Can botulinum toxin injection alleviate the pain of bruxism? A Bayesian network analysis and a single-arm analysis.

Background/purpose: There is inconsistent evidence regarding whether the botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection can relieve pain caused by bruxism. This study aimed to estimate the efficiency of BTA injection in relieving pain caused by bruxism at different follow-up periods. Materials and methods: Five electronic databases were searched from 2005 to 2022 using search terms related to botulinum toxin and bruxism. Only controlled clinical trials were included. Two investigators reviewed each article and discussed any disagreements until a consensus was reached. Pain outcomes as evaluated by the visual analogue scale (VAS) were subjected to single-arm and Bayesian network meta-analyses. Pooling data were measured by a random-effects model. Results: Eleven studies with a total of 365 bruxism patients were included. According to the single-arm analyses of the pooled data, the reduction in bruxism-related pain after BTA injection measured 4.06 points (95% CI = 3.37 to 4.75) on the VAS, and the pain relief was significant in the first 6 months after treatment (P < 0.01). According to the Bayesian analysis, BTA also resulted in significantly greater pain relief than oral splinting (mean difference (MD), -1.5; 95% credible interval (CrI) = -2.7 to -0.19) or saline injection (MD, -3.3; 95% CrI = -6.2 to -0.32). Conclusion: BTA significantly relieves the pain of bruxism for 6 months after injection, and its therapeutic efficacy was higher than that of oral splinting. Nevertheless, further long-term follow-up randomized controlled trials comparing BTA with other management or drugs are warranted.

Emerging Role of High Glucose Levels in Cancer Progression and Therapy.

Extensive research has indicated that high glucose levels play an important role in cancer. A high glycaemic index, glycaemic load diet, high sugar intake, high blood glucose and diabetes mellitus all increase the risk of cancer. Various signals are involved in high glucose-induced tumorigenesis, cancer proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and multidrug resistance. Reactive oxygen species might be important targets in cancer progression that are induced by high glucose levels. Drugs such as metformin and resveratrol may inhibit high glucose-induced cancer. As the impact of high glucose levels on cancer progression and therapy is a novel finding, further research is required.

The association between chronic periodontitis and oral Helicobacter pylori: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have shown that gastrointestinal Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the main cause of chronic gastritis, but the relation between oral H. pylori and chronic periodontitis (CP) remains uncertain. A meta-analysis of published papers was performed to elucidate the correlation between oral H. pylori and CP. METHOD: To perform this meta-analysis, we searched papers published from 2000 to 2018 on PubMed, OVID, Springer Link, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Chinese Biology Medicine search engines. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the correlation between H. pylori and CP were estimated. Heterogeneity, publication bias and subgroup analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: A total of 918 papers on oral H. pylori and CP were collected, and 11 papers were in accordance with the inclusion criteria. Oral H. pylori was suggested to be correlated with CP. The results indicated that a H. pylori-positive state significantly increased the risk of CP 3.42 times (OR = 3.42; 95% CI = 2.71-4.31). A diagnostic test using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed a higher prevalence of H. pylori (OR = 3.70; 95% CI = 2.66-5.14) than did that using the rapid urease test (RUT) (OR = 3.13; 95% CI = 2.26-4.34). CONCLUSIONS: This paper demonstrated that CP was potentially correlated with oral H. pylori in adults and that oral H. pylori may be a possible risk factor for CP.

Preparation of hollow iron/halloysite nanocomposites with enhanced electromagnetic performances.

Nanostructures loaded on halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have attracted global interest, because the nanotubular HNTs could extend the range of their potential applications. In this study, we fabricated a novel nanocomposite with hollow iron nanoparticles loaded on the surface of HNTs. The structure of the iron nanoparticles can be adjusted by ageing time. Owing to the increased remnant magnetization and coercivity values, the nanocomposites loaded with hollow iron nanoparticles showed better electromagnetic performance than that with solid iron nanoparticles. This study opens a new pathway to fabricate halloysite nanotubular nanocomposites that may gain applications in the catalytic degradation of organic pollutants and electromagnetic wave absorption.

Epley and Semont maneuvers for posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: A network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Using network meta-analysis, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of Epley and Semont maneuvers as treatment options for posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. STUDY DESIGN: Network meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled studies with a Jadad score ≥ 3 that used an Epley or Semont maneuver in posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo patients were analyzed in this project. The following efficacy outcomes included 1-week recovery rate and end of study recovery rate. Recurrence rate was used to assess the safety of each treatment. RESULTS: Of 589 articles, 12 studies that enrolled 999 posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo patients were selected. The pooled analysis revealed that the Epley maneuver was as efficacious as the Semont maneuver, in both the 1-week recovery rate and end of study recovery rate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.48-7.00; OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 0.47-7.20), and had a similar recurrence rate (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.33-4.4). These two techniques were both better than sham-controlled treatment in the two efficacy indicators. No difference was observed in recurrence rate for treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The Epley maneuver was similar to the Semont maneuver in both efficacy and safety for posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in short-term effects, and both were superior to the sham-controlled treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.