Association between Toothbrushing and Cancer Risk.

Background: Most cancers are lifestyle-related and are thus preventable. Lifestyle habits can be improved by individual efforts; for example, because oral health is suggested to play a preventive role in cancer risk, toothbrushing is considered a critical and fundamental measure for controlling oral health. This study aimed to investigate the association between toothbrushing and cancer risk. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, a large-scale (n = 32,000) online survey conducted in 2022, were used. From September 12 to October 19, 2022, questionnaires were distributed to candidates selected by simple random sampling from a Japanese Internet research company's panelists to represent the Japanese population. The association between toothbrushing and cancer risk according to cancer prevalence was then analyzed. Results: Among all 32,000 participants, 2,495 (7.8%) who had any cancer previously were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between toothbrushing habit and cancer risk. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that daily toothbrushing is essential for maintaining oral health and preventing cancer.

Impact of an angulated aorto-septal relationship on cardio-cerebrovascular outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Aortic and valvular calcification are well-known risk factors for cardio-cerebrovascular events in patients undergoing hemodialysis. We investigated the clinical impact of an angulated aorto-septal angle as a result of aortic elongation due to aortic calcification on cardio-cerebrovascular outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis. We investigated 306 patients (mean age 65.4 years, 68% male) who underwent pre-scheduled routine echocardiography between April and September 2018. The angle between the anterior wall of the aorta and the ventricular septal surface (ASA) was quantified. We determined aortic and mitral valve calcification scores based on calcified cardiac changes; the aortic and mitral valve scores ranged between 0-9 and 0-6, respectively. The primary endpoint was a composite including cardio-cerebrovascular events and cardio-cerebrovascular death. The mean duration of dialysis among the patients in this analysis was 9.6 years. The primary endpoint was observed in 54 patients during the observational period (median 1095 days). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses identified left ventricular ejection fraction (per 10% increase: hazard ratio [HR] 0.67; 95% confidential interval [CI] 0.53-0.84, P = 0.001), left ventricular mass index (per 10 g/m2 increase: HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.05-1.24, P = 0.001), ASA (per 10 degree increase: HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.54-0.88; P = 0.003), and aortic valve calcification score (HR 1.15; 95% CI 1.04-1.26, P = 0.005) as independent determinants of the primary endpoint. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a higher incidence of the primary endpoint in patients with ASA <119.4 degrees than those with ASA ≥119.4 degrees (Log-rank P < 0.001). An angulated aorto-septal angle is an independent risk factor for cardio-cerebrovascular events and cardio-cerebrovascular death in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Dental Treatment and Risk of COVID-19 in Japan.

PURPOSE: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been concern about nosocomial infections acquired through dental practice, where machines - such as air turbines - that generate aerosols are used, and where there are many opportunities to come into contact with saliva and blood. Because there is no report to date on whether dental treatment is associated with a risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Japan, the aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with dental treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional data were gathered from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), a large-scale internet survey conducted in 2021 (n=28,175). From September 27, 2021, to October 30, 2021, the questionnaires were distributed to candidates selected from the panelists of a Japanese Internet research company to represent the Japanese population regarding age, sex, and residential prefecture using a simple random sampling procedure. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection related to dental treatment was examined and analysed. RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that younger age, male sex and living alone were statistically significant factors positively associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas the presence or absence of dental treatment was not statistically significantly correlated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSION: The present epidemiological study showed that dental treatment is not a positive risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Japan.

Non-A Blood Type Is a Risk Factor for Poor Cardio-Cerebrovascular Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Dialysis.

The clinical impact of ABO blood type on cardio-cerebrovascular outcomes in patients undergoing dialysis has not been clarified. A total of 365 hemodialysis patients participated in the current study. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite including cardio-cerebrovascular events and cardio-cerebrovascular death. The primary endpoint was observed in 73 patients during a median follow-up period of 1182 days, including 16/149 (11%) with blood type A, 22/81 (27%) with blood type B, 26/99 (26%) with blood type O, and 9/36 (25%) with blood type AB. At baseline, no difference was found in the echocardiographic parameters. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that blood type (type A vs. non-A type; hazard ratio (HR): 0.46, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.26-0.81, p = 0.007), age (per 10-year increase; HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.18-1.84), antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy (HR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.07-3.41), LVEF (per 10% increase; HR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.96), and LV mass index (per 10 g/m2 increase; HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.13) were the independent determinants of the primary endpoint. Kaplan-Meier curves also showed a higher incidence of the primary endpoint in the non-A type than type A (Log-rank p = 0.001). Dialysis patients with blood type A developed cardio-cerebrovascular events more frequently than non-A type patients.

Irisin improves delayed bone repair in diabetic female mice.

INTRODUCTION: Irisin is a proteolytic product of fibronectin type II domain-containing 5, which is related to the improvement in glucose metabolism. Numerous studies have suggested that irisin is a crucial myokine linking muscle to bone in physiological and pathophysiological states. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the effects of local irisin administration with gelatin hydrogel sheets and intraperitoneal injection of irisin on the delayed femoral bone repair caused by streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in female mice. We analyzed the femurs of mice using quantitative computed tomography and histological analyses and then measured the mRNA levels in the damaged mouse tissues. RESULTS: Local irisin administration significantly blunted the delayed bone repair induced by STZ 10 days after a femoral bone defect was generated. Local irisin administration significantly blunted the number of Osterix-positive cells that were suppressed by STZ at the damaged site 4 days after a femoral bone defect was generated, although it did not affect the mRNA levels of chondrogenic and adipogenic genes 4 days after bone injury in the presence or absence of diabetes. On the other hand, intraperitoneal injection of irisin did not affect delayed bone repair induced by STZ 10 days after bone injury. Irisin significantly blunted the decrease in Osterix mRNA levels induced by advanced glycation end products or high-glucose conditions in ST2 cells in the presence of bone morphogenetic protein-2. CONCLUSIONS: We first showed that local irisin administration with gelatin hydrogel sheets improves the delayed bone repair induced by diabetic state partially by enhancing osteoblastic differentiation.

Role of peripheral myelin protein 22 in chronic exercise-induced interactions of muscle and bone in mice.

Exercise is important for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia and osteoporosis. Although the interactions between skeletal muscles and bone have recently been reported, the myokines linking muscle to bone during exercise remain unknown. We previously revealed that chronic exercise using treadmill running blunts ovariectomy-induced osteopenia in mice. We herein performed an RNA sequence analysis of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of male mice with or without chronic exercise to identify the myokines responsible for the effects of chronic exercise on the muscle/bone relationship. We extracted peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) as a humoral factor that was putatively induced by chronic exercise in the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of mice from the RNA sequence analysis. Chronic exercise significantly enhanced the expression of PMP22 in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of female mice. PMP22 suppressed macrophage-colony stimulating factor and receptor activator factor κB ligand-induced increases in the expression of osteoclast-related genes and osteoclast formation from mouse bone marrow cells. Moreover, PMP22 significantly inhibited osteoblast differentiation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization in mouse osteoblast cultures; however, the overexpression of PMP22 did not affect muscle phenotypes in mouse muscle C2C12 cells. A simple regression analysis revealed that PMP22 mRNA levels in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were positively related to cortical bone mineral density at the femurs of mice with or without chronic exercise. In conclusion, we identified PMP22 as a novel myokine induced by chronic exercise in mice. We first showed that PMP22 suppresses osteoclast formation and the osteoblast phenotype in vitro.

Lateral Approach With a Mouth Corner Incision for the Molar Part of Mandibulectomy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the functional and esthetic results of marginal mandibulectomy for mandibular cancer using a lateral approach with a simple, straightforward mouth corner incision. STUDY DESIGN: Six mandibular cancer patients (2 men, 4 women; age range: 65-80 years; mean age, 73.1 years; all stage I) were treated using this approach. With this approach, the surgical field was widely exposed, and mandibulectomy was performed with sufficient surgical margins. Intraoperative frozen specimens of remaining tissues showed no malignancy in all cases. In all 6 patients, follow-up imaging assessments were obtained, with no local recurrence after 12 to 78 months. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: An overall functional, physical, and esthetic assessment of oral behavior and oral appearance was made of all patients by the FACT-H&N questionnaire, which showed that functional lip behavior and esthetic lip appearance were not much affected by the present surgical approach, and good quality of life was maintained. Thus, the lateral approach with the mouth corner incision is an effective and useful alternative for the molar part of mandibulectomy.

[The Safety and efficacy of airway-hyperresponsiveness test for asthma using by SK-1211 (Methacholine Chloride)].

BACKGROUND: In abroad, Methacholine Chloride (Provocholine®) is used to meet the indications of the diagnosis of bronchial airway hyperreactivity in subjects who do not have clinically apparent asthma. We examined efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of Methacholine Chloride (name of study drug: SK-1211) in order to get approved for the airway hyperresponsiveness test in Japan. METHODS: Fifteen adult healthy volunteers, fifteen adult patients with asthma and ten pediatric patients with asthma were enrolled in this study. The airway hyperresponsiveness test with SK-1211 was conducted in accordance with Japanese Society of Allergology Standard Method. RESULTS: When the threshold value of PC20 was 8 mg/mL, the sensitivity of adult patients with asthma was 66.7% (10/15 subjects) and the specificity of adult healthy volunteers was 86.7% (13/15 subjects). The sensitivity of pediatric patients with asthma was 70.0% (7/10 subjects). Not all subjects experienced some adverse reactions during inhalation of SK-1211, all of which were mild in severity and resolved soon with inhalation of a bronchodilator. There were no serious adverse reactions reported. CONCLUSION: The airway hyperresponsiveness test with SK-1211 was no specific concern with safety and useful in the diagnosis of bronchial airway hyperresponsiveness.

Fear of negative evaluation is associated with delusional ideation in non-clinical population and patients with schizophrenia.

PURPOSE: A number of recent studies suggest that delusions may be explained as a continuum from normal beliefs. Fear of negative evaluation from others (FNE) is one of potential factors that might describe this psychological process of delusions. METHODS: In order to examine whether FNE is associated with delusional ideation in both non-clinical population and patients with schizophrenia, two sets of data [from a non-clinical student sample (n = 282) and from patients with schizophrenia (n = 117)] were collected to examine whether Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) score and the 21-item Peters Delusions Inventory (PDI-21) score were associated with each other. Linear regression analyses were carried out to assess if the BFNE score still remained associated with the PDI-21 scores once the confounding effects of depression were controlled. RESULTS: BFNE scores were significantly related to PDI-21 scores in both non-clinical [Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) = 0.37, 95% confidence Interval (CI) = 0.25-0.48] and patient (r = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.14-0.49) samples. These associations were still significant when confounding effects of depression were controlled. Standardised coefficients for the BFNE scores in the linear regression model were 0.21 in the student sample and 0.19 in the clinical sample. CONCLUSIONS: FNE was associated with delusional ideation both in non-clinical population and in patients with schizophrenia. FNE might be a potential target for both pharmacological and psychological interventions for patients with delusions.

[A case of retroperitoneal tumor successfully resected thanks to effective chemotherapy].

We reported a case of retroperitoneal immature teratoma with embryonal carcinoma. First, pathological diagnosis of sarcoma was made by fine needle aspiration, then secondary pathological diagnosis of suspected malignant schwannoma was made by a partial resection. The final pathological diagnosis by operation was immature teratoma with embryonal carcinoma. The preoperative diagnosis was difficult in this case, and the tumor had grown too large after partial resection to surgically resect. The effective chemotherapy reduced this tumor enough to allow successful resection. Although the prognosis of immature retroperitoneal teratoma is poor, this case has survived 10 years after operation without metastasis and recurrence.

Development of high-throughput spermidine synthase activity assay using homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence.

Spermidine synthase (SPDS) catalyzes transfer of the propylamine group from decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (dcSAM) to putrescine to yield methylthioadenosine (MTA) and spermidine. SPDS plays a regulatory role in cell proliferation and differentiation. This article describes the development of a high-throughput SPDS activity assay using homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) based on energy transfer from europium cryptate as a donor to crosslinked allophycocyanin (XL665) as an acceptor. First a highly specific anti-MTA monoclonal antibody, MTA-7H8, was generated, and then a competitive immunoassay for MTA determination was developed using europium cryptate-labeled MTA-7H8 and XL665-labeled MTA. In our homogeneous immunoassay, the percentage molar cross-reactivity of dcSAM with MTA-7H8 was 0.01% and the detection limit of MTA was 2.6 pmol/well. Our HTRF assay uses only one assay plate in which both enzyme reaction and MTA determination can be done successively. Therefore, our method can enable automatic screening of SPDS inhibitors from large numbers of samples.