Circ_0036490 and DKK1 competitively bind miR-29a to promote lipopolysaccharides-induced human gingival fibroblasts injury.

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays a regulatory role in periodontitis. This study aimed to explore whether miR-29a could affect lipopolysaccharides (LPSs)-induced injury in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) through the competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) mechanism. Periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues and HGFs were derived from patients with periodontitis and healthy volunteers. Periodontitis cell model was established by treating HGFs with LPS. Expression levels of circ_0036490, miR-29a, and DKK1 were evaluated by the reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) method. Western blotting assay was performed to assess protein expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins and Wnt signalling related proteins. Cell viability was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-18 were determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pyroptosis rate were determined by flow cytometry assay to evaluate pyroptosis. The interaction between miR-29a and circ_0036490 or DKK1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. MiR-29a expression was lower in PDL tissues of patients with periodontitis than that in healthy group; likewise, miR-29a was also downregulated in LPS-treated HGFs. Overexpression of miR-29a increased cell viability and decreased pyroptosis of HGFs induced by LPS while inhibition of miR-29a exerted the opposite role. MiR-29a binds to circ_0036490 and elevation of circ_0036490 contributed to dysfuntion of LPS-treated HGFs and reversed the protection function of elevated miR-29a. In addition, miR-29a targets DKK1. Overexpression of DKK1 abrogated the effects of overexpressed miR-29a on cell vaibility, pyroptosis, and protein levels of Wnt signalling pathway of LPS-treated HGFs. Circ_0036490 and DKK1 competitively bind miR-29a to promote LPS-induced HGF injury in vitro. Wnt pathway inactivated by LPS was activated by miR-29a. Thence, miR-29a may be a promising target for periodontitis.

Preclinical evidence of probiotics in ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

The imbalance of gastrointestinal microbial composition has been identified as the main factor of chronic inflammatory diseases. At present, probiotics have a beneficial effect on the microbial composition of the human gastrointestinal tract, but it is still controversial and the specific mechanism is unknown. The purpose of this network meta-analysis is to compare the mechanism of different probiotics on ulcerative colitis. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched till 16 November 2022. The SYRCLE risk bias assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the research studies. A total of 42 studies, 839 ulcerative colitis models, and 24 kinds of probiotics were finally included. The results showed that L. rhamnosus has the best effect in relieving weight loss and improving the Shannon index in the ulcerative colitis model. E. faecium has the best effect in reducing colon injury; L. reuteri has the best effect in reducing the DAI; L. acidophilus has the best effect in reducing the HIS index and increasing the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1; and L. coryniformis has the best effect in reducing the content of serum pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α. It indicated that probiotics can improve ulcerative colitis by improving histopathological manifestations, reducing inflammatory reaction, and repairing the mucosal barrier, and different probiotics showed different effects. However, considering the limitations of this study, preclinical studies that require more large samples and high-quality and more reliable and rigorous experimental designs and reports need to be conducted in the future. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#record details, identifier CRD42022383383.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Acupuncture Treatment for Oral Ulcer.

Background: Oral ulcer (OU) is a common oral mucosal disease manifested with obvious pain. In some studies, the efficacy of acupuncture in OU has been confirmed, but systematic reviews and meta-analyses for them are lacking. Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of OU. Methods: We searched the literature from eight databases from their inception to December 2021. We included randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for the treatment of oral ulcer. The meta-analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 16.0. The main outcomes were the effective rate and the recurrence rate, the secondary outcomes were the visual analogue score (VAS) and the ulcer healing time. Results: Totally, 18 studies were finally included in the meta-analysis, including 1,422 patients. In meta-analyses, we found that in comparison with Western medicine, acupuncture can improve effective rate (OR = 5.40, 95% CI: 3.40 to 8.58), reduce the ulcer recurrence rate (OR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.33), and relieve the ulcer pain (MD = -2.26, 95% CI: -4.27to-0.24). In addition, compared with Western medicine, acupuncture plus Western medicine also can improve effective rate (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.48 to 5.85). Compared with the Chinese medicine, the acupuncture plus Chinese medicine can improve the effective rate (OR = 8.26, 95% CI: 3.61 to 18.88) and relieve the ulcer pain (MD = -1.85, 95% CI: -2.51 to -1.19). Conclusion: Acupuncture may be more effective than Western medicine in terms of efficacy rate, and acupuncture combined with Western or Chinese medicine may have the potential to reduce the recurrence of ulcer and relieve the ulcer pain. However, due to limited evidence, higher quality and more rigorously designed clinical trials with larger sample sizes will be needed to further confirm our findings.

Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on the Method of "Nourishing Kidney and Clearing Heat" as Adjuvant in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine based on the method of "nourishing kidney and clearing heat" as an adjuvant in the treatment of diabetes mellitus patients with periodontitis. Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published until October 2021. The primary outcomes were probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), plaque index (PLI), and sulcular bleeding index (SBI), while the secondary outcomes were tooth mobility (TM), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total effective rate, and adverse effects. Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed PPD (WMD = 1.07, 95%CI: (0.82, 1.33), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 89%), CAL (WMD = 0.78, 95%CI: (0.62, 0.93), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 58%), PLI (WMD = 0.44, 95%CI: (0.09, 0.79), P=0.01, I2 = 97%), SBI (WMD = 0.87, 95%CI: (0.79, 0.95), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 37%), TM (WMD = 0.26, 95%CI: (0.21, 0.30), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 31%), HbA1c (WMD = 0.48, 95%CI: (0.28, 0.67), P < 0.00001, I2 = 26%), FBG (WMD = 1.34, 95%CI: (0.96, 1.72), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 52%), total effective rate (RR = 1.24, 95%CI: (1.14, 1.34), P < 0.00001, I 2 = 0%), and adverse effects (RR = 0.78, 95%CI: (0.20, 3.03), P=0.72, I 2 = 0%) in the traditional Chinese medicine based on the method of "nourishing kidney and clearing heat" + routine western medicine treatment (periodontal basic treatment, PBT, with or without antibiotic) group were significantly improved compared to control group, but no significant difference was observed for PLI at 2-3 months and 6 months. Conclusions: This review supports traditional Chinese medicine based on the method of "nourishing kidney and clearing heat" as an adjuvant to routine western medicine treatment in the management of diabetes mellitus patients with periodontitis. Within the limits of the evidence, the well-designed, long-term efficacy, and high-quality multicenter RCTs need to be further confirmed.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture treatment for oral ulcer.

BACKGROUND: Oral ulcers (OU) is a common oral mucosal disease manifested with obvious pain; in some studies, the efficacy of acupuncture in OU has been confirmed, but the systematic reviews and meta-analyses for them are lacking. Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of OU. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi RCTs and non-RCTs will be identified by systematic searching from the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal database, and Wanfang Data (since inception of the databases to present). In addition, ongoing trials will be retrieved from the Chinese Clinical Trial Register, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Clinical Trials, and The Clinical Trials Register. Grey literature will be also taken into consideration, including academic dissertation, minutes of the meeting from Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal database, and Wanfang Data. There are no language restrictions. RESULTS: Ethical approval is not required because this study is based on published papers. After peer-review, the study will be disseminated in scientific journals and conferences. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for Oral ulcers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020144911.