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Cinnamaldehyde is a natural product with anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties, known to regulate host responses to bacterial stimuli. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cinnamaldehyde on ligature-induced periodontitis in rats, and its impact on the modulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Male Wistar rats were assigned into three groups:i) control: no ligature + vehicle; ii) ligature: ligature + vehicle; and iii) ligature + cinnamaldehyde (50 mg/kg); all treatments by daily oral gavage. After 14 days of induced periodontitis, the hemimandibles were collected for bone loss evaluation. The gingival levels of IL-1β, MMP-9 and iNOS mRNA were evaluated. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured in both rat saliva and plasma. PBMC were stimulated with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in the presence or absence of cinnamaldehyde (5, 20 e 40 µM), and cytokine production was quantified in cell supernatant. Proliferating lymphocytes were taken for flow cytometer reading, while culture supernatants were used for IFN-γ and IL-10 assessment. The ligature group had both increased alveolar bone loss and gingival expression of IL-1β, MMP-9 and iNOS compared to the control group. All parameters were attenuated by cinnamaldehyde treatment. Lower salivary but not plasma NO was detected in the cinnamaldehyde compared to the ligature group. Aa-stimulated PBMCs treated with cinnamaldehyde produced less IL-1β; the compound also attenuated lymphocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, as well as cell IL-10 production. Cinnamaldehyde treatment reduced periodontal bone loss, and downregulated key inflammatory mediators and human PBMC responses, pointing to novel potential therapeutic effects of this compound., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effects of pool-based exercises on pain symptomatology among adults with fibromyalgia syndrome., Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out using PRISMA guidelines. Database search was conducted by two independent reviewers. For meta-analysis, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain was used as the primary outcome and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) score was utilized as the secondary outcome., Results: A total of 42 out of 292 potentially eligible studies were selected for being read in full by reviewers, 14 of which were included in meta-analysis, being 10 of them used in sensitivity analysis of either the primary or secondary outcome. Data pooled from 10 randomized controlled trials (n = 508) revealed that patients who underwent pool-based exercises exhibited a significantly lower mean in VAS score as compared to controls (SMD = -0.27, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.09). Regarding FIQ scores, data from 10 randomized controlled trials were pooled (n = 578) and a lower mean score was also shown in the group that underwent a pool-based exercise program (SMD = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.09). Limitations of this study include the small sample size and moderate dropout rates in currently available clinical trials., Conclusion: Pool-based exercise may provide some additional benefit for pain relief in adults with fibromyalgia as compared to either land-based or no physical exercise., Implications of Key Findings: Collectively, these findings suggest that pool-based exercise deserves further attention as a potential adjuvant therapeutic option for adults with fibromyalgia. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019136755.

Objective : To assess salivary biomarkers for dental caries susceptibility and mental stress in young adults with perceived facial pain. Methods : Males and females who reported facial pain and pain-free controls participated in this study. Facial pain was investigated using the RDC/TMD. Unstimulated saliva was then collected for the evaluation of salivary flow rate (SFR), pH, Streptococcus mutans counts, morning cortisol, and S-IgA. Results : Women with facial pain had significantly lower SFR values, and the facial pain group showed different correlations among biomarkers for caries susceptibility and cortisol levels when compared to controls. Notably, higher SFR values were associated with a lower likelihood of having facial pain. Conclusion : Differences in SFR values, particularly in women, and markedly distinct interactions among the salivary biomarkers analyzed were observed between individuals with facial pain and pain-free controls. Hence, a connection between the dynamics of saliva, stress response, and facial pain perception might exist.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infections are the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) globally. The latter has contributed to a variety of adverse outcomes for both sexes. Moreover, in Brazil, epidemiological studies on patients with STIs are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of TV and its association with HPV in women undergoing cervical cancer screening., Methods: Women with a normal cervix were recruited from a community-based cervical cancer screening program. Gynecological examinations were conducted, and questionnaires were provided. Vaginal canal and uterine cervix samples were collected for cytological examinations (reported using the 2001 Bethesda System) and tested for the presence of TV and HPV DNA., Results: In total, 562 women who attended public primary healthcare were included in the study. The T. vaginalis was present in 19.0% (107) and HPV DNA was present in 46.8% (263) of women. Among the women of TV 73.8% (79) had a co-infection with HPV (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: We concluded that a TV infection is associated with an HPV infection of the cervix as well as with the cervical cytological abnormalities. Further studies could reveal the mechanisms by which these two organisms interact at the cellular level, with control for shared behavioral risk factors.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the occurrence of urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with increased odds of depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 208 women with depressive symptoms, confirmed by the Beck Depression Inventory, and 247 patients without depression. All participants were perimenopausal or postmenopausal women aged 35 to 65 years who attended an outpatient clinic from a tertiary-academic hospital in Northeastern Brazil. Urinary incontinence symptoms were assessed using patient's self-report and the validated versions of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form and the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. To investigate the severity of climacteric symptoms, the Blatt-Kupperman Index was used, and menopause-related quality of life was analyzed using the Utian Quality of Life Questionnaire., Results: In univariate analysis, the Beck Depression Inventory-II mean scores for UI and non-UI women were, respectively, 15.5 (95% confidence interval, 14.28-16.72) and 11.83 (10.52-13.13; P < 0.05). Patients with moderate and severe scores of depression reported higher International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form and Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis scores when compared with women with mild depression scores and women without depression (P < 0.001). Conversely, in multivariate analysis, having UI was not associated with having depression (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; 0.52-1.37; P = 0.50), after adjusting for confounders. Older age (>55 years) was associated with decreased odds of depression (OR, 0.43; 0.21-0.88; P = 0.02), whereas moderate (OR, 2.28; 1.40-3.71; P = 0.001) and severe (OR, 7.70; 2.79-21.23) intensities of menopause symptoms were associated with increased odds of depression., Conclusion: Urinary incontinence was not associated with depression within climacteric women after multivariate analysis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Urogynecologic Society. All rights reserved.)

Background: Desipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant with immune-modulatory activity, whose effects on ligature-induced periodontitis are yet to be investigated. Hence, its actions on alveolar bone resorption, gingival collagen content and key inflammatory mediators were herewith analyzed., Methods: A total of 60 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three groups: 1) control: rats without ligature treated with vehicle (saline); 2) ligature: rats with ligature-induced periodontitis treated with vehicle; 3) ligature + desipramine: rats with ligature-induced periodontitis treated with desipramine (20 mg/kg/d in vehicle). Mandibles and gingival tissues were collected 3 or 15 days after ligature insertion (or no ligature insertion for controls) and treatments. Alveolar bone resorption and gingival collagen fibers were histologically analyzed using either HE or picrosirius red staining. Gingival mRNA expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 were obtained through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. MMP-9 activity was analyzed by zymography., Results: Alveolar bone loss was significantly reduced in the ligature + desipramine group (P < 0.05), whereas gingival collagen degradation was like the ligature group (P > 0.05). Desipramine administration downregulated mRNA expressions of IL-1β, iNOS, COX-2, and TIMP-1 when compared to vehicle alone in the ligature group (P < 0.05). MMP-9 expression and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were similar among rats with ligature-induced periodontitis (P > 0.05); however, MMP-9 activity was lower in the group treated with desipramine (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Desipramine administration reduced alveolar bone loss as histologically observed, and modulated key bone remodeling and inflammatory mediators in rats with ligature-induced periodontitis., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Periodontology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Academy of Periodontology.)

Objective: To test the efficacy of Morus nigra L. (MN) leaf powder for treating climacteric symptoms by comparison with hormone therapy (HT) and placebo., Methods: A randomized controlled trial among 62 climacteric women attending Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, Brazil. Women were divided into MN, HT, and placebo groups, and received 250 mg of MN leaf powder, 1 mg of estradiol, or placebo for 60 days. Primary outcomes were the Blatt-Kupperman index (BKI) for climacteric symptoms and SF-36 health questionnaire scores., Results: Baseline sociodemographic variables, BKI scores, symptoms, and SF-36 domains did not differ among the groups. There was a reduction in mean BKI in the MN (17.5 vs 9.7, P<0.001), HT (15.4 vs 8.6, P=0.001), and placebo (16.1 vs 12.4, P=0.040) groups. Analysis of quality of life (QoL) showed that functional capacity (P=0.006), vitality (P=0.031), mental health (P=0.017), and social aspect (P<0.01) improved after treatment in the MN group. The HT group showed improvement in emotional limitation (P=0.040), and the placebo group showed better functional capacity (P=0.030) after treatment., Conclusions: Climacteric symptoms and QoL improved after administration of 250 mg of MN leaf powder for 60 days, similar to the effects of HT. The trial is registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (REBEC) under registration number RBR-9t4xxk., (© 2019 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To evaluate the plasma cytokine levels during T cell-mediated inflammatory responses and compare the metabolic markers between overweight and obese perimenopausal women without systemic diseases., Methods: Sixty perimenopausal women were divided into two groups (overweight and obese). Participants in both groups had their waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) measured and blood samples collected for the evaluation of estradiol, fasting glucose, leptin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-17A levels, and lipid profile., Results: In univariate analysis, women with obesity showed increased WHtR, fasting glucose, leptin, and IL-6 (p < 0.05) levels; however, significant differences were not observed in IL-10 or IL-17A (p > 0.05) levels. In the receiver operating characteristic curve, the highest areas under the curve were shown for leptin (0.856) and IL-6 (0.706). IL-6 levels correlated with both hs-CRP (r = 0.302, p = 0.020) and leptin (r = 0.294, p = 0.022). However, in multivariate analysis, IL-6 was not associated with a greater likelihood of obesity (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 0.82-3.15; p = 0.16), when potential confounders were considered., Conclusion: IL-6 levels varied between overweight and obese perimenopausal women, and this association was weaker when adjusted for other clinical variables., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Reperfusion syndrome after carotid endarterectomy is a complication associated with cerebrovascular self-regulation in a chronically hypoperfused cerebral hemisphere, leading to severe neurological damage. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant in brain metabolism that has shown some neuroprotective actions., Objective: To investigate the potential effects of vitamin C on cerebral reperfusion in comparison with placebo (saline) in rats., Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: (i) Sham ( n = 4), animals exposed to carotid arteries dissection without clamping; (ii) Control ( n = 4), animals exposed to carotid arteries dissection without clamping; (ii) Control ( n = 4), animals exposed to carotid arteries dissection without clamping; (ii) Control (., Results: Rats treated with vitamin C presented with a similar behavior as compared to the Sham group in all the three tests ( p > 0.05), but it was significantly different from controls ( p > 0.05), but it was significantly different from controls ( p > 0.05), but it was significantly different from controls (., Conclusion: In the present study, vitamin C was associated with behavioral and motor preservation as well as decreased cerebral MDA levels after induced cerebral ischemia in rats., Competing Interests: The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Kelston Paulo Felice de Sales et al.)

Aim: To investigate circulating hormonal, metabolic and inflammatory biomarker profiles in obese and non-obese middle-aged women., Methods: A total of 110 women, aged 40-60 years, were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were allocated, according to the occurrence of menopause and body mass index (BMI), into four groups: PM0 (premenopausal non-obese), PM1 (premenopausal obese), M0 (postmenopausal non-obese), and M1 (postmenopausal obese). Serum levels of gonadotropins, sex hormones, lipid markers, leptin, hs-CRP and interleukin-6 were obtained using either colorimetric or immunoenzymatic assays. Univariate and correlation analyses were performed among all clinical and laboratorial parameters. Principal component analysis was used to characterize subsets of biomarkers, which had their discriminatory capacity tested using discriminant function analysis., Results: Levels of gonadotropins and female sex hormones were similar between PM0 and PM1 and between M0 and M1 (p > 0.05), all of them varied between PM0 and M0 (p < 0.05), but only estradiol was significantly altered in the comparison between PM1 and M1 (p = 0.027). Regarding metabolic markers, leptin was lower in PM0 than in M0 (p = 0.010) and higher in M1 than in M0 (p = 0.046). In premenopausal women, BMI correlated only to leptin, while it correlated to several other markers in postmenopausal women. A combination of FSH and leptin serum levels significantly discriminated the four groups (Wilks's lambda < 0.001, in canonical functions 1 and 2)., Conclusion: A combined analysis of hormonal biomarkers may potentially distinguish obese from non-obese women with distinct menopause status. Further research is thus required to clarify the clinical significance of such findings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death worldwide. Recent studies suggest that infection by some viruses, including the human papillomavirus (HPV), may increase the risk of developing atheromatous lesions on coronary arteries. However, there is a lack of data regarding the possible association between HPV infection and coronary artery disease (CAD) in women., Objective: To investigate whether HPV infection is associated with the occurrence of CAD among climacteric women., Methods: The presence of CAD and cervical HPV DNA was investigated in 52 climacteric women. Social and demographic variables and metabolic profiles were also investigated., Results: Among 27 women with CAD, 16 were positive for HPV, whereas 11 were negative. The presence of cervical HPV was strongly associated with CAD, after adjusting for demographic variables, health and sexual behaviors, comorbidities, and known cardiovascular risk factors. HPV-positive women showed a greater likelihood of having CAD (odds ratio [OR] = 3.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16 to 11.96) as compared with HPV-negative women, particularly those infected with high-risk HPV types (OR = 4.90; 95% CI: 1.26 to 19.08)., Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that HPV infection might be associated with CAD among climacteric women, though further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved.

Background: Myiasis is a condition in which flies are attracted to infected and/or necrotic tissues and deposit eggs that hatch into larvae. It may bring serious functional and aesthetic sequelae when involves nasal and parasinusal cavities; however, there is a lack of such reports in the literature., Methods: We present and briefly discuss herein the clinical and surgical management of nasosinusal myiasis in an elderly patient previously affected by mucocutaneous leishmaniosis., Results: Facial computed tomography was used to confirm the nasosinusal involvement. Next, osteotomies were performed, followed by the mechanical removal of larvae, bilateral sinusectomy and pharmacological therapy., Conclusion: A complicated case of nasosinusal myiasis was surgically managed, resulting in a good prognosis for the patient., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate salivary parameters of caries susceptibility in men and women in order to identify potential variations due to sexual dimorphism., Materials and Methods: A total of 46 female and 24 male patients, aged 18-40 years, participated in this study. Unstimulated saliva was collected for the evaluation of flow rate, pH, secretory IgA, Snyder test scores, and Streptococcus mutans counts (confirmed by PCR assay). Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Bonferroni tests, one-way ANOVA, and the Spearman correlation at a 5% significance level, followed by a general linear model and multiple linear regressions., Results: Female participants presented lower salivary pH values compared to males (p < 0.05), and different patterns of correlation among salivary parameters were found in men (p < 0.05) and women (p < 0.001). When comparing the variables according to Snyder test scores in men and women, there was a significant difference for S. mutans levels in the male group, and for pH and IgA in the female group (p < 0.05). Gender was found to be a predictor of salivary flow (R2 = 0.05; p < 0.05) and pH (R2 = 0.16; p < 0.001). In the female group, multiple regression showed several predictors for salivary flow rate, pH, IgA and Snyder test scores (p < 0.05), whereas no predictor was found in the male group (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: Different salivary patterns were observed in men and women, thus the implications of such findings for caries susceptibility require further investigation.

Some evidence suggests that the early detection of oral cancer (OC) during surveillance might improve survival rates. In addition to this, interventions aimed at enhancing public awareness and knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of OC are thought to decrease the burden of disease. Nevertheless, there is much controversy with regard to the cost-effectiveness of population-based strategies for OC screening. Here, we present and briefly discuss timely findings that have put under scrutiny the applicability of approaches targeted at the early identification of patients with OC.

Radiation-induced damage to the salivary glands remains a major complication of using radiation therapy to treat head and neck cancer, and it has led a wide range of research attempting to resolve the problem. From this perspective, we sought to briefly discuss relevant and timely approaches aimed at protecting or regenerating irradiated salivary glands, thereby preventing the development of salivary hypofunction or rescuing the functional properties of damaged glands. Such findings include molecular, cell, tissue, organ, and drug-based therapies., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A wide range of studies has been successfully exploring the association between the human microenvironment, sustained inflammation, and cancer. Growing evidence has then emerged in this field over the past few years. Nevertheless, reliable data addressing the impact of the oral microbiome and periodontitis on the pathogenesis and risk of head and neck malignancies remain scarce. Hence, this communication focuses on briefly discuss the relationship between the oral microbiome, periodontitis and head and neck cancer based on the current understanding of such a disease-associated scenario., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)