Biomaterials Used for Periodontal Disease Treatment: Focusing on Immunomodulatory Properties.

The growing use of biomaterials with different therapeutic purposes increases the need for their physiological understanding as well as to seek its integration with the human body. Chronic inflammatory local pathologies, generally associated with infectious or autoimmunity processes, have been a current therapeutic target due to the difficulty in their treatment. The recent development of biomaterials with immunomodulatory capacity would then become one of the possible strategies for their management in local pathologies, by intervening in situ, without generating alterations in the systemic immune response. The treatment of periodontal disease as an inflammatory entity has involved the use of different approaches and biomaterials. There is no conclusive, high evidence about the use of these biomaterials in the regeneration of periodontitis sequelae, so the profession keeps looking for other different strategies. The use of biomaterials with immunomodulatory properties could be one, with a promising future. This review of the literature summarizes the scientific evidence about biomaterials used in the treatment of periodontal disease.

Colonización por Pneumocystis jirovecii en la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Colonization by Pneumocystis jirovecii in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

La enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) es una enfermedad prevalente en la población colombiana, que característicamente tiene un deterioro progresivo y altera la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Solo del 15% al 20% de los pacientes con antecedente de tabaquismo desarrollan la enfermedad, por lo que factores ambientales y genéticos adicionales influyen en su progresión. De las causas infecciosas que han tomado importancia, el Pneumocystis jiroveái, un hongo ubicuo que entra en contacto con la vía aérea de los humanos desde la infancia, es causa de neumonía en pacientes inmunosuprimidos. Se han descrito tasas elevadas de colonización en pacientes con EPOC, que aumentan con la severidad de la enfermedad. EPOC e infección por P jiroveái parecen compartir una respuesta inmunológica similar; lo cual podría explicar el papel de la colonización por el hongo en su progresión y gravedad.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent disease in our population, which characteristically has a Progressive deterioration and alters the quality of Iife of patients. Only 15-20% of patients with a history of smoking develop the disease, so there are additional environmental and genetic factors that influence the progression of the disease. Of the infectious causes that have taken importance is Pneumocystis jiroveái, this is a ubiquitous fungus that comes into contact with the airway of humans since childhood and is a cause of pneumonía in immunosuppressed patients. In addition, high rates of colonization have been reported in patients with COPD, which increase with the severity of the disease. COPD and P jiroveái infection appear to share a similar immune response, which may explain the role of fungal colonization in the progression and severity of the disease.

Endoscopic lithotripsy and vaginal excision of a calcified bladder-mesh extrusion.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Synthetic meshes have proven to increase efficacy of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair, but associated complications are not rare. Bladder mesh extrusion is one of the most serious adverse events following POP surgery with mesh. The aim of this video was to describe endoscopic and vaginal approaches for treating a bladder-mesh extrusion. METHODS: A 52-year-old female patient with a history of vaginal POP surgery with mesh was referred for severe pelvic and perineal pain, dyspareunia, and dysuria. She was found to have a bladder calculus on a mesh extrusion. The calculus was removed by endoscopic lithotripsy before vaginal mesh excision was performed. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of synthetic vaginal mesh, the incidence of bladder-mesh extrusion could increase. This didactic video will be helpful to surgeons required to manage such cases using a minimally invasive treatment.