Nutritional Strategies for Chronic Craniofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders: Current Clinical and Preclinical Insights.

This narrative review provides an overview of current knowledge on the impact of nutritional strategies on chronic craniofacial pain associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Individuals experiencing painful TMDs alter their dietary habits, avoiding certain foods, possibly due to chewing difficulties, which might lead to nutrient deficiencies. Our literature investigation revealed that the causal links between nutritional changes and craniofacial pain remain unclear.

Diagnostic criteria of anterior segment swept-source optical coherence tomography to detect gonioscopic angle closure.

Aims: To compare the diagnostic performance of 360° anterior segment optical coherence tomography assessment by applying normative percentile cut-offs versus iris trabecular contact (ITC) for detecting gonioscopic angle closure.

Methods: In this multicentre study, 394 healthy individuals were included in the normative dataset to derive the age-specific and angle location-specific normative percentiles of angle open distance (AOD500) and trabecular iris space area (TISA500) which were measured every 10° for 360°. 119 healthy participants and 170 patients with angle closure by gonioscopy were included in the test dataset to investigate the diagnostic performance of three sets of criteria for detection of gonioscopic angle closure: (1) the 10th and (2) the 5th percentiles of AOD500/TISA500, and (3) ITC (ie, AOD500/TISA500=0 mm/mm).

Preventive Roles of Rice- Extracts and Ergothioneine on Anxiety- and Pain-like Responses under Psychophysical Stress Conditions in Male Mice.

This study determined the effect of daily administration of Rice- on anxiety and nociception in mice subjected to repeated forced swim stress (FST). In a parallel experiment, it was determined whether ergothioneine (EGT) contained in Rice- displayed similar effects. Anxiety and nociception were assessed behaviorally using multiple procedures.

Crystalline lens nuclear age prediction as a new biomarker of nucleus degeneration.

Background: The crystalline lens is a transparent structure of the eye to focus light on the retina. It becomes muddy, hard and dense with increasing age, which makes the crystalline lens gradually lose its function. We aim to develop a nuclear age predictor to reflect the degeneration of the crystalline lens nucleus.

Effects of stress contagion on anxiogenic- and orofacial inflammatory pain-like behaviors with brain activation in mice.

The conditions of stress contagion are induced in bystanders without direct experiences of stressful events. This study determined the effects of stress contagion on masseter muscle nociception in mice. Stress contagion was developed in the bystanders after cohabitating with a conspecific mouse subjected to social defeat stress for 10 days.

Assessment of Iris Trabecular Contact in Eyes with Gonioscopic Angle-Closure.

Purpose: To investigate the extent of iris trabecular contact (ITC) measured by anterior segment OCT (AS-OCT) and its association with primary angle-closure (PAC) and PAC glaucoma (PACG) in eyes with gonioscopic angle-closure and to determine the diagnostic performance of ITC for detection of gonioscopic angle-closure.

Design: Multicenter, prospective study.

Participants: A total of 119 healthy participants with gonioscopic open-angle and 170 patients with gonioscopic angle-closure (94 with PAC suspect and 76 with PAC/PACG) were included.

Comparison between the CASIA SS-1000 and Pentacam in measuring corneal curvatures and corneal thickness maps.

Purpose: To compare the intra-device repeatability and inter-device reproducibility between two anterior segment imaging instruments, the CASIA SS-1000 (Tomey Corp., Nagoya, Japan) and Pentacam (OCULUS, Arlington, WA) in measuring anterior segment parameters.

Methods: Single-center, prospective clinical trial.

Effect of daily treadmill running exercise on masseter muscle nociception associated with social defeat stress in mice.

We investigated the effects of social defeat stress (SDS) and treadmill running on masseter muscle nociception, which was quantified by the orofacial formalin test and c-Fos and FosB immunoreactivities in the upper cervical spinal cord (C1/C2) region in male mice. After daily SDS or non-SDS conditioning for 10 days, SDS-conditioned mice were categorized into SDS-susceptible versus resilient mice. Several mice, including non-SDS-conditioned, SDS-susceptible, and resilient mice, were selected to assess masseter muscle nociception on Day 11.

Reproducibility of deep learning based scleral spur localisation and anterior chamber angle measurements from anterior segment optical coherence tomography images.

Aims: To apply a deep learning model for automatic localisation of the scleral spur (SS) in anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images and compare the reproducibility of anterior chamber angle (ACA) width between deep learning located SS (DLLSS) and manually plotted SS (MPSS).

Methods: In this multicentre, cross-sectional study, a test dataset comprising 5166 AS-OCT images from 287 eyes (116 healthy eyes with open angles and 171 eyes with primary angle-closure disease (PACD)) of 287 subjects were recruited from four ophthalmology clinics. Each eye was imaged twice by a swept-source AS-OCT (CASIA2, Tomey, Nagoya, Japan) in the same visit and one eye of each patient was randomly selected for measurements of ACA.

Preclinical models of deep craniofacial nociception and temporomandibular disorder pain.

Chronic pain in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a common health problem. Cumulating evidence indicates that the etiology of TMD pain is complex with multifactorial experience that could hamper the developments of treatments. Preclinical research is a resource to understand the mechanism for TMD pain, whereas limitations are present as a disease-specific model.

Effects of rice fermented extracts, "Sake Lees", on the functional activity of odontoblast-like cells (KN-3 cells).

This study was designed to investigate the effects of Sake Lees extracts (SLE, Sake Kasu) on the functional activity of odontoblastic cells and tooth pulp of the rats. For in vitro studies, a rat clonal odontoblast-like cell line, KN-3 cells were cultured. SLE significantly decreased KN-3 cell proliferation, but showed no significant cytotoxicity.

Subjective and objective refractions in eyes with extended-depth-of-focus intraocular lenses using echelette optics: clinical and experimental study.

Purpose: To evaluate differences in subjective and objective refractions in eyes with extended-depth-of-focus intraocular lenses (EDOF IOLs) using echelette optics, and the effect of the light wavelength used during examinations.

Methods: In the prospective study, subjective and objective refractions of 128 eyes of 64 patients were examined 3 months after implantation of the EDOF IOLs (ZXR00V, Johnson & Johnson Surgival Vision). Objective refractions were measured using an autorefractor with a near-infrared (NIR) light source.

Modulatory effects of repeated psychophysical stress on masseter muscle nociception in the nucleus raphe magnus of rats.

Psychophysical stress can cause neural changes that increase nociception in the orofacial region, particularly the masseter muscle (MM). The nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), which is located in the brain stem, serves the crucial role of regulating nociception through descending modulatory pain control. However, it remains unclear if neural activities in the NRM are affected under psychophysical stress conditions.

Daily administration of Sake Lees (Sake Kasu) reduced psychophysical stress-induced hyperalgesia and Fos responses in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn evoked by noxious stimulation to the hindpaw in the rats.

We tested whether Sake Lees (SL) had inhibitory effects on hyperalgesia in the hindpaw under psychophysical stress conditions. Male rats were subjected to repeated forced swim stress treatments (FST) from Day -3 to Day -1. Intraperiotoneal administration of SL which contained low concentration of ethanol (SLX) was conducted after each FST.

Dry eye sensitizes cool cells to capsaicin-induced changes in activity via TRPV1.

Corneal cool cells are sensitive to the ocular fluid status of the corneal surface and may be responsible for the regulation of basal tear production. Previously, we have shown that dry eye, induced by lacrimal gland excision (LGE) in rats, sensitized corneal cool cells to the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) agonist menthol and to cool stimulation. In the present study, we examined the effect of dry eye on the sensitivity of cool cells to the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonist capsaicin.

Japanese Rice Wine can reduce psychophysical stress-induced depression-like behaviors and Fos expression in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis evoked by masseter muscle injury in the rats.

We determined if Japanese Rice Wine (Sake) had inhibitory effects on stress-induced enhancement of masseter muscle (MM) nociception in the rats. Male rats were subjected to the repeated forced swim stress (FS) or sham conditionings from Day -3 to -1. Daily administration of Sake or saline was conducted after each stress conditioning.

Guide to Enhancing Swallowing Initiation: Insights from Findings in Healthy Subjects and Dysphagic Patients.

Purpose Of Review: Difficulty in initiating swallowing is one of the main symptoms of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Therefore, enhancing swallowing initiation is an important approach for the treatment of oropharyngeal dysphagia. This review aims to introduce recent approaches to enhancing swallowing and to discuss their therapeutic potential.

Influence of pterygium size on corneal higher-order aberration evaluated using anterior-segment optical coherence tomography.

Background: The prospective observation study aimed to evaluate changes in corneal higher-order aberrations induced by advancement of pterygium using an anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and Zernike aberration analysis.

Methods: The corneal topography of 284 eyes with primary pterygia originating from the nasal region was measured using an AS-OCT (SS-1000, Tomey). With anterior corneal elevation data, Zernike polynomial coefficients were calculated in diameters of 1.

Inhibitory effects of fluoxetine, an antidepressant drug, on masseter muscle nociception at the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis and upper cervical spinal cord regions in a rat model of psychophysical stress.

This study aimed to determine whether psychophysical stress conditionings had facilitatory effects on masseter muscle nociception in the central nervous system via serotonergic mechanisms in rats. Two experiments were conducted to assess: (1) whether repeated forced swim stress for 3 days increased the number of Fos-positive neurons evoked by masseter muscle injury due to formalin injection; and (2) whether serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, administered daily after each stress conditioning, had modulatory roles on Fos expression. The number of Fos-positive cells was quantified in several areas within the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) and upper cervical spinal cord regions (Vc areas), including the ventrolateral area of the trigeminal subnucleus interpolaris/Vc transition, and the middle or caudal portion of the Vc regions, since nociceptive neural activity in the Vc region could play critical roles in deep craniofacial nociception.

Differential Response Pattern of Oropharyngeal Pressure by Bolus and Dry Swallows.

The aim of this study was to determine if bolus and dry swallow showed similar pressure changes in the oropharynx using our newly developed device. A unique character of it includes that baropressure can be measured with the sensor being placed in the balloon and can assess the swallowing mechanics in terms of pressure changes in the oropharynx with less influences of direct contacts of boluses and oropharyngeal structures during swallow indirectly. Fifteen healthy subjects swallowed saliva (dry), 15 ml of water, 45 ml of water, and 15 ml of two different types of food in terms of viscosity (potage soup-type and mayonnaise-type foods).

Trigeminal brainstem modulation of persistent orbicularis oculi muscle activity in a rat model of dry eye.

Altered corneal reflex activity is a common feature of dry eye disease (DE). Trigeminal sensory nerves supply the ocular surface and terminate at the trigeminal interpolaris/caudalis (ViVc) transition and spinomedullary (VcC1) regions. Although both regions contribute to corneal reflexes, their role under dry eye conditions is not well defined.

Bilateral increases in ERK activation at the spinomedullary junction region by acute masseter muscle injury during temporomandibular joint inflammation in the rats.

We determined the role of persistent monoarthritis of temporomandibular joint region (TMJ) on bilateral masseter muscle (MM) nociception in male rats using orofacial nocifensive behaviors, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Fos induction at the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical spinal cord (Vc/C) region in response to formalin injection to the MM region. TMJ inflammation was induced by local injection of CFA into the left TMJ region. Orofacial nocifensive behaviors evoked by formalin injection ipsilateral or contralateral to the TMJ inflammation appeared to be increased at 1-14 days or at 1, 10 and 14 days after induction of TMJ inflammation, respectively, while increases in behavioral duration were seen mainly in the late phase rather than the early phase.

Chemical Sensing Regulates Mastication/Swallowing.

Mastication and swallowing are the first stage of digestion involving several motor processes such as food intake, intra-oral food transport, bolus formation and chewing and swallowing reflex. These complicated motor functions are accomplished by the well-coordinated activities in the jaw, hyoid, tongue, facial and pharyngeal muscles. Although the basic activity patterns of these movements are controlled by the brainstem pattern generators, these movements generate various peripheral sensory inputs.

Sensitization of trigeminal brainstem pathways in a model for tear deficient dry eye.

Chronic dry eye disease (DE) is associated with an unstable tear film and symptoms of ocular discomfort. The characteristics of symptoms suggest a key role for central neural processing; however, little is known about central neuroplasticity and DE. We used a model for tear deficient DE and assessed effects on eye blink behavior, orbicularis oculi muscle activity (OOemg), and trigeminal brainstem neural activity in male rats.