To explore the impact of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2) on alveolar socket bone healing in mice with periodontitis after tooth extraction.

A murine periodontitis model was established using the silk ligature method, and changes in the expression of TREM2⁺ macrophages within the alveolar socket were detected by immunofluorescence staining. A periodontitis tooth-extraction model was established using Trem2 gene knockout (Trem2^-/-) mice, and alveolar socket bone healing was evaluated by Micro-CT, Masson staining, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) were cultured in vitro to establish an indirect co-culture system, and the osteogenic differentiation capacity of BMSCs was assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining.

The number of TREM2⁺ macrophages within the alveolar socket increased after tooth extraction in mice with periodontitis. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, Trem2^-/- mice exhibited reduced new bone formation, a decreased bone volume fraction (bone volume/tissue volume, BV/TV), and decreased new bone collagen deposition within the alveolar socket at 7 and 14 days after tooth extraction; the number of osteoclasts within the alveolar socket increased at 14 days after tooth extraction. In vitro experiments showed that, compared with the conditioned medium from the WT group, the conditioned medium from the Trem2^-/- group induced lower expression levels of Alp, Runx2, and Sp7 and weaker ALP activity in BMSCs.

In the microenvironment of periodontitis, macrophage Trem2 plays a crucial regulatory role in alveolar socket healing. In the in vitro indirect co-culture system with BMSCs, reduced Trem2 expression attenuates the ability of BMDMs to induce the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

To synthesize copper-composite mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with aminoguanidine (AG@Cu-MSNs) and investigate their effects on the osteogenic differentiation of methylglyoxal (MGO)-stimulated rat maxillary bone marrow stromal cells (M-BMSCs).

Copper-composite mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Cu-MSNs) were prepared by the sol-gel method, and AG@Cu-MSNs were prepared by dispersing Cu-MSNs in deionized water containing aminoguanidine. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and other techniques. M-BMSCs were cultured. The CCK-8 assay kit was used to determine the optimal stimulatory concentration of MGO on M-BMSCs and the co-culture concentration of composite nanoparticles with M-BMSCs. The live/dead staining assay was employed to assess the impact of composite nanoparticles on cell viability in MGO-stimulated conditions. After 7 days of mineralization induction, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was assessed using an ALP assay kit. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of some osteogenic related gene. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of osteogenesis-related proteins.

The application concentration of MGO was determined to be 0.5 mmol/L by CCK-8 assay. The results of CCK-8 assay and live/dead staining assay showed that the composite nanoparticles had good biocompatibility. Among them, the AG@Cu-MSNs group exhibited the highest cell viability and proliferation in MGO-stimulated conditions. After 7 days of mineralization induction, compared with the MGO stimulation group, the AG@Cu-MSNs group exhibited the most pronounced ALP staining intensity. Additionally, the expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes (Alpl, Runx2, Osx) and corresponding proteins (RUNX2, OSX) were significantly upregulated.

In MGO-stimulated conditions, AG@Cu-MSNs significantly promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of M-BMSCs.

To investigate the effect of the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) combined with the cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor abemaciclib on the survival of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and to explore the role of histone lysine demethylase 6A (KDM6A) in this process.

The expression levels of CDK4 and CDK6 in HNSCC tissues and their correlations with glycolysis-related genes (HK1, HK2, GLUT1, GPI, PFKP, GAPDH, ALDOA, PGK1, PGAM1, ENO1, PKM, and LDHA) were analyzed using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEPIA2 databases. Cell proliferation following treatment with 2-DG and abemaciclib, either alone or in combination, was assessed in SCC9 and SCC25 cells using the CCK-8 assay. KDM6A protein expression after drug treatment was determined by Western blotting. KDM6A-knockout SCC25 cells (SCC25^ΔKDM6A) were generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system to evaluate the effect of KDM6A deficiency on the antiproliferative activity of the combination therapy.

The mRNA expression levels of CDK4 and CDK6 were significantly higher in HNSCC tissues than in normal tissues and were positively correlated with the expression of glycolysis-related genes. The CCK-8 assay demonstrated that the combination of 2-DG and abemaciclib inhibited the survival of HNSCC cells more effectively than either agent alone. Western blotting showed that combination treatment increased KDM6A protein expression in SCC25 cells. Furthermore, KDM6A knockout attenuated the inhibitory effect of the combined treatment on SCC25 cell survival.

2-DG enhances the antitumor efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibition in HNSCC through a KDM6A-dependent mechanism, providing a potential precision combination therapy strategy for KDM6A-deficient HNSCC.

To investigate the factors associated with medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) following tooth extraction in patients receiving denosumab, and to evaluate the clinical value of mucoperiosteal flap closure.

A single-center prospective cohort study was conducted, including 116 patients receiving denosumab therapy (308 teeth) who underwent tooth extraction at Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital, between February 2024 and September 2025. Clinical data were collected, and patients were divided into a mucoperiosteal flap closure group and a simple suturing group according to the wound management approach. All patients were followed up for 3 months, and healing outcomes were recorded. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were applied at the tooth level to identify factors influencing post-extraction healing outcomes.

The incidence of MRONJ was 15.00% in the denosumab high-dose group and 1.04% in the low-dose group. Multivariate analysis showed that uncontrolled inflammation at the surgical site was significantly associated with adverse healing outcomes [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 84.86], whereas mucoperiosteal flap closure significantly reduced the risk of poor healing and MRONJ (aOR = 0.27). No significant association was observed between preventive drug discontinuation (≥1 month) and healing outcomes (P>0.05).

Local inflammatory status is an important factor affecting healing outcomes after tooth extraction in patients receiving denosumab. Mucoperiosteal flap closure may help reduce the risk of adverse postoperative outcomes. When long-term discontinuation is not feasible, a 1-month drug discontinuation before extraction appears to be relatively safe.

To investigate the association between serum albumin (ALB) levels at admission and the disease severity and prognosis of patients with maxillofacial space infection (MSI), and to analyze the risk factors for prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS).

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 154 patients with MSI admitted to Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024. Based on the initial serum ALB level measured at admission, the patients were divided into three groups: <30 g/L, 30–35 g/L, and >35 g/L. The clinical characteristics were compared among the three ALB groups. Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the association of clinical characteristics and ALB levels with prolonged length of hospital stay (LOS>14 days) and in-hospital mortality. Variables with P<0.05 in the univariate analysis, as well as variables considered clinically meaningful were subsequently included in multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors for prolonged LOS.

A total of 154 patients were included, of whom 141 (91.6%) survived and 13 (8.4%) died. 26 patients (16.9%) had a prolonged LOS (>14 days). Serum ALB levels were significantly associated with age, number of involved fascial spaces, neutrophil percentage, white blood cell count, and prealbumin level (all P<0.05). Lower ALB levels were associated with a higher incidence of prolonged LOS (χ²=14.033, P<0.001) and increased in-hospital mortality (χ²=11.565, P=0.003). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that, after adjustment for age, number of involved fascial spaces, descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM), surgical treatment, and neutrophil percentage, patients with ALB levels of 30–35 g/L (OR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.07-0.73,  P=0.013) and >35 g/L (OR=0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.48,  P=0.002) had significantly lower risks of prolonged LOS compared with those with ALB levels <30 g/L, indicating that lower ALB level was an independent predictor of prolonged LOS.

Low serum ALB level at admission was significantly associated with prolonged LOS and increased risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with MSI, and was identified as an independent risk factor for prolonged LOS. Serum ALB may serve as a simple and practical biomarker for assessing disease severity and prognosis in MSI, facilitating early risk stratification and aiding in the formulation of individualized treatment strategies in clinical practice.

To investigate the clinical efficacy of a blood clot stabilization-based therapeutic strategy for the treatment of alveolar osteitis and to evaluate its effects on pain relief and wound healing.

Clinical data of 30 patients with alveolar osteitis (33 affected teeth) treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haikou People's Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, from January 2020 to April 2026 were analyzed. According to the treatment strategy, patients were divided into an observation group (blood clot stabilization strategy, n=15) and a control group (conventional iodoform gauze dressing, n=15). In the observation group, thorough debridement was performed under local anesthesia to establish a fresh bleeding socket. For sockets with insufficient bleeding, perforation of the alveolar bone wall was performed to induce bleeding. The blood clot was reconstructed using autologous concentrated growth factor/platelet-rich fibrin (CGF/PRF) or autologous venous blood, followed by coverage with a collagen sponge and fixation with sutures. The control group received conventional debridement followed by iodoform gauze dressing. Pain intensity was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) before treatment and at 24, 48 h, and 7 d after treatment. Clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups.

Pain was gradually alleviated in both groups after treatment. There was no significant difference in pretreatment VAS scores between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the VAS scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group at 24, 48 h, and 7 d after treatment (all P<0.001). In the observation group, 7 patients (46.7%) met the criteria for clinical improvement within 24 h, and the remaining 8 patients (53.3%) met the criteria within 24-48 h. All patients achieved clinical healing at the 7-day follow-up. In the control group, pain relief occurred more slowly, and two patients failed to meet the criteria for clinical improvement. The clinical healing rate at 7 d was 46.7%.

The blood clot stabilization-based therapeutic strategy demonstrated advantages in early pain relief and wound healing, providing a promising therapeutic option for the clinical management of alveolar osteitis.

To evaluate the anesthetic efficacy and safety of modified infiltration anesthesia for the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars.

A randomized split-mouth, self-controlled study was conducted. A total of 140 patients who underwent bilateral impacted mandibular third molar extraction in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, between August 2023 and August 2024 were enrolled. One side was randomly assigned to receive modified infiltration anesthesia, while the contralateral side received conventional inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia, with a 2-week interval between the two procedures. Pain intensity was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at different time points during anesthetic injection and up to 7 days postoperatively. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate during anesthetic injection and tooth extraction, anesthesia onset time, the incidence of supplemental anesthesia, lower lip and lingual numbness and anesthesia-related adverse reactions were compared between the two sides.

VAS scores changed significantly over time in both groups (P<0.001). Compared with the inferior alveolar nerve block group, the modified infiltration anesthesia group had significantly lower VAS scores during anesthetic injection and tooth extraction (both P<0.001), whereas no significant differences were observed at any postoperative time point (all P>0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures during anesthesia injection were significantly lower in the modified infiltration anesthesia group than in the inferior alveolar nerve block group (both P<0.01), while no significant differences in blood pressure or heart rate were found between the two groups at the remaining time points (all P>0.05). The modified infiltration anesthesia group showed a shorter anesthesia onset time and lower incidences of supplemental anesthesia, lower lip numbness, lingual numbness, bleeding or hematoma at the injection site, and positive aspiration (all P<0.05). No cases of trismus, facial paralysis, transient diplopia or blindness, or systemic adverse reactions were observed in either group.

Modified infiltration anesthesia for impacted mandibular third molar extraction effectively reduces pain during anesthetic injection and tooth extraction, shortens anesthesia onset time, decreases the need for supplemental anesthesia, lower lip and lingual numbness, and anesthesia-related local adverse reactions, demonstrating favorable safety and clinical value.