Oral wound healing models and emerging regenerative therapies.

Following injury, the oral mucosa undergoes complex sequences of biological healing processes to restore homeostasis. While general similarities exist, there are marked differences in the genomics and kinetics of wound healing between the oral cavity and cutaneous epithelium. The lack of successful therapy for oral mucosal wounds has influenced clinicians to explore alternative treatments and potential autotherapies to enhance intraoral healing. The present in-depth review discusses current gold standards for oral mucosal wound healing and compares endogenous factors that dictate the quality of tissue remodeling. We conducted a review of the literature on in vivo oral wound healing models and emerging regenerative therapies published during the past twenty years. Studies were evaluated by injury models, therapy interventions, and outcome measures. The success of therapeutic approaches was assessed, and research outcomes were compared based on current hallmarks of oral wound healing. By leveraging therapeutic advancements, particularly within in cell-based biomaterials and immunoregulation, there is great potential for translational therapy in oral tissue regeneration.

A Mobile Health Tool for Peer Support of Individuals Reentering Communities After Incarceration.

Individuals just released from prison, or returning citizens (RCs), face high mortality rates during the reentry period, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) being a leading cause. Peer mentors can support RCs' health, but they traditionally work in person, which may not always be feasible, particularly during pandemic outbreaks such as COVID-19. We used human-centered design to build a prototype of RCPeer, a web/mobile application (app) to support peer-led reentry efforts through CVD risk screening, action planning, linkage to resources addressing reintegration needs (e.g., housing, transportation), and goal-setting. We assessed feasibility, acceptability, and usability of RCPeer using mixed-methods. System Usability Scale (SUS) scores were 68 for peers and 66 for RCs, indicating good usability. Qualitative data suggests that RCPeer can support reentry tasks through RCs and peers sharing data, strengthen RC-peer relationships, and facilitate RCs meeting their goals. Future work is needed to enhance usability for RCs with limited technology experience.

Characterization of OA development between sexes in the rat medial meniscal transection model.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints characterized by articular cartilage degradation. While clear sex differences exist in human OA development, most pre-clinical research has been conducted solely in male animals, limiting generalizability of findings to both sexes. The objective of this study was to determine if sex impacts the progression and severity of OA in the rat medial meniscal tear (MMT) preclinical model used to surgically induce OA. It was hypothesized that differences would be observed between males and females following MMT surgery. Design: An MMT model was employed in male and female Lewis rats to induce OA. Animals were euthanized 3 weeks post-surgery and EPIC-µCT was used to quantitatively evaluate articular cartilage structure and composition, osteophyte volumes and subchondral bone structure. Results: Analysis of medial 1/3 articular cartilage, showed increased cartilage thickness and proteoglycan loss in the MMT of both sexes, when compared to sham. Both male and female MMT groups also saw increased subchondral bone mineral density and larger osteophyte volumes. Significant interactions between sex and OA development were seen in normalized cartilage volume (larger in females), and normalized total osteophyte volumes (larger in males). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the viability of both sexes in the rat MMT preclinical OA model. Though clear differences exist, this model can be used to model OA development and evaluate sex as a factor in the efficacy of OA therapeutics.