Predictive factors for the treatment success of peri-implantitis: a protocol for a prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Peri-implantitis, a common biological complication of dental implant, has attracted considerable attention due to its increasing prevalence and limited treatment efficacy. Previous studies have reported several risk factors associated with the onset of peri-implantitis (eg, history of periodontitis, poor plaque control and smoking). However, inadequate data are available on the association between these risk factors and successful outcome after peri-implantitis therapy. This prospective cohort study aims to identify the local and systemic predictive factors for the treatment success of peri-implantitis. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-centre cohort study will be conducted by recruiting 275 patients diagnosed with peri-implantitis. Sociodemographic variables, healthy lifestyles and systemic disorders will be obtained using questionnaires. In addition, clinical and radiographic examinations will be conducted at baseline and follow-up visits. Treatment success is defined as no bleeding on probing on more than one point, no suppuration, no further marginal bone loss (≥0.5 mm) and probing pocket depth ≤5 mm at the 12-month follow-up interval. After adjustment for age, sex and socioeconomic status, potential prognostic factors related to treatment success will be identified using multivariable logistic regression models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This cohort study in its current version (2.0, 15 July 2022) is in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Stomatological Hospital, Southern Medical University (EC-CT-(2022)34). The publication will be on behalf of the study site. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2200066262.

Sex differences in the association between dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-measured body composition and periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: A positive association between obesity based on body mass index (BMI) and periodontitis has been reported. Fat tissue-related systemic inflammation acts as the link to periodontal comorbidities of obesity. However, the BMI is unable to distinguish fat and fat-free tissues. More precise measures are required to evaluate body composition, including fat and fat-free tissues. This study aimed to determine the sex differences in the association between dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured body composition (i.e., fat mass and muscle mass) and phenotypes with periodontitis. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of 3892 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study 2011‒2014 were analyzed. Adiposity indices (fat mass index [FMI] and percentage body fat [%BF]) and muscle mass index (MMI) were calculated. The participants were categorized by the quintiles of FMI, MMI, and %BF. Body composition phenotypes were categorized as: low adiposity-low muscle (LA-LM), low adiposity-high muscle (LA-HM), high adiposity-low muscle (HA-LM), or high adiposity-high muscle (HA-HM), respectively. Periodontitis was defined by the CDC/AAP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted, stratified by sex. We further adjusted for white blood cell (WBC) counts in the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Restricted cubic splines revealed non-linear associations between body composition indices and periodontitis risk. Women with a higher FMI (odds ratio for Q5 vs. Q1 [ORQ5vs1] = 1.787, 95% confidence interval: 1.209-2.640) or %BF (ORQ5vs1 = 2.221, 1.509-3.268) had increased odds of periodontitis. In addition, women with HA-LM phenotype were more likely to develop periodontitis (OR = 1.528, 1.037-2.252). Interestingly, the WBC count, a systemic inflammatory biomarker, attenuated these associations. No statistically significant associations were found in men. CONCLUSIONS: The association between DXA-measured body composition and phenotypes with periodontitis differs per sex. Only in women higher adiposity indices and HA-LM phenotype were associated with an increased risk of periodontitis.

The Depression Prevalence in Chinese Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The chronic course and recurring acute episodes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can significantly affect the psychological and mental health of patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature search on electronic databases from the inception of the database to April 2023. The inclusion criteria included cross-sectional or case-control studies on depression prevalence with a sample size of at least 50 participants. The data was extracted from the included studies and analyzed to calculate the pooled depression prevalence, along with a 95% confidence interval (CI), using Review Manager 5.3 software (Version 5.3. Copenhagen: The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2014). RESULTS: Thirteen studies (n = 29,113) were included, with females accounting for over 50% of all participants. Based on the data pooled from all 13 studies, the observed depression prevalence in Chinese individuals with RA was 37% (95% CI: 28-46%; I2 = 95%; p < 0.0001). A subsequent subgroup analysis was conducted on scale types, age, and gender. Regarding scale types, the depression prevalence was assessed using various scales included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Depression Scale (HADS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (fourth edition DSM.IV) diagnostic criteria, and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were 50%, 35%, 58%, 39%, and 41%, respectively. Based on mean age, five studies researched RA individuals <50 years old, establishing a depression prevalence of 48% (95% CI: 32-65%). In contrast, eight studies researched RA individuals ≥50 years old, establishing a depression prevalence of 41% (95% CI: 32-51%). Gender-based analysis indicated a depression prevalence in female RA individuals of 45% (95% CI: 37-55%) and 39% (95% CI: 29-48%) among male RA patients. Depression prevalence established significant correlations with specific scales, including the HAMD scale (odds ratio (OR) 4.93, 95% CI: 1.79-10.2), CES-D scale (OR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.71-4.65), DSM.IV criteria (OR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.38-1.51), and SDS (OR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.32-2.16). Additionally, depression prevalence was associated with age categories (age ≥50: OR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.59-2.70; age <50: OR 1.99, 95% CI: 0.93-3.81), as well as gender (female: OR 1.63, 95% CI: 0.64-4.57; male: OR 1.07, 95% CI: 0.38-3.03), although some associations did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The depression prevalence was high in Chinese individuals with RA, especially in females and patients under 50 years old. These findings suggest the need for improving detection and management of depression in RA patients.

Mechanism and Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor, often occurring in children and adolescents. The etiology of most patients is unclear, and the current conventional treatment methods are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical resection. However, the sensitivity of osteosarcoma to radiotherapy and chemotherapy is low, and the prognosis is poor. The development of new and useful treatment strategies for improving patient survival is an urgent need. It has been found that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (ERS) affects tumor angiogenesis, invasion, etc. By summarizing the literature related to osteosarcoma and ERS, we found that the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway activated by ERS has a regulatory role in osteosarcoma proliferation, apoptosis, and chemoresistance. In osteosarcoma, the UPR pathway plays an important role by crosstalk with autophagy, oxidative stress, and other pathways. Overall, this article focuses on the relationship between ERS and osteosarcoma and reviews the potential of drugs or gene targets associated with ERS for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Serum Antioxidant Vitamins Mediate the Association between Periodontitis and Metabolically Unhealthy Overweight/Obesity.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether serum antioxidant vitamins could mediate the association between periodontitis and a metabolically unhealthy phenotype in the overweight and obese population; Methods: We included 6158 Americans (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Periodontitis was defined using a half-reduced CDC/AAP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology) definition. Having two or more metabolic abnormalities was defined as a metabolically unhealthy overweight and obese (MUO) phenotype. Mediation analysis of four oxidative stress biomarkers (serum antioxidant vitamins A, C, D, and E) was conducted; Results: Of participants with overweight and obesity, 2052 (33.3%) Americans were categorized as having periodontitis. Periodontitis increased dyslipidemia risk and systemic inflammation in the overweight and obese population. In the multivariable logistic regression model, periodontitis was positively associated with MUO (adjusted odds ratio = 1.238; 95% confidence interval: 1.091 to 1.406). These findings were validated in an independent cohort. Serum vitamins C and D were estimated to mediate 19.3% and 8.4% of the periodontitis-MUO association. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis might decrease serum vitamins C and D and induce a metabolically unhealthy state among adults with overweight and obesity.

Janus electro-microenvironment membrane with surface-selective osteogenesis/gingival healing ability for guided bone regeneration.

Guided bone regeneration is widely applied in clinical practice to treat alveolar bone defects. However, the rate of healing of severe alveolar bone defects is slow, and there is a high incidence of soft tissue wound dehiscence. In this study, we propose a barrier membrane with a Janus electro-microenvironment (JEM) to achieve side-selective bone regeneration and soft tissue healing. The JEM membrane was constructed using a polarized polyvinylidene fluoride ferroelectric membrane with different surface potentials on either side. It promoted osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration on the negatively polarized side (JEM-) and soft tissue regeneration on the positively polarized side (JEM+). Further investigation revealed that the JEM-mediated promotion of bone formation was related to mitochondrial autophagy, as indicated by depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the expression of LC3, Pink I, and Parkin. Moreover, the gingival healing promoted by JEM+ was related to oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, as indicated by the upregulation of mitochondrial complexes I-V and an increase in ATP generation. The design concept of the JEM provides a new avenue for regulating tissue regeneration between different tissue interfaces.

Influence of P(VDF-TrFE) Membranes with Different Surface Potentials on the Activity and Angiogenic Function of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells.

During bone tissue regeneration, neovascularization is critical, and the formation of a blood supply network is crucial for bone growth stimulation and remodeling. Previous studies suggest that bioelectric signals facilitate the process of angiogenesis. Owing to their biomimetic electroactivity, piezoelectric membranes have garnered substantial interest in the field of guided bone regeneration. Nevertheless, the knowledge of their influence due to varying surface potentials on the progression of angiogenesis remains ambiguous. Therefore, we proposed the preparation of an electroactive material, P(VDF-TrFE), and investigated its effects on the activity and angiogenic functions of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The HUVECs were directly cultured on P(VDF-TrFE) membranes with different surface potentials. Subsequently, cell viability, proliferation, migration, tube formation, and expressions of related factors were assessed through appropriate assays. Our results revealed that the negative surface potential groups exerted differential effects on the modulation of angiogenesis in vitro. The P(VDF-TrFE) membranes with negative surface potential exhibited the greatest effect on cellular behaviors, including proliferation, migration, tube formation, and promotion of angiogenesis by releasing key factors such as VEGF-A and CD31. Overall, these results indicated that the surface potential of piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE) membranes could exert differential effects on angiogenesis in vitro. We present a novel approach for designing bioactive materials for guided bone regeneration.

Osteosarcoma subtypes based on platelet-related genes and tumor microenvironment characteristics.

Background: Osteosarcoma is a common metastatic tumor in children and adolescents. Because of its easy metastasis, patients often show a poor prognosis. Recently, researchers have found that platelets are closely related to metastasis of a variety of malignant tumors, but the role of platelets related characteristics in osteosarcoma is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics of platelet-related subtypes and cell infiltration in tumor microenvironment. Methods: We collected osteosarcoma cohorts from TCGA and GEO databases, and explored the molecular subtypes mediated by platelet-related genes and the related TME cell infiltration according to the expression of platelet-related genes in osteosarcoma. In addition, we also explored the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among different molecular subtypes and established a protein-protein interaction network (PPI). Then we constructed a platelet scoring model by Univariate cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) cox regression model to quantify the characteristics of platelet in a single tumor. RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression of six candidate genes in osteosarcoma cell lines and normal osteoblast lines. Finally, we also predicted potential drugs with therapeutic effects on platelet-related subtypes. Results: We found that platelet-related genes (PRGs) can distinguish osteosarcoma into two different platelet-related subtypes, C1 and C2. And the prognosis of the C2 subtype was significantly worse than that of C1 subtype. The results of ESTIMATE analysis and GO/KEGG enrichment showed that the differences between different subtypes were mainly concentrated in immune response pathways, and the immune response of C2 was inhibited relative to C1. We further studied the relationship between platelet-related subtypes and immune cell infiltration. We found that the distribution of most immune cells in C1 subtype was higher than that in C2 subtype, and there was a correlation between C1 subtype and more immune cells. Finally, we screened the PRGs related to the prognosis of osteosarcoma through Univariate Cox regression, established independent prognostic platelet characteristics consisting of six genes to predict the prognosis of patients with OS, and predicted the drugs that may be used in the treatment of osteosarcoma. RT-PCR was used to verify the expression of candidate genes in osteosarcoma cells. Conclusion: Platelet scoring model is a significant biomarker, which is of great significance to determine the prognosis, molecular subtypes, characteristics of TME cell infiltration and therapy in patients with OS.

The Mechanism and Role of ADAMTS Protein Family in Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a principal cause of aches and disability worldwide. It is characterized by the inflammation of the bone leading to degeneration and loss of cartilage function. Factors, including diet, age, and obesity, impact and/or lead to osteoarthritis. In the past few years, OA has received considerable scholarly attention owing to its increasing prevalence, resulting in a cumbersome burden. At present, most of the interventions only relieve short-term symptoms, and some treatments and drugs can aggravate the disease in the long run. There is a pressing need to address the safety problems due to osteoarthritis. A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease domain with thrombospondin type 1 repeats (ADAMTS) metalloproteinase is a kind of secretory zinc endopeptidase, comprising 19 kinds of zinc endopeptidases. ADAMTS has been implicated in several human diseases, including OA. For example, aggrecanases, ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5, participate in the cleavage of aggrecan in the extracellular matrix (ECM); ADAMTS-7 and ADAMTS-12 participate in the fission of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) into COMP lyase, and ADAMTS-2, ADAMTS-3, and ADAMTS-14 promote the formation of collagen fibers. In this article, we principally review the role of ADAMTS metalloproteinases in osteoarthritis. From three different dimensions, we explain how ADAMTS participates in all the following aspects of osteoarthritis: ECM, cartilage degeneration, and synovial inflammation. Thus, ADAMTS may be a potential therapeutic target in osteoarthritis, and this article may render a theoretical basis for the study of new therapeutic methods for osteoarthritis.

Limitation of Water-Soluble Tetrazolium Salt for the Cytocompatibility Evaluation of Zinc-Based Metals.

Zinc (Zn) and its alloys have been regarded as promising biodegradable metals. The standardized cytotoxicity evaluation is a mandatory step to screen the biocompatibility of novel Zn and its alloys. Nevertheless, the suitability of the tetrazolium-based assay in the direct contact test for some metallic biomaterials (i.e., magnesium and manganese) is questionable. In this study, our results demonstrate an obvious inconsistency between qualitative observation via fluorescence staining and quantitative assessment using water-soluble tetrazolium salt (CCK-8). Subsequent experiments revealed that Zn and pre-treated Zn can directly convert tetrazolium salts to formazan, falsifying the cytotoxicity results. Therefore, we conclude that the CCK-8 assay is not suitable for evaluating the cytotoxicity of biodegradable Zn-based metals in the direct contact test.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Dysgonia stuposa (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) and phylogenetic relationships within Noctuoidea.

To determine the Dysgonia stuposa mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) structure and to clarify its phylogenetic position, the entire mitogenome of D. stuposa was sequenced and annotated. The D. stuposa mitogenome is 15,721 bp in size and contains 37 genes (protein-coding genes, transfer RNA genes, ribosomal RNA genes) usually found in lepidopteran mitogenomes. The newly sequenced mitogenome contained some common features reported in other Erebidae species, e.g., an A+T biased nucleotide composition and a non-canonical start codon for cox1 (CGA). Like other insect mitogenomes, the D. stuposa mitogenome had a conserved sequence 'ATACTAA' in an intergenic spacer between trnS2 and nad1, and a motif 'ATAGA' followed by a 20 bp poly-T stretch in the A+T rich region. Phylogenetic analyses supported D. stuposa as part of the Erebidae family and reconfirmed the monophyly of the subfamilies Arctiinae, Catocalinae and Lymantriinae within Erebidae.

Capillary-driven binding of thin triangular prisms at fluid interfaces.

We observe capillary-driven binding between thin, equilateral triangular prisms at a flat air-water interface. The edge length of the equilateral triangle face is 120 µm, and the thickness of the prism is varied between 2 and 20 µm. For thickness to length (T/L) ratios of 1/10 or less, pairs of triangles preferentially bind in either tip-to-tip or tip-to-midpoint edge configurations; for pairs of prisms of thickness T/L = 1/5, the tip of one triangle binds to any position along the other triangle's edge. The distinct binding configurations for small T/L ratios result from physical bowing of the prisms, a property that arises during their fabrication. When bowed prisms are placed at the air-water interface, two distinct polarity states arise: prisms either sit with their center of mass above or below the interface. The interface pins to the edge of the prism's concave face, resulting in an interface profile that is similar to that of a capillary hexapole, but with important deviations close to the prism that enable directed binding. We present corresponding theoretical and numerical analysis of the capillary interactions between these prisms and show how prism bowing and contact-line pinning yield a capillary hexapole-like interaction that results in the two sets of distinct, highly-directional binding events. Prisms of all T/L ratios self-assemble into space-spanning open networks; the results suggest design parameters for the fabrication of building blocks of ordered open structures such as the Kagome lattice.

Protein inference: A protein quantification perspective.

In mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics, protein quantification and protein identification are two major computational problems. To quantify the protein abundance, a list of proteins must be firstly inferred from the raw data. Then the relative or absolute protein abundance is estimated with quantification methods, such as spectral counting. Until now, most researchers have been dealing with these two processes separately. In fact, the protein inference problem can be regarded as a special protein quantification problem in the sense that truly present proteins are those proteins whose abundance values are not zero. Some recent published papers have conceptually discussed this possibility. However, there is still a lack of rigorous experimental studies to test this hypothesis. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of using protein quantification methods to solve the protein inference problem. Protein inference methods aim to determine whether each candidate protein is present in the sample or not. Protein quantification methods estimate the abundance value of each inferred protein. Naturally, the abundance value of an absent protein should be zero. Thus, we argue that the protein inference problem can be viewed as a special protein quantification problem in which one protein is considered to be present if its abundance is not zero. Based on this idea, our paper tries to use three simple protein quantification methods to solve the protein inference problem effectively. The experimental results on six data sets show that these three methods are competitive with previous protein inference algorithms. This demonstrates that it is plausible to model the protein inference problem as a special protein quantification task, which opens the door of devising more effective protein inference algorithms from a quantification perspective. The source codes of our methods are available at: http://code.google.com/p/protein-inference/.

The XIA's No. 1 sleeping Prescription for the treatment of insomnia of the deficiency type: a clinical observation of 60 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of the XIA's No.1 Sleeping Prescription for the treatment of insomnia of the deficiency type. METHODS: 120 cases conformed to the diagnostic criteria of the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders-Version 3 (CCMD-3) and were diagnosed as having insomnia of the deficiency type were divided randomly into a treatment group and a control group, 60 cases in each group. The treatment group was treated with the XIA's No. 1 Sleeping Prescription, while the control group was given estazolam (1 mg) for 6 weeks. The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) was used to evaluate the clinical therapeutic effects, while the treatment emergent symptom scale (TESS) was used to evaluate adverse reactions. RESULTS: The total effective rate of the treatment group (80%) was higher than that of the control group (70%), but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The effective rate for long-term insomnia was 77.8% in the treatment group and 52.4% in the control group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The adverse reactions shown in the treatment group were obviously fewer and milder than those in the control group. CONCLUSION: The XIA's No. 1 Sleeping Prescription is effective for insomnia of the deficiency type and with no obvious toxic side effects.