Publications by authors named "Zacharias Mantzavinos"
Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent inflammatory mediator that has previously been detected in elevated levels in inflamed gingival tissues, in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and in saliva, is implicated in periodontal disease. The biologically active phospholipid detected in gingival crevicular fluid is a hydroxyl-PAF analogue. In a preliminary study this bioactive molecule was detected for the first time in human blood derived from volunteers with chronic periodontitis as well as from periodontally healthy volunteers.
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- A study tested the feasibility of detecting HIV in saliva using three methods, involving 68 individuals (34 HIV carriers and 34 non-carriers) matched by age and gender.
- The methods included two immunological tests (ELISA and ELFA) and a molecular method (PCR), with ELISA showing the highest accuracy in detecting HIV from both saliva and blood samples.
- The findings suggest that saliva testing for anti-HIV could be highly accurate (97.1-100%), offering a potentially reliable alternative to blood tests for detecting HIV.
Periodontal diseases are localized chronic inflammatory conditions of the gingival and underlying bone and connective tissue. Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent inflammatory phospholipid mediator that has been previously detected in elevated levels in inflamed gingival tissues, in gingival crevicular fluid and in saliva, is implicated in periodontal disease. Our results from previous studies showed that the biologically active phospholipid detected in gingival crevicular fluid is a hydroxyl-PAF analogue.
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