[An epidemiologic examination on the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in Yusho patients in 2010].

An epidemiologic examination was carried out to reveal the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in patients with Yusho in 2010. The results obtained were as follows. 1) Yusho patients complained of tooth pain and periodontal diseases such as gingival swelling, but not of oral pigmentation. 2) 104 patients out of 117 patients with Yusho, who were measured periodontal pocket depth according to Ramfjord' methods, had at least one tooth with periodontal pocket deeper than 3 mm. Similarly, 314 teeth out of a total 551 examined teeth showed a periodontal pocket with more than 3 mm in depth. However, it was determined that 57 teeth had a periodontal pocket deeper than 4 mm. 3) Oral pigmentation was observed in 63 patients out of 122 patients with Yusho. In this study, gingival pigmentation was most predominant among oral pigmentation. The prevalence of oral pigmentation in male patients seemed to be somewhat higher than that in female patients. In addition, the prevalence of oral pigmentation tended to be higher in patients under seventy years old than patients beyond the age of seventy. These results indicated that PCB-related compounds may be responsible for the higher prevalence of both periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation.

[An epidemiologic examination on the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in Yusho patients in 2008].

An epidemiologic examination was carried out to reveal the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in patients with Yusho in 2008. The results obtained were as follows. 1) Yusho patients complained of tooth pain and periodontal diseases such as gingival swelling, gingival bleeding, but not of oral pigmentation. 2) 116 patients out of 148 patients with Yusho, who were measured periodontal pocket depth according to Ramfjord' methods, had at least one tooth with periodontal pocket deeper than 3 mm. Similarly, 399 teeth out of a total 710 examined teeth showed a periodontal pocket with more than 3 mm in depth. However, it was determined that 74 teeth had a periodontal pocket deeper than 4 mm. 3) Oral pigmentation was observed in 91 patients out of 155 patients with Yusho. In this study, gingival pigmentation was most predominant among oral pigmentation. The prevalence of oral pigmentation in male patients seemed to be somewhat higher than that in female patients. In addition, the prevalence of oral pigmentation tended to be higher in younger patients than in elder patients. Pigmentation of the buccal mucosa, lip or palate, however, was observed only in patients beyond the age of fifty. These results indicated that PCB-related compounds may be responsible for the higher prevalence of both periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation.

Attenuation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin toxicity by resveratrol: a comparative study with different routes of administration.

The activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is known to be antagonized by co-treatment with resveratrol. However, such a protective effect has been suggested from studies using subcutaneous injection of this polyphenol. To evaluate the practical usefulness of resveratrol, this study examined the protective effect of oral resveratrol on the sub-acute toxic effects of TCDD in C57BL/6J mice. A TCDD-induced wasting syndrome was not alleviated by treating mice for 28 d with oral resveratrol. However, subcutaneous injection of resveratrol for 5 d significantly improved the symptoms. Neither oral nor subcutaneous administration of resveratrol alleviated TCDD-induced hepatomegaly and thymic atrophy. Steatosis produced by TCDD was markedly counteracted by co-treatment with oral resveratrol, whereas resveratrol injected subcutaneously had no effect. The reason for the lack of protective effect via the latter dosing route was assumed to be due to the minor accumulation of hepatic lipids 5 d after TCDD treatment. To clarify the mechanisms, the activity of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the liver were measured. Both indices increased by TCDD treatment were significantly suppressed by subcutaneous injection of resveratrol. In contrast, oral resveratrol failed to rescue them. In agreement with the greater protective effects of subcutaneously-injected resveratrol, pharmacokinetic studies indicated that the area under the curve extrapolated to infinity (AUC(infinity)) was 8.2-times greater following subcutaneous injection compared with oral administration. These data suggest that 1) oral resveratrol is attractive candidate as an agent capable of combating dioxin toxicity and 2) increasing the bioavailability of this polyphenol enhances its protective effect.

[Epidemiologic examination on the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in Yusho patients in 2006].

An epidemiologic examination was carried out to reveal the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in patients with Yusho in 2006. The results obtained were as follows. (1) 98 patients out of 106 patients with Yusho, who were measured periodontal pocket depth according to Ramfjord' methods, had at least one tooth with periodontal pocket deeper than 3 mm. Similarly, 343 teeth out of a total 494 examined teeth showed periodontal pocket with more than 3 mm depth. (2) Oral pigmentation was observed in 61 patients out of 116 patients with Yusho. In this study, gingival pigmentation was most predominant among oral pigmentation. The prevalence of oral pigmentation in male patients seemed to be somewhat higher than that in female patients. In addition, this examination revealed that the patients below the age of sixty had a high prevalence of oral pigmentation. These results indicated that PCB-related compounds may be responsible for the higher prevalence of both periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced change in intestinal function and pathology: evidence for the involvement of arylhydrocarbon receptor-mediated alteration of glucose transportation.

Although numerous studies have been performed to clarify the mechanism(s) underlying the toxicological responses induced by dioxins, their effect on the intestine is less well understood. To address this issue, we examined the effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on the pathology and function of the intestine in arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-sensitive (C57BL/6J) and -less-sensitive (DBA/2J) mice. A single oral administration of TCDD (100 mug/kg) to C57BL/6J mice produced changes in villous structure and nuclear/cytoplasm ratio in the epithelial cells of the intestine. Furthermore, in an oral glucose tolerance test, the serum glucose level was significantly increased in the C57BL/6J mouse but not in the DBA/2J mouse by TCDD treatment. In agreement with this, the expression of intestinal mRNAs coding sodium-glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) and glucose transporter type 2 were increased only in C57BL/6J mice by TCDD. The increase in the former transporter was also confirmed from its protein level. The glucose level in the intestinal contents is thought to be one of the factors contributing to SGLT1 induction. Concerning with this, the intestinal activity of sucrase and lactase was significantly increased only in C57BL/6J mice by TCDD. These results suggest that while TCDD produces initial damage to the intestinal epithelium, the tissues induce SGLT1 to facilitate the absorption of glucose, which is expected, at least partially, to combat the wasting syndrome induced by TCDD. The data provided here also suggest that AhR is involved in the mechanism of SGLT1 induction.

An epidemiologic examination on the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in Yusho patients in 2002.

An epidemiologic examination was carried out to reveal the prevalence of the periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation in patients with Yusho. The results obtained were as follows. 1) 95 patients out of 110 patients, who were examined periodontal pocket depth using Ramfjord' methods, had at least one tooth with periodontal pocket deeper than 3 mm. Similarly, 276 teeth out of a total 495 examined teeth showed periodontal pockets with more than 3 mm depth. However, the ratio of the teeth with periodontal pockets deeper than 4 mm to total examined teeth in each age fell to less than 25%. 2) Oral pigmentation was observed in 75 patients out of 121 patients with Yusho. In this examination, gingival pigmentation was most predominant among oral pigmentation. It is of particular interest that severe pigmentation tended to be observed at a much higher frequency in younger patients with Yusho. Taken these findings into consideration, it was suggested that PCBs and related compounds might play an important role in the development of both periodontal diseases and oral pigmentation.