title: Salivary gland involvement in rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship to induced oxidative stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the present study was to analyse salivary gland and free radical involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four consenting RA patients (rheumatoid factor-positive) and 18 healthy controls, matched in age and gender, participated in the study. Plasma and saliva samples were harvested and subjected to compositional analysis and various free radical-related tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean salivary flow rate was lower in the RA patients than in the control group, whereas all plasma and salivary antioxidants were increased. Mean values of plasma malondialdehyde and ceruloplasmin were higher in the RA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of RA on salivary gland flow rates and antioxidant compositional parameters may be of great importance for the further elucidation of the role of free radicals in RA pathogenesis and for its general diagnosis and evaluation. The demonstrated correlation between the altered salivary parameters and the severity of the disease may indicate that evaluation of the salivary status of RA patients is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rambam Medical Center and the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. nagler@tx.technion.ac.il
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nagler
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salameh
authors.forename: A Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Reznick
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Livshits
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nahir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002570:Ceruloplasmin / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012472:Salivation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014527:Uric Acid; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009195:Peroxidase; D002570:Ceruloplasmin