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Objectives: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single‐stranded RNAs that have been implicated in cancer initiation and progression and act as tumour suppressors or oncogenes. In this study, miRNA profiling was conducted on the most frequent malignancy of salivary glands, mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), in comparison with normal tissues. Materials and Methods: The TaqMan Human miRNA Cards Array was used for the miRNA profiling of MEC and normal tissues. To validate the differentially expressed miRNAs in MEC, we used real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). Results: miR‐302a was the most significantly increased miRNA in cancer tissues (p < .05). Here, we demonstrate that the upregulation of miR‐302a expression in SGT cell lines induced cancer cell invasion in vitro. Conclusions: These promising results suggest the need for further studies to establish mir‐302a as a marker of invasion and aggressiveness in MEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To compare the clinical characteristics of lichen planus with dysplasia ( LD) cases with oral dysplasia ( DYS), and LP/lichenoid reaction ( LP/ LR). Methods Patients treated at the Department of Oral Medicine with a histological diagnosis were included. Patient information (age, gender, ethnicity, smoking habits, and medical status) and parameters of oral manifestation (lesions' distribution, site, and type) were compared . Results Two hundred and thirty five patients were included. 54% were never smokers and 25% were current smokers. The LD group ( n = 79) had more bilateral cases when compared to the DYS group ( n = 30), 70% to 40.7%, respectively ( P = 0.008), and a lower average age [56-62, respectively ( P = 0.043)]. All other parameters were similar. When compared to LR patients, the LD group had a higher percentage of men [41.8-27.9%, respectively ( P = 0.08)] while all other parameters were similar. Conclusions As clinical characteristics of LD are more similar to the LP and LR group than to dysplasia, these findings may indicate that LD should be considered as part of the lichen planus disorder spectrum rather than a separate entity, although further analysis of larger groups is warranted. These results support the need for clinical follow-up among patients diagnosed with lichenoid changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood pressure (BP) reductions when combining blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and β-blockers have generally not been shown to be greater than for individual agents, possibly because of overlapping mechanisms of action. The authors tested the additivity of the β-blocker nebivolol, which has vasodilating activity, with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor lisinopril in patients with stage 2 diastolic hypertension. The BP effects of placebo (n=93), nebivolol 5 mg to 20 mg daily (n = 185), lisinopril 10 mg to 40 mg daily (n=189), and nebivolol 5 mg to 20 mg + lisinopril 10 mg to 40 mg (n=189) during 6 weeks of treatment were compared. The primary end point was change in diastolic BP (DBP). For the full cohort, baseline BP was 163.8/104.4 mm Hg, mean age was 49.2 years, 58% were men, 62% were white, and 34% were black. DBP fell by 17.2 ± 10.2 mm Hg with the combination, greater than placebo (8.0 ± 9.2, P<.0001), nebivolol (13.3 ± 8.9, P=.0010), and lisinopril (12.0 ± 9.8, P<.0001). For systolic BP, corresponding reductions were 19.2 ± 19.8 mm Hg, 9.9 ± 16.4 (P<.0001 vs combination), 14.4 ± 14.1 (P=.0470), and 16.1 ± 17.2 (P=.0704). Adverse event rates were similar in all groups. This study demonstrated the potential antihypertensive benefits of combining nebivolol with a RAS blocker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which investigated the sorption of veterinary antimicrobials, sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and ormetoprim (OMP), in soils and sand. The study found that the rate of sorption of SDM and OMP was rapid in the first few hours of application, then slowed after 16 to 68 hours. It discovered that OMP sorption at high concentrations is influenced by combined SDM administration. Study researchers concluded that SDM and OMP sorption increases in relation to organic matter, clay content and cation exchange capacity. They cited that SDM and OMP sorption in natural soils is a potential threat to surface and ground water.

Hypertension affects almost one-third of adults in the United States, but blood pressure is adequately controlled in only about 50% to 60% of persons with treated hypertension. Abundant clinical trial evidence has shown that antihypertensive therapy significantly reduces the risk of vascular events, and meta-analyses of observational and clinical trials have shown that greater reductions in blood pressure are associated with greater reductions in risk. Recent trials have also suggested that prompt control of blood pressure is beneficial in high-risk patients with hypertension. A post hoc analysis of a trial comparing an angiotensin II receptor blocker-based program with a calcium channel blocker-based treatment regimen found that the blood pressure response after 1 month (regardless of the drug used) predicted the risk of vascular events and survival. Therapy with > or =2 medications given separately or as a fixed combination is more likely than monotherapy to lower blood pressure to goal in part because drugs from different classes target different mechanisms that regulate blood pressure. Moreover, the likelihood of achieving blood pressure goals is greater if the time to achieve control is shortened, and prompt control of blood pressure is more likely with multiple-drug therapy than with monotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been increasing concerns regarding antimicrobial contaminants in the environment. To date, limited research exists regarding the fate and transport of these compounds in the environment once they have been discharged in human and animal wastes. The fate and transport of two antimicrobials, sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and ormetoprim (OMP), were investigated in two soils and a sand using miscible pulse and step displacement column studies. Because OMP and SDM are often administered in combination, their fate and transport were investigated individually as single solutes as well as in combination as cosolutes. The transport of SDM and OMP was modeled by the chemical nonequilibrium model of the convection-dispersion equation. Sorption of SDM in soils and sand was found to be weak (i.e., it readily desorbed); OMP was sorbed more strongly and required more time for desorption. Results for the pulse input columns yielded mass recoveries >0.90 for the sand and two soils with SDM and for the sand with OMP. Mass recoveries of OMP in the two soils were 0.56 and 0.55, respectively, indicating irreversible sorption or chemical transformation. Comparisons of single-solute and cosolute column studies of OMP and SDM indicate that sorption and transport of these compounds in mixtures were not considerably different from their individual sorption and transport. Overall, the results from this study indicate that both compounds have the potential to move through soils, contaminating nearby surface waters and groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Considering that early detection of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) improves prognosis and clinical examination is the primary detection method, we identified factors related to the clinical evaluation of oral mucosal lesions. Due to the growing role of telehealth, our study was based on clinical image evaluation., Subjects and Methods: Oral medicine specialists and dental students evaluated six images of benign, potentially malignant, or SCC lesions (18 images in total). We analyzed the role of personal factors of the examiners and the visual pathological features of the lesion upon which the participants based their evaluation., Results: One hundred thirty-three subjects participated. Half of the benign images were correctly evaluated. On average 1.2 (±SD1.3) cancer pictures were recognized correctly and 3.66 (±SD1.42) images were considered potentially malignant. Potentially malignant lesions were correctly evaluated at an average of 4.08 (±SD1.48) images. For cancer and potentially malignant lesion images, there were significantly better results among clinicians with the worst results from the fourth-year students. Student results correlated significantly with years of study, number of weeks spent in the oral medicine clinic, and interest in oral pathology. Consideration of lesion irregularity yielded a correct diagnosis, whereas wrong answers were based on color changes. Lesion size and margins were considered equally important., Conclusions: Using clinical images as part of the diagnostic process provides good results, though increased clinical experience for graduates and undergraduates may be necessary to improve accuracy. Therefore, emphasizing the important visual parameters of malignancy may be valuable in the current telehealth era., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To assess the occurrence of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (atrial arrhythmias [AA]) in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with once-weekly subcutaneous dulaglutide versus placebo., Materials and Methods: Patients without electrocardiographic (ECG)-confirmed AA at baseline and randomized in the REWIND trial were assessed for the development of AA based on an annual ECG. Additional analyses included whether dulaglutide compared with placebo reduced the composite outcome of AA or death, AA or cardiovascular death, AA or stroke and AA or heart failure., Results: Among 9543 participants (mean age 66 ± 7 years, with cardiovascular risk factors and 31% with previous cardiovascular disease) without AA at entry in the trial, 524 patients (5.5%) had at least one episode of AA during the median 5.4 years of follow-up. Incident AA occurred in 269 of the 4769 participants allocated to dulaglutide (5.6%), at a rate of 10.7 per 1000 person-years, versus 255 of the 4774 allocated to placebo (5.3%), at a rate of 10.5 per 1000 person-years (P = .59). There was also no effect of dulaglutide on the composite outcome of AA and death or AA and heart failure., Conclusion: This post hoc analysis of data from the REWIND trial showed that treatment with dulaglutide was not associated with a reduced incidence of AA in this at-risk group of patients with type 2 diabetes., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To determine whether baseline metabolic syndrome (MetS) modifies the effect of intensive blood pressure control on cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, and whether the effects varied by race/ethnicity., Methods: We performed post hoc analyses among non-Hispanic black, non-hispanic white and Hispanic participants, with and without MetS, in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), who were randomized to a systolic blood pressure (SBP) target of <120 mm Hg (intensive group, N = 4544) or an SBP target of <140 mm Hg (standard group, N = 4553). The median follow-up was 3.26 years. The primary outcome was the composite of the first occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, non-myocardial infarction acute coronary syndrome or CV death., Results: Overall, 3521/9097 participants (38.7%) met the criteria for MetS at baseline. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two SBP target groups within each MetS subgroup, except body mass index was slightly higher in the standard arm of the MetS subgroup (33.3 ± 5.6 vs 33.0 ± 5.3 kg/m 2 ; P < .01), but were similar across treatment arms in the non-MetS subgroup. The hazard ratio for the primary outcome was similarly reduced in participants with or without baseline MetS: 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57, 0.96) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.57, 0.87), respectively (adjusted P value for treatment by subgroup interaction = .98). Similarly, there was no evidence of treatment × MetS subgroup interaction for all-cause mortality (adjusted interaction P value = .98). The findings were also similar across race/ethnic subgroups., Conclusions: In this analysis the CV benefit of intensive SBP control did not differ among participants by baseline MetS status, regardless of race/ethnicity., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The aim was to determine the effects of dulaglutide, a synthetic once-weekly, injectable human glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue that lowers blood glucose, body weight, appetite and blood pressure, on cardiovascular outcomes. People with type 2 diabetes, aged ≥50 years, with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≤9.5%, and either a previous cardiovascular event, evidence of cardiovascular disease or ≥2 cardiovascular risk factors were randomly allocated to a weekly subcutaneous injection of either dulaglutide (1.5 mg) or placebo and followed within the ongoing Researching cardiovascular Events with a Weekly INcretin in Diabetes (REWIND) trial every 3 to 6 months. The primary cardiovascular outcome is the first occurrence of the composite of cardiovascular death or non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes include each component of the primary composite cardiovascular outcome, a composite clinical microvascular outcome comprising retinal or renal disease, hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure requiring hospitalization or an urgent heart failure visit, and all-cause mortality. Follow-up will continue until the accrual of 1200 confirmed primary outcomes. Recruitment of 9901 participants (mean age 66 years, 46% women) occurred in 370 sites located in 24 countries over a period of 2 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 10 years, mean baseline HbA1c was 7.3%, and 31% had prior cardiovascular disease. The REWIND trial's international scope, high proportion of women, high proportion of people without prior cardiovascular disease and inclusion of participants whose mean baseline HbA1c was 7.3% suggests that its cardiovascular and safety findings will be directly relevant to the typical middle-aged patient seen in general practice throughout the world., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

On June 29, 2007, Michael H. Davidson, MD, of the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, moderated a panel of participants, including Jan Basile, MD, Primary Care Service Line, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, and the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC; Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; and Robert A. Phillips, MD, PhD, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA. With the publication of this first Expert Panel Discussion in Preventive Cardiology, we inaugurate a new educational feature. Periodically, we will gather a group of experts to exchange viewpoints on current issues relevant to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. It is our hope that the resulting discussion will provide the practicing clinician with data from recent trials, expert opinions on symptoms and diagnoses, and a variety of potential therapeutic approaches for the management of risk factors.