Purpose: Behcet’s disease is characterized by repeated acute inflammatory attacks with aphthous ulcers of the oral mucosa, uveitis of the eyes, skin symptoms, and genital ulcers. Although its etiology is still unknown, there is evidence of the involvement of oral bacteria in systemic diseases. Various types of oral bacteria may be involved in the development and progression of Behcet's disease. Therefore, the present study investigated alterations in the oral flora of patients with Behcet’s disease in Mongolia. We collected saliva samples from the Mongolian Behcet's disease (BD) group and healthy control (HC) group, and the oral flora were analyzed using next generation sequencer (NGS). Methods: DNA was extracted from the unstimulated saliva samples from the 47 BD and 48 HC subjects. The DNA was amplified from the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA using PCR, and the data were acquired using NGS. Based on the obtained data, we analyzed the alpha diversity, beta diversity, and bacterial taxonomy of the salivary flora.
Household survey covered 148 people with visual and hearing impairments to assess social service accessibility. Results: Beta diversity differed significantly between the BD and HC flora, but no significant differences were observed in alpha diversity. We found that the proportions of three genera—an S24-7 family unknown species, a mitochondria family unknown species, and Akkermansia species were significantly lower in the BD than in the HC group. Conclusion The reduced proportions of the S24-7 family and symbiotic Akkermansia species may be key phenomena in the oral flora of patients with BD.

BACKGROUND: An increase in cardiovascular diseases has been reported following major disasters. Previous work has shown that ultrasonographic findings from ultrasound cardiography examination (UCG) increased until the 44th month after the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The present study conducted UCG among victims in the tsunami disaster area and investigated the frequency of disaster-related cardiovascular diseases and changes over time until the 55th month after the disaster. METHODS: The subjects were residents of temporary housing complexes and neighboring housing in Watari-gun, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. There were 207 subjects in the 18th month, 125 in the 30th month, 121 in the 44th month, and 106 in the 55th month after the disaster. Data were collected through UCG and self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: Significant changes were observed among subjects with clinical findings from the UCG, which increased over the study period-from 42.0 to 60.8, 72.7, and 73.6% beginning in the 18th month after the disaster (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that the UCG can become a useful examination to visualize the potential impact of a major disaster on the cardiac function of victims. Victims with clinical findings continued increasing not only during the acute phase after a disaster but also in the long term. We therefore need to keep this in mind, and note that it is important to establish a support system to control cardiovascular diseases from the early stage of disaster. TRIAL REGISTRATION UMIN; ID000029802. R000034050 . 2 November 2017.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Case-Control Studies ; Disasters ; statistics & numerical data ; Earthquakes ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tsunamis