UNLABELLED Leishmaniasis has been documented in several countries, with an estimated prevalence of 12 million people and an incidence at around 400,000 new cases per year. Leishmaniasis in the New World is one the major endemic diseases in Brazil and Latin America. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to add to the current knowledge on mucosal leishmaniasis, bringing the experience of the Immu...

Enteric microflora profiles vary considerably between active inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and healthy conditions. Intestinal microflora may partake in the pathogenesis of IBD by one or some ways: specific pathogenic infection induces abnormal intestinal mucosal inflammation; aberrant microflora components trigger the onset of IBD; abnormal host immune response loses normal immune tolerance...

James Williams, OMD, LAc – Director of Integrative Medicine, East-West College of Natural Medicine and consultant on integrative medicine to Scripps Clinic. Correspondence address: 665 Orpheus Ave., Encinitas, CA 92024 E-mail: [email protected]. Abstract Most antigens, particularly viruses, enter the body through the mucosal epithelia where they are carried by afferent lymphatics to regiona...

Melatonin is a hormone that exhibits many bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, and anti-aging activity. In addition, melatonin has been used to strengthen the effect of drugs or agents for treatment in different disease models cancer, tumor, bacterial infection, autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal diseases. According recent s...

Complex communities of microorganisms, termed commensal microbiota, inhabit mucosal surfaces and profoundly influence host physiology as well as occurrence of allergic diseases. Perturbing factors such as the mode of delivery, dietary fibers and antibiotics can influence allergic diseases by altering commensal microbiota in affected tissues as well as in intestine. Here, we review current findi...

The mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts represent the principal portals of entry for most infectious agents. Hence, the development of vaccination strategies capable of inducing protective immune responses at the mucosal sites is a priority. Since the mucosal surfaces are exposed to a wide variety of antigens, the mucosal immune system has to discriminate between har...

PURPOSE To present an update on indications and efficacy of oral mucosal grafts in the clinical management of ocular surface diseases focusing on the new developments of the last 5 years. METHODS Pubmed research on the databases of the years 2007 up to 2012 for the key words mucous membrane graft and eye, fornix reconstruction, eyelid reconstruction, and conjunctival replacement. RESULTS We...