Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gliclazide on oxidative stress, inflammation, and bone loss in an experimental periodontal disease model. Material and Methods Male albino Wistar rats were divided into no ligature, ligature, and ligature with 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg gliclazide groups. Maxillae were fixed and scanned using micro-computed tomography to quantify linear and bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) and volumetric bone loss. Histopathological, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analyses were conducted to examine matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), cathepsin K, members of the receptor activator of the nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β (RANK), osteoprotegerin (OPG) pathway, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1), NFKB p 50 (Cytoplasm), NFKB p50 NLS (nuclear localization signal), PI3 kinase and AKT staining. Myeloperoxidase activity, malondialdehyde and glutathione levels, while interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were evaluated by spectroscopic ultraviolet-visible analysis. A quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the gene expression of the nuclear factor kappa B p50 subunit (NF-κB p50), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3k), protein kinase B (AKT), and F4/80. Results Micro-computed tomography showed that the 1 mg/kg gliclazide treatment reduced linear bone loss compared to the ligature, 5 mg/kg gliclazide, and 10 mg/kg gliclazide treatments. All concentrations of gliclazide increased bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) compared to the ligature group. Treatment with 1 mg/kg gliclazide reduced myeloperoxidase activity, malondialdehyde, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels (p≤0.05), and resulted in weak staining for COX-2, cathepsin k, MMP-2, RANK, RANKL, SOD-1, GPx-1,MIF and PI3k. In addition, down-regulation of NF-κB p50, PI3k, AKT, and F4/80 were observed, and OPG staining was strong after the 1 mg/kg gliclazide treatment. Conclusions This treatment decreased neutrophil and macrophage migration, decreased the inflammatory response, and decreased bone loss in rats with ligature-induced periodontitis.

Resumo O sarcoma epitelióide (SE) é um subtipo incomum de sarcoma, não chegando a 1% dos sarcomas de partes moles. Foi inicialmente descrito em 1970, sendo que em 1997 uma variante mais agressiva foi classificada como “tipo proximal”. São tumores agressivos, com altas taxas de metástases e recidiva local, com resposta pobre à quimioterapia e radioterapia isoladas. A ressecção cirúrgica com margens livres é o tratamento padrão.Apresentamos o caso de um paciente de 25 anos com SE tipo proximal avançado em região perineal, submetido a ressecção em outro serviço, evoluindo com recidiva local com invasão do canal anal e musculatura da coxa esquerda. Foi realizado tratamento radioquimioterápico neoadjuvante seguido de ressecção cirúrgica com amputação abdominoperineal do reto por videolaparoscopia associada a hemipelvectomia parcial esquerda incluindo o membro inferior esquerdo (MIE). O paciente apresentou boa evolução pós operatória e encontra-se em segmento ambulatorial. O anatomopatológico evidenciou margens cirúrgicas livres.O SE proximal é um tipo raro de sarcoma de partes moles, cujo tratamento curativo é desafiador, em virtude dos altos índices de recidiva local e metástases à distância.

Abstract The epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is an unusual variant of the sarcoma, not reaching 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Initially reported in 1970, it has a more aggressive variant, which was classified as the “proximal-type” in 1997. These are aggressive tumors with high rates of distant metastasis and local relapses. Isolated radio and chemotherapy responses are poor and free-margin surgical resection is the treatment of choice.This is the case report of a 25-year-old male patient diagnosed with “proximal-type” ES in the perineal region. He underwent surgical resection in another institution and was later admitted to our institution with local recurrence with rectal and left thigh muscle invasion. Neoadjuvant radio-chemotherapy was performed, followed by laparoscopic abdominoperineal rectal resection and partial left hemipelvectomy associated with left lower-limb amputation. The patient had no postoperative complications and is currently undergoing outpatient follow-up. The anatomopathological analysis showed tumor-free margins.The “proximal-type” ES is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma subtype. High local recurrence, as well as the metastasis rates, makes its treatment a challenging task.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION : This study evaluated the clinical forms and manifestation severities of Chagas disease among serologically reactive individuals from Western Rio Grande do Norte (Northeastern Brazil). METHODS : This cross-sectional study included 186 adults who were evaluated using electrocardiography, echocardiography, chest radiography, and contrast radiography of the esophagus and colon. A clinical-epidemiological questionnaire was also used. RESULTS : The indeterminate, cardiac, digestive, and cardiodigestive clinical forms of Chagas disease were diagnosed in 51.6% (96/186), 32.2% (60/186), 8.1% (15/186) and 8.1% (15/186) of the participants, respectively. Heart failure (functional classes I-IV) was detected in 7.5% (14/186) of the participants, and 36.4% (24/66), 30.3% (20/66), 15.2% (10/66), 13.6% (9/66), and 4.5% (3/66) of the patients were at stage A, B1, B2, C, and D, respectively. Dilated cardiomyopathy and electrocardiographic changes were detected in 10.2% (19/186) and 48.1% (91/186) of the participants, respectively. Apical aneurysm was diagnosed in 10.8% (20/186) of the participants, and other changes in the segmental myocardial contractility of the left ventricle were diagnosed in 33.9% (63/186) of the participants. Megaesophagus (groups I-IV) was observed in 7% (13/186) of the participants, megacolon (grades 1-3) was detected in12.9% (24/186) of the participants, and both organs were affected in 29.2% (7/24) of the megacolon cases. CONCLUSIONS : We detected various clinical forms of Chagas disease (including the digestive form). Our findings indicate that clinical symptoms alone may not be sufficient to exclude or confirm cardiac and/or digestive damage, and the number of patients with symptomatic clinical forms may be underestimated.

Chagasic megaoesophagus and megacolon are characterised by motor abnormalities related to enteric nervous system lesions and their development seems to be related to geographic distribution of distinct Trypanosoma cruzi subpopulations. Beagle dogs were infected with Y or Berenice-78 (Be-78) T. cruzi strains and necropsied during the acute or chronic phase of experimental disease for post mortem histopathological evaluation of the oesophagus and colon. Both strains infected the oesophagus and colon and caused an inflammatory response during the acute phase. In the chronic phase, inflammatory process was observed exclusively in the Be-78 infected animals, possibly due to a parasitism persistent only in this group. Myenteric denervation occurred during the acute phase of infection for both strains, but persisted chronically only in Be-78 infected animals. Glial cell involvement occurred earlier in animals infected with the Y strain, while animals infected with the Be-78 strain showed reduced glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactive area of enteric glial cells in the chronic phase. These results suggest that although both strains cause lesions in the digestive tract, the Y strain is associated with early control of the lesion, while the Be-78 strain results in progressive gut lesions in this model.

Para confirmar que cães Beagle são um bom modelo para doença de Chagas, foram avaliadas as alterações hematológicas durante as fases aguda e crônica em cães Beagle infectados com as cepas Y, Berenice-78 (Be-78) e ABC de Trypanosomacruzi, correlacionando os sinais clínicos com a curva de parasitemia. Foi demonstrado que a fase aguda da infecção foi marcada por letargia e perda de apetite. Simultaneamente, observou-se anemia, leucocitose e linfocitose. Ainda, foram descritas alterações hematológicas e sinais clínicos positivamente correlacionados com a parasitemia durante a infecção experimental com as três cepas de T.cruzi estudadas, demonstrando que a infecção em cães Beagle constitui um modelo fidedigno para a doença de Chagas.

To confirm that Beagle dogs are a good experimental model for Chagas disease, we evaluated hematological alterations during the acute and chronic phases in Beagle dogs infected with the Y, Berenice-78 (Be-78) and ABC strains of Trypanosomacruzi, correlating clinical signs with the parasitemia curve. We demonstrate that the acute phase of infection was marked by lethargy and loss of appetite. Simultaneously, we observed anemia, leukocytosis and lymphocytosis. Also,we describe hematological alterations and clinical signs that were positively correlated with the parasitemia during the experimental infection with the three strains of T.cruzi, and demonstrate that experimental infection of Beagle is a trustworthy model for Chagas disease.

Aiming at obtaining the community profile and verifying the occurrence of antagonism and association among ciliates, samples of rumen content were analysed in 100 bovines soon after their death. The animals were killed at the Juiz de Fora Municipal slaughter house (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) between August 1996 and May 1997. Ciliates occurred, respectively, in the following percents and samples number: Entodinium Stein, 1859 (50,48; 100), Diplodinium Schuberg, 1888 (5,59; 98), Eudiplodinium Dogiel, 1927 (6,91; 97), Ostracodinium Dogiel, 1927 (9,68; 95), hotricha Stein, 1859 (4,15; 93), Dasytricha Schuberg, 1888 (3,31; 93), Metadi nium Awerinzew & Mutafowa, 1914 (3,06; 90), Eremoplastron Kofoid & MacLennan. 1932 (7,39; 87), Epidinium Crawley, 1923 (5,31; 73), Charonina Strand, 1928 (1,33; 65), Eodinium Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (1,49; 59), Diploplastron Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (0,88; 24), Elytroplastron Kofoid & MacLennan, 1932 (0,36; 16), Polyplastron Dogiel, 1927 (0,04; 03) and Buetschlia Schuberg, 1888 (0,02; 01). When the antagonistic behaviour and the association were analyzed, it was observed that Eudiplodinium was detected in the absence of Polyplastron and in the presence of Epidinium in 94% and 73% of the samples, respectively. These data confirm the antagonism and the coexistence among particular populations of rumen ciliates and allowed the identification of 94% of the samples examined as being of profile type B, none of type A and 3% of mixed A-B community and of type O. It is suggested the use of the term community profile instead of population profile, as the respective types involve associations of various ciliate populations.