Effects of diode laser (980 nm) on orthodontic tooth movement and interleukin 6 levels in gingival crevicular fluid in female subjects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low-level laser irradiation on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and the interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic treatment. In this randomized split-mouth double blind clinical trial, 11 female patients aged 14 to 25 years (mean 19 ± 4.21 year), who required canine retraction following four first premolars extraction, were selected. The GaAlAs laser diode laser (A.R.C. Laser GmbH, Nürnberg, Germany) (980 nm, 100 mW, 5.6 J/cm2, three points from the buccal side and three from lingual side of the tooth, 56 s, running in continuous mode) was used for canine retraction in only one maxillary quadrant (LG). The irradiation time for each cervical and middle third of the tooth was 10 s, and 8 s for the apical third of the tooth. The other maxillary quadrant served as the control group (CG) using the laser pseudo-application in this side. The laser irradiation was applied on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 of each month during the canine retraction phase. Canine retraction was done using closed coil spring with 150 g force on rectangular wires after the alignment and leveling. This study was done in 11 months. Dental casts were made at different time points during the treatment, and the amount of tooth movement was measured. To evaluate the levels of IL-6, GCF samples were collected from the distal side of the maxillary canine teeth on both quadrants at the beginning of the trial, the end of aligning phase, and on day 21 of each month during canine retraction. Although the mean rate of canine retraction was higher in the LG (0.013) than the CG (0.012) and there was definitely a tendency for more canine retraction in the LLLI, but the results failed to show any significant difference between the mean rate of canine retraction of both groups (P = 0.068). A paired t test showed that there was no significant difference in the mean concentration of IL-6 at various stages of the treatment between the groups during canine distalization (P > 0.05). Therefore, conclusive evidence could not be provided to support the efficacy of the diode laser (980 nm) in accelerating OTM in female subject.

Is there any correlation between high sensitive CRP and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus?

The role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as an inflammatory marker is still controversial. Recently, more sensitive methods, such as high sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) have been used to detect micro-inflammation. The role of hs-CRP in lupus flare has not been documented well. We conducted this study to examine the correlation between hs-CRP serum concentrations and disease activity in lupus. Ninety-two SLE patients and 49 healthy controls contributed to our study. Most confounding factors influencing the hs-CRP values were excluded. Disease activity was estimated using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI-2K). hs-CRP values were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum values of hs-CRP were significantly higher (p < 0.001, z = 3.29) in patients compared with healthy controls. The cutoff point for hs-CRP between patients and controls was 0.93 mg/L (Youden's Index = 0.39). There was no correlation between hs-CRP serum levels and disease activity. Furthermore, hs-CRP values did not correlate with any of the laboratory parameters, except for C3 (p = 0.003, r(s) = -0.2) and C4 (p = 0.02, r(s) = -0.1). Although hs-CRP serum levels were significantly higher in lupus patients compared with healthy controls, it seems that this marker is not a good indicator for disease activity.