Taste disorder in the elderly is not only a disorder of one of the five senses but also important from the viewpoint of frailty prevention for healthy longevity. However, treatment of this disorder ...has changed little over time with zinc replacement therapy as the sole established method. A detailed review of the literature of polaprezinc for idiopathic and zinc-deficient taste disorders provides insufficient evidence for its efficacy. In recent years, treatment with zinc acetate hydrate containing more zinc than does polaprezinc has emerged, and is expected to be more effective than polaprezinc. Ethyl loflazepate was also reported as an alternative to zinc supplementation. Serum zinc levels are an essential test item in clinical trials of taste disorders, but there are many points to be noted in its measurement and evaluation. Appropriate evaluation of serum zinc levels is necessary based on a thorough understanding of these factors. In this review, I will outline the problems of serum zinc levels, changes in zinc replacement therapy for taste disorders, and discuss future treatments.
Development of quantitative analysis software has enabled application of several standardised uptake values (SUV) for bone analysis in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The present ...retrospective study aimed to develop a reliable method of monitoring bone inflammatory activity in antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) using SPECT quantitative analysis software. Fifteen ARONJ patients underwent SPECT before and after anti-inflammatory therapy. We calculated the mean maximum SUV (SUVmax) of the bilateral cranial bones using quantitative analysis software and used this as the control C. We attempted to adjust the SUVmax of the lesion L as follows: adjusted SUVmax (aSUVmax) = L - C. The optimum threshold to calculate the metabolic bone volume (MBV) (cm
) was C + 3. The threshold values obtained for each case were input to calculate MBV at each osteomyelitis site. Retrospectively, we compared aSUVmax and MBV of each patient's ARONJ before and after anti-inflammatory therapy. The patients' high aSUVmax or large MBV of the ARONJ reduced rapidly, reflecting individual clinical findings after treatment. Application of SPECT quantitative analysis software to monitor bone inflammatory activity in ARONJ could improve the prognosis-deciding abilities of clinicians and enable them to treat ARONJ effectively.
Objectives
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as a wound-healing accelerator in patients undergoing oral bisphosphonate therapy and requiring ...tooth extractions.
Materials and methods
A total of 102 patients were divided into a PRF group and control group. The patients received oral bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis for an average of 32 months. Blood was collected and PRF was introduced into the socket of the PRF group only. Monitoring of mucosal healing was conducted for 3 months in both groups, and radiographic evaluation in the sockets was performed in the PRF group. Delayed recovery was defined as exposed bone and vulnerable granulation tissue without epithelization after 4 weeks and resolving by 8 weeks.
Results
There were no intraoperative complications, and none of the patients exhibited onset of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Delayed recovery was observed in 9 out of 73 control patients (12%), whereas 29 PRF patients exhibited complete epithelialization of the socket within 1 month. The prevalence of delayed recovery was significantly higher in the control group than the PRF group (
P
< 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors and use of PRF were independent significant factors to relate to delayed recovery (
P
= 0.02).
Conclusions
Early epithelization was confirmed in all PRF patients. Thus, PRF may reduce the risk of delayed recovery in patients undergoing oral bisphosphonate therapy.
Clinical relevance
PRF may be useful in preventing MRONJ in patients receiving oral bisphosphonate (BP).
This study examined the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related stress, exercise habits, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a sample of 215 community-dwelling ...older adults in Japan (57 men, 158 women; M
= 74.2 years, SD = 6.0). Data were collected during wellness checkups in October 2020 and included participants' demographic characteristics, measures of instrumental activities of daily living and depressive tendencies, number of teeth, oral hypofunction, OHRQoL, COVID-19-related stress, and exercise habits. Four mutually exclusive groups were created, using the presence or absence of COVID-19-related stress and lack of exercise habits as risk factors for poor OHRQoL (no COVID-19-related stress and no lack of exercise, COVID-19-related stress only, lack of exercise habits only, and both COVID-19-related stress and lack of exercise habits). Poisson regression with robust standard errors provided the prevalence ratio for poor OHRQoL. The presence of both COVID-19-related stress and lack of exercise habits (adjusted prevalence ratio: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.31- 3.69) was associated with poor OHRQoL. The results indicate that COVID-19-related stress and exercise habits should be considered when designing oral health and public health initiatives.
We aimed to identify the time of adherence, predicting factors, and species of Candida adhering to the mucosal surface of new maxillary dentures fabricated and placed in our department.
Three types ...of oral samples from 32 patients were collected at the time of new denture placement (baseline) and at five follow-up visits (1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months). Candida adherence, indicated by a positive culture originating from the mucosal surface of the denture base (MSDB) at any time during follow-up, was tested for its associations with several putative predictors. The protocols of a second, additional study were identical to the initial study except that, at each visit, all 22 participants received an educational intervention regarding denture cleaning and maintenance.
Of the 14 patients with extensive oral Candida colonization at baseline, 11 already had Candida-positive MSDB swabs at the 1-month follow-up. Candida carriage, xerostomia, and denture cleaning habits were associated with MSDB Candida colonization. In the additional study, when subjects consistently cleaned and maintained their dentures, Candida was detected at a lower rate on the MSDB at follow-up visits after 6 months than that observed in the initial study (18% 4/22 vs. 56% 18/32, p < 0.05).
Candida carriage at the time of new denture placement is strongly predictive of subsequent adherence to the MSDB. Regardless of the oral Candida carriage state, patients can limit this colonization by consistently following good cleaning and maintenance habits, starting from the time of new denture placement.
Background Ethyl loflazepate (EL) is a benzodiazepine derivative that has been reported to activate the gustatory cortex. Our department routinely uses EL as a first-line treatment for idiopathic and ...psychogenic taste disorders, although little has been reported in the literature with respect to patient outcomes, so we conducted a retrospective study examining its safety and efficacy. Methods Between 2008 and 2020, 49 patients (14 males and 35 females; mean age, 62.1 years) were diagnosed with taste disorders and received EL as their only treatment for > 14 days. Severity of taste disorder was evaluated using the paper disc method by Sakai et al., and treatment efficacy was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale, wherein patients gave subjective ratings for their symptoms (reductions by > 50% after administration of EL for 4 weeks were defined as improvements). Results Results showed that the improvement rates for patients with idiopathic and psychogenic taste disorders were 55 and 70%, respectively. Additionally, the majority (78%) improved within 2 weeks, and side effects were mild (seven cases with drowsiness and one case with dizziness). Conclusions We conclude that EL is an appropriate first-line medication for patients with idiopathic and psychogenic taste disorders. Keywords: Ethyl loflazepate, Idiopathic taste disorder, Psychogenic taste disorder
Introduction
After the onset of bone metastasis, tumor cells appear to modify surrounding microenvironments for their benefit, and particularly, the levels of circulating fibroblast growth factor ...(FGF) 23 in patients with tumors have been highlighted.
Materials and methods
We have attempted to verify if human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells metastasized in the long bone of nu/nu mice would synthesize FGF23. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate (Pi) and FGF23 were measured in control nu/nu mice, bone-metastasized mice, and mice with mammary gland injected with MDA-MB-231 cells mimicking primary mammary tumors.
Results and conclusions
MDA-MB-231 cells revealed intense FGF23 reactivity in metastasized lesions, whereas MDA-MB-231 cells cultured in vitro or when injected into the mammary glands (without bone metastasis) showed weak FGF23 immunoreactivity. Although the bone-metastasized MDA-MB-231 cells abundantly synthesized FGF23, osteocytes adjacent to the FGF23-immunopositive tumors, unlike intact osteocytes, showed no FGF23. Despite significantly elevated serum FGF23 levels in bone-metastasized mice, there was no significant decrease in the serum Pi concentration when compared with the intact mice and mice with a mass of MDA-MB-231 cells in mammary glands. The metastasized femora showed increased expression and FGFR1 immunoreactivity in fibroblastic stromal cells, whereas femora of control mice showed no obvious FGFR1 immunoreactivity. Taken together, it seems likely that MDA-MB-231 cells synthesize FGF23 when metastasized to a bone, and thus affect FGFR1-positive stromal cells in the metastasized tumor nest in a paracrine manner.
Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic condition characterized by pain in the oral cavity. Kampo medicine is a traditional Japanese medical system that has its roots partly in ancient Chinese ...medicine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of rikkosan-a traditional Japanese herbal medicine (Kampo)-in the treatment of primary BMS.
A single-center retrospective study was conducted in 32 patients who were diagnosed with primary BMS and treated with rikkosan alone through gargling (2.5 g rikkosan dissolved in 50 mL hot water) three times daily. Patients were asked to evaluate their pain using a numerical rating scale (NRS) at first visit and after 1 month. One patient had stomatitis as a side effect after gargling with rikkosan, however, no side effects were observed in other patients. Overall NRS scores decreased significantly between the first visit (7.6 ± 2.7) and the 1-month visit (5.6 ± 2.8).
Rikkosan may be an effective treatment for primary BMS.
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