Prognostic and chemotherapeutic implications of a novel four-gene pyroptosis model in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common cancers. Chemotherapy remains one dominant therapeutic strategy, while a substantial proportion of patients may develop chemotherapeutic resistance; therefore, it is particularly significant to identify the patients who could achieve maximum benefits from chemotherapy. Presently, four pyroptosis genes are reported to correlate with the chemotherapeutic response or prognosis of HNSCC, while no study has assessed the combinatorial predicting efficacy of these four genes. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the predictive value of a multi-gene pyroptosis model regarding the prognosis and chemotherapeutic responsiveness in HNSCC. Methods: By utilizing RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and the Gene Expression Omnibus database, the pyroptosis-related gene score (PRGscore) was computed for each HNSCC sample by performing a Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) based on four genes (Caspase-1, Caspase-3, Gasdermin D, Gasdermin E). The prognostic significance of the PRGscore was assessed through Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Additionally, chemotherapy sensitivity stratified by high and low PRGscore was examined to determine the potential association between pyroptosis activity and chemosensitivity. Furthermore, chemotherapy sensitivity assays were conducted in HNSCC cell lines in vitro. Results: As a result, our study successfully formulated a PRGscore reflective of pyroptotic activity in HNSCC. Higher PRGscore correlates with worse prognosis. However, patients with higher PRGscore were remarkably more responsive to chemotherapy. In agreement, chemotherapy sensitivity tests on HNSCC cell lines indicated a positive association between overall pyroptosis levels and chemosensitivity to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil; in addition, patients with higher PRGscore may benefit from the immunotherapy. Overall, our study suggests that HNSCC patients with higher PRGscore, though may have a less favorable prognosis, chemotherapy and immunotherapy may exhibit better benefits in this population.

Salivary metabolomics of burning mouth syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of systematic studies on salivary metabolomic profiles in burning mouth syndrome (BMS); metabolomics could help explore BMS pathogenesis. We aimed to explore the salivary metabolomic profile of patients with BMS using untargeted metabolomics techniques. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was designed to analyze the characteristics of unstimulated whole salivary metabolomics of patients with BMS (n = 34) and healthy participants (n = 30). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, principal component, orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant, hierarchical clustering, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed metabolites and metabolic pathways in which they were enriched. RESULTS: We identified 12,982 metabolite ions. Among them, 394 differentially expressed metabolites were identified with variable importance in projection scores of > 1 (P < 0.05) compared with those in the controls. Based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis, 30 metabolites were identified, and 16 of them were enriched in 25 metabolic pathways. The levels of caffeine (log2-fold change = -2.91) and its metabolites, paraxanthine (-2.01) and theophylline (-2.03), were low, and the caffeine metabolism pathway was downregulated in the BMS group compared with those in the controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The salivary metabolomic profile of patients with BMS presented characteristics distinct from those of the controls. A low caffeine level may be associated with BMS. This study provides a novel insight for further exploration of the pathogenesis of and potential therapeutic approaches for BMS.

Association of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and anti-thyroid antibodies with oral lichen planus: A cross-sectional study.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and its autoantibodies may be associated with oral lichen planus (OLP). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to assess the relationship among HT, auto-anti-thyroid antibodies, and OLP in a Chinese population of 247 patients with oral lichen planus. Clinical manifestations of OLP were evaluated using the Thongprasom scoring system and clinical type. The diagnosis of HT was based on thyroid function, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPOAb) and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (anti-TgAb) detection, and ultrasonography. The prevalence of HT in all patients with OLP was 39.68% (98/247); the prevalence in females with OLP was 46.24% (86/186), which was higher than that in males with OLP 19.67% (12/61) (P < 0.01). The titers of the two HT autoantibodies in females with OLP were higher than those in males (P < 0.01). The clinical manifestations of OLP, regardless of being evaluated using the Thongprasom system or clinical type, were not significantly associated with HT development or TPOAb (P = 0.864) or TgAb titers (P = 0.745). In this population-based southern Chinese cohort, the prevalence of HT in patients with OLP, particularly in female patients with OLP, was significantly higher than that in the general population. Female patients had higher HT autoantibody titers than male patients. However, the clinical manifestations of OLP were not significantly correlated with either HT development or auto-anti-thyroid antibody levels. The findings could help further elucidate the factors involved in the relationship between oral lichen planus and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Prevalence of oral lichen planus in patients with diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Oral lichen planus, a chronic inflammatory immune disease, occurs in the oral mucosa. We aimed to assess the prevalence and possible influencing factors of oral lichen planus in patients with diabetes mellitus. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 525 patients with diabetes mellitus and 525 controls. We collected information on blood glucose level, duration of diabetes, diabetic complications, treatment methods, other systemic diseases and medication history. RESULTS: Oral lichen planus was significantly more prevalent in the diabetes mellitus/type 2 diabetes mellitus group than in the controls (2.3%/2.2% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.019/0.022). There was no significant association between patients with diabetes mellitus with and those without oral lichen planus in age (p = 0.195), sex (p = 0.390), blood glucose level (p = 1), duration of diabetes (p = 0.638), diabetic complications (p = 1), treatment methods (p = 0.962), other systemic diseases (p = 0.891) and medication history (p = 0.848). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes mellitus was associated with oral lichen planus; there was a higher prevalence of oral lichen planus in patients with diabetes mellitus/type 2 diabetes mellitus than in those without diabetes. Oral lichen planus development in patients with diabetes mellitus was not significantly associated with age, sex, blood glucose level, duration of diabetes, diabetic complications, treatment methods, other systemic diseases and medication history.

Comparison of topical antifungal agents for oral candidiasis treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of topical antifungal drugs for oral candidiasis in adults and children. STUDY DESIGN: Databases were searched from their inception to December 2020. The inclusion criterion was randomized controlled trials comparing topical antifungal agents. The primary outcomes were clinical response and mycological cure rates. The secondary outcomes were adverse reaction incidence and relapse rate. RESULTS: In adults with oral candidiasis, fluconazole showed a better clinical response rate than clotrimazole (P = 0.001; risk ratio [RR], 1.14), but a similar mycological cure rate (P = 0.57; RR, 1.03). There was no significant difference in clinical response and mycological cure rates with either fluconazole and amphotericin B (clinical: P = 0.47, RR, 0.96; mycological: P = 0.99, RR, 1.00) or with either itraconazole and clotrimazole (clinical: P = 0.51, RR, 1.06; mycological: P = 0.45, RR, 1.32). For immunocompetent patients, fluconazole was superior to clotrimazole in terms of clinical response rate. For immunosuppressed patients, clotrimazole and itraconazole presented similar clinical response and mycological cure rates, but the relapse rate with itraconazole was lower than that with clotrimazole. In infants, miconazole and nystatin showed similar clinical response rates (P = 0.36; RR, 1.23), whereas miconazole presented a superior mycological cure rate (P = 0.03; RR, 4.03). CONCLUSIONS: Fluconazole and amphotericin B are recommended as topical antifungal agents for adults with oral candidiasis. Existing studies tend to recommend fluconazole for immunocompetent patients and itraconazole for immunosuppressed patients, whereas miconazole is recommended for infants.

Efficacy of topical administration for oral lichen planus: A network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the comparative efficacy and safety of topical administration for oral lichen planus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic database search (1st January 1946 to 1st May 2020) for randomised controlled trials identified 34 studies involving eight interventions (clobetasol, betamethasone, triamcinolone, dexamethasone, fluocinolone, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, and cyclosporine); these studies were subjected to network meta-analysis using direct and indirect comparisons [efficacy indicators: clinical response rate, symptom-reducing effect (visual analogue scale score), sign-reducing effect (Thongprasom-scale score) and relapse; safety indicator: adverse event occurrence]. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, tacrolimus had the best clinical response rate (odds ratio (OR), 57.78 [95% CI 3.15-1060.52]; P-score, 0.8654) and cyclosporine had the worst (OR, 3.61[95% CI 0.20-66.62]; P-score, 0.2236); tacrolimus had the best symptom-reducing effect (standardised mean difference (SMD), 1.06 [95% CI 0.41-1.71]; P-score, 0.9323) and fluocinolone had the worst (SMD, -0.54 [95% CI -1.44-0.36]; P-score, 0.0157); dexamethasone had the best sign-reducing effect (SMD, 3.60 [95% CI 1.74-5.45]; P-score, 0.8306) and clobetasol had the worst (SMD, 2.63 [95% CI 1.66-3.61]; P-score, 0.2581); and pimecrolimus performed best (OR, 0.04 [95% CI 0.00-0.64]; P-score, 0.9227) and clobetasol performed the worst [OR, 0.60; 95% CI 0.15-2.45; P-score, 0.2545] in reducing relapse. Regarding safety, dexamethasone was the safest compared with placebo [OR, 0.37; 95% CI 0.05-2.57; P-score, 0.9337), whereas fluocinolone ranked low for safety [OR, 9.48; 95% CI 1.50- 60.03; P-score, 0.1189]. CONCLUSIONS: The relative ranking of topical administration varies according to the different indicators. Based on the joint consideration of clinical response rate and adverse event occurrence, dexamethasone, triamcinolone and betamethasone are recommended for better efficacy and safety. The optimal treatment for oral lichen patients varies under different conditions.

Application of medical magnifying loupes in diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases.

: To evaluate the application of medical magnifying loupes in diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases. Twenty-four patients with plaque-type oral lichen planus or homogeneous oral leukoplakia were inspected by naked eyes or assistance with magnifying loupes. Histopathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the two methods in clinical diagnosis. Questionnaires were used to evaluate the subjective effect of magnifying loupes on the diagnosis efficiency of oral mucosal diseases and to explore the most suitable parameters for application. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of medical magnifying loupes for the identification of plaque-type oral lichen planus and homogeneous oral leukoplakia were 94.74%, 100.00% and 95.83%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of naked eye inspection (89.47%, 80.00% and 87.50%). The effective rate of magnifying loupes assisted diagnosis was 91.76% according to physicians' subjective evaluation. The most suitable parameters were 3.5 times magnification and working distance. The medical magnifying loupes can effectively improve the efficiency of the inspection and diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases, and have the characteristics of convenience and real-time. The recommended clinical parameters are 3.5 times magnification and working distance.

Post-cesarean section pemphigus vegetans in a young woman treated with methylprednisolone and thalidomide.

Pemphigus vegetans is a rare variant of pemphigus vulgaris. Here, we report a rare case of postparturition pemphigus vegetans in a young woman without any prior medical history. The patient presented with extensive oral mucosal erosion, conjunctivitis, and fingernail dystrophy. A histopathological biopsy taken from the tongue showed pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of the epidermis with eosinophilic spongiosis, and an intraepidermal cleft and direct immunofluorescence showed intercellular immunoglobulin G and complement component C3 deposition. A final diagnosis of pemphigus vegetans was made on the basis of clinical and histopathological features and laboratory findings. Complete remission was achieved by a combination of methylprednisolone and thalidomide. This case report indicates that the occurrence of postparturition pemphigus vegetans is strongly associated with immune status related to hormone levels throughout pregnancy and postparturition. Furthermore, it suggests that a combination of methylprednisolone and thalidomide may be an effective option for pemphigus vegetans treatment.

Anxiety and oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between oral lichen planu(OLP) and anxiety. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 174 OLP patients and 174 healthy controls. We assessed anxiety by Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and recorded OLP lesion type and severity. t test and analysis of variance were applied for continuous variants and chi-square test was performed for categorical variants. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression analysis were used for multi-variable analysis. RESULTS: he SAS score of OLP patients was higher than that of healthy individuals. There was no significant difference in SAS score between the OLP subgroups, obtained according to age, type, and severity, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed gender was the only factor that affected the SAS score of OLP patients. Compared with weakly anxiety-related groups, the SAS score and female ratio of highly anxiety-related group were obviously higher. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that males were less exposed to highly anxiety-related types than females. CONCLUSIONS: OLP patients tend to be more anxious compared with healthy individuals, and female patients are more anxious than male patients. There might be two types of OLP patients: weakly anxiety-related or highly anxiety-related. These results highlight the significance of psychological counseling in OLP disease management.

Possible Mechanisms Involved in the Cooccurrence of Oral Lichen Planus and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disorder mediated by T cells, with a multifactorial etiology. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by hypothyroidism. Although many clinical studies conducted over the past several decades have reported the cooccurrence of OLP and HT, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This review summarizes potential mechanisms that might be involved in the cooccurrence of OLP and HT. We find that OLP and HT share a common or overlapping pathogenesis in terms of immune, heredity, environmental, and hormonal factors, which might cause cooccurrence. Furthermore, considering the latency of HT, a routine screen for thyroid diseases, particularly HT, is suggested for confirmed OLP patients.