DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for sialadenitis — screening already-approved drugs against its 32-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleSialadenitis maps to a 32-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for sialadenitis is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
Molecular view
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) — DHFR is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet ndpdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 4M6J · 1.201 Å · ligand NADPH DIHYDRO-NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE-DINUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHATE (NDP). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
In a prospective cohort of 80 patients with chronic obstructive sialadenitis without sialolithiasis, 20 who underwent sialendoscopy-assisted salivary duct surgery reported a mean reduction of 12.6 points on the Chronic Obstructive Sialadenitis Symptoms questionnaire three months postoperatively. Major symptom improvement occurred in 65% of treated glands, but 51% of glands still had postoperative scores above 25, indicating persistent disease. The presence of stenosis and the use of sialodochoplasty were independent predictors of better outcomes, yet the authors concluded that approximately half of glands did not achieve meaningful symptom resolution.
A separate prospective study of 26 patients used intraductal instillation of betamethasone, gentamicin, and N-acetyl-cysteine after sialoendoscopy. All patients without sialolithiasis remained symptom-free during follow-up. Among those with sialolithiasis, two had no recurrence, while three with unresolved stones had symptom recurrence that again regressed after a repeat instillation. The authors reported that the protocol appeared effective even when an obstruction could not be removed or detected endoscopically.
A 15-year retrospective analysis of 70 sialendoscopies found that 82% of patients avoided salivary gland excision after the procedure. The most common perioperative finding was sialoliths, followed by non-calculi pathologies such as mucous plugs and strictures; no pathology was found in 10 procedures. In 18% of cases, sialendoscopy findings indicated that excision was still needed.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 studies on sialendoscopy with steroid irrigation for non-lithiasic chronic sialadenitis reported a weighted pooled recurrence rate of 27.49% per patient and a revision rate of 10.64%. Major complications occurred in 0.77% of patients. The authors concluded that the intervention may yield therapeutic benefit and could be considered safe. A separate review noted that intraductal irrigation with normal saline alone can be used as a conservative treatment to remove microliths and mucous plugs. What remains missing are randomised controlled trials comparing these interventions against sham or no treatment, longer follow-up beyond 12 months, and clear patient stratification by underlying aetiology to predict who will benefit.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
The Laryngoscope · 2016 · 35 citations
Sialadenitis without sialolithiasis: Prospective outcomes after sialendoscopy‐assisted salivary duct surgery
AbstractOBJECTIVES: To prospectively assess symptoms before and after sialendoscopy-assisted salivary duct surgery (SASDS) in patients with symptomatic sialadenitis without sialolithiasis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients with chronic obstructive sialadenitis without sialolithiasis (COSWS) completed the Chronic Obstructive Sialadenitis Symptoms (COSS) questionnaire prior to SASDS and 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Of 80 consecutive patients in a 20-month period, 20 surveyed patients underwent SASDS for COSWS in 37 symptomatic glands. Major symptom improvement (> 10 COSS score reduction) was reported in 24 of 37 (65%) of all glands, including 14 of 21 (67%) of radioactive iodine (RAI)-induced cases and 10 of 13 (77%) of idiopathic sialadenitis cases. A significant reduction in postoperative mean COSS scores was seen overall (12.6 points, standard deviation [SD] 19.3, P < 0.05 to a post-SASDS mean score of 26.6). However, 19 of 37 (51%) glands demonstrated postoperative COSS scores above 25, denoting persistent disease. Mean COSS score reductions in RAI-induced sialadenitis (12.4 points, SD 22.7, P < 0.05) and idiopathic sialadenitis (16.3 points, SD 13.7, P < 0.005) groups were significant, with post-SASDS COSS mean scores of 30.6 (SD 19.8) and 20.8 (SD 13.8), respectively. Ducts with stenoses treated with dilation or sialodochoplasty showed significant COSS improvements of 21.1 (SD 17.9) and 12.4 points (SD 10.7), respectively (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, both the presence of stenosis and sialodochoplasty were independent predictors of complete or partial resolution (post-COSS score < 25) and major symptom improvement (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SASDS provides short-term symptom reduction in patients with COSWS; particularly in RAI-induced and idiopathic sialadenitis, and in duct stenosis amenable to dilation or sialodochoplasty. However, approximately half of the glands did not achieve meaningful symptom resolution. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 127:1073-1079, 2017.
Incidence and risk factors for radioactive iodine-induced sialadenitis
AbstractAlvaro Sánchez Barruecoa*, Fernando González Galána, Ignacio Alcalá Ruedaa, Jessica Mireya Santillán Coelloa, María Pilar Barrio Doradob, José Miguel Villacampa Aubáa, Manuel Escanciano Escancianoc, Lucía Llanos Jiménezd, Ignacio Mahillo Fernándezd & Carlos Cenjor Españolaa ENT and Cervicofacial Surgery Department, Fundación Jiménez Diaz University Hospital, Madrid, Spainb Endocrinology Department, Fundación Jiménez Diaz University Hospital, Madrid, Spainc Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spaind Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Research Unit, Fundación Jiménez Diaz University Hospital, Madrid, SpainSupplemental data for this article can be accessed here.CONTACT Alvaro Sánchez Barrueco [email protected] ENT and Cervicofacial Surgery Department, Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Avda. Reyes Católicos, 2, Madrid 28040, SpainAbstractBackground Radioactive iodine (131I) is one of the treatments of hyperthyroidism and differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Swelling of salivary glands are one of the possible side effects of this treatment, known as radioactive iodine-induced sialadenitis (RAIS). The prevalence of RAIS varies widely and no specific risk ratio has been established.Objectives To determine the incidence of RAIS, analysing the epidemiological data and tumour- and treatment-related factors that may influence the development of the disease.Material and methods 197 patients who received radioiodine treatment between 2015 and 2017 were studied (76.6% women). The variables studied were age, gender, weight, height, and body mass index; presence of high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and thyroid diseases; cumulative radioiodine dose, presence of sialadenitis, affected salivary gland, and the time of onset.Results 14 patients developed sialadenitis (78.6% women), all with DTC. The incidence of sialadenitis was 3.4% overall and 6.3% among DTC patients. Furthermore, we found that higher cumulative radioiodine doses confer a greater risk of developing sialadenitis, with a hazard ratio of 1.009 (p = .001). No association was found between the epidemiologic data studied and sialadenitis.Conclusions In this series, a dose-dependent relationship was found between radioiodine treatment and sialadenitis.
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology · 2021 · 8 citations · open access
A conservative treatment for chronic obstructive sialoadenitis by intraductal instillation of mucolytic, steroids and antibiotic solution
AbstractPURPOSES: Reporting our experience in treating chronic obstructive sialadenitis with a protocol consisting of sialoendoscopy and intraductal instillation of antibiotics, steroids and n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) solution. METHODS: Prospective study of patients with chronic obstructive sialadenitis with no apparent lithiasic obstructions, with recurrent non-lithiasic sialoadenitis and patients with lithiasic sialoadenitis not solved with sialoendoscopy. In all cases, a sialoendoscopy was performed. All the patients affected by lithiasic sialoadenitis where the chronic inflammation was resolved with sialoendoscopy were excluded from the study. The mid-term follow-up was performed at 12 months via phone interview, to understand whether patients had developed any further symptoms after the treatment. RESULTS: This study included 26 patients. All the patient without sialolithiasis have not reported any symptoms during the follow-up period. Two of those with sialolithiasis have not shown any signs of recurrence. The remaining three patients with non-resolved sialolithiasis had a recurrence of symptoms which were treated again with 1 intraductal administration of betamethasone, gentamicine and NAC, showing immediately a regression of the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Intraductal administration of gentamicin + NAC + betamethasone seemed effective for the therapy of chronic obstructive sialoadenitis. Our protocol seemed effective also in that cases where it was not possible to remove or detect endoscopically an obstruction. In all these cases we have noticed an increase in the symptom-free time even in cases where it was not possible to remove the stones.
Bratislavské lekárske listy/Bratislava medical journal · 2023 · 4 citations · open access
Sialendoscopy in treatment of obstructive sialadenitis
AbstractOBJECTIVES: Sialendoscopy is a relatively new mini-invasive method that allows direct visualisation and intervention in the salivary gland ductal system. The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of sialendoscopy in the treatment of obstructive sialadenitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a 15-year retrospective study analysing the treatment results of patients treated in the period of 2007-2022 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia. RESULTS: The total number of performed sialendoscopies was 70, of which 44 (62.9 %) were performed on the submandibular gland and 26 (37.1 %) on the parotid gland; 46 procedures (65.7 %) were performed via natural ductal system opening without the need for surgical assistance while 24 sialendoscopies (34.3 %) required surgical assistance. The most frequent perioperative findings were the sialoliths (37) in quantities ranging from one to four. Non-calculi pathologies (23) included mucous plugs, strictures, plaque, erythema or foreign bodies. No pathology was found on 10 sialendoscopies. In 82 % (n = 55) of patients, sialendoscopy prevented the salivary gland from being excised. In 18 % (n = 12) of cases, sialendoscopy findings indicated that salivary gland excision was needed. CONCLUSION: The study acknowledges the significant benefit of sialendoscopy in the treatment of obstructive sialadenitis (Tab. 3, Fig. 6, Ref. 39). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: sialendoscopy, sialadenitis, duct obstruction, sialolith, minimally invasive surgery.
Journal of Clinical Medicine · 2025 · 1 citations · open access
Efficacy of Sialendoscopy with Steroid Irrigation for Non-Lithiasic Chronic Sialadenitis: A Systematic Review and Proportional Meta-Analysis
AbstractObjective: Recent evidence has suggested that sialendoscopy should be the first-line treatment for chronic sialadenitis. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of steroid irrigation during sialendoscopy in non-lithiasic chronic sialadenitis. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to the 3rd of November 2024 for completed studies investigating the efficacy of steroid irrigation during sialendoscopy for chronic non-lithiasic sialadenitis. Primary outcomes were the number of patients with recurrence of sialadenitis symptoms and the number of patients who required a revision sialendoscopy. Secondary outcomes included the assessment of major complications of the procedure. Random-effect meta-analysis of proportion was conducted using Open Meta-Analyst software. Additionally, separate subgroup analyses linked to the underlying salivary gland disease were carried out. The quality of the included studies was evaluated utilizing the Moga tool and the ROBINS-I tool. Results: Thirty studies qualified for inclusion in the present systematic review. The weighted pooled proportion of recurrence after sialendoscopy by patient was 27.49% (95% CI: 21.04–34.45), whereas the revision rate was 10.64% (95% CI: 7.74–13.93). In every subgroup, the proposed intervention exhibited adequate efficacy for the symptomatic relief of patients, with similar rates of revision and repetition. The rate of major complications per patient was 0.77%. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that interventional sialendoscopy with intraductal steroid irrigation may yield therapeutic benefit for patients with chronic non-lithiasic sialadenitis and could be considered a safe treatment.
Sialography and Intraductal Irrigation, focused on obstructive sialadenitis
AbstractChronic obstructive inflammatory disease of salivary glands is the most frequent disease of the salivary glands and is characterized by recurrent swelling and pain caused by pressure. Sialography is recommended for the diagnosis of obstructive sialadenitis to observe changes in duct morphology, such as stricture and dilatation. Intraductal irrigation using normal saline is a simple treatment for patients with chronic obstructive inflammatory disease by removing the microlith and mucous plugs in the duct. It can be used as a conservative treatment option for resolving the obstructive symptoms.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
DeCure is a research and publication project, not medical advice and not a treatment. "DeCure for X" describes a research goal, not a claim that a cure exists. Backing a cure is a contribution to fund the research — it is not an investment, and confers no yield, royalty, equity or IP ownership. Papers are published open-access by the DeCure.ai DAO.
