Tooth whitening: current status and prospects.

As a safe, effective, economical, and convenient technique, tooth whitening is one of the most popular treatments for improving tooth discoloration. This review summarizes the theoretical and recent research developments in the classification and mechanisms of tooth discoloration, as well as the principles, agents, effects, and side effects of tooth whitening techniques. The aim is to provide a basis for the clinical treatment of tooth whitening techniques and to suggest possible new ideas for further research. The accepted mechanism of whitening is the redox reaction of oxides in the whitening reagent, and the whitening effect is remarkable. However, side effects such as tooth sensitivity and irritation of gum and other oral soft tissues can still occur. It is recommended that more monitoring be carried out in the clinic to monitor these side effects, and care should be taken to protect the soft tissues in the mouth during office whitening procedures. Furthermore, there is a need to develop new additives or natural whitening products to reduce the occurrence of side effects.

Potential implication of serum lipid levels as predictive indicators for monitoring oral lichen planus.

Compelling evidence indicates that dyslipidemia is positively associated with oral lichen planus (OLP). The types and magnitude of lipid metabolism disturbance in peripheral blood of OLP patients have been investigated in different studies. Yet, consensus on how these different lipid components varied in levels for the development of OLP lesions has not been reached so far. Herein, a total of 8 eligible studies were recognized, which enrolled 533 cases of OLP and 499 healthy controls. The analysis showed that the average total triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were considerably higher, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in OLP patients compared to healthy controls. Collectively, the lipid profile panel maybe serve as the potential predictive indicator for screening OLP.

Platelet-inspired targeting delivery for coronary heart disease.

Platelets play a pivotal role in many physiological and pathological processes, with their special targeting/adhering properties towards infarcted myocardium, injured or dysfunctional endothelium, and growing thrombus. Leveraging the site-targeting/adhering property, a variety of platelet-inspired targeting delivery（PITD）designs have been developed, the majority of which are reached by hitchhiking live platelets, cloaking nanoparticles with platelet membranes and mimicking platelet functions. With PITD, drugs or regenerative cells can directly reach targeted sites with minimized systematical distribution thus being of great clinical benefits. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major health burden worldwide. Plenty of PITD designs have shown promising outcomes for the treatment of CHD in preclinical models, especially in thrombolysis and post-percutaneous coronary intervention (post-PCI) anti-restenosis. Besides, PITD applications in cardiac protection and atherosclerotic plaque imaging are also under investigation. What's more, the potential benefits of PITD in the field of cell-based therapy are also attracting growing attention since it may resolve the problem of low arriving and retention efficiency, which are also particularly discussed in this review. In brief, our focus is putting on PITD strategies designed for the treatment of CHD, which hopefully can facilitate further optimization of this direction.

Targeted Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Bioinspired Exosome-Mimetic Nanovesicles with Platelet Membrane Fusion for Atherosclerotic Treatment.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence indicates that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes hold significant potential for the treatment of atherosclerosis. However, large-scale production and organ-specific targeting of exosomes are still challenges for further clinical applications. This study aims to explore the targeted efficiency and therapeutic potential of biomimetic platelet membrane-coated exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (P-ENVs) in atherosclerosis. Methods: To produce exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (ENVs), MSCs were successively extruded through polycarbonate porous membranes. P-ENVs were engineered by fusing MSC-derived ENVs with platelet membranes and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and Western blot. The stability and safety of P-ENVs were also assessed. The targeted efficacy of P-ENVs was evaluated using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) spectrum imaging system and immunofluorescence. Histological analyses, Oil Red O (ORO) staining, and Western blot were used to investigate the anti-atherosclerotic effectiveness of P-ENVs. Results: Both ENVs and P-ENVs exhibited similar characteristics to exosomes. Subsequent miRNA sequencing of P-ENVs revealed their potential to mitigate atherosclerosis by influencing biological processes related to cholesterol metabolism. In an ApoE-/- mice model, the intravenous administration of P-ENVs exhibited enhanced targeting of atherosclerotic plaques, resulting in a significant reduction in lipid deposition and necrotic core area. Our in vitro experiments showed that P-ENVs promoted cholesterol efflux and reduced total cholesterol content in foam cells. Further analysis revealed that P-ENVs attenuated intracellular cholesterol accumulation by upregulating the expression of the critical cholesterol transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1. Conclusion: This study highlighted the potential of P-ENVs as a novel nano-drug delivery platform for enhancing drug delivery efficiency while concurrently mitigating adverse reactions in atherosclerotic therapy.

Potential relationship of dyslipidemia with dietary patterns in oral lichen planus patients-A case-control study.

Background/purpose: Dyslipidemia and a high fat diet may increase the predisposition for accumulating body fat in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). This study aimed to investigate the risk factors obesity, dietary patterns, and lipid metabolism. Materials and methods: A population-based case-control study was conducted between September 2020 and October 2021, recruiting 275 pairs of OLP cases and controls. Information on lipid profiles, diet frequency and waist circumference were gathered. Principal component and factor analysis were used to analyze the semi-quantitative dietary frequency survey data of patients to extract specific dietary patterns. Results: Univariate analysis showed that total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein were significantly higher in the OLP group than the control and other oral mucosal disease groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). Compared with the baseline group, obese and overweight patients were more common in the OLP group. Dyslipidemia was more common in the OLP group (68%) compared to the healthy mucosa group (32%; P < 0.001, OR = 4.52, 95% CI = 2.49-8.18). Four dietary patterns were described among the subjects. The traditional prone animal food pattern (OR: 24.81, 95% CI: 6.05-101.71, P < 0.001) and animal food pattern (OR: 28.77, 95% CI: 8.10-102.15, P = 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of OLP. Conclusion: The results indicated that a high-fat diet, dyslipidemia and obesity were strongly linked to disease progression in OLP. A diet high in processed food and fat could increase the risk of OLP.

Oral microbiota in active and passive states of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: An analysis of case-control studies.

OBJECTIVE: This study was presented to reveal the most distinct microbial prevalence in recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) lesions compared to healthy controls. DESIGN: The case-control studies were selected in electronic databases until Nov 2022 with key search terms, and the eligible publications were screened and analyzed by independent authors. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies were identified, which included 531 cases of active states of RAS (AS-RAS), 92 cases of passive states of RAS (PS-RAS) and 372 healthy controls. The most sample pattern was the mucosa swab performed in 8 of 14 studies, biopsies in 3 studies, followed by micro-brush, and saliva. A variety of bacteria in higher or lower abundance were observed in RAS lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The etiopathogenesis of RAS may not be ascribed to a single pathogen. A possible explanation is that microbial interactions modify immune response or destroy the epithelial integrity, thus contributing to the development of the condition.

Expression Levels of WNT Signaling Pathway Genes During Early Tooth Development.

It is known to all that Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in the early development of tooth. Our previous research found that Wnt signaling pathway played crucial roles in dental development, and mutations in antagonist of Wnt signaling pathway may lead to the formation of supernumerary teeth. However, the expression pattern of Wnt signaling molecules in early development of tooth, especially genes with stage specificity, remains unclear. Hence, we applied RNA-seq analysis to determine the expression levels of wnt signal molecules at five different stages of rat first molar tooth germ. In addition, after literature review we summarized the function of Wnt signaling molecules during tooth development and the relationship between Wnt signaling molecules variation and tooth agenesis. Our research may have implications for exploring the role of Wnt signaling molecules in different stages of tooth development.

Advances in the oral microbiota and rapid detection of oral infectious diseases.

Several studies have shown that the dysregulation of the oral microbiota plays a crucial role in human health conditions, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer, other oral infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, bacteremia, and low birth weight. The use of traditional detection methods in conjunction with rapidly advancing molecular techniques in the diagnosis of harmful oral microorganisms has expanded our understanding of the diversity, location, and function of the microbiota associated with health and disease. This review aimed to highlight the latest knowledge in this field, including microbial colonization; the most modern detection methods; and interactions in disease progression. The next decade may achieve the rapid diagnosis and precise treatment of harmful oral microorganisms.

Histamine deficiency deteriorates LPS-induced periodontal diseases in a murine model via NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway.

Histamine is a versatile biogenic amine, generated by the unique enzyme histidine decarboxylase (Hdc). Accumulating evidence has proven that histamine plays important roles in numerous biological and pathophysiological processes. However, the role and mechanism of Hdc/Histamine signaling in periodontal diseases remain unclear. In our current study, the concentration of histamine increased in the serum, and Hdc gene expression was upregulated in the gingiva of WT mice with LPS-induced periodontal inflammation. With Hdc-GFP mice, we identified that Hdc/GFP in the periodontium was expressed in CD11b+ myeloid cells, rather than in tryptase-positive mast cells. Hdc-expressing CD11b+Gr-1+ neutrophils significantly increased in the peripheral blood of Hdc-GFP mice one day after LPS injection. Lack of histamine in Hdc-/- mice not only promoted the activation and infiltration of more CD11b+ cells into the peripheral blood but also upregulated mRNA expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, MCP-1and MMP9 in the gingiva compared to WT mice one day after LPS stimulation. 28 days after LPS treatment, we observed that Hdc-/- mice exhibited more alveolar bone loss and more osteoclasts than WT mice, which was slightly ameliorated by the administration of exogenous histamine. In vivo and in vitro mechanistic studies revealed that the mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines and protein levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and cleaved-Caspase-1 were upregulated after blocking histamine receptor 1 and 2, especially histamine receptor 1. Taken together, CD11b+Gr-1+ neutrophils are the predominant Hdc-expressing sites in periodontal inflammation, and deficiency of endogenous histamine in Hdc-/- mice exacerbates the destruction of the periodontium. Disruption of the histamine/H1R/H2R axis aggravates the inflammatory immune response via NLRP3/Casapse-1 pathway.

Rapid diagnosis of a complex oral mucosal infection using metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a case report.

The most commonly used methods for pathogen detection and identification in oral mucosal infectious diseases are DNA or RNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection, bacterial or fungal cultures, and immunohistochemical analysis. These traditional methods are time-consuming and can only detect one specific targeted pathogen at a time. An efficient and sensitive method with higher species richness is urgently needed. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a new method of pathogen detection with high efficiency and sensitivity. In this case report, mNGS was used to identify the pathogens in oral mucosal tissues of a patient with complex oral mucosal infections and oral leukoplakia. Candida albicans, human gamma herpesvirus 4, and many other pathogens were identified using this method. For complex oral mucosal infections, mNGS is a more efficient and sensitive approach that can replace conventional detection methods.

Abnormal histidine metabolism promotes macrophage lipid accumulation under Ox-LDL condition.

Distinct macrophage populations exert highly heterogeneity and perform various functions, among which, a crucial function of lipid metabolism is highlighted. However, the role of histidine metabolism disorder in macrophage lipid metabolism remains elusive. Addressed this question, we sorted and cultured the bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) of histidine decarboxylase (Hdc) knockout (Hdc-/-) mice with an in vitro oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) model, and detected the intracellular lipids by Oil Red O staining as well as lipid probe staining. Astemizole, a canonical and long-acting histamine H1 receptor (H1R) antagonist, was applied to elucidate the impact of antagonizing the H1R-dependent signaling pathway on macrophage lipid metabolism. Subsequently, the differential expressed genes were screened and analyzed in the bone marrow-derived CD11b+ immature myeloid cells of Hdc-/- and Hdc+/+ mice with a high fat diet by the microarray study. The expression levels of cholesterol metabolism-related genes were examined by qRT-PCR to explore underlying mechanisms. Lastly, we used a high-sensitivity histidine probe to detect the intracellular histidine in the BMDMs after oxidative stress. The results revealed that histidine metabolism disorder and histamine deficiency aggravated lipid accumulation in the ox-LDL-treated BMDMs. The expression level of H1R gene in the BMDMs was down-regulated after ox-LDL stimulation. The disruption of the H1R-dependent signaling pathway by astemizole further exacerbated ox-LDL-induced lipid deposition in the BMDMs partly by up-regulating scavenger receptor class A (SR-A) for lipid intake, down-regulating neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase (nCEH) for cholesterol esterification and down-regulating ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 (ABCA1) and ABCG1 for reverse cholesterol transport. The intracellular histidine increased under ox-LDL condition, which was further increased by Hdc knockout. Collectively, these results partially reveal the relationship between histidine metabolism and lipid metabolism in the BMDMs and offer a novel strategy for lipid metabolism disorder-associated diseases.

A Novel Type-I Interferon Family, Bovine Interferon-Chi, Is Involved in Positive-Feedback Regulation of Interferon Production.

Interferon-chi (IFN-χ) is a type of function-unknown IFN. IFN-χ in bovines (BoIFN-χ) has evolved as a multigene family. This family comprises four IFN-χ subtypes, two of which are functional genes, which we demonstrated to (i) have antiviral and antiproliferative activities, (ii) be highly sensitive to trypsin, and (iii) remain stable with changes in pH and temperature. BoIFN-χ is a key intermediate in antiviral response, PAbs against BoIFN-χs could downregulate the transcriptional activation of ISGs induced by poly(I:C), and BoIFN-χs could be induced upon virus infection at the early and late phase. Additionally, BoIFN-χs bind with type-I IFN receptors, induce transcription of interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), and type-I IFNs as well as myxovirus resistance protein 1 (Mx1) expression. Expression of ISGs and activation of IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) induced with BoIFN-χs could be downregulated significantly by the Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 1 inhibitor. The promoters of BoIFN-ß, nuclear factor-kappa B, and ISRE could be activated with BoIFN-χs, and the BoIFN-χ promoter could be activated by other type-I IFNs. Overall, BoIFN-χ could be induced with virus infection and signal through the JAK-STAT pathway to form a positive-feedback regulation of IFN production. These findings may facilitate further research on the role of IFN-χ in innate immune responses.

[Investigation of the clinical effect of 65 µm glycine powder air-polishing(GPAP) after ultrasonic scaling during subgingival polishing].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effect of 65 µm glycine powder air-polishing (GPAP) by comparing with sodium hydrogen carbonate after ultrasonic scaling during subgingival polishing. METHODS: Thirty-three patients who were systematically healthy were involved in this study. After ultrasonic scaling,they were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group. Patients in the control group were treated with rubber cup + sodium hydrogen carbonate, while patients in the experimental group were treated only with 65 µm GPAP therapy. The clinical parameters including probing depth(PD), bleeding index(BI), plaque index(PI), staining index(SI) were recorded at baseline, 1week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment. The results were analyzed by paired sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test with SPSS 23.0 software package. RESULTS: Both methods had good clinical effects. PD, BI, PI and SI of the two groups at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment were significantly better than those at baseline (P<0.01). SI of the experimental groups was significantly lower than that of the control group at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that 65 µm GPAP may be as effective as sodium hydrogen carbonate after ultrasonic scaling in removal of dental plaque and stain. 65 µm GPAP had the advantage of reducing restaining.

[Progress in metabolic engineering of biosynthesis of 3-hydroxypropionic acid].

As an important platform compound, 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) can be used as a substrate to synthesize a variety of biological products with commercial potential. The titer of 3-HP by wild-type bacteria is low, which severely limits the large-scale application and production of 3-HP. By modifying the genes related to the metabolic pathway, engineered bacteria using cheap substrates as carbon sources are constructed, the aim of reducing production cost and increasing output is realized. In this paper, the recent progress in the synthesis of 3-HP by metabolic engineering at home and abroad is reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of glycerol pathway, malonyl-CoA pathway and beta-alanine pathway for synthesis of 3-HP are also summarized and analyzed, and the future development of 3-HP is prospected.

Molecular and functional characterization of ovis aries IFN-epsilon.

Interferon-epsilon (IFN-ε) is a type I IFN playing an essential role in innate and adaptive immunity against viral infection. Ovis aries IFN-ε (OvIFN-ε), consisting of 582 bp and which encodes a protein of 193 amino acids containing a signal peptide of 21 amino acids, was cloned and characterized. OvIFN-ε shares 51.6∼ 86.5% similarity to other species of IFN-ε, and evolves from the IFN-ε branch but not the other types of IFN. Additionally, OvIFN-ε gene is well conserved during evolution, and is highly transcribed in the liver, lung, brain, skin, ovary and uterus. Recombinant protein of OvIFN-ε was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified with nickel chelated column, which exhibited broad antiviral activity in vitro, sensitivity of trypsin, and stability of pH and temperature to some extent. Furthermore, OvIFN-ε could induce the transcription of ISG15, Mx1 and OAS in a time-dependent manner, as well as inhibit the VSV and BVDV replication in Ovis aries peripheral blood lymphocyte cells and MDBK cells. This study revealed OvIFN-ε has the typical characterization of type I IFNs and exerts antiviral activity against VSV and BVDV, and induces the expression of ISGs, which not only enriches the understanding of IFN-ε, but also facilitates further research on the antiviral defense responses of Ovis aries.

NanoFe3O4 accelerates anoxic biodegradation of 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol.

3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) is a widespread organic pollutant with persistent, mobile and high antimicrobial effects. Here, nanoFe3O4 was firstly introduced into the anoxic biodegradation of TCP. It was found that nanoFe3O4 significantly accelerated TCP biodegradation. The removal rate of TCP (100 mg L-1) increased from 83.03% to 98.74% within 12 h in the presence of nanoFe3O4, and the addition of nanoFe3O4 also promoted the accumulation of CO2. Reductive dechlorination mechanism was involved in anoxic biodegradation of TCP. Molecular approaches further revealed that nanoFe3O4 distinctly induced the shifts of bacterial community. The dominant genus Ochrobactrum was converted to genus Delftia in nanoFe3O4 treatment, and the relative abundance of Delftia increased from 10.26% to 44.62%. Meanwhile, the total relative abundance of bacteria related to TCP dechlorination and degradation significantly increased in the presence of nanoFe3O4. These results indicated that nanoFe3O4 induced the enrichment of TCP-degrading bacteria to promote the anoxic biodegradation of TCP.

Degradation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol by a microbial consortium in dryland soil with anaerobic incubation.

Biodegradation of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) in drylands is an important biological process of detoxification. Flooding in drylands can result in the formation of anaerobic habitats. However, little is known about the microbial metabolism of TCP in dryland soil under anaerobic conditions. Here, chlorpyrifos-contaminated dryland soil was incubated to enrich the TCP-degrading microbial consortium under anaerobic conditions. Chloridion and CO2 were released with TCP degradation, and the enrichment cultures of dryland soil could metabolize 97% of TCP (100 mg/L) within 20 h. Both reductive and hydrolysis dechlorination mechanisms were involved in TCP biodegradation under anaerobic conditions. Bacterial taxonomic analysis revealed that the aerobic TCP-degrading bacteria Ochrobactrum and dechlorination bacteria Delftia were the dominant genera. Anaerobic and facultative bacteria; i.e., Bacteroides, Bacillus, and Cupriavidus had lower relative abundances, but they were significantly enriched following treatment with TCP. These results indicate that the enrichment cultures of dryland soil dominated by aerobic bacteria could dechlorinate and degrade TCP under anaerobic conditions.

Examining the molecular characteristics of glycoside hydrolase family 20 ß-N-acetylglucosaminidases with high activity.

ß-N-Acetylglucosaminidases (GlcNAcases) possess many important biological functions and are used for promising applications that are often hampered by low-activity enzymes. We previously demonstrated that most GlcNAcases of the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 20 showed higher activities than those of other GH families, and we presented two novel GH 20 GlcNAcases that showed higher activities than most GlcNAcases. A highly flexible structure, which was attributed to the presence of to a high proportion of random coils and flexible amino acid residues, was presumed to be a factor in the high activity of GH 20 GlcNAcases. In this study, we further hypothesized that two special positions might play a key role in catalytic activity. The increase in GH 20 GlcNAcase activity might correspond to the increased structural flexibility and substrate affinity of the two positions due to an increase in random coils and amino acid residues, notably acidic Asp and Glu.

Evolutional conservation of molecular structure and antiviral function of a type I interferon, IFN-kappa, in poultry.

IFN-kappa (IFN-κ) is a type I IFN expressed by keratinocytes, monocytes and dendritic cells with important roles during the innate immune response period. This research was conducted to elaborate the evolution and characteristics of IFN-κ in poultry. Chicken IFN-κ is located on the sex-determining Z chromosome, which is greatly different from mammals. Poultry IFN-κ cluster together in a species-specific manner through positive selection pressure and share only 19-33% homology with mammalian IFN-κ and poultry other type I IFN. Both chicken and duck IFN-κ was constitutively expressed in spleen, skin, lung, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), as well as being significantly induced after treatment with virus in PBMC. Biologically, poultry IFN-κ has antiviral activity against VSV in chicken embryonic fibroblasts and duck embryonic fibroblasts (CEF and DEF) cells, and induces the expression of IFN stimulated genes (ISGs). After treatment with JAK1 inhibitor, the ISGs expression can be down-regulated. Overall, our research on poultry IFN-κ not only enriches the knowledge about IFN-κ but also facilitates further research on the role of type I IFNs in antiviral defense responses in poultry.