Correlation of serum and salivary CA15-3 levels in patients with breast cancer

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between serum and saliva levels of cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 and to compare them between women with and without breast cancer. Study design: A case-control study was carried out on 61 women aged 28-69 years, including women with and without breast cancer (26 as part of the case study and 35 as part of the control group) conducted at the Emam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. CA15-3 levels were assayed in serum and unstimulated whole saliva by EIA. Unpaired t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used as statistical analysis. Results: The salivary and serological levels of CA15-3 in the cancer patients were significantly higher (P <0.01) than the salivary and serum levels of healthy controls. They were also higher in stage 2 than in stage 1 in cancer patients. However, the saliva flow rate was significantly lower in the cancer patients (P <0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between serum and saliva CA15-3 concentration (r = 0.614) and also between serum concentration and saliva output of CA15-3 (r = 0.541). Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that salivary CA15-3 may have potential use in the initial detection of breast cancer in women

Unstimulated whole saliva 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in patients with xerostomia in menopausal women

Abstract Background and aim The aim of this study was to compare unstimulated whole saliva 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) in menopausal women with and without oral dryness (OD) feeling, and evaluate the relationship between saliva 25(OH)D and severity of OD feeling. Methods A case-control study was carried out on 70 selected menopausal women aged 41-77 years with or without OD feeling (35 as case and 35 as control) conducted at the Clinic of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Unstimulated saliva samples were obtained by expectoration. Xerostomia inventory (XI) score was used as an index of OD feeling severity. The saliva 25(OH)D concentration was measured by ELISA. Statistical analysis of Student&apos;s t test and Spearman correlation was used. Results The mean saliva 25(OH)D level was significantly higher in the case group (897.1 ± 128.9 pg/ml), compared with control (156.7 ± 43.4 pg/ml; P \ 0.05). XI score correlated significantly with saliva 25(OH)D concentration (r = 0.457, P \ 0.001). Conclusions It seems that the level of salivary 25(OH)D concentration may be higher in menopausal women with OD feeling than in the control group, and there is a positive correlation between OD feeling severity and unstimulated whole saliva 25(OH)D

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Serum and Saliva of Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is considered as a potentially malignant disorder and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a key role in cancer development. The aim of this study was to compare serum and saliva VEGF among patients with OLP, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and a healthy control group. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed on 27 patients with OLP, 27 patients with OSCC and 27 healthy volunteers. The serum and saliva VEGF were assayed by ELISA method. Statistical analysis of ANOVA was used. Results: The mean saliva flow rate and serum VEGF in OLP and OSCC patients were significantly lower compared to healthy control group (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between OLP and OSCC patients. There was no significant difference in mean salivary VEGF among groups. Conclusion: It seems that saliva VEGF may not be a good biomarker for OLP and OSCC

Serum and Saliva Myelin Basic Protein as Multiple Sclerosis Biomarker

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is presented with motor and sensory function loss. It is caused by demyelination and following axonal lesion. As Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) is one of the key elements of the myelin cover, we examined the level of MBP in serum, stimulated, and unstimulated saliva as a suitable biomarker for detecting MS. Methods: A case-control study was performed in 29 healthy women and 32 definitive relapsing-remitting MS patients hospitalized in Imam Reza hospital, Tehran, Iran. MBP level was assayed in serum and stimulated and unstimulated whole saliva. Results: MBP was expressed at a lower level in serum and stimulated saliva of MS patients compared to the control group. The serum MBP level had a considerable correlation with its stimulated saliva level. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed significant diagnostic ability for MBP to discriminate MS patients with serum and stimulated saliva from controls. Conclusion: Serum and saliva level of MBP is lower in MS, so it may be considered a potential biomarker in MS

The Evaluation of the Level of C3 and C4 Complements in Unstimulated Saliva of Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

Background and Objectives: Deficiency in the complement system can lead to some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of C3 and C4 complements in unstimulated saliva of individuals with oral lichen planus (OLP) and healthy subjects. Methods: In this case-control study, 31 healthy individuals and 31 patients with OLP entered the study. The values of C3 and C4, were measured using immunoturbidimetric method, and statistical analysis of data was carried out by t- and ROC tests.   Results: The mean concentrations of C3 and C4 in unstimulated saliva in patients with OLP, were significantly lower than the control group. The C4 cut-off point was obtained to distinguish patients from healthy individuals, 0.78 mg/dL with a sensitivity of 76 and a specificity of 55.   Conclusion: The levels of C3 and C4 complement proteins were low in OLP. Therefore, it seems that these complements are involved in the pathogenesis of OLP and may be considered as potential biological markers for the diagnosis of OLP

Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibody Levels in Blood Supply of Shiraz Blood Transfusion Institute, Iran

  Background: The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the blood donors has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in blood products. Methods: A total of 250 blood products (112 fresh frozen plasma and 138 packed cells) in the Blood Transfusion Institute, Shiraz, Iran were tested for spe-cific T. gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) by ELISA method in 2013. Positive IgG anti-T. gondii samples were further tested for IgM anti-T. gondii antibody. A posi-tive IgG test with the negative and positive IgM test was interpreted as a chronic and acute toxoplasmosis respectively. The relationship of jobs, blood types, sex, marital status and residency of participants with chronic toxoplasmosis prevalence were statistically analyzed by χ2. Results: Of 250 samples, 58 (23.2%) and one were positive for IgG anti-T. T. gondii (chronic) and IgM anti-T. T. gondii (acute) antibodies levels respectively. Twenty nine (25.9%) of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) samples were positive for IgG anti-T. gondiiiand 1(0.89%) of them was positive for IgM anti-T. gondiii antibody. Thirty (21.74%) of packed cell samples were positive for IgG anti-T. gondii anti-body. The prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis was significantly higher in work-ers, farmers, house wives, unemployed and free jobs (P=0.007), people with low education levels (P=0.035) and B type of blood ABO system (P=0.0001). How-ever, there were no significant differences regarding to age, sex, marital status, residency and type of blood products. Conclusions: There were chronic and acute toxoplasmosis in blood products and the prevalence of toxoplasmosis especially chronic form was high. Therefore screening of blood for T. gondii antibodies may be considered

Comparative Evaluation of EGF in Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is classified as a potential malignant disorder, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) may play a key role in cancer development. The aim of this study was to compare serum and saliva EGF among patients with OLP and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A cross-sectional study was performed on 27 patients with OLP (10 reticular and 17 atrophic-erosive forms), 27 patients with OSCC and 27 healthy control group. The study was conducted at the Cancer Department, Clinic of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The serum and saliva EGF were assayed by ELISA method. Statistical analysis of ANOVA was used. The mean serum EGF in OLP and OSCC patients was significantly lower compared to healthy control group (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between OLP and OSCC patients. There was no significant difference in mean salivary EGF among groups. As serum EGF levels appear to be statistically similar in OLP and OSCC, it seems that EGF might play a role in the pathogenesis of OLP and its cancerization

Efficacy of Oral Habit Amendment in Neck Pain Treatment

Background and Aim: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) can be associated with pain in other areas such as the neck. Multiple causes have been suggested for TMDs; parafunctional habits such as bruxism and clenching are among the most commonly suggested etiologies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the amendment of oral parafunctional habits in the improvement of TMDs and neck pain. Materials and Methods: This before-and-after interventional study was conducted on 136 patients with TMDs, parafunctional habits, and neck pain. The patients were instructed on how to quit their parafunctional habits and were followed up for two months. The neck pain disability index (NPDI), anamnestic dysfunction index (Ai), and clinical dysfunction index (Di) of TMD were evaluated before and after the modifica-tion of parafunctional habits. Data were analyzed using paired Student’s t-test, Wilcox-on, Mann-U-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most TMD patients were women (74.5%). The patients’ scores significantly de-creased from 4 to 1 in the Ai, from 8 to 1 in the Di, and from 49 to 25 in the NPDI two months after the intervention (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the NPDI, Ai, and Di scores following the amendment of oral parafunctional habits between males and females or among different age ranges. Age did not significantly correlate with the changes in the NPDI, Ai, and Di scores after the improvement of oral parafunctional habits. The NPDI significantly correlated with the Ai score. Conclusion: It seems that parafunctional habit modification improves TMDs and neck pain

Unstimulated Salivary p53 in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Unstimulated whole salivary p53 was evaluated in non-involved subjects, in patients suffering from oral lichen planus (OLP) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A total of 34 patients with OLP, 24 patients suffering from oral SCC and 41 non-involved participants were enrolled. The unstimulated whole saliva p53 level was assayed by ELISA. Data was analyzed by ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test. Saliva  p53  concentration  in  patients  with  SCC  (5.36±1.08)  was  significantly  higher  than  in  healthy participants (0.41±0.04) and in patients suffering from OLP (0.94±0.31). This study could not confirm the precancerous nature of OLP based on the relatively low p53 expressions in comparison to SCC