Effect of auricular point therapy on the psychological state and plasma β-endorphin level of patients with burning mouth syndrome / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@# To observe the clinical effects of auricular point therapy on burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and its effect on the psychological state of patients and plasma β-endorphin. @*Methods @# A total of 105 patients diagnosed with BMS were randomly divided into an auricular acupoint application group (50 cases) and a drug treatment group (55 cases). The treatment course lasted one month. The patients in the auricular acupoint application group selected 3 points on their tongue, heart and Shenmen through traditional Chinese medical dialectics used for patients with BMS. Wangbuliu seeds were applied, two ears were pressed alternately and one ear was applied each time. The patient was instructed to press the treatment site three times a day, 1-2 min each time, until the auricle skin became reddish and hot. The patients in the drug treatment group took vitamin E 100 mg+oryzanol 10 mg+vitamin B2 10 mg orally three times a day. Before and after treatment, the pain intensity and mental and psychological state of the patients were evaluated. The patient's plasma was detected before and after β-endorphin treatment. @* Results@#The pain sensation intensity of the two groups decreased after treatment (P<0.001). After treatment, the scores of somatization (t = 2.118, P = 0.037), fear (t = 2.084, P = 0.039) and diet and sleep (t = 2.047, P = 0.043) in the auricular acupoint application group were significantly improved compared with the level before treatment. The level of β-endorphin in plasma was increased, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 2.247, P = 0.027) in the auricular acupoint application group after treatment. @*Conclusion@#Auricular point therapy is an effective method for patients with BMS, improving psychological state and promoting the synthesis of plasma β-endorphin may be one of its mechanisms.

Effective interventions on health effects of Chinese rural elderly under heat exposure.

Due to climate change, the heatwave has become a more serious public health threat with aging as an aggravating factor in recent years. There is a pressing need to detect the most effective prevention and response measures. However, the specific health effects of interventions have not been characterized on an individual scale. In this study, an intervention experiment was designed to explore the health effects of heat exposure at the individual level and assess the effects of different interventions based on a comprehensive health sensitivity index (CHSI) in Xinyi, China. Forty-one subjects were recruited randomly, and divided into one control group and three intervention groups. Interventions included education (Educate by lecturing, offering relative materials, and communication), subsidy support (offer subsidy to offset the cost of running air conditioning), and cooling-spray (install a piece of cooling-spray equipment in the yard). Results showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP) and deep sleep duration (DSD) were significantly affected by short-term heat exposure, and the effects could be alleviated by three types of interventions. The estimated CHSI indicated that the effective days of the education group were longer than other groups, while the lower CHSI of the subsidy group showed lower sensitivity than the control group. These findings provide feasible implementation strategies to optimize Heat-health action plans and evaluate the intervention performance. Electronic Supplementary Material: Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s11783-022-1545-4 and is accessible for authorized users.

Serum metabolite profiling of a 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide-induced experimental oral carcinogenesis model using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer progresses from hyperplastic epithelial lesions through dysplasia to invasive carcinoma. The critical needs in oral cancer treatment are expanding our knowledge of malignant tumour progression and the development of useful approaches to prevent dysplastic lesions. This study was designed to gain insights into the underlying metabolic transformations that occur during the process of oral carcinogenesis. METHODS: We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in conjunction with multivariate statistical techniques to observe alterations in serum metabolites in a 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO)-induced rat tongue carcinogenesis model. Thirty-eight male rats were randomly divided into two groups, including the 4NQO-induced model group of 30 rats and the healthy control group of five rats. Animals were sacrificed at weeks 9, 13, 20, 24, and 32, post-4NQO treatment. Tissue samples were collected for histopathological examinations and blood samples were collected for metabolomic analysis. Partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) models generated from GC-MS metabolic profile data showed robust discrimination from rats with oral premalignant and malignant lesions induced by 4NQO, and normal controls. RESULTS: The results found 16 metabolites associated with 4NQO-induced rat tongue carcinogenesis. Dysregulated arachidonic acid, fatty acid, and glycine metabolism, as well as disturbed tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and mitochondrial respiratory chains were observed in the animal model. The PLS-DA models of metabolomic results demonstrated good separations between the 4NQO-induced model group and the normal control group. CONCLUSION: We found several metabolites modulated by 4NQO and provide a good reference for further study of early diagnosis in oral cancer.

Prevalence of and related risk factors in oral mucosa diseases among residents in the Baoshan District of Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucosal diseases (OMDs) encompass a variety of different types of diseases. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence and related risk factors of OMDs among residents in the Baoshan District of Shanghai, China, and provide a scientific basis for prevention and control strategies. METHODS: A sample of 653 residents aged 17 to 92 years from the Baoshan community was investigated in 2014. Each resident was surveyed by questionnaire to evaluate their oral mucosa and oral mucosa examinations were conducted. We followed up with 607 residents in 2018. All data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 software package (Chicago, IL, USA) at the general population, gender and age levels. A X2 test was used to compare rates of risk factors and logistic regression analysis was used to detect the correlation between disease and risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of OMDs was found to be 9.19%-9.56% (2014-2018). The most common OMDs were atrophic glossitis (1.84%), recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU, 1.68%), burning mouth syndrome (BMS, 1.38%), oral lichen planus (OLP, 1.23%) and traumatic ulcers (1.23%). The prevalence of RAU and BMS in different age groups was significantly different. Tobacco and alcohol use and psychological factors in the OMDs group were higher than the no-OMDs group. Systemic diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM) was significantly relevant to OLP. CONCLUSION: Age, tobacco and alcohol use, and psychological factor correlated strongly with the occurrence and development of OMDs, and they should be the focus of primary prevention. General epidemiological studies suggested that OLP was closely related to DM.

Linking elevated blood lead level in urban school-aged children with bioaccessible lead in neighborhood soil.

Lead (Pb) exposure is known to affect the health of children while soil Pb is an important contributor to human Pb exposure. To analyze the effects of both environmental and other factors, especially total and bioaccessible Pb in neighborhood soil, on school-aged urban children's blood lead level (BLL), 75 children (6-11 years old) were recruited from an industry city in eastern China for BLL measurement and questionnaire survey. Soil samples were collected from their living neighborhoods and measured for total and bioaccessible Pb. The mean BLL was 4.82 µg dL-1, with 42 out of 75 children having BLL exceeding the international guideline of 5 µg dL-1. Low Pb contamination was observed in soil with total Pb ranging from 12.5 to 271 mg kg-1 (mean 34.3 mg kg-1). Based on the in vitro Solubility Bioaccessibility Research Consortium (SBRC) gastric fluid extraction, bioaccessible Pb in soil ranged from 0.40 to 79.1 mg kg-1 (mean 7.58 mg kg-1) with Pb bioaccessibility ranging from 1.74 to 68.1 (mean 19.9%). When BLL was correlated with total Pb in soil, insignificant linear relationship was observed (P > 0.05, correlation coefficient 95%CI = -0.047-0.40, R2 = 0.07). However, when BLL was correlated with soil bioaccessible Pb or Pb bioaccessibility, much stronger linear relationships were observed (P < 0.01, correlation coefficient 95%CI = 0.28-0.64, R2 = 0.16-0.20), suggesting that bioaccessible Pb was a much stronger predictor of BLL. In addition, strong associations were also observed between BLL and social factors such as house decoration, residence time, and personal habits, suggesting that both soil Pb contamination and social factors play important roles in elevating BLL for city children.

Differential expression of ghrelin and GHSR via the mTOR pathway during the dynamic carcinogenic process involving oral, potentially malignant disorders.

The purpose was to explore the sequence changes in ghrelin and GHSR in the mTOR signaling pathway during carcinogenesis involving oral, potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). The samples were confirmed through in vivo pathologic tissue screening and diagnosis. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of the ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) protein. The expression of ghrelin, GHSR 1α, GHSR 1ß, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) RNA were detected by real-time PCR. The expression of ghrelin, GHSR, mTOR, and phosphorylated mTOR (phosphor-mTOR) protein were detected by Western blot. The expression of ghrelin/GHSR increased gradually in the dynamic process of OPMD carcinogenesis. There was a correlation between the increase in ghrelin, GHSR, mTOR, and phospho-mTOR. The in vivo expression of ghrelin/GHSR protein was the most apparent pathologic change from normal-to-mild, moderate, and severe dysplasia, and finally to the dynamic process from normal-to-mild-to-moderate dysplasia. The in vitro cell experiments based on QPCR results also proved that GHSR 1a functional receptor of ghrelin had a peak expression in LEUK-1 cells. In conclusioin, the close relationship between ghrelin and OPMD carcinogenesis can be used as a new biological target to assess the carcinogenesis of OPMD.

LGR4 protects hepatocytes from injury in mouse.

Leucine-rich repeat G protein-coupled receptors (LGRs) and their endogenous ligands R-spondin1-4 (Rspo) are critical in embryonic development and in maintenance of stem cells. The functions of the Rspo-LGR system in differentiated cells remain uncharacterized. In this study, the expression profiles of LGRs and Rspos were characterized in mature hepatocytes. A liver-specific knockout of LGR4 in mouse was generated and used to study hepatic ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury (HIRI) as well as lipopolysaccharide/ D- galactosamine (LPS/D-Gal)-induced liver injury. We have demonstrated that, in adult liver, LGR4 is expressed in hepatocytes and responds to Rspo1 with internalization. Rspo1 is responsive to various nutritional states and to mTOR signaling. Activation of LGR4 by Rspo1 significantly reduced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)-induced cell death, and levels of NF-κB-p65 and caspase-3 in cultured hepatocytes. Knockdown of hepatic LGR4 rendered hepatocytes more vulnerable to TNFα-induced damage in cultured primary cells and in the setting of HIRI and LPS/D-Gal-induced liver injury. Rspo1 potentiated both basal and Wnt3a-induced stabilization of ß-catenin. Disruption of ß-catenin signaling reversed the protective effects of Rspo1 on TNFα-induced hepatocyte toxicity. LGR4 knockdown increased nuclear translocation of NF-κB-p65 in response to acute injury. Overexpression of IKKß attenuated the protective effects of Rspo1 on TNFα-induced cell death. In conclusion, the Rspo1-LGR4 system represents a novel pathway for cytoprotection and modulation of stress-induced tissue damage. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Functional LGR4 is present in mature hepatocytes. R-spodin1 protects hepatocytes from tumor necrosis factor-α-induced cell death. Liver-specific knockdown of LGR4 renders liver more susceptible to acute injury. LGR4 protects hepatocytes from injury by inhibition of NF-κB signaling.

Dynamic changes in the gene expression profile during rat oral carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide.

The typical progression of oral cancer is from hyperplastic epithelial lesions through dysplasia to invasive carcinoma. It is important to investigate malignant oral cancer progression and development in order to determine useful approaches of prevention of dysplastic lesions. The present study aimed to gain insights into the underlying molecular mechanism of oral carcinogenesis by establishing a rat model of oral carcinogenesis using 4­nitroquinoline 1­oxide. Subsequently, transcription profile analysis using an integrating microarray was performed. The dynamic gene expression changes of the six stages of rat oral carcinogenesis (normal, mild epithelial dysplasia, moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ and oral squamous cell carcinomas) were analyzed using component plane presentations (CPP)­self­organizing map (SOM). Six genes were verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity assay kit. Numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified during rat oral carcinogenesis. CPP­SOM determined that these DEGs were primarily enriched during cell cycle, apoptosis, inflammatory response and tricarboxylic acid cycle, indicating the coordinated regulation of molecular networks. In addition, the expression of specific DEGs, such as janus kinase 3, cyclin­dependent kinase A­1, B­cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/lymphoma 2­like 2, nuclear factor­κB, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1A, cyclin D1 and SDH were identified to have high concordance with the results from microarray data. The current study demonstrated that oral carcinogenesis is a multi­step and multi­gene process, with a distinct pattern alteration along a continuum of malignant transformation. In addition, this comprehensive investigation provided a theoretical basis for the understanding of the molecular alterations associated with oral carcinogenesis.

[The study of cytotoxicity of different intracanal medications and cell rehabilitation on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts].

PURPOSE: To determine the cytotoxicity and reversibility of cytotoxicity of 5 intracanal medications in various concentrations with human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPLFs), with the aim to provide a comprehensive reliable scientific evidence for making a good choice of these intracanal medications in clinical practice. METHODS: The experimental medications included formocresol (FC), camphorated paramonochlorophenol(CP), metronidazole, calcium hydroxide and traditional Chinese medicine. HPLFs were obtained from healthy premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons. All samples were placed into DMEM, cultured and harvested from the fourth to eighth passages. MTT, alkalinephosphatase (ALP)activity determination and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used in this study. The data was analyzed by SPSS11.5 software. Student's t test, analysis of variance was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: FC, CP had cytotoxicity and inhibited the growth and ALP activity of HPLFs significantly (P<0.01 and P<0.05). The cytotoxicity of FC was at 3- 4 grade, with cell rehabilitation rate less than 30%. The cytotoxicity of CP was at 1 to 3 grade, with cell rehabilitation rate less than 30%. Metronidazole lightly inhibited the proliferation and ALP activity of HPLFs, its cytotoxicity was at 1 grade, with rehabilitation rate from 32% to 85%. Calcium hydroxide and Chinese medicine didn't inhibit the proliferation and ALP activity of HPLFs significantly (P>0.05). Their cytotoxicity was at 0 to 1 grade with cell rehabilitation rate more than 90%. TEM study showed that severe morphologic alteration of HPLFs induced by FC, CP, whereas the cells in Chinese medicine and calcium hydroxide had little alteration on their morphology. Metronidazole induced minor morphologic alteration of HPLFs. CONCLUSIONS: Calcium hydroxide, traditional Chinese medicine have no cytotoxicity while FC and CP lead to severe cytotoxicity, the cytotoxicity is irreversible. Therefore the clinical application of FC and CP is no longer recommended. Traditional Chinese medicine or calcium hydroxide can be taken as ideal intracanal medications.