Effects of various analgesics on the level of prostaglandin E2 during orthodontic tooth movement.

AIM: The aim of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study was to evaluate the analgesic effects of preoperative/postoperative ibuprofen and acetaminophen use after bonding and to find a relation between the pain level and the amount of prostaglandin released. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients were included and randomly divided to three equal groups that received either ibuprofen, acetaminophen or placebo for pain relief. The pain levels were measured before bonding, after bonding, at first, second, third, and seventh days on a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were collected at the same time intervals to measure the amount of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) released. PGE2 levels were determined with ELISA test. The results were evaluated with Wilcoxon and Kruskal­Wallis tests with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Acetaminophen and placebo groups showed similar pain levels during the first 2 days, whereas ibuprofen group showed lower pain levels during the first day after bonding. PGE2 levels did not show statistically significant difference in time within the analgesic groups. No significant relation between the pain perceived and PGE2 released was found. LIMITATIONS: The biggest limitation of this study is the subjective nature of pain and its method of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The perception of pain by patients taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen at pre/post appliance placement was not different from patients taking placebo. No time-related differences in PGE2 level were found between the groups and no significant correlation was found between the perception of pain and PGE2 levels.

Evaluation of the presence of Helicobacter species in the biliary system of Turkish patients with cholelithiasis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter genus and bile-resistant Helicobacter pylori are suggested to have a role in gallstone formation and epithelial cell proliferation in the gallbladder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter species in the gallbladder tissue, bile and gallstones of Turkish patients with cholelithiasis. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with calculous cholecystitis and 3 controls were evaluated for the presence of Helicobacter spp. by culture, polymerase chain reaction, and histological and immunohistochemistry methods. RESULTS: Escherichia coli (10.6%), Enterobacter amnigenus (6.3%), Klebsiella planticola (2.1%), and Klebsiella ozaenae (2.1%) were isolated from the sample cultures of 8 patients. No other microorganisms, including H. pylori and other Helicobacter spp., were detected. Polymerase chain reaction was negative for Helicobacter spp. and H. pylori. No microorganisms resembling Helicobacter spp. were seen on the histological sections. The association between the presence of bacteria and epithelial cell proliferation index was not statistically significant (p=0.48). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between the presence of Helicobacter spp. and development of cholelithiasis in our study group. The microorganisms found in the samples did not reveal any significant association with the underlying disease.