MicroRNA‐204‐5p: A novel candidate urinary biomarker of Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma

Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma (Xp11 tRCC) is a rare sporadic pediatric kidney cancer caused by constitutively active TFE3 fusion proteins. Tumors in patients with Xp11 tRCC tend to recur and undergo frequent metastasis, in part due to lack of methods available to detect early‐stage disease. Here we generated transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing the human PRCC‐TFE3 fusion gene in renal tubular epithelial cells, as an Xp11 tRCC mouse model. At 20 weeks of age, mice showed no histological abnormalities in kidney but by 40 weeks showed Xp11 tRCC development and related morphological and histological changes. MicroRNA (miR)‐204‐5p levels in urinary exosomes of 40‐week‐old Tg mice showing tRCC were significantly elevated compared with levels in control mice. MicroRNA‐204‐5p expression also significantly increased in primary renal cell carcinoma cell lines established both from Tg mouse tumors and from tumor tissue from 2 Xp11 tRCC patients. All of these lines secreted miR‐204‐5p‐containing exosomes. Notably, we also observed increased miR‐204‐5p levels in urinary exosomes in 20‐week‐old renal PRCC‐TFE3 Tg mice prior to tRCC development, and those levels were equivalent to those in 40‐week‐old Tg mice, suggesting that miR‐204‐5p increases follow expression of constitutively active TFE3 fusion proteins in renal tubular epithelial cells prior to overt tRCC development. Finally, we confirmed that miR‐204‐5p expression significantly increases in noncancerous human kidney cells after overexpression of a PRCC‐TFE3 fusion gene. These findings suggest that miR‐204‐5p in urinary exosomes could be a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of patients with Xp11 tRCC.     

Relationship of metabolic syndrome to periodontal disease in Japanese women: the Hisayama Study

Recent studies have suggested that several systemic conditions--such as obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes--are related to periodontitis. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between periodontitis and 5 components of metabolic syndrome--abdominal obesity, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar level--in 584 Japanese women. In multivariate analyses, persons exhibiting more components of metabolic syndrome had significantly higher odds ratios for a greater pocket depth and clinical attachment loss than did those with no components; the odds ratios for a greater pocket depth and clinical attachment loss of the persons exhibiting 4 or 5 components were 6.6 (95% confidence interval = 2.6-16.4) and 4.2 (95% confidence interval = 1.2-14.8), respectively. These results indicate that metabolic syndrome increases risk of periodontitis, and suggest that people exhibiting several components of metabolic syndrome should be encouraged to undergo a periodontal examination.     

Biomechanical influences of head posture on occlusion: an experimental study using finite element analysis

The biomechanical influences of head posture on the cervical column and craniofacial complex during masticatory simulation were quantified using three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA). Three types of finite element model (FEM) were designed to examine relationships between the position of the head and malocclusion. Model A was constructed to have a standardized cervical column curve, model B a forward inclined posture, and model C a backward inclined posture. The results of the spinal displacements revealed that model B moved in a forward direction and model C in a backward direction during masticatory simulation. The stress distributions on the cervical column (C1-C7) for models A, B, and C showed differences; stress converged at the atlas in model A, high-level stresses were observed at the spinous processes of C6 and C7 in model C, and the stress converged at the anterior edge in the vertebral body of C4 of model B. Stress distribution on the occlusal plane and maxillofacial structure did not show absolute differences among the three models. Alteration of head posture was directly related to stress distribution on the cervical column, but may not always directly influence the occlusal state.     

Relationship between obesity, glucose tolerance, and periodontal disease in Japanese women: the Hisayama study

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported a relationship between obesity and periodontal disease. Obesity is the strongest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which is, in turn, a risk factor for periodontal disease. An oral glucose tolerance test is necessary to diagnose diabetes; however, no study has examined the relationship between obesity and periodontal disease by taking oral glucose tolerance test results into consideration. METHODs: In all, 584 Japanese women aged between 40 and 79 years old, with at least 10 teeth, underwent health examinations. Body mass index, waist-hip ratio, body fat, and oral glucose tolerance test results were used as independent variables with known risk factors for periodontal disease. Mean probing pocket depth and mean attachment loss were used as the dependent variables. RESULTS: In all of the analyses, body mass index, body fat, and waist--hip ratio were significantly associated with the highest quintile of mean probing pocket depth, even when adjusted for oral glucose tolerance test results. In the multivariate analysis, the subjects with the highest quartile of body mass index had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for the highest quintile of mean probing pocket depth [OR, 4.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.1--8.9; p<0.001], whereas neither impaired glucose tolerance nor diabetes were significantly associated with deep pockets. The relationships between the obesity indexes and mean attachment loss did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Obesity was associated with deep pockets in Japanese women, even after adjusting for oral glucose tolerance test.