The results indicate that there was no correlation between dental erosion and the risk factors analysed among adolescents in Bauru/Brazil and further investigations are necessary to clarify the multifactorial etiology of this condition.

No abstract

The results indicate that all variables tested must be considered in preventive measures aiming to reduce the amount of fluoride ingested by young children.

Candida albicans is recognized by phagocytic cells through a set of recognition receptors patterns. Recently, we showed the importance of TLR2 in the regulation of neutrophil survival after C. albicans infection. In the present work, we analyzed the involvement of TLR4 in the recognition of C. albicans by neutrophils and macrophages. Our results show that the absence of functional TLR4 resulted in lower chemotaxis of neutrophils to the site of infection, lower levels of TNF-α, CXCL1 and nitric oxide, and dissemination and persistence of the pathogen in lymph nodes and spleen. In vitro, the phagocytic activity, nitric oxide production and myeloperoxidase activity, CXCL1, IL-1β production by neutrophils from TLR4-defective mice were not changed. In contrast, macrophages from TLR4-defective mice demonstrated lower phagocytosis and lower levels of CXCL1, IL-1β and TNF-α. Together, these data demonstrate that TLR4 signals are important for the recognition of C. albicans by macrophages and their absence allows persistence of the infection.

No abstract