Propolis is one of the most fascinating honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) products. It is a plant derived product that bees\ud produce from resins that they collect from different plant organs and with which they mix beeswax. Propolis is a building\ud material and a protective agent in the bee hive. It also plays an important role in honey bee social immunity, and is\ud widely used by humans as an ingredient of nutraceuticals, over-the-counter preparations and cosmetics. Its chemical\ud composition varies by geographic location, climatic zone and local flora. The understanding of the chemical diversity of\ud propolis is very important in propolis research. In this manuscript, we give an overview of the available methods for\ud studying propolis in different aspects: propolis in the bee colony; chemical composition and plant sources of propolis;\ud biological activity of propolis with respect to bees and humans; and approaches for standardization and quality control\ud for the purposes of industrial application

Propolis is a bee product, composed mainly of plant resins and beeswax, therefore its chemical composition varies due to the geographic and plant origins of these resins, as well as the species of bee. Brazil is an important supplier of propolis on the world market and, although green colored propolis from the southeast is the most known and studied, several other types of propolis from Apis mellifera and native stingless bees (also called cerumen) can be found. Propolis is usually consumed as an extract, so the type of solvent and extractive procedures employed further affect its composition. Methods used for the extraction; analysis the percentage of resins, wax and insoluble material in crude propolis; determination of phenolic, flavonoid, amino acid and heavy metal contents are reviewed herein. Different chromatographic methods applied to the separation, identification and quantification of Brazilian propolis components and their relative strengths are discussed; as well as direct insertion mass spectrometry fingerprinting.Propolis has been used as a popular remedy for several centuries for a wide array of ailments. Its antimicrobial properties, present in propolis from different origins, have been extensively studied. But, more recently, anti-parasitic, anti-viral/immune stimulating, healing, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and analgesic activities of diverse types of Brazilian propolis have been evaluated. The most common methods employed and overviews of their relative results are presented.

Aims: Propolis is known for its activity against micro‐organisms and different in vitro assays have been used to evaluate this activity, frequently with contradictory results. Methods and Results: Brazilian propolis from the state of São Paulo was extracted by maceration using different concentrations of ethanol and water. The resultant extracts were analysed by chromatographic methods. Several microbiological methods were compared to determine which one best evaluated the activity of the propolis extracts against species of Candida, with average minimal inhibitory concentration values between 6 and 12 mg ml−1. Conclusions: Agar dilution in plates showed the clearest results. These were in agreement with the chromatographic analyses, which also identified the active substances. Significance and Impact of the Study: Although the active substances identified in this sample are typical of Brazilian propolis, their activity against Candida had not been recognized previously, demonstrating the importance of standardizing the correct combination of microbiological and chromatographic analyses.

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BackgroundOral disorders may negatively affect the quality of life (QoL) of adolescents.To investigate how social vulnerability and oral-health status factors affect QoL in 15–19 years olds who participated in the “SB São Paulo 2015” state survey.MethodsThe relationship of several independent variables, namely Paulista Social Vulnerability Index (PSVI) score, gender, skin color, family income, age, untreated caries, tooth loss [determined by the Decayed, Missing, Filled-Teeth (DMF-T) index], toothache, periodontal condition [determined by the Community Periodontal Index (CPI)], and malocclusion (maxillary overjet, cross bite, or open bite) affect daily life, measured by the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) instrument. Logistic regression analyses were carried out based on a hierarchical model.ResultsThe final sample consisted of 5402 adolescents. The prevalence of at least one negative impact of oral health on QoL was 37.3%. After adjustment, demographic factors that were found to influence this impact significantly (p < 0.01) were female gender [odds ratio (OR) 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.59–2.0], non-white skin color (OR 1.66, 95% CI = 1.47–1.88), and a low family income (OR 1.28, 95% CI = 1.28–1.29). Additionally, oral conditions associated with oral health impact on QoL included the presence of at least one untreated tooth decay lesion (OR 1.42, 95% CI = 1.25–1.61), loss of at least one tooth (OR 1.49; 95% CI = 1.25–1.78), toothache (OR 4.87, 95% CI = 4.25–5.59), bleeding on probing (OR 1.45, 95% CI = 1.25–1.68), and severe maxillary overjet (OR 1.68, 95% CI = 1.15–2.45).ConclusionSocial vulnerability (PSVI score) was not associated with the OIDP score, but oral health conditions and socio-demographic variables, including gender, skin color, and income, were found to affect adolescents’ daily activities. Strategies that consider the perceptions of this segment of the population should be implemented to strengthen their autonomy and totality of care.

Background:Sepsis remains the primary cause of death from infection, despite advances in modern medicine. The identification of reliable diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of this disease is critical and may reduce the mortality rate as it could allow early treatment. The purpose of this study was to describe the changes in the plasma and red cells blood lipidome profiling of patients diagnosed with sepsis and septic shock with the aim to identify potentially useful metabolic markers.Methods:Lipids from plasma and erythrocytes from septic patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) were evaluated by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and the fatty acid composition of the phospholipids fraction of erythrocytes was determined by gas chromatography. The data were treated with multivariate data analysis, including principal component analysis and (orthogonal) partial least squares discriminant analysis.Results:Potential biomarkers including lysophosphatidylcholines (lyso-PCs) and sphingomyelin (SMs) with specific fatty acid chains were identified. Both Lyso-PCs and SMs were downregulated, whereas the saturated and unsaturated phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were upregulated in the plasma and erythrocytes of septic patients. An increase in oleic acid (C18:1 n-9) accompanied by a decrease in the unsaturation index as well as in the levels on n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was observed in erythrocytes phospholipids patients as compared with healthy controls.Conclusions:These results suggest that lipidome profiling has great potential in discovering potential clinical biomarkers for sepsis and helping to understand its underlying mechanisms.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the antimicrobial and healing potential of propolis on direct dental pulp exposures. This study used 25 adult male rats. Pulp expo­sures were performed and animals were allocated to propolis and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2 groups. Animals were killed on days 5, 7, 10, and 14. The teeth were routinely processed for histological evaluation. Non-parametric tests were employed to analyze the data. No significant differences were found between study groups on the wound healing of the dental pulp. Both substances were com parable in exhibiting normal reorganization of the pulp and no increased vascularity, and were equally efficacious in maintaining a low inflammatory and microbial cell population as well as in stimulating the formation of reparative dentin.

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