The treatment of muscle injuries is a common practice at rehabilitation centers. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has demonstrated positive effects regarding the modulation of the inflammatory response, the enhancement of the tissue repair process and the prevention of fibrosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of LLLT on morphological aspects of muscle tissue, collagen remodeling and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) in rat skeletal muscle following acute injury. Wistar rats were divided into five groups: (1) control group (n = 10), (2) sham group (n = 10), (3) LLLT group (n = 30), (4) non-treated injury group (n = 30) and (5) injury + LLLT group (n = 30). Cryoinjury was performed on the belly of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. LLLT was performed daily with an AlGaAs laser (780 nm; beam spot of 0.04 cm(2), output power of 40 mW, power density of 1 W/cm(2), energy density of 10 J/cm(2) and 10-s exposure time). Animals were euthanized at 1, 3 and 7 days. The TA muscles were removed and weighed. Morphological aspects were evaluated using H & E staining. The amount and distribution of collagen fibers were evaluated by picrosirius staining. Characterization and activity of MMP-2 were evaluated by zymography and Western blot techniques, respectively. The results revealed that LLLT induced a reduction in inflammatory infiltrate and myonecrosis after 1 day, an increase in the number of blood vessels after 3 and 7 days as well as an increase in the number of immature muscle fibers and MMP-2 gelatinase activity after 7 days. In conclusion, LLLT has a positive effect on the inflammatory process, MMP2 activity and collagen organization and distribution in the repair process of rat skeletal muscle.

The use of LLLT under the conditions administered in the present study demonstrated analgesic and healing effects with regard to RAS.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the expression of TNF-α and TGF-β in the tibialis anterior muscle of rats following cryoinjury. Muscle regeneration involves cell proliferation, migration and differentiation and is regulated by growth factors and cytokines. A growing body of evidence suggests that LLLT promotes skeletal muscle regeneration by reducing the duration of acute inflammation and accelerating tissue repair. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 35) were randomly divided into three groups: control group (no lesion, untreated, n = 5), cryoinjury without LLLT group (n = 15), and cryoinjury with LLLT group (n = 15). The injured region was irradiated three times a week using an AlGaInP laser (660 nm; beam spot 0.04 cm(2), output power 20 mW, power density 500 mW/cm(2), energy density 5 J/cm(2), exposure time 10 s). Muscle remodeling was evaluated at 1, 7 and 14 days (long-term) following injury. The muscles were removed and total RNA was isolated using TRIzol reagent and cDNA synthesis. Real-time polymerase chain reactions were performed using TNF-α and TGF-β primers; GAPDH was used to normalize the data. LLLT caused a decrease in TNF-α mRNA expression at 1 and 7 days following injury and in TGF-β mRNA expression at 7 days following cryoinjury in comparison to the control group. LLLT modulated cytokine expression during short-term muscle remodeling, inducing a decrease in TNF-α and TGF-β.

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether there is a correlation between halitosis and mouth breathing in children.STUDY DESIGN:Fifty-five children between 3 and 14 years of age were divided into two groups (nasal and mouth breathing) for the assessment of halitosis. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the degree of halitosis in each group. The chi-square test was used for comparison between groups, with a 5% level of significance.RESULTS:There was a significantly greater number of boys with the mouth-breathing pattern than girls. A total of 23.6% of the participants had no mouth odor, 12.7% had mild odor, 12.7% had moderate odor and 50.9% had strong odor. There was a statistically significant association between halitosis and mouth breathing.CONCLUSIONS:The occurrence of halitosis was high among the children evaluated, and there was a statistically significant association between halitosis and mouth breathing.