The Application of Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics to the Evaluation of Liposome Physical Stability.

Physical stability is one of critical characteristics of liposome, especially to its clinical application. Vesicle fusion was one of the common physical stability phenomena that occurred during the long storage period. Because vesicle fusion could be easily checked by the change of vesicle size, it was widely applied in the evaluation of liposome physical stability. However, since the method requires the liposome to be placed under certain conditions for long-term observation, a liposome physical stability test usually takes several weeks, which greatly hinders the research efficiency. In this study, to speed up the research efficiency, coarse-grained molecular dynamics was first applied in the study of liposome physical stability. By analyzing the microprocess of vesicle fusion, two parameters including diffusion constant and the total time of the vesicle morphology transition process were employed to study the liposome physical stability. Then, in order to verify the applicability of two parameters, the physical stability of elastic liposomes and conventional liposomes was compared at 3 different temperatures. It was found that the fusion probability and speed of elastic liposomes were higher than those of conventional liposomes. Thus, elastic liposomes showed a worse physical stability compared with that of conventional liposomes, which was consistent with former research. Through this research, a new efficient method based on coarse-grained molecular dynamics was proposed for the study of liposome physical stability.

A Multiscale Study on the Effect of Sodium Cholate on the Deformation Ability of Elastic Liposomes.

Elastic liposoxy1mes (ELs) are biocompatible bilayer vesicular systems commonly used in the transdermal delivery of drugs. Compared with conventional liposomes (CLs), the strong deformation ability conferred by edge activators (EAs) is one of the most critical properties of ELs. However, due to limited research methods, little is known about the effect of EAs on the deformation abilities of vesicles. In this study, taking sodium cholate as an example, a multiscale study was carried to study the effect of EAs on the deformability of ELs, including in vitro diffusion experiment at macroscale, "vesicle-pore" model experiment at the microscale and flat patch model experiment at the molecular scale. As a result, it was found that sodium cholate could decrease the kc of DPPC bilayer, which enabled it to remain morphologically intact during a strong deformation process. Such kind of differences on deformation ability made pogostone ELs (contain sodium cholate) present a better permeation effect compared with that of pogostone CLs. All of these provide a multiscale and thorough understanding of the effect of sodium cholate on the deformation ability of ELs.

Relationship Between the Comprehensive Nutritional Index and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between the comprehensive nutritional index (CNI) and quality of life in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The nutritional index, which includes total lymphocyte count, hemoglobin and albumin levels, body mass index, and usual body weight percentage, was evaluated pre-treatment and post-treatment in patients who underwent IMRT. The quality of life of NPC patients was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Head and Neck Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) at four time points: pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3 and 6 mo after IMRT. A comprehensive nutritional model was used to assess the correlation with QLQ-H&N35. The nutritional index decreased significantly post-treatment. The CNI was associated with immunotherapy; the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage; concurrent chemotherapy; speech problems, trouble with social contact, feeling ill and having dental problems at pre-treatment; sexuality at 3 mos post-treatment; and sensory problems and xerostomia at 6 mo post-treatment (P < 0.05). The nutritional status and QLQ-H&N35 scores in NPC patients decreased during IMRT. Our study provides an alternative measure of the CNI to improve the QLQ-H&N35 evaluation system for patients with NPC.

Association of the OAS3 rs1859330 G/A genetic polymorphism with severity of enterovirus-71 infection in Chinese Han children.

The 2'5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) is an interferon (IFN)-induced protein that plays an important role in the antiviral action of IFN, with OAS3 being one of the four OAS classes (OAS1, OAS2, OAS3, OASL). The effect of OAS on several infectious viral diseases has been reported; however, a study of the effect of OAS3 on enterovirus 71 (EV71) is lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of the OAS3 rs1859330 G/A genetic polymorphism with susceptibility and severity of EV71 infection. We investigated 370 Chinese Han children with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) (214 of which were mild cases while 156 were severe). An improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technique was carried out to examine the genotype. The AA genotype distribution (p = 0.002) and A allele frequency (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.32-2.52, p < 0.001) of OAS3 rs1859330 in severe cases were significantly higher than in mild cases. When comparing the different genotypes in EV71-infected patients, there were statistical differences in relation to rash (p = 0.03), oral ulcers (p = 0.005), pathologic reflex (p = 0.003), WBC counts (p = 0.032), CRP (p = 0.024), BG concentrations (p = 0.029), ALT (p = 0.02), and EEG (p = 0.019). However, there were no differences in relation to age, gender, AST, CK-MB, CT/ MRI, as well as some symptoms and signs (e.g. duration of fever (days), headache, convulsions, consciousness disturbance, paralysis, sign of meningeal irritation). In the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of severe cases, there were no differences in the levels of white cells, protein, glucose, chloride, lymphocytes and monocytes between the different genotypes. The plasma levels of IFN-γ in EV71-infected patients were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.01). IFN-γ concentrations in severe cases were lower in A allele carriers (AA+GA) (118.5 ± 12.6pg/mL) than in GG homozygotes (152.6 ± 56.3pg/mL p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the OAS3 rs1859330 G/A genetic polymorphism is associated with the severity of EV-71 infection, and that the A allele is a risk factor for the development of severe EV71 infection.

Contributions of Visuo-oculomotor Abilities to Interceptive Skills in Sports.

PURPOSE: Monitoring and intercepting a fast approaching object is a critical skill for many sports. Athletes might be distinguished from nonathletes based on their ability to access various visual abilities to accomplish interceptive actions. Here, we examined whether interceptive visuomotor skills of athletes and nonathletes are differently correlated to a hierarchy of visuo-oculomotor abilities related to the perception of motion in depth. METHODS: Eighty-six athletes in interceptive sports, as well as 60 nonathletes, were recruited based on their sport performance and prior experiences. Their basic visual abilities (dominant eye acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual span, and visual memory) and complex visuo-oculomotor abilities (dynamic acuity, accommodative facility, near point of convergence, and near/far phoria) were analyzed in relation to critical visuomotor skills (manual interception, visually guided locomotion, and depth judgment). RESULTS: Discriminant analysis revealed that athletes and nonathletes can be accurately differentiated based on measured visuomotor skills (91.3% accuracy, p < 0.0001). Near point of convergence, accommodative facility, and dynamic acuity were moderately effective in identifying athletes (71.3%, p = 0.002) and in predicting the three visuomotor skills (all r(2) ≥ 0.096, all p ≤ 0.022). Dominant eye acuity and contrast sensitivity also identified athletes (61.4%, p = 0.021) and contributed to complex visuo-oculomotor abilities (all r(2) ≥ 0.046, all p ≤ 0.039). The correlations among measured abilities were more significant for athletes than nonathletes. CONCLUSIONS: Athletes in interceptive sports are superior to nonathletes in their visuomotor skills. They also have broader access to various visual and complex visuo-oculomotor abilities than nonathletes. This likely allows athletes to more effectively coordinate visual and oculomotor abilities under demanding conditions when some visual cues are degraded. The present findings are consistent with a pyramid of sports vision and suggest a top-down process for athlete screening and training.

Microplastics in the human body: A comprehensive review of exposure, distribution, migration mechanisms, and toxicity.

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive across ecosystems, presenting substantial risks to human health. Developing a comprehensive review of MPs is crucial due to the growing evidence of their widespread presence and potential harmful effects. Despite the growth in research, considerable uncertainties persist regarding their transport dynamics, prevalence, toxicological impacts, and the potential long-term health effects they may cause. This review thoroughly evaluates recent advancements in research on MPs and their implications for human health, including estimations of human exposure through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. It also quantifies the distribution and accumulation of MPs in various organs and tissues. The review discusses the mechanisms enabling MPs to cross biological barriers and the role of particle size in their translocation. To ensure methodological rigor, this review adheres to the PRISMA guidelines, explicitly detailing the literature search strategy, inclusion criteria, and the quality assessment of selected studies. The review concludes that MPs pose significant toxicological risks, identifies critical gaps in current knowledge, and recommends future research directions to elucidate the prolonged effects of MPs on human health. This work aims to offer a scientific framework for mitigating MP-related hazards and establishes a foundation for ongoing investigation.

Mucin2 regulated by Ho1/p38/IL-10 axis plays a protective role in polystyrene nanoplastics-mediated intestinal toxicity.

Micro/nano-plastics (MPs/NPs) are a newly discovered environmental pollutant that can be ingested by humans through food and drinking water. In this study we evaluated the impact of MPs/NPs on the intestinal barrier and its mechanism. Doses of MPs/NPs were used to treat Caco-2/HT29-MTX in-vitro model and in-vivo model. In in-vitro model, 20 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) had higher cytotoxicity than larger particles (200 nm and 2000 nm), and led to the increase of the permeability along with the decreased expression of tight junction proteins. Intriguingly, 20 nm PS-NPs elevated the expression of MUC2 simultaneously. Further studies revealed that PS-NPs increased the expression of HO1 through ROS generation, and then activated p38 to elevate IL-10 secretion in Caco-2 cell. The IL-10 secreted by Caco-2 cell promoted the expression of MUC2 in HT29-MTX cell through STAT1/3. Elevated MUC2 expression alleviates the cytotoxicity of PS-NPs. Besides, increased intestinal permeability and up-regulation of MUC2 through Ho1/p38/IL-10 pathway was also observed in 20 nm PS-NPs treated mouse model. In conclusion, PS-NPs can induce the intestinal toxicity and result in the increased adaptive expression of MUC2 to resist this adverse effect. People with inadequate mucin expression need to pay more attention to the toxicity of PS-NPs. This study provided a valuable insight for clarifying the mechanism and potential risk of intestinal toxicity induced by nanoplastics.

Atomic structure of a Na+- and K+-conducting channel.

Ion selectivity is one of the basic properties that define an ion channel. Most tetrameric cation channels, which include the K+, Ca2+, Na+ and cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, probably share a similar overall architecture in their ion-conduction pore, but the structural details that determine ion selection are different. Although K+ channel selectivity has been well studied from a structural perspective, little is known about the structure of other cation channels. Here we present crystal structures of the NaK channel from Bacillus cereus, a non-selective tetrameric cation channel, in its Na+- and K+-bound states at 2.4 A and 2.8 A resolution, respectively. The NaK channel shares high sequence homology and a similar overall structure with the bacterial KcsA K+ channel, but its selectivity filter adopts a different architecture. Unlike a K+ channel selectivity filter, which contains four equivalent K+-binding sites, the selectivity filter of the NaK channel preserves the two cation-binding sites equivalent to sites 3 and 4 of a K+ channel, whereas the region corresponding to sites 1 and 2 of a K+ channel becomes a vestibule in which ions can diffuse but not bind specifically. Functional analysis using an 86Rb flux assay shows that the NaK channel can conduct both Na+ and K+ ions. We conclude that the sequence of the NaK selectivity filter resembles that of a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel and its structure may represent that of a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel pore.

Three Novel ARID1B Variations in Coffin-Siris Syndrome Patients.

Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) (OMIM #135900) involves multiple congenital malformations, including hypotonia, short stature, sparse scalp hair, a coarse face, prominent eyebrows, a wide mouth, delayed bone age, and hypoplastic or absent fifth fingers/toes or nails, together with developmental delay. The cause of CSS is suggested to be related to alterations in the BRG- or HRBM-associated factor (BAF) pathway in humans. In this gene family, pathogenic variations in the AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1B (ARID1B) gene are revealed to be a significant element causing neurodevelopmental disability in patients with CSS. Herein, we describe the clinical features and gene variations in four Chinese patients with CSS. All the patients shared common features of short fifth fingers/toes or hypoplastic nails, coarse facial features, thick eyebrows, long cilia, a flat nasal bridge, a broad nose, a wide mouth, a high palate, and hypotonia. Besides, they had an intellectual disability, language, and motor developmental delay. Candidate genes were screened for variations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. The variations were sequenced by next-generation sequencing and confirmed by first-generation sequencing. Exome sequencing suggested four de novo variations in the ARID1B gene in four unrelated patients. These included two frameshift variations (c.3581delC, c.6661_6662insG) and two nonsense variations (c.1936C>T, c.2248C>T). Of the four variations, three variations were novel. The results in our present study broaden the understanding of the disease and further interpret the molecular genetic mechanism of these rare variations in CSS.

Relationship between periodontal disease and mortality in patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between periodontitis and outcomes in patients treated with long-term hemodialysis is controversial. Our previous work suggests that periodontitis is associated with malnutrition and inflammation. Here, we hypothesize that periodontitis is associated with mortality in hemodialysis patients. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 253 patients undergoing hemodialysis at a single hospital-based dialysis facility. PREDICTOR: Severity of periodontal disease (mild, moderate, or severe based on oral examination of 6 teeth). OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS: All-cause and cardiovascular mortality during a 6-year follow-up after an oral health examination of index teeth. RESULTS: During the 6-year follow-up, 102 patients died. Death occurred in 70.6%, 41.8%, and 24.0% of patients with severe, moderate, and mild/no periodontitis, respectively. Using mild/no periodontitis as the reference group and adjustment for demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and selected laboratory values, HRs for all-cause mortality were 1.39 (95% CI, 0.83-2.34) and 1.83 (95% CI, 1.04-3.24) for moderate and severe periodontitis, respectively. HRs for cardiovascular mortality were not statistically significant. LIMITATIONS: Single assessment of periodontal disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: For patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis, periodontitis is associated with increased risk of death. Clinical trials are required to determine whether treatment of periodontitis decreases mortality.

Periodontal disease is associated with metabolic syndrome in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis and metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients but little information is available on their association. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between these two conditions in a HD cohort. METHODS: Data from 253 HD patients were analyzed. The association of periodontitis, gingival inflammation and dental plaque burden with metabolic syndrome and its individual component conditions were evaluated. Adjustments for age, gender, socioeconomic status, comorbidity and smoking status were considered. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 65.1% among individuals (n = 149) with moderate-severe periodontitis, 54.5% among individuals (n = 55) with mild periodontitis and 36.7% among individuals (n = 49) without periodontitis. After adjustment of confounders, patients with moderate-severe periodontitis were 2.736 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.293-5.790] times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than were those without periodontitis. In addition, the odds ratio for metabolic syndrome was 1.561 (95% CI, 1.121-2.166) per score of gingival inflammation severity and 1.724 (95% CI, 1.135-12.615) per score of dental plaque burden. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-severe periodontitis is associated with metabolic syndrome in HD patients. Whether improved oral health reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome is worth determining through further studies.

Entecavir add-on Peg-interferon therapy plays a positive role in reversing hepatic fibrosis in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients: a prospective and randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of entecavir (ETV) add-on peg-interferon therapy compared with ETV monotherapy in treatment-naïve hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients remains controversial. We investigated whether adding peg-interferon to ongoing ETV treatment leads to a better curative effect or not. METHODS: All patients have been recruited between August 2013 and January 2015 from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Zhongshan Hospital (China). Eligible HBV patients (n = 144) were randomly divided (1:1) to receive either ETV monotherapy (n = 70) or peg-interferon add-on therapy from week 26 to 52 (n = 74). Patients were followed-up for at least 2 years. Indexes including hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion rate, sustained virologic response, transient elastography value, and histological scores were evaluated every 3 months until the end of the study. The rate of patients with HBsAg loss was defined as the primary endpoint criteria. RESULTS: At week 26, no patient achieved HBsAg seroconversion in either group. At week 52, one patient in the monotherapy group was HBsAg-negative but there was none in the combination therapy group. The monotherapy group showed significantly better liver function recovery results than the combination therapy group. At week 78, one patient in the combination group had HBsAg seroconverted. At week 104, only three patients in the combination therapy group were HBsAg-negative compared with one patient in monotherapy. The mean alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and transient elastography values decreased significantly compared with baseline. Both groups showed a favorable decrease in alpha-fetoprotein (monotherapy: 4.5 [2.8, 7.1] vs. 2.2 [1.8, 3.1] ng/mL, P < 0.001; combination therapy: 5.7 [3.0, 18.8] vs. 3.2 [2.0, 4.3] ng/mL, P < 0.001) and an improved result of liver biopsy examination scores. The combination group showed a better improvement in histology compared with the monotherapy group (mean transient elastography value 6.6 [4.9, 9.8] vs. 7.8 [5.4, 11.1] kPa, P = 0.028). But there was no significant difference in HBsAg conversion rate (1.8% [1/56] vs. 4.1% [3/73], P = 0.809) and HBeAg conversion rate (12.5% [7/56] vs. 11.0% [8/73], P = 0.787), as well as HBV-DNA, sustained virologic response (93.2% vs. 98.5%, P = 0.150) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both therapies supported liver function recovery and histology improvement. Combination therapy did not show better anti-viral efficacy in HBsAg or HBeAg seroconversion compared with monotherapy. However, combination therapy played a more positive role in reversing hepatic fibrosis compared with monotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02849132; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02849132.

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of the effect of edge activators on the skin permeation behavior of transfersomes.

Transfersomes (TRS) can provide sustained drug delivery and themselves are biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic. Edge activators (EAs) are key factors for increasing the deformability of TRS, and this active deformation mechanism is of commercial interest, especially at the molecular level. Accordingly, in this paper, the deformability of pure dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles, TRS with sodium cholate as an EA, and DPPC vesicles containing pogostone (POG) were compared via umbrella sampling technology. The DPPC conformation and membrane fluidity of these three types of bilayer systems were evaluated, and the changes in the membrane properties of vesicles caused by EAs were studied. EAs could increase the deformability of TRS by decreasing the deformation energy barrier due to their amphiphilic structures, which was similar to those of DPPC molecules. The membrane properties also changed via treatment with EAs including altering the tail chain angle, disturbing the ordered tail chain arrangement and prompting lateral diffusion of DPPC molecules. In addition, the impact of EAs on DPPC bilayers was further demonstrated to be concentration dependent. An ideal concentration was identified for the lowest amount of EA that offered a gel-liquid-crystalline phase transition of DPPC bilayers. Importantly, POG, a lipophobic transdermal drug, can also affect the skin permeation behavior of vesicles but had weaker effects than EA.

Strategy of Metal-Polymer Composite Stent To Accelerate Biodegradation of Iron-Based Biomaterials.

The new principle and technique to tune biodegradation rates of biomaterials is one of the keys to the development of regenerative medicine and next-generation biomaterials. Biodegradable stents are new-generation medical devices applied in percutaneous coronary intervention, etc. Recently, both corrodible metals and degradable polymers have drawn much attention in biodegradable stents or scaffolds. It is, however, a dilemma to achieve good mechanical properties and appropriate degradation profiles. Herein, we put forward a metal-polymer composite strategy to achieve both. Iron stents exhibit excellent mechanical properties but low corrosion rate in vivo. We hypothesized that coating of biodegradable aliphatic polyester could accelerate iron corrosion due to the acidic degradation products, etc. To demonstrate the feasibility of this composite material technique, we first conducted in vitro experiments to affirm that iron sheet corroded faster when covered by polylactide (PLA) coating. Then, we fabricated three-dimensional metal-polymer stents (MPS) and implanted the novel stents in the abdominal aorta of New Zealand white rabbits, setting metal-based stents (MBS) as a control. A series of in vivo experiments were performed, including measurements of residual mass and radial strength of the stents, histological analysis, micro-computed tomography, and optical coherence tomography imaging at the implantation site. The results showed that MPS could totally corrode in some cases, whereas iron struts of MBS in all cases remained several months after implantation. Corrosion rates of MPS could be easily regulated by adjusting the composition of PLA coatings.

Polymorphism of OAS2 rs739901 C/A Involves the Susceptibility to EV71 Infection in Chinese Children.

This study aimed to assess the relationship of OAS2 rs739901 5,-flanking C/A polymorphisms with the susceptibility to Enterovirus-71 (EV71) infection. We investigated 294 hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) Chinese children with EV71 infection (165 mild cases and 129 encephalitis cases). The improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technique was used to test the genotypes. In EV71-infected patients, the CA genotype distribution (P=0.007), A allele frequency (OR 1.32,95% CI 1.0-1.7, P=0.034) and CA+AA carriage frequency (P=0.003) of OAS2 rs739901 5'-flanking were obviously elevated as compared with controls, but there were no statistically significant differences between mild cases and encephalitis cases. In EV71-infected patients, the counts of white blood cells (P=0.034) and blood glucose concentrations (P=0.042) were raised in A carriers (CA+AA). Among different genotypes of encephalitis cases, the contents of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed no significant differences. IFN-γ levels in EV71-infected patients were higher than those in controls (mild group vs. control group, P<0.01; encephalitis group vs. control group, P<0.01;). In encephalitis cases, IFN-γ levels were reduced (P<0.05) in A carriers compared to CC genotype, however, there were no significant differences between genotypes CA and AA (P=0.226). These findings suggest that OAS2 rs739901 5'-flanking C/A genetic polymorphisms involve the susceptibility to EV71 infection, and A allele might be a risk factor of the susceptibility to EV-71 infection.

Does periodontitis reflect inflammation and malnutrition status in hemodialysis patients?

BACKGROUND: Chronic infection and inflammation, including periodontitis, is linked to an increased risk for atherosclerosis. To investigate the possible adverse effects of periodontitis in maintenance hemodialysis patients, we compared periodontal severity with malnutrition and inflammation, which are associated with poor atherosclerotic outcome in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: Two hundred fifty-three hemodialysis patients were included in this study to evaluate clinical periodontal status by using the Plaque Index, Gingival Index, and Periodontal Disease Index. Geographic, hematologic, biochemical, and dialysis-related data also were collected. Values for nutritional and inflammatory markers, such as albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, transferrin, absolute lymphocyte count, normalized protein catabolic rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and ferritin, were included for analysis with the Periodontal Index. RESULTS: Poor oral health status was shown by 80.6% of hemodialysis patients with periodontal disease. In an analysis of geographic and disease-related parameters, we found that aging, smoking, diabetes, and longer dialysis duration were associated with severity of periodontitis. Parameters of malnutrition and inflammation also were associated with poor periodontal status. We next conducted multiple regression analysis and found that age, diabetes, smoking, albumin level, and dialysis duration were associated independently with periodontitis severity in hemodialysis patients. According to the severity of periodontitis, there were higher percentiles of patients with malnutrition (chi-square = 13.055; P = 0.005) and inflammation (chi-square = 10.046; P = 0.018) in the severe group. CONCLUSION: Periodontal health is poor in hemodialysis patients and correlates with markers of malnutrition and inflammation. Its diagnosis and treatment deserve better awareness.

Radiographic outcome of necrotic immature teeth treated with two endodontic techniques: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The endodontic treatment of teeth with immature root has always been a challenge. To achieve a better prognosis, regenerative endodontic treatment may become a treatment trend for teeth with apical periodontitis and immature roots. METHODS: Clinical and radiographic data were collected from 38 endodontic treated immature teeth (21 apexification and 17 regeneration). Measure the radiographic outcome by quantifying the apical lesion. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the two treatments regarding PAI scores at the 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up (p > 0.05). In addition, different operators and the different stages of root development for both techniques showed no significant statistical difference on the final treatment results. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, assessment of the radiographic outcomes indicated that regenerative endodontic treatment were identical to the apexification technique.

Genotoxicity test of self-renovated ceramics in primary human peripheral lymphocytes.

Zirconia-based ceramics is widely used in dentistry. Different compositions of ceramics have different features. Our self-renovated ceramics become more machinable without scarifying its dental restoration properties after adjusting ratio of lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4)/yttrium oxide (Y2O3). In order to evaluate its safety, here, we tested its genotoxicity in primary human peripheral lymphocytes. The human lymphocytes cultured on three groups of different ratios of LaPO4/Y2O3 diphase ceramics for 6 days showed little effect of growth inhibition and similar effect of growth trend to the negative control. Furthermore, single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) indicated that there was no significant difference of the value of tail moment between the tested ceramics and negative control, the IPS Empress II (P > 0.05). Our findings implicate that our self-renovated ceramics do not induce DNA damages in human peripheral lymphocytes and support their future clinic application.

[Comparison of the effectiveness of two types of filter papers on gingival crevicular fluid collection].

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of whatman3MM chromatographic filter paper and whatman3# qualitative filter paper on gingival crevicular fluid collection and protein extraction,in order to provide the evidence of using appropriate filter paper for collection of gingival crevicular fluid in clinical researches. METHODS: Whatman3MM chromatographic filter paper was used in group A and whatman3# qualitative filter paper in group B. Both types of filter papers were clipped into 2mm±8mm strips, then added into 15 incremental volumes of the fuchsine solution with serum, respectively, and each volume was repeated for 4 times. The length of infiltration on each filter paper was measured. Both groups were added into 5 incremental volumes of normal human serum separately and each volume was repeated for five times. The concentration of total protein in the extraction liquid of each group was measured. Both two groups were added into 5 incremental concentrations of 1µL normal human serum which were diluted to the corresponding multiples with 0.9% NaCl solution, and each concentration was repeated for 5 times. SPSS17.0 software package was used to conduct statistical analysis. RESULTS: The linear relation between the length of infiltration and volume of the solution were good and significant difference (P<0.05) was found between the two groups. With the exception of 0.1µL,the lengths of infiltration in group A were all larger than that in group B. No significant difference (P>0.05) was found in two groups when considering the protein extraction yield. CONCLUSIONS: The two filter papers were both effective to measure the volume of gingival crevicular fluid which was collected according to its infiltration length on the paper. When there was a large volume of gingival crevicular fluid, Whatman3# qualitative filter paper was more applicable than whatman3MM chromatographic filter paper. However, no significant difference was found between the two filter papers in consideration of protein extraction.

Beneficial effects of lysosome-modulating and other pharmacological and nanocarrier agents on amyloid-beta-treated cells.

The progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by disturbances of the endosome/lysosome (EL) system and there is accumulation of peptides of the AD-associated amyloid beta (Abeta) type in EL vesicles of affected neurons. EL modulating agents partially ameliorate the Abeta-mediated cell abnormalities. However, no extensive studies on the potential pharmaceutical applications of combinations of such agents and their synergistic effects have been performed. This study shows the beneficial anti-amyloid effects of several combinations of lysosomal modulators and other pharmacological and new nanobiotechnological agents. Some agents potentiated each other's action and some of them facilitated the anti-amyloid actions of memantine, a modifier of Ca2+-permeable channels involved in AD and one of the few drugs used for treatment of AD. Another compound used in nanobiotechnology ameliorated as a nanocarrier the beneficial effects of some of these potential pharmaceutical agents. They may be considered as additional drugs to improve the efficacy of the therapeutic approaches for AD and related neurodegenerative disorders.