High-Performance Dental Resins Containing a Starburst Monomer.

Dimethacrylate-based chemistries feature extensively as resin monomers in dental resin-based materials due to their distinguished overall performance. However, challenges endure, encompassing inadequate mechanical attributes, volumetric shrinkage, and estrogenicity. Herein, we first synthesized a novel resin monomer, 9-armed starburst polyurethane acrylate (NPUA), via the grafting-onto approach. Compared to the primary commercial dental monomer 2,2-bis [p-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl] propane (Bis-GMA) (with a viscosity of 1,174 ± 3 Pa·s and volumetric shrinkage of 4.7% ± 0.1%), the NPUA monomer achieves the lower viscosity (158 ± 1 Pa·s), volumetric shrinkage (2.5% ± 0.1%), and cytotoxicity (P < 0.05). The NPUA-based resins exhibit the higher flexural strength, flexural modulus, hardness, and hydrophobicity and lower volumetric shrinkage, water absorption, and solubility compared to the Bis-GMA (70 wt%)/TEGDMA (30 wt%) resins. The NPUA-based composites exhibit significantly higher flexural strength, flexural modulus, and hardness and lower volumetric shrinkage (171.4 ± 3.0 MPa, 12.6 ± 0.5 GPa, 2.0 ± 0.2 GPa, and 3.4% ± 0.2%, respectively) compared to the Bis-GMA group (120.3 ± 4.7 MPa, 9.4 ± 0.7 GPa, 1.5 ± 0.1 GPa, and 4.7% ± 0.2%, respectively; P < 0.05). This work presents a viable avenue for augmenting the physicochemical attributes of dental resins.

[Comparison of diagnostic efficacy of different classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis in Chinese patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic efficiency of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis (TA) and the 2022 ACR classification criteria for TA in Chinese populations. METHODS: The clinical and imaging data of TA patients and patients with arterial stenosis or occlusion caused by atherosclerosis who were admitted to Peking University Third Hospital from May 2012 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical diagnosis of TA by two rheumatologists were defined as the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) of the above two classification criteria were compared. In addition, this study also attempted to apply new imaging modalities, such as color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), computed tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the 1990 ACR classification criteria to find whether this approach would improve the diagnostic efficiency. At the same time, the imaging features of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The sensitivity (91.75%), positive predictive value (94.68%), negative predictive value (92.79%), accuracy (93.66%) and AUC (0.979) of the 2022 ACR TA classification criteria were better than those of the 1990 ACR TA classification criteria (45.36%, 91.67%, 66.24%, 72.20% and 0.855, respectively). In addition, we included new imaging modalities, such as CDUS, CTA, MRA and PET/CT in the 1990 ACR TA classification criteria, and the sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and AUC were significantly improved, which were 63.92%, 92.54%, 74.64%, 80.49% and 0.959, respectively, but still lower than those of the 2022 ACR classification criteria of TA (P < 0.001). The TA patients had more arterial stenosis (P=0.030), while the atherosclerosis patients had more arterial occlusion (P=0.021). There was no significant difference in arterial aneurysm or dissection (P=0.171). The TA patients had more involvement of ≥3 arteries (P=0.013), while the atherosclerosis patients had more unique artery involvement (P=0.011). CONCLUSION: Compared with the 1990 ACR classification criteria for TA, the 2022 ACR classification criteria had higher diagnostic efficiency and might be more sui-table for the Chinese populations. Using more imaging modalities would improve the diagnostic perfor-mance of 1990 ACR classification criteria.

[Analysis and evaluation of droplet digital PCR for H.pylori infections in chronic tonsillitis].

Objective:To investigate the measurement effect of droplet digital PCR(dd-PCR) for H.pylori infections in chronic tonsillitis and explore the correlations between H.pylori infections and chronic tonsillitis.Method:The subjects consisted of 48 chronic tonsillitis patients aged between 7 and 52 years scheduled for tonsillectomy.Core biopsy samples from resected tonsillary tissue was tested for H.pylori detection using both RT-PCR and dd-PCR for the CagA and VacA genes.Preoperative patient venous blood samples were also tested for H.pylori antibodies by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).ELISA,RT-PCR and dd-PCR were also used to detect expression of CagA and VacA genes in plasma and tissue of 30 cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAHS) and 35 cases of plasma from healthy subjects.Result:The expression of H.pylori antibodies is tested in plasma:48 chronic tonsillitis patients(10.12±3.23)ng/ml, OSAS(9.87±2.43)ng/ml, healthy subjects(9.34±3.38) ng/ml.There was no significant difference between groups in the plasma.The VacA and CagA gene sequences were detected by RT-PCR:48 chronic tonsillitis patients VacA(27.1%),CagA(16.7%),VacA+CagA(16.7%);30 OSAHS,VacA(23.3%),CagA(20.0%),VacA+CagA(16.7%);all of which were also positive by dd-PCR,thus were considered H.pylori infected.Moreover,The expression of VacA and CagA increased in tissues testing by dd-PCR:48 chronic tonsillitis patients VacA(72.9%),CagA(52.1%),VacA+CagA(39.6%);30 OSAHS,VacA(33.3%),CagA(23.3%),VacA+CagA(16.7%).Conclusion:Our study supports the possible role of H.pylori in chronic tonsillitis.H.pylori maybe one of the risk factors of chronic tonsillitis.dd PCR had bettersensitivity and specificity compare to H.pylori serological and RT PCR.Feasible anti H.pylori treatment maybe used for H.pylori associated chronic tonsillitis.