Assessment of the quality of oral biopsy procedure videos shared on YouTube.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of free-to-access videos on oral biopsy procedures on the YouTube platform. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a search on YouTube using the term "oral biopsy" and selected the first 100 videos in order of relevance. The following exclusion criteria were applied: language other than English, videos that did not cover oral biopsy techniques, videos on nonhuman specimens, postoperative instructions, personal experiences, exfoliative cytology, or "brush biopsy." Forty-seven selected videos were classified based on their duration, country of origin, date of upload to the system, author, information source and number of views, and likes and dislikes. Video quality was analyzed using DISCERN, the Global Quality Scale (GQS), and the Video Information and Quality Index (VIQI). RESULTS: The majority (78.7%) of analyzed videos were uploaded by dentists, originating from India (48.9%), with a mean duration of 11.8 min (SD, 20.4), with 104.5 likes (SD, 186.4) and 7.1 dislikes (SD, 10.55). The mean values for DISCERN, GQS, and VIQI were 1.3 (SD, 0.52), 2.1 (SD, 1.04), and 9.62 (SD, 1.69), respectively. CONCLUSION: The majority of videos on oral biopsy published on YouTube are of low quality.

Human- and mouse-derived neurons can be simultaneously obtained by co-cultures of human oral mucosal stem cells and mouse neural stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: To observe simultaneous differentiation and analyse possible interactions between co-cultured human oral mucosal stem cells (hOMSC) and mouse neural stem cells (mNSC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: hOMSC and mNSC were co-cultured in mouse and in human medium, and their immunocytochemical characterization to detect survival rate and differentiation pattern was performed. Co-cultures in different media were compared to hOMSC in human medium and mNSC in mouse medium as controls. RESULTS: Co-culture of hOMSC and mNSC in medium for human cells led to normal differentiation pattern of human cells, while mNSC were directed towards astrocytes. When the same cells were cultivated in the mouse medium, both cell types succeeded to form neurons, although mNSC showed a tendency to overgrow hOMSC. hOMSC alone in the human-specific medium differentiated towards ectodermal (Oct4, Map2) and mesodermal (Osterix) cell populations. mNSC in the mouse-specific medium differentiated towards Map2-, ß3-tubulin- and NeuN-positive neurons. CONCLUSIONS: hOMSC and mNSC can form co-cultures. Different media considerably affected the differentiation pattern of co-cultures, whereas one cell population itself modestly influenced differentiation of the other cell type. The in vitro differentiation pattern of hOMSC in the mouse neural tissue environment suggested that hOMSC could be beneficial in the brain tissue affected by ischaemia.

Impact of reassurance on pain perception in patients with primary burning mouth syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: In spite of extensive research, no effective treatment of primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS) still exists. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of informative intervention/reassurance on pain perception and quality of life in patients with primary BMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Informative intervention/reassurance was undertaken in 28 patients diagnosed with primary BMS. Patients received information about all aspects of BMS verbally and in an informative leaflet. Numerical scale (0-10), Pain Catastrophizing Scale and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were used to assess pain intensity, pain perception, and quality of life before the intervention and 6 months after. No other treatment was given to the patients. RESULTS: Significant reduction in symptom intensity, pain catastrophizing along with positive increase in the quality of life compared with baseline, was observed on a follow-up examination 6 months after the informative intervention (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm that objective informing/reassurance of patients with primary BMS can result in decreased catastrophizing and improvement in the quality of life. By eliminating/changing negative patterns of behavior, a reduction in symptoms comparable with pharmacological treatment can be achieved.

Evaluation of pretreatment serum interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha as a potential biomarker for recurrence in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) constitutes 3 percent of all cancers with predominant occurrence in middle aged and elderly males. Tumour recurrence worsens disease prognosis and decreases quality of life in patients with OSCC. Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) have been suggested to play a certain role in variety of tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of pretreatment serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels on tumour recurrence in patients with OSCC in order to identify potential biomarkers for the early detection of disease recurrence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients with newly diagnosed OSCC were treated and followed from the first visit from November 2006 until January 2008. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were measured. The records of the patients were re-examined in July 2012 and data were recorded about cancer characteristics and tumour recurrence. Disease free survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves, log rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Serum IL-6 was shown as an independent risk factor for tumour recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment serum IL-6 concentration may be a useful biomarker for identification of OSCC patients with increased risk of the disease recurrence

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Advancing oral medicine through informatics and information technology: a proposed framework and strategy.

The implementation of information technology in healthcare is a significant focus for many nations around the world. However, information technology support for clinical care, research and education in oral medicine is currently poorly developed. This situation hampers our ability to transform oral medicine into a 'learning healthcare discipline' in which the divide between clinical practice and research is diminished and, ultimately, eliminated. This paper reviews the needs of and requirements for information technology support of oral medicine and proposes an agenda designed to meet those needs. For oral medicine, this agenda includes analyzing and reviewing current clinical and documentation practices, working toward progressively standardizing clinical data, and helping define requirements for oral medicine systems. IT professionals can contribute by conducting baseline studies about the use of electronic systems, helping develop controlled vocabularies and ontologies, and designing, implementing, and evaluating novel systems centered on the needs of clinicians, researchers and educators. Successfully advancing IT support for oral medicine will require close coordination and collaboration among oral medicine professionals, information technology professionals, system vendors, and funding agencies. If current barriers and obstacles are overcome, practice and research in oral medicine stand ready to derive significant benefits from the application of information technology.

Salivary interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with drug-induced xerostomia.

It is well known that cytokines are involved in the homeostasis of oral cavity and that altered levels of either serum and/or salivary cytokines have been found in certain oral/systemic diseases. So far, cytokines in connection with xerostomia have been investigated in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. We wanted to find out whether drugs themselves influence salivary glands, which would result in altered cytokine level or whether xerostomia itself of different causes leads to the changes in salivary cytokine levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate levels of salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in 30 patients with drug-induced xerostomia, age range 29-84 and mean 63.9 years. Control group consisted of 30 healthy participants, age range 30-82 years and mean age 65.2 years. Enzyme-linked immunoassay was performed on commercially available kits. Statistical analysis was performed by use of Student's test. No significant differences in salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha between patients with drug-induced xerostomia when compared with the healthy controls were found (P < 0.05). We might conclude that drugs do not induce damage to the salivary glands which could be seen in altered salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels and that xerostomia itself, induced by drugs does not alter levels of the investigated salivary cytokines.

Delayed contact sensitivity on the lips and oral mucosa due to propolis-case report.

We report a rare case of a patient who was referred to the Department of Oral medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. The patient was 20 years old, otherwise healthy and not taking any medication. She presented with irregular erosions partially covered with pseudomembranes that involved both lips and retrocomissural mucosa. Discrete erosion was also noticed on her lower lingual gingiva in the area 42. She reported a propolis solution self-medication for treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers. After ten days of propolis application, lip and oral lesions developed. Patch test to propolis was proven. We highlight the fact that some folk medicine medications, such as propolis, although being known for many decades to be helpful in various conditions, in some individuals might lead to unwanted side-effects due to its antigenic potential. Additionally, every colleague, during the differential diagnosis of the oral lesions must bear in mind unwanted reactions to folk medicine products.

Delayed contact sensitivity on the lips and oral mucosa due to propolis-case report

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We report a rare case of a patient who was referred to the Department of Oral medicine in Zagreb, Croatia. The patient was 20 years old, otherwise healthy and not taking any medication. She presented with irregular erosions partially covered with pseudomembranes that involved both lips and retrocomissural mucosa. Discrete erosion was also noticed on her lower lingual gingiva in the area 42. She reported a propolis solution self-medication for treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers. After ten days of propolis application, lip and oral lesions developed. Patch test to propolis was proven. We highlight the fact that some folk medicine medications, such as propolis, although being known for many decades to be helpful in various conditions, in some individuals might lead to unwanted side-effects due to its antigenic potential. Additionally, every colleague, during the differential diagnosis of the oral lesions must bear in mind unwanted reactions to folk medicine products

Salivary interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with burning mouth syndrome.

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by burning symptoms on the clinically healthy oral mucosa. To date, etiology of BMS is still unknown. We hypothesized that maybe inflammation which is not clinically apparent might lead to burning symptoms which would then result in altered cytokine profile. In the 28 female patients with BMS (age range 48-80 years, mean 64.05 years) and 28 female controls (age range 40-75 years, mean 63.82 years) by use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were determined. Statistical analysis included use of independent sample t-test and P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Our results show no significant differences between patients and controls regarding salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha.

Salivary interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with recurrent aphthous ulceration.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent apthous ulceration (RAU) is a well known oral disease which seems to be mediated principally by the immune system. However, it is still a matter of debate which part of the immune system is implicated in its pathogenesis as a reaction to the still unknown antigen. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. METHODS: In 26 patients with minor RAU, age range of 23-49 years (mean 27.3 years), during both the acute phase and remission and in 26 healthy controls, age range of 22-64 years (mean 30.1 years), salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were determined by use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed by use of descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Significant differences in salivary TNF-alpha between healthy controls and patients with acute RAU and during the remission period were found (P < 0.001) as well as between patients with acute RAU and those during the remission period (P < 0.001). No differences in salivary IL-6 between all three groups could be found. CONCLUSIONS: We might conclude that elevated salivary TNF-alpha levels during acute RAU and especially during the remission period are of importance in RAU, whereas salivary IL-6 levels seem not to play a role in the RAU disease.

The significance of salivary interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with oral leukoplakia.

It is well known that cytokines play an important role in oral diseases. Furthermore, increased levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) have been reported in patients with cancer and premalignant lesions such as oral lichen planus and oral submucous fibrosis. The aim of this study was to assess salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in 30 patients with histopathologically confirmed leukoplakia (age range 24-78, mean 52.3 years) in comparison to 34 controls (age range 27-79, mean 52 years). Salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay. Statistical analysis was performed by use of Mann-Whitney test for independent samples and values lower than 0.05 were considered as significant (p<0.05). Significantly higher levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha in patients with oral leukoplakia when compared to healthy controls were found. The levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha did not correlate with the size of leukoplakia (lesions) nor with its localization regarding high and low risk sites for malignant transformation. Levels of salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha were not influenced by smoking habits. We can conclude that increased salivary IL-6 and TNF-alpha might play a certain role in oral leukoplakia.

Salivary peroxidase levels in patients with AIDS.

The main consequences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS are frequent and persistent opportunistic infections at mucosal surfaces, but data upon impaired oral mucosal response in AIDS patients are still lacking. - The aim of this study was to determine salivary flow rates and peroxidase levels in unstimulated whole saliva in AIDS patients together with comparison to the healthy controls. Salivary peroxidase levels were determined according to Putter and Becker in 20 AIDS patients and 18 HIV-seronegative healthy controls. Statistical analysis was performed using Student t-test. Salivary peroxidase levels were significantly increased in the AIDS group (9.41 +/- 8.50 kU/L; p<0.009) when compared to the healthy controls (3.1 +/- 2.0 kU/L). Salivary flow rates were significantly decreased in AIDS patients (0.17+/-0.11 ml/min, p<0.009) when compared with healthy controls (0.58 +/- 0.19 ml/min). Elevated salivary peroxidase levels indicate increased salivary antimicrobial activity in AIDS patients.