Phase diagram of colloid-rod system.

The semigrand ensemble theory [H. N. W. Lekkerkerker, W. C. K. Poon, P. N. Pusey, A. Stroobants, and P. B. Warren, Europhys. Lett. 20, 559 (1992)] in conjunction with the fundamental measure density functional theory [V. B. Warshavsky and X. Song, Phys. Rev. E 69, 061113 (2004)] are used to construct the Helmholtz free energy densities of a mixture of uncharged colloidal hard spheres and colloidal rods in its solid and liquid phases. Given these free energy density functions, we apply the free energy density minimization method [G. F. Wang and S. K. Lai, Phys. Rev. E 70, 051402 (2004)] to crosshatch the system's regions of phases in coexistence. The calculated results show that the triangular area bounded by gas-liquid, gas-solid, and liquid-solid coexisting two phases which has been called the coexistence region of gas-liquid-solid corresponds in fact to sets of two phases in coexistence. The phase boundaries which define our calculated coexistence domains compare very well with previous theoretical calculations. The relevance of the phase-diagram domains to three phases in coexistence will be discussed.

Watsonianone A from Rhodomyrtus tomentosa Fruit Attenuates Respiratory-Syncytial-Virus-Induced Inflammation In Vitro.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common respiratory pathogens. Immoderate inflammation plays a great role in causing RSV-induced diseases. In the present study, watsonianone A, isolated from the fruit of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Ait.) Hassk, was found to show a good inhibitory effect on RSV-induced NO production, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 37.2 ± 1.6 µM. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses indicated that watsonianone A markedly reduced both mRNA and protein levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 in RSV-infected RAW264.7 cells. Mechanistically, watsonianone A inhibited nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation by suppressing IκBα phosphorylation. Further analysis revealed that watsonianone A activated the thioredoxin system and decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, which are closely associated with NF-κB activation in RSV-infected cells. These results reveal that watsonianone A can attenuate RSV-induced inflammation via the suppression of ROS-sensitive inflammatory signaling.

Anhuienoside C Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis through Inhibition of MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Anemone flaccida Fr. Schmidt (Ranunculaceae) (Di Wu in Chinese) is used to treat punch injuries and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our previous report has shown that crude triterpenoid saponins from Anemone flaccida exhibited anti-arthritic effects on type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats. Furthermore, anhuienoside C (AC), a saponin compound isolated from A. flaccida, was observed to suppress the nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In this study, we examined the effects of AC on the prevention and treatment of collagen-induced arthritis in a mouse model and evaluated the potential mechanisms involved. We observed that oral administration of AC significantly suppressed the paw swelling and arthritic score, decreased the body weight loss, and decreased the spleen index. Improvement in the disease severity was accompanied by the reduction of cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68)-positive cells in the ankle joint and inhibition of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the synovium of the joint. Mechanistic studies indicated that AC exerted its anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 and by suppressing the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells. AC also blocked the LPS-induced activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Additionally, the LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) was significantly suppressed by AC treatment, as indicated by down-regulation of TLR4 and inhibition of the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and by activation and degradation of the inhibitor of kappa B. These findings indicated that AC has a great potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for human RA.

[Applications of minimally invasive bone splitting technique in cases with missing maxillary anterior teeth and obvious labial alveolar bone depression for dental implantation].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to introduce a minimally invasive bone splitting technique which is suitable for cases with missing anterior teeth and obvious depression of alveolar bone in labial side, and to evaluate its clinical results. METHODS: Minimally invasive bone splitting technique was used in 8 healthy adults with bone defects in the aesthetic zone. The labial alveolar bone incisions were confined around the bone defects which were smaller than traditional incisions. The other procedures were the same as conventional bone splitting technique. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) for missing anterior teeth was taken before surgery, after the surgery and 6 months after surgery and alveolar bone height and width were recorded with landmark identification designed by ourselves in this study. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 software package for paired t test. RESULTS: Paired t test indicated that after surgery and six months after surgery, the labial bone defect was significant improved (P<0.05), but the height of the alveolar ridge bone didn't increase significantly (P>0.05) while the width of the alveolar ridge bone significant improved (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This minimally invasive technique can achieve good clinical results for not only intact labial alveolar ridge bones but also good bone grafts, which is beneficial to implantation and prosthetic aesthetics. The long-term outcome needs to be observed.

Simplified lattice model for polypeptide fibrillar transitions.

Polypeptide fibrillar transitions are studied using a simplified lattice model, modified from the three-state Potts model, where uniform residues as spins, placed on a cubic lattice, can interact with neighbors to form coil, helical, sheet, or fibrillar structure. Using the transfer matrix method and numerical calculations, we analyzed the partition function and construct phase diagrams. The model manifests phase transitions among coil, helix, sheet, and fibril through parameterizing bond coupling energy ɛh,ɛs,ɛf, structural entropies sh,ss,sf of helical, sheet, and fibrillar states, and number density ρ. The phase diagrams show the transition sequence is basically governed by ɛh, ɛs, and ɛf, while the transition temperature is determined by the competition among ɛh, ɛs, and ɛf, as well as sh, ss, sf, and ρ. Furthermore, the fibrillation is accompanied with an abrupt phase transition from coil, helix, or sheet to fibril even for short polypeptide length, resembling the feature of nucleation-growth process. The finite-size effect in specific heat at transitions for the nonfibrillation case can be described by the scaling form of lattice model. With rich phase-transition properties, our model provides a useful reference for protein aggregation experiments and modeling.

[The morphological study of bone-implant interfaces in vivo].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the bone-implant interfaces of two kinds of implants with different surfaces in different time in vivo. METHODS: CDIC and ITI-TPS solid-screw cylinder pure titanium implants were selected and implanted in the regions of posterior molars of rhesus monkeys. 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 1 year after surgery, the bone-implant interfaces were evaluated respectively through oral examination, X-ray inspection, light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. RESULTS: None of the implants was loose. Soft tissue around implants appeared no inflammation. There were no apparent transparent shadow around the implants interfaces in X-ray photos except little angle-shaped absorption was showed in neck region of CDIC implants of one-month. New bone was observed around implants of one-month through light microscope and SEM. More bone growing around ITI implants were seen than that around CDIC implants except the interfaces of one-year. CONCLUSION: The osseointegration of ITI implants are better than that of CDIC implants during three months after implanting without loading. The bone formation at the interfaces of ITI and CDIC implants has no significant difference after one year without loading.