Long non-coding RNA LINC00616 promotes ferroptosis of periodontal ligament stem cells via the microRNA-370 / transferrin receptor axis.

This study was designed to explore the role of lncRNA LINC00616 in the regulation of periodontitis. Cellular functions were measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays. The content of reactive oxygen species, Fe2+, glutathione, and malondialdehyde were measured to determine ferroptosis in Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS-PG) treated periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), as well as expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11, and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 proteins mRNA and miRNA levels were measured by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Western blot analysis was performed to assess protein expression. Targeting relationships were predicted using StarBase and TargetScan and verified by a dual luciferase reporter assay. The lncRNA LINC00616 was upregulated in periodontitis ligament tissues of patients with periodontitis and in PDLSCs treated with LPS-PG. Inhibition of LINC00616 promoted cell viability and suppressed ferroptosis of PDLSCs. miR-370 was verified to be a target of LINC00616, and suppressed miR-370 reversed the effects of LINC00616 knockdown on cell viability and ferroptosis in PDLSCs. Additionally, miR-370 targeting the transferrin receptor protein and upregulated transferrin receptor (TFRC) abolished the effects of overexpressed miR-370 on cell viability and ferroptosis of PDLSCs. LINC00616 acted as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to promote ferroptosis of PDLSCs via the miR-370/TFRC axis. Therefore, LINC00616 knockdown may be a promising therapeutic strategy for periodontitis.

Effect of adenoid hypertrophy on the upper airway and craniomaxillofacial region.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, annual incidences of adenoid hypertrophy (AH), a highly common tissue lesion in children, have increased. Currently, research on AH has focused on its obstruction of nasal cavity function, and little has been written on its influence on the upper airway's bone structure. For this reason, our present study seeks to determine the influence of AH on both the morphological development characteristics of the upper airway and the craniofacial features in children, with the goal being to offer more choices for diagnosing and treating the condition in the future. METHODS: From June 2019 to December 2020 in Department of Orthodontics, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University, 38 children with AH admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology [research group (RG)] and 35 children [control group (CG)] who underwent orthodontic treatment over the same time span were selected as the research objects. X-ray examination of the lateral position of the head, observation of the maxillofacial structure, and detection of the children's height, growth factors, and sleep status, and analysis of the differences between the two groups. RESULTS: The height of RG, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as well as insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were all lower than CG (P<0.05), the upper airway became narrower, and the malocclusion was aggravated (P<0.05). Cephalometric measurement showed that the angle between the subspinale and sella at nasion (SNA angle) and the angle between the subspinale and supraemental at nasion (ANB angle) of RG children decreased, and the angle between the supraemental and sella at nasion (SNB angle) increased (P<0.05). In addition, the sleep quality of RG was significantly lower than that of CG (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: AH can change a child's breathing mode and function by giving rise to upper airway stenosis, and by inducing deformities of their craniomaxillofacial region and oral cavity, thus disrupting their normal growth and development.

Analysis of oral microbial dysbiosis associated with early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND: "Core microbes" play a key role in the development of caries and lead to microbial disorders. Our goal was to detect the core microbes associated with the microbiota imbalance in early childhood caries (ECC). METHODS: Fifteen caries-free children and fifteen high-caries (DMFT ≥ 10) children aged 4-6 years old were recruited according to the diagnostic criteria of caries suggested by the WHO. The 16S rRNA genes from samples of plaque in saliva were amplified by PCR, and the PCR products were sequenced by the Illumina Miseq platform. The sequencing results were analyzed by professional software to determine the composition and structure of the saliva microorganisms. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the relative abundance of Streptococcus mutans (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the groups regarding other species or functional genes. CONCLUSION: S. mutans, together with other pathogens, may play a prominent role and act as "core microbes" in the occurrence and development of early childhood caries.

Cross-sectional comparison of various sleep disturbances among sex- and age-matched HIV-infected versus HIV-uninfected individuals in China.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of various sleep disturbances in HIV-infected patients compared to sex- and age-frequency-matched HIV-uninfected controls in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis included 1469 HIV-infected cases and 2938 HIV-uninfected controls. Insomnia symptoms, poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] >5) as well as their specific domains, were assessed. RESULTS: Prevalence of insomnia symptoms, poor sleep quality, and long sleep duration were higher in HIV-infected vs uninfected participants (23.7% vs 19.8%, 24.1% vs 19.9%, and16.1% vs 8.7%, respectively; all p < 0.05), and remained significant after adjusting for age, sex and education. An Age-stratified analysis showed that such differences were significant only at ages 18-29 and 30-44 years for insomnia symptoms and poor sleep quality long sleep duration was significant across all age groups. Among HIV-infected patients, multivariate analysis indicated that older age, depressive symptoms and frailty score were the most consistent variables associated with sleep disorders (ie, insomnia symptoms, poor sleep quality, short and long sleep durations), as well as all associations (if significant) were positive, excluding the negative associations of older age and depressive symptoms with short sleep duration. Regarding HIV-specific factors, only current CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µL was negatively associated with insomnia symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of HIV infection on sleep disturbances may differ across age groups and are more pronounced among young adults. Additionally, the phenomenon of prolonged sleep duration among HIV-infected patients should be noted, and its link to poor physical health warrants further investigation.

Age-specific associations between HIV infection and carotid artery intima-media thickness in China: a cross-sectional evaluation of baseline data from the CHART cohort.

BACKGROUND: Inconclusive results have been reported in studies evaluating the association between HIV infection and subclinical atherosclerosis. Unsolved issues include whether the increased atherosclerosis burden observed in some studies is attributed to greater prevalence of traditional risk factors or HIV infection. Therefore, we evaluated the association of HIV infection with subclinical atherosclerosis as assessed by carotid artery intima-media thickness, while controlling for the effects of traditional risk factors as operationalised by the Framingham risk score (FRS). METHODS: We did a cross-sectional evaluation of data derived from the baseline assessment of the Comparative HIV and Aging Research in Taizhou (CHART) cohort, an ongoing longitudinal study being done in Zhejiang province, China. HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals aged 18 years and older were recruited between Feb 1, and Dec 10, 2017, and were frequency-matched for age and sex in a 1:2 ratio. Subclinical atherosclerosis was defined as carotid artery intima-media thickness of 780 µm or higher. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations of HIV-positive serostatus and FRS with subclinical atherosclerosis. FINDINGS: 480 of 1425 (36·1%, 95% CI 33·6-38·6) HIV-positive and 784 of 2850 (27·5%, 95% CI 25·9-29·2) HIV-negative individuals had subclinical atherosclerosis (p<0·0001), and these patterns remained significant (adjusted odds ratio [adjOR] 1·72, 95% CI 1·47-2·01) in the adjusted model. After stratifying by age, higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis was observed in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative individuals across the age groups 18-29 years (41 [16·0%] of 256 vs 13 [2·5%] of 512, p<0·0001), 30-44 years (128 [24·0%] of 533 vs 153 [14·4%] of 1066, p<0·0001), and 45-59 years (182 [46·6%] of 391 vs 294 [37·6%] of 782, p=0·0032), but not 60-75 years (163 [66·5%] of 245 vs 324 [66·1%] of 490, p=0·912). Significant negative interaction between HIV-positive serostatus and age on subclinical atherosclerosis was observed (p<0·0001). ORs adjusted for age, sex, and FRS were 8·84 (95% CI 4·50-17·34) for the age group 18-29 years, 2·09 (1·59-2·74) for 30-44 years, 1·54 (1·19-1·98) for 45-59 years, and 1·04 (0·75-1·44) for 60-75 years. Among HIV-positive individuals, none of the HIV-specific variables were significantly associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness estimates except for being antiretroviral therapy naive. INTERPRETATION: HIV infection is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independent of classic risk factors. The association is stronger at younger ages, suggesting early onset of subclinical atherosclerosis among young adults. These findings highlight the need to modify HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines to incorporate cardiovascular evaluation in China. FUNDING: China National Science and Technology Major Projects on Infectious Diseases, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission.

Sex differences in neurocognitive screening among adults living with HIV in China.

HIV-infected (HIV+) women may be more vulnerable to neurocognitive impairment (NCI) due to psychological and physiological factors but previous studies show mixed findings. We investigated the neurocognitive performances in HIV+ versus HIV- women and men. This cross-sectional analysis included 669 HIV+ patients (223 women) and 1338 HIV-uninfected (HIV-) controls (446 women) which were frequency matched on sex, education, and 5-year age categories. NCI was screened using the Mini-mental State Examination. Psychomotor speed was assessed using timed alternating hand sequence test. Prevalence of NCI was higher among women versus men in the HIV+ group (16.1% vs 10.5%) but not the HIV- group (4.3% vs 3.5%). HIV+ women performed worse compared to men on psychomotor speed, orientation, attention, and calculation, whereas HIV- women performed worse compared to men on attention and calculation. Adjusted interaction effects of HIV status × sex (women vs men) were significant on orientation, attention, and calculation, and marginally significant on psychomotor speed (p = 0.053). In multivariable models, among both HIV+ women and men, less years of education and depressive symptoms were associated with NCI. Waist-to-hip ratio above the cut-off was strongly associated with NCI among HIV+ women. HIV+ women perform worse on cognitive measures compared to HIV+ men. The association of central obesity with NCI in HIV+ women should be noted.