Dual orexin receptor antagonist drug suvorexant can help in amelioration of predictable chronic mild stress-induced hyperalgesia.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the involvement of the orexin system in predictable chronic mild stress (PCMS) and the effects of suvorexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist, on nociceptive behavior in PCMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male C57BL/6 J mice were separated into various PCMS groups: a control group with sawdust on the floor of the rearing cage (C), a group with mesh wire on the floor (M), and a group with water just below the mesh wire (W). Activation of lateral hypothalamic orexin neurons was assessed using immunofluorescence. In another experiment, half of the mice in each group were administered an intraperitoneal injection of suvorexant (10 mg/kg), and the remaining mice were injected with the same amount of vehicle (normal saline). Thermal hyperalgesia was examined using tail immersion and hot plate tests, while mechanical hyperalgesia was investigated using the tail pinch test after 21 days of PCMS. KEY FINDINGS: Animals subjected to PCMS showed an increased percentage of activated orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamic region after 21 days. Mice raised in the PCMS environment showed increased pain sensitivity in several pain tests; however, the symptoms were significantly reduced by suvorexant administration. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings revealed that PCMS activates hypothalamic orexin neuronal activity, and the use of suvorexant can help attenuate PCMS-induced thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia.

Comparative analysis of education, awareness, and knowledge of dentists and physical therapists in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the education, awareness, and knowledge of Filipino dentists and physical therapists (PTs) in terms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). METHODS: A 30-item structured online questionnaire was given to recruited PTs and dentists from January 2019 to December 2019. Welch's t-test was used to compare the education, awareness, and knowledge of health professionals. Brown-Forsythe and Welch ANOVA with Games-Howell post hoc were used to compare test scores across the knowledge components. RESULTS: Of the 620 professionals, 46.67% dentists and 6.38% PTs had training in TMD. Professionals with more years of experience and who had previous TMD training were more aware of TMD management. Both dentists and PTs showed the lowest knowledge in TMD pathophysiology. DISCUSSION: This study showed high awareness but low education and knowledge of Filipino dentists and PTs in TMD management. Improving the educational curriculum and refining the training given by accredited professional organizations is suggested.

Pain sensitivity increases with sleep disturbance under predictable chronic mild stress in mice.

Even though it has been well documented that stress can lead to the development of sleep disorders and the intensification of pain, their relationships have not been fully understood. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of predictable chronic mild stress (PCMS) on sleep-wake states and pain threshold, using the PCMS rearing conditions of mesh wire (MW) and water (W) for 21 days. Exposure to PCMS decreased the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep during the dark phase. Moreover, the chronicity of PCMS decreased slow-wave activity (SWA) during NREM sleep in the MW and W groups in both the light and dark phases. Mechanical and aversively hot thermal hyperalgesia were more intensified in the PCMS groups than the control. Higher plasma corticosterone levels were seen in mice subjected to PCMS, whereas TNF-α expression was found higher in the hypothalamus in the W and the trigeminal ganglion in the MW group. The W group had higher expression levels of IL-6 in the thalamus as well. The PCMS paradigm decreased SWA and may have intensified mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. The current study also suggests that rearing under PCMS may cause impaired sleep quality and heightened pain sensation to painful mechanical and aversively hot thermal stimuli.

Decreased Global Interest in Oral Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Oral cancer is one of the most common malignancies in developing countries, but studies using global data are scarce. The aim of this study is to analyze the search interests for oral cancer using mouth cancer, tongue cancer, gum cancer, and lip cancer as common keywords. METHODS: Internet searches relating to oral cancer from 2010 to 2020, from 250 countries and dependent areas, were retrieved from Google Trends. Color densities in a heat map were used to show geographic differences. Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc Dunn's analysis was used to perform yearly comparisons of searches for mouth cancer, tongue cancer, gum cancer, and lip cancer. Search results within 2020 were also compared to determine differences. Forecasting searches from 2021 to 2022 were done by fitting time series models. RESULTS: From 29 of 250 (11.6%) countries, the highest search values were observed for mouth cancer in Sri Lanka, Qatar, Bangladesh, Finland, Netherlands, Spain, and France. Compared to 2020, greater searches were seen in 2018 (Mdn = 91%, P = 0.023) and 2019 (Mdn = 94%, P = 0.012) for mouth cancer, and 2019 (Mdn = 17%, P = 0.035) for lip cancer. The relative search volumes for gum cancer and lip cancer were substantially lower than mouth cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: Higher-income countries tend to be more interested in seeking information about oral cancer. Noteworthy decline in the interest in seeking information online for oral cancer may have crucial implications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Google Trends offer an invaluable and inexpensive means for oral cancer surveillance and health-seeking behavior. 
.

Analysis of the Filipinos' Interest in Searching Online for Oral Cancer.

Objective: This study analyzed the health-seeking behavior of Filipinos using Google Trends tool to quantify relative search volume by term . Oral cancer, mouth cancer, tongue cancer, gum cancer, and lip cancer were used as predetermined search terms. Material and method: Comma-separated values file containing relative search volumes of search trends pertaining to oral cancer from 2009 to 2019 were assessed. Brown-Forsythe one-way ANOVA was used to measure differences with respect to oral cancer across different years and months. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was applied to detect differences regarding mouth cancer, tongue cancer, gum cancer, and lip cancer across the years. Time series models were fitted and used to forecast search interests. Results: The results revealed that interest in oral cancer was significantly higher in 2019 (43.75±5.5, p<0.05) compared to 2009 (29.0 ± 6.7). In terms of months, searches were higher in February (45.0 ± 6.6) compared to May (24.8 ± 3.4, p=0.015), June (25.3 ± 4.4, p=0.020), and December (26.5 ± 4.0, p=0.038). Search interests for gum cancer and lip cancer remained significantly lower from 2011 to 2019, and tongue cancer from 2016 to 2018 but approximated mouth cancer in 2019. The forecast showed that mouth cancer (31.67%), tongue cancer (23.75%), and lip cancer (3.83%) would fluctuate through time pass, while gum cancer (8%) would remain steady in 2020. Conclusion: Health-seeking behavior through search trends showed an increased interest in oral cancer in 2019 and during February. It was anticipated that search interests would fluctuate in 2020, but at the end of the year would decrease for mouth cancer and tongue cancer, increase for lip cancer, and remain steady for gum cancer.

The role of chemical transmitters in neuron-glia interaction and pain in sensory ganglion.

Neuropathic pain (NP) develops because of damage to the peripheral or central nervous system. It results in the hyperalgesia and allodynia. In the recent years, various researchers have studied the involvement of neuro-immune system in causing persistence of pain. The absence of synaptic contacts in the sensory ganglion makes them distinctive in terms of pain related signalling. In sensory ganglia, the neurotransmitters or the other modulators such as inflammatory substances produced by the ganglion cells, because of an injury, are responsible for the cross-excitation between neurons and neuron-glial interaction, thus affecting chemical transmission. This chemical transmission is considered mainly responsible for the chronicity and the persistent nature of neuropathic pain. This review examines the pain signalling due to neurotransmitter or cytokine release within the sensory ganglia. The specific areas focused on include: 1) the role of neurotransmitters released from the somata of sensory neurons in pain, 2) neuron-glia interaction and 3) role of cytokines in neuromodulation and pain.

Metal allergy patient treated by titanium implant denture: A case report with at least 4-year follow-up.

Patch testing with metal reagents was positive on female patient with history of metal hypersensitivity after dental treatment. All of the dental restorations with metal components were removed, and subsequent oral rehabilitation utilizing dental implants and metal-free prostheses was carried out. The treatments alleviate the presenting signs and symptoms.