Impact of periodontitis on chemokines in smokers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the chemokine expression profiles in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum in patients with advanced chronic periodontitis and to assess the impact of smoking on local and systemic levels of chemokines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with chronic periodontitis (CP; 20 smokers and 10 non-smokers) and 20 periodontally healthy subjects (10 smokers and 10 non-smokers) were recruited. Clinical parameters included the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding on probing (BOP). Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1ß), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted chemokine (RANTES) were measured in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum using a multiplex immunoassay. RESULTS: MIP-1α levels were significantly lower (10.15 ± 1.48; p = 0.039) while MIP-1ß levels were significantly higher (42.05 ± 8.21; p = 0.005) in sera from non-smoker patients with CP compared to non-smoker healthy subjects. MCP-1 concentration in sera was significantly higher in smoker periodontitis patients (8.89 ± 1.65) compared to non-smoker patients with periodontitis (8.14 ± 0.97; p = 0.004). MIP-1α and RANTES were significantly higher in GCF of the patients with CP (p = 0.001) while there were no statistically significant correlations between the GCF levels of these analytes and the smoking status. CONCLUSION: Periodontal inflammation increases the chemokine concentrations in the GCF while smoking suppresses chemokine levels in serum suggesting that different local and systemic mechanisms are involved during the response to periodontitis in smokers. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding the local and systemic chemokine responses in smokers will enable the development of biologically-based treatment methods for chronic periodontitis.

Relationship between retraction and refraction values in patients with Duane's retraction syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate refractive findings in patients with unilateral Duane's retraction syndrome (DRS). METHODS: This retrospective study included 40 patients followed for unilateral DRS. Detailed ophthalmological examinations of the patients were performed. The spherical and cylindrical refractive error, spherical equivalent, and type of refractive error in the eyes with DRS and the fellow eyes were determined. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to their type of DRS. The refractive properties of the eyes with DRS were examined in subgroup analyses. Eye movement limitation was graded between +1 and +4 and compared according to the refractive error type. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 16.8±12.6 (range, 1-60) years. Of the eyes with DRS, 11 (27.5%) were emmetropic, four (10%) were hyperopic, two (5%) were myopic, 11 (27.5%) were myopic astigmatic, and 12 (30.0%) were hyperopic astigmatic. There was no statistically significant difference between the eyes with DRS and fellow eyes in relation to the spherical or cylindrical refractive errors or spherical equivalent (P>0.05 for all). The refraction values for the patients with type 1, type 2 and type 3 DRS were similar between groups (P>0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected in the degree of eye movement limitation according to refractive status (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: In patients with unilateral DRS, there was no significant difference between the affected eyes and the fellow eyes in terms of refractive error values or types. Refractive status did not significantly differ according to the degree of eye movement limitation. Therefore, although extraocular muscles are affected by DRS, there may not be any significant refractive changes.