Targeting the ZMIZ1-Notch1 signaling axis for the treatment of tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Zinc finger MIZ-type containing 1 (ZMIZ1) is a transcriptional coactivator related to the protein inhibitors of activated STATs (PIAS) family. Mounting evidence suggests that ZMIZ1 plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of cancers. The function of ZMIZ1 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and the mechanisms underpinning its role in this disease have not been fully clarified. We performed qualitative ZMIZ1 protein expression analyses using immunohistochemistry in 20 patient-derived, paraffin-embedded TSCC tissue sections. We used RNAi to knock down ZMIZ1 expression in the CAL-27 TSCC cell line and quantified the impact of ZMIZ1 knock down on proliferation, migration and apoptosis via CCK-8, scratch assay and flow cytometry, respectively. We used qRT-PCR and western blotting to investigate the role of ZMIZ1 in this cell line. Finally, we established a model of lung metastasis in nude mice to replicate the in vitro results. ZMIZ1 protein was significantly more abundant in TSCC case tissue samples. ZMIZ1 knockdown reduced the invasion and metastases of TSCC tumor cells and promoted apoptosis. ZMIZ1 knockdown was associated with the down-regulation of Notch signaling pathway related factors Jagged1 and Notch1, and invasion and metastasis related factors MKP-1, SSBP2 and MMP7 in vitro and in vivo, at the mRNA level. In vitro and in vivo data suggest that knock down of ZMIZ1 may inhibit TSCC invasion and metastasis by modulating Notch signaling. ZMIZ1 inhibition may therefore represent a new therapeutic target for TSCC.

The association of education in a new society and social support from the education with the health of North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The number of North Korean defectors (NKDs) escaping to South Korea has increased. The health status of NKDs is an essential factor for a successful settlement into South Korean society. However, no studies have been conducted on the health status of NKDs in terms of education and social support. The aim of this study was to determine the associations of education and social support with the self-rated health status among NKDs. METHODS: This study utilized data gained from face-to-face interviews with 126 NKDs. A multivariable logistic regression and path analysis were performed to assess the effects of education in South Korea and social support on their self-rated health status and to explore the complex relationships between direct and indirect effects of the variables. RESULTS: NKDs who did not experience regular education in South Korea responded that they were in poor health compared to their counterpart (OR = 5.78). Although a direct association between education in South Korea and self-rated health was not shown, there was an indirect path from education in South Korea to self-rated health through social support. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in regular education in South Korea is important for the health status of NKDs. Moreover, social support has an important role in the association between education and self-rated health. Social policies and NKD assistance programs should consider and reflect the combination of education and social support interventions relevant to the health status of NKDs.

Factors Associated with Preventable Emergency Department Visits for Nontraumatic Dental Conditions in the U.S.

This study was designed to examine national trends and evaluate social determinants of health that were associated with the provision of dental services in emergency rooms in the United States between 2007 and 2014. A pooled cross-sectional database of emergency department (ED) visits combined the 2007-2014 waves of the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. A total of 3,761,958 ED visits with dental conditions were extracted and the principal diagnosis was identified. A series of modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the relationship between patient sociodemographic factors and hospital characteristics, and the likelihood of visiting the ED for a nontraumatic dental reason. Unadjusted descriptive results indicated that there was no apparent increase in the percentage of patients who visited an ED with nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) between 2007 and 2014. The greatest users of EDs for NTDCs were among those who were uninsured and Medicaid beneficiaries relative to persons privately insured. ED visitors were more likely to reside in lower socioeconomic areas (when compared with visitors in the top quartile of the income distribution). Patients in all other age groups were more likely to seek care in an ED for NTDCs relative to those 65 years of age or older. Multiple strategies are required to reduce the use of EDs for routine dental care. This approach will require an interprofessional dialogue and solutions that reduce barriers to receiving dental care.

Preventable Emergency Department Visits for Nontraumatic Dental Conditions: Trends and Disparities in Nevada, 2009-2015.

OBJECTIVES: To examine trends and socioeconomic disparities for preventable dental-related emergency department (ED) visits in Nevada. METHODS: We pooled retrospective data containing 66 267 ED visits involving dental conditions from Nevada hospital ED databases from 2009 to 2015. The dependent variable was nontraumatic dental conditions identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes; 3 independent variables included treatment year, health insurance status, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Odds of ED visits for nontraumatic dental conditions increased 16% annually from 2009 to 2015 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13, 1.19). Medicaid (OR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.96, 2.39) and uninsured patients (OR = 2.75; 95% CI = 2.52, 3.00) presenting with nontraumatic dental conditions were 1 to 2 times more likely than those with private dental insurance to seek ED treatment. Black patients were more likely than White patients to seek ED treatment (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.24). CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic and demographic factors were significantly associated with ED visits for nontraumatic dental conditions, with a steady increase in trends and a widening of socioeconomic disparities in recent years.

[Validity and reliability of the Demirjian distinguish software on estimating dental age].

OBJECTIVE: To study the validity and reliability of the Demirjian distinguish software on dental age estimation. METHOD: The dental age of 60 children were estimated with both the software three times and manual measures. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients of dental age estimated by the software and by manual measure was 0.974 (female) (P > 0.1) and 0.970 (male) (P > 0.05); the coefficients of interclass correlation of each dental age estimated by the software was 0.977 (female) (P > 0.1) and 0.977 (male) (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Demirjian distinguish software has high validity and reliability in estimating dental age.

[Longitudinal study of the growth of craniofacial widths in 13-18 years adolescents with normal occlusion].

OBJECTIVE: To study the growth characters of the craniofacial widths and then perusing its growth pattern. METHODS: 26 adolescents with normal occlusions were selected. A posteroanterior cephalogram was taken for every subject at the same time each year for 6 successive years. Computer-aided cephalometrics was carried out. RESULTS: (1) From age 13 to 18, most items of the craniofacial widths were bigger in male than in female. With the increase of age, the items with gender differences keep stable, except the width of L-Anter, L-Ore and L-Nas. (2) Compare with the growth completion of the craniofacial widths in 18 years old, they had completed more than 92% in 13 years old, and the L-Eur, L-Anter, L-Lo, L-Max, L-UM and L-LM were almost complete as well. The growth completion quantity of L-Ore, L-Zyg, and L-Nas in female was larger than that in male. (3) The growth of L-Mas, L-Nas, and L-Zyg could keep on to the age of 18. The L-Max maitained stable in female after 13 years old, while there was a growth from age 13 to 17 in male. (4) From age 13 to 18, the tooth arch width kept stable, while the cusp of the lower canine tends to be converging. CONCLUSION: The present findings may aid orthodontists to make rational diagnosis and treatment planning.