Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent and most commonly studied oral cancer. However, there is a void regarding the role that the oral microbiome may play in OSCC. Although the relationship between microbial community composition and OSCC has been thoroughly investigated, microbial profiles of the human microbiome in cancer are understudied. Here we performed a small pilot study of community-wide metatranscriptome analysis to profile mRNA expression in the entire oral microbiome in OSCC to reveal molecular functions associated with this disease. Fusobacteria showed a statistically significantly higher number of transcripts at tumour sites and tumour-adjacent sites of cancer patients compared to the healthy controls analysed. Regardless of the community composition, specific metabolic signatures were consistently found in disease. Activities such as iron ion transport, tryptophanase activity, peptidase activities and superoxide dismutase were over-represented in tumour and tumour-adjacent samples when compared to the healthy controls. The expression of putative virulence factors in the oral communities associated with OSCC showed that activities related to capsule biosynthesis, flagellum synthesis and assembly, chemotaxis, iron transport, haemolysins and adhesins were upregulated at tumour sites. Moreover, activities associated with protection against reactive nitrogen intermediates, chemotaxis, flagellar and capsule biosynthesis were also upregulated in non-tumour sites of cancer patients. Although they are preliminary, our results further suggest that Fusobacteria may be the leading phylogenetic group responsible for the increase in expression of virulence factors in the oral microbiome of OSCC patients.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the head and neck worldwide. Dysbiosis of the microbiome has increasingly been linked to the development of different kinds of cancer. Applying 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and metatranscriptomic analyses, we characterized the longitudinal changes in the profiles and the function of the oral microbiome in a 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO)-induced model of OSCC in gnotobiotic mice. We characterized the dynamics of the oral microbiome in this model using two different microbiome inocula: one from healthy mice and the other from mice bearing a 4-NQO-induced tumor. Mice colonized with different oral microbiomes and exposed to 4-NQO had increased tumor numbers and sizes compared to controls exposed to 4-NQO but lacking a microbiome. We observed an overall increase in diversity in the tumorigenic samples compared to that in the nontumor group not exposed to 4-NQO. Despite the variability in community dynamics, specific patterns emerged during the progression of the disease. In the two groups that were inoculated with the OSCC-associated microbiome, we observed opposite profiles of abundance in Parabacteroides and Corynebacterium. While the percentage of Parabacteroides bacteria decreased in the control group, it increased in the OSCC group, and the opposite was observed for Corynebacterium. The metatranscriptomic analysis revealed overexpression of the same metabolic signatures associated with OSCC regardless of the community profile. These included nitrogen transport, response to stress, interspecies interactions, Wnt pathway modulation, and amino acid and lipid biosynthesis. Thus, these results seem to suggest that certain collective physiological activities are critical for microbiome-mediated OSCC progression. IMPORTANCE There is growing evidence that changes in the microbiome are associated with carcinogenesis. To date, no consistent oral microbiome composition associated with OSCC has been identified. Longitudinal and functional studies like the study presented here should yield a better understanding of the role that the oral microbiome plays in OSCC. Our findings, obtained using a germ-free mouse model, indicate that the presence of different oral microbiomes enhances tumorigenesis and increases the final number of tumors in mice. By studying community-wide expression profiles, we found that regardless of the phylogenetic composition of the microbiome, the same metabolic activities were consistently associated with OSCC. Therefore, due to the functional redundancy of the microbiome, the critical element in explaining the contribution of the microbiota in OSCC is the collective physiological activity of the community, thus accounting for the previous inability to identify a consensus community profile or etiologic agents for OSCC.

This study examined whether the walking and balance ability of adult patients with chronic hemiplegic stroke are associated differentially with the degree of gain after two types of gait intervention. Twenty-four subjects with hemiplegic stroke were enrolled in this randomized study. Each subject participated in one of two gait intervention strategies: gait training with auditory feedback caused by active weight bearing on the paralyzed side (experimental group; EG), or general gait intervention over the ground (control group; CG). The walking and balance abilities were assessed before and after gait intervention. Significant improvements in the 10-m walking test, functional gait assessment (FGA) score, and center of pressure (COP) path length were observed after gait training in both groups (p < 0.05). The EG showed a larger increase in the 10-m walking test, FGA score, and COP path length in the state of eyes opened and closed than the CG (18.2%, 27.0%, 24.8%, and 18.2%, respectively). The auditory feedback caused by active weight bearing on the paralyzed side appeared to be a more effective approach for improving the walking and balance ability in adult patients with hemiplegic stroke during walking training than general gait intervention.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the cervical flexion angle on muscle fatigue and pain in the cervical erector spinae and upper trapezius in normal adults in their 20s. [Subjects and Methods] The study’s subjects were 14 normal adults. After sitting on a chair with their back against the wall, they held a smartphone with both hands for 10 minutes and fatigue and pain in the neck and shoulder muscles were measured at different cervical flexion angles (0°, 30°, and 50°). Electromyography was performed to analyze the muscle fatigue of the right upper trapezius, left upper trapezius, right cervical erector spinae, and left cervical erector spinae, and a CommanderTM Algometer was used to measure pain. The cervical range of motion was used as an instrument to compare and analyze the cervical flexion angles. [Results] The study’s results showed statistically significant differences in the muscle fatigue and pain of the right upper trapezius and left upper trapezius depending on the cervical flexion angle and a post-hoc test showed statistically significant lower levels of muscle fatigue and pain at 50° than at 0° or 30°. No statistically significant differences were found between the right cervical erector spinae and left cervical erector spinae. [Conclusion] The cervical flexion angle during smartphone use may influence the muscle fatigue and pain of the upper trapezius.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of wearing a pelvic compression belt during trunk stability exercise on balance and gait ability in patients with stroke. Design Thirty-six patients with stroke participated and were randomly allocated to three groups: the paretic group (trunk stability exercise wearing a pelvic belt on the paretic side), the nonparetic group (trunk stability exercise wearing a pelvic belt on the nonparetic side), or the control group (trunk stability exercise without a pelvic belt). Walking and balancing abilities were assessed before and after trunk stabilization exercise. Results Significantly larger gains were identified in the paretic group than in the control group for all variables (P < 0.017). In addition, significantly larger gains were observed in the paretic group than in the nonparetic group (P < 0.017) (limit of stability, 15.6%; stance phase of paretic side, 4.1%; 10-m walking test, −10.1%; 6-min walking test, 4.6%). Conclusion Wearing a pelvic belt on the paretic side during trunk stabilization exercise seems to be more effective at improving the balancing and walking abilities of patients with stroke than wearing a pelvic compression belt on the nonparetic side or not wearing a pelvic belt.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the pain and function of patients with degenerative knee arthritis. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty patients with degenerative knee arthritis were divided into a conservative physical therapy group (n=10) and an extracorporeal shock wave therapy group (n=10). Both groups received general conservative physical therapy, and the extracorporeal shock wave therapy was additionally treated with extracorporeal shock wave therapy after receiving conservative physical therapy. Both groups were treated three times a week over a four-week period. The visual analogue scale was used to evaluate pain in the knee joints of the subjects, and the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index was used to evaluate the function of the subjects. [Results] The comparison of the visual analogue scale and Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores within each group before and after the treatment showed statistically significant declines in scores in both the conservative physical therapy group and extracorporeal shock wave therapy group. A group comparison after the treatment showed statistically significant differences in these scores in the extracorporeal shock wave therapy group and the conservative physical therapy group. [Conclusion] extracorporeal shock wave therapy may be a useful nonsurgical intervention for reducing the pain of patients with degenerative knee arthritis and improving these patients’ function.

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