{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T09:16:05Z","timestamp":1768986965422,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,24]],"date-time":"2022-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1658620800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The objective was to reveal the most typical changes in oral mucosa in HCV patients and compare them with those in HCV negative patients. Methods: The study involved 96 HCV patients and 100 patients without HCV who applied to a dental clinic. The content of cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and \u0264-INF in the oral fluid was determined by ELISA. Buccal mucosa and gums biopsies passed histological examination. An immunohistochemical study of mucous membrane biopsies was performed using monoclonal mouse antibodies to CD3+ and CD20+. Results: The HCV patients group included 96 (63.5% males), and the non-HCV group included 100 subjects (62.0% males) with lesions of the oral mucous membrane. The lesions of lips and oral mucosa were more frequent in HCV than in the non-HCV group\u2014e.g., erosion (13.5% vs. 1%), cracks in the mouth corners (42.7% vs. 0%), changes in the oral mucosa surface (89.6% vs. 3.0%), hemorrhages (78.1% vs. 0%), etc. The pro-inflammatory IL-2 level was higher and anti-inflammatory IL-4 level was lower in HCV patients compared with those in the non-HCV group. Conclusions: Morphological changes developed in the microvasculature both worsen the tissue trophism and accelerate the healing with differentiation into coarse-fibrous connective tissue. Immunohistochemical findings indicated a decrease in local humoral immune response.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19159003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,24]],"date-time":"2022-07-24T22:49:02Z","timestamp":1658702942000},"page":"9003","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Morphological Changes in the Oral Mucous Membrane in Viral Hepatitis C Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4034-2040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vahe","family":"Azatyan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Stomatology, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lazar","family":"Yessayan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Therapeutic Stomatology, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9327-1632","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aelita","family":"Sargsyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tuberculosis Research and Prevention Center, 6\/2 Adonts Str., 100 Apt., Yerevan 0014, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Khachatryan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathological Anatomy, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tigran","family":"Ghevondyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histochemistry and Electron Microscopy, After Orbeli Institute of Physiology of National Academy of Sciences of Republic Armenia (NAoS RA), 22 Brothers Orbeli Str., Yerevan 0028, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melanya","family":"Shmavonyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gayane","family":"Melik-Andreasyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health (MoH), 12 Mkhitar Heratsi Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kristina","family":"Porksheyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mikael","family":"Manrikyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), 2 Koryun Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2021, May 20). 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