The role of the folic acid to the prevention of orofacial cleft: an epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND: Orofacial clefts (OFCs) have complex and multifactorial etiologies. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of OFC. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of folate and other factors in preventing OFC by analyzing the health and socio-demographic data collected from a population sample. METHODS: Retrospective case-control study in which mothers with children with or without OFC were evaluated for the following main parameters: nutritional factors, socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy and family history, use of folate, and counseling by healthcare professionals. RESULTS: Socio-epidemiological analysis of the 80 participants, 40 in the case group and 40 in the control group, found a significant impact on the risk of OFC related to economic and educational status. The mothers who had a diet rich in vegetables and white meat had a lower risk of having children with OFC. A short interval between pregnancies, subsequent pregnancy while still breastfeeding, and family history also increased risk of OFC. CONCLUSIONS: Limited family planning, diet low in folate, and inadequate use of folate during the periconceptional period and during the first trimester of pregnancy were demonstrated a potential correlation with a high incidence of OFC in this study.

Fluctuation of annexin-A1 positive mast cells in chronic granulomatous inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: We have applied here a model of chronic granulomatous inflammation to study the profile of mast cell activation and their expression of annexin-A1 in the nodular lesion. MATERIALS: Granulomatous inflammation was induced by injection of croton oil and Freund's complete adjuvant (CO/FCA) into the dorsal air-pouches of mice. Skin tissue samples were collected from control group (24 h time-point; i. e. before disease development) and 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days post-CO/FCA treatment. RESULTS: Histopathological analyses revealed an on-going inflammation characterized by an increased number of activated mast cells at sites of the chronic inflammatory reaction in all experimental groups. Immunohistochemical analysis showed skin mast cells highly immunoreactive for annexin-A1, both at an initial (day 7) and a delayed (day 28) phase of the inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSIONS: The observed time-dependent modulation of mast cell activation, during the granulomatous injury, indicates that multiple pathways centred on annexin-A1 might become activated at different stages of this chronic inflammatory response, including the delayed and pro-resolving phase.