Root caries is a prevalent chronic oral disease with an average global prevalence of 41.5%, characterized by high incidence, low rate of treatment, and high rate of retreatment. Root caries is primarily caused by core microbiome-induced dysbiosis and has multiple risk factors, including gingival recession, root surface exposure, and salivary dysfunction. The traditional preventive measures and treatments such as fluoride, mineralizing agents, and restorative materials, are unable to restore or maintain oral microecological homeostasis. Recent studies have demonstrated that probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and antimicrobial peptides may prevent and treat root caries by reversing dysbiosis. In addition, these biotherapeutics can reduce acid production by acidiferous bacteria, promote alkali production (hydrogen peroxide and ammonia) by alkali-producing bacteria, inhibit biofilm formation, decrease extracellular polysaccharide production, and suppress microbial adhesion and aggregation. It is expected to play an important role in the prevention and control of root caries. This article aims to review oral probiotics (Streptococcus oligofermentans, Streptococcus oralis subsp. dentisani, and Streptococcus salivarius), prebiotics (arginine, nitrates, and synthetic compounds), synbiotics, and antimicrobial peptides (gallic acid-polyphemusin I and LH12) to provide evidence and guidance for root caries management through microecological modulation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the structural changes of rat thoracic aorta and changes in expression levels of Bmal1 and cyclins in thoracic aorta endothelial cells following heat stress. METHODS: Twenty male SD rats were randomized equally into control group and heat stress group. After exposure to 32 ℃ for 2 weeks in the latter group, the rats were examined for histopathological changes and Bmal1 expression in the thoracic aorta using HE staining and immunohistochemistry. In the cell experiments, cultured rat thoracic aortic endothelial cells (RTAECs) were incubated at 40 ℃ for 12 h with or without prior transfection with a Bmal1-specific small interfering RNA (si-Bmal1) or a negative sequence. In both rat thoracic aorta and RTAECs, the expressions of Bmal1, the cell cycle proteins CDK1, CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin B1, and apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were detected using Western blotting. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis in rat thoracic aorta, and the changes in cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in RTAECs were analyzed with flow cytometry. RESULTS: Compared with the control rats, the rats exposed to heat stress showed significantly increased blood pressures and lowered heart rate with elastic fiber disruption and increased expressions of Bmal1, cyclin B1 and CDK1 in the thoracic aorta (P<0.05). In cultured RTAECs, heat stress caused significant increase of Bmal1, cyclin B1 and CDK1 protein expression levels, which were obviously lowered in cells with prior si-Bmal1 transfection. Bmal1 knockdown also inhibited heat stress-induced increase of apoptosis in RTAECs as evidenced by decreased expression of Bax and increased expression of Bcl-2. CONCLUSIONS Heat stress upregulates Bmal1 expression and causes alterations in expressions of cyclins to trigger apoptosis of rat thoracic aorta endothelial cells, which can be partly alleviated by suppressing Bmal1 expression.
Animals ; ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Male ; Aorta, Thoracic/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Heat-Shock Response ; Cyclin B1/metabolism* ; CDC2 Protein Kinase/metabolism* ; Cyclins/metabolism* ; RNA, Small Interfering ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism*

Radiochemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (OM) is a common oral complication in patients with tumors following head and neck radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Erosion and ulcers are the main features of OM that seriously affect the quality of life of patients and even the progress of tumor treatment. To date, differences in clinical prevention and treatment plans for OM have been noted among doctors of various specialties, which has increased the uncertainty of treatment effects. On the basis of current research evidence, this expert consensus outlines risk factors, clinical manifestations, clinical grading, ancillary examinations, diagnostic basis, prevention and treatment strategies and efficacy indicators for OM. In addition to strategies such as basic oral care, anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents, anti-infective agents, pro-healing agents, and photobiotherapy recommended in previous guidelines, we also emphasize the role of traditional Chinese medicine in OM prevention and treatment. This expert consensus aims to provide references and guidance for dental physicians and oncologists in formulating strategies for OM prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, standardizing clinical practice, reducing OM occurrence, promoting healing, and improving the quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Chemoradiotherapy/adverse effects* ; Consensus ; Risk Factors ; Stomatitis/etiology*

BACKGROUND:Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent stromal cells isolated from bone marrow,fat,umbilical cord and other tissues.It can differentiate into different cell types and secrete a variety of proteins with therapeutic potential,which has a good application prospect in the repair of muscle tissue. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress of mesenchymal stem cells in promoting muscle tissue repair and provide a theoretical basis for further clinical application. METHODS:Relevant articles published from inception to 2022 were retrieved from CNKI,VIP,WanFang,PubMed,Embase and Web of Science databases.The keywords were"mesenchymal stem cells,muscle tissue,muscle injury,muscle atrophy,exosomes,scaffolds"in Chinese and English.The literature about mesenchymal stem cell migration promoting muscle fiber proliferation and repair was screened.Finally,98 articles were included for review and analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The related mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell migration promoting muscle fiber proliferation and repair are complex,mostly by anti-inflammatory,inhibiting interstitial fibrosis,inhibiting the fat formation and other ways to promote muscle fiber proliferation and repair.(2)The related biological scaffolds and cell co-culture based on mesenchymal stem cells can significantly compensate for the low survival rate of mesenchymal stem cells after colonization.(3)At present,mesenchymal stem cell therapy still has apparent limitations.In the future,mesenchymal stem cells combined with other therapies should become the primary development trend.

This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of Juanbi Qianggu Formula(JBQGF), an empirical formula formulated by the prestigious doctor in traditional Chinese medicine, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis based on network pharmacology and cell function experiments. The main active components and targets of JBQGF were obtained through Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine(ETCM), and the core targets underwent functional enrichment analysis and signaling pathway analysis. Cytoscape 3.6.0 was used to construct a visualized "active component-target-signaling pathway" network of JBQGF. After screening, nine potential pathways of JBQGF were obtained, mainly including G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway and tyrosine kinase receptor signaling pathway. As previously indicated, the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1(FGFR1) signaling pathway was highly activated in active fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLS) in rheumatoid arthritis, and cell and animal experiments demonstrated that inhibition of the FGFR1 signaling pathway could significantly reduce joint inflammation and joint destruction in collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) rats. In terms of the tyrosine kinase receptor signal transduction pathway, the analysis of its target genes revealed that FGFR1 might be a potential target of JBQGF for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The biological effect of JBQGF by inhibiting FGFR1 phosphorylation was preliminarily verified by Western blot, Transwell invasion assay, and pannus erosion assay, thereby inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL) and suppressing the invasion of fibroblasts in rheumatoid arthritis and erosive effect of pannus bone. This study provides ideas for searching potential targets of rheumatoid arthritis treatment and TCM drugs through network pharmacology.
Rats ; Animals ; Synoviocytes ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2/metabolism* ; Network Pharmacology ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Fibroblasts ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

This study aims to investigate the hepatotoxicity of Psoraleae Fructus water extract and the underlying mechanism in rats. Forty-eight rats were randomly assigned into four groups: a blank group and low-(BZGL, 6.25 g·kg~(-1)), medium-(BGZM, 12.5 g·kg~(-1)), and high-dose(BGZH, 25 g·kg~(-1)) Psoraleae Fructus water extract groups. The rats were treated for 28 days, and toxicity and mortality were observed daily. After 28 days, the rats were sacrificed, and the body weight, liver index, and liver-to-brain ratio were calculated. The morphological changes in the liver tissue were observed, and the serum levels of related biochemical indicators were measured. The results showed that compared with the blank group, Psoraleae Fructus water extracts of different doses decreased the body weight, increased the liver index and liver-to-brain ratio, and caused liver hypertrophy and pathological changes. Pathological examination revealed that the rats in Psoraleae Fructus water extract groups had bile duct hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration, and liver cell fibrosis. Compared with the blank group, BGZL elevated the levels of alanine transaminase(ALT), α-glutathione S-transferase(α-GST), and total bile acid(TBA)(P<0.05), and BGZM and BGZH elevated the levels of ALT, TBA, α-GST, γ-glutamyl transferase(γ-GT), purine nucleoside phosphorylase(PNP), ornithine carbamoyltransferase(OCT), and arginase(ArgI)(P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, Psoraleae Fructus water extracts of different doses down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of bile salt export pump(BSEP) and farnesoid X receptor(FXR) and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), nuclear factor kappaB(NF-κB), and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase(CYP7A1)(P<0.05). The results suggested that Psoraleae Fructus water extract caused toxicity in rats, showing a dose-toxicity relationship. Psoraleae Fructus water extract may cause liver damage, which may be due to its effect on liver bile acid secretion and induction of inflammation.
Rats ; Animals ; Water ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Liver ; NF-kappa B ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Body Weight ; RNA, Messenger

TNM（tumor node metastasis）classification is a common way to evaluate the prognosis of patients with oral cancer; however, many years of application have proven this method to be confined merely in clinical and pathological data and it cannot be adapted to the development of modern medicine. Deep learning (DL) has been widely used in various aspects of human life, has advantages for conducting efficient and intelligent searches and can explore and analyze substantial medical information well. Additionally, the application of DL to medical practice is quickly increasing. In the field of oral cancer prognosis, DL can efficiently process and analyze the pathological, radiographic and molecular data of oral cancer patients represented by lymphocytes, gray level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) and gene maps and make accurate prognostic judgments accordingly. By assisting physicians in optimizing treatment plans, DL can effectively improve patients’ survival. Although DL lacks sufficient data and practical clinical application in prognostic studies, it has shown good clinical application prospects.

Objective: To investigate the project characteristics of oral clinical trials registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), and to provide reference for medical institutions to improve the quality of oral clinical trials and formulate management systems. Methods: The ChiCTR database was retrieved to collect all the oral-related clinical trials from the time of database establishment to July 25, 2021. Those clinical trials were analyzed statistically in respect of name of registered project, registration time, registration status, regional distribution of research institutions, approval status by ethics committee, sample size, source of funds, involved disease, research type and design, randomization method, and whether blind method was adopted. Results: A total of 778 oral clinical trials, which studied mainly in the oral and maxillofacial diseases, periodontal tissue diseases, oral implant diseases, oral mucosal diseases, and oral prosthetic diseases, were retrieved in the database. Beijing, Sichuan, Shanghai, Guangdong and Hubei were major regions where oral clinical trials were carried out, accounting for 69.68% (772/1 108) of the total. The top four funding sources were hospital finance [24.93% (186/746)], local government finance [22.39% (167/746)], self-financing [17.69% (132/746)], and national finance [12.47% (93/746)]. For the types of researches, 520 interventional studies and 244 observational studies were identified (accounting for 66.84% and 31.36%, respectively). The research designs were dominated by ways of randomized control (381, 48.97%), of which 240 (62.99%) trials were with missing or unspecified blinding methods. Conclusions: Oral clinical trials are increasing year by year, but they are regionally imbalanced, and still need to be further improved in registration information and research design. Administrative departments should pay more attention to strengthen the publicity and education on the registration and publication mechanism of clinical trials, and enhance researchers' cognitions in clinical trials registration and clinical trials design.
Beijing ; China ; Databases, Factual ; Registries

Most salivary gland stones involve the submandibular gland, which often cause recurrent swelling and pain of the glands after meals, and used to be the main reasons for the gland removals. With the trend of minimally invasive treatment, gland preservation and functional recovery in the diagnosis and the treatment of submandibular lithiasis have been paid more and more attention. New equipment and technologies such as CBCT and sialendoscopy, which are widely used in clinical practice, have contributed a lot to the accurate orientation and minimally invasive treatment of stones, and enriched the managements of submandibular lithiasis. Based on our experience and the review of relevant literature, this paper attempts to summarize the treatment strategies for submandibular stones distributed in different parts of the duct: ① emphasizing on the integrity and functions of the organ; ② endoscopy and minimal invasiveness come first; ③ scientific classifications and personal managements. Appropriate treatment options should be selected according to the features of the stones: endoscopic lithotomy helps a lot in removing those located in the anterior or middle part of the duct; endoscopic lithotomy or/and sialolithotomy are needed according to the features of hilar stones; the regular follow-up is required for the intraglandular stones. Meanwhile, the evaluation of the gland function is also important. After the removals of sunmandibular stones, the functions of the glands should be promoted to restore as far as possible.

OBJECTIVE：To investigate the effects of lidocaine aerosol inhalation on perioperative pulmonary function ， inflammation factor and related complications of patients with one-lung ventilation. METHODS ：A total of 120 patients who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Panzhihua University from January 2018 to May 2020 and planned to undergo partial pneumonectomy under general anesthesia and one-lung ventilation were selected. According to random number table method ，they were divided into lidocaine aerosol inhalation group （group L ）and sterile water aerosol inhalation group （group N ），with 60 cases in each group. Two groups were given Midazolam injection 0.1 mg/kg+Propofol injectable emulsion 2.0 mg/kg+Sufentanil citrate injection 0.4 μg/kg to induce anesthesia. After the insertion of the double-lumen tracheal tube ，group L was given aerosol inhalation of Lidocaine hydrochloride injection 1.5 mg/kg diluted to 20 mL with sterile water ；group N was given aerosol inhalation of sterile water 20 mL at the flow rate of 2 L/min. Patients in both groups were continuously pumped with Propofol injectable emulsion 4-12 mg/（kg·h）+Remifentanil hydrochloride for injection 0.2-1 μg（/ kg·min）+Cisatracurium besilate for injection 0.05-0.1 mg/（kg·h）for anesthesia maintenance. Eight hours after operation ，group L inhaled of Lidocaine hydrochloride injection 1.5 mg/kg diluted to 20 mL with sterile water again ，and group N inhaled of sterile water 20 mL again. Arterial blood gas analysis indexes [arterial partial pressure of oxygen （PaO2），partial pressure of carbon dioxide （PaCO2），lactic acid （Lac），oxygenation index （P/F）]，serum inflammatory factors [interleukin 6 （IL-6），tumor necrosis factor α（TNF-α）and nuclear factor κB（NF-κB）] were observed in 2 groups before anesthesia（T1），60 min of one-lung ventilation （T2），and 12 h after extubation （T3）. Respiratory and circulatory parameters [extravascular lung water（EVLW），pulmonary vascular permeability index （PVPI），heart rate （HR），stroke volume （SV）] were also observed 5 min after anesthesia （t1），T2 and 15 min after surgery （t3）. Extubation time ，visual analogue scale （VAS） score of 12 h after extubation，time of getting out of bed ，the incidence of throat pain of 12 h after extubation and the occurrence of ADR were recorded in 2 groups. RESULTS ：There was no significant difference in arterial blood gas analysis indexes ，serum inflammatory factor levels ，respiratory and circulatory parameters between the two groups at T 1 or t 1（P＞0.05）. The levels of PaO 2，PaCO2， Lac，IL-6，TNF-α and NF-κB in 2 groups at T 2 and T 3 were significantly higher than at T 1，P/F at T 2 and T 3 was significantly lower than at T 1；in group L ，the levels of PaCO 2，Lac，IL-6，TNF-α，NF-κB were significantly lower than group N，and PaO 2 and P/F were significantly higher than group N （P＜0.05）. EVLW and PVPI of 2 groups at T 2and t 3，SV of group L ，HR of group N were significantly higher than corresponding group at T 1，while EVLW ，PVPI and HR of group L were significantly lower than group N，SV was significantly higher than group N at corresponding period （P＜0.05）. The extubation time ，VAS score of 12 h after extubation，time to get out of bed after surgery ，the incidence of throat pain of 12 h after extubation in group L were significantly shorter or lower than group N （P＜0.05）. No obvious and serious ADR occurred during recovery. CONCLUSIONS：Lidocaine aerosol inhalation can effectively improve ventilation and oxygenation function of patients undergoing one-lung ventilation ，inhibit the release of inflammatory factors ，and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications with good safety.