To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward plagiarism.Participants were 227 undergraduates and graduate students from three Croatian universities, with a median age of 21 years (range 18 to 48). ...

Examining the Medical Blogosphere: An Online Survey of Medical Bloggers

The etiology of BMS remains unknown. Role of various cytokines has been implicated in the development of BMS. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels of salivary IL‐2 and IL‐6 in patients with BMS, compared with age‐matched healthy volunteers (control group). Whole saliva from 30 patients with BMS, age range 55–65, was tested for the presence of IL‐6 and IL‐2 by enzyme immunoassay. Control group consisted of 30 healthy participants, aged 55–65 years. Saliva IL‐2 concentrations in BMS were significantly increased in patients compared to healthy subjects: mean 34.1 ± 9.7 versus 7.3 ± 3.0 pg/mL; P < .001. Patients with BMS had significantly higher concentrations of IL‐6 compared to control: mean 30.8 ± 5.6 versus 5.2 ± 2.8 pg/mL; P < .001. In patients with BMS, IL‐2 and IL‐6 levels in saliva are elevated, correlating with the severity of illness.

OBJECTIVE: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa, presenting in various clinical forms. The etiology of OLP is still unknown but mounting evidence points to the immunologic basis of this disorder.Aim: Our study was undertaken to quantify the salivary levels of pro‐inflammatory tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) in the reticular and the erosive/atrophic forms of OLP, compared with age‐matched healthy control volunteers.Subjects and methods: Whole saliva from 40 patients with active lesions of OLP, as well as from 20 healthy persons, was investigated for the presence of TNF‐α by enzyme immunoassay.Results: Salivary TNF‐α levels were significantlly increased in patients with OLP in comparison with healthy subjects. The presence of TNF‐α showed positive correlation to clinical forms of OLP, being significantly higher in the erosive/atrophic type than in the reticular type of disease.Conclusion: Saliva provides an ideal medium for the detection of pro‐inflammatory markers of the oral cavity. In patients with OLP, TNF‐α levels in saliva are elevated, correlating with the severity of illness. Salivary TNF‐α analysis may be a useful diagnostic tool and a potential prognostic marker in OLP.