Relationship between periodontitis and hepatic abnormalities in young adults.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity has been implicated as a risk factor for periodontitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In NAFLD, elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is associated with obesity. Although a possible interrelationship between liver function and periodontitis has been reported among the middle-aged population, the correlation in young adults is little known. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between ALT and the presence of periodontitis in university students in Japan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical and oral health data were collected in a cross-sectional examination conducted by the Health Service Center of Okayama University. Systemically healthy, non-smoking students aged 18 and 19 years old (n = 2225) were included. The protocol of the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was applied. Subjects with probing pocket depth >or= 4 mm were defined as having periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between ALT, body mass index and periodontitis. RESULTS: The number of subjects with periodontitis was 104 (4.7%). In males, having periodontitis was significantly associated with an increased level of ALT (>or= 41 IU/l) in logistic regression analysis (adjusted odds ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval 1.0-5.2; p < 0.05). However, there was no significant association between periodontitis and ALT in female students. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated ALT could be a potential risk indicator for periodontitis among young males. Monitoring hepatic abnormalities to prevent periodontitis must be better understood, even in the young adult population.

Validity of a questionnaire for periodontitis screening of Japanese employees.

OBJECTIVES: Workplaces are suitable for screening for periodontal disease effectively. However, the majority of workplaces do not have a screening program. One possible reason may be that pocket probing, which is commonly used for the screening, needs qualified examiners and is time-consuming. In this study, the validity of a self-reported questionnaire was assessed for screening of periodontitis in 50- to 59-yr-old male employees in Japan. METHODS: A total of 250 people were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire regarding signs and symptoms of periodontal disease, and experience of periodontal treatment, followed by a clinical examination by a dentist. Subjects with at least one tooth having a clinical attachment loss of 7 mm or more were defined as periodontitis patients. RESULTS: Thirteen percent of the subjects were diagnosed as having periodontitis. Logistic regression selected 4 questions, "Are you a current or past smoker?", "Have your gums bled recently?", "Do you think that you can see more roots of teeth than in the past?", and "Have you ever been told that you need periodontal or gum treatment?" as potential predictors of periodontitis. When subjects with at least 3 "yes" responses to the 4 questions were separated from the others, the subjects with periodontitis were separated most effectively (showing the highest sensitivity + specificity: 1.524) from those without. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.81. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the self-reported questions are useful for screening of periodontitis in 50- to 59-yr-old Japanese workers.

Catalogue of soluble proteins in human vitreous humor by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry including seven angiogenesis-regulating factors.

A catalogue of proteins in the human vitreous humor may contribute to elucidating the pathogenesis of various diseases in ophthalmology. To improve the recovery of proteins in vitreous, we applied one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D-PAGE). Proteins were extracted from unstained gel strips and digested in gel with trypsin and the peptides were analyzed by capillary-column reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-ion trap-mass spectrometry. From a patient with diabetic retinopathy, 84 different proteins were identified. Most of the proteins which we identified in vitreous previously using 2D-PAGE were also identified in the present study. In total, we identified 121 different proteins including five proteins seen at the genomic level only. Four angiogenic factors, insulin-like growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and placental endothelial cell growth factor, and three anti-angiogenic factors, pigment epithelium-derived factor, endostatin, and thrombospondin, were found, and this may contribute to elucidating the pathological changes in the concentration and the modified structures of these proteins, in diseases of the retina, especially, diabetic retinopathy.

Catalogue of soluble proteins in the human vitreous humor: comparison between diabetic retinopathy and macular hole.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to make a catalogue of soluble proteins in the human vitreous humor (VH). Fifty-one different proteins were identified on silver-stained two-dimensional (2D) gel patterns with VH proteins obtained from diabetic retinopathy and macular hole. Thirty of these have not been listed in the reported 2D profiles of plasma. Immunoglobulin (Ig), alpha1-antitrypsin, alpha2-HS glycoprotein,and complement C(4) fragment showed stronger spots in VH with diabetic retinopathy patient samples than those with macular hole. Pigment epithelium-derived factor, a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis in the cornea and vitreous, was clearly detected in VH with diabetes. It is impressive that the inhibitor increases in the vitreous with proliferative angiogenesis.

[Proteomics in clinical research: new approach of mass spectrometry].

A proteome has been defined as the protein complement expressed by the genome of an organism, tissue, or differentiated cell. Knowledge of complete genome sequences has led to considerable effort being increasingly devoted to the large-scale study of proteomes, that is, 'proteomics'. Commonly, two proteomes are compared by a substructive analysis in which differences due to drug treatment, culture conditions, genetic variations, or diseases can be observed. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry are commonly used for this purpose. We applied this approach to the analysis of vitreous humor(VH) proteins. Fifty-two different proteins were identified on silver-stained 2D-gel patterns with VH proteins obtained from diabetic retinopathy and macular hole. Thirty-five proteins, which have not reported in plasma, were found in VH. Pigment epithelium-derived factor, which was reported to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis in cornea and vitreous was at a higher concentration in VH with diabetes than in that with macular hole. It is impressive that the inhibitor increases in the vitreous with proliferative angiogenesis. Unique applications in proteomics promise a bright future for molecular biology and hopefully for clinical chemistry.