OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of periodontal treatment on endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 69 patients with stable coronary disease and severe periodontitis. The test group received nonsurgical periodontal therapy consisting of personalized oral hygiene instructions, subgingival scaling, and root planing per quadrant, whereas the control group received equal treatment after the study period. Endothelial function was assessed by measurement of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, concentrations of sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and P-selectin in serum before and 3 months after periodontal therapy. RESULTS: The test group exhibited statistically better periodontal parameters-plaque, probing depth, periodontal attachment loss, and bleeding on probing. No significant improvements were observed in the control (1.37%) and test (1.39%) groups in flow-mediated dilation, with no significant between-group difference. sVCAM-1 concentration increased in the control group (997.6 +/- 384.4-1201.8 +/- 412.5; p = 0.03), whereas in the test group, no significant changes were observed (915.1 +/- 303.8-1050.3 +/- 492.3; p = 0.17), resulting in a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.04). The same pattern was observed for concentrations of sICAM-1. CONCLUSION: Periodontal treatment did not provide better vasodilation in patients with coronary disease in a short-term follow-up period, although it maintained blood concentrations of markers of vascular inflammation.

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The main goal of this study was to present the pathways or trajectories the Zika virus tends to expand through Brazil. Therefore, we proposed to map the network of cities that are linked to two important points of occurrence and distribution of cases of the disease, the municipalities of Recife and Rio de Janeiro. Recife for being an initial point of distribution of the Zika cases to the country, whereas the analysis of Rio de Janeiro can present the paths that the virus tends to follow from now. As data sources, we used the Brazilian Population Census (IBGE, 2010) and the National System of Notifiable Diseases (SINAN). From the Census it was possible to analyze the main migratory flows between Brazilian cities that presented Dengue epidemics between 2008 and 2012 (the mosquito vector of this disease is the same as Zika, Aedes aegypti). The results indicate the possible path that led to the distribution of the Zika virus from Recife to other locations in the Brazilian Northeast, reaching Rio de Janeiro, Brasília (the national capital) and, from there, spreading to the other states of the country.