Raman parametric four-wave mixing mechanism of the first-order Stokes generated in CO2 and H2.

Without the axial component, an annular spatial profile of the first-order Stokes (S1) was observed during the SRS process in low-energy pumped CO2 gas, which is supposed to be generated by a parametric four-wave mixing process (PFWM), i.e., 2ωP = ωAS1 + ωS1. In order to verify such a mechanism, similar experiments were conducted in H2, and the annular S1 intensity distribution was also noticed. Furthermore, simulations of S1 radial intensity distributions were carried out based on the proposed PFWM phase matching geometry. The PFWM has been verified to be a process that directly annihilates two pump photons and simultaneously produces one AS1 photon and one S1 photon.

High efficiency stimulated rotational Raman scattering of hydrogen pumped by 1064 nm.

Laser-induced breakdown (LIB) and the competition of other Raman processes are major reasons restricting photon conversion efficiency (PCE) of Raman lasers. In this work, 1064 nm was used as the pump source, and stimulated rotational Raman scattering of hydrogen was investigated. The configuration of zooming out and focusing pump beam was applied, and the dimension of the pump beam at the focus spot increased significantly; consequently, LIB was suppressed, and Raman PCE was improved dramatically. With the help of the Raman gas pressure optimization, vibrational Raman could be fully suppressed, and other competition Raman processes could be well controlled. The optimal PCEs of different rotational Raman lasers could be achieved under different conditions. The maximum PCE of the first rotational Stokes (RS1) was improved to 60.7%, and the maximum energy of RS1 reached 204.5 mJ. With the increment of hydrogen pressure, the maximum PCE of the second rotational Stokes (RS2) was improved to 28.2%, and the maximum energy of RS2 reached 123.9 mJ. Furthermore, a 2.1 µm Raman laser was also generated, the maximum PCE of 2.1 µm reached 44.8%, and its pulse energy reached 106.1 mJ.

Retrospective analysis of the application of percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and meta-analysis.

After the stimulation of neurodermis, in the first stage, the relevant literature of each stage can be obtained through the relevant computer detection method. At the same time, also to the relevant database and scientific network research, and the influence of TENS tight comparison, the investigation is two years, using a series of score evaluation into the quality of the literature, in the process of inclusion if a certain funnel diagram analysis, the analysis results will be expressed according to the forest diagram, can get the final results in the review of many types of research, and then according to different types of research, delete the content of duplicate related reading topics. After reading the full text, if the content meets the inclusion criteria, it will show no significant difference between the effect of the control group and the pain effect of the experimental group, but the time of delivery is shorter than that of the control group, the pain intensity of TENS will decrease, thus shortening the labor time of each period.

MiR-200a acts as an oncogene in colorectal carcinoma by targeting PTEN.

The expression pattern of miR-200a in different types of cancer is diverse, and its mechanism in tumorigenesis has yet to be elucidated. In this study, miR-200a was significantly upregulated in the cancer tumor tissues of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, and its expression was positively correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation. Overexpression of miR-200a enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. To understand the potential mechanism of miR-200a in tumorigenesis, we showed that miR-200a directly targeted phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). To test the clinical relevance of these results, we used 107 pairs of CRC and adjacent normal tissues, analyzed miR-200a levels and PTEN expression in these tissues, and found that miR-200a levels were significantly inversely correlated with PTEN levels in the cancer tissues. These results suggest that miR-200a plays an oncogene role by regulating PTEN signaling in CRC. Our findings present important implications for further understanding the signaling mechanisms involved in modulating CRC tumorigenesis.

Characterisation of the plasmidome within Enterococcus faecalis isolated from marginal periodontitis patients in Norway.

The present study aimed to identify and characterize plasmids in a national collection of oral Enterococcus faecalis (n = 106) isolated from patients with marginal periodontitis. Plasmid replicon typing was performed by multiplex-PCR and sequencing with specific primers for 18 rep-families and 1 unique sequence. Additional plasmid analysis by S1-PFGE was performed for comparison. Totally 120 plasmid replicon amplicons of seven rep-families were identified in 93 E. faecalis strains, e.g. rep9 (prototype pCF10), rep6 (prototype pS86), rep2 (prototype pRE25/pEF1), and rep8 (prototype pAM373). Rep9 was the most predominant rep-family being detected in 81 (76.4%) strains. Forty of these strains were tetracycline resistant and three were erythromycin resistant. Rep6 was the second predominant rep-family being detected in 22 (20.8%) strains. Rep2 was detected in eight (7.5%) strains. All rep2-positive strains were resistant to tetracycline and/or erythromycin and six of them contained Tn916/Tn1545 genes. The rep-positive E. faecalis exhibited divergence in multilocus sequence types (STs). There was a significant correlation between rep9 and ST21, while multiple rep-families appeared in ST40. Totally 145 plasmid bands were identified in 95 E. faecalis strains by S1-PFGE, 59 strains carrying one plasmid, 27 carrying two, five carrying three, three carrying four, and one strain carrying five plasmids. Plasmid sizes varied between 5-150 kbp. There was a significant correlation between the number of plasmids identified by PCR rep-typing and by S1-PFGE. The results indicate that the majority of E. faecalis of marginal periodontitis are likely to be a reservoir for diverse mobile genetic elements and associated antimicrobial resistance determinants.

Racial and ethnic disparities in neuraxial labor analgesia.

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic disparities in the treatment of pain have been well documented, and there is evidence of such disparities in neuraxial analgesia use. Our objectives of this study were to analyze racial/ethnic disparities in neuraxial analgesia use, as well as anticipated use, among laboring Hispanic, African-American, and Caucasian women, and to evaluate sociodemographic, clinical, and decision-making predictors of actual and anticipated neuraxial analgesia use among these women. METHODS: Laboring women, in a large urban academic hospital, were interviewed using a face-to-face survey to determine individual factors that may influence choice of labor analgesia. After delivery, the type of labor analgesia used was recorded. The primary outcome was use of neuraxial analgesia. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to test the likelihood that race and ethnicity were significantly associated with neuraxial analgesia use, anticipated neuraxial analgesia use, and the intrapartum decision to use neuraxial analgesia. RESULTS: There was a univariate association between race/ethnicity and anticipated as well as actual use of neuraxial analgesia. However, there was no association between race/ethnicity and the intrapartum decision to use neuraxial analgesia. After controlling for confounders, the association between race/ethnicity and actual use of neuraxial analgesia no longer remained significant (adjusted odds ratio: Hispanic versus Caucasian women 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24 to 1.80; African-American versus Caucasian women 0.93, 95% CI: 0.31 to 2.77). In contrast, Hispanic women were less likely than Caucasian women to anticipate using neuraxial analgesia even after controlling for confounders (adjusted odds ratio 0.40, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.82). CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for confounding variables, Hispanic women anticipated using neuraxial analgesia at a lower rate than other racial/ethnic groups; however, actual use was similar among groups.

Periodontal health and relative quantity of subgingival Porphyromonas gingivalis during orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To examine periodontal changes and the relative quantity of subgingival Porphyromonas gingivalis during orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects were recruited consecutively among malocclusion patients seeking orthodontic treatment. Group A comprised 28 subjects (17.6 ± 5.68 years of age) at the beginning of orthodontic treatment, and group B comprised 20 subjects (17.8 ± 4.49 years of age) at the end of orthodontic treatment. Plaque index (Pl.I), gingival index (GI), and probing pocket depth (PPD) were measured before and after appliance placement in group A and before and after appliance removal in group B. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify P. gingivalis in subgingival plaque at each time point. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in Pl.I and GI during the first 3 months of appliance placement but a significant decrease in Pl.I, GI, and PPD during the first 6 months after appliance removal. The carriage and relative quantity of subgingival P. gingivalis were high at the end of orthodontic treatment, and they decreased significantly after appliance removal. The amount of subgingival P. gingivalis after appliance removal (for a period of 6 months) was higher than the amount measured before appliance placement. CONCLUSIONS: Fixed orthodontic treatment is conducive to dental plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation. In our study, after removal of orthodontic appliances, periodontal health improved, and the carriage and amount of subgingival P. gingivalis decreased. Nevertheless, the amount of subgingival P. gingivalis remained high for 6 months after appliance removal, and this finding might imply a potential risk to periodontal health in certain patients.

Assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis isolated from chronic periodontitis in biofilm versus planktonic phase.

BACKGROUND: Enterococci are often associated with chronic and recurrent infectious diseases because of their antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study is to assess antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis in chronic periodontitis. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined on 23 E. faecalis strains isolated from patients with chronic periodontitis. Ampicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, triclosan, and vancomycin were prepared in two-fold serial dilution up to 8,192 µg/mL. Enterococcal biofilm was established by a biofilm device and observed by confocal laser microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration, and minimum biofilm eradication concentration were determined by spectrophotometer at optical density(650). RESULTS: A few patches of monolayer early biofilm were observed on the surfaces of biofilm device pegs. The colony-forming units of biofilm per peg were 1.2 × 10(3) to 1.7 × 10(4) and 0 to 20 post-triclosan treatment. The MIC(50) was higher than the MIC epidemiologic cut-off for tetracycline and the MIC(90) was higher than the cut-off for erythromycin and tetracycline, respectively. In biofilm, minimum biofilm eradication concentrations were extremely high for all of the drugs except triclosan. CONCLUSIONS: The E. faecalis strains of chronic periodontitis exhibited weak biofilm formation ability at the early stage. Over 50% of the strains were resistant to tetracycline, and a few strains were highly resistant to erythromycin or gentamicin. E. faecalis cells in biofilm were hardly eradicated by most of the agents, even in high concentrations. Triclosan was effective in inhibiting E. faecalis growth in both biofilm and planktonic phase.

[Quantitative study of porphyromonas gingivalis in subgingival plaques of orthodontic adults].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the early variation of clinical periodontal indexes and Porphyronwnas gingivulis (Pgingivalis) in subgingival plaques of orthodontic adults. METHODS: 11 orthodontic adults were selected. Clinical periodontal indexes of observed teeth were examined at three different time points: Before orthodontic treatment, the first month after treatment and the third month after treatment, and subgingival plaques were collected simultaneously at each time point. Clinical periodontal indexes included four ones: Plaque index (PU), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing depth (PD), and attachment loss. We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect and quantitate the number of total bacteria and P.gingivalis in each sample to obtain positive rate of P.gingivalis and the percentage of P. gingiaalis in total bacteria. RESULTS: PLI and SBI of the first and third month were more than that of the baseline (P < 0.05). PD rose at the first month after treatment (P < 0.05), and then dropped at the third month. PD of all the 11 participants was lower than 2 mm. No attachment loss was found. The positive rate of P.gingivolis was stable (45.5%) and the proportion of Pgingivalis had no significant difference (p > 0.05) at each time point. CONCLUSION: Fixed orthodontic appliances caused plaque accumulation, accordingly slight gingiva inflammation and the increasement of P.gingivalis occurred in the early stage, hut none periodontitis was found.

Colony morphologies, species, and biotypes of yeasts from thrush and denture stomatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the species and phenotypic characteristics of yeasts, i.e. colony morphology, biotypes, and biotype relatedness, and the oral distribution of yeasts, in thrush and denture stomatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Yeast colony morphology was observed under a stereo-microscope and photographed with a digital camera. Genus, species, and biotypes of the yeast isolates were identified by using a commercial kit, ID 32C. Yeast biotype dendrograms were generated by Spotfire software and SPSS 15.0 for Windows. RESULTS: Multiple colony morphologies were observed among the yeasts from both thrush and denture stomatitis. One genus, 6 species, and 21 biotypes were identified among the yeasts from thrush, while 2 genera, 7 species, and 20 biotypes were identified among the yeasts from denture stomatitis. Considerable similarities in predominant species, biotypes, and biotype clustering profiles were shown among the yeasts from thrush and denture stomatitis. However, Candida dubliniensis was identified exclusively in subgingival areas and biotype 7347340215 of C. albicans was identified more frequently in palate and sulci in thrush. CONCLUSIONS: A diversity of species and phenotypes was found among the yeasts in thrush and denture stomatitis. Candidal commensals were predominant in thrush and denture stomatitis, but the observation of divergent Candida species and biotypes, constituting 23% of all the yeast isolates, should not be ignored.

Occurrence, population structure, and antimicrobial resistance of enterococci in marginal and apical periodontitis.

Subgingival plaque samples and root canal samples were collected from 2,839 marginal periodontitis (MP) patients and 21 apical periodontitis (AP) patients. Enterococcus species were identified by a series of phenotypic and genotypic tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility assays were performed by an agar disk diffusion test. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), eBURST, and minimum spanning tree were used for enterococcal genetic clustering and population analysis. Enterococcus faecalis was recovered from 3.7% MP patients and 9.5% AP patients, and Enterococcus faecium was recovered from 0.04% MP patients. Enterococci were detected more often in older male patients. E. faecalis isolates of MP were found resistant to tetracycline (49.1%), erythromycin (8.5%), trimethoprim (2.8%), and gentamicin (1.9%), while one AP isolate was resistant to tetracycline. A total of 40 sequence types (STs) were resolved in 108 E. faecalis isolates. Comparison with E. faecalis international MLST database revealed that 27 STs were previously found, 13 STs were novel, and several major clonal complexes in the database were also found in MP isolates. The tetracycline-resistant isolates distributed mainly in the major clonal complexes and singletons, whereas the erythromycin-resistant isolates were more dispersed. Although the rate of occurrence of enterococci recovered in the MP and AP samples was low, 50% of these isolates are resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, which is most often tetracycline. This implies that subgingival E. faecalis might represent a reservoir of resistance to tetracycline and erythromycin. The subgingival E. faecalis isolates show high genetic diversity but are grouped, in general, with the known isolates from the international database.

[Natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis: a clinical study of 1096 patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1096 patients with autumnal pollinosis, 488 males and 632 females, aged 38 +/- 14 (5 - 77), 511 with pure allergic rhinitis and 585 with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma, underwent skin test of inhalant allergens, serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens, and questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The age range of rhinitis induced by autumnal pollens was 2 - 75. The peak onset age of rhinitis was 15 - 44, and the peak onset age of asthma was 25 - 54. 33% of the rhinitis patients complicated with asthma (194/585) had their first attack of rhinitis and the first attack of asthma in the same year, 66% of them (386/585) had the first attack of asthma later than the first attack of rhinitis, and only 0.8% of them (5/585) had their first attack of asthma earlier than that of rhinitis. 37% of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis (410/1096) developed asthma within 5 years, 47% (511/1096), within 9 years, 5% (58/1096) within 10 approximately 19 years, and 1.5% (16/1096) within 20 - 40 years. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis develop to seasonal allergic asthma within 9 years.

Genetic relatedness of oral yeasts within and between patients with marginal periodontitis and subjects with oral health.

BACKGROUND: Yeasts are found in periodontal pockets at a frequency of 15-21%. However, the genetic relatedness of oral yeasts within and between patients with marginal periodontitis is not clear. OBJECTIVES: Assay genetic relatedness of oral yeasts from marginal periodontitis patients and oral health subjects, as well as genetic relatedness of yeasts from different oral sites in these two groups of participants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Yeast isolates were collected from 23 marginal periodontitis patients and 19 oral health subjects. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting and the Dendron computer-assisted program for gel analyses were applied for estimation of genetic relatedness of yeasts. RESULTS: The similarity coefficient (S(AB)) of the marginal periodontitis group ranged from 0.49 to 1.00 with an average of 0.64 +/- 0.11, whereas the S(AB) of the oral health group ranged from 0.62 to 1.00 with an average of 0.72 +/- 0.07. Three genetic clusters and 73 genotypes were obtained from the marginal periodontitis group, whereas three genetic clusters and 55 genotypes were found in the oral health group. In the pooled dendrogram, 57% of the yeast isolates and the type strain of Candida albicans fell in a major cluster V. There were no significant differences between the frequencies of clusters from the different oral sites within the two participant groups. CONCLUSIONS: Genetically heterogeneous yeasts were found in the oral cavities of marginal periodontitis patients and oral health subjects. Similar genetic clustering patterns were obtained from the yeasts of the two groups, with cluster V being most predominant. Yeasts of the marginal periodontitis group were more genetically diverse than yeasts of the oral health group, and some yeasts of the marginal periodontitis group exhibited unique genetic patterns. There was no clear association between yeast genetic clusters and oral sites in the two participant groups.

[The clinical study of the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1120 patients with autumnal pollinosis, aged 5 - 75, excluding those with typical symptoms of seasonal rhinitis or asthma but with positive skin test and serum IgE specific to dustmite and fungi, underwent standardized clinical questionnaire survey, including the onset age, onset time, and symptoms as well as the severity of asthma, skin tests, and examination of serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens. RESULTS: The average onset age of the allergic rhinitis patients induced by autumnal pollens was 27.9 years, significantly younger than that of the allergic asthma patients (32.6 years, P < 0.001). Out of the 1120 patients 1096 (97.9%) had allergic rhinitis, 602 (53.8%) had asthma, 507 (45.3%) had allergic rhinitis only, and 10 (0.9%) had allergic asthma only. Among the 1096 patients with allergic rhinitis 585 (53.4%) suffered from seasonal asthma. Among the 602 patients with asthma 585 (97.2%) suffered from seasonal rhinitis, and 183 of the 602 patients (30.8%) needed emergency treatment. CONCLUSION: Autumnal pollens are very important causes which induce asthma during autumnal season in northern China.