Background: Understanding the mechanisms underlying dental pain caused by pulpitis in humans has led to the development of animal models, such as the rat, which enable the study of the mechanisms underlying inflammation; the use of these models is considered ethically justified when the anticipated scientific benefits outweigh the potential impacts on animals in the harm/benefit balance. Objective: To develop a rat model of mechanically induced pulpitis and to evaluate the potential impact on animal well-being. Methods: Pulpitis was mechanically induced in male Lewis rats (13–16 weeks, 350–400 g) which were anesthetized and endotracheally intubated. Following pulp exposure, the cavity was sealed with either amalgam (n = 10) or zinc phosphate cement (n = 10). Following recovery and return to their housing, behavioral assessments and histological evaluations using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining were conducted in separate cohorts at two time points: 3 h and 5 days following the procedure. Results: A standardized model of mechanically induced pulpitis was established and verified clinically and by histopathological analysis, which showed evidence of the inflammatory process and revealed no statistically significant differences in the scoring of pain, discomfort, or distress, nor in the measurements of food and water consumption or body weight. Conclusions: The behavioral assessments conducted in this study supported the implementation of a safe and easily reproducible model for future research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying pulp inflammation.

Background: Infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have generated major public health concerns worldwide. Young adults represent a critical group for viral transmission due to their high proportion of asymptomatic infections. Objective: To characterize the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in individuals aged 20–29 years from Bogotá, Colombia, across two longitudinal phases. Methods: Phase I assessed seroprevalence, seroconversion, spatial clustering, symptoms associated with seropositivity and antibody kinetics following natural infection. Phase II evaluated vaccine-induced antibodies, immune memory, and neutralizing capacity. Analyses included Functional Principal Component Analysis, survival analysis, clustering, and predictive modeling. Results: In Phase I, a seroprevalence of 15.59% (17/109 participants enrolled) was observed, while seroconversion among those who completed all six sampling points was 30.18% (16/53), with clusters of positive cases in different areas of Bogotá. The symptoms most associated with seropositivity included mucus hypersecretion, fever, and respiratory difficulty. Antibody responses were heterogeneous: naturally infected individuals generally showed high titers during the first 1–2 months, remaining detectable up to 4 months. The reduction in dimensionality suggested dominant humoral patterns, and clustering revealed two immune profiles differing in the risk of seroconversion. Predictive modeling indicated diverse antibody trajectories over 12 months. In Phase II (2024), three long-term immune memory clusters (low, medium, high) were observed; post-vaccination IgG titers were observed, although in most cases they lacked neutralizing activity. Conclusions: This longitudinal exploratory observational study provides an initial characterization of antibody dynamics in young adults, suggesting their potential epidemiological relevance and offering preliminary insights into post-infection and post-vaccination immunity.

Se incluyen en este dossier tres artículos que exploran tres temas interesantes: las políticas gubernamentales en materia de ingeniería tisular en Latinoamérica, los enfoques y métodos empleados para elaborar un biodiente, y las aplicaciones de la fibrina rica en plaquetas en odontología regenerativa.

Background: due of capsaicin effect on the control of various inflammatory mediators, it has been proposed to modulate inflammatory processes caused by physical assaults to pulp tissue. Purpose: to evaluate the effect of capsaicin diluted in 0.05 % ethanol and its vehicle on PGE2 production, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-12p70 in Human Fibroblasts Pulp (FPH). Methods: concentrations of PGE2, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-12p70 were analyzed by ELISA or flow cytometry in supernatants of FPH at 6 and 8 hours, after being stimulated with capsaicin 5*10-5 M and 2,5*10-5 M and ethanol 0.05% vehicle of capsaicin and compared with unstimulated cells. Results: ethanol 0.05% as a diluent capsaicin, is responsible for the effect on the decrease in the expression of PGE2, IL-8 and IL-6 at the times and concentrations evaluated; and IL-12p-70 was the only cytokine that increased significantly in the presence of capsaicin 2,5*10-5 M at 8h, it is statistically greater than ethanol 0.05%. Capsaicin and ethanol had not significant effect on IL-1β. Conclusion: the effect of capsaicin on FPH, is associated with ethanol 0.05% used as diluent and varies depending on time and the mediator analyzed.