The results of this study highlighted the role of TLR4 in controlling A. actinomycetemcomitans infection.

The results of this study highlight the involvement of TLR2 in recognizing A. actinomycetemcomitans and its essential role in controlling A. actinomycetemcomitans infection.

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AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of laser photobiomodulation in the prevention of oral mucositis (OM), salivary hypofunction and referred pain in patients with head and neck cancer.Methods and resultsThis randomized clinical study divided patients into two groups: the laser group (LG, n = 30) and the control group (CG, n = 24). The LG (InGaAlP, 660 nm, 86.7 mW, 2 J/cm2) participated in the preventive protocol, while the CG underwent a simulated procedure without light emission. The degree of OM, salivary flow, and referred pain were evaluated at five different periods of radiotherapy. Both groups showed a significant increase in the degree of OM (P < .01). Regarding OM, salivary flow, and oral pain, there were no significant differences between the groups.ConclusionsThe laser photobiomodulation protocol used in this study was not effective in preventing radiochemotherapy‐induced OM, salivary hypofunction, and referred pain in patients with head and neck cancer. Notably, although the development of OM did not differ significantly according to the use of laser therapy, the severity of oral mucositis was reduced in patients who underwent laser therapy compared to that in patients who did not.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen, which causes local and/or disseminated diseases in immunosuppressed humans. Phagocytic cells play a critical role in the immune response against C. albicans. Toll like receptors (TLR) are important in the identification of invading microorganisms and in the regulation of neutrophil survival. TLR2 has been shown to participate in the response against pathogenic yeasts and to increase the functional life span of neutrophils. In view of these observations, we studied the involvement of TLR2 in neutrophil function after C. albicans infection. The absence of TLR2 resulted in lower chemotaxis of neutrophils to the site of infection. This in turn was associated with lower levels of chemokines from neutrophils, facilitating the dissemination of the pathogen to the lymph nodes and spleen. A high frequency of apoptotic neutrophils and macrophages in the inflammatory exudates from TLR2(-/-) mice was found. In addition, the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and macrophages, nitric oxide production and myeloperoxidase activity were diminished in cells from TLR2(-/-) mice. Together, these data demonstrate the importance of TLR2 signals for neutrophils activation and survival after C. albicans infection.

Leprosy remains a health problem in several countries. Current management of patients with leprosy is complex and requires multidrug therapy. Nonetheless, antibiotic treatment is insufficient to prevent nerve disabilities and control Mycobacterium leprae. Successful infectious disease treatment demands an understanding of the host immune response against a pathogen. Immune-based therapy is an effective treatment option for malignancies and infectious diseases. A promising therapeutic approach to improve the clinical outcome of malignancies is the blockade of immune checkpoints. Immune checkpoints refer to a wide range of inhibitory or regulatory pathways that are critical for maintaining self-tolerance and modulating the immune response. Programmed cell-death protein-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4, and lymphocyte-activation gene-3 are the most important immune checkpoint molecules. Several pathogens, including M. leprae, are supposed to utilize these mechanisms to evade the host immune response. Regulatory T cells and expression of co-inhibitory molecules on lymphocytes induce specific T-cell anergy/exhaustion, leading to disseminated and progressive disease. From this perspective, we outline how the co-inhibitory molecules PD-1, PD-L1, and Th1/Th17 versus Th2/Treg cells are balanced, how antigen-presenting cell maturation acts at different levels to inhibit T cells and modulate the development of leprosy, and how new interventions interfere with leprosy development.

ResumoIntrodução: o câncer é considerado uma doença genética, na qual os genes que sofreram mutações por motivos físicos ou químicos, modificam a função biológica natural. Os métodos mais eficazes para a destruição de células tumorais ainda são a quimioterapia e a radioterapia, porém, seus efeitos colaterais, na maioria das vezes, interferem na qualidade de vida dos pacientes. Dentre as diversas complicações envolvidas no tratamento antineoplásico, destaca-se a mucosite oral (MO). Objetivo: a presente revisão de literatura objetiva descrever a etiopatogênese da MO e destaca as principais complicações provenientes deste tipo de lesão. Metodologia: artigos científicos que abrangeram pesquisas clínicas, relatos de caso clínico e revisões de literatura foram pesquisados nas bases de dados BIREME e PubMed, entre os anos de 2000 a 2015, através dos descritores específicos. Resultados: por se tratar de um processo inflamatório que acomete a mucosa oral e estar associada a quadros de desconforto e dor, é importante tentar proporcionar ao paciente afetado por esta condição clínica alívio da sintomatologia dolorosa. Há na literatura o registro do emprego de algumas medidas profiláticas e terapêuticas para a mucosite associada à oncoterapia, tais como uso de agentes físicos e químicos. O laser, por exemplo, é uma forma de radiação não ionizante e com alta concentração, não invasiva e bem tolerada pelo organismo. Conclusão: é de grande importância a realização de estudos sobre o tema para que se tenha dados e parâmetros de análise suficientes para melhorar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes em tratamento contra o câncer. Palavras-chave: Mucosite. Laser. Quimioterapia. Radioterapia. Neoplasia. INTRODUÇÃOA mucosite oral (MO) é uma resposta inflamatória aguda da mucosa que se desenvolve pela utilização de drogas antineoplásicas ou radiação ionizante em região de cabeça e pescoço, que são usados no tratamento do câncer. 1, 2,3Grande parcela dos pacientes portadores de câncer é submetida à radioterapia, cirurgia e/ou quimioterapia. A radioterapia é, geralmente, o tratamento de escolha para os casos que envolvem cabeça e pescoço, onde o campo de irradiação afeta a mucosa oral e as glândulas salivares 4,5 . Por isso, entre os pacientes com câncer de cabeça e pescoço submetidos à radioterapia, 90-97% deles apresentam algum grau de MO. 2,5 A MO pode ameaçar a eficácia do plano de tratamento, e desta forma, provocar a interrupção da radioterapia e a diminuição das doses dos agentes antineoplásicos

To evaluate the impact of photobiomodulation for oral mucositis on body weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) of patients with head and neck cancer. MethodsPatients were divided into two distinct groups: Photobiomodulation -PBM (n = 17) and SHAM (n = 19). Participants in the PBM group received the low-power aluminum gallium arsenide (AsGaAl) laser device with maximum output power of 86.7 mW, wavelength of 660 nm (red) and laser applications at 33 different points of the oral mucosa, on alternate days. Patients in the SHAM group were found to be using the same procedure but with the device turned off. During the rst and twenty-fourth session of radiotherapy, participants from both groups underwent an intraoral examination to assess the presence or absence of mucositis and its respective degree according to WHO scale, and were assessed by measuring weight and height and for BMI calculation. ResultsAll patients presented signi cant differences on weight and BMI throughout the study. Patients in the PBM group had less weight loss (p<0.01) and reduced BMI loss (p<0.01) when compared to patients in the SHAM group. PBM did not prevent oral mucositis, however, it decreased its severity (p<0.01). ConclusionPhotobiomodulation for oral mucositis reduces weight loss and prevented the reduction of BMI in patients who underwent radiochemotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer. Although it did not avoid the appearance of oral mucositis, PBM was able to reduce its degrees, preventing the progress of this condition. Retrospectively registered: https://data.