Journal of endodontics
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Journal of endodontics · Apr 2010
ReviewA systematic evaluation of the quality of meta-analyses in endodontics.
Meta-analyses have been suggested to be the highest form of evidence available to clinicians to guide clinical practice in dental care. High methodologic quality is a prerequisite for valid interpretation and application of review findings. However, meta-analyses are complex exercises, and assessing quality can be a daunting task. Clinicians and policymakers require guidance, which is not provided adequately by the available literature on the quality of meta-analyses. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the quality of meta-analyses that address topics pertinent to endodontics. ⋯ The overall quality of the reports of meta-analyses available in endodontics is high according to AMSTAR.
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Journal of endodontics · Apr 2010
Effect of cytosolic phospholipase A2 on proinflammatory cytokine-induced bone resorptive genes including receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand in human dental pulp cells.
Although cytokines stimulate prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs), the involvement of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) has not been assessed. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of cPLA(2) on the regulation of proinflammatory cytokine-stimulated genes associated with osteoclast differentiation or bone resorption. ⋯ These results suggest that cPLA(2) is involved in inflammatory cytokine-induced osteoclastogenic gene expression and consequent damage or destruction.
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Intracellular Ca(2+) is essential to many signal transduction pathways, and its level is tightly regulated by the Ca(2+) extrusion system in the plasma membrane, which includes the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX). Although expression of NCX1 isoforms has been demonstrated in odontoblasts, the detailed properties of NCX remain to be clarified. In this study, we investigated localization and ion-transporting/pharmacologic properties of NCX isoforms in rat odontoblasts. ⋯ These results suggest that odontoblasts express NCX1 and NCX3 at the distal membrane, and that these isoforms play an important role in the Ca(2+) extrusion system as well as in the directional Ca(2+) transport pathway from the circulation to the dentin-mineralizing front.