Oral symptoms in GERD are likely to be associated with impaired salivary flow volume or swallowing function. Treatment for the oral dryness induced by reduced salivary flow volume and rehabilitation for swallowing function could be indicated in patients with GERD.

SummaryMaxillofacial osteosynthetic surgeries require stable fixation for uneventful boney healing and optimal remodeling. Although conventional titanium plates and screws for osteofixation are considered the gold standard for rigid fixation in maxillofacial surgeries, bioresorbable implants of plates and screw systems are commonly used for various maxillofacial osteosynthetic surgeries such as orthognathic surgery, maxillofacial fractures, and reconstructive surgery. Titanium plates are limited by their palpability, mutagenic effects, and interference with imaging, which may lead to the need for subsequent removal; the use of a biologically resorbable osteofixation system could potentially address these limitations. However, several problems remain including fundamental issues involving decreased mechanical strength and stability, slow biodegradation, complex procedures, and the available bioresorbable implant materials. Major advances in bioresorbable plate systems have been made with the use of bioactive/resorbable osteoconductive materials and an accelerator of bioresorption, such as polyglycolic acid. This report presents an overview of currently available resorbable implant materials and their applications, with a focus on recent innovative advances and new developments in this field.

BackgroundDental erosion (DE), one of oral hard tissue diseases, is one of the extraoesophageal symptoms defined as the Montreal Definition and Classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, no study evaluated the relationship between GERD and oral soft tissues. We hypothesized that oral soft tissue disorders (OSTDs) would be related to GERD. The study aimed to investigate the association OSTDs and GERD.MethodsGERD patients (105 cases), older and younger controls (25 cases each) were retrospectively examined for oral symptoms, salivary flow volume (Saxon test), swallowing function (repetitive saliva swallowing test [RSST]), teeth (decayed, missing, and filled [DMF] indices), and soft tissues (as evaluation of OSTDs, gingivitis; papillary, marginal, and attached [PMA] gingival indexes, simplified oral hygiene indices [OHI-S], and inflammatory oral mucosal regions). Clinical histories, which included body mass index [BMI], the existence of alcohol and tobacco use, and bruxism, were also investigated. A P value of <0.05 was defined as statistically significant.ResultsGERD patients, older and younger controls participated and aged 66.4 ± 13.0, 68.3 ± 8.2 and 28.7 ± 2.6 years old, respectively. The most common oral symptom in the GERD patients was oral dryness. Salivary flow volume and swallowing function in the GERD patients were significantly lower than in either of the controls (all P < 0.05). Inflammatory oral mucosal regions were found only in the GERD patients. The DMF indices, as a measure of dental caries, in the GERD patients were higher than in the younger controls (P < 0.001), but lower than in the older controls (P = 0.033). The PMA gingival indexes, as a measurement for gingival inflammation, and OHI-S, as a measure for oral hygiene, in the GERD patients were significantly higher than in either of the controls (all P < 0.05). Though no significant differences in BMI, the existence of alcohol and tobacco use were found, bruxism, as an exacerbation factor of periodontal disease, in the GERD patients was significantly more frequent than in either control group (P = 0.041).ConclusionsOSTDs were associated with GERD, which was similar to the association between DE and GERD.

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) functions as a transcriptional coregulator by catalyzing the conversion of histone H3 arginine residues to citrulline residues. Although the high level of PAD4 expression in bone marrow cells suggests its involvement in haematopoiesis, its precise contribution remains unclear. Here we show that PAD4, which is highly expressed in lineage− Sca-1+ c-Kit+ (LSK) cells of mouse bone marrow compared with other progenitor cells, controls c-myc expression by catalyzing the citrullination of histone H3 on its promoter. Furthermore, PAD4 is associated with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 and histone deacetylase 1 at the upstream region of the c-myc gene. Supporting these findings, LSK cells, especially multipotent progenitors, in PAD4-deficient mice show increased proliferation in a cell-autonomous fashion compared with those in wild-type mice. Together, our results strongly suggest that PAD4 regulates the proliferation of multipotent progenitors in the bone marrow by controlling c-myc expression.

Dietary iron absorption is regulated by duodenal cytochrome b (Dcytb), an integral membrane protein that catalyzes reduction of nonheme Fe3+ by electron transfer from ascorbate across the membrane. This step is essential to enable iron uptake by the divalent metal transporter. Here we report the crystallographic structures of human Dcytb and its complex with ascorbate and Zn2+. Each monomer of the homodimeric protein possesses cytoplasmic and apical heme groups, as well as cytoplasmic and apical ascorbate-binding sites located adjacent to each heme. Zn2+ coordinates to two hydroxyl groups of the apical ascorbate and to a histidine residue. Biochemical analysis indicates that Fe3+ competes with Zn2+ for this binding site. These results provide a structural basis for the mechanism by which Fe3+ uptake is promoted by reducing agents and should facilitate structure-based development of improved agents for absorption of orally administered iron.