Artificial intelligence has been emerging as an increasingly important aspect of our daily lives and is widely applied in medical science. One major application of artificial intelligence in medical science is medical imaging. As a major component of artificial intelligence, many machine learning models are applied in medical diagnosis and treatment with the advancement of technology and medical imaging facilities. The popularity of convolutional neural network in dental, oral and craniofacial imaging is heightening, as it has been continually applied to a broader spectrum of scientific studies. Our manuscript reviews the fundamental principles and rationales behind machine learning, and summarizes its research progress and its recent applications specifically in dental, oral and craniofacial imaging. It also reviews the problems that remain to be resolved and evaluates the prospect of the future development of this field of scientific study.

The immune system has evolved since the birth of humans. However, immune-related diseases have not yet been overcome due to the lack of expected indicators and targeting specificity of current medical technology, subjecting patients to very uncomfortable physical and mental experiences and high medical costs. Therefore, the requirements for treatments with higher specificity and indicative ability are raised. Fortunately, the discovery of and continuous research investigating circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a promising method among numerous methods. Although circRNAs wear regarded as metabolic wastes when discovered, as a type of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) with a ring structure and wide distribution range in the human body, circRNAs shine brilliantly in medical research by virtue of their special nature and structure-determined functions, such as high stability, wide distribution, high detection sensitivity, acceptable reproducibility and individual differences. Based on research investigating the role of circRNAs in immunity, we systematically discuss the hotspots of the roles of circRNAs in immune-related diseases, including expression profile analyses, potential biomarker research, ncRNA axis/network construction, impacts on phenotypes, therapeutic target seeking, maintenance of nucleic acid stability and protein binding research. In addition, we summarize the current situation of and problems associated with circRNAs in immune research, highlight the applications and prospects of circRNAs in the treatment of immune-related diseases, and provide new insight into future directions and new strategies for laboratory research and clinical applications.

ObjectiveManganese ion (Mn2+) is reported to promote the antitumor immune response by activating the cGAS‐STING pathway, but it is unknown whether Mn2+ can prevent the malignant transformation of precancerous lesions. The effects of Mn2+ in treating oral leukoplakia (OLK) were explored in this work.MethodsPeripheral blood Mn analysis of the patients was performed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES). A coculture model of dendritic cells (DCs)/macrophages, CD8+ T cells, and dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs) was employed to analyze the role and mechanism of Mn2+ in a simulated OLK immune microenvironment. Western blot, RT–PCR, flow cytometry, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were adopted to detect the mechanism of Mn2+ in this model. 4‐nitroquinoline oxide (4NQO)‐induced OLK mice were used to assess the role of Mn2+ in suppressing OLK progression, and a novel Mn2+‐loaded guanosine‐tannic acid hydrogel (G‐TA@Mn2+ hydrogel) was fabricated and evaluated for its advantages in OLK therapy.ResultsThe content of Mn in patients' peripheral blood was negatively related to the progression of OLK. Mn2+ promoted the maturation and antigen presentation of DCs and macrophages and enhanced the activation of CD8+ T cells in the coculture model, resulting in effective killing of DOKs. Mechanistic analysis found that Mn2+ enhanced the anti‐OLK immune response by activating the cGAS‐STING pathway. Moreover, Mn2+ suppressed the development of 4NQO–induced carcinogenesis in the mouse model. In addition, the G‐TA@Mn2+ hydrogel had better anti‐OLK effects.ConclusionsMn2+ enhanced the anti‐OLK immune response by activating the cGAS‐STING pathway, and the G‐TA@Mn2+ hydrogel is a potential novel therapeutic approach for OLK treatment.