We determined the effects of helium-neon (He-Ne) laser irradiation on wound healing dynamics in mice treated with steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Male albino mice, 28-32 g, were randomized into 6 groups of 6 animals each: control (C), He-Ne laser (L), dexamethasone (D), D + L, celecoxib (X), and X + L. D and X were injected im at doses of 5 and 22 mg/kg, respectively, 24 h before the experiment. A 1-cm long surgical wound was made with a scalpel on the abdomens of the mice. Animals from groups L, D + L and X + L were exposed to 4 J (cm 2 ) -1 day -1 of He-Ne laser for 12 s and were sacrificed on days 1, 2, or 3 after the procedure, when skin samples were taken for histological examination. A significant increase of collagen synthesis was observed in group L compared with C (168 ± 20 vs 63 ± 8 mm 2 ). The basal cellularity values on day 1 were: C = 763 ± 47, L = 1116 ± 85, D = 376 ± 24, D + L = 698 ± 31, X = 453 ± 29, X + L = 639 ± 32 U/mm 2 . These data show that application of L increases while D and X decrease the inflammatory cellularity compared with C. They also show that L restores the diminished cellularity induced by the anti-inflammatory drugs. We suggest that He-Ne laser promotes collagen formation and restores the baseline cellularity after pharmacological inhibition, indicating new perspectives for laser therapy aiming to increase the healing process when anti-inflammatory drugs are used.

Dentists should refer patients with similar clinical presentation for renal ultrasound evaluation in order to rule out the possible diagnosis of ERS.

The recommendations proposed by the Sjögren's Syndrome Committee of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology for the treatment of Sjögren's syndrome were based on a systematic review of literature in Medline (PubMed) and the Cochrane databases until October 2014 and on expert opinion in the absence of studies on the subject. 131 items classified according to Oxford & Grade were included. These recommendations were developed in order to guide the appropriate management and facilitate the access to treatment for those patients with an appropriate indication, considering the Brazilian socioeconomic context and pharmacological agents available in this country.

Skin naturally changes with age, becoming more fragile. Various stimuli can alter skin integrity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sleep deprivation affects the integrity of DNA in skin and exacerbates the effects of aging. Fifteen-month old female Hairless mice underwent 72 h of paradoxical sleep deprivation or 15 days of chronic sleep restriction. Punch biopsies of the skin were taken to evaluate DNA damage by single cell gel (comet) assay. Neither paradoxical sleep deprivation nor sleep restriction increased genetic damage, measured by tail movement and tail intensity values. Taken together, the findings are consistent with the notion that aging overrides the effect of sleep loss on the genetic damage in elderly mice.

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