Objectives: The aim of study was to compare salivary and serum concentrations of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with oral leukoplakia, oral cancer and healthy controls. Study design: Eighty eight patients (28 with oral cancer, 29 leukoplakia, and 31 healthy controls) were included in this study. Cytokine concentrations were measured by commercial enzyme linked immunoassay. Results: Salivary IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly higher in oral cancer patients than in patients with leukoplakia and control group (p<0.05). No differences in concentrations of salivary TNF-α between either of the groups were observed. Serum concentrations of IL-1β were below level of detection in all but two participants. No significant differences between the groups were observed in serum concentrations of IL-6. Serum TNF-α was significantly higher in control subjects than in oral cancer patients. Conclusions: Patients with oral cancer have elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines in their saliva. Whether this elevation can be used for monitoring the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia remains to be answered by further follow up studies. Key words: Cytokines, oral, leukoplakia, cancer.

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Zaprimljen: 26. siječnja 2015. Prihvaćen: 12 travnja 2015. Adresa za dopisivanjeIzv. prof. dr. sc. Iva Alajbeg Sveučilište u Zagrebu Stomatološki fakultet Zavod za mobilnu protetiku Gundulićeva 5, 10000 Zagreb, Hrvatska ialajbeg@sfzg.hr Sažetak Svrha: Temporomandibularni poremećaj (TMP) najčešći su orofacijalni bolni poremećaj nedentalnog podrijetla. Istraživanje je provedeno kako bi se ispitao učinak istodobne primjene okluzijske udlage i fizikalne terapije. Pritom je postavljena hipoteza da je istodobna primjena okluzijske udlage i fizikalne terapije učinkovita metoda za liječenje anteriornog pomaka zglobne pločice bez redukcije. Materijali i postupci: U istraživanje je bilo uključeno 12 pacijenata (srednja dob = 30,5 god.) s anteriornim pomakom zglobne pločice bez redukcije (prema DKI/TMP-u, potvrđeno magnetskom rezonancijom) nasumično podijeljenih u dvije skupine: šest pacijenata dobilo je stabilizacijsku udlagu (SU), a šest je liječeno stabilizacijskom udlagom i fizikalnom terapijom (SU-FT). Ishodi liječenja uključivali su maksimalno otvaranje usta bez boli (MO), maksimalno asistirano otvaranje usta (MAO), devijaciju/defleksiju pri otvaranju i bol prema vizualno analognoj ljestvici (VAS). Rezultati: Na početku nije bilo razlika između skupina u jakosti boli prema vizualno analognoj ljestvici i rasponu kretnji donje čeljusti. Tijekom liječenja bol je prema vizualno analognoj ljestvici značajno smanjena u obje skupine (SU-FT F = 28,964, p = 0,0001, veličina učinka = 0,853; SU: F = 8,794, p = 0,0011, veličina učinka = 0,638). Raspon otvaranja usta značajno se povećao samo u skupini SU-FT (MO: F = 20,971, p = 0,006; MAO: F = 24,014, p = 0,004). Skupine su se značajno razlikovale s obzirom na devijaciju/defleksiju pri otvaranju (p = 0,040). Nakon terapije, devijacija tijekom otvaranja usta i dalje se pojavljivala samo kod jednog pacijenta u skupini SU-FT, prema njih pet u skupini SU. Zaključak: Unatoč ograničenjima ovog istraživanja pokazalo se da istodobna primjena stabilizacijske udlage i fizikalne terapije tijekom šestomjesečnog liječenja rezultira značajnijim povećanjem raspona otvaranja usta i značajnijim smanjenjem devijacija tijekom otvaranja od stabilizacijske udlage koja se upotrebljava bez fizikalne terapije. Obje terapijske opcije pokazale su se djelotvornima u smanjenju boli kod pacijenata s anteriornim pomakom zglobne pločice bez redukcije. Unatoč objektivno dijagnosticiranom poremećaju temporomandibularnog zgloba, fiziološka funkcija je obnovljena.Ključne riječi temporomandibularni zglob; dislokacije; bol; okluzalna udlaga; terapija vježbanjem; fizikalna terapija 1 Zavod za mobilnu protetiku Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu

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Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an enigmatic condition with the etiopathogenesis remaining largely obscure. However, a neuropathic basis for BMS continues to be an area of active clinical and research interest. Aim: It is becoming increasingly evident that certain oral disorders may be modulated by imbalances in certain neuropeptides such as substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) therefore we measured SP, NKA and CGRP in the saliva and sera of BMS patients as well as controls. Subjects and Methods: Salivary and serum SP, NKA and CGRP were determined in the 26 female patients with burning mouth syndrome (age range 51-78, mean 65.69 yrs), and in the 22 female controls (age range 24-82, mean 49.72 yrs). Serum and salivary SP, NKA, CGRP levels were determined by commercial competitive enzyme immunoassay kits. Statistical analysis was performed by use of descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Results and Conclusions: No significant differences in salivary SP, NKA and CGRP as well as serum SP and CGRP between BMS patients and controls could be found. However, significantly decreased serum neurokinin A (p<0.05) in BMS patients may reflect an inefficient dopaminergic system.

The aim of this study was to analyze microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) as a marker for the detection of circulating melanoma cells, determine its prognostic value in melanoma patients, and compare it with tyrosinase. Blood samples from 201 melanoma patients in all stages of the disease and 40 healthy volunteers were analyzed. RNA was isolated from mononuclear cell fraction of the blood and assayed by reverse transcription-PCR for the expression of MITF and tyrosinase. All samples from healthy volunteers were negative for both MITF and tyrosinase. Out of 201 blood samples from melanoma patients 32 were positive for MITF, 20 for tyrosinase, and four for both MITF and tyrosinase. Analysis of MITF as an additional marker to tyrosinase allowed for detection of circulating melanoma cells in a larger number of melanoma patients in comparison to tyrosinase analysis alone (48 vs. 20 positive). A positive value of MITF was associated with shorter progression-free (P=0.005) and overall survival (P=0.042). A positive value of tyrosinase was associated with shorter overall survival (P=0.012), whereas there was no significant association between the value of tyrosinase and progression-free survival. The value of MITF was selected with multivariate analysis as the independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival, whereas the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival was the stage of disease. This study has shown that MITF is a specific marker for detection of circulating melanoma cells that has a prognostic value in melanoma patients. Determination of MITF in addition to tyrosinase improved the detection of circulating melanoma cells in melanoma patients.

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Objective To evaluate stress effect of COVID‐19 pandemic and Zagreb earthquakes on symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Materials and Methods One hundred and two previously diagnosed TMD patients were contacted by email to participate in an online survey about impact of those events on current and/or new symptoms, perceived stress, anxiety and symptom intensity in time‐points at the baseline, following pandemic and following earthquake. We compared data between earthquake‐affected and non‐affected respondents. Results Response rate was 79.4%. Effects stress had on deterioration of symptoms were significantly different between earthquake‐affected and non‐affected (p = .024). In earthquake‐affected, numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) scores significantly increased between baseline and after COVID‐19 (p > .001) and between baseline and after earthquakes (p > .05). However, scores insignificantly dropped from COVID‐19 to after earthquakes time‐points. In earthquake‐affected, positive correlation was found between impact of COVID‐19 on stress and NPRS (p < .001) and between earthquakes’ impact on stress and NPRS (p < .001). Earthquake‐affected respondents reported significantly more new behavioral habits when compared to non‐affected (p = .048). Conclusions A series of stressful events do not necessarily have a cumulative effect, but are likely to have a complex interaction (e.g., acute stress might trigger the protective mechanisms), which could have decreased pain scores after the earthquakes.