Serum and salivary cytokines in patients with oral lichen planus treated with Photobiomodulation.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the serum and salivary levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10 in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) treated with Photobiomodulation (PBM) and clobetasol propionate 0.05%. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-four OLP patients were randomized into two groups: Control (clobetasol propionate 0.05%) and PBM (660 nm, 100 mW, 177 J/cm2 , 5 s, 0.5 J per point). Serum and saliva were collected at baseline and at the end of treatment (after 30 days) and evaluated using ELISA. The cytokine results were correlated with pain, clinical subtypes, and clinical scores of OLP. RESULTS: IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, and IL-4 levels were higher in saliva in relation to serum. IL-1ß was the most concentrated cytokine in saliva, and a positive correlation with the severity of OLP was noticed. After treatment with corticosteroid, IL-1ß in saliva decreased significantly. No modulation of all cytokines was observed after PBM. CONCLUSION: IL-1ß appears to be an important cytokine involved in OLP pathogenesis. In addition, the mechanisms of action of PBM do not seem to be linked to the modulation of pro or anti-inflammatory cytokines at the end of treatment. It is possible that this events occurred early during treatment.

Insular cortex activity during food-specific inhibitory control is associated with academic achievement in children.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inhibitory control (IC) is usually poorer in children with overweight and obesity and has been associated with unhealthy eating behaviors and lower academic achievement. Food-specific IC tasks depicting salient unhealthy foods may be more sensitive to predicting fat accumulation and unhealthy behaviors than traditional IC tasks. However, the neural activation patterns in response to food-specific IC remain unclear, especially in developing children`s brains. Here, we investigated brain activity associated with food-specific IC in children with accumulated fat mass. SUBJECTS/METHODS: 36 children with overweight and obesity performed a food-specific Go/No-Go task in an MRI scanner. We assessed the children's body composition with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, academic achievement, somatic maturation, and cardiorespiratory fitness. RESULTS: The left insular cortex was significantly activated during successful inhibition of palatable food cues and was associated with higher academic achievement. Also, linear regression showed that academic achievement correlated with insular cortex activation even when controlling for somatic maturation, cognitive performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that insular cortex activation, an area known for rational and emotional processing, is associated with successful inhibitory control in response to food images in children with overweight and obesity, while academic performance seems to play a role in the magnitude of this activation.