Exploring the effect of disc displacement on the risk and severity of condylar erosion in adult temporomandibular disorder patients: A CBCT and MRI study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between types of disc displacement (DD) diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the risk (presence or absence) and severity of condylar erosion (CE) graded using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in adult Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients. METHODS: A total of 353 TMD patients (283 females, 70 males) underwent MRI scans to categorise DD as normal (NA), anterior displacement with reduction (ADDR), or anterior displacement without reduction (ADDNR). CE severity was graded on a scale of 0-3 (absence, mild, moderate or severe) using CBCT. To establish the plausibility and cut-off points for CE diagnosis, the severity of CE was then further divided into three classifications: Grade 0 versus 1 + 2 + 3; Grades 0 + 1 versus 2 + 3; Grades 0 + 1 + 2 versus 3. Logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for age, gender and joint correlation. RESULTS: ADDNR significantly increased the risk of CE compared with NA (OR = 10.04, 95% CI: [6.41, 15.73]) and showed a significant increase in CE severity across all classifications (ORs = 10.04-18.95). The effects of ADDNR were significant in both genders (p < .001) and had a greater impact in females. ADDR was predominantly associated with mild CE. CONCLUSIONS: ADDNR significantly increased the risk and severity of CE independent of gender when compared to NA, whereas ADDR was mainly associated with mild CE. Slight cortical discontinuity may represent a subclinical diagnosis requiring further investigation.

Cold plasma enhanced natural edible materials for future food packaging: structure and property of polysaccharides and proteins-based films.

Natural edible films have recently gained a lot of interests in future food packaging. Polysaccharides and proteins in edible materials are not toxic and widely available, which have been confirmed as sustainable and green materials used for packaging films due to their good film-forming abilities. However, polysaccharides and proteins are hydrophilic in nature, they exhibit some undesirable material properties. Cold plasma (CP), as an innovative and highly efficient technology, has been introduced to improve the performance of polysaccharides and proteins-based films. This review mainly presents the basic information of polysaccharides and proteins-based films, principles of CP modified biopolymer films, and the effects of CP on the structural changes including surface morphology, surface composition, and bulk modification, and properties including wettability, mechanical properties, barrier properties, and thermal properties of polysaccharides, proteins, and polysaccharide/protein composite-based films. It is concluded that the CP modified performances are mainly depending on the polysaccharides and proteins raw materials, CP generation types and treatment conditions. The existing difficulties and future trends are also discussed. Despite natural materials currently not fully substitute for traditional plastic materials, CP has exhibited an effective solution to shape the future of natural materials for food packaging.

Protein Corona-Mediated Extraction for Quantitative Analysis of Nanoplastics in Environmental Waters by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.

There is a growing concern about the effects of nanoplastics on biological safety and human health because of their global ubiquity in the environment. Methodologies for quantitative analysis of nanoplastics are important for the critical evaluation of their possible risks. Herein, a sensitive yet simple and environmentally friendly extraction approach mediated by protein corona is developed and coupled to pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) for nanoplastic determination in environmental waters. The developed methodology involved the formation of protein corona by addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to samples and protein precipitation via salting out. Then, the resulting extract was directly introduced to Py-GC/MS for nanoplastic mass quantification. Taking 50 nm polystyrene (PS) particles as a model, the highest extraction efficiency for nanoplastics was achieved under the extraction conditions of BSA concentration of 20 mg/L, equilibration time of 5 min, pH 3.0, 10% (w/v) NaCl, incubation temperature of 80 °C, and incubation period of 15 min. The extraction was confirmed to be mediated by the protein corona by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the extracted nanoplastics. In total, 1.92 and 2.82 µg/L PS nanoplastics were detected in river water and the influent of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), respectively. Furthermore, the feasibility of the present methodology was demonstrated by applying to extract PS and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoplastics from real waters with recoveries of 72.1-98.9% at 14.2-50.4 µg/L spiked levels. Consequently, our method has provided new insights and possibilities for the investigation of nanoplastic pollution and its risk assessment in the environment.

Effect of Side Chain Substituent Volume on Thermoelectric Properties of IDT-Based Conjugated Polymers.

A p-type thermoelectric conjugated polymer based on indacenodithiophene and benzothiadiazole is designed and synthesized by replacing normal aliphatic side chains (P1) with conjugated aromatic benzene substituents (P2). The introduced bulky substituent on P2 is detrimental to form the intensified packing of polymers, therefore, it hinders the efficient transporting of the charge carriers, eventually resulting in a lower conductivity compared to that of the polymers bearing aliphatic side chains (P1). These results reveal that the modification of side chains on conjugated polymers is crucial to rationally designed thermoelectric polymers with high performance.

Analysis of the Complete Genomes of Enterovirus 71 Subtypes in China.

Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is one of the most pathogens to hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) as well as neurological complications in young children. Molecular characteristic of EV-A71 is important to prevent the virus outbreak. Here, the complete genomes of EV-A71 from China between 1998 and 2019 were downloaded from GenBank. The phylogenetic trees were developed by MEGA7.0 software, and the complete genetic epidemiological characteristics and amino acid mutations of EV-A71 from China were also analysed. The results showed that major epidemic EV-A71 subtype was C4b before 2004, while it turned to C4a after 2004 in mainland China, and C4 and B5 were major subtypes in Taiwan. VP1, VP4, 2C, 3C, 3D, and complete genome sequence can be used for virus genotyping, and VP1, VP4, and complete genomes have obvious advantages over other segments. There were many significant mutations in the viral complete genome sequence. This study indicated that the major C4 and B5 subtypes will contribute to the development of vaccines and drugs of EV-A71 for prevention and monitoring of EV-A71-associated HFMD in China.

Comparison of the clinical outcomes of percutaneous vertebroplasty vs. kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic Kümmell's disease:a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) are widely used in the treatment of Kümmell's disease. The purpose of this article is to investigate the clinical efficacy of PVP and PKP for Kümmell's disease. METHODS: The clinical data that 56 cases of Kümmell's disease treated with either PVP (28 cases) or PKP (28 cases) from December 2015 to December 2017 were prospectively analyzed. Gender, age, course of disease, injury segment, bone mineral density (BMD), visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), imaging measurement indexes before surgery between the two groups showed no significant difference (all P > 0.05). The bone cement leakage rate, bone cement injection amount, operation time, VAS, ODI, the rate of vertebral compression, correction rate of kyphosis and refracture rate of adjacent vertebra in 2 years were compared between the two groups to calculate clinical efficacy. RESULTS: The two groups were followed up for 24-48 months. There was no significant difference in the follow-up time, amount of bone cement injected, incidence of bone cement leakage and refracture rate of adjacent vertebrae between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and fluoroscopy times of the PVP group were significantly lower than those of the PKP group (all P = 0.000). VAS score and ODI of the two groups were significantly lower at 1 day, 1 year and 2 years after surgery than before surgery (all P < 0.05), but there was not statistically significant difference between the two groups at each time point after surgery (all P > 0.05). The rate of vertebral compression and kyphosis correction in the two groups were significantly corrected (P < 0.05, respectively) and decreased significantly with time (all P < 0.05), But there was not significant difference between the two groups at any time point (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both PVP and PKP can achieve similar effects in the treatment of Kümmell's disease. Because the cost, operation time, blood loss, radiation exposure and surgical procedure of PVP are less than those of PKP, PVP has more clinical priority value.

Family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri): Molecular identification, phylogenomic characterization and expression profiling during stone cell formation.

Stone cells are a characteristic trait of pear fruits, and excessive stone cell formation has a significant negative impact on the texture and flavour of the pulp. Lignin is one of the main components of stone cells. Family-1 uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are responsible for the glycosylation modification of monolignols. However, information remains limited regarding the relationship between UGTs and stone cell formation. To address this problem, we identified 139 UGTs from the pear genome, which were distributed in 15 phylogenetic groups (A-M, O, and P). We also performed a collinearity analysis of UGTs among four Rosaceae plants (pear, peach, mei, and strawberry). Phylogenetic analysis suggested that 13 PbUGTs might be related to the glycosylation of monolignols. Analysis of expression patterns demonstrated that most putative monolignol glycosylation-related PbUGTs not only showed high expression levels in flowers and buds but were also induced by exogenous ABA, SA, and MeJA. In addition, the transcript level of Pbr005014.1 (named PbUGT72AJ2) was consistent with the changing trend of lignin content in pear fruit, and the transcript level was also higher in 'Dangshan Su' pear with higher lignin and stone cell contents. Subcellular localization results showed that PbUGT72AJ2 was located mainly in the cytomembrane and cytoplasm. Based on our study, PbUGT72AJ2 is considered to be a monolignol glycosylation-related UGT. Our results provide an important source for the identification of UGTs and a foundation for the future understanding and manipulation of lignin metabolism and stone cell formation in pear fruit.

A case report of a teenager with severe hand, foot, and mouth disease with brainstem encephalitis caused by enterovirus 71.

BACKGROUND: Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute viral infection occurring mostly in infants and children. Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection mostly occurs in children < 5 years of age. Severe cases, however, are usually encountered in children under the age of 3 years, and exceedingly rare in teenagers > 14 years and adults. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a rare case of HFMD in a 16-year-old male teenager residing in Chonqing, China. The clinical presentation was typical of HFMD and included vesicular lesions and oral mucosal ulcers, macular and vesicular lesions on palms and soles. He developed severe neurological complications that were suggestive of brainstem encephalitis. EV71 RNA was detected in the patient's faecal samples by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Specific IgM antibody to EV71 was detected in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid by ELISA. Gamma immunoglobulin therapy at 25 g/day was administered for 2 days, along with methylprednisolone, mannitol, ganglioside, and creatine phosphate sodium. The patient showed neurological improvement and recovered completely in 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: This case indicates that EV71 infection may cause HFMD in teenagers with potentially severe neurological involvement. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of HFMD occurring in adults and teenagers as prompt treatment could be life-saving in these patients.

A novel general and efficient technique for dissociating antigen in circulating immune complexes.

Circulating immune complexes (CICs) are produced during the immune response. It is more clinically important to establish a general and efficient CICs dissociation technique for the detection of antigens for CICs other than the detection of free antigens in the serum. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) two-precipitation separation and glycine-HCl as a buffer system were employed to develop a general and efficient buffer dissociation technique to separate CICs from serum and dissociate antigens from CICs. The measurement value of new PEG two-precipitation separation technique was higher than traditional PEG precipitation separation technique. There were slight differences in the dissociation conditions of HCV Core-IC, HIV P24-IC, Ins-IC and TG-IC as compared to HBsAg-IC. The detection of antigens in HBsAg-IC, HCV Core-IC, HIV P24-IC, Ins-IC and TG-IC with this technique was superior to that with HCl Dissociation, Trypsin Digestion or Immune Complex Transfer technique. PEG two-precipitation dissociation technique may reduce macromolecular protein and the adhesion of free antigens during the co-precipitation, which increases the efficiency of separation and precipitation of CICs. This technique also avoids the damage of reagents to antigens, assuring the repeatability, reliability and validity. Thus, this technique is application in samples negative or positive for free antigens.

Genetic characteristics of the P1 coding region of Coxsackievirus A16 associated with hand, foot, and mouth disease in China.

Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) is one of the major etiological agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. To investigate the genetic characteristics of the P1 coding region gene of CVA16 associated with HFMD in China, we included the sequences of CVA16 specimens obtained from outbreak investigations and sporadic HFMD cases between 1998 and 2014 in China from GenBank, we genotyped the CVA16 sequences and analyzed P1 coding region sequences that encode structural proteins with bioinformatics software. CVA16 was classified into genotypes A and B1 based on the VP1 gene; the B1b and B1a subgenotypes were the major CVA16 strains and predominated in the coastal areas of China. Four strains were found to show inter- and intra-typic recombination in the P1 region. The amino acid identities of VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4 proteins in all Chinese CVA16 strains were 88.2-100%, 83.0-100%, 87.6-100%, and 72.4-100%, respectively. A total of 251 amino acid substitution sites were detected in the structural proteins encoded by the P1 coding region gene. The amino acid sequences of the P1 coding region in Chinese CVA16 strains were highly conserved, although some amino acid mutations occurred with high frequency: VP1-T11A (10%), N14S (14%), L23M/V (11%), T98M (16%), V107A (14%), N102D (6.1%), E145V (8.8%), N218D (10%), E241K (22%), T248A/I (6.8%); VP2-I217V (22%), T226A (38%); VP3-N141S/G (5.4%), and N240D (15%). The genetic characteristics of CVA16 in the P1 coding region gene may provide a basis for developing a CVA16 vaccine and preventing and controlling HFMD in China.

Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin with or without peginterferon for the treatment of hepatitis C virus: Results from a phase 3b study in China.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sofosbuvir is a nucleotide analog inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B RNA polymerase with pangenotypic potency. This phase 3b study evaluated the safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir + ribavirin ± peginterferon in Chinese patients infected with HCV genotype 1, 2, 3, or 6. METHODS: Patients with genotype 1 or 6 received sofosbuvir + peginterferon/ribavirin for 12 weeks or sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 24 weeks, depending on prior treatment and interferon eligibility. Patients with genotype 2 or 3 received sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 12 or 24 weeks, respectively. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). RESULTS: Of 389 patients, 42% had genotype 1, 16% genotype 2, 32% genotype 3, and 9% genotype 6. Half were male, 58% were treatment-naïve, and 15% had cirrhosis. SVR12 rates for patients receiving 12 weeks of sofosbuvir + peginterferon/ribavirin were 94% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87-98%) for HCV genotype 1 and 97% (95% CI, 84-100%) for genotype 6. SVR12 rates for those receiving sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 24 weeks were 95% (95% CI, 87-99%) for genotype 1, 100% (95% CI, 40-100%) for genotype 6, and 95% (95% CI, 90-98%) for genotype 3. For genotype 2 patients receiving sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 12 weeks, the SVR12 rate was 92% (95% CI, 83-97%). Twenty patients (5%) relapsed. Ten (3%) experienced serious adverse events. Three (< 1%) discontinued treatment because of adverse events, of whom one died because of treatment-unrelated adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Sofosbuvir-based regimens were highly effective and safe in Chinese patients with HCV genotype 1, 2, 3, or 6, suggesting sofosbuvir could serve as the backbone for HCV treatment in China irrespective of genotype.

Baseline quantitative hepatitis B core antibody titre alone strongly predicts HBeAg seroconversion across chronic hepatitis B patients treated with peginterferon or nucleos(t)ide analogues.

OBJECTIVE: The investigation regarding the clinical significance of quantitative hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) during chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the performance of anti-HBc as a predictor for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in HBeAg-positive CHB patients treated with peginterferon (Peg-IFN) or nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs), respectively. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study consisting of 231 and 560 patients enrolled in two phase IV, multicentre, randomised, controlled trials treated with Peg-IFN or NUC-based therapy for up to 2 years, respectively. Quantitative anti-HBc evaluation was conducted for all the available samples in the two trials by using a newly developed double-sandwich anti-HBc immunoassay. RESULTS: At the end of trials, 99 (42.9%) and 137 (24.5%) patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion in the Peg-IFN and NUC cohorts, respectively. We defined 4.4 log10 IU/mL, with a maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity, as the optimal cut-off value of baseline anti-HBc level to predict HBeAg seroconversion for both Peg-IFN and NUC. Patients with baseline anti-HBc ≥4.4 log10 IU/mL and baseline HBV DNA <9 log10 copies/mL had 65.8% (50/76) and 37.1% (52/140) rates of HBeAg seroconversion in the Peg-IFN and NUC cohorts, respectively. In pooled analysis, other than treatment strategy, the baseline anti-HBc level was the best independent predictor for HBeAg seroconversion (OR 2.178; 95% CI 1.577 to 3.009; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline anti-HBc titre is a useful predictor of Peg-IFN and NUC therapy efficacy in HBeAg-positive CHB patients, which could be used for optimising the antiviral therapy of CHB.

Response-guided peginterferon therapy in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Response-guided therapy has been confirmed to be an effective strategy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in the pegylated interferon (PegIFN) era, but no randomized trial utilizing this strategy has been conducted in chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: In this open-label, multicenter, randomized trial, HBeAg positive patients were treated with PegIFN (180µg/week) for 24weeks. Early responders (HBsAg <1500IU/ml and HBV DNA <10(5)copies/ml at week 24) received PegIFN for a further 24weeks (arm A), while non-early responders were randomized to PegIFN for another 24weeks (arm B), another 72weeks (arm C) or PegIFN for another 72weeks plus adefovir for 36weeks (arm D). The primary endpoint was the change of quantitative HBsAg from baseline to the end of follow-up (EOF). RESULTS: For non-early responders, 96-week PegIFN monotherapy did not lead to a greater reduction of HBsAg from baseline to EOF, compared with 48-week PegIFN (-0.71 vs. -0.67log10IU/ml, P=0.407). The rate of HBeAg seroconversion with HBV DNA <2000IU/ml at EOF were similar for arms B, C and D (17.9%, 23.9% and 25.0% respectively). For patients with HBsAg <1500IU/ml or HBV DNA <10(5)copies/ml at week 24, 38.4% and 37.0% achieved HBeAg seroconversion with HBV DNA <2000IU/ml at EOF respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HBsAg <1500IU/ml or HBV DNA <10(5)copies/ml at week 24 would benefit from continued PegIFN treatment. Extending the duration of PegIFN with or without adding adefovir did not show superiority over 48weeks PegIFN monotherapy. LAY SUMMARY: Extending the duration of pegylated interferon (PegIFN) alfa-2a is not recommended in HBeAg positive patients as treatment extension beyond 48weeks did not show convincing benefit. Patients who achieved HBsAg <1500IU/ml or HBV DNA <10(5)copies/ml after 24-week PegIFNα-2a showed satisfactory outcome after the withdrawal of finite PegIFNα-2a treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT01086085.

HBsAg and HBeAg in the prediction of a clinical response to peginterferon α-2b therapy in Chinese HBeAg-positive patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive values of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in 171 Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B who received a 48-week course of pegylated interferon alfa-2b therapy at 1.5 mcg/kg. METHODS: HBsAg, HBeAg, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels were measured at baseline and weeks 12, 24, 48, and 72. Clinical responses were defined as a combined response (CR, HBeAg seroconversion [sustained response, SR] combined with HBV DNA level <2,000 IU/mL at week 72). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for HBsAg alone and/or combined with HBeAg and HBV DNA at weeks 12 and 24. RESULTS: Of 171 patients included, 58 (33.9 %) achieved a SR. Of patients who achieved a SR, 33 (56.9 %) achieved a CR. Totally 19.3 % (33/171) patients achieved CR and 80.7 % (138/171) patients did not. Patients with HBsAg <1500 IU/mL at week 12 had a 47.4 % chance of achieving an off-treatment SR and patients with a HBsAg decrease >1.5 logIU/mL at week 12 had a 54.5 % chance. Patients with HBsAg >20,000 IU/mL at weeks 12 and 24 had a 93.8 and 100.0 % chance, respectively, of not achieving a CR. An HBsAg level or changes at weeks 12 and 24, combined with HBeAg or HBV DNA, increased the chance for a SR and CR. CONCLUSIONS: On-treatment HBsAg quantification, alone or in combination with HBeAg or HBV DNA, predicted off-treatment SR and CR after 48 weeks of PEG-IFNα-2b therapy, and thus, may guide clinicians in making a therapeutic decision to continue or terminate the therapy.

Simeprevir plus peginterferon/ribavirin for HCV genotype 1-infected treatment-naïve patients in China and South Korea.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Approximately one-third of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 1 infection live in East Asia. This study evaluated the efficacy, pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of simeprevir plus peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin (PR) in HCV GT1-infected, treatment-naïve, Asian patients with compensated liver disease. METHODS: This phase III, randomized study (NCT01725529) was conducted in China and South Korea. Patients received simeprevir 150 mg once daily (QD), simeprevir 100 mg QD, or placebo, in combination with PR for 12 weeks. Patients in the simeprevir groups received PR alone for a further 12 or 36 weeks based on response-guided treatment criteria. Patients in the placebo group received a further 36 weeks of PR alone. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after planned end of treatment (SVR12). Secondary endpoints were safety, pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 457 patients were treated; the majority had GT1b infection (452/457 [99%]) and IL28B CC GT (364/457 [80%]). Of the 454 patients who had liver biopsy, 26 had cirrhosis (6%). SVR12 rates were superior for both the simeprevir 100 mg (89%; P = 0.003) and 150 mg (91%; P < 0.001) groups versus placebo (76%). Adverse events were mainly grade 1/2 and occurred at a similar incidence across all treatment groups. Overall, eight patients (2%) discontinued simeprevir or placebo treatment because of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Both simeprevir (100 mg and 150 mg QD) plus PR achieved superiority in SVR12 versus placebo plus PR in treatment-naïve, HCV GT1-infected, Asian patients and were well tolerated.

Dental caries status of students from migrant primary schools in Shanghai Pudong New Area.

BACKGROUND: In China, there is a large migrant population. A significant proportion of children of the migrant population in China are not able to attend public schools due to the lack of local household registration (HuKou). They turn to privately-operated migrant schools, which are usually under-funded, have bad environmental facilities and are inadequately staffed compared to public schools. This study aims to describe the dental caries status of students from migrant primary schools in Shanghai Pudong New Area and factors that influence their caries status. METHODS: Children (7-12 years old) from migrant primary schools in Shanghai Pudong New Area were randomly selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Following the recommendation of the World Health Organization, caries experiences were recorded using the dmft index. A questionnaire to survey the children's socio-demographic characteristics and oral health-related behaviours was completed by the children's parents or guardians. RESULTS: A total of 1385 children in migrant primary schools were invited, of which 1323 joined the survey (95.5 %). Among all the surveyed subjects, the prevalence rate of dental caries was 74.7 % (65.7 % for primary teeth and 28.1 % for permanent teeth). The mean (SD) dmft scores were 3.17 (3.12), 2.74 (3.02) for the primary teeth and 0.44 (0.84) for the permanent teeth, and 99.5 % of the carious teeth received no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Students from migrant primary schools in Shanghai Pudong New Area had bad conditions of dental caries and most of the carious teeth were left untreated. The caries experience was associated with tooth brushing habits, snacking habits, dental visit and gender.

Complete genome sequence of a new recombinant echovirus 25 strain isolated from a neonatal patient with hand, foot, and mouth disease complicated by encephalitis in Beijing, China.

Although human echovirus 25 (E-25), a type of the enterovirus B species, is implicated in aseptic meningitis, information on its gene structure, evolution, and virulence are limited. We report here the complete genome sequence of a novel recombinant E-25 strain (E25/2010/CHN/BJ) isolated from a neonate with hand, foot, and mouth disease complicated by encephalitis in Beijing, China in 2010. The complete viral genome consists of 7429 nucleotides (nts), including a 6585-nt open reading frame. Phylogenetic dendrogram based on VP1 gene regions revealed that this strain belonged to subgroup D4, which contains the other E-25 strains isolated from China in recent years. The difference in the amino acid sites (P130S, K/T135I) of the VP1 region may affect its immunogenicity. SimPlot and Bootscan analyses suggested that E25/2010/CHN/BJ is a recombination result of E-25 and Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB-3) strains. Our results would facilitate the study of the origin, evolution, and molecular epidemiology of E-25.

[Efficacy of pegylated-interferon alpha-2a treatment in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B and partial viral response to nucleoside analogue therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and related factors of pegylated-interferon alpha-2a (PEG-IFN-2a) treatment in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who achieved partial viral response with nucleoside analogue (NA) therapy. METHODS: Patients with HBeAg-positive CHB and partial viral response to NA treatment were administered a PEG-IFN-2a therapy regimen of 180 g subcutaneous injection once weekly for a personlized duration of time. The existing NA therapy was continued in combination with the new PEG-IFN-2a treatment for 12 weeks. Measurements of serum HBV DNA load, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), HBeAg and hepatitis B e antibody (anti-HBe) were taken at baseline (prior to addition of the PEG-IFN-2a therapy) and every 3 months afterwards.For determining response to treatment, primary efficacy was defined as undetectable HBsAg and seroconversion, and secondary efficacy was defined as HBsAg less than 10 IU/mL and HBeAg seroconversion.Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 81 consecutive patients with an average of 12.0 months (range: 6.0-24.0 months) of NA therapy were included in the study and received an average of 19.6 months (range: 15.5-33.3 months) of PEG-IFN-2a treatment. At the end of PEG-IFN-2a therapy, 7 (8.6%) of the patients achieved undetectable HBsAg and seroconversion, and 14 (17.3%) showed HBsAg less than 10IU/mL. In addition, 40.7% achieved undetectable HBeAg and seroconversion, a rate that was slightly higher than that (38.3%) seen in treatment-naive patients who received PEG-IFN-2a. Statistical analyses suggest that baseline level of HBsAg at less than 1500 IU/mL may predict end of PEG-IFN-2a treatment response for HBsAg less than 10 IU/mL, as evidenced by the area under the curve measure of 0.747, sensitivity measure of 87.3%, specificity measure of 33.3%, positive predictive value of 82.1% and negative predictive value of 42.8%. CONCLUSION: Patients with HBeAg-positive CHB and partial viral response to NA therapy can achieve undetectable HBsAg and HBeAg seroconversion after switching to PEG-IFN-2a treatment. Baseline HBsAg level may be predictive of response to this therapeutic strategy.

Perlecan-enriched intercellular space of junctional epithelium provides primary infrastructure for leukocyte migration through squamous epithelial cells.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of intraepithelial stroma represented by extracellular matrix (ECM) deposits in the junctional epithelium to clarify its function as a scaffold for leukocyte migration through epithelial cells. Twenty-three biopsy specimens from the gingiva including the junctional epithelium were examined to determine comparative protein and gene level expression profiles for keratin and ECM molecules between the junctional epithelium and the gingival epithelium using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Intraepithelial leukocyte types and frequencies were also determined and compared between the junctional and gingival epithelia. In the junctional epithelium, which was positive for keratin 19, perlecan was strongly deposited in intercellular space of the whole epithelial layer, while it was faintly positive around the parabasal layer of the gingival epithelium. Perlecan mRNA signals were enhanced to a greater degree in both epithelial and inflammatory cells within the junctional epithelium. In the junctional epithelium, greater numbers of neutrophils and macrophages were found as compared with the gingival epithelium. Our results showed that perlecan is the primary ECM molecule comprising intraepithelial stroma of the junctional epithelium, in which leukocytes may migrate on ECM scaffolds in intercellular space toward the surface of the gingival sulci or pockets.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth-linked mutant GARS is toxic to peripheral neurons independent of wild-type GARS levels.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D (CMT2D) is a dominantly inherited peripheral neuropathy caused by missense mutations in the glycyl-tRNA synthetase gene (GARS). In addition to GARS, mutations in three other tRNA synthetase genes cause similar neuropathies, although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. To address this, we generated transgenic mice that ubiquitously over-express wild-type GARS and crossed them to two dominant mouse models of CMT2D to distinguish loss-of-function and gain-of-function mechanisms. Over-expression of wild-type GARS does not improve the neuropathy phenotype in heterozygous Gars mutant mice, as determined by histological, functional, and behavioral tests. Transgenic GARS is able to rescue a pathological point mutation as a homozygote or in complementation tests with a Gars null allele, demonstrating the functionality of the transgene and revealing a recessive loss-of-function component of the point mutation. Missense mutations as transgene-rescued homozygotes or compound heterozygotes have a more severe neuropathy than heterozygotes, indicating that increased dosage of the disease-causing alleles results in a more severe neurological phenotype, even in the presence of a wild-type transgene. We conclude that, although missense mutations of Gars may cause some loss of function, the dominant neuropathy phenotype observed in mice is caused by a dose-dependent gain of function that is not mitigated by over-expression of functional wild-type protein.