Higher Prevalence of Periodontitis and Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth in Patients with Psoriasis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence and severity of periodontitis and decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index in patients with psoriasis. As a secondary aim, verify if periodontitis was a risk indicator for psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 69 patients diagnosed with psoriasis (48.7 ± 14.6 years) and 74 healthy controls (40.3 ± 12.9 years) participated in the study. Probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss (CAL), bleeding on probing, plaque index, and DMFT index were measured in all subjects. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of at least three interproximal sites with CAL ≥3 mm in different teeth and severe periodontitis should involve at least two interproximal sites in different teeth with CAL ≥5 mm. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze the demographics and the clinical data. The significance level was 5%. A multivariate logistic regression was conducted, and the odds ratio were calculated to express the risk to develop psoriasis. RESULTS: Patients with psoriasis had significantly more sites with CAL ≥3 mm (p < 0.03) and CAL ≥5 mm (p < 0.0001), less sites with plaque (p < 0.0001), fewer teeth (p < 0.0001), and a high DMFT index (p < 0.02) as compared with controls. Severe periodontitis was significantly more frequent (87.1% × 58.1%) and was a risk indicator for psoriasis after adjusting for sex, age, race, and smoking habits (odds ratio: 3.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.5-9.0, p < 0.003). CONCLUSION: Patients with psoriasis have higher prevalence of severe periodontitis and higher DMFT than control patients. Severe periodontitis may be a risk indicator for psoriasis.

In vitro lymphocyte stimulation by recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen: a tool to detect the persistence of cellular immunity after vaccination.

The study of the human immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been hampered by the lack of an adequate model to evaluate the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) specific cell response. Thus, this study was conducted to perform an in vitro analysis of the antigenic properties of recombinant HBsAg and demonstrate the influence of variables such as culture time, antigen concentration and cell density on lymphocyte proliferation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the venous blood of vaccinated individuals, and in vitro cellular immune responses were evaluated using an HBsAg-specific proliferation assay. Lymphoproliferative responses were detected in culture systems, despite the lack of serum antibodies. Optimal results were obtained when lymphocytes were stimulated at a seeding density of 4×10(6) cells/mL, with 50 ng/mL of recombinant HBsAg protein vaccine for 3 days. Data from the present study may contribute to the development of an adequate system to evaluate the cellular immune responses to HBsAg in vaccine recipients.

Efeito do tratamento periodontal não cirúrgico nos níveis de proteína C reativa em grávidas com periodontite: estudo piloto / Effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy in serum levels of C reactive protein in pregnant women with periodontitis: pilot study

Este trabalho avaliou o efeito da terapia periodontal não cirúrgica nas concentrações da proteína C reativa (CRP) no sangue de grávidas. O grupo com periodontite era composto por 23 grávidas com pelo menos 4 sítios com nível de inserção à sondagem (NIS) 3mm, sendo que 12 (33.5 ± 4.7 anos) receberam terapia periodontal (PCT) e 11 (25.3 ± 5.4 anos) não receberam intervenção periodontal (PST). Sete grávidas (24.1 ± 5.9 anos) foram utilizadas como grupo controle sem periodontite. O exame clínico periodontal foi constituído de profundidade de bolsa à sondagem (PBS) e NIS. As análises da CRP foram feitas através de ELISA no sangue periférico. O tratamento periodontal incluiu instruções de higiene oral, raspagens e alisamento radicular em sessão única. A freqüência de PBS 4mm e NIS 3 mm nos grupos PCT e PST foram significativamente maiores do que no grupo controle (p<0.01). O grupo PCT apresentava a freqüência de PBS 3 6mm e NIS3 6mm significativamente maior que o grupo PST (p<0.01). No dia 0, os níveis da CRP se encontravam significantemente maiores do grupo PCT quando comparados ao PST (p=0.001) e ao controle (p=0.004). No grupo PCT, os níveis de CRP baixaram após o tratamento periodontal, sem atingir significância. Porém, no grupo PST houve uma tendência ao aumento nos níveis de CRP (p=0.06). Sendo assim, podemos concluir que a terapia periodontal pode ter evitado a elevação dos níveis sérios de CRP em grávidas com periodontite.