Diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma by an MRI-based deep learning model.

Background: Cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) is a well-established poor prognosticator of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), in which occult metastasis is a subtype that makes prediction challenging. Here, we developed and validated a deep learning (DL) model using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the identification of LNM in OSCC patients.

Methods: This retrospective diagnostic study developed a three-stage DL model by 45,664 preoperative MRI images from 723 patients in 10 Chinese hospitals between January 2015 and October 2020.

Development and Validation of Machine Learning Models for Predicting Tumor Progression in OSCC.

Objectives: Development of a prediction model using machine learning (ML) method for tumor progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients would provide risk estimation for individual patient outcomes.

Patients And Methods: This predictive modeling study was conducted of 1163 patients with OSCC from Hospital of Stomatology, SYSU and SYSU Cancer Center from March 2009 to October 2021. Clinical, pathological, and hematological features of the patients were collected.

cGAS-ISG15-RAGE axis reprogram necroptotic microenvironment and promote lymphatic metastasis in head and neck cancer.

Background: Cancer cells frequently evolve necroptotic resistance to overcome various survival stress during tumorigenesis. However, we have previously showed that necroptosis is widespread in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and contributes to tumor progression and poor survival via DAMPs-induced migration and invasiveness in peri-necroptotic tumor cells. This implicated an alternative strategy that cancers cope with necroptotic stress by reprogramming a pro-invasive necroptotic microenvironment (NME).

Contralateral facial artery myomucosal island flap for the reconstruction of T-T oncologic oral defects.

Objectives: To avoid the oncologic risks of ipsilateral regional flaps, this study aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical outcomes of the contralateral-based facial artery myomucosal island flap (C-FAMMIF) for oral T-T oncologic defects reconstruction.

Methods: A study of flap anatomy was conducted on 7 cadaver samples and a cohort of 24 patients who received C-FAMMIF reconstruction after malignancy resection were retrospectively researched. A balanced anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) group of 47 patients was extracted as control group using propensity score matching method.

Understanding the multi-functionality and tissue-specificity of decellularized dental pulp matrix hydrogels for endodontic regeneration.

Dental pulp is the only soft tissue in the tooth which plays a crucial role in maintaining intrinsic multi-functional behaviors of the dentin-pulp complex. Nevertheless, the restoration of fully functional pulps after pulpitis or pulp necrosis, termed endodontic regeneration, remained a major challenge for decades. Therefore, a bioactive and in-situ injectable biomaterial is highly desired for tissue-engineered pulp regeneration.

Favorable effects of open surgery on patients with extensive skull base osteoradionecrosis through a personalized sequential approach: A case series.

The present study aimed to investigate outcomes following open surgery for extensive skull base ORN. Open surgery through a personalized sequential approach was employed to deal with five cases of extensive skull base ORN. Two patients with mild cases underwent regional debridement and sequestrectomy, and three patients with severe cases underwent extensive resection with reconstruction using free anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap.

Clinical application of a three-dimensional-printed model in the treatment of intracranial and extracranial communicating tumors: a pilot study.

Background: Surgical management for intracranial and extracranial communicating tumors is difficult due to the complex anatomical structures. Therefore, assisting methods are urgently needed. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the utility of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed model in the treatment of intracranial and extracranial communicating tumors as well as its applicability in surgical planning and resident education.

PDPN CAFs facilitate the motility of OSCC cells by inhibiting ferroptosis via transferring exosomal lncRNA FTX.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant and heterogeneous in tumor microenvironment (TME). Cross-talk between cancer cells and CAFs results in cancer progression. Here, we demonstrated that a distinct cancer-associated fibroblasts subset with podoplanin (PDPN) positive expression (PDPN CAFs) was correlated with poor survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Injectable decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogel promotes salivary gland regeneration via endogenous stem cell recruitment and suppression of fibrogenesis.

Saliva is key to the maintenance of oral homeostasis. However, several forms of salivary gland (SG) disorders, followed by hyposalivation, often result in dental caries, oral infection, and decreased taste, which dramatically affect the quality of patient's life. Functional biomaterials hold great potential for tissue regeneration in damaged or dysfunctional SGs and maintaining the good health of oral cavity.

The contralateral-based submental artery island flap: feasibility and oncological safety in oral cancer-related defect reconstruction.

Objectives: Oncologic risk is a serious concern of submental artery island flaps. Here, we introduce the contralateral-based submental artery island flap (C-SAIF) and demonstrate its feasibility and long-term oncological safety in reconstructing oral cancer-related defects.

Methods: An anatomical study was performed concentrating on the pedicle length in seven cadavers.

Dietary palmitoleic acid reprograms gut microbiota and improves biological therapy against colitis.

Magnitude and diversity of gut microbiota and metabolic systems are critical in shaping human health and diseases, but it remains largely unclear how complex metabolites may selectively regulate gut microbiota and determine health and diseases. Here, we show that failures or compromised effects of anti-TNF-α therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients were correlated with intestinal dysbacteriosis with more pro-inflammatory bacteria, extensive unresolved inflammation, failed mucosal repairment, and aberrant lipid metabolism, particularly lower levels of palmitoleic acid (POA). Dietary POA repaired gut mucosal barriers, reduced inflammatory cell infiltrations and expressions of TNF-α and IL-6, and improved efficacy of anti-TNF-α therapy in both acute and chronic IBD mouse models.

The oral cancer microbiome contains tumor space-specific and clinicopathology-specific bacteria.

The crosstalk between the oral microbiome and oral cancer has yet to be characterized. This study recruited 218 patients for clinicopathological data analysis. Multiple types of specimens were collected from 27 patients for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, including 26 saliva, 16 swabs from the surface of tumor tissues, 16 adjacent normal tissues, 22 tumor outer tissue, 22 tumor inner tissues, and 10 lymph nodes.

MicroRNA-31 mediated by interferon regulatory factor 7 signaling facilitates control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Tuberculosis (TB) induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection remains a global most deadly infectious disease. While development of more effective TB vaccines and therapeutics relies on identifications of true biomarkers designating an immune protection against M.

Identification and Validation of an Apoptosis-Related Gene Prognostic Signature for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

To identify an apoptosis-related gene (ARG) prediction model for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we analyzed and validated the data from TCGA and GEO, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC curves showed a good prognostic ability of the model both in the internal training set and in the external testing set. Furthermore, we built a nomogram using these ARGs to forecast the survival probability of OSCC patients.

Recovery pattern analysis of swallowing function in patients undergoing total glossectomy and hemiglossectomy.

Objectives: To investigate the recovery process of swallowing function and ascertain swallowing pattern in patients undergoing total glossectomy (TG).

Materials And Methods: A cohort study was conducted in consecutive patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma who received TG/hemiglossectomy (HG) from May 2017 to December 2019. Exposure factors included tongue resection range (HG and TG) and postoperative radiotherapy (PRT and non-PRT).

The role of gut microbiota in infectious diseases.

The intestine, the largest immune organ in the human body, harbors approximately 10 microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other unknown microbes. The intestine is a most important crosstalk anatomic structure between the first (the host) and second (the microorganisms) genomes. The imbalance of the intestinal microecology, especially dysbiosis of the composition, structure, and function of gut microbiota, is linked to human diseases.

Data mining of an acoustic biomarker in tongue cancers and its clinical validation.

The promise of speech disorders as biomarkers in clinical examination has been identified in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, a validated acoustic marker with established discriminative and evaluative properties has not yet been developed for oral tongue cancers. Here we cross-sectionally collected a screening dataset that included acoustic parameters extracted from 3 sustained vowels /ɑ/, /i/, /u/ and binary perceptual outcomes from 12 consonant-vowel syllables.

Prognostic role of preoperative D-dimer, fibrinogen and platelet levels in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The relationship between cancer and coagulation has been intensively studied in recent years; however, the effects of coagulation factors on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have rarely been reported. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between preoperative D-dimer (DD), fibrinogen (FIB), platelets (PLT) and OSCC, as well as the prognostic value of DD, FIB and PLT in OSCC.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated a total of 202 patients with OSCC treated at Guanghua Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University.

MMP25 Regulates Immune Infiltration Level and Survival Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

MMP25 is a critical gene of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). However, the molecular mechanism of MMP25 in head and neck cancer pathogenesis remains unclear. MMP25 expression was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and its influence on clinical prognosis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.

Neurosensory dysfunction: A diagnostic marker of early COVID-19.

Objective: To describe neurosensory dysfunctions, including hyposmia, hypogeusia, and tinnitus, in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Clinical characteristics and oropharyngeal swabs were obtained from 86 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital. The chronological analysis method was used to detail neurosensory dysfunction.

Necroptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: characterization of clinicopathological relevance and in vitro cell model.

Necroptosis is a recently discovered form of programmed cell death (PCD) having necrotic-like morphology. However, its presence and potential impact with respect to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are still unknown. The aim of this study was to reveal the necroptosis status and its clinicopathological relevance in HNSCC and to establish an in vitro model.

CA9 transcriptional expression determines prognosis and tumour grade in tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients.

CA9 is a member of the carbonic anhydrases' family, that is often expressed in cancer cells under hypoxic condition. However, the role of CA9 in the molecular mechanisms of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) pathogenesis remains unclear. CA9 expression was analysed using the TCGA database, and its influence on survival was performed using Kaplan-Meier, LASSO and COX regression analyses.

PDGF-BB exhibited therapeutic effects on rat model of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw by enhancing angiogenesis and osteogenesis.

The mechanism and effective treatment of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) are still uncertain. Our previous study revealed that zoledronate (ZOL) preferentially inhibited osteoclasts formation and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) secretion, causing suppression of angiogenesis and osteogenesis in vitro. The present study aimed to elucidate whether PDGF-BB had therapeutic effects on rat model of BRONJ by enhancing angiogenesis and angiogenesis.

TGFβ induces stemness through non-canonical AKT-FOXO3a axis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: FOXO3a has been widely regarded as a tumor suppressor. It also plays a paradoxical role in regulating the cancer stem cells (CSCs), responsible for tumor-initiation, chemo-resistance, and recurrence in various solid tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study aims to uncover the role of FOXO3a and its importance for a non-canonical pathway of TGFβ in regulating the OSCC stemness.