BACKGROUND: Oral traumatic ulcerative lesions (OTUL) are commonly encountered in clinical practice, yet there is limited research on their clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors. This retrospective study aimed to analyze the age, gender, clinical characteristics, and traumatic etiological factors in a large cohort of patients with OTUL and provide valuable insights for dental clinicians to optimize patient care and prevention strategies.
METHODS: A total of 1543 patients with OTUL were enrolled in this study. Age, gender, medical history, clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors were collected and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the significance of age and gender as factors related to OTUL.
RESULTS: The study revealed significant variations in clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors among different age groups and between genders. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that both age and gender were significant factors related to OTUL.
CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics of OTUL and traumatic etiological factors appear to be significantly different according to age and gender. More targeted prevention strategies should be implemented for all age and gender groups.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is rare in juveniles. LDH occurring at age 20 years or younger is referred to as juvenile disc herniation (JDH). While adult LDH is regarded as an advanced stage of disc degeneration, it remains unclear why intervertebral discs rupture in youth. This study aimed to characterize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of JDH and investigate possible etiological factors. From 2013 to 2020, JDH patients and controls were identified and interviewed to assess demographics, general lifestyles, and family histories. MRIs were evaluated for disc degeneration, epiphyseal ring separation, Modic changes and endplate lesions. The relationships between JDH and suspected risk factors were examined. A total of 297 JDH patients (199 boys and 98 girls, age 17.3 ± 2.1 years) and 185 controls (age 17.1 ± 2.4 years) were studied. Age, body mass index, exposures to daily physical labor, regular exercise, and daily sitting time were similar between JDH cases and controls. A family medical history of serious back pain was more common in JDH patients than in controls (59.4% vs. 26.5%, p < 0.001), as well as family history of clinically established LDH (45.0% vs. 12.4%, p < 0.001). Epiphyseal ring separation was identified in 102 (29.2%) herniated discs in 91 (36.4%) JDH patients, while occurring in only 5 (1.4%) control participants (p < 0.001). Overall, severe disc degeneration was not a prominent finding in JDH patients. In conclusion, epiphyseal ring separation was a common magnetic resonance feature in JDH. Findings suggest a genetically mediated developmental model of JDH, rather than a model of premature disc degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an immune-mediated clinicopathological condition characterized by esophageal infiltration with eosinophils resulting in chronic inflammation and stricture.
CONCLUSIONS: The recent increase in the incidence of EoE and the characteristic presentation of symptoms with difficulty swallowing and food bolus impaction has raised key concerns of clinicians as well as researchers. EoE often presents with dysphagia, food impaction, nausea, regurgitation or vomiting, and decreased appetite. It is more common in males, affecting both adults and children. The causative manner of this condition is complex and multifactorial. Throughout recent years, researchers have made a significant contribution to understanding the pathogenesis of EoE, genetic background, natural history, work on allergy, and standardization in the evaluation of disease activity. There is relatively high prevalence of EoE among the population, emphasizing the importance of this disease. Key messages: Esophageal involvement with eosinophils may be manifested as isolated or with coexisting conditions and should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis. This study aimed to provide gastroenterologists with novel insights into the evaluation of esophageal involvement with eosinophils and to pay special attention to the etiological factors, coexisting clinical diseases, and complications.

Objectives: Spontaneous primary intraventricular hemorrhage (SPIVH) is a distinct subtype of nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage in the ventricular system without a recognizable parenchymal component. The purpose of this study was to analyze the etiological characteristics of SPIVH.Patients and Methods: We analyzed the records of 88 patients with SPIVH that had been evaluated and treated at our institute from January 2011 to May 2018. All the patients with IVH associated with trauma were excluded. All the patients underwent at least 1 vascular imaging examination.Results: There were 52 (59.1%) males and 36 females, aged between 5 and 76, with an average age of 38.1 years. Fourteen (15.9%) patients were in pediatric age range. Out of the 88 patients, vascular lesions were found in 46 patients (52.3%), hypertension in 21 (23.9%), coagulopathy in 1 (1.1%), tumor in 1 (1.1%), and idiopathic causes in 19 (21.6%). Among patients with vascular lesions, AVMs (43.5%) were the most dominant form (20/46), followed by MMD (28.2%), aneurysms (23.9%), AVMs with aneurysm (2.2%) and dAVF (2.2%).Conclusions: Spontaneous primary intraventricular hemorrhage is rare in clinical practice, hypertension and arteriovenous malformation are the most common factor. The main etiological factors of hemorrhage are various in different age groups.

Over the last two decades, the prevalence of obesity has increased rapidly. While it is intuitively appealing to believe that the causes of obesity are manifestly related to excess dietary intake, combined with a reduced expenditure of energy via a decrease in physical activity, it is also been noted that the evidence for these as the sole causes of the obesity epidemic is incomplete. This has led to the search for other causes of obesity, particularly those which stem from the environment we live in. This review will explore two putative causes of obesity: infections and environmental pollutants. It will focus on the key human infection associated with obesity-human adenovirus 36 (Ad36) and will discuss several environmental pollutants which have been postulated to be involved in the development of obesity: bisphenol A, phthalates and persistent organic pollutants. For each of these, the epidemiology and biological mechanisms underpinning the association of these agents with obesity will be reviewed.