Microbial- and host immune cell-derived extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis and therapy of periodontitis: A narrative review.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by dysbiotic biofilms and destructive host immune responses. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are circulating nanoparticles released by microbes and host cells involved in cell-to-cell communication, found in body biofluids, such as saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). EVs are mainly involved in cell-to-cell communication, and may hold promise for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Exploring Professional Development for New Investigators Underrepresented in the Federally Funded Biomedical Research Workforce.

Objective: The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) is a strategic partnership whose goals include remedying documented disparities by race and ethnicity in the awarding of National Institutes of Health research grants. Our objectives were to offer a profile of early-career investigators who applied to NRMN's Grantsmanship Coaching Programs (GCP) and test for differences in the research productivity, professional obligations, research resources, and motivations of applicants from underrepresented groups (URGs) compared with applicants from well-represented groups (WRGs). We also evaluated how employment at a minority serving institution (MSI) influenced access to research resources and professional obligations.