Periodontal disease and risk of preeclampsia: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Many epidemiological studies have found a positive association between periodontal disease (PD) and the risk of preeclampsia, but the magnitude of this association varies and independent studies have reported conflicting findings. We performed a meta-analysis to ascertain the relationship between PD and preeclampsia. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched up to January 12, 2013, for relevant observational studies on an association between PD and the risk of preeclampsia. Data were extracted and analyzed independently by two authors. The meta-analysis was performed using comprehensive meta-analysis software. RESULTS: Thirteen observational case-control studies and two cohort studies, involving 1089 preeclampsia patients, were identified. Based on a random-effects meta-analysis, a significant association between PD and preeclampsia was identified (odds ratio = 2.79, 95% confidence interval CI, 2.01-3.01, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although the causality remains unclear, the association between PD and preeclampsia may reflect the induction of PD by the preeclamptic state, or it may be part of an overall exaggerated inflammatory response to pregnancy. Larger randomized controlled trials with preeclampsia as the primary outcome and pathophysiological studies are required to explore causality and to dissect the biological mechanisms involved.

[The function of osteopontin and other cytokines in the diagnosis of Sjoigren's syndrome].

PURPOSE: To explore the relationship of serum concentrations of osteopontin(OPN), TNF-α and TGF-ß1 in Sjoigren's syndrome patients. METHODS: Forty Sjoigren's syndrome (SS) patients were determined by pathological examination, which included 15 primary SS and 25 secondary SS. Serum level of OPN, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multiple correlation analysis was performed using SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: Serum OPN, TNF-alpha levels increased in SS compared with healthy subjects (P<0.05).Serum TGF-beta 1 level in secondary SS significantly increased than primary SS (P<0.05). On the contrary, serum TGF-beta1 level had no significant change compared with the controls. OPN was correlated with TGF-beta 1. CONCLUSIONS: OPN and TNF-alpha may be used as adjunctive diagnostic parameter. TGF-beta 1 can be used as an index in differential diagnosis of primary and secondary SS. OPN and TGF-beta 1 have different effects and interactions between them, demonstrating mutuality, diversity and integrity of the cytokine network.

Osteopontin expression in oral lichen planus.

To explore circulation levels of osteopontin (OPN), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 from patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) for clinical application. A group of 26 subjects with OLP were compared with 26 sex- and age-matched control (NC) subjects. Local lesion tissue was examined for OPN by immunohistochemical analysis. And, serum OPN, proinflammatory TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. The serum concentrations of OPN and TNF-alpha were significantly higher in OLP patients than the NC group (P < 0.05). Although serum concentrations of TGF-beta1 increased slightly, they were not statistically significant. Erosive-form OLP exhibited significantly elevated TGF-beta1 serum levels, compared with reticular-form OLP. The above results suggest that the production of OPN is associated with the inflammatory process of OLP development, and may serve as a potential disease marker of OLP.

A metabonomic approach to the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral lichen planus and oral leukoplakia.

Early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and precursor lesions is an attractive strategy to decrease patient morbidity and mortality, but presently there are no satisfied diagnostic approaches. This study proposed a metabonomics-based diagnostic approach for OSCC and its precancerous lesions, including oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral leukoplakia (OLK). Saliva samples were collected from patients and healthy donors, and HPLC/MS analysis was performed to acquire metabolic profiles. Diagnostic model was then constructed with hierarchical principal component analysis (HPCA) and discriminate analysis algorithms. The results indicate that metabolic profiling can properly describe the pathologic characteristics of OSCC, OLP and OLK. HPCA combined with kernel fisher discriminant analysis achieved 100% accuracy in diagnosis of test samples, which is superior to direct principal component analysis and other modeling algorithms. The metabonomic approach based on the integral investigation of oral metabolites enables the detection of OSCC and precancerous lesions on noninvasive saliva samples. The proposed approach is noninvasive, efficient and low-cost, and it can be developed as a promising method for population-based screening of cancers and precancers in the oral cavity.