Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are spiking in Chinese young men who have sex with men (MSM). To explore alterations in the salivary microbiome and its correlation with demographic characteristics, CD4+ T cell count and viral load (VL) in HIV infections, samples of unstimulated whole saliva were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform in 20 HIV newly infected patients before the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and at three and six months after, and in 20 age- and gender-paired healthy Chinese people. The results showed that the alpha diversity of salivary microbiota in HIV infections did not show differences from the healthy controls, but was reduced after six months under ART treatment. Comparative analysis revealed that Streptococcus was enriched in HIV-infected individuals, while Neisseria was enriched in the healthy control group. After effective ART, the salivary microbiota composition was not completely restored, although some microbiota recovered. In addition, we found Provotella_7, Neisseria and Haemophilus were correlated negatively with CD4+ T cell count, while Neisseria was correlated positively with VL. We conclude that HIV infections experience a dysbiosis of the salivary microbiome. The salivary microbiome test could be a substitute for the blood tests in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognition and behavior impairments. Diagnosing AD early is important for clinicians to slow down AD progression and preserve brain function. Biomarkers such as tau protein and amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) are used to aid diagnosis as clinical diagnosis often lags. Additionally, biomarkers can be used to monitor AD status and evaluate AD treatment. Clinicians detect these AD biomarkers in the brain using positron emission tomography/computed tomography or in the cerebrospinal fluid using a lumbar puncture. However, these methods are expensive and invasive. In contrast, saliva collection is simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, stress-free, and repeatable. Moreover, damage to the brain parenchyma can impact the oral cavity and some pathogenic molecules could travel back and forth from the brain to the mouth. This has prompted researchers to explore biomarkers in the saliva. Therefore, this study provides an overview of the main finding of salivary biomarkers for AD diagnosis. Based on these available studies, Aβ, tau, cholinesterase enzyme activity, lactoferrin, melatonin, cortisol, proteomics, metabolomics, exosomes, and the microbiome were changed in AD patients’ saliva when compared to controls. However, well-designed studies are essential to confirm the reliability and validity of these biomarkers in diagnosing and monitoring AD.

Background: Even though laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) emerged over 20 years ago, controversies persist with regard to the best method to ligate the cystic duct and artery. We proposed to assess the effectiveness and safety of electrocoagulation to seal the cystic artery and cystic duct after their occlusion with only one absorbable clip. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively compared the clinical data for 635 patients undergoing LC using electrocoagulation to seal the cystic artery and cystic duct that were occluded with only one absorbable clip (Group 1) and 728 patients undergoing LC using titanium clips (Group 2). In parallel, 30 rabbits randomized into six groups underwent cholecystectomy. After cystic duct ligation with absorbable or titanium clips, the animals were sacrificed 1, 3, or 6 months later, and intraabdominal adhesions were assessed after celiotomy. Results: The mean operative time was significantly shorter (41.6 versus 58.9 minutes, P <.01) in Group 1 than in Group 2. No cystic duct leaks occurred in any patients from Group 1, compared with seven leaks among the 728 (0.96%) patients from Group 2 ( P <.05). The morbidity was significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (3.43% versus 1.58%). Mean intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization length were not significantly different between the two groups, and no deaths occurred in either group. In animal experiments, adhesion was tighter for absorbable than for titanium clips, but fibrous tissue encapsulation was thinner at the site of titanium clips. Conclusions: Electrocoagulation of the cystic artery and cystic duct that were occluded with only one absorbable clip is safe and effective during LC. This approach is associated with shortened operative times and reduced leakage, compared with the standard method using metal clips.

Dermal papilla (DP) plays important roles in hair follicle regeneration. Long-term culture of mouse DP cells can provide enough cells for research and application of DP cells. We optimized the culture strategy for DP cells from three dimensions: stepwise dissection, collagen I coating, and optimized culture medium. Based on the optimized culture strategy, we immortalized primary DP cells with SV40 large T antigen, and established several immortalized DP cell strains. By comparing molecular expression and morphologic characteristics with primary DP cells, we found one cell strain named iDP6 was similar with primary DP cells. Further identifications illustrate that iDP6 expresses FGF7 and α-SMA, and has activity of alkaline phosphatase. During the process of characterization of immortalized DP cell strains, we also found that cells in DP were heterogeneous. We successfully optimized culture strategy for DP cells, and established an immortalized DP cell strain suitable for research and application of DP cells.

Background and Objective: People living with dementia typically have poor oral health. However, studies of caries status in this population have revealed different results. This systematic review aimed to assess caries status in old adults with dementia. Method: The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched from inception to 13 February 2025. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the risk of bias in case–control studies, and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the risk of bias in cross-sectional studies. Caries status was measured by the decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index, decayed, missing, filled surfaces (DMFS) index, or the component of DMFT/S. A random effects model was used to pool the included data. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to analyze the effect of dementia on caries. Results: A total of 5363 studies were retrieved, and 20 studies were included in this study. Meta-analysis showed the DMFT index (WMD: 3.76, p < 0.0001; 13 studies), decayed teeth (DT) index (WMD: 0.40, p < 0.0001; 10 studies), and missing teeth (MT) index (WMD: 3.67, p = 0.04; 7 studies) values were higher in the dementia group than the control group. There were no differences in the filled teeth (FT) index (WMD: −0.66, p = 0.09; 9 studies) between the dementia group and the control group. Conclusions: Caries status was poorer in people with dementia than the controls. These findings suggest that medical staff and caregivers need to pay more attention to the oral health of dementia patients.