relationship between salivary beta-2 microglobulin and uremia intensity in men with chronic renal failure

This study defines the relationship between salivary beta-2 microglobulin [beta 2-M] and intensity of uremia in male patients diagnosed with chronic renal failure [CRF]. In total of 42 males were enrolled in a case-control study. There were 21 cases of CRF and 21 control cases. We collected 10cc of saliva plus 5 cc of blood from all patients to determine beta 2-M, blood urea nitrogen [BUN] and creatinine [Cr] levels. There was a correlation between the level of serum BUN and salivary urea in controls and patients, which was statistically significant for controls [p=0.028].The correlation between serum and salivary Cr was 0.195 in controls [p=0.398] and 0.598 in patients [p=0.006], which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum and saliva was 0.133 [p=0.566] in controls and 0.078 [p=0.737] in patients, which was not statistically significant. The correlation between serum BUN and beta 2-M was 0.168 [p=0.469] in the control group and 0.629 [p=0.002] in patients, which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum Cr and beta 2-M was 0.110 [p=0.635] in the control group and 0.678 [p=0.001] in patients, which was statistically significant in patients. The correlation between serum BUN and salivary beta 2-M was 0.093 [p=0.0690] in controls and 0.152 [p=0.152] in patients, which was not statistically significant. The correlation between serum Cr and salivary beta 2-M was 0.072 [p=0.070] in the control group and 0.286 [p=0.209] in patients, which was not statistically significant in either group. The results of the study indicated that salivary beta 2-M cannot be used as a non-invasive indicator to detect the severity of renal failure

Epidemiology of pemphigus in Tehran, Iran: a 20-year retrospective study

Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune and vesiculobollous disease that can affect skin and different mucous membrane surfaces. Primary manifestations occur in oral cavity in almost 60% of cases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the epidemiology of pemphigus in Tehran, Iran in a 20-year period. A retrospective study was conducted on the records of 1560 patients diagnosed with different types of pemphigus in Razi Hospital of Dermatology in Tehran from March 1985 to March 2005. A questionnaire was prepared to collect information regarding age, sex, bedridden duration, pemphigus subtype, sites of involvement, recurrence and mortality rate. Data was analyzed using chi-square test with significant level of P < 0.05. There was a female predominance with a male to female ratio of 1:1.53. In nearly half of the patients, only the oral mucous membranes were affected. One hundred and fifty had only skin lesions and 261 cases had both skin and oral mucosal lesions. Involvement of esophageal and vaginal mucous membranes without skin lesions was observed in 150 patients and 298 cases had esophageal and vaginal mucosal involvement as well as skin lesions. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most common type, with the mean age of 44.6 years. Oral mucous membrane was the most frequent location where pemphigus vulgaris was observed. 1265 patients recovered which 52.2% of them had only oral lesions. Average of bedridden duration was 2.9 months. The highest recurrence rate was seen in patients with skin lesions exclusively. There was a significant difference between recurrences of lesions and location of involvement [P < 0.05]. Thirty six patients had died from of the disease. The mean age of the disease onset in the present study was found to be a decade earlier than the other parts of the world. Recurrence and mortality rates were lower in patients with only oral lesions and their prognosis was better