Optimum synthesis of CuO nanoparticles with the highest antifungal activity against oral pathogen Candida albicans

This research was aimed to optimize the synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles with the highest antifungalproperties against Candida albicans as an oral fungal pathogen. To this end, nine experiments involving differentsynthesis conditions were designed using the Taguchi method and the copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized bycoprecipitation method. The antifungal activity of synthesized nanoparticles against C. albicans was evaluatedusing the colony forming unit and disk diffusion methods. According to the results, the synthesized copper oxidenanoparticles under the five experimental conditions (CuCl2 0.1 M, NaOH 0.1 M, and a 75 minutes stirring time)showed the highest antifungal activity against C. albicans (71.72%). The optimization results demonstrated thatall three studied factors were effective in improving the antifungal activity of copper oxide nanoparticles and theantifungal activity in the proposed conditions can be improved by 77.85%. The synthesis of nanoparticles in optimalconditions confirmed the improved antifungal activity of the nanoparticles. The results of this study proved that CuOnanoparticles have a potential ability as an antifungal agent against oral fungal pathogens of C. albicans.

Patterns of Mandibular Third Molar Impaction in an Iranian Subpopulation

Abstract Objective: To assess the patterns of mandibular third molar impaction in an Iranian subpopulation. Material and Methods: This retrospective descriptive study evaluated 1000 panoramic radiographs retrieved from the archives of a private radiology clinic in Kermanshah city, Iran. Depth of impaction, position of impacted mandibular third molar relative to the mandibular ramus according to Pell and Gregory's classification and angle of impacted tooth according to Winter's classification were determined. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square and Wilcoxon tests. Results: Of 1000 radiographs, 230 (23%) showed an impaction of at least one mandibular third molar. Mandibular third molar impaction was more common in females (60%). Mesioangular (35.9%) and vertical (34.8%) impactions were the most common angles of impaction in the right and left sides, respectively. Level C (40.3%) and Class I (63.7%) were the most common types of impaction in terms of depth of impaction and position relative to ramus, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the right and left sides of the mandible in terms of patterns of mandibular third molar impaction (p>0.05). Conclusion: Mandibular third molar impaction was relatively common in the studied population. The mesioangular, level C and Class I impaction patterns were the most frequent.

Salivary Transferrin Levels in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus

Objective: To compare salivary transferrin levels between patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and healthy subjects. Material and Methods: In this descriptive, analytical, crosssectional study, 11 patients with OLP and 22 healthy subjects were selected after matching in terms of age and gender. OLP was confirmed by two oral medicine specialists based on clinical and histopathological criteria. Salivary samples were collected by spitting. The patients were asked to collect their saliva in their oral cavity and then evacuate it into sterilized Falcon tubes. The procedure was repeated every 60 seconds for 5-15 minutes. A total of 5 mL of saliva was collected using this method. The samples were collected from 8 to 9 in the morning in a fasting state to avoid circadian changes. The collected salivary samples were immediately placed next to ice and transferred to the laboratory to be centrifuged at 4°C at 800 g to isolate squamous cells and cellular debris. Then the samples were frozen at -80°C until the samples were prepared. An ELISA kit was used to determine salivary transferrin levels. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and t-test for independent groups using SPSS 17. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The mean salivary transferrin concentrations in patients with OLP and healthy subjects were 0.9055±0.28229 and 1.5932±0.80041 mg/dL, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: The salivary transferrin levels in patients with OLP were significantly lower than those in healthy subjects.

Evaluation of Salivary Levels of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-2 in Patients with Moderate Generalized Chronic Periodontitis: A Case- Control Study

Objective: To compare salivary levels of PAI-2 in patients with moderate generalized chronic periodontitis before and after treatment and healthy subjects. Material and Methods: The present case-control study evaluated patients with generalized moderate chronic periodontitis (the case group) and subjects with healthy gingiva (the control group). The healthy subjects were evaluated once and the cases were evaluated twice (before and after treatment) by collecting their salivary samples. ELISA technique was used to determine PAI-2 salivary levels. Data were analyzed with the use of SPSS 17. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results: The mean salivary levels of PAI-2 in the case and control groups were 45.63 ± 8.63 and 22.01 ± 9.77 ng, respectively (p<0.0001). In addition, PAI-2 salivary levels in the case group subjects after treatment was 27.43 ± 5.79 ng, which was lower than that before treatment (45.63 ± 8.63 ng) (p<0.0001). The mean salivary level of PAI-2 in subjects with periodontitis after treatment (27.43 ± 5.79) was not significantly different from that in healthy subjects (22.01 ± 9.77) (p>0.05). Conclusion: The salivary levels of PAI-2 in patient with moderate generalized chronic periodontitis were higher than these in healthy subjects. However, the salivary levels of PAI-2 decreased in the case group subjects after treatment, with no significant difference from the healthy subjects.