Key factors for residency interview selection from the National Resident Matching Program: analysis of residency Program Director surveys, 2016-2020.

Context: As the number of medical school graduates continues to outpace the available residency training positions, applying for residency in the United States has become a highly competitive process, often associated with a low rate of selection and invitation for interview. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Program Director survey provides data assessing factors considered by Program Directors (PD) in selecting and inviting candidates for interview. Assessing the evolution of these factors over time is efficacious to inform and guide prospective applicants toward improving preparation for residency application.

Endodontic malpractice litigations in the United States from 2000 to 2021.

Background/purpose: Little is known regarding the outcomes and distinguishing characteristics of lawsuits related to endodontic procedures. This study used a verdict-based data from United States of America to analyze the factors associated with endodontic malpractice lawsuits and mitigate the risk of litigation.

Materials And Methods: The LexisNexis legal database was used to search for endodontic malpractice cases from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2021 using the terms "medical malpractice" and (I) "endodontist" (II) "endodontics" (III) "root canal" (IV) "dental pulp.

Association of initial mucogingival status with clinical outcome of non-surgical periodontal therapy: A retrospective analysis of 204 patients.

Background/purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of mucogingival parameters, including keratinized mucosa (KM) and attached gingiva (AG), on the outcome of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT).

Methods: A total of 204 non-smoking patients with generalized chronic periodontitis who received NSPT between 2012 and 2014 were included. The Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used to assess the associations between initial mucogingival parameters and initial clinical parameters on the buccal aspect, and the associations between initial mucogingival parameters and outcome clinical parameters on the buccal aspect of the sites with severe periodontal destruction.

Analysis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Within the Patient Population at a Student-Run Free Clinic.

Context: Uninsured patients living in rural areas of North Carolina have been inordinately affected by the increasing prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the midst of severe budget cuts to treatment programs and a shortage of rural primary care physicians. The Campbell University Community Care Clinic, a self-funded, student-run clinic, provides free health care to uninsured residents of rural Harnett County. As a relatively new clinic serving a unique population, epidemiologic research is paramount to the clinic's continued efficacy.

B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 10 promotes oral cancer progression through STAT1/ATF4/S100P signaling pathway.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/onc.2014.

Upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA level is significantly related to progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Background/purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor. This study evaluated whether the VEGF mRNA level in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissue could be a biomarker to predict the progression and prognosis of OSCCs in Taiwan.

Methods: This study used quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (quantitative RT-PCR) to detect the VEGF mRNA levels in 60 OSCC specimens.

Mapping of Medical Microbiology Content in a Clinical Presentation Curriculum.

Clinically important microbes, and the pathogenesis, symptoms and diagnosis of their corresponding infectious diseases were integrated into clinical schemes within a clinical presentation curriculum. Decisions on microbe placement considered a variety of factors, including spaced reinforcement of major pathogens. We report here the map of our integrated medical microbiology curriculum.

Curcumin inhibits thrombin-stimulated connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) production through c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase suppression in human gingival fibroblasts.

Background: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2), associated with multiple human fibrotic diseases, is overexpressed in the tissue of gingival overgrowth. Although surgical excision is the current treatment modality for gingival overgrowth, the recurrent rate is high despite proper recall programs. Thrombin plays a key role in wound repair, remodeling, and fibrosis after injury and exerts profibrotic effects by activating protease-activated receptors (PARs).

Significant association of SRC protein expression with the progression, recurrence, and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan.

Background: Src protein overexpression correlates with progression and prognosis of a variety of human cancers.

Methods: This study used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of Src protein in 93 specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Results: We found a significant association of high expression of Src protein (labeling indices >50%) with larger tumor size (p = .

Patterns of diabetic periodontal wound repair: a study using micro-computed tomography and immunohistochemistry.

Background: Diabetes is known to impair wound healing and deteriorate the periodontal condition. There is limited information about the patterns and events associated with periodontal wound repair. In this study, we evaluate the dynamics of periodontal wound repair using micro-computed tomography (microCT) and immunohistochemistry.

YC-1 rescues cancer cachexia by affecting lipolysis and adipogenesis.

Loss of adipose tissue, primarily due to increased lipolysis but also to an impairment of adipogenesis, is a key feature of weight loss in cancer cachexia. Because of the myriad pathogenic signaling pathways essential for atrophy of adipose tissue, effective therapeutic agents for cachectic adipose loss are lacking and urgently needed. The authors evaluated the effects of YC-1 on adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, TNF-α- and tumor-cell-induced lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and cachectic weight loss in colon-26 adenocarcinoma-bearing mice because YC-1 has been shown to possess versatile pharmacological actions, including anticancer activity.

Nicotinic attenuation of central nervous system inflammation and autoimmunity.

The expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by neurons, microglia, and astrocytes suggests possibly diverse mechanisms by which natural nicotinic cholinergic signaling and exposure to nicotine could modulate immune responses within the CNS. In this study, we show that nicotine exposure significantly delays and attenuates inflammatory and autoimmune responses to myelin Ags in the mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model. In the periphery, nicotine exposure inhibits the proliferation of autoreactive T cells and alters the cytokine profile of helper T cells.

Roles of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor beta subunits in function of human alpha4-containing nicotinic receptors.

Naturally expressed nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) containing alpha4 subunits (alpha4*-nAChR) in combination with beta2 subunits (alpha4beta2-nAChR) are among the most abundant, high-affinity nicotine binding sites in the mammalian brain. beta4 subunits are also richly expressed and colocalize with alpha4 subunits in several brain regions implicated in behavioural responses to nicotine and nicotine dependence. Thus, alpha4beta4-nAChR also may exist and play important functional roles.

Roles for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit large cytoplasmic loop sequences in receptor expression and function.

To evaluate possible physiological roles of the large cytoplasmic loops (C2) and neighboring transmembrane domains of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, we generated novel fusion constructs in which human nAChR alpha4, beta2, or beta4 subunit C2 or C2 and neighboring sequences were replaced by corresponding sequences from the mouse serotonin type 3A (5-HT3A) receptor subunit. Following stable expression in human SH-EP1 cells, we found that extensive sequence substitutions involving third and fourth transmembrane domains and neighboring "proximal" C2 sequences (e.g.

beta-Amyloid directly inhibits human alpha4beta2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors heterologously expressed in human SH-EP1 cells.

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) accumulation and aggregation are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In AD, there is a selective decrease in the numbers of radioligand binding sites corresponding to the most abundant nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype, which contains human alpha4 and beta2 subunits (halpha4beta2-nAChR). However, the relationships between these phenomena are uncertain, and effects of Abeta on halpha4beta2-nAChR function have not been investigated in detail.

Characterization of human alpha 4 beta 2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors stably and heterologously expressed in native nicotinic receptor-null SH-EP1 human epithelial cells.

Naturally expressed nicotinic acetylcholine receptors composed of alpha4 and beta2 subunits (alpha4beta2-nAChR) are the predominant form of high affinity nicotine binding site in the brain implicated in nicotine reward, mediation of nicotinic cholinergic transmission, modulation of signaling through other chemical messages, and a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. To develop a model system for studies of human alpha4beta2-nAChR allowing protein chemical, functional, pharmacological, and regulation of expression studies, human alpha4 and beta2 subunits were stably introduced into the native nAChR-null human epithelial cell line SHEP1. Heterologously expressed alpha4beta2-nAChR engage in high-affinity, specific binding of 3H-labeled epibatidine (H-EBDN; macroscopic KD = 10 pM; kon = 0.

Expression of cyclin A is related to progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan.

Cyclin A is required for DNA synthesis during the S phase and progression through the G2/M transition. Increased expression of cyclin A protein has been correlated with poor prognosis in a variety of human tumors. To investigate the possible influence(s) of cyclin A protein on the progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in Taiwan.

Functional properties of homomeric, human alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors heterologously expressed in the SH-EP1 human epithelial cell line.

alpha 7-Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (alpha 7-nAChRs) are broadly distributed in the central nervous system, where they play important roles in chemical and electrical signaling, and perhaps in neurite outgrowth, synaptic plasticity, and neuronal death/survival. To help elucidate their normal and pathophysiological roles, we have heterologously expressed human alpha 7-nAChR in transfected SH-EP1 human epithelial cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and mRNA fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses demonstrate expression of human alpha 7 subunits as messenger RNA.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on NT2 precursor cells and hNT (NT2-N) neurons.

This is the first report, to our knowledge, of prominent, natural expression of nAChR alpha4, alpha6 and alpha9 subunits in a human, neuronally-committed cell line. We performed studies with specific reference to the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) to further characterize a human, postmitotic, transplantable, with a neuronal phenotype, cell line called hNT (also called NT2-N). hNT cells acquire a distinctive neuronal phenotype upon differentiation from their NT2 precursors.

Prognostic role of p21WAF1 expression in areca quid chewing and smoking-associated oral squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan.

Background: Alterations in p21WAF1 protein expression have been observed in a wide variety of human cancers by immunohistochemistry, and both decreased and increased levels of p21WAF1 protein expression have been shown to correlate with poor prognosis.

Method: To examine the relation between p21WAF1 protein expression and prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), we performed an immunohistochemical study with antip21WAF1 antibody on 43 oral SCCs. Immunostaining results were then correlated with p53 protein levels, clinicopathological parameters of the tumors and overall patient survival.

Induction of the c-jun protooncogene expression by areca nut extract and arecoline on oral mucosal fibroblasts.

To investigate the mechanisms of areca quid (AQ)-induced carcinogenesis, expression of c-fos and c-jun protooncogenes was examined in human oral mucosal fibroblasts after exposure to areca nut extracts (ANE) or arecoline. We found that treatment of cells with 200 microg/ml ANE or 10 microg/ml arecoline for 1 h induced about three-fold increase in c-jun mRNA levels. This increase was transient and the level of c-jun mRNAs returned rapidly to control levels thereafter.