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Cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis is a frequent major oncological problem, secondary to cytotoxicity of chemo-radiation treatment. Oral mucositis commonly occurs 7–10 days after initiation of therapy; it is a dose-limiting side effect causing significant pain, eating difficulty, need for parenteral nutrition and a rise of infections. The pathobiology derives from complex interactions between the epithelial component, inflammation, and the oral microbiome. Our longitudinal study analysed the dynamics of the oral microbiome (bacteria and fungi) in nineteen patients undergoing chemo-radiation therapy for oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma as compared to healthy volunteers. The microbiome was characterized in multiple oral sample types using rRNA and ITS sequence amplicons and followed the treatment regimens. Microbial taxonomic diversity and relative abundance may be correlated with disease state, type of treatment and responses. Identification of microbial-host interactions could lead to further therapeutic interventions of mucositis to re-establish normal flora and promote patients’ health. Data presented here could enhance, complement and diversify other studies that link microbiomes to oral disease, prophylactics, treatments, and outcome.

While the cause of preterm birth (PTB) (i.e., delivery before 37 weeks of gestation) is likely multifactorial, ambient exposure to environmental chemicals has been postulated to play a role in its etiology. Our prior studies of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in pregnancy have shown an increased level of placental PAH-induced bulky DNA adducts with increasing levels of PAH exposures. In this investigation, we hypothesized that higher levels of placental PAHs would be associated with an increased risk of PTB. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), we measured levels of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) and dibenz(a,h)anthracene (DBA) from n = 323 subjects. We found higher levels of BbF in placentae collected from preterm compared with term deliveries (mean 100.3 vs. 84.14 ng/mL, p = 0.038). Placental BbF levels negatively correlated with gestational age at delivery (rs = −0.171, p = 0.002) and placental DBA levels were higher in placentae from spontaneous PTBs compared to those that were medically indicated (mean 743.7 vs. 599.9 ng/mL, p = 0.049), suggesting a potentially causal role in spontaneous preterm birth. Lastly, we analyzed placental levels of each PAH in male (n = 164) and female (n = 159) gestations and found that levels of BaP are significantly higher in males (mean 204.4 vs. 169.9 ng/mL, p = 0.049). These studies show a potential causal role of PAH exposure in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth.