Effects of orthodontic treatment on masticatory muscles activity: a meta-analysis.

Context: A comprehensive meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the impact of orthodontics on masticatory muscles.Methods: A thorough search of various databases, including CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, CBM, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, was performed to identify relevant studies on patients undergoing orthodontics or functional corrections. Six case-control studies were finally included in this analysis, which specifically examined the effect of orthodontic treatment on masticatory muscle function.Results: The results revealed that the mean masticatory muscle voltage in patients treated with orthodontics was found to be higher after treatment compared to before treatment [odds ratio (OR)=1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.57, 2.57), p = 0.002], which could potentially have an impact on masticatory muscle function, particularly in individuals with Class II Division 1 malocclusion.Conclusion: These findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of orthodontic interventions on masticatory muscles, further highlighting the importance of orthodontics in optimising masticatory function.

Mechanism and effects of artesunate on the liver function of rats with type 1 diabetic periodontitis.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the gums. Periodontitis in diabetic patients can aggravate insulin resistance; however, its molecular and biological mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effects of diabetic periodontitis on liver function and determine the mechanism by which artesunate improves liver function. Rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were divided into five groups: normal control (NC), diabetic periodontitis (DM + PD), artesunate intervention (ART), insulin intervention (INS), and combined medication intervention (ART + INS) groups. Drug interventions were then administered to the rats in each group as follows: 50 mg/kg artesunate to the ART group, 6 U/kg insulin to the INS group, and 50 mg/kg artesunate + 6 U/kg insulin to the ART + INS group. Blood samples, liver tissues, and the maxillary alveolar bone were collected postsacrifice. ART was found to significantly ameliorate hyperglycemia, blood lipid concentrations, and liver function. The levels of inflammatory factors reduced; the effect was more pronounced in the ART + INS group. Artesunate presumably inhibits the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and expression of downstream inflammatory factors, thereby exerting a protective effect on diabetes-related liver function. This offers a fresh approach to treat diabetes mellitus.