Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Treatment options for ischemic stroke are limited, and the development of new therapeutic agents or combined therapies is imperative. Growing evidence suggests that metformin treatment, due to its anti-inflammatory action, exerts a neuroprotective effect against ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain damage. Experimental assessment has typically been performed in models of cerebral transient ischemia followed by long-term reperfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of metformin treatment after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) without reperfusion in rats. Neurological deficits were assessed using the Longa scale, which offers a graded scale on body movement following pMCAO. Both infarct size and brain oedema area were measured by staining with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The number of neurons and total and activated microglia, as well as interleukin 10 (IL-10) production, in brain sections were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Our results show that metformin treatment improves the neurological state and reduces infarct size after 120 h of pMCAO. Metformin also prevents neuronal loss in the ischemic cortex but not in the striatum after 48 h of pMCAO. Moreover, post-stroke treatment with metformin significantly decreases the number of total and activated microglia at 48 h. The anti-inflammatory effect of metformin is associated with increased IL-10 production at 48 h after pMCAO. The results of the present study suggest that post-stroke treatment with metformin exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in a pMCAO model.

The prevalence of malocclusion and a need for orthodontic treatment is high. Orthodontic appliances increase biofilm accumulation by expanding plaque retention sites. The aim of this study was to investigate the self-reported changes in oral hygiene habits among adolescents receiving orthodontic treatment. A cross-sectional study of 291 patients aged 10–17 years (mean (M) = 12.98; standard deviation (SD) = 2.36) was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics, Lithuanian University of Medical Sciences (LSMU) Hospital (Kaunas, Lithuania) during the fall semester (October–January) of the 2017/2018 study year. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire covered background information, experience of orthodontic treatment, oral hygiene habits and the seeking of professional dental care. Statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. To establish relationships between categorical variables, Chi-squared tests (χ2) were used. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was set to indicate statistically significant difference. The univariate logistic regression analysis evaluated the probability of an event given a certain risk indicator, including odds ratio (OR) and its confidence interval (95% CI). Associations were found between the usage of auxiliary measures (OR = 1.797 (1.118–2.887), p = 0.015), tongue cleaning (OR = 1.712 (1.059–2.767), p = 0.028), mouth rinsing after meals (OR = 1.707 (1.048–2.781), p = 0.032) and experience of orthodontic treatment, respectively. More orthodontic patients underwent professional oral hygiene regularly than non-orthodontic patients (p = 0.024). More patients with fixed orthodontic appliances reported significantly changed oral hygiene habits, while more orthodontic patients with removable appliances did not change their oral hygiene habits.

Sciences in 2016Sciences in -2017. The students were invited to participate in the survey before the beginning of a lecture, and they were informed that participation was voluntary and anonymous. In total, 282 students participated in the study, with a response rate of 92.1%. A self-administered English questionnaire consisting of 25 items with options on a Likert scale (agree, neither agree nor disagree and disagree) about oral health problems and their relation to general health status was used to assess a student's oral health awareness, attitude and knowledge. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Overall good, fair and poor oral health awareness was reported by 71.3%, 24.1% and 4.6%, respectively, of the international dental and medical students (P < 0.05). The mean score of oral health awareness was 18.2 (standard deviation [SD 3.27]), showing overall good oral health awareness. Moreover, the international dental students reported higher oral health awareness than medical students (19.14 [SD 3.25] vs 17.44 [SD 3.1]) (P < 0.001). Comparing this mean score by gender, no statistically significant difference was found (18.33 [SD 3.39] vs 18.05 [SD 3.16]) (P = 0.371). Conclusions: Overall oral health awareness among international dental and medical students was high. Meanwhile, international dental students reported higher oral health awareness than international medical students.

The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge of oral cancer risk factors among international dental and medical students at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU). A cross-sectional study was conducted among international medical and dental students at the LSMU in 2018–2019. In total, 253 students participated, for a response rate of 76.2%. An anonymous self-administered English questionnaire, consisting of 18 items, covered background information (gender, faculty and academic study year), and statements about risk factors for oral cancer and attitudes towards the prevention and treatment of oral cancer. The fifteen statements had the following answer options: yes, no and I don’t know. The statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Overall, a good, fair and poor knowledge of oral risk factors was reported by 15.02%, 56.92% and 28.06% of the participants, respectively. The mean score for knowledge of oral cancer risk factors was 10.01 (SD = 2.56), which was defined as fair knowledge. Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.78 (a good value). Bartlett’s sphericity test and the KMO index were adequate (χ2 = 677.563, p < 0.001; KMO = 0.788). This study demonstrates a lack of knowledge of oral cancer risk factors among international medical and dental students.

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