Dermatological effects of Curcuma species: a systematic review.

Curcuma and its derivatives are associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in the skin. They exhibit beneficial effects in wound healing and prevention of chronic ultraviolet B damage and may prevent facial redness such as rosacea and flushing. This review aims to provide an up-to-date and rigorous synthesis of studies that demonstrated the clinical efficacy of curcuminoids in the skin. We evaluated studies published in the MEDLINE-PubMed/PMC (National Library of Medicine) databases, and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for this review. This search included papers published in the past 10 years in controlled clinical trials, double-blind and randomized controlled studies, and case studies. The search resulted in 12 studies published in the past 10 years. Curcuma species (Curcuma longa and Curcuma aeruginosa) and curcumin were found to produce various dermatological effects, including influencing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory processes in the production of hyaluronan, increasing skin moisture, and reducing axillary hair growth. Curcuma was also found to reduce thickness, erythema, pruritus, burning and pain in psoriasis lesions and to improve radiodermatitis lesions. Our review results show that Curcuma species may play a role in skin health management and may exhibit various dermatological effects, thus it could be a new therapeutic arsenal for dermatology professionals. Nevertheless, more clinical trials should be conducted with humans to establish the optimum delivery method and dosages for different dermatological conditions.

Environmental factors in benign migratory glossitis and psoriasis: retrospective study of the association of emotional stress and alcohol and tobacco consumption with benign migratory glossitis and cutaneous psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: The association between benign migratory glossitis (BMG) and psoriasis (PS) has been reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determinate the environmental factors related to BMG and PS and to investigate their interactions. METHODS: The study population included 129 patients with PS, 399 patients with BMG and a control group (CG) of 5472 individuals with neither PS nor BMG. The environmental factors evaluated in this study included alcohol and tobacco consumption and emotional stress. The Pearson's chi-squared test was used for analysing the association of the environmental factors with PS and BMG. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the PS group was significantly higher than that in the CG. Tobacco consumption had a weak negative association with the BMG group. With respect to the PS group, no statistically significant association was observed. Emotional stress was the most important factor in the two study groups. Emotional stress and alcohol use together presented a higher incidence in the study groups than in the CG. Emotional stress and tobacco consumption together had a three times higher incidence in the PS group than in the BMG group. The association of emotional stress, alcohol and tobacco consumption in the PS group was four times higher than that in the CG. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by the lack of the information about frequency, type and length time of use of tobacco and alcohol, and by difficult to measure stress thought self-report questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The interactions between PS and environmental factors differ from those between BMG and environmental factors. These differences among interactions may be responsible for different forms of manifestations of these diseases, considering being both the same disease.

A possible relationship of human leucocyte antigens with psoriasis vulgaris and geographic tongue.

BACKGROUND: Geographic tongue (GT) is the most frequent oral lesion in psoriatic patients (PP), and genetic involvement in these conditions has been described. The association of psoriasis with GT is still not clear, and the study of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) may help clarify this relation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of HLA alleles with psoriasis vulgaris and GT. METHODS: Fifty-eight Brazilian PP, 29 GT patients and 125 healthy controls individuals were selected. Information on demographic and clinical characteristics was collected. All patients underwent an oral examination and blood collection for HLA typing. RESULTS: HLA-A did not show significant differences in frequencies among the groups. HLA-B*57 allele was more frequently found in PP and was not found in GT. HLA-B*58 allele was more frequently found in GT. HLA-C*06 and -C*18 alleles were associated with psoriasis. No significant differences in HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 were observed. CONCLUSION: HLA-B*58 was associated with GT and HLA-B*57 was possibly associated with psoriasis. This suggested that some GT cases may represent true oral psoriasis and some may represent only GT. Therefore, it is necessary to make this distinction and increase our sample size to improve the correct diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

HLA alleles in Brazilian patients with fissured tongue.

BACKGROUND: Fissured tongue (FT) is a clinical condition manifested by numerous little furrows on the tongue's surface. Previously, the authors observed an association with HLA-C×06 in psoriasis (PS) and benign migratory glossitis (BMG); however, HLA-C was not surveyed in FT. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between HLA alleles and FT. METHODS: Thirty-three FT bearers were studied, after evaluation of criteria for inclusion. These patients did not present PS, BMG or any other conditions associated with FT. The control group (CG) was composed of 561 individuals with HLA-A, 560 individuals with HLA-B, 168 individuals with HLA-C, 564 individuals with HLA-DRB1 and 390 individuals with HLA-DQB1. Samples from these individuals were processed to extract DNA. The HLA classes I and II were determined using the reverse line blot technique. The frequencies of HLA antigens found in patients were compared with the CG using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The comparison of the frequencies of HLA antigens found in the patient groups and in CG revealed no association with any of the alleles studied, except for HLA-A*01, which exhibited a decreased frequency in patient groups. HLA-C*06 was detected in 7.57% of FT patients and 10.42% of the CG (not significant). CONCLUSION: The lack of association of FT with HLA-C*06 reinforces the proposal that this disease does not have a common genetic factor in the triad of BMG, FT and PS.

HLA alleles in Brazilian patients with fissured tongue

BACKGROUND: Fissured tongue (FT) is a clinical condition manifested by numerous little furrows on the tongue's surface. Previously, the authors observed an association with HLA-C×06 in psoriasis (PS) and benign migratory glossitis (BMG); however, HLA-C was not surveyed in FT. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between HLA alleles and FT. METHODS: Thirty-three FT bearers were studied, after evaluation of criteria for inclusion. These patients did not present PS, BMG or any other conditions associated with FT. The control group (CG) was composed of 561 individuals with HLA-A, 560 individuals with HLA-B, 168 individuals with HLA-C, 564 individuals with HLA-DRB1 and 390 individuals with HLA-DQB1. Samples from these individuals were processed to extract DNA. The HLA classes I and II were determined using the reverse line blot technique. The frequencies of HLA antigens found in patients were compared with the CG using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The comparison of the frequencies of HLA antigens found in the patient groups and in CG revealed no association with any of the alleles studied, except for HLA-A*01, which exhibited a decreased frequency in patient groups. HLA-C*06 was detected in 7.57% of FT patients and 10.42% of the CG (not significant). CONCLUSION: The lack of association of FT with HLA-C*06 reinforces the proposal that this disease does not have a common genetic factor in the triad of BMG, FT and PS.

Oral manifestations of syphilis: a review

Syphilis is an infectious disease presenting stages associated with specific oral lesions. Therefore, health professionals should be familiar with the different syphilis oral manifestations at each stage and be prepared to refer any suspected patient for further evaluation. This report describes the most important clinical factors of each stage, emphasizing the oral manifestations.

Morphological evaluation of combined effects of cyclosporin and nifedipine on gingival overgrowth in rats.

It has previously been shown that, while cyclosporin A (CsA) and nifedipine both cause gingival overgrowth in the rat, the combined use of these drugs increases the severity of overgrowth. The aim of this study was to describe the histometry and densities of fibroblasts, collagen fibers and vessels in the gingival tissue of rats that were treated with CsA and nifedipine, either alone or in combination. Rats were treated for 60 days with a daily subcutaneous injection of 10 mg/kg body weight of CsA and/or with 50 mg/kg body weight of nifedipine added to the chow. The results confirmed that CsA causes a more severe overgrowth than nifedipine, and that the combined use of these drugs increases the overgrowth severity. All the rat groups that were studied showed that, as the severity of overgrowth increased, there was a parallel increase in fibroblasts and collagen, and a decrease in vessel content. Therefore, independently of whether the gingival overgrowth was caused by CsA alone, nifedipine alone, or both treatments in combination, the fibroblast and collagen density increased in parallel with the severity of the overgrowth.

Effect of isotretinoin on tooth germ and palate development in mouse embryos.

Vitamin A and its derivatives, retinoic acid, tretinoin and isotretinoin, are currently used in dermatological treatments. The administration of high doses of this vitamin provokes congenital malformations in mice: cleft palate, maxillary and mandibular hypoplasia and total or partial fusion of the maxillary incisors. This study compares the tooth germs of the first maxillary and mandibular molars of fetal mice submitted to isotretinoin during organogenesis. Twelve 60-day-old female Mus musculus were divided into two groups on the 7th day of pregnancy: treated group--1 mg isotretinoin per kg body weight, dissolved in vegetable oil, was administered from the 7th to the 13th day of pregnancy; control group--vegetable oil in equivalent volume was administered orally for the same period. On the 16th day of pregnancy, the females were sacrificed, the fetuses were removed and their heads amputated. After standard laboratory procedures, 6-micron thick serial slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for optical microscopy examination. The results showed that both groups had closed palates with no reminiscence of epithelial cells; however, the first molar germs of the isotretinoin-treated animals showed delayed development compared to the control animals.

Intrauterine dentistry: an integrated model of prevention.

Intrauterine Dentistry is a highly relevant subject of our time. The use of preventive measures in the intrauterine stage can avoid several diseases, among these, dental caries. The WHO advises that from the 4th month of pregnancy, women should avoid the intake of sugar, so that the fetus, future child, does not develop an exaggerated attraction for these types of foods, thus being susceptible to caries. Through questionnaires sent to gynecologist-obstetricians and dentists, this research investigated the information they have about this subject and how they instruct their patients. Questionnaires were also sent to pregnant women requesting information about the instructions they had received for the prevention of oral diseases of their fetus. Seventy-one percent of the dentists and 80% of the gynecologist-obstetricians reported having instructed the pregnant women to reduce the intake of sugar. However, only 13.6% of the dentists and no gynecologist-obstetrician instructed the reduction of sugar intake between the 12th and 18th week of pregnancy. A total of 42.2% of the pregnant women referred to these instructions, but none received instruction as to the specific period of the 12th and 18th week. An ideal model of treatment for pregnant women must include integrated and multiprofessional treatment, in which general dentists and gynecologist-obstetricians work together with the participation of the patient.

Both psoriasis and benign migratory glossitis are associated with HLA-Cw6.

This study was undertaken to investigate human leucocyte antigen (HLA) associations with benign migratory glossitis and psoriasis in Brazilian patients and particularly to determine whether benign migratory glossitis is also associated with HLA-Cw6, the classical association observed in psoriasis. The results showed a highly significant association of Cw6 with both psoriasis and benign migratory glossitis, with this antigen being present in 59.1% of the patients with psoriasis, in 43.8% of the patients with benign migratory glossitis, and in only 12.6% of the controls. Other significant positive associations, although at a lower significance level, were with B13, both in psoriasis and in benign migratory glossitis, and with B17, only in psoriasis. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the association of Cw6 with benign migratory glossitis. We believe that this finding reinforces the concept of a pathogenetic relationship between benign migratory glossitis and psoriasis.