Publication

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to regulate DNA damage response (DDR) and genome stability in proliferative cells. However, it remains unknown whether lncRNAs are involved in these vital biological processes in post-mitotic neurons. Here, we report and characterize a lncRNA, termed Brain Specific DNA-damage Related lncRNA1 (BS-DRL1), in the central nervous system. BS-DRL1 is a brain-specific lncRNA and depletion of BS-DRL1 in neurons leads to impaired DDR upon etoposide treatment in vitro.

Although sex dimorphism is increasingly recognized as an important factor in pain, female-specific pain signaling is not well studied. Here we report that administration of IL-23 produces mechanical pain (mechanical allodynia) in female but not male mice, and chemotherapy-induced mechanical pain is selectively impaired in female mice lacking Il23 or Il23r. IL-23-induced pain is promoted by estrogen but suppressed by androgen, suggesting an involvement of sex hormones. IL-23 requires C-fiber nociceptors and TRPV1 to produce pain but does not directly activate nociceptor neurons.

Introduction Medulloblastoma is the most common tumor of the brain of neuroendocrine origin in children and typically demonstrates an aggressive, relentless clinical behavior and high recurrence rate. Extraneuraxial metastasis of medulloblastoma to the jaw is extremely rare, with fewer than 10 cases reported in the literature. Case Report A 10-year-old male patient presented with a swelling in the right side of the face for 15 days. The patient had a past history of medulloblastoma diagnosed a few years earlier. Clinical examination revealed a diffuse painless mass in the right mandible.

Background Dysregulated expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays important role in the initiation and progression of both diabetes and periodontitis. Objective The aim of the study is to identify miRNAs in saliva as potential predictive biomarkers of periodontal disease among patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods MiRNAs were extracted from the saliva of 24 adult subjects with diabetes mellitus and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Each group was subdivided into periodontally healthy or having periodontitis.

Background To our knowledge, there are no studies in Colombia that describe the frequency of oral mucosal lesions. Only the ENSAB IV evaluated potentially malignant lesions and lesions associated with a removable prosthesis. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of oral mucosal lesions and their risk indicators in patients attending clinics of the School of Dentistry, University of Antioquia. Methods Structured interviews, clinical examination, and a biopsy, if deemed necessary, were conducted in a nonprobabilistic sample of 539 patients.

Background The heterogeneity of salivary gland neoplasms, within and between histologic types, presents a major diagnostic challenge. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), the most common salivary gland cancer in adults, children, and adolescents, is associated with the presence of a novel CRTC1-MAML2 fusion gene. The translocation can be detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction but without information regarding transcript level, identification of the cell type(s) harboring the translocation and histologic architecture is not preserved.

Background The increase in syphilis rates worldwide, particularly in people living with HIV (PLWH), as well as the challenging diagnosis that secondary syphilis represents, make essential the accurate recognition of its manifestations, particularly in easy-access sites like the oral mucosa. Objective To describe the clinicopathologic spectrum of oral secondary syphilis (OSS) in PLWH. Methods A cross-sectional and descriptive study that included PLWH with OSS from 3 HIV referral centers in Mexico City (2004-2020). Demographic and clinical data were obtained.

Background Orofacial clefts are the most common birth defects affecting 1 in 750 live births worldwide. Various genetic loci to be involved in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate has been identified with a variation among populations. Wnt5a is expressed in the frontonasal prominence and maxillary process, which fuse to form the primary palate. Therefore, its dysregulation can lead to certain birth defects along with other diseases.

Background Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive, highly immunosuppressive cancer with a high mortality rate. Interactions between programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1; on T cells) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1; on tumor cells) within the tumor microenvironment facilitates T-lymphocyte exhaustion. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a distinct lymphocyte population, expressing the transcription factor forkhead homeobox protein-3 (FoxP3), which downregulates immune responses in OSCC.

Since the discovery of the myofibroblast over 50 years ago, much has been learned about its role in wound healing and fibrosis. Its origin, however, remains controversial, with a number of progenitor cells being proposed. Macrophage-myofibroblast transition (MMT) is a recent term coined in 2014 that describes the mechanism through which macrophages, derived from circulating monocytes originating in the bone marrow, transformed into myofibroblasts and contributed to kidney fibrosis.