Changes in saliva interleukin-6 levels in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate changes in interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in whole saliva during the treatment of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-nine consecutive inpatients with OSCC were enrolled. Stimulated saliva was collected just after hospitalization (period 1), just before main treatment (surgery in 26 cases; period 2), and at the time of discharge (period 3). The mean intervals were 11+/-8 days between periods 1 and 2 and 30+/-18 days between periods 2 and 3. Nineteen age-matched healthy control subjects were also recruited. Interleukin-6 concentrations were measured by a highly sensitive chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Interleukin-6 was detected in 23 out of 29 samples in the OSCC group in period 1. The concentration of IL-6 was significantly higher in the OSCC group (mean 20.1+/-36.3 pg/mL) than in the control subjects (0.6+/-0.8 pg/mL; P=.003). The mean concentration of IL-6 at period 2 was 43.6+/-95.6 pg/mL, significantly higher than at period 1 (P=.002), and at period 3 was 17.1+/-27.6 pg/mL (P=.52 [compared with period 2]). CONCLUSIONS: Interleukin-6 was up-regulated in saliva in the OSCC patients. The IL-6 level tended to increase before treatment, and it returned to baseline levels after treatment.

An open-label, noncomparative, dose escalation pilot study of the effect of paroxetine in treatment of burning mouth syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of paroxetine in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). DESIGN: In a 12-week open-label, noncomparative, prospective study, 71 subjects with primary BMS were assigned to receive an initial dosage of paroxetine (10 or 20 mg/day). The dosage was increased to a maximum of 30 mg/day. Of these patients, 52 were available to examine the efficacy of treatment in this study. RESULTS: The cumulative proportion of responders was 80.8% (42/52). Of those responding, complete remission of pain was observed in 70.4% (19/27) of patients by week 12. The effects of paroxetine were dose-dependent. The incidence of adverse reactions for the initial daily dosage of 10 mg (41%) was significantly lower than that for 20 mg (76%) (chi(2) test). No serious safety issues were observed. CONCLUSION: About 80% of BMS patients experienced pain reduction with 12 weeks of paroxetine treatment with only minor transient side effects. These results suggest that paroxetine may be useful in the treatment of patients with BMS.