Photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (PACT) promotes bacterial death as a result of the photosensitization of microbial components. This study evaluated the effect of PACT on dentine caries produced in situ. Over the course of 14 d, 20 volunteers wore intra-oral devices containing human dentine slabs that were treated 10 times daily with a 40% sucrose solution. Afterwards, the antimicrobial effect of toluidine blue O, associated with 47 or 94 J cm(-2) of a light-emitting diode, was evaluated. Before and after the treatments, dentine samples were analysed with regard to the total number of microorganisms, total streptococci, mutans streptococci, and lactobacilli. Significant reductions in the bacterial count were observed for PACT with both energy densities tested, with the following values observed for 47 and 94 J cm(-2) of irradiation: for total streptococci, 3.45 and 5.18; for mutans streptococci, 3.08 and 4.16; for lactobacilli, 3.24 and 4.66; and for total microorganisms, 4.29 and 5.43, respectively. The control, treated with 94 J cm(-2) of irradiation alone, was also effective against all bacteria. To conclude, PACT was effective in killing oral microorganisms present in dentine caries produced in situ and may be a useful technique for eliminating bacteria from dentine carious lesions before restoration.

BackgroundB cells play a role in pregnancy due to their humoral and regulatory activities. To our knowledge, different maturational stages (from transitional to memory) of circulating B cell subsets have not yet been characterized (cell quantification and phenotype identification) in healthy pregnant women. Thus, the objective of our study was to characterize these subsets (as well as regulatory B cells) from late pregnancy to post-partum and to compare them with the circulating B cells of non-pregnant women.MethodsIn all of the enrolled women, flow cytometry was used to characterize the circulating B cell subsets according to the expression of IgD and CD38 (Bm1-Bm5 classification system). Regulatory B cells were characterized based on the expression of surface antigens (CD24, CD27, and CD38) and the production of IL-10 after lipopolysaccharide stimulation.ResultsCompared to the absolute counts of B cells in the non-pregnant women (n = 35), those in the pregnant women (n = 43) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and on delivery day (immediately after delivery). The percentages of these cells on delivery day and at post-partum were significantly lower than those in the non-pregnant women.In general, the absolute counts and percentages of the majority of the B cell subsets were significantly lower in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and on delivery day than in the non-pregnant women. However, these counts and percentages did not differ significantly between the post-partum and the non-pregnant women.The most notable exceptions to the above were the percentages of naïve B cells (which were significantly higher in the 3rd trimester and on delivery day than in the non-pregnant women) and of CD24hiCD38hi regulatory B cells (which were significantly higher in the post-partum than in the non-pregnant women).ConclusionAccording to our study, the peripheral B cell compartment undergoes quantitative changes during normal late pregnancy and post-partum. Such findings may allow us to better understand immunomodulation during human pregnancy and provide evidence that could aid in the development of new strategies to diagnose and treat pregnancy-associated disturbances. Our findings could also be useful for studies of the mechanisms of maternal responses to vaccination and infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0927-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Gold metallogelators is an emerging area of research. The number of results published in the literature is still scarce. The majority of these gels is observed in organic solvents, and the potential applications are still to be explored. In this work, we present an overview about gold metallogelators divided in two different groups depending on the type of solvent used in the gelation process (organogelators and hydrogelators). A careful analysis of the data shows that aurophilic interactions are a common motif directly involved in gelation involving Au(I) complexes. There are also some Au(III) derivatives able to produce gels but in this case the organic ligands determine the aggregation process. A last section is included about the potential applications that have been reported until now with this new and amazing class of supramolecular assemblies.

Atopic asthmatic non-pregnant women have a distinctive B cell compartment. B cells change in pregnancy, similarly in AP and HP women. The recognition that AP women with allergy in their progeny have a typical immune profile may help, in the future, the adoption of preventive measures to avoid the manifestation of allergic diseases in their newborns.

A new antimicrobial peptide, herein named Stigmurin, was selected based on a transcriptomic analysis of the Brazilian yellow scorpion Tityus stigmurus venom gland, an underexplored source for toxic peptides with possible biotechnological applications. Stigmurin was investigated in silico, by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and in vitro. The CD spectra suggested that this peptide interacts with membranes, changing its conformation in the presence of an amphipathic environment, with predominance of random coil and beta-sheet structures. Stigmurin exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity, with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 8.7 to 69.5μM. It was also showed that Stigmurin is toxic against SiHa and Vero E6 cell lines. The results suggest that Stigmurin can be considered a potential anti-infective drug.

Problem B cells are vital for the normal evolution of pregnancy due to their humoral and possible regulatory activities. Our group and others have documented that circulating B‐cell subsets undergo changes from normal late pregnancy to the postpartum period. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Therefore, this study examined the degree of B‐cell activation in normal pregnancy by analyzing the levels of serum markers in healthy pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy, the day of delivery, and the postpartum period. Method of study A prospective study including pregnant and non‐pregnant women attending routine care was undertaken at a hospital clinic. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, along with peripheral blood samples. The serum levels of soluble CD23 (sCD23), B‐cell‐activating factor (BAFF), kappa (κ) and lambda (λ) free light chains (FLC), IgA, IgG, and IgM were quantified. Results Our study included 43 third trimester pregnant and 35 non‐pregnant women. In the pregnant women, the median levels of sCD23, BAFF, IgG, and κ FLC were significantly higher during the postpartum period than during the third trimester of pregnancy. Compared to the non‐pregnant women, the third trimester pregnant women had higher median BAFF levels and lower sCD23, IgA, IgG, and FLC levels. Conclusion Changes in serum markers of B‐cell kinetics that occur during pregnancy often persist into the postpartum period and affect the secretion of immunoglobulins from different classes. Further studies are needed to clarify the biological significance of our observations.

This research explored the potential of Camellia sinensis-derived teas and active compounds to be used as treatments to prevent dentin wear. Human root dentin slabs were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n = 10) as follows: distilled water (DW, control), epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), theaflavin gallate derivatives (TF), commercial green tea (GT), and commercial black tea (BT). The samples were submitted to a pellicle formation and an erosive cycling model (5x/day, demineralization using 0.01 M hydrochloric acid/60 s) followed by remineralization (human stimulated saliva/60 min) for three days. The samples were treated for 5 min using the test group solutions between the erosive cycles. Dentin changes were assessed with profilometry analysis and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The data regarding wear were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05). EGCG, TF derivatives, and both regular teas significantly suppressed erosive dentin loss (38-47%, p < 0.05). No obvious changes in the Raman spectra were detected in the specimens; however, the DW group had a minor relationship of 2880/2940 cm-1. The phenolic contents in both green and black tea and the important catechins appear to have protective effects on dentin loss.