Capsaicin modulates TRPV1, induces β-defensin expression, and regulates NF-κB in oral senescent cells and a murine model.

Aging is associated with a decline in oral immune function, marked by reduced levels of antimicrobial peptides such as defensins. Capsaicin, a bioactive component found in chili peppers, has been theorized to modulate immune responses through specific receptor pathways. This study examined the effects of aging on oral defensin levels and the potential mitigating role of capsaicin, mediated by the immune response in oral tissues.

Relationship of oral bacterial number with medical hospitalization costs in analysis of Diagnosis Procedure Combination database from single institution in Japan.

Oral bacteria are known to be associated with perioperative complications during hospitalization. However, no presented reports have clarified the relationship of oral bacterial number with medical costs for inpatients. The Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database system used in Japan provides clinical information regarding acute hospital patients.

Head and neck cancer patients show poor oral health as compared to those with other types of cancer.

Purpose: Several studies have found associations between periodontitis and various types of cancer. Since the site of head and neck cancer (HNC) has contiguity or proximity to the oral cavity, it may be particularly influenced by oral inflammation. This study aimed to determine whether HNC patients have poor oral health as compared to those with other types of cancer.

Lip and facial training improves lip-closing strength and facial morphology.

Objective: Childhood is an important period for lip-closing strength (LCS) development, and failure to acquire LCS during childhood leads to various adverse health effects, such as mouth breathing. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of device-free lip and facial training in preschool children.

Design: The participants were divided into training and control groups.

Establishment of indicator for screening of child abuse and neglect in primary school-age children.

Aim: In Japan, elementary schools are committed to early discovery of child abuse and neglect. Under Japanese law, dentists are required to be involved in child welfare and early detection of child abuse. However, the extent to which dental practitioners cooperate for prevention of child abuse with schools remains limited to date.

Factors related to mouth breathing syndrome in preschool children and the effects of incompetent lip seal: An exploratory study.

Objectives: A set of orofacial signs and symptoms completely or partially present in individuals who replace the correct pattern of nasal breathing with an oral or mixed pattern is defined as mouth breathing syndrome (MBS). In a previous report, it was clarified that an incompetent lip seal (ILS) affected the occurrence of MBS among primary school children. However, the factors related to MBS and the effect of ILS in preschool children remain unclear.

Lip-closing strength in children is enhanced by lip and facial muscle training.

Objectives: Weakening of lip-closing strength (LCS) associated with an incompetent lip seal (ILS) may affect the oral balance between the lip and tongue pressures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lip-closing training in children with lower LCS and/or abnormal habits across different age groups and to compare its effects on increasing LCS in children with malocclusion and/or oral habits.

Material And Methods: Lip-closing training was performed by 154 Japanese children aged 3-12 years using a specialized training device at home for 3 months.

Sequential therapy from entecavir to tenofovir alafenamide continuous entecavir monotherapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background And Aim: Although tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), as well as entecavir (ETV), is widely used as first-line treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B, there are only a few studies comparing sequential therapy from ETV to TAF and continuous ETV monotherapy in patients with maintained virologic response to ETV.

Methods: In a retrospective multicenter study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of sequential therapy from ETV to TAF (ETV-TAF group) and compared them with continuous ETV monotherapy (ETV group), using propensity score matching, in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Results: From 442 patients, we analyzed 142 patients from each group comprising 71 patients matched for several data, including age, HBV genotype, hepatitis B envelope antigen, cirrhosis, alanine aminotransferase, platelet count, prior ETV monotherapy period, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) change during prior ETV monotherapy.

Prevalence of an incompetent lip seal during growth periods throughout Japan: a large-scale, survey-based, cross-sectional study.

Background: Systemic and local factors may lead to disruption of craniofacial growth and development, causing an imbalance between the orofacial skeleton, muscle and soft tissue, dental occlusion, and the dental arch during growth periods. We aimed to reveal whether the prevalence of incompetent lip seal (ILS) varies with age and region, as well as to clarify the factors related to an ILS, in a national, large-scale epidemiological study.

Methods: We surveyed 3399 children, from 3 to 12 years of age, visiting 66 pediatric dental clinics throughout Japan.

Network and Evolutionary Analysis of Human Epigenetic Regulators to Unravel Disease Associations.

We carried out a system-level analysis of epigenetic regulators (ERs) and detailed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network characteristics of disease-associated ERs. We found that most diseases associated with ERs can be clustered into two large groups, cancer diseases and developmental diseases. ER genes formed a highly interconnected PPI subnetwork, indicating a high tendency to interact and agglomerate with one another.

The chances of hepatic resection curing hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The popular sense of the word "cure" implies that a patient treated for a specific disease will return to have the same life expectancy as if he/she had never had the disease. In analytic terms, it translates into the concept of statistical cure which occurs when a group of patients returns to having similar mortality to a reference population. The aim of this study was to assess the probability of being cured from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by hepatic resection.

Incompetent lip seal affects the form of facial soft tissue in preschool children.

: To examine whether incompetent lip seal (ILS) influences the form of facial soft tissue.: Four hundred forty-four preschool children 3-5 years of age were selected. The images of the subjects' facial surface were obtained with a three-dimensional laser scanner.

Morphology of the lingual papillae of the bharal (Pseudois nayaur).

We examined the dorsal lingual surfaces of an adult bharal (Pseudois nayaur) by scanning electron microscopy. The filiform papillae of the lingual apex and body consisted of a main papilla and smaller secondary papillae. The filiform papilla of the lingual body was big as compared to that of the lingual apex.

Usefulness of Attenuation Imaging with an Ultrasound Scanner for the Evaluation of Hepatic Steatosis.

We investigated the diagnostic capability of the proprietary attenuation imaging (ATI) modality found on some Canon Medical Systems Corp. ultrasound scanners to detect histologically diagnosed steatosis in 148 patients. ATI values increased significantly with increasing steatosis grade (p < 0.

Influence of renal dysfunction on dose reduction and virologic efficacy of regimens combining ribavirin and all-oral direct acting antivirals in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Aim: Several interferon (IFN)-free, all-oral regimens with direct acting antivirals (DAAs) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection also include ribavirin (RBV). We investigated the influence of renal dysfunction on virologic efficacy and adverse effects in 189 patients with HCV genotype 2 infection who received combination RBV-DAA regimens.

Methods: The incidence of RBV-induced anemia, RBV dose reduction, and virologic efficacy were compared according to baseline renal function as defined by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Efficacy of direct-acting antiviral treatment in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis: A multicenter study.

Aim: Although the development of new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has markedly advanced, the effects of cirrhosis on DAA treatment remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the impact of cirrhosis on DAA treatment of patients infected with HCV.

Methods: This large-scale, multicenter, retrospective study consisted of 2130 HCV genotype 1b-infected patients who were treated with one of the following DAA combination therapies: asunaprevir/daclatasvir (ASV/DCV), ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), or paritaprevir/ombitasvir/ritonavir (PTV/OBV/r).

Affective auditory stimulus database: An expanded version of the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS-E).

Using appropriate stimuli to evoke emotions is especially important for researching emotion. Psychologists have provided several standardized affective stimulus databases-such as the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) and the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS) as visual stimulus databases, as well as the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS) and the Montreal Affective Voices as auditory stimulus databases for emotional experiments. However, considering the limitations of the existing auditory stimulus database studies, research using auditory stimuli is relatively limited compared with the studies using visual stimuli.

Effects of Defecation Strain at Various Bed Reclining Angles on Intrarectal Pressure and Cardiovascular Responses.

Background: There is no clear information about the optimal bed reclining angle for promoting efficient and safe defecation in bedfast patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the optimal bed reclining angle for facilitating increases in intrarectal pressure without causing marked cardiovascular changes in order to develop an efficient and safe defecation position for bedfast patients.

Methods: Twelve healthy men participated in this study.

One-Year Period Prevalence of Oral Aphthous Ulcers and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Behçet's Disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate the 1-year period prevalence of oral aphthous ulcers (OAUs) and their association with oral health-related quality of life (OHQOL) in patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and in the general population. In this cross-sectional study, 675 patients with Behçet's disease (BD group) and 1,097 males and females in the Japanese general population (control group) completed both questionnaires on their OAU status during the prior year and the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). In the BD group, 84% of patients reported experiencing an OAU during the previous year, and the mean number of OAUs/year was 13.