The limitation of markers for chronic oral diseases such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. The pathogenesis of OLP and BMS is not yet fully understood. Therefore, diagnoses are mainly based on the observation of clinical features and history, rather than established markers. C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are used to determine the state of inflammation; however, these markers have some limitations. Recently, a new inflammatory marker, pentraxin-3 (PTX3), has been identified in other systemic inflammatory diseases. PTX3 is a member of the pentraxin family and is classified as a long pentraxin. PTX3 is found in various human tissues, whereas the classical short pentraxin, CRP, is secreted only in the liver. PTX3 is a marker of autoimmune diseases and periodontitis. However, there are no studies on PTX3 in OLP and BMS; therefore, we sought to determine if PTX3 can be a diagnostic marker for OLP and BMS. PTX3 was found to be correlated with other inflammatory markers, suggesting its diagnostic value for inflammatory oral diseases. We also found that the PTX3 levels were lower in patients with OLP and BMS. ESR levels were elevated in the OLP and BMS groups, but CRP levels were not. Despite these associations, no correlation was found between PTX3 expression and other known clinical features of OLP and BMS. We suggest that PTX3 plays a role in the immunological and neurological pathways involved in the complex pathogenesis of OLP and BMS.

남강댐 하류역에 위치한 사천만, 진주만, 강진만에서 가화천 방류에 따른 담수 배제의 분배 특성을 평가하기 위하여 입자추적 수치실험을 실험하였다. 가화천을 통해 3개의 방류조건(무방류, 강우시 방류, 홍수시 방류)에서 입자 1000개를 투여하여 노량수도, 대방수 도, 창선해협으로 빠져나가는 입자의 수를 비교하였다. 가화천을 통한 방류량이 늘어날수록 노량수도로의 입자 분배율이 증가하고, 대방 수도로의 분배율이 감소하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 즉, 평소에는 가화천 하류에 위치한 물질의 약 95%가 대방수도를 통해 빠져나가다 가, 강우에 의해 남강댐의 방류량이 증가하면서 노량수도로의 분배율이 증가하며, 홍수시에는 노량수도로의 입자 분배율이 45.5% 까지 증가하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

Grapefruit extract rich in functional substances adjusting pH 5.0 and adding sucrose (final concentration, 2%) was fermented by Leuconostoc mesenteroides CJNU 0147 strain, consequently prepared a fermented grapefruit extract containing dextran. As a result of analyzing the growth inhibitory effect on gut harmful bacterium Clostridium difficile strain using the prepared fermented grapefruit extract, the viable cell count was significantly reduced (p<0.05 vs. control for 0.5 brix as a final concentration; p<0.001 vs. control for 1.0 brix). On the other hand, the proliferative ability of the extract for Bifidobacterium breve strain, which is one of the species of the genus Bifidobacterium well known as human gut beneficial bacteria, was confirmed (p<0.001 vs. control for both 0.5 and 1.0 brix). These results indicate fermented grapefruit extract with Leu. mesenteroides CJNU 0147 strain inhibits the growth of gut harmful bacterium C. difficile and promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacterium B. breve and is expected to be used as a functional food material for gut health.

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen of chronic periodontitis, colonizes in subgingival crevice and affects surrounding oral tissues, especially in periodontitis patients. Oral cancer mainly occurs in old-aged persons, and are exposed to the P. gingivalis, released from periodontitis, one of the most common inflammatory disease of oral cavity. Thus oral cancer cells may be infected with P. gingivalis, and its biologic behavior are autologously and/or heterogeneously modulated by altering gene expression. Exosomes which are derived from cells contain not only coding genes but also non-coding RNAs such as long non-coding RNAs, miRNA, and piRNAs. Here, to investigate the effect of P. gingivalis on oral cancer cells and to gain insight into the crosstalk between inflammatory signal from tumor microenvironment and oral cancer, we observed miRNA profiles of exosomes from P. gingivalis–infected oral cancer cells. Upregulation of 6 miRNAs, miR-203-3p, miR-6516-3p, miR-483-5p, miR-1275, miR-8485, and miR-19a-3p, were observed whereas 14 miRNAs including let-7a-3p, miR-106a-5p were downregulated. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis using the upregulated- and downregulated- miRNAs showed association with cell adhesion molecules pathway and ECM-receptor interaction pathway, respectively. These findings suggest that P. gingivalis could modulate biologic behavior of oral cancer cells through changes of exosomal miRNAs.

화교(华侨)·화인(华人)으로 불리는 중국계 이주민의 일본 유입은 19세기 중반부터 본격화 되었으며, 2007년 이후 이미 일본의 최대 이주민 집단으로 성장하였다. 일본의 수도이자 정치·경제·문화 중심지 도쿄는 일본 국내에서도 가장 많은 화교·화인이 밀집거주하고 있는 지역이다. 이 연구는 도쿄 화교·화인을 연구대상으로 선정하여 현지조사 및 심층면접을 중심으로 그들의 현지적응 실태 및 민족공동체 구축 현황을 세부적으로 검토하였다. 연구결과 첫째, 도쿄는 신화교를 중심으로 한 중국계 이주민의 최대 밀집거주지역으로 성장하였으며, 이러한 수도권 집중 현상은 가속화되고 있는 추세이다. 둘째, 1980년대 이후 대규모 신화교가 도쿄로 유입됨에 따라 이케부쿠로에는 300여 개에 달하는 화교·화인 가게가 운영되는 등 뉴차이나타운이 조성되고 있다. 셋째, 도쿄 화교·화인은 화교학교, 화교단체, 화교미디어를 기반으로 그들만의 민족공동체를 구축하고 있다. 그들은 도쿄중화학교를 통해 민족언어를 유지하고 전통문화를 전승하며, 화교단체를 설립해 친목을 도모하고 네트워크를 구축한다. 또한 화교미디어를 통해 현지 적응을 촉진하는 동시에 화교·화인의 영향력을 확대하고 있다.

이 연구는 의미연결망 분석을 활용하여 Movement culture 중 K-pop 댄스, 태권도 공연의 인식을 탐색하는 것이 목적이다. 연구대상은 대전 소재 K 대학의 105명으로 선정하였다. 연구대상의 선정방법은 비확률 표집방법 중 눈덩이표본추출법을 사용하였으며 조사도구는 모바일 구글 설문지를 사용하였다. 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, K-pop 댄스는 ‘세계화’, ‘문화’, ‘유명’의 개념이 20회 이상 산출 된 인식의 상위 개념임을 알 수 있었다. 둘째, K-pop 댄스 인식의 의미연결망 분석 결과, ‘문화’, ‘인기’, ‘유명’ 개념이 k-pop 댄스 인식의 주요 연결개념임을 알 수 있었다. 셋째, 태권도 공연은 ‘좋음’, ‘한국’, ‘절제의 개념이 20회 이상 산출된 상위개념임을 확인할 수 있다. 넷째, 태권도 공연 인식의 의미연결망 분석 결과, ‘움직임’, ‘한국’, ‘좋음’ 의 개념이 태권도 공연 인식의 주요 연결개념임을 알 수 있었다.

We conducted a seasonal field survey to analyze the distribution patterns of a phytoplankton community and biological oceanographic characteristics in the Geum river estuary in 2018. The results showed that the phytoplankton community consisted of 58 genera and 116 species, showing a relatively simple distribution. It was controlled by diatoms at 70.2%, a low number of species in winter and spring, and a high number in summer and autumn. The phytoplankton cell density ranged from 10.0 to 2,904.0 cells mL-1, with an average layer of 577.2 cells mL-1, which was low in autumn and high in winter. The seasonal succession of phytoplankton dominant species was mainly centric diatoms from winter to summer, including Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii, Cerataulina bergonii, and Skeletonema costatum-ls in winter, S. costatum-ls and C. bergonii in spring, and Eucampia zodiacus and Th. nordenskioeldii in summer. However, the autumn species depended upon the regions, with the inner bay dominated by the centric diatom, Aulacoseira cf. granulata, the mixed areas by S. costatum-ls, and the open sea by the dinoflagellate, Lingulodinium polyedra. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the phytoplankton community was greatly affected by the inflow and expansion of freshwater, including high nutrients, which are introduced annually through the rivermouth weir in Geum river estuary. However, the estuary, which is strongly affected by annual freshwater, was limited to areas near Geumran Island, which is adjacent to the river-mouth weir.

Hypoxia is one of the most common features of cancer. It is also associated with cancer progression and the acquisition of aggressiveness, which includes invasion and metastasis. Oral squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 90% of all oral cancers, and its 5-year survival rate is about 50%. Despite various attempts and trials, its prognosis has not improved. Among numerous adverse prognostic factors, hypoxia is suspected as one of the most important factors, as it increases the aggressiveness of oral cancer cells. We attempted to observe the effect of hypoxia on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in oral cancer cells. We analyzed and compared both the mRNA and protein expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal markers using qRT-PCR and western blotting in both normoxic and hypoxic YD10B oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Eighty-six genes were analyzed through real-time PCR using commercial microarray plates, performed in triplicate. Among the 86 genes, the expression of 24 were increased (≥ 2 fold) by hypoxia, while that of three genes was decreased (≥ 2 fold). Hypoxia significantly affects epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related genes. Further studies on the regulation of these genes may help to develop more efficient therapeutic modalities for oral cancer and to improve prognosis of oral cancer patients.

Squamous odontogenic tumor (SOT) is a relatively rare, benign, small (rarely > 1.5 cm in diameter), but locally infiltrative and occasionally aggressive odontogenic epithelial lesion that appears to have harmatomous and neoplastic characteristics [1]. SOT is often asymptomatic, although it can present with mildly painful gingival swelling or tooth mobility. Radiographically, SOT is usually visualized as an irregularly or triangularly shaped unilocular radiolucency associated with the lateral roots of teeth. We report a case of the squamous odontogenic tumor occurring in a 60-year-old female in the right posterior maxilla with unusual radiographic and clinical appearances.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs consisting of 18~24 nucleotides in length. Each miRNA is expected to bind a few hundreds of putative target mRNAs, thus inhibiting their translation into protein products mostly by degradation of targets. With its biogenesis extensively deciphered, miRNAs have been implicated in a variety of biological processes, including early development and cellular metabolism. In addition, dysregulation of miRNAs and subsequent alterations in the expression of its target molecules are thought to be linked to the pathophysiology of multiple human illnesses, including cancer. To establish the miRNA-target relationships important for developing a specific disease, it is critical to validate the putative targets of each miRNA suggested by computational methods in vivo. In this review, we will first discuss oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles of miRNAs in human cancer and introduce computational methods to predict putative targets of miRNAs. Then, the value of Drosophila melanogaster as an alternative model system will be further discussed in studying human cancer and in validating the miRNA-target relationships in vivo. Finally, we will present a possibility of applying the mammals-to-Drosophila-to-mammals approach to study the roles of miRNAs and their targets in the pathophysiology of oral cancer, an intractable type of cancer with poor prognosis and survival rate.