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The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus is implicated in the descending inhibitory pathway in pain processing, whereas the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning CSF-contacting nucleus regulating pain signals remains largely elusive. ATP is evidenced to inhibit pain transmission at supraspinal level by the mediation of the receptor P2X, wherein its subtype P2X3 is identified as the most potent. Our present experiment investigated the functionality of P2X3 receptors in CSF-contacting nucleus in the formalin-evoked inflammatory pain. Immunofluorescence and western blot revealed the expression of P2X3 receptors in the CSF-contacting nucleus and their upregulated expression subsequent to administration of formalin in rat model. ATP (a P2X3 receptor agonist, 100nmol/5µl) by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration ameliorated pain behaviors and enhanced c-Fos immunoreactivity in the neurons of the periaqueductal gray (PAG), both of which were discounted by pre-administration of A-317491 (a selective P2X3 receptor antagonist, 25nmol/5µl). After the CSF-contacting nucleus was ablated by cholera toxin subunit B-saporin, ATP failed to induce analgesia, with the c-Fos immunoreactivity in the PAG neurons remaining intact. Our results validated that P2X3 receptors in the CSF-contacting nucleus are pivotal in inflammatory pain processing via the activation of PAG neurons.

To investigate oral health status in the residents of Sichuan Province, southwest China, a cross-sectional study was performed using the latest Oral Health Survey Basic Methods recommended by the World Health Organization. A multistage stratified random cluster-sampling method was used to enroll participants from the following three groups: children aged 3–5 years, adolescents aged 12 years, and people aged 65–74 years. In these three groups, the mean numbers of teeth that were affected by caries were 3.28, 0.86 and 5.13, respectively, resulting in a prevalence of 63.47%, 37.20% and 83.20%, respectively. Relative to the high rate of decayed teeth, the prevalence of fillings was very low in all age groups (0.97%, 7.24% and 5.43%, respectively). In the 12-year-old adolescent group, only 3.61% had good pit and fissure sealing. In addition, the rate of dental fluorosis was 24.80%, and the Community Fluorosis Index value was 0.39. In the elder group, the community periodontal index was 2.92. The prevalence in the elderly of having lost at least one tooth was 75.54%. Additionally, 4.44% of these participants were edentulous. The incidence of dental prosthesis was 51.75%, the proportion with a removable partial denture, a fixed denture, full dentures, dental implants and an informal fixed bridge was 21.59%, 11.45%, 4.64%, 0 and 16.67%, respectively. In this study, 8.2% of the elderly participants were affected by different types of oral mucosal lesions. Among such lesions, recurrent aphthous ulcers were most prevalent (2.69%) and oral lichen planuses were second (1.6%). The conclusion presented in this survey is that oral diseases, especially dental caries and periodontal disease, are frequent and common in Sichuan province, China. Moreover, the treatment rate is very low, and primary prevention and treatment options are therefore urgently needed in this population. A survey of over 8 000 residents from Sichuan in China found evidence of poor oral health, especially dental caries and periodontal disease. The study, led by Tao Hu and Xuedong Zhou of Sichuan University, looked at teeth, gums and oral mucosa in three age groups: 3–5 years, 12 years, and 65–74 years. The examinations were performed using World Health Organization guidelines designed to promote international comparison. Despite significant improvements in recent years, oral disease in multiple forms was still highly prevalent in all age ranges, with rural areas suffering from poor disease prevention and treatment. The elderly had a particularly high prevalence of disease. The results of the survey provide strong evidence that improvement of oral health requires prioritization by local authorities.

The present study aimed to identify genes associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and construct an early diagnosis model based on support vector machine (SVM) learning. The gene expression profile data of GSE34198, containing 97 human blood samples including 49 patients with MI and 48 healthy individuals, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) screening, DEG enrichment analysis, protein‑protein interaction (PPI) network investigation and clustering analysis were performed. The feature genes were identified using the neighboring score algorithm. Furthermore, a recursive feature elimination (RFE) algorithm was employed to screen risk factors among feature genes. The SVM prediction model was constructed and validated using the dataset GSE61144. A total of 1,207 DEGs (724 downregulated, 483 upregulated) between the two groups were identified. PPI analysis investigated 1,083 DEGs and 46,363 edges. In total, 87 genes were selected as candidate genes, and were primarily enriched in functions including 'G‑protein coupled receptor signaling' or pathways such as 'focal adhesion'. Furthermore, 15 genes with a high RFE score were selected to construct an SVM prediction model. The model's average accuracy was 86%. Data set verification showed that the predictive precision reached 0.92. High expression of the genes vascular endothelial growth factor A, A‑kinase anchoring protein 12 and olfactory receptor 8D2 were potential risk factors for MI. The SVM early diagnosis model constructed by candidate genes could not only predict early MI, but also provide risk probability according to the severity of MI.