Geriatric oral health care encounters significant challenges with the increase in the proportion of older individuals. Age-related changes in the dentition, muscles, and joints result in a decline in objective masticatory function, subjective restoration requirements, and acceptability among the elderly population, with individual variations influenced by systemic health. Considering functional requirements, the adaptability of stomatognathic and systemic health conditions, health economics and other factors, the authors believe that it should not be limited to the conventional "one-to-one" strategy for replacing missing teeth in geriatric prosthodontics. There is an urgent need for a precise and adaptable restoration strategy that is more suitable for older individuals. The proposal of a new concept of functional tooth loss updates the minimal restoration standards for elderly patients and establishes the theory of age-friendly functional restoration. Based on the restoration strategy of functional tooth loss, this paper proposes a new concept termed "age-friendly functional restoration of the stomatognathic system", which integrates treatment considerations including endodontics, periodontology, mucosa, muscles, temporomandibular joint, and systemic health. Efforts should be made in four areas as follows. Firstly, the "assessment of accessible function" should be enhanced by considering the interrelationship between stomatognathic and systemic health. Secondly, the "evaluation of appropriate function" is supposed to be optimised in view of subjective needs and objective evaluation of the stomatognathic system. Moreover, the "formulation of treatment plans" needs to be accomplished with the aid of assistive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to accurately exert appropriate functional restoration. Lastly, the "management and maintenance of health" is likely to be strengthened through follow-ups, propaganda and education, and preventive healthcare, so as to improve quality of life and ultimately achieve healthy ageing among older individuals.
Humans ; Tooth Loss/therapy* ; Aged ; Stomatognathic System ; Oral Health ; Dental Care for Aged ; Dental Restoration, Permanent/methods*

Objective:To analyze the activation of primary somatosensory cortex(S1)neurons in post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)mice after tactile stimulation of whiskers and the changes of S1 cortical neurons in PTSD mice.Methods:Using the neuron cytoskeleton-associated protein(Arc)labeling strategy and immunofluorescence staining technique,the Arc of S1 cortical neurons in PTSD mice and control mice after whisker stimulation was marked and ob-served.By analyzing the difference in the spatial expression position of Arc labeled neurons and the number of positive cells,the activation level of S1 cortical neurons in the two groups was compared and analyzed.The pyramidal neurons of S1 cortex were labeled by sparse virus labeling method,and the number of dendrites and the morphology and number distribution of dendritic spines were compared between the two groups.Results:After whisker stimulation,it was found that Arc positive neurons were distributed from shallow layer to deep layer of S1,and more densely distributed in layersⅡ/Ⅲ and V.Compared with the control group,the number of positive neurons in different layers of the PTSD group was significantly increased.The results of cell morphology and structure analysis showed that,compared with the control group,the density of dendritic spines in layer Ⅱ/Ⅲ of mice with PTSD increased,and the number of mushroom dendrit-ic spines increased,while the number of filamentous pseudopod dendritic spines decreased.The number of dendritic spines of Si V layer mushroom type and slender type was higher,but the total number of dendritic spines was not sig-nificantly different.Conclusion:After whisker stimulation in PTSD mice,S1 neurons were over-activated,and the structure and morphology of neurons changed significantly.

Objective:To analyze the hard tissue thickness in the crown of primary teeth by CBCT.Methods:The CBCT imaging data of 47 children were included,and the hard tissue thickness of primary teeth was measured by MIMICS software.SPSS 22.0 was used for data analysis.Results:The average thickness in the mesial surfaces was the smallest(P＜0.01),except for the libial surface of maxillary central incisor and the distal surface of mandibular first primary molar.In primary anteriors,the thickness in the same sur-face of maxillary teeth was greater than that of mandibular teeth significantly(P＜0.01)except for the libial surface of primary canine.In primary molars,the thickness of hard tissue in the same part of the distal and lingual side of the maxillary teeth was greater than that of the mandibular teeth(P＜0.01),and the thickness in the buccal side of maxillary teeth was lower than that of the mandibular teeth(P＜0.01).Conclusion:The distribution of hard tissue thickness of primary teeth in different position is different.

Objective To preliminarily investigate the anti-tumor effects of phytosphingosine(PHS)and the involvement of inducing apoptosis of leukemia cells.Methods Cellular model of leukemia was established in leukemia cell lines K562 and SUP-B15.CCK-8 assay and EdU assay were used to measure the viability and DNA synthesis of K562 and SUP-B15 cells.RNA-seq was carried out to verify the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)after PHS treatment.Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses were applied to analyze the involved functions and signaling pathways.Comparative Toxicogenomics Database(CTD)and Discovery Studio software were employed to predict the underlying targets of PHS and molecular docking.Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry,mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated by JC-1 probe,and protein expression of key molecules was validated by Western blotting.Results PHS inhibited the proliferation of K562 and SUP-B15 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner.The half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)of K562 cells was 17.67 and 12.52 pmol/L for 24 and 48 h,respectively,and the IC50 value of SUP-B15 cells was 17.58 and 14.86 μmol/L for 24 and 48 h,respectively.PHS treatment at a dose of 20 μmol/L for 48 h resulted in significant inhibition of DNA synthesis.GO enrichment analysis of the K562 cells showed that PHS might be involved in positive regulation of apoptotic process,plasma membrane and its integral components,and protein kinase binding and activity.Reverse predictive analysis showed that BCL-2 protein was the most likely target of PHS.PHS significantly increased the apoptotic rate of leukemia cells(P＜0.05)in a dose-dependent manner,reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential,and down-regulated BCL-2 level(P＜0.05)and up-regulated the levels of Cleaved caspase-3 and Cleaved caspase-9(P＜0.05).Conclusion PHS may inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cells by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis,possibly through PHS and BCL-2 interaction.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the duration of folic acid supplementation,gesta-tional diabetes mellitus(GDM)and adverse perinatal outcomes based on generalized linear mixed model.Meth-ods:Clinical data was collected of 759 pairs of mothers and children who delivered at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2021 to December 2022.The adverse perinatal outcomes of this study in-cluded cesarean section,premature birth,macrosomia,low birth weight(LBW),large for gestational age(LGA),and small for gestational age infant(SGA).Generalized linear mixed model was used to analyze the impact of GDM and supplementation with folic acid for a duration of ≥3 months on the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.A stratified analysis of the duration of folic acid supplementation was conducted to determine whether it was a con-founding factor or influencing factor of GDM and adverse birth outcomes.Results:A total of 748 patients(98.55％)received folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy,with a total of 743 patients(97.89％)receiving folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and 496 patients(65.35％)receiving folic acid supplementation before pregnancy.77 mothers were diagnosed with GDM,with an incidence rate of 10.14％.Compared with those who received folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for＜3 months,those who re-ceived folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for ≥ 3 months were associated with an increased risk of GDM.The adjusted RR(aRR)was 1.72(95％CI 1.17-2.53).The GDM patients who received folic acid sup-plementation for≥3 months before pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of SGA,with an aRR of 0.40(95％CI 0.18-0.89).In the subgroup of pregnant women who received folic acid supplementation for≥3 months,GDM was associated with an increased risk of cesarean section(aRR 1.36,95％CI 1.06-1.75))and macrosomia(aRR2.11,95％CI 1.06-4.20),but both aRR were lower than fixed effect RR of 1.53(95％CI 1.01-2.34)and 2.43(95％CI 12.7-4.66),respectively.and the above differences were statistically signifi-cant(P＜0.01).Conclusions:Supplementing folic acid for≥3 months before pregnancy increases the risk of GDM,but reduces the risk of SGA birth in patients with GDM.Supplementing folic acid during pregnancy for≥3 months has a reducing effect on the risk of adverse perinataloutcomes of cesarean section and macrosomia in women with GDM.

BACKGROUND:Abnormal extracellular matrix accumulation and excessive proliferation of fibroblasts are the main manifestations of pathological scars.Excessive proliferation of fibroblasts leads to the production of large amounts of collagen-based extracellular matrix.Therefore,to investigate the role of fibroblast fibrosis in the formation of pathological scar will provide a new idea for revealing the mechanism of pathological scar and biological therapy. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of RAS-selective lethal small molecule 3(RSL3)on the fibrosis of human pathological scar fibroblasts. METHODS:Then cases of pathological scar tissue and normal skin tissue samples from the same individuals,provided by the Department of Burn Plastic Surgery,General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University,were collected.Fibroblasts of human pathological scar and human normal skin were extracted and used in the following experiments.The general condition of the pathological scar tissue and the normal skin tissue was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The appearance of fibroblasts from pathological scar and normal skin were observed by inverted microscope.The fibroblasts were verified by immunofluorescence assay.The cells were treated with different concentrations of RSL3(1,3,5,7,9,11,13 μmol/L).The inhibitory concentration of RSL3 on fibroblasts was detected by cell counting kit-8.Control group(without treatment)and RSL3 intervention group(treated with 7 μmol/L RSL3 for 24 hours)were set up.The mRNA and protein expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4,type Ⅰ collagen,type Ⅲ collagen and α-smooth muscle actin were detected by Qrt-PCR and western blot,respectively.Level of malondialdehyde in cells was detected.The residual scratch area was measured by cell scratch test after 24 hours to calculate the percentage of residual scratch area. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 in the pathological scar group was higher than that in the normal skin group(Mrna:t=3.252,P<0.01;protein:t=5.075,P<0.01).The expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 in the pathological scar fibroblast group was higher than that in the normal skin fibroblast group(Mrna:t=10.32,P<0.01;protein:t=26.22,P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 was decreased(Mrna:t=2.798,P<0.05;protein:t=4.643,P<0.01),the content of malondialdehyde was increased(t=2.917,P<0.05),the expression of type Ⅰ collagen(Mrna:t=15.84,P<0.01;protein:t=4.610,P<0.01),type Ⅲ collagen(Mrna:t=28.86,P<0.01;protein:t=7.713,P<0.01)and α-smooth muscle actin(Mrna:t=2.671,P<0.05;protein:t=7.417,P<0.01)were decreased in the RSL3 intervention group.Compared with the control group,the migration ability was weakened in the RSL3 intervention group(t=14.06,P<0.01).To conclude,RSL3 can inhibit the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 and then inhibit the ability of fibrosis and migration of pathological scar fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND:Cellular senescence is closely related to the development and progression of osteoarthritis,but the specific targets and regulatory mechanisms are not yet clear. OBJECTIVE:To mine key genes in cellular senescence-mediated osteoarthritis by integrating bioinformatics and machine learning approaches and validate them via experiments to explore the role of cellular senescence in osteoarthritis. METHODS:The osteoarthritis gene expression profiles obtained from the GEO database were intersected with cellular senescence-related genes obtained from the CellAge database and the expression of the intersected genes was extracted for differential analysis,followed by GO and KEGG analysis of the differential genes.The key osteoarthritis cellular senescence genes were then screened by protein-protein interaction network analysis and machine learning,and in vitro cellular experiments were performed.Finally,the expression of the key genes was detected by qPCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 31 osteoarthritis cell senescence differential genes were identified.GO analysis showed that these genes were mainly involved in the biological processes,such as regulation of leukocyte differentiation,monocyte differentiation,regulation of T cell differentiation and exerted roles in DNA transcription factor binding,histone deacetylase binding,chromatin DNA binding,and chemokine binding.KEGG analysis showed that osteoarthritis cell senescence differential genes were mainly activated in the JAK/STAT signaling pathway,PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and FoxO signaling pathway.MYC,a key gene for osteoarthritis cellular senescence,was identified by protein-protein interaction network topology analysis and machine learning methods.The results of the in vitro cellular assay showed that the mRNA expression of MYC was significantly lower in the experimental group(osteoarthritis group)than the control group(normal group)(P＜0.05).To conclude,MYC can be a key gene in the senescence of osteoarthritic cells and may be a new target in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis by mediating immune response,inflammatory response and transcriptional regulation.

Objective To observe the protective effect of Zhilong Huoxue Tongyu Capsule(Zhilong Capsule)on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury(MIRI)in mice,and explore its regulatory mechanism using metabolomics.Methods Using a random number table method,30 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into the following three groups:sham operation group,model group,and Zhilong Capsule group(6.24 g/kg),with 10 mice in each group.In mice in the model group and the Zhilong Capsule group,a mouse MIRI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch,while mice in the sham operation group underwent threading without ligation.The Zhilong Capsule group began modeling one week after pre-administration and continued to receive intragastric administration for two weeks after modeling once daily.The cardiac function,including the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fraction shortening(LVFS),was assessed by color echocardiography.The myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis were observed by Masson staining and TUNEL staining,respectively.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the serum contents of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and brain natriuretic peptide(BNP).Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with multivariate statistical method was performed for serum metabolite detection and identification analysis.Results Compared with the model group,the mice in the Zhilong Capsule group exhibited an increase in LVEF and LVFS,a reduction in cardiac tissue structure disorder,a decrease in myocardial fibrosis,a decrease in cell apoptosis rate,and a decrease in serum LDH and BNP contents(P<0.05).Metabolomics result showed that intervention with Zhilong Capsule significantly regulated 30 differential metabolites related to MIRI.Important metabolic pathways involved 20 pathways related to tyrosine metabolism,arginine and proline metabolism,and vitamin digestion and absorption.Conclusion Zhilong Capsule has a protective effect on MIRI,and it may achieve this effect by regulating pathways related to tyrosine metabolism,arginine and proline metabolism,and vitamin digestion and absorption.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the duration of folic acid supplementation,gesta-tional diabetes mellitus(GDM)and adverse perinatal outcomes based on generalized linear mixed model.Meth-ods:Clinical data was collected of 759 pairs of mothers and children who delivered at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2021 to December 2022.The adverse perinatal outcomes of this study in-cluded cesarean section,premature birth,macrosomia,low birth weight(LBW),large for gestational age(LGA),and small for gestational age infant(SGA).Generalized linear mixed model was used to analyze the impact of GDM and supplementation with folic acid for a duration of ≥3 months on the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.A stratified analysis of the duration of folic acid supplementation was conducted to determine whether it was a con-founding factor or influencing factor of GDM and adverse birth outcomes.Results:A total of 748 patients(98.55％)received folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy,with a total of 743 patients(97.89％)receiving folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and 496 patients(65.35％)receiving folic acid supplementation before pregnancy.77 mothers were diagnosed with GDM,with an incidence rate of 10.14％.Compared with those who received folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for＜3 months,those who re-ceived folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for ≥ 3 months were associated with an increased risk of GDM.The adjusted RR(aRR)was 1.72(95％CI 1.17-2.53).The GDM patients who received folic acid sup-plementation for≥3 months before pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of SGA,with an aRR of 0.40(95％CI 0.18-0.89).In the subgroup of pregnant women who received folic acid supplementation for≥3 months,GDM was associated with an increased risk of cesarean section(aRR 1.36,95％CI 1.06-1.75))and macrosomia(aRR2.11,95％CI 1.06-4.20),but both aRR were lower than fixed effect RR of 1.53(95％CI 1.01-2.34)and 2.43(95％CI 12.7-4.66),respectively.and the above differences were statistically signifi-cant(P＜0.01).Conclusions:Supplementing folic acid for≥3 months before pregnancy increases the risk of GDM,but reduces the risk of SGA birth in patients with GDM.Supplementing folic acid during pregnancy for≥3 months has a reducing effect on the risk of adverse perinataloutcomes of cesarean section and macrosomia in women with GDM.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the duration of folic acid supplementation,gesta-tional diabetes mellitus(GDM)and adverse perinatal outcomes based on generalized linear mixed model.Meth-ods:Clinical data was collected of 759 pairs of mothers and children who delivered at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2021 to December 2022.The adverse perinatal outcomes of this study in-cluded cesarean section,premature birth,macrosomia,low birth weight(LBW),large for gestational age(LGA),and small for gestational age infant(SGA).Generalized linear mixed model was used to analyze the impact of GDM and supplementation with folic acid for a duration of ≥3 months on the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.A stratified analysis of the duration of folic acid supplementation was conducted to determine whether it was a con-founding factor or influencing factor of GDM and adverse birth outcomes.Results:A total of 748 patients(98.55％)received folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy,with a total of 743 patients(97.89％)receiving folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and 496 patients(65.35％)receiving folic acid supplementation before pregnancy.77 mothers were diagnosed with GDM,with an incidence rate of 10.14％.Compared with those who received folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for＜3 months,those who re-ceived folic acid supplementation before pregnancy for ≥ 3 months were associated with an increased risk of GDM.The adjusted RR(aRR)was 1.72(95％CI 1.17-2.53).The GDM patients who received folic acid sup-plementation for≥3 months before pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of SGA,with an aRR of 0.40(95％CI 0.18-0.89).In the subgroup of pregnant women who received folic acid supplementation for≥3 months,GDM was associated with an increased risk of cesarean section(aRR 1.36,95％CI 1.06-1.75))and macrosomia(aRR2.11,95％CI 1.06-4.20),but both aRR were lower than fixed effect RR of 1.53(95％CI 1.01-2.34)and 2.43(95％CI 12.7-4.66),respectively.and the above differences were statistically signifi-cant(P＜0.01).Conclusions:Supplementing folic acid for≥3 months before pregnancy increases the risk of GDM,but reduces the risk of SGA birth in patients with GDM.Supplementing folic acid during pregnancy for≥3 months has a reducing effect on the risk of adverse perinataloutcomes of cesarean section and macrosomia in women with GDM.