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Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic periodontitis (CP) patients to assess whether cytokine profiles distinguish patients with RA and patients with CP while using healthy patients as background controls., Methods: A total of 49 patients, 17 patients with RA (three males and 14 females; mean age: 47.82 ± 10.74 years), 16 patients with CP (10 males and six females; mean age: 44.00 ± 7.00 years), and 16 controls (eight males and eight females; mean age: 28.06 ± 6.18 years) were enrolled. Patients with RA were under the supervision of rheumatologists; 15 of the patients with RA were being treated with methotrexate-sulfasalazine combined therapy, and two of the patients were being treated with leflunomid therapy. Periodontal parameters (plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, and clinical attachment level) were recorded. Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined in GCF and IL-1β and IL-10 in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: There were significant differences found among RA, CP, and control groups for all periodontal parameters (P <0.05). The total amount and concentration of GCF IL-1 β, IL-4, IL-10, and TNF-α were similar in RA and CP patients (P >0.05). Although the total amount and concentration of serum IL-10 was not significantly different among the groups (P >0.05), serum IL-1β was significantly lower in the RA group compared to CP patients and controls and was higher in GCF of the RA group compared to the CP group., Conclusions: Although clinical periodontal disease parameters indicated more severe periodontal disease in CP compared to RA patients, immunologic evaluation did not reveal consistent results regarding proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. This might be a result of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and rheumatoid agents by patients with RA. more...

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the gingival tissues of periodontitis patients with and without type 2 diabetes to assess whether NO plays a role in the severity of periodontitis in patients with diabetes. Patients with diabetes and healthy patients were used as controls., Methods: A total of 80 patients were evaluated in four groups (with 20 subjects each): patients with chronic periodontitis and diabetes (12 males and eight females; mean age, 52.1 +/- 6.9 years), patients with chronic periodontitis who were otherwise healthy (12 males and eight females; mean age, 43.1 +/- 8.9 years), periodontally healthy patients with diabetes (12 males and eight females; mean age 50.9 +/- 6.3 years), and systemically and periodontally healthy control subjects (12 males and eight females; mean age 29.8 +/- 9.2 years). Periodontal parameters were recorded. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect inflammation and iNOS expression in gingival tissues., Results: Although periodontal parameters were slightly higher in periodontitis compared to diabetic periodontitis, immunohistochemical parameters were higher in diabetic periodontitis compared to periodontitis. All periodontal parameters were higher in patients with periodontitis and with/without diabetes compared to controls and patients with diabetes. All immunohistochemical parameters were higher in patients with diabetes and periodontitis compared to patients with only diabetes or periodontitis, but there was no difference between the latter two groups. There was a correlation between the expression of iNOS and inflammatory cells in controls, patients with diabetes, and patients with periodontitis but not in patients with diabetes and periodontitis., Conclusions: Inflammation and iNOS expression were more prominent in the gingiva of the patients with both diabetes and periodontitis. However, iNOS expression did not seem to have an additional detrimental effect on the course of periodontitis in patients with diabetes compared to those with periodontitis alone. more...