Serum progesterone level in menopamal women with oral dryness

Dry mouth is a major complaint of many elderly individuals especially those who are in menopause period. Although the exact mechanisms that mediate xefastomia have not been firmly established, sex steroid hormones appear to play a considerable role in the physiology of the human oral cavity. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum progesterone level in menopausal women with oral dryness feeling. A case-control study was carried out on 70 selected menopausal women aged 42-78 years with or without dry mouth [35 case and 35 controls] conducted at the Oral Medicine Clinic of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Serum concentration of progesterone was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Statistical analysis using Spearman and Student's unpaired t-tests were used. The mean concentration of serum progesterone was significantly lower in cases [30 +/- 10 pg/ml] than in control group [171 +/- 70 pg/ml, P=0.026]. There was a negative correlation between serum progesterone concentration and severity of oral dryness feeling [r = -0.295; P< 0.05]. The results showed that subjects with dry mouth had decreased serum level of progesterone compared with those without dry mouth, which suggests an association of progesterone with symptoms of oral dryness

[Serum cortisol level in menopausal women with dry mouth]

Dry mouth or xerostomia is a major complaint of many elderly individuals especially in menopause. The exact mechanisms that mediate xerostomia have not been firmly established. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum cortisol level in menopausal women with dry mouth. A case-control study was carried out on 96 selected menopausal women aged 42 to 77 years with or without dry mouth [48 as case and 48 as control] conducted at the clinic of oral medicine, Tehran university of medical sciences. Serum concentration of cortisol was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Statistical analysis of Student's unpaired t-test was used. The mean concentration of serum cortisol was significantly higher in the case group [109.2 +/- 5.5 ng/ml] compared to the control group [93.1 +/- 5.4 ng/ml] [P<0.05]. The results showed that subjects with dry mouth had an increased serum level of cortisol compared with those without this symptom, which suggests an association between cortisol and symptoms of oral dryness

[ effects of intra-locus coeruleus injection of dopamine D2 receptor agents on Naloxone withdrawal signs in Morphine-dependent rats]

Opiate-induced addiction is a main social problem in Iran. As treatment of this problem is a health priority among the medical community, studies on this topic are very crucial. The exact mechanism of dependence on opiates and their withdrawal syndrome remain unclear. It seems that dopaminergic system and locus coeruleus [LC] have an important role in the expression of somatic signs during opioids withdrawal. The LC has been shown to contain significant levels of dopamine [DA]. In the present study, the effects of different D2 dopaminergic receptor agonist and antagonist administration in the LC on withdrawal sign expression in morphine dependence is investigated in rats. Adult male Wistar rats, weighing 220-280 g were divided into eight groups [n=8]. Two cannulae were stereotaxically implanted bilaterally into the LC of each rat. After a one-week recovery, seven groups were rendered dependent on morphine by subcutaneous injection during a seven-day period. Non-dependent control animals received saline according to the same protocol. Animals received bilateral intra-LC injections of saline [1 micro g/site] and quinpirole [0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 micro g/site, a D2 agonist] 15 min and sulpiride [5, 15 and 30 micro g/site, a D2 antagonist] 30 min prior to naloxone injection about 24 hours after the last dose of morphine or saline according to their respective group. To calculate the total withdrawal score, as an index of withdrawal syndrome, 20 different withdrawal signs were assessed and the scores of the intensity of these withdrawal signs were added. Total withdrawal scores were significantly decreased by quinpirole [0.1micro g/site] and sulpiride [15 and 30 micro g/site]. The D2 dopaminergic system in the LC may be involved in the morphine-induced dependency in rats. Further studies are needed to define the mechanism of this dependency in order to improve methods for the rehabilitation of addicts

Stimulated whole saliva composition in dental healthy students and menopausal women in 2004

Advantages of easy access and non-invasive collection have caused saliva to be a unique fluid as a diagnostic medium during recent years. By the other hand, one of the most complaints of menopausal women is xerostomia. This study determined and compared the stimulated whole saliva biochemical parameters in female healthy dental students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences living in the students' dormitory and healthy menopausal women. In a cross sectional study, five ml stimulated whole saliva samples were obtained by expectoration of 20 girl students [mean age 22 years] and 20 menopausal women [mean age 56.8 years]. Sodium concentration measured by Flame-photometry method and the other saliva composition were measured by spectrophotometer and affiliated kits as follow: total protein by the Biuret method, phosphorus by ammonium molybdate and stannous chloride complex, Ca[++] by Arsenazo reaction and magnesium by the xylidyl blue complex methods. The data was analysed for mean, standard deviation and standard error mean using SPSS program. Student's unpaired t-test was used for comparison of stimulated saliva compositions between the two groups. Stimulated whole saliva concentrations of total protein, magnesium, calcium and sodium were respectively 3.73 +/- 0.44 mg/ml, 1.75 +/- 0.13, 2.03 +/- 0.17, 18.15 +/- 0.96 mmol/1 in students and 8.17 +/- 0.57 mg/ml, 0.52 +/- 0.05, 2.12 +/- 0.12, 19.71 +/- 1.99 mmol/1 in menopausal women. There were no significant differences in the stimulated whole saliva sodium and calcium in the two groups, while stimulated whole saliva magnesium levels in students and total protein in menopausal women were significantly higher