The Relationship between Salivary Beta-2 Microglobulin and Uremia Intensity in Men with Chronic Renal Failure.

OBJECTIVE: This study defines the relationship between salivary beta-2 microglobulin (ß2-M) and intensity of uremia in male patients diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total of 42 males were enrolled in a case-control study. There were 21 cases of CRF and 21 control cases. We collected 10cc of saliva plus 5 cc of blood from all patients to determine ß2-M, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) levels. RESULTS: There was a correlation between the level of serum BUN and salivary urea in controls and patients, which was statistically significant for controls (p=0.028).The correlation between serum and salivary Cr was 0.195 in controls (p=0.398) and 0.598 in patients (p=0.006), which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum and saliva was 0.133 (p=0.566) in controls and 0.078 (p=0.737) in patients, which was not statistically significant. The correlation between serum BUN and ß2-M was 0.168 (p=0.469) in the control group and 0.629 (p=0.002) in patients, which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum Cr and ß2-M was 0.110 (p=0.635) in the control group and 0.678 (p=0.001) in patients, which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum BUN and salivary ß2-M was 0.093 (p=0.0690) in controls and 0.152 (p=0.152) in patients, which was not statistically significant. The correlation between serum Cr and salivary ß2-M was 0.072 (p=0.070) in the control group and 0.286 (p=0.209) in patients, which was not statistically significant in either group. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicated that salivary ß2-M cannot be used as a noninvasive indicator to detect the severity of renal failure.

Effect of a common diet and regular beverage on enamel erosion in various temperatures: an in-vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared diet and regular Coca-Cola on enamel erosion in cold and room temperatures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy five enamel specimens were prepared and divided into 5 equal groups (N=15) as follows: Group 1: regular beverage at room temperature, Group 2: regular beverage at refri-gerator temperature, Group 3: diet beverage at room and Group 4: diet beverage at refrige-rator temperature. The specimens were immersed in the regular or diet beverage (Coca-Cola, trade mark regd. Khoshgovar Co., Tehran, Iran) at room (20°C) or refrigerator (2°C) temperatures for 20 minutes, 3 times per day for 7 days. Specimens in the control subjects (group 5) were placed in synthetic saliva at room temperature for 7 days. The hardness of specimens was tested using Vickers test under 500 gr loads for 5 seconds. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviations of micro-hardness values of the studied groups were as follow: G1: 304.26±29.71, G2: 285.53±42.14, G3: 279.06±39.52, G4: 266.80±23.98 and G5: 319± 30.79. There was a significant difference in the beverage type as the main factor (p<0.05), but temperature factor and their interaction effect on enamel hardness showed no significant difference (p>0.05). Tukey tests showed that there were significant differences between control and diet groups as well as regular and diet groups. CONCLUSION: Diet Coca-Cola is more erosive than the regular type and the temperature of the beverages used had no significant influence on enamel erosion.

Oral contraceptive use and salivary C-erbB-2, CEA and CA15-3in healthy women: A Case-Control Study

Objectives: Oral contraceptives (OCP) are highly effective, safe and widely used. Higher exposure to endogenous and exogenous estrogens is generally thought to increase the risk of breast cancer. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine if oral contraceptive use affected the expression of CA 15-3, CEA and C-erb B-2 in the saliva of healthy women.Study design: The participants consisted of 87 healthy women (43 controls and 44 using oral contraceptives) ranging in age from 20 to 54 years. The volunteers participated by giving one – time stimulated whole saliva samples.Then the samples were analysed for CA 15-3, CEA and C-erb B-2 concentrations. Results: The student t-test was used to compare group means for variables with comparable variability. The meanof C-erb B-2, CEA, and CA 15-3 concentrations (in the case and control groups) was (1.93, 1.70), (34.46, 31.62) and(12.58, 16.19) respectively. These differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the levels of the cancer biomarkers C-erb B-2, CEA and CA 15-3 were not affected by increased levels of estrogens in the body (AU)

Oral contraceptive use and salivary C-erbB-2, CEA and CA15-3 in healthy women: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Oral contraceptives (OCP) are highly effective, safe and widely used. Higher exposure to endogenous and exogenous estrogens is generally thought to increase the risk of breast cancer. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine if oral contraceptive use affected the expression of CA 15-3, CEA and C-erb B-2 in the saliva of healthy women. STUDY DESIGN: The participants consisted of 87 healthy women (43 controls and 44 using oral contraceptives) ranging in age from 20 to 54 years. The volunteers participated by giving one - time stimulated whole saliva samples. Then the samples were analysed for CA 15-3, CEA and C-erb B-2 concentrations. RESULTS: The student t-test was used to compare group means for variables with comparable variability. The mean of C-erb B-2, CEA, and CA 15-3 concentrations (in the case and control groups) was (1.93, 1.70), (34.46, 31.62) and (12.58, 16.19) respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the levels of the cancer biomarkers C-erb B-2, CEA and CA 15-3 were not affected by increased levels of estrogens in the body.

Root Canal Configuration of One-rooted Mandibular Canine in an Iranian Population: An In Vitro Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A perfect endodontic treatment necessitates proper understanding of the morphology of canal and pulpal variations. This in vitro study was conducted to demonstrate the in-ternal anatomy of mandibular canine teeth in an Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The samples consisted of 100 extracted mandibular permanent canines. The roots of the teeth were molded in acrylic boxes. The crowns of the teeth were cut and 2 mm cross sections were made from CEJ to the apex. Sections were examined using stereomicroscope to reveal the number and location of root canals. RESULTS: From 100 evaluated teeth, 12 (12%) had 2 canals from which 5 had type II canal configu-ration and 7 (7%) had type III. 88% of the specimens had one canal and none were seen to be of type IV. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study emphasize the importance of dentist's knowledge of varia-tions in root canal morphology, since leaving a canal untreated is one of the main reasons of endodontic failures. When treating mandibular canines, the existence of a second canal should be taken into consideration.

Serum Interleukin-6 as a Serologic Marker of Chronic Periapical Lesions: A Case-control Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic periapical disease with pulpal origin is an inflammatory condition caused by bacterial infection. Chronic infection could affect general health by increasing the production of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) that probably play a role in pathogenesis of pulpal and periapical diseases. The aim of the present study was a comparative evaluation of the level of serum IL 6 in patients with periapical lesions and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytical case-control study included 40 patients with chronic peri-apical lesions and 40 individuals without any oral diseases. All of the participants were in good general health. After obtaining an informed consent, clinical and radiographic examinations were carried out and blood samples were collected. Serum IL-6 was measured using ELISA. Data were analyzed using t-test by SPSS 14.0 computer software. RESULTS: Serum IL-6 concentration was significantly higher in test group compared to the controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that IL-6 produced in periapical lesions may serve as a marker of pathologic inflammatory activities in chronic periapical lesions.

Epidemiology of pemphigus in tehran, iran: a 20-year retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune and vesiculobollous disease that can affect skin and different mucous membrane surfaces. Primary manifestations occur in oral cavity in almost 60% of cases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the epidemiology of pemphigus in Tehran, Iran in a 20-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on the records of 1560 patients diagnosed with different types of pemphigus in Razi Hospital of Dermatology in Tehran from March 1985 to March 2005. A questionnaire was prepared to collect information regarding age, sex, bedridden duration, pemphigus subtype, sites of involvement, recurrence and mortality rate. Data was analyzed using chi-square test with significant level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: There was a female predominance with a male to female ratio of 1:1.53. In nearly half of the patients, only the oral mucous membranes were affected. One hundred and fifty had only skin lesions and 261 cases had both skin and oral mucosal lesions. Involvement of esophageal and vaginal mucous membranes without skin lesions was observed in 150 patients and 298 cases had esophageal and vaginal mucosal involvement as well as skin lesions. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most common type, with the mean age of 44.6 years. Oral mucous membrane was the most frequent location where pemphigus vulgaris was observed. 1265 patients recovered which 52.2% of them had only oral lesions. Average of bedridden duration was 2.9 months. The highest recurrence rate was seen in patients with skin lesions exclusively. There was a significant difference between recurrences of lesions and location of involvement (P < 0.05). Thirty six patients had died from of the disease. CONCLUSION: The mean age of the disease onset in the present study was found to be a decade earlier than the other parts of the world. Recurrence and mortality rates were lower in patients with only oral lesions and their prognosis was better.