Purpose: To identify vitreous proteins that were differentially expressed in patients suffering from proliferative diabetic retinopathy with active neovascularization. Methods: The vitreous samples of 15 active proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, and the results were compared with those from age-matched patients with macular hole. Results: Twenty-five protein spots were identified in the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis gels. Eight proteins (pigmented epithelium derived factor, serine protease inhibitor, apolipoprotein A-IV precursor, prostaglandin-H2 D-isomerase, α₁-antitrypsin precursor, ankyrin repeat domain 15 protein, alpha2-HS-glycoprotein, and beta V spectrin) in the 25 spots were expressed significantly differently between the macular hole and proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients (p value < 0.05). Five proteins were upregulated in the proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients, and three were downregulated (p value < 0.05). Conclusions: We constructed vitreous protein profiles for proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients and identified eight candidate proteins believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

This study investigated the effect of oral health education using a mobile app (OHEMA) on the oral health and swallowing-related quality of life (SWAL-QoL) of the elderly population in a community-based integrated care project (CICP). Forty elderly individuals in the CICP were randomized into intervention and control groups. OHEMA provided information on customized oral health care management, oral exercises, and intraoral and extraoral massage methods for 50 min/session, once a week, for 6 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed the unstimulated salivary flow rate, subjective oral dryness, tongue pressure, and SWAL-QoL, which were analyzed using ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA. In the intervention group, tongue pressure increased significantly from pre- (17.75) to post-intervention (27.24) (p < 0.001), and subjective oral dryness decreased from pre- (30.75) to post-intervention (18.50). The unstimulated salivary flow rate had a higher mean score in the intervention group (7.19) than in the control group (5.04) (p < 0.001). The SWAL-QoL significantly improved from pre- (152.10) to post-intervention (171.50) in the intervention group (p < 0.001) but did not change significantly in the control group (p > 0.05). OHEMA appears to be a useful tool for oral health education for the elderly as it improved the SWAL-QoL, with increased tongue pressure and reduced oral dryness.

This study aimed to investigate the association between healthy lifestyle (HLS; i.e., diet quality, physical activity, normal weight) and periodontal diseases in Korean adults. Studying this association may help inform future intervention programs aimed at preventing the development of periodontal diseases. Raw data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VII (2016–2018) were used. Data from 12,689 adults aged 19 years and over who had a periodontal examination were analyzed. The associations between HLS and periodontal diseases were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression after adjusting for demographic and health factors as covariates. We found that each of the HLS (diet quality, physical activity, normal body weight) practices was significantly associated with periodontal diseases (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.13–1.55; OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.04–1.30; OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.14–1.40, respectively). In particular, having poor HLS practices was identified as a risk factor for periodontal diseases (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.10–2.15). HLS was associated with periodontal diseases. Thus, in addition to improving oral hygiene—the primary focus in the past—improving HLS should be emphasized for patients with periodontal diseases.

Jong-Hwa Jang, Ja-Won Cho, Yeo-Ju Kim, Ji-Yun Ki, Kyung-Sook Jo, Ji-Ryang Kim, Jung-Eun Park, Da-Hui Kim. J Korean Acad Oral Health 2020;44:166-72. https://doi.org/10.11149/jkaoh.2020.44.3.166

Objectives: The present study examined trends in search keywords related to the oral health of infants and pregnant women using "social media cafes" on the Korean portal site, Naver. Methods: We obtained data from January 2015 to December 2017, collected by searching for common terms related to oral health, such as "dental caries", "oral health", "scaling", "tooth brushing", and "oral examination". Search results for these terms were organized by frequency and visualized by increase in the font size with increasing frequency. Results: The ranking of keywords on Naver cafes for pregnant women and women with infants was as follows (in descending order): "oral examination", "tooth filling", and "tooth brushing". The "oral health" network was linked to "dental caries", "oral health education", and "tooth brushing". In addition, the analysis of trends of keyword frequencies according to time periods showed that "dental caries" and "oral examination" were of highest interest to the cafe users. Conclusions: We found a high interest in keywords related to preventive measures for the oral health of infants and children, but there was a lack of awareness regarding the oral health of pregnant women. These findings suggest that prevention in infants and pregnant women is necessary, and that public awareness regarding education about oral healthcare needs to be raised.