Sialometric and Sialochemical Changes in Morbidly Obese Patients before and after Bariatric Surgery.

AIM: To evaluate the sialometric and sialochemical changes in morbidly obese patients before and after bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 74 participants were divided into three groups paired by sex and age: (a) Experimental 1 (E1)-morbid obesity (n = 40)-according to the Fobi-Capella technique, corresponding to the individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 40 kg/m2 prior to bariatric surgery; (b) Experimental 2 (E2)-the same individuals after surgery; and (c) control (C) (n = 34)-individuals with a BMI of nearly 23 kg/m2. The measure of salivary flow was carried out by collecting stimulated saliva. The pH was evaluated using the pocket pH meter, while the salivary buffer capacity (SBC) was determined by the titration method. Analyses of the salivary concentration of total proteins (TPs), amylase activity, urea, calcium (Ca++), and glucose were evaluated using the calorimetric method. RESULTS: Group E1, as compared with group C, presented the highest pH levels (p = 0.03), amylase activity (p = 0.00), and calcium (p = 0.00). The opposite was observed for glucose (p = 0.00), TP (p = 0.04), and urea (p = 0.04). Group E2, as compared with group C, revealed higher levels of amylase (p = 0.00) and calcium (p = 0.00). The opposite was observed for SBC (p = 0.01), PT (p = 0.00), and glucose (p = 0.00). Group E1, as compared with group E2, presented higher values of SBC (p = 0.00) and urea (p = 0.00). The lowest values were found for calcium and urea (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Both weight gain and bariatric surgery are risk factors for the oral condition, causing change in some important salivary components, such as TP, amylase, calcium, and glucose. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This article is a valuable addition to the scientific literature, due to its novelty. There are no papers that show salivary alterations related to bariatric surgeries.

Cell adhesion to plasma-coated PVC.

To produce environments suitable for cell culture, thin polymer films were deposited onto commercial PVC plates from radiofrequency acetylene-argon plasmas. The proportion of argon in the plasmas, P(Ar), was varied from 5.3 to 65.8%. The adhesion and growth of Vero cells on the coated surfaces were examined for different incubation times. Cytotoxicity tests were performed using spectroscopic methods. Carbon, O, and N were detected in all the samples using XPS. Roughness remained almost unchanged in the samples prepared with 5.3 and 28.9% but tended to increase for the films deposited with P(Ar) between 28.9 and 55.3%. Surface free energy increased with increasing P(Ar), except for the sample prepared at 28.9% of Ar, which presented the least reactive surface. Cells proliferated on all the samples, including the bare PVC. Independently of the deposition condition there was no evidence of cytotoxicity, indicating the viability of such coatings for designing biocompatible devices.