Airway pathology in severe asthma is related to airflow obstruction but not symptom control.

BACKGROUND: Patients with asthma present structural and inflammatory alterations that are believed to play a role in disease severity. However, airway remodeling and inflammation have not been extensively investigated in relation to both symptom control and airflow obstruction in severe asthmatics. We aimed to investigate several inflammatory and structural pathological features in bronchial biopsies of severe asthmatics that could be related to symptom control and airflow obstruction after standardized treatment. METHODS: Fifty severe asthmatics received prednisone 40 mg/d for 2 weeks and maintenance therapy with budesonide/formoterol 400/12 µg twice daily + budesonide/formoterol 200/6 µg as needed for 12 weeks. Endobronchial biopsies were performed at the end of 12 weeks. We performed extensive immunopathological analyses of airway tissue inflammation and remodeling features in patients stratified by asthma symptom control and by airflow obstruction. RESULTS: Airway tissue inflammation and remodeling were not associated with symptom control. Asthmatics with persistent airflow obstruction had greater airway smooth muscle (Asm) area with decreased periostin and transforming growth factor beta-positive cells within Asm bundles, in addition to lower numbers of chymase-positive mast cells in the submucosa compared to patients with nonpersistent obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Symptom control in severe asthmatics was not associated with airway tissue inflammation and remodeling, although persistent airflow obstruction in these patients was associated with bronchial inflammation and airway structural changes.

Vernonanthura polyanthes leaves aqueous extract enhances doxorubicin genotoxicity in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster and presents no antifungal activity against Candida spp / O extrato aquoso das folhas de Vernonanthura polyanthes potencializa a genotoxicidade da doxorrubicina em células somáticas de Drosophila melanogaster e não apresenta atividade antifúngica contra Candida spp

Abstract Vernonanthura polyanthes (Spreng.) A.J. Vega & Dematt. (Asteraceae), known as “assa-peixe”, has been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of various diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, hemoptysis, persistent cough, internal abscesses, gastric and kidney stone pain. Moreover, some studies demonstrated that species of Genus Vernonia present antifungal activity. Due to the biological relevance of this species, the aim of this study was to investigate the toxic, genotoxic, antigenotoxic and antifungal potential of V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster or against Candida spp. The aqueous extract of the plant showed no toxic, genotoxic and antigenotoxic activity in the experimental conditions tested using the wing somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART/wing). However, when the extract was associated with doxorubicin, used in this work as a positive control, the mutagenic potential of doxorubicin was enhanced, increasing the number of mutations in D. melanogaster somatic cells. In the other hand, no inhibitory activity against Candida spp. was observed for V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract using agar-well diffusion assay. More studies are necessary to reveal the components present in the V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract that could contribute to potentiate the doxorubicin genotoxicity.

Resumo Vernonanthura polyanthes (Spreng.) A.J. Vega & Dematt. (Asteraceae), conhecida como “assa-peixe”, tem sido utilizada na medicina popular para o tratamento de várias doenças, como bronquite, pneumonia, hemoptise, tosse persistente, abcessos internos, afecções gástricas e cálculo renal. Além disso, alguns estudos já demonstraram que espécies do Gênero Vernonia apresentam atividade antifúngica. Devido à relevância biológica dessa espécie, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os efeitos citotóxico, genotóxico, antigenotóxico e antifúngico do extrato aquoso das folhas de V. polyanthes em células somáticas de Drosophila melanogaster ou contra Candida spp. O extrato aquoso da planta não apresentou atividade citotóxica, genotóxica e antigenotóxica nas condições experimentais testadas usando o teste de recombinação e mutação somática em asa (SMART-asa). No entanto, quando o extrato foi associado com a doxorrubicina, utilizada neste trabalho como controle positivo, o potencial mutagênico da doxorrubicina foi potencializado, aumentando o número de mutações em células somáticas de D. melanogaster. Por outro lado, nenhuma atividade inibitória contra Candida spp. foi observada utilizando o extrato aquoso das folhas de V. polyanthes por meio do método de difusão em ágar. Mais estudos são necessários para desvendar os componentes presentes no extrato aquoso das folhas de V. polyanthes que possam contribuir para potencializar a genotoxicidade da doxorrubicina.

Vernonanthura polyanthes leaves aqueous extract enhances doxorubicin genotoxicity in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster and presents no antifungal activity against Candida spp.

Vernonanthura polyanthes (Spreng.) A.J. Vega & Dematt. (Asteraceae), known as "assa-peixe", has been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of various diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, hemoptysis, persistent cough, internal abscesses, gastric and kidney stone pain. Moreover, some studies demonstrated that species of Genus Vernonia present antifungal activity. Due to the biological relevance of this species, the aim of this study was to investigate the toxic, genotoxic, antigenotoxic and antifungal potential of V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster or against Candida spp. The aqueous extract of the plant showed no toxic, genotoxic and antigenotoxic activity in the experimental conditions tested using the wing somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART/wing). However, when the extract was associated with doxorubicin, used in this work as a positive control, the mutagenic potential of doxorubicin was enhanced, increasing the number of mutations in D. melanogaster somatic cells. In the other hand, no inhibitory activity against Candida spp. was observed for V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract using agar-well diffusion assay. More studies are necessary to reveal the components present in the V. polyanthes leaves aqueous extract that could contribute to potentiate the doxorubicin genotoxicity.

Effectiveness of two intracanal dressings in adult Portuguese patients: a qPCR and anaerobic culture assessment.

AIM: To quantify bacterial equivalents before and after chemomechanical preparation using 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and intracanal dressing with calcium hydroxide paste (Ca(OH)2 ) or 2% Chlorhexidine digluconate gel (CHX) in necrotic pulps associated or not with apical periodontitis and to further compare this quantification with counts of anaerobic microorganisms. METHODOLOGY: Prospective clinical trial in 69 single-rooted adult teeth (strict inclusion criteria); CHX group: 34; Ca(OH)2 group: 35. Bacteria samples were taken at baseline (S1), after chemomechanical preparation (S2) and after 14 days of intracanal dressing (S3). Bacterial equivalents were assessed by broad-range real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and live viable bacteria measured with conventional anaerobic culture (CFU/mL). Descriptive/inferential analysis was performed with spss vs. 20.0 (α = 0.05) using the Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and chi-squared tests and Spearman's correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Both groups showed a significant decrease between S1 and S2 (Mann-Whitney U-test; P < 0.001) both in qPCR and in culture. In the Ca(OH)2 -group, no variation was observed between S2 and S3 by qPCR and culture. In contrast, the CHX group showed a significant increase from S2 to S3 by both techniques. The two groups were only significantly different in S3 (Mann-Whitney U-test; P ≤ 0.001), with a worse performance in the CHX group. Again, these results were congruent by both approaches. Data from both approaches correlate reasonably (rS < 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Infected root canals contained a high bacterial load, and the chemomechanical root canal preparation reduced bacterial equivalents by 99.1% and anaerobic counts by 98.5%. Intracanal dressings were not efficient at reducing bacterial load, but the 14-day intracanal dressing with Ca(OH)2 performed significantly better than CHX, particularly in cases with apical periodontitis.