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Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a premalignant disorder that is associated with betel nut chewing. The purpose of the study was to establish the role of histone deacetylase (HDAC) 8, one of histone deacetylases, in the regulation of fibrotic conditions to provide a therapeutic potential for OSF. First, we examined the expression of HDAC8 in fibrotic buccal mucosal fibroblasts (fBMFs) and OSF tissues. Markers of myofibroblasts and TGF-β signaling were conducted in fBMFs with HDAC8 knockdown were examined. Furthermore, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, collagen gel contraction and migration ability were also examined in fBMFs transfected with sh-HDAC8. HDAC8 inhibitor was used to analyze the collagen gel contraction and wound healing ability in fBMFs. We observed the mRNA expression of HDAC8 was significantly increased in fBMFs. Compared to normal tissues, the protein level of HDAC8 was upregulated in OSF. Next, mRNA and protein expression of HDAC8 was significantly decreased, accompanying downregulation of α-SMA and COL1A1 in fBMFs infected with sh-HDAC8. To determine the critical role of HDAC8 in OSF fibrogenesis, results revealed that TGF-β secretion and the expression of EMT transcription factor SNAIL and p-Smad were significantly decreased in HDAC8-knockdown fBMFs. We further demonstrated that collagen gel contraction and migration ability were significantly decreased in fBMFs transfected with sh-HDAC8. Last, results revealed that significantly reduced collagen gel contraction and wound healing ability in fBMFs with HDAC8 inhibitor treatment. We concluded that downregulation of HDAC8 alleviated the activities of myofibroblasts and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway in OSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the susceptibilities of endodontic infectious flora to various antibiotics. Totally, 103 cultivable isolates from 111 patients' teeth with persistent periapical radiolucent lesions were assessed. After removal of the root-filling material, the canals were sampled with paper points. Samples were grown under anaerobic conditions. The E-test was used to determine the susceptibility. Results showed that the microbial flora was predominantly facultative gram-positive organisms and anaerobic gram-negative bacilli. The antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that ampicillin resistance was found with very high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for the isolated strains of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Enterococcus, Peptostreptococcus micros, and Prevotella intennedia. Metronidazole and clindamycin retained their killing activity against anaerobes, but emerging resistance has become a problem in some clinical settings. Tetracycline, erythromycin, and cephalosporin were considerably less active against the majority of the tested bacterial strains. Meanwhile minocycline and doxycycline exerted strong antimicrobial activities, and they could inhibit strains at very low concentrations; trovafloxacin appears to be a promising drug expressing the highest activities (MIC90 ≤ 1.0 μg/ml), against a wide variety of endodontic infectious flora. In conclusion, the in vitro activities of commonly used antibiotics against clinical endodontic microflora have decreased remarkably in Taiwan, and this should raise concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erythema multiforme (EM) is an acute mucocutaneous disease which has been associated with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, drugs, and Chinese herbal medicine. This report presents a case of EM with a delayed diagnosis and improper treatment. A 28-year-old female patient came to our oral medicine clinic with a chief complaint of multiple oral ulcerations for more than 3 months. She was treated as having an HSV infection or candidiasis, but the oral lesions did not improve after treatment. An intraoral examination showed multiple large ulcers on the bilateral lateral borders and ventral surface of the tongue, bilateral buccal mucosae, and lingual frenum. No "target" lesion was found on the skin surface of her body or extremities. An incisional biopsy of the tongue tip was performed. The hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue section demonstrated focal surface ulceration, an intraepithelial vesicle in the upper spinous layer, an intense chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate in the lamina propria, and a perivascular inflammatory infiltrate in the submucosa. Although the histopathologic features were not pathognomonic, they were characteristic for a diagnosis of EM. The patient was treated with 10 mg prednisolone 3 times daily for 7 days. A follow-up oral examination revealed that all oral ulcers had completely cleared up after the 7-day corticosteroid treatment. One year after treatment, the patient remained disease-free. We concluded that EM is a mucocutaneous disease that requires a prompt and precise diagnosis. Once the disease is confirmed by the clinical presentation or a histopathological examination of an incisional biopsy specimen, it usually dramatically responds to treatment with a medium or high dose of corticosteroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a premalignant condition with a high potential to develop into oral cancer. Epidemiologic studies have suggested the habit of areca (Areca catechu) quid chewing to be a major etiologic factor of OSF. The most prevalent location for OSF is the buccal mucosa, rendering this location the most common oral cancer site in Asian populations. In this study, we used laser capture microdissection to obtain oral epithelium for cDNA microarray analysis, and identified gene candidates that are differentially regulated between normal and OSF oral epithelia. We found 109 genes that are upregulated in OSF epithelium, including cyclins, tumor and suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3) and 4, and BPA1. Another 169 genes were downregulated in OSF epithelium, including retinoic acid induced 3, small GTPases, and apoptosis-related Harakiri. Among these, the expression of TUSC3 in OSF epithelium was validated by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Further investigations are needed to discover the roles of these candidate genes in the malignant transformation of OSF epithelium into oral cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a premalignant disorder that is associated with betel nut chewing. The purpose of the study was to establish the role of histone deacetylase (HDAC) 8, one of histone deacetylases, in the regulation of fibrotic conditions to provide a therapeutic potential for OSF. Materials and methods: First, we examined the expression of HDAC8 in fibrotic buccal mucosal fibroblasts (fBMFs) and OSF tissues. Markers of myofibroblasts and TGF-β signaling were conducted in fBMFs with HDAC8 knockdown were examined. Furthermore, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, collagen gel contraction and migration ability were also examined in fBMFs transfected with sh-HDAC8. HDAC8 inhibitor was used to analyze the collagen gel contraction and wound healing ability in fBMFs. Results: We observed the mRNA expression of HDAC8 was significantly increased in fBMFs. Compared to normal tissues, the protein level of HDAC8 was upregulated in OSF. Next, mRNA and protein expression of HDAC8 was significantly decreased, accompanying downregulation of α-SMA and COL1A1 in fBMFs infected with sh-HDAC8. To determine the critical role of HDAC8 in OSF fibrogenesis, results revealed that TGF-β secretion and the expression of EMT transcription factor SNAIL and p-Smad were significantly decreased in HDAC8-knockdown fBMFs. We further demonstrated that collagen gel contraction and migration ability were significantly decreased in fBMFs transfected with sh-HDAC8. Last, results revealed that significantly reduced collagen gel contraction and wound healing ability in fBMFs with HDAC8 inhibitor treatment. Conclusion: We concluded that downregulation of HDAC8 alleviated the activities of myofibroblasts and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway in OSF.

Background/purpose: 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) is a commonly used anticancer drug. However, the severe oral mucositis induced by 5FU in about 60–70% of patients was a major cause of discontinuous therapy. Since oral dysbiosis induced by 5FU was well correlated with severity of oral mucositis and Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) was a keystone pathogen of dysbiosis. Thus, in this study, we aimed to explore the novel regimens of 5FU combined with phytopolyphenols (curcumin, green tea polyphenols) as well as ZnSO4 on antibacterial effects of cultured P.g. growth. In addition, similar regimens containing thioridazine (TRZ) were also tested for their antibacterial efficacy. Materials and methods: The synergistic (Combination Index (CI)