Interleukin (IL)-18 was originally discovered as a factor that enhanced IFN-γ production from anti-CD3-stimulated Th1 cells, especially in the presence of IL-12. Upon stimulation with Ag plus IL-12, naive T cells develop into IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) expressing Th1 cells, which increase IFN-γ production in response to IL-18 stimulation. Therefore, IL-12 is a commitment factor that induces the development of Th1 cells. In contrast, IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine that facilitates type 1 responses. However, IL-18 without IL-12 but with IL-2, stimulates NK cells, CD4+ NKT cells, and established Th1 cells, to produce IL-3, IL-9, and IL-13. Furthermore, together with IL-3, IL-18 stimulates mast cells and basophils to produce IL-4, IL-13, and chemical mediators such as histamine. Therefore, IL-18 is a cytokine that stimulates various cell types and has pleiotropic functions. IL-18 is a member of the IL-1 family of cytokines. IL-18 demonstrates a unique function by binding to a specific receptor expressed on various types of cells. In this review article, we will focus on the unique features of IL-18 in health and disease in experimental animals and humans.

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Interleukin-18 in Health and Disease

Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease of infectious origins that often evolves into a chronic condition. Aside from its importance as a stomatologic ailment, chronic periodontitis has gained relevance since it has been shown that it can develop into a systemic condition characterized by unresolved hyper-inflammation, disruption of the innate and adaptive immune system, dysbiosis of the oral, gut and other location's microbiota and other system-wide alterations that may cause, coexist or aggravate other health issues associated to elevated morbi-mortality. The relationships between the infectious, immune, inflammatory, and systemic features of periodontitis and its many related diseases are far from being fully understood and are indeed still debated. However, to date, a large body of evidence on the different biological, clinical, and policy-enabling sources of information, is available. The aim of the present work is to summarize many of these sources of information and contextualize them under a systemic inflammation framework that may set the basis to an integral vision, useful for basic, clinical, and therapeutic goals.

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Periodontal Inflammation and Systemic Diseases: An Overview

Ameloblasts are sensitive cells whose metabolism and function may be affected by inflammatory stimuli. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between polymorphisms in immune response-related genes and molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH), and their interaction with polymorphisms in amelogenesis-related genes. DNA samples were obtained from 101 nuclear families that had at least 1 MIH-affected child. Eleven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were investigated in immune response genes using TaqMan® technology allele-specific probes. A transmission disequilibrium test was performed to verify overtransmission of alleles in all MIH families, as well as in families only with mild or severe MIH-affected children. Gene-gene interactions between the immune-related and amelogenesis-related polymorphisms were analyzed by determining whether alleles of those genes were transmitted from heterozygous parents more often in association than individually with MIH-affected children. In severe cases of MIH, significant results were observed for rs10733708 (TGFBR1, OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.1-10.6). Statistical evidence for gene-gene interactions between rs6654939 (AMELX) and the SNPs rs2070874 (IL4), rs2275913 (IL17A), rs1800872 (IL10), rs1800587 (IL1A), and rs3771300 (STAT1) was observed. The rs2070874 SNP (IL4) was also significantly overtransmitted from heterozygous parents with the rs7526319 (TUFT1) and the rs2355767 (BMP2) SNPs, suggesting a synergistic effect of the transmission of these alleles with susceptibility to MIH. This family-based study demonstrated an association between variation in TGFBR1 and MIH. Moreover, the polymorphisms in immune response and amelogenesis genes may have an additive effect on the risk of developing MIH.

Genes Regulating Immune Response and Amelogenesis Interact in Increasing the Susceptibility to Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization.

Mobile robot competitions are events well suited to experimentation, research and development in many areas concerned with science and technology, ranging from material science to artificial intelligence. Aware of this fact, and for several years now, some Portuguese Universities have been involving some of their Engineering and Computer Science students in such contests, namely those of international level. The performance has been improving both in terms of the results and prizes obtained and the increasingly elaborate technical solutions developed by the teams. The importance recognised in these events has led the authors to submit to the Portuguese Government a proposal for an annual Festival of this kind in Portugal. This paper points out the advances in research, technology and education, which result from this type of events. Copyright CONTROLO 2000.

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Mobile robot competitions: fostering advances in research, development and education in robotics

Key breakthroughs in our understanding of the etiology and principles of predictable treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis first emerged in the late 1960s and carried on into the mid-1980s. Unfortunately, some generalizations of the evidence led many to believe that periodontitis was a predictable result of exposure to bacterial plaque accumulations over time. For a brief period, the initial plaque concept was translated by some to implicate specific bacterial infections, with both concepts (plaque exposure and specific infection) being false assumptions that led to clinical outcomes which were frustrating to both the clinician and the patient. The primary misconceptions were that every individual was equally susceptible to periodontitis, that disease severity was a simple function of magnitude of bacterial exposure over time, and that all patients would respond predictably if treated based on the key principles of bacterial reduction and regular maintenance care. We now know that although bacteria are an essential initiating factor, the clinical severity of periodontitis is a complex multifactorial host response to the microbial challenge. The complexity comes from the permutations of different factors that may interact to alter a single individual's host response to challenge, inflammation resolution and repair, and overall outcome to therapy. Fortunately, although there are many permutations that may influence host response and repair, the pathophysiology of chronic periodontitis is generally limited to mild periodontitis with isolated moderate disease in most individuals. However, approximately 20%-25% of individuals will develop generalized severe periodontitis and probably require more intensive bacterial reduction and different approaches to host modulation of the inflammatory outcomes. This latter group may also have serious systemic implications of their periodontitis. The time appears to be appropriate to use what we know and currently understand to change our approach to clinical care. Our goal would be to increase our likelihood of identifying those patients who have a more biologically disruptive response combined with a more impactful microbial dysbiosis. Current evidence, albeit limited, indicates that for those individuals we should prevent and treat more intensively. This paper discusses what we know and how we might use that information to start individualizing risk and treat some of our patients in a more targeted manner. In my opinion, we are further along than many realize, but we have a great lack of prospective clinical evidence that must be accumulated while we continue to unravel the contributions of specific mechanisms.

Contemporary approaches for identifying individual risk for periodontitis

Purpose. This work aimed to synthesize the results of recent meta-analysis focusing on polymorphism in inflammatory mediators and its relation with the risk of periodontitis development. Materials and Methods. A systematic search was conducted using databases for publications prior to October 2016. Three examiners extracted data from articles with a clear association between polymorphisms in the inflammatory mediator gene and the development of periodontitis through meta-analysis using the fixed or randomized statistical models to calculate the Odds Ratio with values of considered significant. Results. A total of 13 meta-analysis articles with 25 polymorphisms in seven interleukins (IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-18), three cellular receptors (Fcγ receptors: FCGR2A, FCGR3A, and FCGR3B), and five inflammatory mediators (COX-2, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, and MMP-9), with a total of 71,531 participants, approaching different classifications of the disease. Conclusion. The study demonstrated that polymorphisms in the IL-1A, IL-1B, IL-6, IL-10, MMP-3 (chronic form), and MMP-9 (chronic form) polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of developing periodontitis, whereas other polymorphisms in the IL-4, IL-8, IL-18, Fcγ, COX-2, MMP-2, MMP-3 (aggressive), MMP-8, and MMP-9 (aggressive) polymorphisms had no significant association with risk of developing periodontitis.

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Genetic Factors and the Risk of Periodontitis Development: Findings from a Systematic Review Composed of 13 Studies of Meta-Analysis with 71,531 Participants

This paper presents a brief description of the "Moliceiro" robot that represented the University of Aveiro in the "Championat du Monde de Robotique Mobile" that took place in La Ferte-Bernard, France, from the 13th to the 19th of May, 1996. Basically, the robot had to follow a line on the floor, about 50m long, and overcome a few more difficulties. The project was based on infra-red analog sensors, low-power DC motors, differential stearing control using a near-proportional controller and a color discrimination mechanism. This way the robot was built with a very low cost (below PTE 50.000 in raw materials and parts), with great simplicity in its mechanics and electronics and still meeting all the contest specifications.

Moliceiro: um robot que segue uma linha

Autoclaves são equipamentos responsáveis pela esterilização de materiais para uso em ambientes estéreis como em aplicações farmacêuticas ou em ambiente hospitalar. Esse tipo de dispositivo submete esses materiais a condições em que os patógenos perecem. No ambiente em estudo as autoclaves Getinge são expressivas em número, essenciais para os processos e utilizadas a mais de uma década. No entanto, segundo as equipes de manutenção há dificuldade em lidar com as placas de controle descontinuadas pela fabricante, utilizadas atualmente nas máquinas, gerando assim um problema de ausência de peças de reposição crônica. Levantamentos de mercado com especialistas em modernização com este tipo de equipamento mostram que é possível conceber um novo sistema que seja aberto, composto por dispositivos e controladores amplamente disponíveis no mercado. A importância do sistema ser livre está na transparência no processo, ao permitir a visualização do software implementado e a exportação de backups, facilitando diagnósticos de falha e a substituição por outros controladores do mesmo modelo ou similares conforme disponibilidade. Além disso o escopo da modernização já incluiria a integração das autoclaves em rede industrial abrindo um leque de possibilidades em monitoramento e manutenção preditiva. O projeto visa renovar as unidades autoclave Getinge presentes nos laboratórios farmacêuticos utilizando como meta 10% do valor de uma nova unidade, estendendo o uso por mais 15 anos e ampliando as possibilidades de manutenção e integração em relação a situação atual.

Modernização de autoclaves Getinge para a indústria farmacêutica

Um medicamento genérico representa um medicamento farmacêutico que contém a mesma substância química que um medicamento originalmente protegido por patentes químicas. Os medicamentos genéricos podem ser vendidos após a expiração das patentes dos medicamentos originais. Como a substância química ativa é a mesma, o perfil médico dos genéricos é equivalente em desempenho. Dessa forma assim o objetivo dessa pesquisa foi verificar na literatura de forma integrativa a importância dos remédios genéricos no mercado farmacêutico. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de caráter exploratório, descritivo, que será realizada em forma de revisão da literatura do tipo integrativa e durante a busca, encontrou-se um total de 250 resumos distribuídos de forma diferenciada em relação às bases de dados: Google acadêmico (140), ScieLO (17) e Science Direct (93), restando 10 artigos selecionados por esse estudo após a utilização dos critérios de inclusão. A velocidade de aparecimento no mercado e a aceitação de genéricos variaram de acordo com o grupo farmacológico. A Lei de Genéricos mudou a dinâmica do mercado farmacêutico. Estudos futuros devem examinar as mudanças contínuas no mercado à medida que os consumidores ganham maior confiança nos produtos genéricos e os fabricantes desenvolvem novas estratégias de marketing.

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Antonio Carlos Gonçalves de Carvalho

Papers

Genetic Factors and the Risk of Periodontitis Development: Findings from a Systematic Review Composed of 13 Studies of Meta-Analysis with 71,531 Participants

Moliceiro: um robot que segue uma linha

Modernização de autoclaves Getinge para a indústria farmacêutica

Os remédios genéricos no mercado farmacêutico: uma abordagem integrativa