the short term (15 days after transplantation), regardless of the BMC source. Over the long-term chronic phase (120 days after transplantation), only 25% of BMC-treated epileptic animals had seizures, but with a lower frequency and duration compared to the epileptic control group. The density of hippocampal neurons in the brains of animals treated with BMCs was markedly preserved. At hippocampal Schaeffer collateral-CA1 synapses, long-term potentiation was preserved in BMC-transplanted rats compared to epileptic controls. The donor-derived GFP(+) cells were rarely found in the brains of transplanted epileptic rats. In conclusion, treatment with BMCs can prevent the development of chronic seizures, reduce neuronal loss, and influence the reorganization of the hippocampal neuronal network.

The antioxidant effects of the hydro-alcoholic guaraná extract (Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis Mart.) on nitric oxide (NO) and other compounds generated from the degradation of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in an embryonic fibroblast culture (NIH-3T3 cells) were evaluated. The guaraná bioactive compounds were initially determined by high-performance liquid chromatography: caffeine=12.240 mg/g, theobromine=6.733 mg/g and total catechins=4.336 mg/g. Cells were exposed to 10 μM SNP during a 6 h period because the cells exhibited >90% mortality at this concentration. Guaraná was added to the cultures in five concentrations (0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 20 mg/mL). The guaraná antioxidant effect was evaluated by viability assays, biochemical oxidation [lipid peroxidation, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity] and genotoxicity (DNA Comet assay) analysis. Additionally, oxidative stress was evaluated by a 2,7-dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate fluorescence assay. Guaraná reverted the SNP toxicity mainly at lower concentrations (<5 mg), which decreased cell mortality, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and cell oxidative stress as well as increased the SOD levels. These results demonstrate that guaraná has an antioxidant effect on NO metabolism in situations with higher cellular NO levels.

LLLT improves the quality of histologic repair and is useful during wound healing. However, with the methods used in this study the laser energy did not minimize tissue inflammatory reactions.

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