The human oral microbiome refers to an ecological community of symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms found in the oral cavity. The oral cavity is an environment that provides various biological niches, such as the teeth, tongue, and oral mucosa. The oral cavity is the gateway between the external environment and the human body, maintaining oral homeostasis, protecting the mouth, and preventing disease. On the flip side, the oral microbiome also plays an important role in the triggering, development, and progression of oral and systemic diseases. In recent years, disease diagnosis through the analysis of the human oral microbiome has been realized with the recent development of innovative detection technology and is overwhelmingly promising compared to the previous era. It has been found that patients with oral and systemic diseases have variations in their oral microbiome compared to normal subjects. This narrative review provides insight into the pathophysiological role that the oral microbiome plays in influencing oral and systemic diseases and furthers the knowledge related to the oral microbiome produced over the past 30 years. A wide range of updates were provided with the latest knowledge of the oral microbiome to help researchers and clinicians in both academic and clinical aspects. The microbial community information can be utilized in non-invasive diagnosis and can help to develop a new paradigm in precision medicine, which will benefit human health in the era of post-metagenomics.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily involving the spine and sacroiliac joint and rarely the kidneys. This study aimed to define the clinical and histological features and biology of renal disease in AS. We reviewed the medical records of 681 patients diagnosed with AS from November 2008 to November 2009. Baseline characteristics and laboratory and urinalysis results were reviewed. We identified patients with proteinuria or hematuria and analyzed their risk factors. After providing informed consent, 6 patients underwent a renal biopsy to determine the cause of proteinuria or hematuria. Of the 681 enrolled patients, 547 were men and 134 were women; 81 % were HLA B27 positive, and 8 % had abnormal urinalysis findings (proteinuria, 5.9 %; hematuria, 2.8 %; both, 0.7 %). Incidences of peripheral arthritis and uveitis were 29 % and 18.6 %, respectively. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A and uric acid levels were significantly different between patients with and without proteinuria. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), total cholesterol, creatinine, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were not statistically significantly different between the 2 groups nor were there any significant differences in IgA, uric acid, ESR, total cholesterol, creatinine, and CRP levels between patients with and without hematuria. Six patients who had >1 g/day proteinuria underwent a renal biopsy; 2 were diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, 1 with amyloidosis, and 3 with non-specific glomerulonephropathy. In the amyloidosis patient, severe proteinuria was the dominant feature. For patients with renal amyloidosis and other forms of glomerulonephritis who initially had normal creatinine levels, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha blocker therapy resolved proteinuria, but this was not the case for patients with initial renal insufficiency. Renal involvement is not a rare complication of AS, and prognoses differ depending on kidney pathology. Serum levels of uric acid and IgA may predict renal involvement in AS. In cases where abnormal urine sediment is identified, renal biopsy is required to determine prognosis and decide the treatment protocol. Baseline serum creatinine level is important for predicting treatment response.

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) are molecules which regulate immune responses as well as bone remodeling process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of Sema3A and Sema4D and to investigate their clinical significance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The serum levels of Sema3A and Sema4D were measured in 130 patients with RA and 65 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. Circulating levels of biomarkers of RA-related inflammation and bone turnover such as tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, interleukin- (IL-) 6, IL-22, IL-34, osteopontin, Dkk-1, and sclerostin were also measured. Disease activity was determined by the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28), and radiographic joint damage was assessed by the modified Sharp van der Heijde score (SHS). The serum levels of Sema3A were significantly higher in patients with RA than those in healthy controls (p < 0.001), whereas serum4D levels did not differ between the two groups. The levels of Sema4D showed a positive correlation with C-reactive protein (p = 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001) levels, whereas the levels of Sema3A showed a negative correlation with Dkk-1 (p = 0.007) and TNF-α (p = 0.001). Even though Sema3A and Sema4D levels were comparable between RA patients with DAS28> 3.2 and with DAS28 ≤ 3.2, RA patients with radiographic progression (ΔSHS change/year ≥ 1) had significantly higher baseline levels of Sema4D than those without progression (p = 0.029). Additionally, when RA patients were divided into 3 groups using tertiles of Sema4D levels, the percentage of progressors was significantly increased (p = 0.045). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, serum Sema4D levels were an independent risk factor for radiographic progression. Our results suggest that the baseline levels of Sema4D might be a useful marker to identify RA patients with subsequent radiographic progression and that Sema4D may be an active mediator involved in RA-induced joint damage.

Multiple pulmonary nodules Parasites Pleural effusion A B S T R A C T Sparganosis in humans is an incidental infection and is known to be associated with eating insufficiently cooked meat of frogs and snakes or drinking unboiled stream water. Although it can involve various internal organs, pulmonary and pleural involvement due to sparganum is rare. Because we recently experienced two cases involving lung parenchyma and pleura that were misdiagnosed as bacterial pneumonia and lung cancer, we herein intend to present them in detail.

Systemic vasculitis is a group of diverse diseases characterized by immune-mediated inflammation of blood vessels. Current treatments for vasculitis, such as glucocorticoids and alkylating agents, are associated with significant side effects. In addition, the management of both small and large vessel vasculitis is challenging due to a lack of robust markers of disease activity. Recent research has advanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of both small and large vessel vasculitis, and this has led to the development of novel biologic therapies capable of targeting key cytokine and cellular effectors of the inflammatory cascade. It is anticipated that these novel treatments will lead to more effective and less toxic treatment regimens for patients with systemic vasculitis.