Mansur Rahnama

Pleomorphic adenoma of the palate: a case report and review of the literature.

Salivary gland tumors are rare and account for 2–3% of tumors occurring in the head and neck. Pleomorphic adenoma is a benign neoplasm which is commonly encountered in the parotid gland and other major salivary glands. At times they can also develop in minor salivary glands of the palate. The majority of minor salivary gland tumors are malignant. This case report describes a case of mixed tumor in a minor salivary gland of the hard palate.

The use of piezosurgery as an alternative method of minimally invasive surgery in the authors’ experience

Piezosurgery is a relatively new technique of bone surgery that is recently gaining popularity in implantology, periodontics and oral surgery. The piezosurgery device produces specific ultrasound frequency modulation (22 000–35 000 Hz). The unit provides extreme precision and safety as well as micrometric cutting, thus allowing one to selectively section the mineralized bone structures. Moreover, the device causes less bleeding during and after the operation and the healing process is shorter. Due to the aforementioned advantages, an ultrasound device could be utilized in a wide range of surgical procedures, e.g. impacted tooth extraction, elevation of the Schneiderian membrane, bone splitting or expansion of the ridge, preparing bone bed and bone sampling, and corticotomy, not to menton cystectomy.

Gingival Crevicular Fluid – Composition and Clinical Importance in Gingivitis and Periodontitis

Abstract Among many substances used in clinical diagnosis, such as peripheral blood, gum homogenate, saliva and gingival pocket fluid, it is the latter that seems to bean extremely valuable diagnostic and research material. Identification of mediators in gingival crevicular fluid, both in the healthy gingival fissure, as well as in pathological periodontal pockets can be a valuable supplement to the initial diagnosis and describe the mechanism of gumorperiodontal diseases. Changes in the concentration of individual components in the gingival crevicular fluid may be used to assess the severity of periodontal disease. There are numerous methods for collecting fluid from the sulcus described: Micro-capillary drainage, micropipette drainage, rinsing pocket or drainage with the use of methylcellulose strips and then reading with Periotron. Gingival fluid is composed mainly of blood electrolytes and organic molecules, i.e. albumins, globulins, lipoproteins or fibrinogen and cellular components as well as peptides, bacteria and enzymes. Therefore gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is treated as a window for noninvasive analysis of periodontitis, taking into account indicators and markers of connective tissue and bone destruction.

IL-1α and IL-1β Levels in Blood Serum and Saliva of Menopausal Women

Objective. The aim of this study was to examine the level of IL-1α and IL-1β in serum and saliva of postmenopausal women. Design. The study was designed to verify the possibility of using the salivary concentration of interleukin 1 as a marker in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Materials and methods. The study involved a group of 60 women during menopause—30 untreated and 30 treated with hormone replacement therapy. Patients were examined and anamnesis questionnaire was filled. Blood and saliva samples were collected. Densitometry was conducted on the femoral bone in order to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) of different research groups. Results. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of interleukins in the various research groups. The results of densitometric analysis showed a positive impact of hormone replacement therapy on the BMD (0.91–0.92 g/cm2) compared with the density in the group not treated with hormone therapy (0.77–0.8 g/cm2). There was no relationship between concentration of interleukins and the level of BMD. Conclusions. Further research on the level of cytokines in serum and saliva conducted on a broader group of patients is required. Determination of markers of bone turnover can be useful in the assessment of the treatment of metabolic bone changes.

Influence of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Osteoprotegerin and Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Ligand Concentrations in Menopausal Women

The study was designed to compare the levels of the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the serum and saliva of menopausal women and verify whether there is a correlation between concentrations of these cytokines and bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur and mandible. Blood and saliva samples were collected from a group of 60 women during menopause--30 untreated (control group) and 30 treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (research group). Densitometry was conducted on the femoral bone and mandible. BMD in the research group was significantly higher than in the control group. The OPG concentration was slightly higher in the research group. The concentration of RANKL was slightly higher in the control group. Differences in RANKL/OPG between groups were not high enough to be statistically significant. Analysis of the RANKL in saliva revealed a significantly higher concentration of this factor in the control group. Observed beneficial effects of HRT on bone tissue may be exerted through the RANKL/OPG ratio, but further research is required to clearly confirm this thesis.

The Analysis of Hormone Replacement Therapy Influence on Il-6 Expressionand Mandible T-Score of Postmenopausal Women

Objective: Aim of the study was to investigate the effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) on IL-6 gene expression and salivary concentration, bone mineral density (BMD) and T-score (the number of standard deviations below the average for a young adult at peak BMD) of mandible in menopausal women. Materials and Methods: Study was carried out on a group of 60 women during menopause - 30 untreated (control group) and 30 treated with HRT (test group). 30 patients has undergone natural menopause and other half of women were after ovariectomy. Examination of IL-6 gene expression was conducted on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and buccal epithelial lining (BEL). Saliva samples were collected and densitometry was conducted on the mandible. To evaluate the results of densitometric examination T-score index was calculated. Results: T-score index of the control groups reached values below (-2). T-score results for test group were higher than those in control group. HRT results in a slight decrease of the IL-6 level in saliva of the test group,compared with control group, but the differences between groups were not statistically significant. Only in groups after natural menopause treated with HRT significant increase of IL-6 gene expression was stated when compared to control groups. Conclusions: HRT has a significant osteoprotective effect on the mandible. This local beneficial effect of HRT may be exerted, inter alia, by local decrease in salivary concentration of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, but further research is required to clearly confirm this thesis. Results of IL-6 gene expression do not allow stating any clear thesis. It needs to be clarified if HRT has the same effect on cytokine gene expression as hormones produced by ovaries.

Analysis of the Influence of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Osteocalcin Gene Expression in Postmenopausal Women

Background. Osteocalcin (OC) contributes to the process of bone mineralization. Present study was designed to investigate the changes in OC gene expression of postmenopausal women treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Study was also designed to evaluate OC gene expression in cells which are not part of connective tissue. Material and Methods. Research was carried out on 30 postmenopausal women not treated and 30 treated with HRT. Examination of OC gene expression was conducted on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and buccal epithelial lining (BEL). Densitometry was conducted on femur and mandible. Results. Tests revealed OC gene expression in BEL and PBL. BMD was higher in groups treated with HRT. Assessment of correlation between the OC gene expression in BEL and BMD of mandible revealed significant positive relation. Conclusions. OC gene expression can be stated BEL and PBL. Analysis of correlation between OC gene expression in oral cavity and mandible BMD showed significant correlation between local OC expression and local bone metabolism. The relation between OC gene expression and bone metabolism is complex and further research is needed to clear all of the uncertainties.

Analysis of the influence of hormone replacement therapy on TNF-alpha serum levels in menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate and compare levels of TNF-α in serum of menopausal women treated and not treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). DESIGN The study was designed to verify whether there is a correlation between the concentrations of this cytokine and bone mineral density (BMD). MATERIAL/METHODS The study was carried out on a group of 60 women during menopause - 30 untreated (control group) and 30 treated with HRT (study group). Half of the patients were after natural menopause and the other half were after ovariectomy. Blood samples were collected. Densitometry was conducted on the vertebral column. To evaluate the results of densitometric examination the T-score index was calculated. RESULTS The T-score index of the control group reached values below -2. T-score results for the study group were significantly higher than in the control group. Hormone replacement therapy used by women from the study group caused a decrease in the TNF content in serum, compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS Beneficial effects of HRT on bone tissue may be exerted through decreased concentration of TNF-α in serum. The use of HRT allows constant bone mineral density to be maintained, which leads to prevention of osteoporotic changes.

Impact of Duffy antigen receptor for chemokine gene expression on mandibular bone density in menopausal women.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between the expression of the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokine (DARC) gene in peripheral blood leucocytes and epithelial cells of the oral cavity and the level of bone mineral density (BMD) in the mandible of women during menopause. A special radiographic method for measuring mandible density was used. Studies of DARC gene expression in the epithelial cells of the oral cavity and peripheral blood leucocytes did not confirm a significant correlation between expression of DARC and the level of BMD of the mandible in patients from the study groups, both in assessing the level of gene expression (ΔC(T) DARC) in the epithelium and leucocytes, as well as the value of relative expression (RQ) of DARC epithelium and lymphocytes. Significant differences were found between the values of ΔC(T) DARC marked in leucocytes and the epithelium of the control and study groups. Regarding RQ, the tests showed no significant differences between the values marked in the epithelial cells and leucocytes. The influence of DARC gene expression on bone mineral density of the mandible was not confirmed.

Expression of CD200 and CD200R regulatory molecules on the CD83+ monocyte-derived dendritic cells generated from patients with laryngeal cancer.

CD200 molecule may play a role in local tumor invasion and augmenting the metastatic capacity of squamous cell carcinoma. The objective of the study was to assess by means of flow cytometry the expression of CD200 and its receptor, CD200R, on CD83+ monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs), pulsed or not with autologous tumor cell lysates (aTCL) in patients who suffer from laryngeal carcinoma in comparison to healthy donors. The median value of CD200 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) on the Mo-DCs pulsed with aTCL of the patients with laryngeal cancer was 61.94 and was statistically significantly higher than on the unpulsed Mo-DCs of these patients (24.81) and healthy donors (16.63), p = 0.0034 and p = 0.0004, respectively. Median MFI score of CD200R in specimen derived from patients with laryngeal cancer was 259.31 on Mo-DCs pulsed with aTCL, while in unpulsed Mo-DCs was 86.74 (p = 0.0035) and on the Mo-DCs from control group it was 67.51 (p = 0.0004). The obtained results showed a relation between the presence of laryngeal cancer and the expression of CD200 and CD200R molecules on the CD83+ Mo-DCs pulsed with autologous cancer cell lysates. This analysis may have implications for setting new therapeutic options for cancer immunotherapy in the future.