Receptive music therapy and salivary histamine secretion

Salivary Histamine Levels in Patients with Oral Lichen Planus Lesions

Background and Objectives: An oral lichen planus (OLP) chronic lesion refers to a group of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) that still lack a proper understanding from the point of view of relevant biomarkers for diagnostics and prognosis. The aim of the study was to assess the salivary histamine levels in patients with oral lichen planus lesions. Materials and Methods: The study included a group of 76 patients with oral lichen planus. General diseases and medication taken, smoking habits, severity of pain assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS), oral hygiene status, and duration of OLP were evaluated. ELISA diagnostics for histamines in saliva levels were assessed. Results: The histamine levels in the OLP group were higher (0.468) in comparison with the control group (0.056), without a statistically significant value p = 0.090 (Mann-Whitney U Test). The median age of 76 OLP patients was 63 years (min 22.0-max. 81), with the biological sex being 80.3% females and 15 19.7% males. The average duration of OLP lesion presence was 29.4 months (SD 37.1) and the median value was 14.5 months. The median of the VAS was 3.0. OLP assessment in accordance with the Malhotra methodology showed the highest frequency-30.3% for only two of the point areas involved and 17.1% for three points. Clinical assessment of the different OLP grades, severity, and oral site involvement and the VAS in correlation with histamine salivary levels showed a lack of statistical significance in the investigated population. Conclusions: Undertaking further research could provide further possibilities for searching for general factors in OLP development.

The effects of music therapy on amino acid neurotransmitters: Insights from an animal study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the neurobiological effects of "Chinese Traditional Five-Elements Music Therapy" on rats and to determine its effects on amino acid neurotransmitter levels, the excitatory/inhibitory(E/I) balance and the Glu-Gln cycle.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats were assigned at random to the experimental groups (Gong/powerful; Shang/sad; Jue/gentle; Zhi/joyful; Yu/serene music group) and the control group(n=8/group).The experimental groups were exposed daily to music(2 hours per day; mild sound pressure levels, between 50 and 60 dB) for 28 consecutive days. Finally, we hypothesized concentrations of Glu and GABA to match the music types and measured additionally Asp, Gly, Gln, and Glu/GABA ratio in striatum by UPLC-3QMS.

RESULT

Effects in the predicted direction were observed for Gong (Glu +, GABA -); Shang (Glu -; GABA +); Jue (Glu 0; GABA 0); and Zhi (Glu +; GABA -); but not Yu music (Glu + contrary to hypothesis; GABA + as hypothesized)." In addition, significant difference in Gln levels were also present in the zhi, Gong and Yu music groups compared to the controls.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that different melodic music produced different effects on amino acid neurotransmitter levels. "Chinese Traditional Five-Elements Music Therapy" affected the amino acid neurotransmitter levels, the E/I balance and the Glu-Gln cycle in the striatum of rats, which may reflect altered glutamatergic and GABAergic system.

Beneficial Effects of Listening to Classical Music in Patients With Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Practical recommendations on nonpharmacologic non-device/surgical interventions in patients with heart failure (HF) are well known. Although complementary treatments may have beneficial effects, there is no evidence that these on their own improve mortality, morbidity, or quality of life. We examined the effects of listening to recorded classical music on HF-specific quality of life (QOL), generic QOL, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and cognitive state in patients with HF in the home-care setting.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Multicenter randomized controlled trial. One hundred fifty-nine patients with HF were randomized on a 1:1 basis in 2 groups: experimental (music) and control. Patients were evaluated after 30, 60, 90 days (experimental period) and at 6 months. Patients randomized to the music group listened to music from a large preselected playlist, at least 30 minutes per day, for 3 months on an MP3 player. Patients in the control group received standard care. HF-specific QOL, generic QOL, self-care, somatic perception of HF symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety and depression, and cognitive abilities were assessed throughout the use of specific scales. On average, patients in the music group showed greater improvements in terms of HF-specific QOL (P < .001), generic-QOL (P = .005), quality of sleep (P = .007), anxiety and depression levels (P < .001 for both), and cognitive performances (P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

Listening to recorded classical music is a feasible, noninvasive, safe, and inexpensive intervention, able to improve QOL in patients with HF in the home-care setting.

The psychoneuroimmunological effects of music: a systematic review and a new model

There has been a growing interest over the past decade into the health benefits of music, in particular examining its psychological and neurological effects. Yet this is the first attempt to systematically review publications on the psychoneuroimmunology of music. Of the selected sixty-three studies published over the past 22 years, a range of effects of music on neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines, lymphocytes, vital signs and immunoglobulins as well as psychological assessments are cataloged. Research so far points to the pivotal role of stress pathways in linking music to an immune response. However, several challenges to this research are noted: (1) there is very little discussion on the possible mechanisms by which music is achieving its neurological and immunological impact; (2) the studies tend to examine biomarkers in isolation, without taking into consideration the interaction of the biomarkers in question with other physiological or metabolic activities of the body, leading to an unclear understanding of the impact that music may be having; (3) terms are not being defined clearly enough, such as distinctions not being made between different kinds of stress and 'music' being used to encompass a broad spectrum of activities without determining which aspects of musical engagement are responsible for alterations in biomarkers. In light of this, a new model is presented which provides a framework for developing a taxonomy of musical and stress-related variables in research design, and tracing the broad pathways that are involved in its influence on the body.

Brief report: first identification of H₄ histamine receptor in healthy salivary glands and in focal sialadenitis in Sjögren's syndrome

OBJECTIVE

The conventional H(1) and H(2) histamine receptors have >10,000-fold lower avidity for histamine than H(4) histamine receptor, which has been implicated in autoimmune diseases. This study was undertaken to compare H(4) histamine receptor levels in the salivary glands (SGs) of healthy controls with those in the SGs of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

METHODS

H(4) histamine receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) was analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the receptor protein was examined using immunostaining. Effects of the H(4) histamine receptor agonist ST-1006 on cytokine synthesis by human SG (HSG) cells were analyzed using xMAP technology and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

Healthy SGs contained H(4) histamine receptor mRNA. The receptor protein was localized to the acinar and ductal epithelial cells. H(4) histamine receptor agonist stimulated HSG cells to produce the cytokines interleukin-8 and vascular endothelial growth factor. SS patients had low H(4) histamine receptor levels.

CONCLUSION

H(1) and H(2) histamine receptor antagonists are not effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, such antagonists do not affect the newly discovered H(4) histamine receptor. Dendritic cells and lymphocytes are nonprofessional histamine-producing cells, which produce histamine at 100-1,000-fold lower rates than mast cells do. Saliva contains only 0.31-12.4 ng/ml histamine, which is too low to stimulate H(1) or H(2) histamine receptor, but stimulates H(4) histamine receptor half maximally. Our findings show that H(4) histamine receptor is strongly expressed in tubuloacinar SG cells, which emphasizes the role of these cells in the pathogenesis of SS.

Smoking influences salivary histamine levels in periodontal disease

OBJECTIVES

Histamine, a potent vasoactive amine, is increased in saliva of periodontitis patients. The present study aimed to further investigate the diagnostic potential of histamine for periodontal disease and assessed smoking, a major risk factor of periodontitis, as a possible influencing factor.

METHODS

Salivary and serum samples of 106 participants (60 periodontitis patients, 46 controls) were collected. Salivary histamine was determined by a commercially available ELISA kit, and serum C-reactive protein was measured by a routine laboratory test. Cigarettes per day and packyears were assessed as smoking exposure parameters.

RESULTS

Statistically significantly increased levels of salivary histamine and serum C-reactive protein were detected between the patient and control group (P = 0.022 and P = 0.001). Salivary histamine levels were significantly higher in smoking compared with non-smoking patients (P < 0.001), and salivary histamine as well as serum C-reactive protein correlated significantly positively with smoking exposure parameters (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Smoking, an established and common risk factor of periodontitis, was assessed as a possible influencing factor for salivary histamine. Most interestingly, salivary histamine differed highly significantly between smoking and non-smoking periodontitis patients. Our results suggest a possible involvement of histamine in tobacco-exacerbated periodontal disease, but do not suggest salivary histamine as a reliable diagnostic marker for periodontitis.