Visceral adipose tissue increases the risk of periodontal disease: Results from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Mendelian randomization analysis.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the relationship and potential causal effect of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on periodontal disease (PD). Despite prior research on this, there has been no definitive conclusion. Therefore, this study aimed to provide additional insight into these associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014 to examine the association between VAT and PD in a cross-sectional study design. Various analytical methods were employed, such as multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline analysis, and p-value for trend. Additionally, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to evaluate the potential causal effect of VAT on PD risk. These methods enabled us to evaluate the association between VAT and PD and to establish whether VAT could be a causal factor in PD development. RESULTS: The study examined a sample of 3535 participants, and the findings suggested that higher VAT levels were associated with an increased risk of PD. In addition, multivariable regression analysis conducted in six models revealed a statistically significant association between VAT and PD risk. Restricted cubic spline analysis showed an inverted U-shaped association between VAT and PD, with a turning point at 733 g of VAT. Finally, a two-sample MR analysis provided evidence for a potential causal relationship between VAT and PD risk, with an odds ratio of 1.16 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.33, p = .027) per kg increase in genetically predicted VAT. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that there is a significant association between VAT and PD and that VAT could be a potential causal factor in PD risk. Our results also suggest that although there is a potential link between VAT levels and PD risk, the effect size is modest. Therefore, interventions designed to reduce VAT levels should not be considered a primary strategy for PD risk reduction but could be one of many strategies used in a comprehensive approach to PD risk management.

Circular RNA RSU1 promotes retinal vascular dysfunction by regulating miR-345-3p/TAZ.

Diabetic mellitus-induced diabetic retinopathy is a significant cause of visual impairment and blindness in adults. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to play initial roles in vascular progression. However, the mechanism underlying diabetes mellitus-induced vascular complications remains largely unknown. In circRNA chip experiments, circRSU1 was found to be generally overexpressed in diabetic retinopathy patients. Human retina endothelial cells were stably transfected with lentiviruses carrying a circRSU1 interference plasmid. CircRSU1 downregulation alleviated diabetes mellitus induced retina vascular dysfunction, resulting in decreased vascular endothelial growth factor levels, inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Mechanistically, we showed that elevated circRSU1 expression upregulated the TAZ levels by sponging miR-345-3p. Downregulation of TAZ reversed the vascular dysfunction that was caused by increased circRSU1 expression under hyperglycaemic conditions. In conclusion, overexpression of circRSU1 promotes vascular dysfunction by sponging miR-345-3p to increase the TAZ levels under diabetic conditions. We provide evidence that circRSU1 is a potential therapeutic target for treating diabetes mellitus-induced vascular dysfunction.

Microneedle patches containing mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles loaded with triamcinolone acetonide for the treatment of oral mucositis.

Oral mucositis (OM) is the most common disease of the oral mucosa, which affects people's daily production and life. Triamcinolone ointment is the common clinical drug for OM treatment. However, the hydrophobic properties of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) and the complex microenvironment of the oral cavity led to its low bioavailability and unstable therapeutic effects on ulcer wounds. Herein, dissolving microneedle patches (MNs) composed of mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA) loaded with TA (TA@MPDA), sodium hyaluronic acid (HA), and Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) are prepared as the transmucosal delivery system. The prepared TA@MPDA-HA/BSP MNs exhibit well-arranged microarrays, high mechanical strength and fast solubility (<3 min) properties. In addition, the hybrid structure improves the biocompatibility of TA@MPDA and expedites oral ulcer healing in the SD rat model through the synergistic anti-inflammatory and pro-healing effects of microneedle ingredients (hormones, MPDA and Chinese herbs extracts), with 90% less amount of TA compared with Ning Zhi Zhu®. TA@MPDA-HA/BSP MNs are shown to be their great potential as novel ulcer dressings for OM management.

Applications of photothermally mediated nanohybrids for white spot lesions in orthodontics.

In orthodontic treatment, cariogenic bacteria in the oral cavity are the main cause of enamel white spot lesions (WSLs). Therefore, to effectively prevent and treat WSLs, it is crucial to inhibit the cariogenic bacterial activity while promoting the remineralization of demineralized tooth enamel. However, fluoride preparations commonly used for the prevention and treatment of WSLs can induce dental fluorosis if ingested in excess, and their remineralization effect is limited by the residual hydroxyapatite (HAp) content and salivary Ca2+ and PO43- levels. In this study, we propose a strategy (CMCS/ACP@PDA) for antibacterial and remineralization of WSLs by a nanohybrid of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) loaded polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) based on biomimetic remineralization techniques and biocompatible near-infrared (NIR) photoactivation therapy. The nanohybrid utilizes the excellent photothermal conversion ability of polydopamine for antimicrobial purposes, while CMCS with its own positive and negative charges (-NH3+ and -COO-) acts as a biomimetic mineralizing agent to stabilize ACP, supplemented with abundant Ca2+ and PO43- for remineralization of demineralized enamel. The results showed that CMCS/ACP@PDA could effectively inhibit the adhesion of cariogenic Streptococcus mutants (S. mutants) with high bactericidal rates. In addition, the remineralization of demineralized enamel by nanohybrid was more effective after 7 days of in vitro mineralization. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the use of CMCS/ACP@PDA nanohybrid materials as potential materials against WSLs.

Betamethasone-loaded dissolvable microneedle patch for oral ulcer treatment.

Oral inflammatory disease (OID) is among the most common oral lesions, affecting people's quality of life and even leading to oral cancer. Oral ulcers are the most common OID. However, the pain and fear caused by the localized injection of hormones hinder the clinical treatment of oral ulcers. To address this problem, soluble hyaluronic acid (HA) microneedle patches (BSP-BDP@HAMN) containing betamethasone 21-phosphate sodium (BSP) and betamethasone 17,21-dipropionate (BDP) were fabricated for potential application in oral ulcers. BSP-BDP@HAMNs had the sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the rat tongue abdomen mucosa with an insertion depth of approximately 207 ± 3 µm. The rapidly solubilized HA microneedle carrier released BSP and BDP into the ulcer base within 3 min of entering the mucosa. Cellular assays have shown that BDP@HAMNs have wound healing-promoting and anti-inflammatory effects. Compared with topical injections and creams, BSP-BDP@HAMNs not only penetrated the ulcer surface painlessly but also worked deep in the ulcer for a long time. In conclusion, the proposed BSP-BDP@HAMN patch can improve the comfort and efficacy of oral ulcer treatment, thus providing a new prospect for oral ulcer treatment.

Discoid lupus erythematosus solely involving the eyelids: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The involvement of eyelids occurs in only 5-6% of patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), commonly with mucocutaneous lesions elsewhere. DLE solely involving the eyelids is relatively rare. This study aimed to describe the clinical features and treatments of all the reported cases of DLE with eyelid involvement as the only symptom. METHODS: A systematic review was done of all the related literature published both in English and Chinese from May 1, 1984, to March 1, 2020. Only those cases of DLE solely involving eyelids were selected and summarized in two tables. RESULTS: (i) DLE solely involving the eyelids is five times more likely to affect females than males. (ii) The majority of cases were presenting with unilateral eyelid involvement. Lower lids, especially both lower lids, were the most commonly affected locations. (iii) An erythematous plaque with scales is the most frequent manifestation. (iv) Approximately 22.9% of the cases had a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer, and the speckled pattern was the most seen. For direct immunofluorescence (DIF), 94.4% of the performed cases showed positive results. (v) More than 85% of these cases showed an excellent response to treatment with oral antimalarials. CONCLUSION: Awareness of this atypical presentation is important to avoid underdiagnosis of DLE solely involving the eyelids. A biopsy for both routine histology and DIF is critical for establishing the diagnosis.

Aneurysmal Fibrous Histiocytoma: Clinicopathology Analysis of 30 Cases of a Rare Variant of Cutaneous Fibrohistiocytoma.

Aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma is often clinically misdiagnosed. In this study, we put forward an insight on how to help diagnose this disease clinically. A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients diagnosed with aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma from 2007 to 2017 in the Department of Dermatology, Union Hospital, China, and all clinical data were collected from the hospital archives. From a total of 418 patients diagnosed with cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma, only 30 patients were confirmed to have aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma out of which only 2 patients were clinically diagnosed with aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma. The remaining 28 patients were diagnosed with various types of vascular tumors although pathology classified them as having aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma. Among the 30 patients, 9 were male and 21 were female. There were following age groups: 13-19 (mean 16, n=4), 20-29 (mean 26.25, n=8), 30-39 (mean 33, n=7), 40-49 (mean 44, n=4), 50-59 (mean 56.75, n=4), 60 and above (mean 61, n=3). Tumors were present on the head, neck, back, waist, hips and upper and lower extremities. After complete excision, there was no recurrence and no complications. Histologically, lesions showed the typical pseudoangiomatoid spaces without endothelial lining and infiltration of fibrohistiocytes in hemosiderotic pigmentation. It was suggested that although the prognosis of aneurysmal fibrous histiocytoma is good, accurate diagnosis is paramount to avoid clinical misdiagnosis and subsequent complications.

Increased Cthrc1 Activates Normal Fibroblasts and Suppresses Keloid Fibroblasts by Inhibiting TGF-ß/Smad Signal Pathway and Modulating YAP Subcellular Location.

Keloid may induce severe impairment of life quality for the patients, although keloid is a cutaneous benign tumor. Collagen triple helix repeat containing protein 1 (Cthrc1) was identified as a novel gene that was originally found in adventitial fibroblasts after arterial injury. To address the role of Cthrc1 in keloid, the expression level of Cthrc1 was assessed in normal skin and keloid tissue, as well as in normal fibroblasts (NFs) and keloid fibroblasts (KFs) by using quantitative PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis. The results showed that Cthrc1 was increased in keloid tissue and KFs as compared with normal skin and NFs. Meanwhile, CCK8 and Transwell assays found the cellular proliferation and migration of KFs were increased as compared with NFs. Further, to verify the function of Cthrc1 in NFs and KFs, we increased Cthrc1 expression by transfecting lentivirus (LV) vectors LV-Cthrc1. The cellular proliferation and migration, collagen synthesis and the influence on TGF-ß and YAP signaling were tested. The cellular proliferation and migration were increased in NFs-Cthrc1 as compared with NFs-control. Meanwhile, YAP expression and nuclear-location was increased in NFs-Cthrc1. On the contrary, when Cthrc1 was overexpressed in KFs, the cellular migration was suppressed and YAP expression was reduced and transferred to cytoplasm in KFs-Cthrc1 as compared with KFs-control. But the expression level of collagen I was decreased and pSmad2/3 nucleus transfer was suppressed in both NFs-Cthrc1 and KFs-Cthrc1 by using Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Increased Cthrc1 activated NFs by promoting YAP nucleus translocation, whereas suppressed KFs by inhibiting YAP nucleus translocation. Enhanced Cthrc1 decreased collagen I in both NFs and KFs by inhibiting TGF-ß/Smad pathway. In conclusion, Cthrc1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of keloid by inhibiting collagen synthesis and fibroblasts migration via suppressing TGF-ß/Smad pathway and YAP nucleus translocation.

Generalized multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Multinucleate cell angiohistiocytoma (MCAH) is an uncommon benign fibrohistiocytic and vascular proliferation, which usually occurs as slow-growing grouped reddish-brown to purple papules and nodules on the distal extremities or face. Patients with generalized MCAH are extremely rare and to our knowledge, there are no more than 11 cases reported previously in the medical literature. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical, histopathologic features and immunohistochemical characteristics of all reported cases of generalized MCAH and investigate any potential clinicopathological correlations. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was done with information collected and organized in a table. A new case report is also described in a 42-year-old female with generalized MCAH. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of multiple biopsies were analyzed. RESULTS: Men and women are equally affected. It is crucial to take multiple biopsies preferably from newly formed lesions to reach the correct diagnosis. The divergent results in immunohistochemistry staining for CD68 and estrogen receptor (ER) alpha necessitate further studies to reach a precise etiology and pathogenesis and secure it with certainty. CONCLUSION: Awareness of the clinicopathological hallmarks is important to avoid underdiagnosis of MCAH and the immunohistochemical features may contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of this rare disease.

Mycosis fungoides patient accompanied actinic keratosis, actinic keratosis with squamous cell carcinoma transformation, and porokeratosis after NBUVB therapy - 1st case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common form of primary cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Narrowband ultraviolet B light (NBUVB) is used increasingly in treating MF because of its good toleration and well-established management. CONCERNS: To discuss the risk factors and underlying pathogenic factors in the patients with secondary skin diseases after NBUVB therapy. METHODS: We report in details the first case of a patient with MF accompanied with actinic keratosis (AK), AK with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) transformation and porokeratosis after NBUVB therapy. Meanwhile, Sequence variants in tumor suppressor p53 gene in the patient's specimens were detected. A literature search of the key word "narrowband ultraviolet B light "and "side effects" was performed on PubMed, 14 cases of this entity were found. A total of 15 patients including our case were reviewed in this study and meaningful conclusion could be drawn. OUTCOMES: The mean age at diagnosis of secondary skin dermatoses after NBUVB therapy was 62.08 years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. The cases were reported more in Europeans than in Asians (2.75:1), and the Fitzpatrick skin type was mainly Ito III (12/15). The mean cumulative number and cumulative dose of UVB treatments were 43.71 and 42, 400 (mJ/cm), respectively. There was a positive relationship between Fitzpatrick skin type and cumulative dose of UVB treatments. Among the secondary skin diseases after NBUVB treatment, 12 were tumors, 2 were non-tumorous dermatoses. Only our patient presented with both. By polymerase chain reaction-single nucleotide polymorphism (PCR-SNP) analysis, C-G mutation of exon 4 of p53 was found in AK and MF specimens in our patient. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, our case is the first MF patient accompanied with AK, AK with SCC transformation and Porokeratosis after NBUVB treatment. Lower Fitzpatrick skin type may be the risk factor of secondary skin diseases after NBUVB treatment.

How are different neural networks related to consciousness?

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the roles of different resting-state networks in predicting both the actual level of consciousness and its recovery in brain injury patients. METHODS: We investigated resting-state functional connectivity within different networks in patients with varying levels of consciousness: unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS; n = 56), minimally conscious state (MCS; n = 29), and patients with brain lesions but full consciousness (BL; n = 48). Considering the actual level of consciousness, we compared the strength of network connectivity among the patient groups. We then checked the presence of connections between specific regions in individual patients and calculated the frequency of this in the different patient groups. Considering the recovery of consciousness, we split the UWS group into 2 subgroups according to recovery: those who emerged from UWS (UWS-E) and those who remained in UWS (UWS-R). The above analyses were repeated on these 2 subgroups. RESULTS: Functional connectivity strength in salience network (SN), especially connectivity between the supragenual anterior cingulate cortex (SACC) and left anterior insula (LAI), was reduced in the unconscious state (UWS) compared to the conscious state (MCS and BL). Moreover, at the individual level, SACC-LAI connectivity was more present in MCS than in UWS. Default-mode network (DMN) connectivity strength, especially between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left lateral parietal cortex (LLPC), was reduced in UWS-R compared with UWS-E. Furthermore, PCC-LLPC connectivity was more present in UWS-E than in UWS-R. INTERPRETATION: Our findings show that SN (SACC-LAI) connectivity correlates with behavioral signs of consciousness, whereas DMN (PCC-LLPC) connectivity instead predicts recovery of consciousness.

Downregulation of Cdk1 and cyclinB1 expression contributes to oridonin-induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and growth inhibition in SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Oridonin isolated from Rabdosia rubescens, a plant used to treat cancer in Chinese folk medicine, is one of the most important antitumor active ingredients. Previous studies have shown that oridonin has anti- tumor activities in vivo and in vitro, but little is known about cell cycle effects of oridonin in gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MTT assay was adopted to detect the proliferation inhibition of SGC-7901 cells, the cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry and protein expression by Western blotting. RESULTS: Oridonin could inhibit SGC-7901 cell proliferation, the IC50 being 15.6 µM, and blocked SGC-7901 cell cycling in the G2/M phase. The agent also decreased the protein expression of cyclinB1 and CDK1. CONCLUSIONS: Oridonin may inhibit SGC-7901 growth and block the cells in the G2/M phase by decreasing Cdk1 and cyclinB1 proteins.

Follicular hybrid cyst: a combination of bullous pilomatricoma and epidermoid cyst.

The follicular hybrid is composed of more than two components of pilosebaceous unit. There are several studies of hybrid cyst, combination of trichilemmal and epidermoid cyst was the most frequently reported. In this paper, we reported one case of hybrid cyst composed of bullous pilomatricoma and epidermoid cyst. A 14-year-old girl was complaint of a solitary flesh-colored to erythematous nodule with flaccid appearance sized 3.2 × 1.8 cm in diameter on her right upper back for one year. The histologic findings showed there were edema and proliferation of capillaries in the superficial dermis, a cyst in the middle to deep dermis. There were laminated keratins in the cystic space. The cyst wall was composed of two different components, one was composed of epithelial cells containing of granular layer, and another consisted of basophilic cells, transient cells and shadow cells. The cyst not related with Gardner's syndrome. Hybrid cyst such as trichilemmal cyst, epidermoid and pilomatricoma cysts maybe have same clinical features or mimicking each others, but we can distinguish them from histopathology evaluation.

Silencing endothelin-3 expression attenuates the malignant behaviors of human melanoma cells by regulating SPARC levels.

Endothelin-3 (ET-3) is aberrantly expressed in both metastatic melanoma tissues and cultured melanoma cells. Our previous work showed that ET-3 could promote survival of metastatic melanoma cells via its altered expression. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms responsible for these gene-induced phenotypes in melanoma cells. An ET-3 gene sequence-specific shRNA vector pLVTHM-ET3-RNAi was constructed and transfected into human malignant melanoma cells A375 and MMRU, and the resultant molecular events and cellular changes were examined. As compared with the empty-vector group, cell proliferation was slowed down, and the growth inhibition rates were 38.9% in A375 cells and 38.4% in MMRU cells after transfection. In addition, cell invasion capability was also inhibited, with a reduction of 62.2% in A375 cells and 54.3% in MMRU cells. The percentage of apoptotic cells was found to increase. Meanwhile, in both cell lines, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) levels were down-regulated together with inhibition of its upstream signaling molecule, NF-κB. Thus, the current results suggested that down-regulated expression of ET3 attenuates the malignant behaviors of human melanoma cells partially by decreasing the expression of SPARC and NF-κB.

[Study on removing the lamp spectrum structure in differential optical absorption spectroscopy].

Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) technique has been used to measure trace gases in the atmosphere by their strongly structured absorption of radiation in the UV and visible spectral range, and nowadays this technique has been widely utilized to measure trace polluted gases in the atmosphere e.g. SO2, NO2, O3, HCHO, etc. However, there exists lamp (xenon lamp or deuteriumlamp) spectrum structure in the measured band (300-700 nm) of the absorption spectra of atmosphere, which badly impacts on precision of retrieving the concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere. People home and abroad generally employ two ways to handle this problem, one is segmenting band retrieving method, another is remedial retrieving method. In the present paper, a new retrieving method to deal with this trouble is introduced. The authors used moving-window average smoothing method to obtain the slow part of the absorption spectra of atmosphere, then achieved the lamp (xenon lamp in the paper) spectrum structure in the measured band of the absorption spectra of atmosphere. The authors analyzed and retrieved the measured spectrum of the atmosphere, and the result is better than the forenamed ways. Chi-square of residuum is 2.995 x 10(-4), and this method was proved to be able to avoid shortcoming of choosing narrowband and disadvantage of discovering the new component of atmosphere in retrieving the concentration of air pollutants and measuring the air pollutants.

[Study of retrieving formaldehyde with differential optical absorption spectroscopy].

The present paper introduces the method of retrieving the concentration of HCHO with differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). The authors measured ambient HCHO in Beijing region with the help of differential optical absorption spectroscopy instrument made by ourself, and discussed numerous factors in retrieving the concentration of HCHO with differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), especially, the choice of HCHO wave band, how to avoid absorption of ambient SO2, NO2 and O3, and the influence of the Xenon lamp spectrum structure on the absorption of ambient HCHO. The authors achieved the HCHO concentration by simultaneously retrieving the concentrations of HCHO, SO2, NO2 and O3 with non-linear least square fitting method, avoiding the effect of choosing narrow wave of HCHO and the residual of SO2, NO2, O3 and the Xenon lamp spectrum structure in retrieving process to attain the concentration of HCHO, Finally the authors analyzed the origin of error in retrieving the concentration of HCHO with differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), and the total error is within 13.7% in this method.

Mitochondrial OXPHOS functions in R1H rhabdomyosarcoma and skeletal muscles of the rat.

The aim of the study was to determinate mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) functions in rat rhabdomyosarcoma R1H (R1H) and rat skeletal muscles. For that purpose skinned fiber technique and multiple substrate inhibitor titration were adapted to tumor samples. In our animal tumor model (R1H) functional abnormalities of OXPHOS were found compared to skeletal muscles. In R1H the state 3 respiration of pyruvate + malate was decreased: 0.56 +/- 0.28 nmol O(2)/mg/min versus 2.32 +/- 1.19 nmol O(2)/mg/min, P < 0.001, whereas the state 3 respiration of succinate + rotenone was increased: 36 +/- 14% versus 19 +/- 11%, P < 0.001. In R1H the rotenone-insensitive respiration reached higher levels than the antimycin A-insensitive respiration, whereas in normal muscles the converse was observed. Additionally, the obvious difference between the CAT- and the antimycin A-independent respiration indicates an increased part of leak respiration in R1H. By now, the high feasibility of these techniques is appreciated for the investigation of muscles and prospectively for tumors, too.