Temporomandibular dysfunction affects aerobic capacity in females: A preliminary study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the aerobic capacity in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) and to compare the results with those of the asymptomatic individuals.Methods: The TMD group included a total of 31 females between the ages of 18 and 25 years. The control group consisted of 31 asymptomatic females with an age range of 18 to 27 years. A graded exercise test was performed using an electronically braked arm crank ergometer. An indirect calorimeter system was used to calculate the peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). In addition, peak heart rate (HRpeak) and respiratory quotient were calculated for each participant.Results: The TMD group had lower VO2peak (p= 0.017) and HRpeak (p= 0.012) in aerobic capacity tests; however, respiratory quotient was similar in both groups (p= 0.446).Discussion: The TMD group had lower aerobic capacity compared to the asymptomatic individuals.

Determination of NF-κB and RANKL levels in peripheral blood osteoclast precursor cells in chronic kidney disease patients.

PURPOSE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition characterized by irreversible loss of functional nephron mass due to variety of causes; an inevitable complication of CKD is metabolic bone disease, and this pathology is called as renal osteodystrophy (ROD). In this study, we aimed to determine the levels of serum sRANKL and intracellular NF-κB levels in peripheral blood osteoclast precursor cells in patients with stage 3 CKD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one male patients aged 35-60 with CKD identified as stage 3 according to GFR calculated on the basis of creatinine values and 27 healthy male subjects with age ranging from 40 to 60 as control group were included in this study. Levels of biochemical parameters, vitamin D3, parathyroid hormone, bone mineral density, sRANKL and NF-κB were determined by using photometric, electrochemiluminescence, HPLC, ELISA and flow cytometric methods in control and patient groups, respectively. RESULTS: When stage 3 CKD patients were compared with controls, patients with stage 3 CKD had statistically significantly higher iPTH levels, but they had statistically significantly lower vitamin D3 levels. However, the other biochemical parameters, bone mineral density, sRANKL and NF-κB levels did not reveal any significance. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, vitamin D3 and iPTH levels seem to be important parameters for evaluating the early stages of ROD. The lack of statistically significant differences in the levels of sRANKL and NF-κB suggests that these parameters are not sufficient in the evaluation of bone metabolism in the early stages of renal failure.