Application of poly CDME (PCDME) gel to the palatal plate

In some patients with cleft lip and palate, the palatal cleft is wide and three-dimensionally deformed at birth. This can result in difficulty in sucking, which subsequently causes poor weight and development. The resin-based palatal plate for patients is maintained in position with retentive components such as a ball clasp and Adams clasp. In this study, we report on our experience conducting research and developing a palatal plate that consists of PCDME [Poly-N-(carboxymethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2-(methacryloyloxy) ethanaminium] gel adhered to a polycarbonate frame. The gel is viscous and adheres to the mucosa, thereby maintaining the plate. Moreover, there are no retentive components, such as clasps for attachment and detachment ; therefore, it can been worn with a comfortable fitting, i.e ., tight and with sufficient pressure. If this device is put to practical use, the burden on patients with cleft palate could be reduced considerably

Lip incompetence and myofunctional therapy

Lip incompetence, which is a state in which the upper and lower lips are constantly apart, is thought to induce mouth breathing that may result in the development of gingivitis and periodontal disease. In the orthodontic field, lip incompetence has major problems for diagnosis, when determining the treatment goal and at the time of retention. We have been performing studies on lip incompetence and have obtained the following results : (1) it is possible to predict to some extent the state of lip closure during sleep by examination only in an awake state, (2) anterior teeth are positioned forward in individuals with lip incompetence, and (3) a training method called Button Pull is effective as a myofunctional therapy for improving lip incompetence, but there remains a need to clarify the background

Study of training for improving lip incompetence

Purpose: We have been using myofunctional therapy in orthodontic treatment to improve orofacial disorders. Our previous study showed that lip training increased orbicularis oris muscle strength and endurance. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of hypoxic lip training for improving lip incompetence. Subjects and methods: Twenty healthy subjects (10 males and 10 females, 23.6 +/- 2.3 years old) with lip incompetence participated in this study. We recorded the sealed lip ratio calculated by using the formula "(lip-sealingtime/totalrecorded time) x 100" during relaxation (listening to soothing music) and during concentration (performing a mathematical calculation). Then the subjects performed a standardized hypoxic lip training (5 repetitive contractions with 80% of maximum tensile strength of the orbicularis oris muscle) with a traction plate. Training was repeated daily for 4 weeks. To estimate training effects, the sealed lip ratios during relaxation and concentration were recorded before training (T1), at 2 weeks (T2) and 4 weeks (T3) after the start of training, and at 4 weeks (T4) and 8 weeks (T5) after the end of training. Results: The sealed lip ratios in both the relaxation and concentration conditions significantly (p < 0.003 after Bonferroni correction) increased during the training period. Although the sealed lip ratios slightly decreased during the post-training period, they were not significantly different from those at T3. Conclusions: Hypoxic lip training increases the sealed lip ratio and is thus effective for improving lip incompetence. Sealed lip ratios were maintained after 8 weeks of training. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Universal nematode detection by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR) of purified nematode nucleic acids

In this study, we have described a modified degenerate oligonucleotide-primed polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR) method for molecular typing of nematodes collected from wild birds. To design the DOP-PCR, we selected 50 nonamers as DOP-motifs referring the data from a nematode genome. Inverted repeats of nonamers with a 100-1,500 base interval in the reported nematode genomes on the selection of the 50 nonamers. In these nonamers, 5 nonamers showed to create ladder pattern by DOP-PCR on 9, 6, 1, 2 and 3 species of morphologically identified adult nematodes, respectively. Eleven species of nematodes were distinguishable by combining the results of the two primers. It was suggested that the nematode species could be distinguished by DOP-PCR with a combination of 2 nonamers