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Introduction Over the years the immune system suffers many morphologic and functional alterations, which result in a peak of function in puberty and a gradual decrease in the elderly. Aim Treat patients 55 years or older with allergic rhinitis with immunotherapy and then analyze the response to allergens. Materials and Methods From June 2009 to July 2010, 104 charts of patients 55 years or older with allergic complaints were evaluated. The patients were selected by anamnesis, physical examination, and otorhinolaryngologic exam. The patients had cutaneous test for mites before and after 1 year of sublingual specific immunotherapy. The cutaneous response was classified as negative (absent), light, moderate, or severe. Results Before vaccination, 42 (40.4%) patients were classified as having a severe form of allergy and 62 (59.6%) as having a moderate allergy. After the specific therapy, 40 (38.4%) patients were classified as negative (absent), 37 (35.6%) as light, 19 (18.3%) as moderate, and 8 (7.7%) as severe responses. Conclusion Immunotherapy, a desensitization technique, is indicated in cases which patients cannot avoid the exposure to allergens and in situations where pharmacologic therapy is not ideal. Specific immunotherapy to treat the allergic rhinitis in elderly patients was efficient and had no collateral effects, and in addition to the clinical benefit, improvement in the cutaneous test could also be observed.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the deposition of collagen fibers at pig's vocal folds after topical use of mitomycin or 5-fluorouracil, when partial exeresis of mucosa layer had been promoted by CO2 laser. METHODS: There were used 18 Larger white pigs which were anesthetized and submitted to mucosa fragment's exeresis, bilaterally, at its free border. The animals were divided into 3 groups, each one with 6 animals: control group, without topical drug application; mitomycin group; and 5-fluorouracil group. After 30 days, the animals were subjected to euthanasia, and samples of the vocal folds were collected and stained by picrosirius red technique with polarization for quantification of total collagen deposition. RESULTS: In control group, the mean rate of right vocal fold's collagen deposition at submucosa consisted in a 3428.66 micrometers area. There was found an area whose size had, in average, 2196.36 micrometers, in mitomycin group, and 2269.19 micrometers, in 5-fluorouracil group. CONCLUSION: Mitomycin and 5-fluorouracil had promoted beneficial change in vocal fold's cicatrization with less collagen deposition, but there was no significant statistically difference when they were compared between themselves. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a deposição das fibras de colágeno total em pregas vocais suínas após o uso tópico de mitomicina ou 5-fluorouracil nas exéreses parciais de mucosa com laser de CO2. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 18 porcos da raça Larger white anestesiados e submetidos à exérese de fragmento de mucosa de borda livre da prega vocal direita e prega vocal esquerda. Os animais foram divididos em 3 grupos com 6 animais cada: grupo controle, sem aplicação de medicação tópica; grupo mitomicina, com uso tópico dessa substância; grupo 5-fluorouracil, uso tópico. Após 30 dias do experimento os animais foram submetidos à eutanásia, coletadas amostras das pregas vocais e coradas pela técnica do picrosirius red com polarização para a quantificação computadorizada da deposição do colágeno total. RESULTADOS: No grupo controle, a média da área do colágeno depositado na submucosa da prega vocal direita foi de 3428,66 micrômetros. No grupo mitomicina a média foi de 2196,36 micrômetros. No grupo 5-fluorouracil, a média foi de 2269,19 micrômetros. CONCLUSÃO: A mitomicina e o 5-fluorouracil promoveram mudança benéfica na cicatrização da prega vocal, com menor deposição de colágeno, porém, quando comparados entre si, eles não apresentaram diferença estatisticamente significante.

The suture of tissues and their healing process is one of the basic fundamentals of surgery, and the research on substances which could improve the process is an ongoing challenge. The use of plants has been tested but till nowadays without scientific demonstration.To compare the macroscopic and histological alterations done by the use of intraperitoneal Jatropha gossypiifolia L. gross extract, in the healing process of sutures performed on the bladder of rats.Forty adult, male, Wistar rats were distributed into two animal groups. One centimeter longitudinal incision on the bladder ventral wall, and single plane synthesis with separated polyglactine 910 5-0 (Ethicon) stitches was done in all the animals. In the control group an intraperitoneal cavity instillation of distilled water at a ratio of 1 ml/kg/weight, and a 1 ml/kg/weight of Jatropha gossypiifolia L. extract for the Jatropha group was done representing 200 mg of the substance. Each group was subdivided into two with 10 animals in each, being submitted to euthanasia on 3rd and 7th post-operative days. Comparative histological, macroscopic and statistical analysis were undertaken between the subgroups.Statistical significant difference was observed in the acute inflammation changes, vascular neoformation and bonding on day 3; the first one was greater in the control group, and the latter two greater in the Jatropha group; acute inflammation variables and fibroblastic proliferation presented to be more intense on day 7, with statistical significance favoring the control group.No favorable healing effect was observed with the administration of single intraperitoneal dose of Jatropha gossypiifolia L. gross extract on the sutures of bladder in rats.