Objective: To investigate the predictive value of EZH2 expression for malignant transformation in oral leukoplakia (OLK) and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. A total of 114 patients diagnosed with OLK by pathological examination and treated at our hospital between November 2020 and July 2022 were initially enrolled. After excluding those with incomplete data or follow-up, 105 participants were included in the final analysis, comprising 14 in the high EZH2 expression group and 91 in the low EZH2 expression group. Histopathological examination of oral mucosa and immunohistochemical detection of EZH2 protein expression were performed. The follow-up period was 30 months; participants were followed until malignant transformation occurred or until the end of follow-up, at which point they were withdrawn from the study. The exposure factor was the level of EZH2 protein expression, and the outcome was the malignant transformation rate of OLK. Differences in EZH2 expression levels and transformation outcomes were analyzed. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the high and low EZH2 expression groups in terms of age, sex, history of systemic disease, lifestyle habits, psychological status, diet, and sleep conditions (P > 0.05). Lesions in the high EZH2 expression group were mainly located on the ventral tongue, while in the low EZH2 expression group, they were more commonly found on the dorsal tongue and buccal mucosa. The malignant transformation rate was 28.6% (4/14) in the high expression group and 8.8% (8/91) in the low expression group; these differences were not statistically significant (P=0.053). In univariate Cox regression analysis, the risk of malignant transformation in the high EZH2 expression group was 3.647 times that of the low EZH2 expression group (HR = 3.647, 95% CI: 1.097-12.120, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that over the 30-month follow-up period, the cancer-free survival rate in the high EZH2 expression group was 19.8% lower than in the low expression group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, only moderate and severe epithelial dysplasia were identified as independent risk factors for malignant transformation. The risk of malignant transformation in the moderate and severe dysplasia groups was 10.695 and 13.623 times higher, respectively, than in the mild dysplasia group (HR = 10.695, 95% CI: 2.270-50.396, P<0.05; HR=13.623, 95% CI: 1.918-96.774, P<0.05). EZH2 high expression was not an independent risk factor in the multivariate model (HR= 2.528, 95% CI: 0.752-8.500, P = 0.134). Conclusion High EZH2 protein expression is a risk factor for the malignant transformation of OLK but does not have independent predictive value.

ObjectiveTo explore the relationships between internet gaming disorder (IGD), interpersonal needs, loneliness, and depression in adolescents through the construction of a chain mediation model, to clarify the underlying mechanisms of these associations, and to provid a theoretical basis for depression prevention and intervention. MethodsBased on the data of the 7th Population Census, using convenient sampling method 1 106 adolescents aged between 10‒19 years in South China (176), North China (147), Central China (332), and East China (451) were selected to conduct a cross-sectional survey, with a ratio of 1∶1∶1.5∶2.5. The survey was conducted with a questionnaire consisting of general information (sex, age, grade, parents’ education level), the Chinese version of the IGDS9-SF, the INQ-15, the short-form of the ULS-8 and the PHQ-9 were used to evaluate the depression status of adolescents. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between the variables. A multiple-mediator model was constructed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 PROCESS to examine the mediating effects of interpersonal needs and loneliness on the relationship between IGD and depression. The significance of the chain mediating effect was tested using the Bootstrap method. ResultsOverall, 39.06% (432/1 106) adolescents experienced depression. The incidence of depression among adolescents with smoking and without smoking was 62.50% and 38.36%, respectively. Similarly, the incidence of depression among adolescents with alcohol consuming and without alcohol consuming was 61.94% and 35.94%, respectively. There were statistically significant differences between IGD, interpersonal needs, loneliness, and depression (P<0.01). The chain mediation model demonstrated a good fit, and the bootstrap test showed that the 95%CI of each mediation path did not include 0, indicating significant mediation effects. The overall effect was 0.337. The direct effect of IGD on depression was significant (effect value=0.138, 95%CI:0.102-0.173, P<0.001). The mediation effects included three paths: ① IGD →interpersonal needs → depression (effect value=0.073, P<0.05), accounting for 21.47% of the total effect;② IGD→ loneliness → depression (effect value=0.093, P<0.05), accounting for 27.35%; and ③ IGD → interpersonal needs → loneliness → depression (effect value=0.036, P<0.05), accounting for 10.59%. ConclusionInterpersonal needs and loneliness independently and jointly mediate the relationship between IGD and depression among adolescents. To reduce depression and improve mental health in this population, measures should be taken to prevent and intervene in IGD, address adolescents’ social and emotional needs, enhance satisfaction of interpersonal needs, and reduce loneliness.

Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular degradation pathway that degrades lipid droplets through a process called"lipophagy".Lipophagy can selectively recognize lipid substances and degrade them,promoting β oxidation and thereby maintaining the balance of intracellular lipid metabolism.The liver regulates lipid droplet metabolism through lipophagy signaling pathways or key molecules,thereby alleviating hepatic steatosis and improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).This article reviews the latest advances in the degradation of hepatic lipid droplets through the three autophagic pathways of macroautophagy,molecular chaperone-mediated autophagy,and microautophagy.The major signaling pathways of AMPK/mTOR-ULK1,ATGL-SIRT1,FGF21-JMJD3,and Akt are involved in the regulation of the lipophagy process and help to maintain the homeostasis of lipid metabolism in the liver,so as to provide new ideas for clinical prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

Objective: To find any differentially expressed circRNAs in oral leukoplakia (OLK) and oral lichen planus (OLP), to investigate the possible role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of these two diseases. Methods: This study obtained hospital ethical approval. High-throughput sequencing was used to detect differentially expressed circRNAs in OLK, OLP, oral squamous cell carcinoma and normal oral mucosal tissues. CircRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR, enzyme tolerance assays and Sanger sequencing. GO functional analysis and KEGG pathway analysis were performed to predict the functions of circRNAs in OLP. TargetScan and miRanda were applied to predict targeted miRNAs and mRNAs of circRNAs, and ceRNA networks were mapped. Results: A total of 49 circRNAs were differentially expressed in OLK and OLP together, including 30 upregulated and 19 downregulated circRNAs. The five circRNAs confirmed with RT-qPCR, including circHLA-C, circRNF13, circTTN, circSEPN2 and circALDH3A2, were all abnormally expressed in OLK and OLP, among which circHLA-C was a key circRNA with trans splice sites, which was validated by expanding the sample size. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the circHLA-C curve for predicting OLK was 0.955, and the area under the circHLA-C curve for predicting OLP was 0.988. GO functional analysis showed enrichment of many biological processes related to the immune process. The KEGG pathway with the highest enrichment score was "Natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity". HLA-C was significantly enriched in these processes/pathways. CeRNA network analysis showed that circHLA-C interacted with a variety of miRNAs, such as hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-129-5p, and hsa-miR-29a-3p. Conclusion Many circRNAs were differentially expressed in both OLK and OLP, circHLA-C being the most elevated. CircHLA-C is valuable for the early diagnosis of OLK and OLP and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of OLK and OLP.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most abundant RNA modification in eukaryotes and is widely involved in the regulation of RNA nuclear export, splicing, translation and degradation. Increasing evidence shows that m6A methylation modification of circular RNA (circRNA) has great potential in metabolism, immunity and benign and malignant diseases. Here, we review the research status of circRNA m6A methylation modification in physiological processes, malignant tumors and oral diseases. It has been shown that m6A methylation can regulate circRNA by regulating circRNA translation, promoting circRNA nuclear output, and promoting circRNA degradation; M6A-modified circRNA plays a regulatory role in immunity, the reproductive system, myogenesis and development, and malignant tumors; and the M6A methyltransferase METTL3 promotes the occurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) through m6A modification mediated by YTHDF1. The high expression of METTL14 can effectively reduce the proliferation, migration and invasion of OSCC. There is little research on circRNA m6A methylation modification in the oral cavity, which is limited to preliminary research in ameloblastoma and oral implant bone absorption. It has broad research prospects in the treatment of major oral diseases (such as potential oral malignant diseases and OSCC).

Naringenin is a natural flavonoid compound with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-viral, anti-atherosclerosis and other pharmacological activities. It is also an important precursor of other flavonoid synthesis and with great value of application. At present, the production of flavonoids such as naringenin by microbial methods has a low yield due to imbalance of metabolic pathways, which greatly limits its industrial application. In this study, a naringenin-producing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y-01 was used in the research object. The expression levels of 4-coumaric acid: CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS) and chalcone isomerase (CHI) were controlled by promoter and copy numbers to investigate the quantitative effect of key enzyme expression level on the accumulation level of target products. The results showed that the correlation between naringenin production and 4CL or CHI expression was not significant while there was a positive correlation with the expression level of CHS. Strain Y-04 with high yield of naringenin was obtained by regulating the expression level of chs gene, and the yield was increased by 4.1-folds compared with the original strain Y-01. This study indicated that CHS is a key regulatory target of naringenin synthesis. Rational regulation of CHS expression can significantly promote the accumulation of naringenin. The related results provide an important theoretical reference for the use of metabolic engineering to strengthen microbial synthesis of important flavonoids such as naringenin.
Flavanones ; metabolism ; Metabolic Engineering ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae