Preliminary analysis of the buccal mucosal fungal microbiome in oral lichen planus patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the structure and co-occurrence patterns of mucosal fungal community in oral lichen planus (OLP) patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Mucosal swab samples from 20 OLP patients and 10 healthy controls (HCs) were collected and the mucosal mycobiomes were sequenced. The abundance, frequency, and diversity of fungi were analyzed, as well as the inter-genera interactions. The associations between fungal genera and OLP severity were further identified. RESULTS: At the genus level, the relative abundance of unclassified_Trichocomaceae was significantly decreased in the reticular and erosive OLP groups compared to HCs. Meanwhile, significantly lower levels of Pseudozyma were observed in the reticular OLP group compared to HCs. The negative:positive cohesiveness ratio was significantly lower in the OLP group than HCs, indicating a relatively unstable fungal ecological system in the OLP group. In the OLP group, the abundance of unclassified_Nectriaceae was significantly correlated with the reticulation/erythema/ulceration (REU) score. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to HCs, the decreased stability of fungal communities and the decreased abundances of two genera (unclassified_Trichocomaceae and Pseudozyma) on buccal mucosa were identified in OLP patients.

Effects of different grafting materials on volumetric changes in the Schneiderian membrane following lateral maxillary sinus floor elevation: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential influence of different grafting materials on maxillary sinus membrane dimensions and ostium patency following lateral sinus floor elevation (SFE) as assessed using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 sinuses in 40 patients were included. Twenty sinuses were referred for SFE with deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM), and the remaining 20 sinuses were grafted with calcium phosphate (CP). CBCT was performed prior to and 3 to 4 days after surgery. The dimensions of the Schneiderian membrane volume and ostium patency were evaluated, and potential relationships between volumetric changes and any associated factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The median increase in membrane-whole cavity volume ratios was 43.97% in the DBBM group and 67.58% in the CP group, demonstrating no statistically significant difference (p = 0.17). The rates of increased obstruction after SFE were 11.1% for the DBBM group versus 44.4% for the CP group (p = 0.03). The graft volume was found to be positively correlated with the postoperative membrane-whole cavity volume ratio (r = 0.79; p < 0.01) and the membrane-whole cavity volume ratio increase (r = 0.71; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The two grafting materials seem to have a similar effect on transient volumetric changes in the sinus mucosa. However, the choice of grafting material should still be made with caution since sinuses grafted using DBBM exhibited less swelling and less ostium obstruction.

Uncertainty-aware probabilistic graph neural networks for road-level traffic crash prediction.

Traffic crashes present substantial challenges to human safety and socio-economic development in urban areas. Developing a reliable and responsible traffic crash prediction model is crucial to address growing public safety concerns and improve the safety of urban mobility systems. Traditional methods face limitations at fine spatiotemporal scales due to the sporadic nature of high-risk crashes and the predominance of non-crash characteristics. Furthermore, while most current models show promising occurrence prediction, they overlook the uncertainties arising from the inherent nature of crashes, and then fail to adequately map the hierarchical ranking of crash risk values for more precise insights. To address these issues, we introduce the Spatiotemporal Zero-Inflated Tweedie Graph Neural Networks (STZITD-GNN), the first uncertainty-aware probabilistic graph deep learning model in road-level daily-basis traffic crash prediction for multi-steps. Our model combines the interpretability of the statistical Tweedie family with the predictive power of graph neural networks, excelling in predicting a comprehensive range of crash risks. The decoder employs a compound Tweedie model, handling the non-Gaussian distribution inherent in crash data, with a zero-inflated component for accurately identifying non-crash cases and low-risk roads. The model accurately predicts and differentiates between high-risk, low-risk, and no-risk scenarios, providing a holistic view of road safety that accounts for the full spectrum of probability and severity of crashes. Empirical tests using real-world traffic data from London, UK, demonstrate that the STZITD-GNN surpasses other baseline models across multiple benchmarks, including a reduction in regression error of up to 34.60% in point estimation metrics and an improvement of above 47% in interval-based uncertainty metrics.

Clinical Outcomes of Immediate Implant Loading with Fixed Prostheses in Edentulous Maxillae: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: To review the evidence from the clinical outcomes of immediately loaded implants with fixed prostheses in edentulous maxillae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane to identify studies investigating the outcome of implants subjected to immediate loading with fixed dental prostheses in edentulous maxillae. Only clinical studies with more than 10 patients and a mean follow-up time of more than 12 months were included. Meta-analysis was utilized to compare the clinical outcomes between immediately loaded implants and conventionally loaded implants. For immediately loaded implants, a cumulative implant survival rate (ISR) was weighted by the duration of follow-up and number of implants. The weighted marginal bone loss (MBL) was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 33 studies (16 retrospective studies and 17 prospective studies) were included, which involved 2,635 patients and 12,480 implants. Meta-analysis did not reveal a significant difference of ISR or MBL between the two loading groups. For immediately loaded implants, the weighted cumulative ISR was 95.53% (median: 97.50%) with a mean follow-up of 46.07 months (SD: 30.92). Fourteen studies reported on the MBL of implants, and the mean MBL was 1.19 mm (SD: 0.88) with a mean period of 57.70 months (SD: 32.56). The results should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the heterogeneity of the data. CONCLUSION: Despite the lack of RCTs, immediate implant loading with a fixed prosthesis in the edentulous maxilla seems to be a reliable treatment alternative with a high ISR, when appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria are followed.

Novel mutations identified in the WNT10A gene and implant rehabilitation of patients with severe tooth agenesis / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To detect WNT10A gene mutations in patients with oligodontia or anodontia (≥6 teeth missing) and analyze their dental phenotype. @*Methods@#Patients with oligodontia or anodontia were enrolled from the clinic for oral examination, genetic history collection and whole exon sequencing, and patients with WNT10A gene mutations were included. Sanger sequencing was utilized to validate the WNT10A gene variations in probands and family members compared with the normal sequence. The pathogenicity of WNT10A mutations was evaluated by functional prediction, conservation analysis and structure prediction of protein mutants. Implant rehabilitation was applied to restore the patients' oral function.@*Results@# Five WNT10A gene mutations were detected in six unrelated patients, and c.26G>A (p. Trp9X) and c.1036delT (p. Cys346fs) were novel mutations with pathogenic potential. The mean number of missing teeth was (15.33±8.64) per case. The most frequently missing permanent teeth were maxillary canines (100%), and the least frequently missing teeth were mandibular first molars (25%). Implant rehabilitation was applied in five patients, and patients were found to have ideal implant osseointegration and functional restoration.@*Conclusion @# This study identified novel WNT10A gene pathogenic variants, enriching the WNT10A gene spectrum and providing new evidence for genetic diagnosis and prenatal consultation. Implant rehabilitation was also proven to be a treatment option for these patients.