COVID-19 impact on post-traumatic stress symptoms in burning mouth syndrome: A multicentric study.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the psychological impact of COVID-19 on burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients. It focuses on comparing post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), post-traumatic growth (PTG), and resilience between BMS patients and Controls. METHODS: A total of 100 BMS patients and 100 Controls from five Italian centers participated in this observational cross-sectional study. They completed several assessments, including the General Health Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, National Stressful Events Survey Short Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Post Traumatic Growth Inventory Short Form, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. RESULTS: BMS patients had significantly higher stress, anxiety, and depression (DASS-21 score) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (IES-R-6 score), particularly in terms of intrusive thoughts. They showed lower post-traumatic growth (PTGI-SF score) compared to Controls. The resilience scale (CDRS-10) was a key predictor of PTG in both groups, explaining a significant variance in PTGI-SF scores. CONCLUSIONS: BMS patients experienced heightened post-traumatic stress, stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, with reduced post-traumatic growth. This highlights the need to prioritize their psychological well-being, focusing on stress management and fostering post-traumatic growth in challenging times.

Impact of medications on salivary flow rate in patients with xerostomia: a retrospective study by the Xeromeds Consortium.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the impact of systemic medications and polypharmacy on unstimulated (UWS) and chewing-stimulated whole saliva (SWS) flow rates in patients with xerostomia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional multicenter study is based on data of patients referred to five oral medicine outpatient practices in Europe and USA from January 2000 and April 2014. Relevant demographic, social, medical history and current medications were collected. RESULTS: The study included 1144 patients, 972 (85%) females, with a mean (SD) age of 59 (14.1) years. In unmatched patients, the UWS flow rate was lower in patients taking a medication (vs. not taking a medication) from the following drug categories: opioid analgesics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antihypertensives, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, diuretics, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and hormones. There was a greater negative effect on SWS flow rate in patients taking (vs. not taking) anticonvulsants, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, and DMARDs. In matched patients, both UWS (0.22 vs. 0.19 ml/min; p = 0.03) and SWS (0.97 vs. 0.85 ml/min; p = .017) flow rates were higher in patients on non-opioid analgesics (vs. not taking). The UWS flow rate was lower in patients taking antidepressants (vs. not taking) (0.16 vs. 0.22 ml/min p = .002) and higher (and within normal range) in patients taking sex hormones (vs. not taking) (0.25 vs. 0.16 ml/min; p = .005). On the other hand, SWS was lower in patients taking corticosteroid (vs. not taking) (0.76 vs. 1.07 ml/min; p = .002), and in patients taking DMARDs (vs. not taking) (0.71 vs. 0.98 ml/min; p = .021). Finally, differences in medians of both UWS and SWS were statistically significant in patients taking 1 or more than 1 opioid analgesic (vs. not taking, p ≤ .0001 and p = .031, respectively), 1 or more than 1 anticonvulsants (vs. not taking, p = .008 and p = .007), 1 or more than 1 antidepressants (vs. not taking, p < .0001 for both), 1 or more than 1 DMARDs (vs. not taking, p = .042, and p = .003). CONCLUSIONS: A greater negative impact on UWS and SWS flow rates was seen in patients taking more than one medication from the same drug class. Intake of antidepressants, corticosteroids and DMARDs is associated with lower whole saliva flow rates. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Salivary flow rate can be modified by some specific medications, mostly by polypharmacy.

Global research trends in complex oral sensitivity disorder: A systematic bibliometric analysis of the structures of knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: A systematic bibliometric analysis of the structure of knowledge was performed to investigate the co-word analysis, the co-citation analysis, and the social network analysis regarding complex oral sensitivity disorder (COSD). METHODS: Web of Science database from 1985 to 2018 was systematically searched to identify all relevant articles using the MeSH terms "complex oral sensitivity disorder" and all synonyms used in the literature. We included original articles, review articles, letters to the editor, and book chapters in the English language and in 27 different ISI categories of medical sciences. Several bibliometric indicators were used. RESULTS: The co-word analysis identified 741 KeyWords Plus (KWP) grouped into 4 different clusters. The terms "pain," "management," "prevalence," and "efficacy" reached the highest centrality, whereas the top 10 KWP had a frequency of 7%-29% in 443 articles. Over a period of 32 years, a complex thematic evolution occurred, going from 2 to 6 different themes, and the KWP migration rate from one cluster to another ranged from 11% to 100%. The co-citation network analysis based on the complete reference list (5932 references) of 443 articles identified only 2 clusters for journals, authors, and articles. The most prominent co-cited journal was "Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology" (centrality: 171.75), the most co-cited author was "Grushka M" (centrality: 330.95), and the most co-cited article was "Grushka M. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol (1987) 63:30-36" (centrality: 269.79). On the other hand, the direct citation network revealed that "Scala A et al, 2003" reached both the highest global citation score (GCS = 231) and local citation score (LCS = 161). Lastly, the social network analysis revealed an isolated collaboration among groups of authors, or countries or institutions. The worldwide collaboration analysis indicated that United States-Israel and United Kingdom-Italy were the most collaborative countries. CONCLUSIONS: The structure of knowledge of publications on COSD revealed that research in this field has been dominated by few core topics and a limited collaboration among authors and institutions from different countries. More multicenter studies on COSD are warranted in the near future when launching new projects.

Global research trends in complex oral sensitivity disorder: A systematic bibliometric analysis of the framework.

OBJECTIVES: A systematic bibliometric analysis was performed to investigate trends in complex oral sensitivity disorder (COSD) research worldwide and compare the contributions of different countries/institutions, scientific journals, authors, keywords, and citations. METHODS: Web of Science database from 1985 to 2018 was systematically searched to identify all relevant articles using the MeSH terms "complex oral sensitivity disorder" and all synonyms used in the literature. We included original articles, review articles, letters to the editor, and book chapters in the English language and in 27 different ISI categories of medical sciences. Several bibliometric indicators were used. RESULTS: We identified 10 633 articles, of which only 3349 were eligible with only 443 being included for quantitative analyses. The annual percentage growth rate for article publication was 9.16 fractionalized articles with the most productive countries (reported only in 428 out of 443 articles) being Italy (n = 66, 15.42%) followed by USA (n = 61, 14.25%) and with Italy achieving the greatest number of citations (n = 1415). Similarly, the most productive institution for article publication was the University of Turku, Finland, with 39 (8.8%) published articles. Among the top 20 departments, 15 were affiliated with dental institutions. The most productive source was "Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine" with 38 (8.58%) articles, whereas the most productive author was "Lopez-Jornet P" with 19 articles (6.52 fractionalized articles). CONCLUSIONS: There is an increasing trend for publications on COSD. Collaboration among different countries must improve in order to implement research on this disorder, which seems to be mainly a condition for the dental discipline.

Autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering diseases in the south of Italy: a 25-year retrospective study on 169 patients.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering diseases (AMBDs) represent a heterogeneous group of organ-specific and potentially life-threatening diseases. We sought to determine the relationship between clinical remission and therapeutic regimens with clinical type and phenotype of AMBDs, as well as clinical outcomes achieved based on different therapeutic regimens. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study on 169 AMBDs patients, including pemphigus vulgaris (PV), mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome (PAMS), and lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP), was performed from 1994 to 2019 in an oral medicine tertiary center, where we collected sociodemographic data, clinical type and phenotype, prescribed therapies, and related outcomes. RESULTS: The mean age of AMBDs patients was 55.0 ± 16.4 years. They were followed for a mean of 8.4 ± 5.8 years. The majority of these patients (62.1%) were successfully managed with conventional immunosuppressive therapy (CIST) alone. However, 37.9% of patients required additional biological treatments, either because they were non-responders or developed severe side effects from CIST, or because of the rapid and severe progression of the disease. Overall, complete clinical remission was achieved in 92.3% of patients. A statistically significant difference was noted between the frequency distribution of AMBDs patients among different therapeutic regimens (P = .002), of different clinical phenotype and type of AMBDs patients and clinical remission (P = .012 and P = .005, respectively). No difference was reported regarding clinical outcomes and different therapeutic regimens. CONCLUSIONS: AMBDs' management may be challenging, nonetheless CIST and biologic regimens introduced, when needed as reliable alternatives to CIST, result in a very high percentage of CCR.

The use of rituximab as an adjuvant in the treatment of oral pemphigus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris patients with exclusive oral involvement (OPV) treated with conventional immunosuppressive therapy may be non-responders or experience severe side effects and/or relapses. In such cases, rituximab could be used as an adjuvant in recalcitrant OPV patients. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study on patients with oral pemphigus vulgaris treated with RTX at a dose of 375 mg/m2 was performed, evaluating the complete clinical and immunological remission, side effects of RTX, and possible correlation between anti-desmoglein (Dsg) 3 antibodies and clinical remission. RESULTS: We treated 10 OPV patients, of which 60% had a moderate and 40% mild disease severity before therapy with RTX. Complete clinical remission (CCR) was achieved in 100% of OPV patients, of which 20% developed side effects and 20% experienced a relapse in a mean time of 15.2 ± 10.2 weeks. The mean time for CCR was achieved in 19.8 ± 10.3 weeks, whereas the duration of the CCR consisted in 37.4 ± 33.5 weeks. OPV patients underwent a mean follow-up of 57.2 ± 37.7 weeks. In all patients, the mean of pemphigus disease area index (PDAI) decreased from 20.3 ± 14.1 to 0.4 ± 0.0, whereas the mean Dsg3 value dropped from 157.1 ± 40.6 to 67.0 ± 26.6 after therapy with RTX. However, no correlation was found between PDAI and anti-Dsg3 antibodies before and after therapy with RTX (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: RTX represents a valid and safe alternative as an adjuvant in OPV patients with low rate of relapses and side effects.

Assessment of oral health-related quality of life, measured by OHIP-14 and GOHAI, and psychological profiling in burning mouth syndrome: A case-control clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) by comparing the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) tests, assessing their dependence with pain, anxiety and depression and, secondly, to analyse the changes in time after treatment with psychotropic drugs. METHODS: Twenty-six patients and 26 controls were included. The GOHAI, OHIP-14, visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety (HAM-D and HAM-A) were performed at baseline (time 0) and after 6 months of treatment (time 1). Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test for two independent samples and the Wilcoxon non-parametric test for two paired samples were used. RESULTS: The scores from all outcome measurements were statistically significantly different between the cases and controls (P < .001) with a strong correlation between the GOHAI and the OHIP-14 (P < .001). The BMS patients showed a statistically significant improvement in the VAS, HAM-D and HAM-A scores from time 0 to time 1 (P < 0.001), and in the OHIP-14 scores (P < .004**) after the treatment, but no statistically significant difference in the GOHAI score (.464). CONCLUSIONS: Burning mouth syndrome patients showed poorer scores on all scales compared to the healthy subjects with a lower OHRQoL. OHIP-14 gives a greater weight to psychological and behavioural outcomes in evaluating oral health than GOHAI, and therefore, it is a more effective questionnaire in terms of the evaluation of the treatment response. The management of BMS can improve pain, anxiety and depression and the OHRQoL.

Escalating dose of adalimumab as monotherapy to treat unusual giant and refractory oral-pharyngeal ulcerations in Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disease which may affect the entire gastrointestinal tract, from the oral cavity to the anus. Oral-pharyngeal ulcerations may be significant and persistent in patients with established CD, and the use of TNF-α inhibitor has demonstrated to be useful. We report a unique case of an unusual manifestation of oral CD characterized only by multiple, giant, long-lasting, relapsing ulcerations successfully treated with an escalating dose of Adalimumab at 40 mg weekly as a monotherapy.

The usefulness of YouTube™ videos as a source of information on burning mouth syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to investigate quality assessment and quantitative information on burning mouth syndrome (BMS) on YouTube™ videos. METHODS: An electronic search of YouTube™ videos on BMS was performed using subject headings, keywords and synonyms of BMS. For each video, quality information, via the quality assessment score (QAS) and quantitative information, such as the total number of results per term searched, date of upload, clip length, view count, source category (professional, personal, educational, mixed), number of likes and dislikes and YouTube™ category were evaluated. RESULTS: The search identified 3768 videos of which only 114 were included in our analysis: the quality of videos was very poor (mean ± standard deviation = 1.76 ± 1.64). The most representative categories were "educational" with 53 (46.5%) videos scoring between 0 and 4 and "mixed" with 24 (21.1%) videos scoring between 0 and 2. Significant differences were found among all four categories in relation to length in seconds (P < 0.001), number of views (P = 0.006) and interaction index (P = 0.001), as well as between "professional" and the other categories and between "educational" and "personal" in relation to length in seconds (P < 0.001), between "educational" and "personal" (P < 0.001) and "personal" and "mixed" category in relation to interaction index (P = 0.003) and between "professional" and "personal" in relation to views per day (P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: A large number of videos regarding BMS have published on YouTube™, with a wide range of distribution regarding their length and views. Unfortunately, they presented unreliable information which is most often scientifically inaccurate. Health care institutions and professionals should be more actively involved in improving high-quality e-information about BMS on YouTube™.

Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions: a real clinical entity? A systematic review.

PURPOSE: Drug-induced oral lichenoid reactions (DIOLRs) have been extensively reported in the literature, but the validity of the causality relationship between any drug and the oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs) still remains questionable. We sought to determine whether this causality relationship really exists, whether a resolution of the oral lesions upon withdrawal occurs, and what the most common alleged offending medications are. METHODS: Nine electronic databases from January 1966 to December 2016 were systematically searched to identify all relevant studies selected with specific inclusion criteria (a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of DIOLRs, and clearly statement on the systemic offending medication). Searched terms included but not limited to oral lichen planus/oral lichenoid lesions/oral lichenoid reactions, the adverse effects of medication, and drug-induced. Statistical analyses conducted. RESULTS: The search retrieved a total of 817 articles, of which only 46 were included into a qualitative synthesis: 40 case reports/series and 6 studies. The causality assessment was done only in 14.8% of cases with the C-D-R protocol. The Naranjo algorithm was not reported in the majority of cases (98.2%). Culprit medication was withdrawn in 68.5% of the cases, obtaining a partial or complete resolution without treatment in 16.7% of cases and with treatment in 27.7% of cases. The median number of culprit medication(s) described was 1 with the most frequent ones being Methyldopa (20.37%), Interferon (IFN)-alpha (11.11%), and Imatinib and Infliximab (9.26%). CONCLUSION: This systematic review demonstrated that there is no strong scientific evidence to support the causal relationship between any drug and oral lichenoid lesions; therefore, in all reviewed cases, we must question whether the DIOLRs represent a real and separate clinical entity. Further and more thorough investigations using one of the available algorithms for adverse drug reaction are warranted.

Evaluation of internal consistency of the epidermolysis bullosa oropharyngeal severity score (EBOS).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the internal consistency of the epidermolysis bullosa oropharyngeal severity score (EBOS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 92 patients of varying EB types/sub-types already described in a previous multi-center study were re-analyzed via the coefficient Cronbach's α (CR-α). Additionally, the corrected item total correlation between each item and the items' overall score with Pearson's product-moment correlation (ρ) was calculated. RESULTS: The alpha coefficient for the mean total score of 17 items is 0.941. The inter-observer reliability for disease severity score was excellent for oral medicine specialist (α = 0.924) and dermatologist (α = 0.916) and the intra-observer reliability was good at Time 1 (α = 0.895) and Time 2 (α = 0.897). The analysis of CR-α per single item revealed that alpha was greater than 0.904 for disease activity and 0.743 for structural damage, after the elimination of four items for oral medicine specialist and greater than 0.898 for disease activity and 0.769 for structural damage after the elimination of five items for dermatologist. Similarly the analysis of the corrected items-EBOS correlation showed that the same items do not correlate very well (ρ < 0.4) with the overall EBOS. CONCLUSIONS: The EBOS turned out to have a strong and reliable internal consistency, as the majority of the EBOS' items were consistent with each other.

Evaluating global research trends in special needs dentistry: A systematic bibliometrix analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Special needs dentistry (SND) is a vast and fragmented field of study. This comprehensive bibliometric analysis aimed to evaluate the scope of SND, including the existing knowledge base, distribution structure, quantitative relationships, and research trends. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on March 10, 2022, using the Web of Science Core Collection database, covering the period from 1985 to 2021, focusing on studies reporting on special needs populations in a dentally relevant context. Records were title-screened and analyzed for key bibliometric indicators. RESULTS: Among 48,374 articles, 13,869 underwent bibliometric analysis. Peak SND research occurred during 1985-1997. United States led in productivity, trailed by Brazil and Japan. University of Sao Paulo excelled in Brazil, University of Washington and University of North Carolina in the United States. The Journal of Dental Research was the most productive source of research and also had the highest number of citations, followed by Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Keyword analysis revealed that "elderly", "caries", and "epidemiology" were the most commonly used author keywords. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first bibliometric analysis of SND literature. It emphasizes the need for increased collaboration between institutions and authors. Furthermore, it suggests focusing on research input from non-dental disciplines and populations with rarer intellectual or developmental conditions.

Epidermolysis Bullosa Oropharyngeal Severity (EBOS) score: a multicenter development and reliability assessment.

BACKGROUND: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a genetic mucocutaneous disorder characterized by blister formation upon mild trauma. All 4 EB types may show oropharyngeal lesions involving either hard or soft tissues. Currently, there are very few data on EB scoring that include the oropharyngeal cavity. OBJECTIVES: We sought to develop an oropharyngeal severity score that was objective, valid, reliable, reproducible, easy to perform, and appropriate for all EB types. METHODS: In this study, oral medicine specialists developed a new score, the EB Oropharyngeal Severity (EBOS) score. This measured oropharyngeal disease activity (erythema, atrophy, blisters, erosion/ulceration) and structural damage (microstomia, ankyloglossia, scarring phenotype beyond microstomia and ankyloglossia, enamel hypoplasia). It was tested on 92 patients with different types/subtypes of EB, and interobserver and intraobserver reliability were assessed. RESULTS: The EBOS mean total score was 12.9 ± 10.9 (range: 0-34). Both interobserver and intraobserver reliability for total score on all patients with EB were considered excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.94; 95% confidence interval 0.90-0.96 and intraclass correlation coefficient 0.90; 95% confidence interval 0.84-0.94, respectively). Even analyzing each single parameter of the disease activity and structural damage, a substantial to excellent correlation was found in the interobserver (except for 4 sites) and intraobserver reliability. A significant correlation was found between EB types/subtypes and the EBOS median score (P < .001), but not between age and the EBOS mean total score in each group. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small and the number of EB subtypes was limited. CONCLUSIONS: The EBOS score seems to represent an instrument capable of truly quantifying the oropharyngeal severity in different types/subtypes of EB, demonstrating excellent interobserver and intraobserver reliability.

Clinical behaviour and long-term therapeutic response in orofacial granulomatosis patients treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide injections alone or in combination with topical pimecrolimus 1%.

BACKGROUND: Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a relapsing inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology and non-standardized treatment protocols. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical behaviour and long-term therapeutic response in OFG patients treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injections alone or in combination with topical pimecrolimus 1%, as adjuvant, in those patients partially responders to TA. METHODS: We analysed data from 19 OFG patients followed-up for 7 years. Demographic characteristics, clinical behaviour and long-term therapeutic response were investigated. RESULTS: Eleven (57.9%) OFG patients treated with intralesional TA injections therapy reached first complete clinical remission in a mean time of 10 ± 2.2 (95% CI, 8.5-11.5) weeks, while eight (42.1%) patients, partially responders to intralesional TA injections, were treated with TA injections plus topical pimecrolimus 1%, as adjuvant, achieving complete clinical remission in a mean time of 29.8 ± 7.8 (95% CI, 23.2-36.3) weeks. Relapses occurred in four TA responder patients with a disease-free time of 35.8 ± 8.7 (95% CI, 21.9-46.4) weeks and in five patients treated with TA and topical pimecrolimus 1% with a disease-free time of 55.8 ± 18.5 (95% CI, 32.8-78.8) weeks. Patients were followed-up for a mean time of 56.3 ± 18.2 (95% CI, 47.6-65.1) months. At last control, all 19 patients were in complete clinical remission. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest that intralesional TA injections still represent a mainstay in the treatment of OFG. It is unclear the role of topical pimecrolimus, as adjuvant, in leading OFG patients, partly responders to intralesional TA injections, to a complete clinical remission.

Patterns of oral mucosa lesions in patients with epidermolysis bullosa: comparison and agreement between oral medicine and dermatology.

BACKGROUND: The oral mucosa in patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) can be affected with different lesions and degrees of severity. However, patterns of oral lesions in distinct types of EB are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and distribution of four types of lesions (erythema, erosion, atrophy, and blister) for each oral site and to calculate the interobserver reliability for each type of lesion in each site. METHODS: Ninety-two patients with different EB types were assessed independently by an oral medicine specialist and a dermatologist. The degree of agreement was calculated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The most affected oral site was the tongue, with the most frequent lesion being erythema and atrophy [54(58.7%) patients] for the oral medicine specialist and erosion [54(58.7%) patients] for the dermatologist. Patients with recessive dystrophic EB-severe generalized (RDEB-sev gen) showed the highest mean of sites involved by each lesion for both oral medicine and dermatology. The interobserver reliability on the total of lesions was excellent on only 3 sites: lower lip (ICC: 0.89; 95%CI:0.83-0.92), hard palate (ICC:0.85; 95%CI:0.72-0.91), and tongue (ICC:0.89; 95%CI:0.84-0.92), whereas the interobserver reliability calculated for each single oral lesion showed a lower agreement. CONCLUSION: Total distribution of sites involved by four types of lesions was higher in RDEB-sev gen than in the rest of EB types, with a predominance of erythema followed by erosion. The agreement on the type of lesion was found to be poor-moderate for many oral sites.

Evaluation of Metabolomics as Diagnostic Targets in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.

In recent years, high-throughput technologies have facilitated the widespread use of metabolomics to identify biomarkers and targets for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). As a result, the primary goal of this systematic review is to identify and evaluate metabolite biomarkers and their pathways for OSCC that featured consistently across studies despite methodological variations. Six electronic databases (Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Embase) were reviewed for the longitudinal studies involving OSCC patients and metabolic marker analysis (in accordance with PRISMA 2020). The studies included ranged from the inception of metabolomics in OSCC (i.e., 1 January 2007) to 30 April 2023. The included studies were then assessed for their quality using the modified version of NIH quality assessment tool and QUADOMICS. Thirteen studies were included after screening 2285 studies. The majority of the studies were from South Asian regions, and metabolites were most frequently derived from saliva. Amino acids accounted for more than quarter of the detected metabolites, with glutamate and methionine being the most prominent. The top dysregulated metabolites indicated dysregulation of six significantly enriched pathways including aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism and arginine biosynthesis with the false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05. Finally, this review highlights the potential of metabolomics for early diagnosis and therapeutic targeting of OSCC. However, larger studies and standardized protocols are needed to validate these findings and make them a clinical reality.

Anxiety, depression, and pain in burning mouth syndrome: first chicken or egg?

BACKGROUND: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an idiopathic and chronic pain condition for which patients may experience high levels of pain, anxiety, and depression. So far, it has not yet been well investigated whether specific psychiatric features (anxious traits, personality disorder, or somatization) may play a role in the BMS pathogenesis or whether some BMS symptoms, or BMS itself, may cause secondary psychiatric symptoms. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pain, depression, and anxiety in BMS and healthy patients in order to hypothesize a possible underlying pathogenetic model. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with BMS and 51 healthy volunteers matched for sex and age were enrolled. All patients underwent a physical examination, laboratory screening tests, and psychiatric assessment with the following instruments: Visual Analog Scale, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y 1-2 (STAI Y1-Y2), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). RESULTS: BMS patients and healthy volunteers showed a statistically significant difference in psychiatric features: Regression analysis showed that pain is affected by depression (R = 0.373; R(2) corrected = 0.123; F = 8.563; P < .005), and depression is affected by anxiety (R = 0.512; R(2) corrected = 0.248; F = 18.519; P < .001). BMS patients have statistically significant higher scores of anxiety (STAI Y1, P = .026 and STAI Y2, P = .046) and depression (P < .001), and higher SCL-90-R scores on somatization (P = .036) and hostility dimensions (P = .028) than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: We may hypothesize that anxiety could determine a secondary demoralization in BMS patients (depression) and depressive symptoms could contribute to pain, accordingly. Therefore, pain could be a somatic feature of depression. Our findings provide an example of a possible pathogenetic model for BMS.

A critical reappraisal of the current data on drug-induced linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis: a real and separate nosological entity?

BACKGROUND: Linear IgA disease (LAD) has been associated with a variety of drugs over the past 30 years. OBJECTIVE: To review current literature on all available cases of drug-induced LAD, in order to ascertain whether a close relationship is justified, so that it constitutes a real and separate nosological entity. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for all articles written in English related to drug-induced LAD published between January 1980 and December 2010. RESULTS: The literature review shows that at least 84 articles were published, describing a total of 103 patients. Of these articles, only 46, from 13 countries, were included in this analysis, with a total of 52 patients: 24 (46.2%) were believed to be induced by vancomycin and 28 (53.8%) by drugs other than vancomycin. Challenge-dechallenge-rechallenge testing protocol was performed on only 6 (11.5%) of 52 patients, of which only 5 showed a positive result, while the Naranjo algorithm was performed on only 2 of them (0.3%). LIMITATIONS: The evidence of this review analysis is based only on case reports. No study on large samples of drug-induced LAD is currently available. CONCLUSIONS: The literature analysis reveals no strong scientific evidence to support the notion that some drugs have induced LAD; therefore in many reviewed cases, we must question whether drug-induced LAD is really the underlying entity. Further and thorough investigations using one of the available algorithms for adverse drug reaction are warranted.