Evaluation of Clinical Periodontal Indices and Serum Interleukin-27 by One-stage Full-mouth Disinfection and Quadrant Scaling and Root Planing in Periodontitis.

INTRODUCTION: One-stage oral disinfection technique has been developed to prevent cross-contamination between the treated and untreated areas between treatment sessions. Considering the role of inflammatory mediators in periodontitis, this study has been designed to compare the effects of one-stage oral disinfection with quadrant scaling and root planing (Q-SRP) on serum interleukin-27 (IL-27) levels in patients with moderate-to-advanced periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, two groups were considered. One group was treated with one-stage full-mouth oral disinfection (FMD), while the other group was treated with Q-SRP. In each group, 20 patients with chronic periodontitis were randomly selected based on the inclusion criteria. To evaluate the periodontal status, the clinical parameters of bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment level (CAL), and probing depth (PD) were measured before treatment as well as at 2- and 4-month intervals after treatment. At the same intervals, the immunological index of the study (serum IL-27) was measured by special laboratory kits. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 16 (SPSS 16) software. In this study, p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The results of this study indicate that there has been an elevation in the mean of serum IL-27 after treatment in both treatment groups. There is no significant difference between the levels of IL-27 in the FMD group during the study period (p = 0.20). All periodontal indices (BOP, CAL, and PD) show clinical improvement in each group (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in the improvement of periodontal indices of CAL and PD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, it can be said that both FMD and Q-SRP improve the periodontal indices and increase the serum level of the inflammatory mediator IL-27 in patients with periodontitis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Considering the benefits of the FMD method, such as patient and dentist comfort, systemic effects, and its cost-effectiveness, use of this method is suggested in patients suffering from periodontitis.

T Helper 1 (Th1), Th2, and Th17 Responses to Leishmania major Lipophosphoglycan 3.

Leishmania major is the main causal agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) that remains a serious public health concern in many tropical and subtropical countries. A long-lasting protective vaccine against leishmaniasis remains as a medical unmet need. Lipophosphoglycan 3 (LPG3) is one of the class II LPG genes from HSP90 family involved in the host immune responses. The aim of the present study is to investigate the capability of recombinant LPG3 (rLPG3) to induce Th1, Th2, Th17 responses. The results showed that rLPG3 in moderate and high concentrations significantly induced expression of Th1 lineage-specific transcription factor (T-bet) and cytokine (IFN-γ)(P < 0.05). Moreover, the Th1-stimulating effect of rLPG3 was confirmed by significant induction of IFN-γ secretion from treated T cells (P < 0.01). However, no significant effect of rLPG3 on Th2 and Th17 lineage cells was observed even in high concentration. Our findings demonstrate that rLPG3 induces Th1, but not Th2 and Th17, lineage responses. Further studies are needed to investigate adjuvant properties of rLPG3 for leishmania therapy.

Serum profile of IL-1ß and IL-17 cytokines in patients with visceral leishmaniasis.

Leishmania is an intracellular protozoan parasite, mainly infects macrophages of mammalian tissues. Inflammatory related cytokines have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum concentrations of IL-1ß and IL-17 in patients with active visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and control group. Serum concentrations of both IL-1ß and IL-17 cytokines were assessed by ELISA in Leishmania infantum infected patients (n = 25) and healthy individuals (n = 25) from Meshkin-Shahr, northwest of Iran. Mean serum concentrations of IL-1ß in the patients and control groups were 47.34 ± 23.82, and 20.49 ± 9.38, respectively, which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, mean IL-17 concentration in patients with VL (243.96 ± 73.46) was twice higher comparing to control group (106.38 ± 129.06) (p < 0.001). Several cytokines are involved in the regulation of immunity against VL. The present data has shown that, increased serum concentrations of IL-1ß and IL-17 are present in the patients with VL. Further investigations are needed to enhance our knowledge about the regulatory role of these cytokines in leishmaniasis.

IL-18 gene polymorphism in patients with visceral leishmaniasis in East Azarbaijan, Iran.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species. According to the important role of cellular immunity against VL, this study was directed to determine the frequency of -607A/C and -137G/C genotypes on promoter region of interleukin-18 gene. The study groups included 91 patients with confirmed history of VL, 106 healthy seronegative, and 79 healthy seropositive individuals. All three groups were analyzed by amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). The highest rate of -607/A, and -607/C alleles was observed in seronegative individuals (66/67 %) and in the patients (72/83 %). Allele frequency of -607/C is more than -607/A allele in all groups. In position of -137, frequency of -137/G allele in all groups was more than -137/C. Statistical analysis of distribution of genotypes, did not reveal any significant difference among groups. On the basis of the results, there was no significant association between VL and polymorphism of IL-18 promoter. The results of this study showed that IL-18 gene promoter polymorphisms at positions -607 and -137 are not associated with VL in East Azerbaijan, Iran.

Serum Level of Interleukin 17 in Patients with Erosive and Non erosive Oral Lichen Planus.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Oral lichen planus is a relatively common chronic oral mucosal disease of unknown etiology. Regarding numerous studies on the immunologic factors involved in the etiology of lichen planus, the present study evaluated the serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) level in patients with erosive and non-erosive oral lichen planus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive analytical study included 24 patients with erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP), 24 patients with non-erosive oral lichen planus (NEOLP) and 24 healthy volunteered as control. Blood samples of the subjects underwent ELISA, using special kits, to determine serum interleukin-17 levels. Data was analyzed using with descriptive statistic, chi-square test, and one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test with SPSS 16 software. RESULTS: EOLP patients showed a high level of serum IL-17 compared with NEOLP patents and control groups (EOLP=184.16 ± 12.41 pg/mL, NEOLP=106.09±10.78 pg/mL, control=15.50 ± 4.34 pg/mL, P - 0.001). CONCLUSION: High level of serum IL-17 in erosive oral lichen planus patients compared to the non-erosive type and healthy individuals may be the reason for higher inflammation and atrophy in the erosive type.

IgG avidity test for the diagnosis of acute Toxoplasma gondii infection in early pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is well known as an important infection in pregnant women. Although many serologic methods are available, diagnosis of early Toxoplasmosis may be extremely difficult. OBJECTIVE: To detect the Toxoplasma IgG antibodies developed at the early stage of infection in pregnant women. METHODS: 225 pregnant women, who were in the 2nd to 4th month of their pregnancy, enrolled in this study. Anti-toxoplasma IgG, IgM and IgG avidity were evaluated by ELISA method. RESULTS: The patients were categorized into three groups as follows: Group A, 124 cases; IgG+, IgM+, 55.1%; group B, 99 cases; IgG+, IgM-, 44%; and group C, 2 cases; IgG -, IgM +, 0.9%. Fifty five percent of the pregnant women had positive IgG and IgM among which 7.1% had low avidity which revealed an active infection in the pregnant women. In the current study, 44% of pregnant women had positive IgG and negative IgM, all of which had high avidity, which is an indication that in our population the level of toxoplasmosis infection is high and most women have had contacts with this parasite before pregnancy. CONCLUSION: In this study, the low avidity test was 7.1% showing that the occurrence of toxoplasmosis infection is still a serious issue. Observation of 45.8% high avidity among group A suggests that either IgM has a high half-life or there is a false positive IgM as a result of rheumatologic disorders. Therefore, avidity test is important in predicting maternal toxoplasmosis which is of value in disease treatment.