BackgroundOral health is one of the most important issues for disaster survivors. The aim of this study was to determine post-disaster distribution of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and related factors in survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.MethodsQuestionnaires to assess OHRQoL, psychological distress, disaster-related experiences, and current systemic-health and economic conditions were sent to survivors over 18 years of age living in Otsuchi, one of the most severely damaged municipalities. OHRQoL and psychological distress were assessed using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), Japanese version, respectively. Among 11,411 residents, 1,987 returned the questionnaire (response rate, 17.4 %) and received an oral examination to determine number of present teeth, dental caries status, and tooth-mobility grade, and to assess periodontal health using the Community Periodontal Index. Relationships between GOHAI and related factors were examined by nonparametric bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses using GOHAI cutoff points at the 25th and 50th national standard percentiles.ResultsGOHAI scores were significantly lower in the 50–69-age group compared with other age groups in this study and compared with the national standard score. In bivariate analyses, all factors assessed in this study (i.e., sex, age, evacuation from home, interruption of dental treatment, lost or fractured dentures, self-rated systemic health, serious psychological distress (SPD), economic status, number of teeth, having decayed teeth, CPI code, and tooth mobility) were significantly associated with OHRQoL. Subsequent multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that participants of upper-middle age, who had received dental treatment before the disaster, who had lost or fractured dentures, and who had clinical oral health problems were likely to show low levels of OHRQoL. In addition, perceived systemic health and SPD were also related with OHRQoL.ConclusionsOHRQoL of disaster survivors was associated with oral problems stemming from the disaster in addition to factors related to OHRQoL in ordinary times such as clinical oral status and perceived systemic health. Furthermore, SPD was also associated with OHRQoL, which suggests the disaster’s great negative impact on both oral and mental health conditions.

BackgroundThe effects of tongue cleaning on reconstruction of bacterial flora in dental plaque and tongue coating itself are obscure. We assessed changes in the amounts of total bacteria as well as Fusobacterium nucleatum in tongue coating and dental plaque specimens obtained with and without tongue cleaning.MethodsWe conducted a randomized examiner-blind crossover study using 30 volunteers (average 23.7 ± 3.2 years old) without periodontitis. After dividing randomly into 2 groups, 1 group was instructed to clean the tongue, while the other did not. On days 1 (baseline), 3, and 10, tongue coating and dental plaque samples were collected after recording tongue coating score (Winkel tongue coating index: WTCI). After a washout period of 3 weeks, the same examinations were performed with the subjects allocated to the alternate group. Genomic DNA was purified from the samples and applied to SYBR® Green-based real-time PCR to quantify the amounts of total bacteria and F. nucleatum.ResultsAfter 3 days, the WTCI score recovered to baseline, though the amount of total bacteria in tongue coating was significantly lower as compared to the baseline. In plaque samples, the bacterial amounts on day 3 and 10 were significantly lower than the baseline with and without tongue cleaning. Principal component analysis showed that variations of bacterial amounts in the tongue coating and dental plaque samples were independent from each other. Furthermore, we found a strong association between amounts of total bacteria and F. nucleatum in specimens both.ConclusionsTongue cleaning reduced the amount of bacteria in tongue coating. However, the cleaning had no obvious contribution to inhibit dental plaque formation. Furthermore, recovery of the total bacterial amount induced an increase in F. nucleatum in both tongue coating and dental plaque. Thus, it is recommended that tongue cleaning and tooth brushing should both be performed for promoting oral health.

BackgroundEndothelium is a crucial blood–tissue interface controlling energy supply according to organ needs. We investigated whether peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ) induces expression of fatty acid–binding protein 4 (FABP4) and fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 in capillary endothelial cells (ECs) to promote FA transport into the heart.Methods and ResultsExpression of FABP4 and CD36 was induced by the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone in human cardiac microvessel ECs (HCMECs), but not in human umbilical vein ECs. Real‐time PCR and immunohistochemistry of the heart tissue of control (Ppargfl/null) mice showed an increase in expression of FABP4 and CD36 in capillary ECs by either pioglitazone treatment or 48 hours of fasting, and these effects were not found in mice deficient in endothelial PPARγ (Pparg∆EC/null). Luciferase reporter constructs of the Fabp4 and CD36 promoters were markedly activated by pioglitazone in HCMECs through canonical PPAR‐responsive elements. Activation of PPARγ facilitated FA uptake by HCMECs, which was partially inhibited by knockdown of either FABP4 or CD36. Uptake of an FA analogue, 125I‐BMIPP, was significantly reduced in heart, red skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue in Pparg∆EC/null mice as compared with Ppargfl/null mice after olive oil loading, whereas those values were comparable between Ppargfl/null and Pparg∆EC/null null mice on standard chow and a high‐fat diet. Furthermore, Pparg∆EC/null mice displayed slower triglyceride clearance after olive oil loading.ConclusionsThese findings identified a novel role for capillary endothelial PPARγ as a regulator of FA handing in FA‐metabolizing organs including the heart in the postprandial state after long‐term fasting.

Several types of K+ channels play crucial roles in tumorigenicity, stemness, invasiveness, and drug resistance in cancer. Spheroid formation of human prostate cancer (PC) LNCaP cells with ultra-low attachment surface cultureware induced the up-regulation of cancer stem cell markers, such as NANOG, and decreased the protein degradation of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa1.1 by down-regulating the E3 ubiquitin ligase, FBXW7, compared with LNCaP monolayers. Accordingly, KCa1.1 activator-induced hyperpolarizing responses were larger in isolated cells from LNCaP spheroids. The pharmacological inhibition of KCa1.1 overcame the resistance of LNCaP spheroids to antiandrogens and doxorubicin (DOX). The protein expression of androgen receptors (AR) was significantly decreased by LNCaP spheroid formation and reversed by KCa1.1 inhibition. The pharmacological and genetic inhibition of MDM2, which may be related to AR protein degradation in PC stem cells, revealed that MDM2 was responsible for the acquisition of antiandrogen resistance in LNCaP spheroids, which was overcome by KCa1.1 inhibition. Furthermore, a member of the multidrug resistance-associated protein subfamily of ABC transporters, MRP5 was responsible for the acquisition of DOX resistance in LNCaP spheroids, which was also overcome by KCa1.1 inhibition. Collectively, the present results suggest the potential of KCa1.1 in LNCaP spheroids, which mimic PC stem cells, as a therapeutic target for overcoming antiandrogen- and DOX-resistance in PC cells.

We conducted a double-blind randomized controlled study of elderly individuals in a nursing home to investigate the effect of the consumption of jelly containing sea cucumber on their oral Candida load. The jelly contained a hydrolysate of the sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus, which contained triterpene glycosides called holotoxins. The holotoxins worked as a fungicide, and their minimum inhibitory concentrations for Candida albicans were 7 µg/mL. Eight individuals in the nursing home took the sea cucumber jelly for a week and their oral Candida were counted before and after the intervention. Nine individuals took a control jelly without S. japonicus. The sea cucumber jelly showed inhibitory effects on the oral Candida. Thus, daily consumption of the S. japonicus jelly has the potential to reduce the oral Candida load in the elderly in nursing homes.