Total antioxidant property and pH change of dental plaque and saliva in 6-11-year-old children after consumption of flavored milk

Introduction: The antioxidant properties of chocolate and other flavored additives besides the sugar added to milk raises the question about the acidogenecity of flavored milk. This study was conducted to measure the pH changes of dental plaque and saliva after the consumption of flavored milk and evaluate the antioxidant property of them. Methods: This study was performed on 42 samples of dental plaque and 42 samples of saliva in 6-11 year old school going children. Milk with flavors of strawberry, chocolate, banana, honey and slim milk were evaluated, all from the same manufacturer with a similar production date. At the beginning of the study on the first day, children were given thorough oral propHylaxis and they were instructed to avoid any method of oral hygiene for 48 hours to permit enough plaque deposition. On the third day the children were divided into 7 groups, 6 children in each group. The supra-gingival plaque was collected through the help of an excavator #3 which was pulled twice with the same force on the tooth surface. The saliva was collected using spitting technique. Each child swished 10 cc of milk for 1 minute in his/her mouth. Fresh plaque samples after 5, 10, 20 and 30 minutes and saliva samples immediately, after 5, 10, 20 and 30 minutes were collected. The pH of the samples were recorded by a pH testing apparatus (Basic 20+, Crisom). To evaluate the antioxidant property of studied milk, Frap test was performed. The collected readings were reported as mean±SD and analyzed by ANOVA repeated measures, Post hoc Tukey and Paired T-test. In this study, p≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: After 30 minutes, honey milk caused the least drop 0.74±0.30 and banana milk caused the highest drop 1.38± 0.25 in plaque pH (p≤0.05). After 30 minutes, the pH of saliva showed no significant difference compared to the initial pH. Chocolate milk contained the highest (1000 micromol/liter) and banana milk the lowest (706.25 micromol/liter) antioxidant concentration. Conclusions: Because of the highest antioxidant properties and reduction of dental plaque PH to a lesser extent, milk with honey, chocolate and coffee is more recommended for children

Measurement of iron, magnesium and chromium concentrations in the saliva of the patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment

Introduction: Stainless steel alloy used in orthodontics has elements such as iron - magnesium and chromium, which may be released due to corrosion in the mouth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of these elements in the saliva of patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Methods: In a clinical study with simple non-random sampling, 1ml saliva of 11 patients (7 females and 4 males) who needed fixed orthodontic treatment and had no restorations or crowns were collected. During the fixed orthodontic treatment at successive times (a day, a week, a month, two months and six months), 1 ml of saliva was collected and evaluated for the amount of iron (spectrophotometry), chromium (atomic absorption), and magnesium (spectrophotometry). Bracket, band and wire used in all patients were stainless steel alloy and were manufactured by Dentaurum Company. After sample collection, the data analysis was performed with "Azeri-5" and "10 SPSS" software and repeated measures test. Results: The mean concentration of iron 66.326±0.541, chromium 0.483±0.324 and magnesium 0.552±293 decreased during the study but these results were not statisticaly significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Iron, chromium and magnesium concentration do not exceed the standard limits in saliva during orthodontic treatment

Evaluation of Interleukin- 6 Levels in Saliva of patients with Oral Lichen Planus

Introduction: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous inflammatory disorder with an unknown etiology. Although a considerable body of evidence suggests that immunologic factors are involved in the etiology of OLP, the involvement of cytokines in the pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood yet. The aim of the present study was to assess interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels as a proinflammatory cytokine in the saliva of OLP patients compared to healthy controls. Materials & Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 30 OLP patients (12 males and 18 females) and 30 healthy control subjects, selected from individuals who were referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases in Faculty of Dentistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences. Samples of unstimulated saliva were collected. Salivary IL-6 levels were measured using an ELISA kit and compared between OLP patients and healthy controls. The collected data were analyzed by Chi-square, independent t-test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve using SPSS 18. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPVs), and negative predictive values (NPVs) ​​were calculated. A value of p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean salivary IL-6 values in OLP patients and healthy controls were 24.68±9.90 ng/L and 13.76±9.27 ng/L, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The mean IL-6 values in reticular and erosive forms of OLP clinically were 24.35±9.26 ng/L and 24.91±10.64 ng/L, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant (P=0.87). Conclusions: Higher levels of IL-6 in saliva of OLP patients compared with healthy controls support the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of the disease

Normal calcium, sodium and potassium to creatinine ratio in Babol healthy adolescents

Background: Due to difficulty of obtaining a 24h urine (especially in children), a random urine calcium sample is recommended to detect of hypercalciuria. However, recent studies have shown that the urinary calcium/creatinine ratio varies with age and geographic areas. So, the aim of this study was determining the normal value of urinary calcium to creatinine ratio in healthy adolescent’s children. Methods: Four hundred eight children of 12 to 14-year-old were randomly selected from middle school in Babol (north of Iran) and early morning urinary samples of them were studied for determining normal urine Ca/Cr, Na/Cr and K/Cr ratios. Children who had the family with the history of renal disease were excluded from this study. Results: In this study the 50% and 95% of urinary Ca/Cr ratio were 0.08±0.02 and 0.13 mg/mg for the whole group. The mean of urinary Ca/Cr ratio in boys and girls were 0.08±0.03 and 0.08±0.02, respectively. The mean of urinary Na/Cr ratio in boys was 1.4±0.48 and in girls was 1.21±0.33. Also, the mean of urinary K/Cr ratio in boys and girls were 0.30±0.11 and 0.29±0.10, respectively. Conclusions: This study was shown that the urinary Ca/Cr ratio of these children is different from other geographic areas. Also, a direct relationship was seen between urinary Ca/Cr ratio, Na/Cr and k/Cr ratios

Evaluation of the effect of handheld mobile phone use on activity of the parotid glands amylase enzyme

Introduction: Alpha amylase is the most abundant enzyme of parotid gland. This enzyme starts digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth. A pair of parotid glands is located in front of ears. Several studies have been conducted on the effects of mobile phones on the parotid gland. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mobile phones on the activity of the amylase enzyme. Materials &Methods: Totally, 251 men and women aged 18 to 55 years, who only used Hamrahe Aval's operator were included. Parotid salivary samples of each individual were bilaterally collected using capillary tube placed in the vicinity of Stensen's duct. Bilateral amylase activity of each individual was evaluated with spectrophotometric method in the laboratory considering dominant sides of phone conversation and chewing. Data were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA, χ2, T test and SPSS software. Results: The relationship between the dominant phone conversation side and parotid amylase activity was not statistically significant but the correlation between prevailing chewing side and amylase activity was statistically significant (p=0.001). Conclusion: Handheld mobile phone was not effective on parotid amylase enzyme activity whereas chewing was effective on parotid amylase enzyme activity

Evaluation of the efficiency of electrocoagulation process in removing cyanide, nitrate, turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand from landfill leachate

Background: Leachate contains toxic and non-biodegradable substances that are not easily treated by conventional treatment methods. This study investigated the effect of pH, current density, and reaction time parameters on the removal of cyanide (CN-), nitrate (NO3-), turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from leachate by electrocoagulation process. Methods: This study was an experimental one with direct current using four parallel bipolar aluminum electrodes with 90% purity. The length, width, and thickness of the electrodes were 5 cm, 10 cm, and 2 mm, respectively. There were 6 holes with a diameter of 0.7 cm on each of the electrodes. The samples were prepared from the old leachate of solid waste landfill in Ghaemshahr, Iran. Results: In this study, at a current density of 33 mA/cm2 and a time of 60 minutes, the optimum removal efficiency of cyanide (100 %) was obtained at pH 5.5 and pH 10. Moreover, the maximum removal of nitrate (99.65 %) and turbidity (86.41 %) were at pH 5.5 and pH 8.3, respectively and the highest removal efficiency of COD (83.14 %) was obtained at pH 10. Conclusion: The results showed that the removal of cyanide, nitrate, turbidity, and COD increases with increasing current density and reaction time. Due to the proper removal of nitrate and cyanide from leachate by electrocoagulation, nitrate and cyanide amounts were less than the allowable contamination level. Based on the results, electrocoagulation is considered an efficient and effective method for removing nitrate and cyanide from old leachate of municipal solid wastes. Keywords: Electrocoagulation, Cyanides, Nitrates, Chemical oxygen demand analysis, Solid wast

The assessment of function, histopathological changes, and oxidative stress in liver tissue due to ionizing and non-ionizing radiations

Background: Compared to past decades, humans are exposed to rapidly increasing levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiations (RF-EMF). Despite numerous studies, the biological effects of human exposure to different levels of RF-EMF are not fully understood yet. This study aimed to evaluate the bioeffects of exposure to &#34;900/1800 MHz&#34; and &#8220;2.4 GHz&#34; RF-EMFs, and x-rays alone as well as their potential interactions, i.e. inducing simple additive, adaptive, or synergistic effects. Methods: 120 Wistar rats were randomly divided into ten groups of 12 each. The rats were exposed to RF-EMF, 10 cGy, and 8 Gy x-rays, a combination of these exposures, or only sham-exposed. The levels of liver enzymes were determined in serum samples by an autoanalyzer. Moreover, the histopathological changes, and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide, ferric reducing antioxidant power, total thiols, and protein carbonyl (PCO) were measured. Results: Among the markers of liver function, gamma-glutamyltransferase was not associated with irradiation but, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase showed some levels of association. MDA and PCO levels after 8 Gy irradiation increased, but pre-exposure to RF-EMF could modulate their changes. At the cellular level, the frequency of lobular inflammation was associated with the type of intervention. Conclusion: The exposure to both ionizing and non-ionizing radiations could alter some liver function tests. A short term pre-exposure to RF-EMF before exposure to an 8 Gy challenging dose of x-rays caused the alterations in oxidative stress markers and liver function tests, which indicate that oxidative stress is possibly involved in the adaptive response

Relationship between seminal malondialdehyde levels and sperm quality in fertile and infertile men

The aim of this study was to determine the level of malondialdehyde in seminal plasma of fertile and infertile men and investigate its relationship with sperm quality. Results showed that the mean of &plusmn; S.D. MDA concentration in seminal plasma of infertile men (0.94 &plusmn; 0.28 nmol/ml) was significantly higher than fertile men (0.65 &plusmn; 0.17 nmol/ml) (p value< 0.001), and had negative relationship with sperm count, motility and morphology. Therefore it could be concluded that increase in lipid peroxidation was associated with sperm membrane destructed and high level of MDA