Publications by authors named "Omar Tumilasci"
Objective: Experimental studies describe how urea is excreted through salivary glands and correlates with serum levels independently of salivary flow rate. This study confirms that salivary urea (SaU) is a reliable biomarker of uraemic state. In order to validate the SaU methodology, the following factors were taken into account: the independence of urea levels from saliva flow rate in healthy subjects and patients with chronic renal failure and the agreement between SaU and serum urea (U) levels in the entire population.
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- Late-night salivary cortisol (SAF(23)) shows high reproducibility in diagnosing Cushing's syndrome (CS) with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97.5% when levels exceed 3.8 nM.
- In the study, SAF(23) was found to correlate well with 24-hour urine cortisol levels and results from the dexamethasone suppression test (DST).
- The findings suggest that both SAF(23) and the saliva sample after DST (SAF(dex)) are effective noninvasive screening tools for monitoring patients with CS, especially after treatment.
Unlabelled: Upper gastrointestinal variceal bleeding is one of the most serious complications in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of this trial is to identify in hospital mortality predictors in this illness.
Material And Methods: 106 hospitalizations due to this disease from October 2001 to April 2006 in cohort design.
Background Information: TSPO (translocator protein), previously known as PBR (peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor), is a ubiquitous 18 kDa transmembrane protein that participates in diverse cell functions. High-affinity TSPO ligands are best known for their ability to stimulate cholesterol transport in organs synthesizing steroids and bile salts, although they modulate other physiological functions, including cell proliferation, apoptosis and calcium-dependent transepithelial ion secretion. In present study, we investigated the localization and function of TSPO in salivary glands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study was to demonstrate that Sal-T is a reliable biomarker of androgen status in the diagnosis of male hypogonadism.
Design: In order to validate the salivary testosterone assay (Sal-T), its reproducibility, the agreement with serum free testosterone levels (Free-T), the correlation with other circulating androgen markers (bioavailable testosterone, total testosterone) and cut-off values were defined.
Patients And Methods: We studied 52 eugonadic (E) and 20 hypogonadic (Hy) men.
Objectives: Salivary cortisol has been proposed a surrogate marker for free serum cortisol measurements. The aim of this study was to ascertain the diagnostic value of basal and stimulated salivary cortisol for the detection of adrenal insufficiency (AI) in hypotensive end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Basal salivary cortisol and basal total serum cortisol were studied in order to determine the accuracy of both biomarkers in predicting AI.
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- The study developed a method to measure salivary flow rates in humans using a plastic dental ejector and vacuum pump to collect saliva.
- The research included 40 healthy individuals and 51 patients with conditions like Sjögren Syndrome, thyroid issues, and diabetes, observing that the basic flow rate stabilized five minutes after using the ejector.
- Results showed no significant differences in flow rates between males and females and indicated lowered salivary flow in patients with Sjögren Syndrome, as well as in those with thyroid dysfunction and diabetes-related neuropathy.
Objective: Adrenal insufficiency has been reported among critically ill HIV-infected patients. This is the first study that attempts to detect subclinical hypoadrenal states in non-critical HIV patients through salivary steroids in response to intramuscular low-dose ACTH injection.
Patients And Methods: We studied 21 ambulatory adult HIV-infected patients without specific clinical signs or symptoms of adrenal insufficiency.
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- The study assessed salivary flow rates and composition in 46 Parkinson's disease patients compared to 13 healthy controls, focusing on changes when patients were on and off dopaminergic medication.
- Basal salivary flow was notably lower in PD patients when off medication, but increased with levodopa treatment, while citric acid also stimulated salivation more significantly in patients who had received domperidone.
- Additionally, PD patients exhibited higher concentrations of sodium, chloride, and amylase in their saliva, which remained unchanged regardless of levodopa or domperidone treatment, indicating abnormal salivary composition in Parkinson's disease.
The constant ratio between saliva and plasma acetaminophen concentrations (S/P) during the elimination phase is assumed to result from the equilibrium established among the free-drug concentrations in the arterial blood, venous blood and saliva. Salivary secretion of acetaminophen is assumed to result from a passive diffusion of the drug to saliva from the blood that supplies the salivary glands. However, the constant S/P ratio during acetaminophen disposition and the finding that P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a protein recognized to pump substrates out of the cell, is expressed in duct cells of the submandibular glands questions the mechanisms involved in acetaminophen salivary secretion.
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- The study examined how 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) influences amylase secretion in rat parotid glands under different thyroid conditions: intact control, hypothyroid (after thyroidectomy), and hyperthyroid (following treatment with sodium l-triiodothyronine).
- Hyperthyroid rats had higher baseline amylase release, and when stimulated with 5-HT, amylase release was lower in hypothyroid rats and higher in hyperthyroid rats compared to controls.
- The effects of 5-HT on amylase secretion were partly blocked by certain receptor antagonists, indicating that serotoninergic receptors play a key role, and thyroid status affects how 5-HT functions in this