Oral and Human Microbiome Research / 치위생과학회지

In the past gut microbiome has been the main focus of microbiome research. Studies about the microbiome inside oral cavities and other organs are underway. Studies about the relationship between noninfectious diseases and periodontal diseases, and the negative effects of harmful oral microbes on systemic health have been published in the recent past. A lot of attention is being paid towards fostering a healthy oral microbial ecosystem. This study aimed to understand the roles and effects of the microbiome inside the human body can potentially help cure various diseases including inflammatory bowel diseases with no known cure such as Crohn's disease, atopic dermatitis, obesity, cancer, diabetes, brain diseases and oral diseases. The present study examined technological trends in the correlation between the human microbiome and diseases in the human body, interactions between the human body's immunity, the metabolic system, and the microbiome, and research trends in other countries. While it has been proven that human microbiome is closely correlated with human diseases, most studies are still in the early stage of trying to compare the composition of microbiomes between health and patient groups. Since the oral environment is a dynamic environment that changes due to not only food intake but also other external factors such as lifestyle, hygiene, and drug intake, it is necessary to continue in-depth research on the microbiome composition characteristics to understand the complex functions of oral microorganisms. Analyzing the oral microbiome using computational technology may aid in disease diagnosis and prevention.

Oral Metagenomic Analysis Techniques / 치위생과학회지

The modern era of microbial genome analysis began in earnest in the 2000s with the generalization of metagenomics and gene sequencing techniques. Studying complex microbial community such as oral cavity and colon by a pure culture is considerably ineffective in terms of cost and time. Therefore, various techniques for genomic analysis have been developed to overcome the limitation of the culture method and to explore microbial communities existing in the natural environment at the gene level. Among these, DNA fingerprinting analysis and microarray chip have been used extensively; however, the most recent method of analysis is metagenomics. The study summarily examined the overview of metagenomics analysis techniques, as well as domestic and foreign studies on disease genomics and cluster analysis related to oral metagenome. The composition of oral bacteria also varies across different individuals, and it would become possible to analyze what change occurs in the human body depending on the activity of bacteria living in the oral cavity and what causality it has with diseases. Identification, isolation, metabolism, and presence of functional genes of microorganisms are being identified for correlation analysis based on oral microbial genome sequencing. For precise diagnosis and treatment of diseases based on microbiome, greater effort is needed for finding not only the causative microorganisms, but also indicators at gene level. Up to now, oral microbial studies have mostly involved metagenomics, but if metatranscriptomic, metaproteomic, and metabolomic approaches can be taken together for assessment of microbial genes and proteins that are expressed under specific conditions, then doing so can be more helpful for gaining comprehensive understanding.

Capillary Hemangioma of the Thoracic Spinal Cord

Capillary hemangiomas are common soft tissue tumors on the skin or mucosa of the head and neck in the early childhood, but very rare in the neuraxis. A 47-year-old man presented with one month history of back pain on the lower thoracic area, radiating pain to both legs, and hypesthesia below T7 dermatome. Thoracic spine MRI showed 1x1.3x1.5 cm, well-defined intradural mass at T6-7 disc space level, which showed isointensity to spinal cord on T1, heterogeneous isointensity on T2-weighted images, and homogeneous strong enhancement. The patient underwent T6-7 total laminotomy, complete tumor removal and laminoplasty. Histologically, the mass showed a capsulated nodular lesion composed of capillary-sized vascular channels, which were tightly packed into nodules separated by fibrous septa. These features were consistent with capillary hemangioma.

Surgical Complications of Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion in Elderly Patients

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the surgical complications of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with pedicle screw fixation (PSF) in elderly patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 210 patients who underwent TLIF & PSF was performed via the paraspinal transmuscular route from January 2004 to October 2007. Forty-one patients aged 65 years or more at the time of operation (Group 1) and 169 patients under the age of 65 years (Group 2) were involved in this study. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were investigated. RESULTS: The series included 94 men and 116 women. The mean age of the patients at the time of operation was 70.9+/-5.4 years in Group 1 and 49.3+/-9.5 years in Group 2. The minimum follow-up period was 24 months, and the mean follow-up period was 40.7+/-11.5 months. In Group 1, intraoperative complication occurred in 3 patients (7.3%; dural tear), and postoperative complications were postoperative delirium(5 patients, 12.2%), acute myocardial infarction (2 patient, 4.9%), transient ischemic attack (2 patient, 4.9%), spondylodiscitis (3 patients, 7.3%), adjacent segment disease (7 patients, 17.1%) and pedicle screw loosening (4 patients, 9.8%). In Group 2, intraoperative complication occurred in 3 patients (1.8%; dural tear), and postoperative complications were postoperative delirium(3 patients, 1.8%), acute myocardial infarction (1 patient, 0.6%), transient ischemic attack (1 patient, 0.6%), spondylodiscitis (4 patients, 2.4%), adjacent segment disease (4 patients, 2.4%), pedicle screw fracture (5 patients, 3.0%) and pedicle screw loosening (2 patients, 1.2%). Among various complications, dural tear, postoperative delirium, spondylodiscitis, adjacent segment disease and pedicle screw loosening were statistically more frequent in the elderly patients. CONCLUSION: As the TLIF and PSF procedures yielded a relatively high complication rate in elderly patients, delicate intraoperative and postoperative care is needed.