Severe dental caries is associated with incidence of thinness and overweight among preschool Chinese children.

Objective: To examine the association of incidence and baseline prevalence of severe dental caries with incidences of thinness and overweight among pre-school Chinese children.Materials and methods: A longitudinal study design was used. A total of 772 children recruited from 15 kindergartens in Liaoning Province who completed baseline and follow-up assessments were included. The age range of children at baseline was 24.6-71.1 months. BMI-for-age z-score was calculated to estimate incidence of thinness and overweight. Severe dental caries was indicated by pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula or abscess (pufa). Baseline prevalence of severe caries included children with pufa ≥1, incidence included those who changed from pufa = 0 to ≥1 at follow-up. Logistic regression was constructed to assess the association of baseline prevalence and incidence of severe caries with each of incidence thinness and overweight.Results: Children with incidence of severe caries had higher odds for incidence thinness (OR: 4.08; 95% CI: 1.08, 15.41). Baseline prevalence of severe caries was not significantly associated with incidence thinness. Participants with severe caries at baseline had higher odds for incidence overweight (OR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.17, 4.63). The relationship between incidence of severe caries and incidence overweight was insignificant.Conclusions: The findings suggest a U-shaped relationship between severe dental caries and both ends of anthropometric measures among pre-school Chinese children. The findings highlight the importance of integrating oral and general health promotion policies. Primary health care providers are encouraged to incorporate dental screening, counselling and referral for treatment for severe caries to promote appropriate growth and overall health of children.

Ultra-pH-sensitive nanoparticle of gambogenic acid for tumor targeting therapy via anti-vascular strategy plus immunotherapy.

Although the combination of anti-vascular strategy plus immunotherapy has emerged as the optimal first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, lack of tumor targeting leads to low antitumor efficacy and serious side effect. Here, we report an ultra-pH-sensitive nanoparticle of gambogenic acid (GNA) encapsulated by poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(2-azepane ethyl methacrylate) (PEG-PAEMA) for tumor-targeting combined therapy of anti-vascular strategy plus immunotherapy. PEG-PAEMA-GNA nanoparticle was quite stable at pH 7.4 for 30 d. In contrast, it exerted size shrinkage, charge reversal and the release of GNA at pH 6.7 within 24 h. Moreover, PEG-PAEMA-GNA significantly enhanced the anti-vascular activity, membrane-disruptive capability and pro-apoptosis when pH changed from 7.4 to 6.7. Western blot analysis exhibits that PEG-PAEMA and its GNA nanoparticle facilitated the phosphorylation of STING protein. In vivo assays show that PEG-PAEMA-GNA not only displayed much higher tumor inhibition of 92 % than 37 % of free GNA, but also inhibited tumor vasculature, promoted the maturation of dendritic cells and recruited more cytotoxic t-lymphocytes for sufficient anti-vascular therapy and immunotherapy. All these results demonstrate that PEG-PAEMA-GNA displayed tumor-targeting combined treatment of anti-vascular therapy and immunotherapy. This study offers a simple and novel method for the combination of anti-vascular therapy and immunotherapy with high selectivity towards tumor.

Marangoni Effect Drives Salt Crystallization Away from the Distillation Zone for Large-Scale Continuous Solar Passive Desalination.

Solar desalination shows great potential in dealing with global water scarcity. A multistage passive solar distiller with thermal localization is especially attractive for its high-water yield. However, achieving long-term stability in large-scale devices remains a challenge because of the easy accumulation of crystallized salt inside the distiller. Here, we reported that the Marangoni effect can drive crystallized salt away along a long distance in a capillary wick, which endow the multistage passive solar distiller with the ability of salt-rejecting. In a 36 h continuous testing, the salinity of the distillation zone is limited below 12 wt % and crystallized salt only accumulates outside the device. The water yield is about 1.7 kg m-2 h-1 in a three-stage device, with a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 114% under one sun. This novel design proves a new principle for high efficiency and long-term stable solar desalination.

Long noncoding RNA RP11-70C1.3 confers chemoresistance of breast cancer cells through miR-6736-3p/NRP-1 axis.

Chemoresistance remains a major obstacle for improving the clinical outcome of patients with breast cancer. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in breast cancer chemoresistance. However, the function and underlying mechanism are still largely unknown. Using lncRNA microarray, we identified 122 upregulated and 475 downregulated lncRNAs that might be related to the breast cancer chemoresistance. Among them, RP11-70C1.3 was one of the most highly expressed lncRNAs. In breast cancer patients, high RP11-70C1.3 expression predicted poor prognosis. Knockdown of RP11-70C1.3 inhibited the multidrug resistance of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Further investigations revealed that RP11-70C1.3 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-6736-3p to increase NRP-1 expression. Notably, the rescue experiments showed that both miR-6736-3p inhibitor and NRP-1 overexpression could partly reverse the suppressive influence of RP11-70C1.3 knockdown on breast cancer chemoresistance. In conclusion, our study indicated that lncRNA RP11-70C1.3 regulated NRP-1 expression by sponging miR-6736-3p to confer chemoresistance of breast cancer cells. RP11-70C1.3 might be a potential therapeutic target in enhancing the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Systematic Review of Intervention Studies Aiming at Reducing Inequality in Dental Caries among Children.

(1) Background: The objective is to systematically review the evidence on intervention programs aiming at reducing inequality in dental caries among children. (2) Methods: Two independent investigators searched MEDLINE, Cochrane library, and Ovid up to December 2020 to identify intervention studies assessing the impact on socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries among children. The interventions included any health promotion/preventive intervention aiming at reducing caries among children across different socioeconomic groups. Comparison groups included children with alternative or no intervention. Cochrane criteria were used to assess interventional studies for risk of bias. (3) Results: After removal of duplicate studies, 1235 articles were retained. Out of 43 relevant papers, 13 articles were identified and used in qualitative synthesis, and reported quantifiable outcomes. The included studies varied in measurements of interventions, sample size, age groups, and follow-up time. Five studies assessed oral health promotion or health-education, four assessed topical fluorides, and four assessed water fluoridation. Interventions targeting the whole population showed a consistent reduction of socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries among children. (4) Conclusion: The quality of included papers was moderate. High heterogeneity did not allow aggregation of the findings. The overall findings suggest that whole population interventions such as water fluoridation are more likely to reduce inequalities in children's caries than target population and individual interventions.

The Socioeconomic Inequality in Increment of Caries and Growth among Chinese Children.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at assessing socioeconomic inequalities in the increment of dental caries and growth among preschool Chinese children, and to assess the best predictor of socioeconomic inequality for each of these conditions. METHODS: This is a longitudinal population-based study. The sample data included preschool children living in three cities of the Liaoning Province, China. At baseline, 15 kindergartens with 1111 participants were included and dropped to 772 with a response rate of 70% at follow-up. Mean ages at baseline and follow-up were 50.82 and 60.55 months, respectively. Median follow-up time was 10.12 months. Data were collected through structured questionnaire, oral examination and anthropometric measurement. The questionnaire collected information on sex, age, family income, mother's education and children's dietary habits. The numbers of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) was used to indicate dental caries. Weight- and height-for-age z-scores were calculated using the WHO Growth Standard. Multilevel analysis was used to assess the association between baseline socioeconomic position and each of dental caries and child's growth. RESULTS: Mother's education was negatively associated with increments of DMFT. Family income was not significantly associated with DMFT in the fully adjusted model. The association persisted after accounting for other socioeconomic and dietary factors. Higher income was positively related to an increase in the weight-for-age z-score. The relationship between income and changes in the height-for-age z-score was positive and significant in the second highest income group. CONCLUSIONS: Mother's education appeared to be the strongest predictor of increments of dental caries. Only income was significantly associated with an increase in children's weight and height.

Undernutrition is associated with change in severe dental caries.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of baseline prevalence of thinness or stunting and the incidence of dental caries among preschool children in Liaoning Province, China. METHODS: Children were recruited from 15 kindergartens in Liaoning Province. A total of 772 children were assessed at baseline and follow-up. The mean age of children at baseline was 50.82 months, and the median follow-up time was 10.12 months. Anthropometric measurement, dental caries, and questionnaire were assessed overtime, whereas only baseline questionnaire was used in the data analysis. z-Score for body mass index (BMI)-for-age, weight-for-age, and height-for-age were calculated using World Health Organisation (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Dental caries was assessed according to the fifth WHO Basic Methods for Oral Health Surveys. The presence of pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess (pufa) were used to indicate severe dental caries in deciduous teeth. A structured questionnaire mainly based on the fifth WHO Oral Health Surveys was used to collect sociodemographic and behavior data. Logistic regression was constructed to assess the association between change in severe dental caries and prevalence of thinness and stunting. RESULTS: There was a positive association between prevalence of stunting and incidence of severe caries in the fully adjusted model [odds ratios 2.88; 95 percent confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 8.27]. Prevalence of thinness showed insignificant positive association with incidence of severe caries. CONCLUSIONS: While undernutrition indicated by stunting appeared to be a risk factor for severe dental caries, it could also be a marker for other determinants of progress of dental caries including socioeconomic factors and lack of use of dental services.

The bidirectional relationship between weight, height and dental caries among preschool children in China.

There is evidence of a bidirectional association between dental caries and anthropometric measures among children. This dual relationship has not been examined in the same population. The objectives of this study are (1) to examine the relationship between baseline caries and changes in weight and height; and (2) to assess whether baseline weight and height are associated with changes in dental caries in a sample of preschool Chinese children. Children were recruited from 15 kindergarten in Liaoning Province at baseline (8 in rural area and 7 in urban area), a total of 1,111 of children were included at baseline. The mean age of children at baseline was 50.82 months. Data were collected through clinical oral examination, assessment of anthropometric measures and structured questionnaire. Dental caries was assessed according World Health Organization (WHO) methods by one dentist. Sociodemographic and behaviour data were also collected. At follow-up, 772 children were included (attrition rate: 30%), dental caries and anthropometric measures were assessed again. Z-score for weight-for-age and height-for-age were calculated using the 2006 and 2007 WHO Child Growth Standards. The sum of decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft) were used in the analysis. Multilevel analysis for longitudinal data was conducted to explore the relationship between z-score for weight-for-age and height-for-age, and dental caries among children. The median follow-up time was 10.12 months. There was a significant negative association between dmft at baseline and change in height-for-age. On the other hand, weight-for-age at baseline was negatively associated with change in dmft at follow-up. The findings suggest that dental caries impedes children's growth indicated by height for age. Low weight children appear to be more susceptible to dental caries in the same population.

Inequalities in dental caries among 12-year-old Chinese children.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether there are socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographical inequalities in dental caries among 12-year-old Chinese children. METHODS: Data from 2,307 12-year-old children living in Guangxi, Hubei, Jilin, and Shanxi and who participated in the Third National Oral Health Survey in China were used for this study. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and clinical examinations with children. The decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index and number of decayed teeth (DT) were the outcome measures for analysis. Inequalities in DMFT and DT by socioeconomic position (parental education), ethnicity, and geography (province of residence and urbanicity) were assessed in unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial regression models. RESULTS: Ethnicity and geographical factors, but not parental education, were significantly associated with childhood dental caries in unadjusted models. However, only geographical factors remained significantly related to dental caries after mutual adjustments. The DMFT index and DT were higher among children living in Jilin and Guangxi than those of children living in Hubei and Shanxi, and also higher among children living in rural areas than in those living in urban areas. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows inequalities in dental caries among 12-year-old children in four provinces of China. There were considerable inequalities in children's DMFT and number of decayed teeth by geography but not by ethnicity or parental education.