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Aim of the study: This bibliometric analysis aims to explore the current research landscape on virtual reality (VR) therapy in stomatology, identifying key publication trends, influential contributors, research themes, and potential gaps in this evolving field. Materials and methods: Using the Web of Science database, publications from 2019 to 2024 were extracted with the keywords “virtual reality” and “dentistry” resulting in 32 articles. The analysis included publication trends, leading authors, journals, collaboration networks, and thematic categorization. Results: The study found a growing interest in VR therapy, especially in the last three years, with key themes including anxiety management, dental education, clinical training, and procedural simulations. Major contributors are primarily from the USA, China, and India, with limited representation from Romania. Collaboration networks highlight the field’s interdisciplinary nature. Identified gaps include the need for standardized protocols, cost-effectiveness, and understanding long-term impacts. Conclusions: This analysis provides insights into the evolving role of VR in stomatology, emphasizing its potential benefits. Addressing challenges such as implementation costs and standardization can guide future research to optimize VR’s use in dental care.

Abstract The elevated metabolic requirements of cancer cells reflect their rapid growth and proliferation and are met through mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that reprogram cellular processes. For example, in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-related tumors, the loss of TSC1/2 function causes constitutive mTORC1 activity, which stimulates glycolysis, resulting in glucose addiction in vitro. In research published in Cell and Bioscience, Jiang and colleagues show that pharmacological restriction of glucose metabolism decreases tumor progression in a TSC xenograft model. See research article: http://www.cellandbioscience.com/content/1/1/34

Introduction Positive psychology theory sustains that the construct of the Self and its components, such as self-evaluation, social self-esteem, and self-coherence, determine our behavior. Personal daily habits and lifestyle modalities lay on these personality components. Problematic and addictive behavior is also strongly influenced by our Self and its main elements. Objectives This study aims to determine those personality components related to the central Self-construct that actuates problematic smartphone use. Our further objective is to identify targeted, self-enhancing activities that prevent problematic smartphone use. Methods Participants were teenagers and adults (N=147) from the 17-73 age group (mean age 37.5 years), 31 male and 116 female. Respondents provided self-reported data on their demographic characteristics, perceived self-esteem, social self-esteem, sense of coherence, and problematic smartphone use through an online survey attainable on a web-based platform. Instruments were the Core Self-Evaluation Scale (Judge et al., 2003), the MOS-SSS Social Support Assessing Scale (Sherbourne & Stewart, 1991), the Sense of Coherence Scale (Rahe & Tolles, 2002), and the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (Csibi et al., 2018). Results Respondents who reported being more familiar with smartphone applications and spending more time online scored higher on the problematic smartphone use scale. Our study found significant associations between age and problematic smartphone use, with those from younger groups scoring higher. Participants characterized by lower self-esteem proved a more pronounced problematic smartphone use. In our sample, social self-image and social support did not show relevant correlations with the total score of problematic smartphone use. However, a high sense of coherence showed a significant negative association with problematic smartphone use. Conclusions A more mature Self-construct characterized by a positive self-evaluation and increased sense of coherence act as protective factors against problematic smartphone use. Providing adequate self-evaluation and social support among young through targeted activities will have a higher role in younger age groups, preventing problematic smartphone use. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Endometriosis, a benign, chronic gynecological disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, affects 15% of women of reproductive age. Galectins, a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins, regulate inflammation and autoimmunity and are widely expressed in reproductive tissues. This study aimed to assess Galectin-3 (Gal-3) levels in the serum of patients with endometriosis compared to asymptomatic controls and investigate serum Gal-3 level changes over a one-year follow-up period of patients with endometriosis. To determine the levels of soluble Gal-3 in the serum of women with endometriosis or gynecological tumors as well as healthy controls, a human Gal-3-specific ELISA was used. Our findings revealed significantly elevated serum Gal-3 levels in patients with endometriosis compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, Gal-3 concentrations were markedly higher in patients with malignant gynecological transformation of the endometrium than in patients with or without endometriosis. During the one-year follow-up, patients with endometriosis exhibited a progressive increase in serum Gal-3 levels. These findings highlight the potential of Gal-3 as a biomarker for endometriosis and related gynecological conditions. However, further prospective studies with larger, more representative patient cohorts are needed to validate its clinical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This bibliometric analysis aims to explore the current research landscape on virtual reality (VR) therapy in stomatology, identifying key publication trends, influential contributors, research themes, and potential gaps in this evolving field. Materials and methods: Using the Web of Science database, publications from 2019 to 2024 were extracted with the keywords "virtual reality" and "dentistry" resulting in 32 articles. The analysis included publication trends, leading authors, journals, collaboration networks, and thematic categorization. Results: The study found a growing interest in VR therapy, especially in the last three years, with key themes including anxiety management, dental education, clinical training, and procedural simulations. Major contributors are primarily from the USA, China, and India, with limited representation from Romania. Collaboration networks highlight the field's interdisciplinary nature. Identified gaps include the need for standardized protocols, cost-effectiveness, and understanding long-term impacts. Conclusions: This analysis provides insights into the evolving role of VR in stomatology, emphasizing its potential benefits. Addressing challenges such as implementation costs and standardization can guide future research to optimize VR's use in dental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with oral Candida albicans infection, although it is unclear whether the fungus promotes the genesis and progression of OSCC or whether cancer facilitates fungal growth. In this study, we investigated whether C. albicans can potentiate OSCC tumor development and progression. In vitro, the presence of live C. albicans, but not Candida parapsilosis, enhanced the progression of OSCC by stimulating the production of matrix metalloproteinases, oncometabolites, protumor signaling pathways, and overexpression of prognostic marker genes associated with metastatic events. C. albicans also upregulated oncogenes in nonmalignant cells. Using a newly established xenograft in vivo mouse model to investigate OSCC-C. albicans interactions, oral candidiasis enhanced the progression of OSCC through inflammation and induced the overexpression of metastatic genes and significant changes in markers of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Finally, using the 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) murine model, we directly correlate these in vitro and short-term in vivo findings with the progression of oncogenesis over the long term. Taken together, these data indicate that C. albicans upregulates oncogenes, potentiates a premalignant phenotype, and is involved in early and late stages of malignant promotion and progression of oral cancer. IMPORTANCE Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a serious health issue worldwide that accounts for 2% to 4% of all cancer cases. Previous studies have revealed a higher yeast carriage and diversity in oral cancer patients than in healthy individuals. Furthermore, fungal colonization in the oral cavity bearing OSCC is higher on the neoplastic epithelial surface than on adjacent healthy surfaces, indicating a positive association between oral yeast carriage and epithelial carcinoma. In addition to this, there is strong evidence supporting the idea that Candida contributes to carcinogenesis events in the oral cavity. Here, we show that an increase in Candida albicans burden promotes an oncogenic phenotype in the oral cavity.

Growth-promoting signaling molecules, including the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), drive the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells required to support their biosynthetic needs for rapid growth and proliferation. Glutamine is catabolyzed to α-ketoglutarate (αKG), a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate, through two deamination reactions, the first requiring glutaminase (GLS) to generate glutamate and the second occurring via glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) or transaminases. Activation of the mTORC1 pathway has been shown previously to promote the anaplerotic entry of glutamine to the TCA cycle via GDH. Moreover, mTORC1 activation also stimulates the uptake of glutamine, but the mechanism is unknown. It is generally thought that rates of glutamine utilization are limited by mitochondrial uptake via GLS, suggesting that, in addition to GDH, mTORC1 could regulate GLS. Here we demonstrate that mTORC1 positively regulates GLS and glutamine flux through this enzyme. We show that mTORC1 controls GLS levels through the S6K1-dependent regulation of c-Myc (Myc). Molecularly, S6K1 enhances Myc translation efficiency by modulating the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor eIF4B, which is critical to unwind its structured 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Finally, our data show that the pharmacological inhibition of GLS is a promising target in pancreatic cancers expressing low levels of PTEN.

Film and television coverage of the “Little Hungarian World” following the Second Vienna Award remains incomplete. The media products, mostly funded by Hungary, usually portray the period between 1940 and 1944 in a one-sided manner, resulting from the lack of an unvarnished and honest confrontation with our own history. The question arises: if we try to understand this phenomenon based on the available audiovisual productions, how distorted will our perception become? Is it possible to create a media product about this subject without nationalistic overtones and, if so, how? In this paper, I begin to reflect on this question primarily as a filmmaker who has produced a documentary on this subject. In 2015, in our film Sweet Transylvania, We Were Here, we attempted to reconstruct the brief period of Northern Transylvania's return to Hungary based on oral history collections. I now aim to examine this phenomenon through the lens of available audiovisual products, complemented by the interviews collected for our documentary. This examination will focus on the following keywords: Second Vienna Award, the relationship between Hungarians from the Homeland and those from Transylvania, anti-Semitism, regime change, and sense of identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Components of Self, completed with the perceived social support determine the individual differences in the evaluation of a stressor and the behavioral responses toward it, such as health-related anxiety. The study set as a goal the analysis of associations between the components of Self, such as self-evaluation, sense of coherence, perceived social support, and reported health-related anxiety in an adult sample. Methods: 147 adults from the 18-73 age group (mean age 37.5) voluntarily completed the questionnaire through Qualtrics online platform containing the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, Social Support Assessing Scale, and one Health Self-Evaluation Item. Results: ANOVA found relevant differences in total scores and subscales' scores of the health anxiety scale depending on the positive self-evaluation. Linear regression shows that the analyzed variables were responsible for the prediction of a higher value on the "Perceived probability of becoming ill" subscale in a proportion of 45.6% and for the "Perceived consequence of illness" subscale in a proportion of 20.2% The predictive value of the linear regression model for the total score on the health anxiety scale was 46.3%. Our findings show that negative Core Self-Evaluation is linked with perceived health anxiety. Conclusions: Selfevaluation, sense of coherence and perceived social support influence the perceived health and can explain the differences in the reported health-related anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Symptoms of nicotine dependence among adolescents occur at an early stage in smoking onset and can be present even with low exposure to cigarettes. We aim to examine the early occurrence of symptoms of nicotine dependence and how they predict later smoking behavior. Methods Participants were ninety-four currently smoking 9th-graders attending high school in Targu Mures, Romania. They were followed for 6 months with two assessment points: baseline, and follow-up at 6 months. We assessed the following: 1) the number of smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days, 7 days, and 24 hours using the Minnesota Smoking Index; 2) vulnerability to addiction manifested in cessation difficulties, using the 9-item version of the Hooked On Nicotine Checklist (HONC), 3) loss of autonomy using the endorsement of at least one HONC item, and 4) dependence, using the modified Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire (mFTQ). We performed statistical analysis with SPSS version 19, using paired-sample t-tests for comparing the differences between baseline and follow-up data. We also conducted linear regression analysis to demonstrate the predictive role of the assessed variables, such as the scores of the mFTQ and the HONC in maintaining smoking and reported smoking status. Results Regression models indicated that baseline-measures for symptoms of dependence (β=0.64, p

Author(s): Michael Seiler [1]; Akihide Yoshimi [2]; Rachel Darman [1]; Betty Chan [1]; Gregg Keaney [1]; Michael Thomas [1]; Anant A Agrawal [1]; Benjamin Caleb [1]; Alfredo Csibi [1]; Eckley [...]

In this paper, I examine oral history collections through five documentaries I have made over the past ten years. These articulate different types of memories, which are divided into three categories: films of collective, individual and posthumous memory. I investigate how useful and reliable is the method of oral history as compared to traditional historical sources, what is the responsibility of the filmmaker and how far does it go. Finally, I provide a sample of how, without any critical apparatus, misinformation becomes reality in the memory culture of a whole community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]