Pan Wei

Accurately extracting lesion regions from histopathological images is crucial for diagnosing cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and determining the locations and shapes of such lesions is very important for evaluating tumor size and metastasis trends. The existing deep learning-based methods for extracting lesion regions in histopathological images primarily employ attention mechanisms to focus on regions of interest or integrate multiscale features to enhance the attained segmentation performance. However, their accuracy remains suboptimal when histopathological images with indistinct or blurred edge features are being processed. Therefore, we propose a dense prediction framework for histopathological images that integrates visual texture pattern enhancement and region-aware topological semantics via a feature interaction fusion strategy, enabling precise lesion segmentation. Specifically, our approach addresses the challenge brought by indistinct edges in pathological images through a multiscale texture enhancement branch, which sharpens discriminative morphological patterns. To optimize the feature fusion process, we introduce a positive definite-constrained attention mechanism that facilitates multilevel interactions between texture-enhanced and topological semantic features. Additionally, a united possibility state-space-model module is further designed to extract robust region-level topological semantics, thereby enhancing the ability of TexSem-Net to comprehend complex structural relationships. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art segmentation networks in terms of both accuracy and delineation precision.

Lichenoid granulomatous stomatitis (LGS), characterized by a combined histopathological presentation of lichenoid reactions and granulomatous inflammation,

Oral mucosal health is a critical component of overall oral health and impacts an individual’s quality of life. Despite variations in prevalence rates of oral mucosal diseases across regions, previous studies often involved small sample sizes with insufficient data analysis. This study addresses the gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of the changing spectrum of oral mucosal diseases in China, with a focus on the impact of COVID-19. It also explores trends in the use of Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) for treatment. This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 316,166 patients from the Department of Oral Medicine at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology between 2016 and 2024. Data on patient demographics, chief complaints, diagnoses, and the use of CPMs were collected and analyzed. Statistical comparisons were made using t-tests and chi-square tests, with significance set at P < 0.05. The average patient age was 49.42 ± 17.92 years, and women were significantly overrepresented (male/female ratio: 0.59). The most frequent diagnoses were oral lichen planus and recurrent aphthous stomatitis, accounting for the top two positions each year. The study found significant differences in disease patterns among age groups, with oral potentially malignant disorders like oral lichen planus becoming more prevalent in older populations. CPMs were used by 52.29% of patients, with similar proportions using topical and systemic treatments. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), the number of patients dropped significantly, and an increased prevalence of burning mouth syndrome and oral candidiasis was observed. This study offers the largest amount of valuable epidemiological data on the management of oral mucosal diseases to date in China, underscoring the need for targeted health resource allocation. An important trend was the greater predilection for females and middle-aged and elderly populations. The top three diseases in terms of number of patients were oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous stomatitis, and oral candidiasis. The treatment data indicated widespread use of CPMs for oral mucosal diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant decrease in the number of total patients and was also characterized by an increase in the proportion of patients with diseases that have psychosomatic associations. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread use of CPMs warrant further investigation in future studies to ensure evidence-based medical practices. Not applicable.

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease primarily affecting salivary glands, with xerostomia as a distinct clinical manifestation. This disease also poses a significantly increased risk of lymphoma, severely impacting patients’ quality of life. The imbalance between Th17 and Treg cells plays a critical role in SS progression, driving severe immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and escalating tissue dysfunction. However, current clinical treatments for SS still remain limited, and it continues to be recognized as a refractory disease. Therefore, the development of novel and effective therapeutic strategies is a pressing demand in clinical research. In recent years, extracellular vesicle (EV) therapy has emerged as a promising approach for autoimmune disease treatment, showing encouraging outcomes in modulating immune balance and alleviating symptoms. EVs carry diverse cargo, among which microRNAs (miRNAs) are highly abundant and play critical roles. These small RNAs are essential for EV-mediated functions, particularly in regulating gene expression and modulating the immune microenvironment. Our research team first isolated labial gland mesenchymal stem cells (LGMSCs) and their derived EVs (LGMSC-EVs), which offer potential therapeutic advantages in SS due to their salivary gland origin. Then we screened and identified the highly enriched miRNA let-7f-5p as a key regulator through miRNA profiling analysis. To achieve better therapeutic outcomes, we transfected exogenous miRNA let-7f-5p into LGMSC-EVs to upregulate its expression, thereby constructing let-7f-5p-encapsulated LGMSC-EVs. These modified EVs were subsequently tested in an experimental SS mouse model to evaluate their therapeutic potential. The upregulation of miRNA let-7f-5p in LGMSC-EVs significantly enhanced their therapeutic effects, resulting in clinical improvements such as increased salivary flow and reduced lymphocytic infiltration. Mechanistically, let-7f-5p-encapsulated LGMSC-EVs suppressed Th17 cells by directly targeting the 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) of RORC, inhibiting the RORC/IL-17A signaling axis, and reducing IL-17A production, thereby restoring Th17/Treg balance and promoting an anti-inflammatory profile. Collectively, this let-7f-5p-encapsulated LGMSC-EV therapy offers a promising target-driven approach for the treatment of SS, achieving improved clinical outcomes and immune rebalance after modification with miRNA let-7f-5p, which presents new potential for the clinical treatment of SS.

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal autoimmune bullous disease. The role of microRNA (miRNA, miR) in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of PV remains unknown. This study aims to provide potential miRNA biomarkers for PV diagnosis and therapy options. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 22 PV patients, 15 mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) patients, and 10 normal controls (NC). Total RNA was extracted from the serum samples, and 12 selected miRNAs were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatic analyses including target gene prediction and enrichment analysis were performed. Results: Twelve miRNAs were increased in the serum of the PV group compared with the NC group, in which six miRNAs had good efficacy to diagnose PV from MMP with the area under the receiver operator characteristic curves of 0.970 to 0.988. A series test for the combination of miR-584-5p and miR-155-5p reached the sensitivity and specificity of 95.5% and 100%. Bioinformatic analysis revealed target gene enrichment in the cell adhesion pathways, immune-relating pathways, and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study provides new insights and targets of miRNAs for the precise diagnosis and the exploration of pathogenesis for PV, which may serve as a reference for further research into autoimmune bullous diseases.

Toothpastes are one of the most common personal care products among people of all ages. The various toothpaste types and their complex ingredients could cause irritation or allergic reactions. Allergic contact stomatitis has been often seen in clinical practice; however, desensitizing toothpastes as a trigger are often unrecognized. Here, we report three cases of allergic contact stomatitis due to stannous chloride‐containing desensitizing toothpastes. General dentists and other professionals should pay more attention to the safety and adverse effects of toothpastes.