Frequency and Profile of Severe Periodontitis in Kinshasa Dental Hospitals, DR Congo

Purpose: Severe periodontitis (SP) is the sixth most prevalent disease world-wide. Prevalence and incidence are poorly reported in DR Congo. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SP and to compare its profile with that of mild to moderate periodontitis (MMP). Materials and Methods: Four hundred and four patients from four hospitals of Kinshasa City Capital participated in this study. Probing pocket depth (PPD) at six sites per tooth, bleeding on probing (BoP) and plaque index (PIl) were the main clinical parameters assessed. Results: Out of 404 patients examined in this study, 92 (22.8%) had severe periodontitis and 276 (68.3%) had mild to moderate periodontitis. Among patients with SP, 48 (52%) were female, 44 (48%) were male and 63% of them had a PPD of 6 mm. SP was significantly different from MMP according to patients age, 47.3 ± 18.6 versus 32.87 ± 14.40 years old, p < 0.001;plaque index, 1.153 ± 0.39 versus 0.90 ± 0.39, p < 0.001;BoP, 26.65 versus 17.04, p < 0.001. Conclusion: The Frequency of SP is relatively high in patients attending dental services in Kinshasa City and SP is significantly different from MMP.

Awareness of Patients toward Dental Implants as an Alternative Treatment to Replace Missing Teeth in Kinshasa, D. R. Congo

Background: Dental implant is an artificial root inserted in the jawbone, which restores a lost tooth so that it looks, feels, and is fit like a natural tooth. It is considered to be the best treatment option for single or multiple missing teeth. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of patients about dental implants as an alternative treatment in Congolese patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two institutions namely, CBCO Bandal and Ngaliema Clinic, from August to December 2017. A total of 450 respondents have participated in the survey. A printed questionnaire comprised of 20 questions in order to evaluate patients dental awareness was used. Gender, level of education, awareness of dental implant and dental implants therapy, sources of information and the expectation about the sources of information were assessed. The collected data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2010 and analyzed by SPSS (IBM SPSS 20.0, Chicago, IL, USA) software. Results: Out of 450 participants, 14.4% were aware of dental implants. The main disadvantage of dental implant was the high cost. When asked about the anchorage, 86% didn’t know where the dental implant was anchored. Ninety-two percent didn’t know for how long an implant last, 6% thought that dental implant last for a lifetime. When patients were asked about the sources of information, the dentist (5%) and media (5.5%) were the main sources of information. The majority of patients (88.4%) would like to get information about dental implants from their dentist. Conclusion: Dentists should be more involved in the promotion of information about dental implants as a treatment modality to replace missing teeth.

High birth weight is a risk factor of dental caries increment during adolescence in Sweden

This study aimed to assess whether birth weight is associated with dental caries during the teenage period. In this register-based cohort study, all children of 13 yrs of age (n = 18,142) who resided in the county of Stockholm, Sweden, in 2000 were included. The cohort was followed until individuals were 19 yrs of age. Information regarding dental caries was collected from the Public Health Care Administration in Stockholm. Data concerning prenatal and perinatal factors and parental socio-demographic determinants were collected from the Swedish Medical Birth Register and National Registers at Statistics Sweden. The final logistic regression model showed that birth weight (≥4000 g), adjusted for potential confounders, was significantly associated with caries increment (DMFT ≥ 1) between 13 and 19 yrs of age (OR: 1.29, 95% CI = 1.13 - 1.48). The relatively enhanced risk OR was further increased from 1.29 to 1.52 in sub- jects with birth weight (≥4600 g). On the contrary, subjects with birth weight (<2500 g) exhibited a sig- nificantly lower risk (OR: 0.67, 95% CI = 0.50 - 0.89) for exhibiting caries experience (DMFT ≥4) at 19 yrs of age. In conclusion, birth weight can be regarded as a predictor for dental caries and birth weight (≥4000 g) is especially a risk factor for caries increment during adolescence.

Patient Experiences of Medical Screening Performed by the Dental Services:A Qualitative Study

Objective: To explore how medical screening performed by the dental service was perceived from the patient’s perspective. Material and methods: Medical screening for high blood pressure and high plasma glucose was performed on 170 patients at a dental clinic in a small town in central Sweden. Seventeen individual interviews were conducted with a strategic sampling of these patients. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded and categorized in a manifest analysis, followed by a latent, interpretive analysis. Results: The manifest analysis resulted in three categories: Positive attitude to screening and dental professionals which need to have specific knowledge of medical screening;Dental care which provides continuity but is not a neutral environment;and Feedback on the medical screening results and desired cooperation between dental and health care services. The latent analysis pointed out the importance of the patient’s feeling that the procedure is carried out properly and safely, and requests for clear feedback concerning the results of the screening. Conclusions: The interviewees experienced the dental care service as providing continuity. They would like to have regular medical screenings at their regular dental appointments to identify risks of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. However, they expressed that it was important for the dental care staff to have the necessary medical knowledge. They also wanted good cooperations between the dental and health care services, with clear feedback to the patients about both positive and negative results and, when appropriate, referrals to the health care service.

Effects of Adjunctive Daily Blue Light Toothbrushing on Dental Plaque and Gingival Inflammation—A Randomized Controlled Study

Phototherapy with blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) is gaining interest because of the efficient antimicrobial benefits reported in several studies in the last decade. The aim in this study was to investigate if a toothbrush with incorporated blue light used in daily oral care can reduce dental plaque and gingival inflammation. An 8-week single-blinded randomized controlled clinical study including 48 subjects compared effects of toothbrushes with/without 450 nm blue LED light emission, on clinical parameters (plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing), and on inflammatory markers in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid. Significant reductions in dental plaque and gingival inflammation (p < 0.001), and in some inflammatory markers (p ≤ 0.05), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP)-1, interleukin (IL)-1β and interleukin (IL)-8, were detected within both groups from baseline to follow-up. For all subjects dental plaque was reduced with 57%, and a reduction in gingival inflammation was demonstrated by a decrease in gingival index (GI) with 46% and in bleeding on probing (BOP) with a decrease of 15%. No significant differences were found between the groups at a level of p = 0.05. However, the amount of plaque was reduced by 62% in the blue light group and 51% in the control group, a difference established at a level of p = 0.058. A toothbrush with a 450 nm LED did not show any statistical significant adjunctive effect of toothbrushing regarding reduction in measurements of dental plaque and gingival inflammation.

Validation of a novel imaging approach using multi-slice CT and cone-beam CT to follow-up on condylar remodeling after bimaxillary surgery

The main goal of this study was to introduce a novel three-dimensional procedure to objectively quantify both inner and outer condylar remodelling on preoperative multi-slice computed tomography(MSCT) and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT) images. Second, the reliability and accuracy of this condylar volume quantification method was assessed. The mandibles of 20 patients(11 female and 9 male) who underwent bimaxillary surgery were semi-automatically extracted from MSCT/CBCT scans and rendered in 3D. The resulting condyles were spatially matched by using an anatomical landmark-based registration procedure.A standardized sphere was created around each condyle, and the condylar bone volume within this selected region of interest was automatically calculated. To investigate the reproducibility of the method, inter-and intra-observer reliability was calculated for assessments made by two experienced radiologists twice five months apart in a set of ten randomly selected patients. To test the accuracy of the bone segmentation, the inner and outer bone structures of one dry mandible, scanned according to the clinical set-up, were compared with the gold standard, micro-CT. Thirty-eight condyles showed a significant(P<0.05) mean bone volume decrease of 26.4% ± 11.4%(502.9 mm^3± 268.1 mm^3). No significant effects of side, sex or age were found. Good to excellent(ICC>0.6) intra-and inter-observer reliability was observed for both MSCT and CBCT. Moreover, the bone segmentation accuracy was less than one voxel(0.4 mm) for MSCT(0.3 mm ± 0.2 mm) and CBCT(0.4 mm ± 0.3 mm), thus indicating the clinical potential of this method for objective follow-up in pathological condylar resorption.

Effects of Cadmium on Telomerase Activity,Expressions of TERT,C-myc and P53,and Apoptosis of Rat Hepatocytes

This study investigated the effect of cadmium on the telomerase activity,the expression of TERT,c-myc and p53 and the apoptosis of rat hepatocytes.The rats were administrated 5,10 and 20 μmol/kg cadmium chloride intraperitoneally and sacrificed 48 h after the initial treatment.The telomerase activity of the rat hepatocytes was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP),and apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.The mRNA expressions of TERT,c-myc and p53 were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).C-myc and P53 proteins were determined by immunochemistry.The results showed that cadmium chloride increased the hepatocellular telomerase activity in a dose-dependant manner and induced the apoptosis of hepatocytes significantly.The value of relative coefficient between the telomerase activity and the apoptosis rate was 0.9398.RT-PCR revealed that specific bands corresponding to the TERT mRNA,c-myc mRNA,and p53 mRNA were displayed at 185,342 and 538 bp respectively.Cadmium chloride could substantially increase the mRNA expressions of TERT,c-myc and p53 in rat hepatocytes,as compared with control.Moreover,cadmium chloride at the doses of 5,10 and 20 μmol/kg could increase the content of P53 protein in rat hepatocytes obviously,but only that at the doses of 10 and 20 μmol/kg substantially promoted the c-myc protein level in rat hepatocytes.Our study herein suggested that cadmium may contribute to the carcinogenesis by activating telomerase,and overexpressing the mRNAs of TERT,c-myc and p53,and causing apoptosis of normal cells.

Effect of low-level laser therapy on tooth-related pain and somatosensory function evoked by orthodontic treatment

Low-level laser therapy(LLLT) may have an effect on the pain associated with orthodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of LLLT on pain and somatosensory sensitization induced by orthodontic treatment. Forty individuals(12–33 years old; mean ± standard deviations: 20.8 ± 5.9 years) scheduled to receive orthodontic treatment were randomly divided into a laser group(LG) or a placebo group(PG)(1:1). The LG received LLLT(810-nm gallium-aluminium-arsenic diode laser in continuous mode with the power set at 400 mW, 2 J·cm–2) at 0 h, 2 h, 24 h, 4 d, and 7 d after treatment, and the PG received inactive treatment at the same time points. In both groups, the non-treated side served as a control. A numerical rating scale(NRS) of pain, pressure pain thresholds(PPTs), cold detection thresholds(CDTs), warmth detection thresholds(WDTs), cold pain thresholds(CPTs), and heat pain thresholds(HPTs) were tested on both sides at the gingiva and canine tooth and on the hand. The data were analysed by a repeated measures analysis of variance(ANOVA). The NRS pain scores were significantly lower in the LG group(P = 0.01). The CDTs,CPTs, WDTs, HPTs, and PPTs at the gingiva and the PPTs at the canine tooth were significantly less sensitive on the treatment side of the LG compared with that of the PG(P < 0.033). The parameters tested also showed significantly less sensitivity on the nontreatment side of the LG compared to that of the PG(P < 0.043). There were no differences between the groups for any quantitative sensory testing(QST) measures of the hand. The application of LLLT appears to reduce the pain and sensitivity of the tooth and gingiva associated with orthodontic treatment and may have contralateral effects within the trigeminal system but no generalized QST effects. Thus, the present study indicated a significant analgesia effect of LLLT application during orthodontic treatment.Further clinical applications are suggested.

Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor: a comprehensive updated review of the literature and case report

Prompted by a unique case of an ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor(ECT) of the palate in a 54-year-old female, we reviewed the English and German literature on this entity until the end of 2016 using Pub Med. The search produced 74 lingual cases with a nearly equal sex distribution and a mean age of 39.3 years, and two extra-lingual cases sharing histological and immunohistological features including nodular growth, round, fusiform or spindle-shaped cellular architecture, and chondromyxoid stroma.Immunophenotyping showed the majority of cases to be positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP), S-100 protein,glycoprotein CD57, pancytokeratin (AE1/AE3), and smooth muscle actin(SMA); in isolated cases there was molecular-genetic rearrangement or gain of Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 (EWSR1) but no rearrangement of pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1). At present, ectomesenchymal cells that migrate from the neural crest are considered to play a pivotal role in tumor origin.All cases had a benign course, although there were three recurrences. Because of the rarity of this tumor and the need for differential diagnostic differentiation from myoepithelioma and pleomorphic adenoma, both oral surgeons and pathologists should be aware of this entity.

Status of Oral Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Edentulism at the University Clinics of Kinshasa (CUK), DR Congo

Objective: The present work aimed to identify the most common edentulousness and prosthesis type (prosthetic treatment), to improve the management in oral prosthetic rehabilitation in DR Congo. Material and Methods: It was a documentary, longitudinal, and retrospective study of the medical records of edentulous patients admitted to the prosthetic service of the Dental Department/Kinshasa University from January 1983 to December 2020. Age, sex, cause of teeth loss, and prosthetic treatment (partial removable prosthesis, complete removable prosthesis) were evaluated. The Chare square test was performed to compare significant differences between the variables and the P-value < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: One thousand six hundred and ninety patients in that 901 were men (47 ± 16 years) and 789 women (42 ± 15 years) had undergone prosthetic treatment. One thousand eight hundred and forty-four edentulous teeth were viewed according to the Kennedy classification. Kennedy class 1 was the most predominant (61.4%) followed by Kennedy class 3 (24.8%). Two thousand one hundred and ninety-one prostheses were performed. The removable partial prosthesis with plate (acrylic resin) was the most performed (78.8%;n = 1727) and followed by the joint (17.4%;n = 384). Dental caries (52.6%) and periodontitis (36.4%) were the main causes of these edentulous teeth. Conclusion: The present study showed that edentulism is becoming a concern for the implementation of a real oral health policy.

Professional Domiciliary Oral Care for Elderly in Nursing Homes—A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Domiciliary dental care (DDC) makes regular dental visits possible for people with different functional limitations who otherwise would not be able to access a dental clinic. DDC also facilitates cooperation with nursing staff. To our knowledge, the effect of DDC on oral health among elderly people in nursing homes has not been studied. As part of a project to establish recommendations for DDC, the aim of this randomized, controlled, single-blind, pilot trial with three parallel arms was to study the effect of professionally conducted oral care intervention, in domiciliary setting, on gingival bleeding on probing, dental plaque and oral mucosa. For three months, the participants were given either A) monthly professional DDC with oral care intervention, B) monthly individual oral care instructions, or C) oral care as usual. A total of 102 (n = 107) individuals completed the study. After three months, gingival bleeding on probing was significantly reduced among more participants in groups A and B compared with group C (p < 0.0004). Dental plaque scores changed significantly over three months for group B compared with group C (p < 0.04). Mucosal-plaque scores were significantly reduced in group A compared with both group B and C (p < 0.0001). All other intergroup differences were statistically non-significant. Compared with care as usual, professional DDC has the most favourable effect on gingival bleeding, whereas individual oral care instructions result in the highest reduction of dental plaque. Both professional oral care interventions and individual oral-hygiene instructions should be included in a domiciliary oralcare programme.

Determinants Factors for the Choice of the Width Prosthetic Upper Central Incisor: Review of the Literature

Materials and Methods: The authors conducted a review of the literature around the theme, determinants of the choice of the width of the upper central incisor (WUCI), through search web including Pub Med, Inari and Google. Fifteen of the most recent publications since 2005 have been selected from twenty publications. Sample size (n), age range (AR), average bi zygomatic distance (BZD), choice determinants, type of study, and mathematical formula between WUCI and BZD were the study’s interest variables. Sociodemographic characteristics, facial anatomical marks and the size of the patient’s teeth for anterosuperior were the main factors to be assessed. Results: Out of 22 included articles, the Asian continent represents 59% in which India is the leading country with 27.3% followed by American 22.8%. The most Determinants choice for the width upper central incisor in craniofacial and anterior teeth method from the published papers were BZD (100%;n = 22) and WUCI (81.8%;n = 18). Conclusion: Application of mathematical formulation maybe help to predict the exact width of the upper central incisor.

Average Odontometric Value of the Width of the Upper Central Incisor in the Congolese Bantu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the average values of width of the upper central incisor (WUCI) in Congolese Bantu and compare them to those of Caucasians and Asiatic. Material and Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional study carried out at the Université de Kinshasa on the Congolese Bantu, Department of Dental Medicine, from March 2020 to March 2021. A maxillary imprint was taken by Jeltrate-type alginate. The measurement of two healthy upper central incisors (UCI) was carried out by the hard plaster casting type 4, with a brand caliper, carbon fiver composite mark. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Public Health in the Université de Kinshasa and verbal consent was obtained from each participant. Results: The Average Width of the UCI was 8.74 mm ± 0.56. The average width of the right Upper Central incisor (RUCI) and the left UCI (LUCI) was 8.71 mm ± 0.57 and 8.77 mm ± 0.56, respectively. The average width of the RUCI and LUCI was not the same for men and women (p 0.001). A significant difference was observed between the average of the RUCI and the 18 - 28 and 40 - 50 age group (p = 0.056) as well as for the average LUCI (p = 0.085). The width average of UCI between the Congolese Bantu with those of Caucasians and Asians was significantly different (p = 0.000 and p = 0.009). Conclusion: The average width of the RUCI and LUCI was different among sex and age group. The average width of UCI of the Congolese Bantu is different from that of Caucasians and Asians.

Recurrent ameloblastoma of the mandible: Surgical seeding or metastasis of malignant ameloblastoma?

The controversy of surgical seeding or metastasis of a recurrent ameloblastoma is discussed in this paper, where we present a case with a history of 28 years since primary diagnosis including several tumor removals and reconstructive events. 23 years after primary diagnosis, we removed a metastasis from the neck with similar histological features as the primary tumor and the following recurrences of the mandible. We argue that the removed tumor in the neck most possibly has its origin in surgical seeding of cells during earlier resection and reconstruction and not by common ways of metastasis. The seeding of tumor cells during tumor surgery and metastasis rate of malignant ameloblastoma is discussed and the literature in this area is reviewed in the paper.

On the red fluorescence emission of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

A number of studies have indicated that bacteria able to emit red fluorescence can be detected by light in-duced fluorescence technique and killed by photodynamic therapy. The objective of this study was to investigate the red fluorescence properties of the single gram negative capnophilic bacterium Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, ATCC 33384, and to investigate if these properties were related to the growth, morphology and size of the bacterial colonies. Time trend assessment was made with red fluorescence by QLF (Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence), as well as with white light digital imaging. It was demonstrated that A. actinomycetemcomitans, a single capnophilic bacterium, is able to produce red fluorescence on its own, i.e. in the absence of other bacteria strains, and that blood agar is necessary to obtain red fluorescence from this bacterium on culture plates. This bacterium formed smooth circular, bell/dome like colonies increasing in size with time exhibiting various red fluorescence behaviors. A large variation in the fluorescence behavior points out an inhomogeneous distribution of red fluorescence within and between the colonies, i.e. the size of the investigated colonies did not correlate with the red fluorescence area, suggesting a dependence on the colony morphology such as the colony growth in height. To our knowledge this is the first study that have shown that A. actinomycetemcomitans on its own is able to produce fluorescence in the red spectral region.

DNA damage,apoptosis and cell cycle changes induced by fluoride in rat oral mucosal cells and hepatocytes

瞄准：到学习，氧化应力， DNA 损坏和 apoptosis 以及房间上的氟化物的效果老鼠骑车口头的粘膜房间和 hepatocytes。方法：称 80-120 g 的十只男 SD 老鼠随机被划分成控制组和氟化物组， 5 个动物每个组。在氟化物组的动物免费使用包含 150 mg/L 氟化钠(NaF ) 的 deionized。在控制组的动物被给蒸溜水。四个星期以后，动物被打死。在口头的粘膜和肝的反应的氧种类(ROS ) 被 Fenton 反应测量，类脂化合物每氧化产品， malondialdehyde (MDA ) ，被 thiobarbituric 酸(TBA ) 检测反应，减少的谷胱甘肽(GSH ) 是由 dithionitrobenzoic 酸(DTNB ) 的 assayed 反应。在口头的粘膜房间和 hepatocytes 的 DNA 损坏被单个房间胶化(SCG ) 决定电气泳动或彗星试金。在口头的粘膜房间和 hepatocytes 的 Apoptosis 和房间周期被流动血细胞计数检测。结果：在口头的粘膜和氟化物组的肝织物的 ROS 和 MDA 的内容比控制组的那些显著地高(P 【 0.01 ) ，但是 GSH 的水平显著地被减少(P 【 0.01 ) 。 ROS ， MDA 和 GSH 的内容是( 134.73 +/- 12.63 ) U/mg 蛋白质，( 1.48 +/- 0.13 ) mmol/mg 蛋白质并且( 76.38 +/- 6.71 )在口头的粘膜的 mmol/mg 蛋白质分别地，并且( 143.45 +/- 11.76 ) U/mg 蛋白质，( 1.44 +/- 0.12 ) mmol/mg 蛋白质并且( 78.83 +/- 7.72 )在肝织物的 mmol/mg 蛋白质分别地。在氟化物组的 DNA 损坏率在口头的粘膜房间是 50.20% 并且 44.80% 在 hepatocytes，比那些高在控制组(P 【 0.01 ) 。在口头的粘膜房间的 apoptosis 率是(13.63 +/- 1.81 ) 在氟化物组的 % ，并且(12.76 +/- 1.67 ) 在 hepatocytes 的 % ，比那些高在控制组。过量氟化物能不同地在 G0/G1 和 S G2/M 阶段降低口头的粘膜房间和 hepatocytes 的数字(P 【 0.05 ) 。结论：过量氟化物罐头导致氧化应力和 DNA 损坏并且在老鼠导致 apoptosis 和房间周期变化口头的粘膜房间和 hepatocytes。

Telomerase Activity and Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Expression Induced by Selenium in Rat Hepatocytes

Objective To investigate the effects of sodium selenite on telomerase activity, apoptosis and expression of TERT, c-myc and p53 in rat hepatocytes. Methods Selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg was given to SD rats by gavage. In rat hepatocytes, telomerase activity was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and expressions of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), c-myc and p53 were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). c-Myc and P53 proteins were detected by immunochemistry. Results Selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg significantly increased hepatocellular telomerase activity and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Although selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg displayed no obvious enhancing effect on the TERT mRNA expression in rat hepatocytes (P>0.05), it significantly increased the c-myc mRNA and p53 mRNA expression at the dose of 10 μmol/kg (P<0.05). Selenium at doses of 5.0 and 10 μmol/kg obviously increased the content of P53 protein in rat hepatocytes, but only at the dose of 10 μmol/kg, it significantly promoted the value of c-Myc protein in them. Conclusion Selenium can slightly increase telomerase activity and TERT expression, and significantly induce apoptosis and over-expression of c-myc and p53 at relatively high doses. The beneficial effects of selenium on senescence and aging may be mediated by telomerase activation and expression of TERT, c-myc, and p53 in rat hepatocytes.

Mucosal-associated invariant T cells and oral microbiome in persistent apical periodontitis

Opportunistic bacteria in apical periodontitis (AP) may pose a risk for systemic dissemination.Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells with a broad and potent antimicrobial activity important for gut mucosal integrity.It was recently shown that MAIT cells are present in the oral mucosal tissue,but the involvement of MAIT cells in AP is unknown.Here,comparison of surgically resected AP and gingival tissues demonstrated that AP tissues express significantly higher levels of Vα7.2-Jα33,Vα7.2- Jα20,Vα7.2-Jα12,Cα and tumour necrosis factor (TNF),interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-17A transcripts,resembling a MAIT cell signature.Moreover,in AP tissues the MR1-restricted MAIT cells positive for MR1–5-OP-RU tetramer staining appeared to be of similar levels as in peripheral blood but consisted mainly of CD4^+ subset.Unlike gingival tissues,the AP microbiome was quantitatively impacted by factors like fistula and high patient age and had a prominent riboflavin-expressing bacterial feature.When merged in an integrated view,the examined immune and microbiome data in the sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis could identify bacterial relative abundances that negatively correlated with Vα7.2-Jα33,Cα,and IL-17A transcript expressions in AP,implying that MAIT cells could play a role in the local defence at the oral tissue barrier.In conclusion,we describe the presence of MAIT cells at the oral site where translocation of oral microbiota could take place.These findings have implications for understanding the immune sensing of polymicrobial-related oral diseases.

Anabolic androgenic steroid-induced liver injury:An update

Anabolic androgenic steroids(AASs)are a group of molecules including endogenous testosterone and synthetic derivatives that have both androgenic and anabolic effects.These properties make them therapeutically beneficial in medical conditions such as hypogonadism.However,they are commonly bought illegally and misused for their anabolic,skeletal muscle building,and performanceenhancing effects.Supraphysiologic and long-term use of AASs affects all organs,leading to cardiovascular,neurological,endocrine,gastrointestinal,renal,and hematologic disorders.Hepatotoxicity is one of the major concerns regarding AASs treatment and abuse.Testosterone and its derivatives have been most often shown to induce a specific form of cholestasis,peliosis hepatis,and hepatic benign and malignant tumors.It is currently believed that mechanisms of pathogenesis of these disorders include disturbance of antioxidative factors,upregulation of bile acid synthesis,and induction of hepatocyte hyperplasia.Most toxicity cases are treated with supportive measures and liver function normalizes with discontinuation of AAS.However,some long-term consequences are irreversible.AAS-induced liver injury should be taken in consideration in patients with liver disorders,especially with the increasing unintentional ingestion of supplements containing AAS.In this paper,we review the most current knowledge about AAS-associated adverse effects on the liver,and their clinical presentations,prevalence,and pathophysiological mechanisms.

Frequency and Factors Associated with Periodontitis in Congolese Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease which is highly prevalent worldwide. The control of periodontal risk factor network is of paramount importance for the management of the disease. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and identify the factors associated with periodontitis in Congolese patients. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in four medical centers in the city of Kinshasa between April 2017 and April 2018. The study included patients aged at least 12 years old who consulted the dental services of these centers and who met the inclusion criteria. The participants underwent a structured interview and a clinical periodontal examination. The latter involved the entire dentition, and periodontal pocket and attachment level measurements were taken at six sites per tooth. The plaque and bleeding index were recorded. Logistic regression was used to identify associated factors. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The study included 827 patients and 42% of them had periodontitis. The most represented age group was between 20 and 29 years old. In multivariate analysis, age greater than or equal to 35 years, OR = 2.45 CI 95% (1.77 - 3.45), and the amount of plaque expressed as plaque index ≥ 1, OR = 2 CI 95% (1.31 - 3.07) were factors associated with periodontitis. Conclusion: Factors associated with periodontitis found in this study are age ≥35 years and the amount of plaque expressed as plaque index ≥ 1. The latter reveals the importance of good oral hygiene.