Heterozygous COL17A1 variants are a frequent cause of amelogenesis imperfecta.

BACKGROUND: Collagen XVII is most typically associated with human disease when biallelic COL17A1 variants (>230) cause junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a rare, genetically heterogeneous, mucocutaneous blistering disease with amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), a developmental enamel defect. Despite recognition that heterozygous carriers in JEB families can have AI, and that heterozygous COL17A1 variants also cause dominant corneal epithelial recurrent erosion dystrophy (ERED), the importance of heterozygous COL17A1 variants causing dominant non-syndromic AI is not widely recognised. METHODS: Probands from an AI cohort were screened by single molecule molecular inversion probes or targeted hybridisation capture (both a custom panel and whole exome sequencing) for COL17A1 variants. Patient phenotypes were assessed by clinical examination and analyses of affected teeth. RESULTS: Nineteen unrelated probands with isolated AI (no co-segregating features) had 17 heterozygous, potentially pathogenic COL17A1 variants, including missense, premature termination codons, frameshift and splice site variants in both the endo-domains and the ecto-domains of the protein. The AI phenotype was consistent with enamel of near normal thickness and variable focal hypoplasia with surface irregularities including pitting. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that COL17A1 variants are a frequent cause of dominantly inherited non-syndromic AI. Comparison of variants implicated in AI and JEB identifies similarities in type and distribution, with five identified in both conditions, one of which may also cause ERED. Increased availability of genetic testing means that more individuals will receive reports of heterozygous COL17A1 variants. We propose that patients with isolated AI or ERED, due to COL17A1 variants, should be considered as potential carriers for JEB and counselled accordingly, reflecting the importance of multidisciplinary care.

Adsorption behavior and interaction mechanism of microplastics with typical hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Microplastics (MPs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are two types of emerging contaminants widely present in the global aquatic ecosystem. The ecological risks associated with the coexistence of these two contaminants have garnered increasing attention from researchers. In this study, we selected 15 typical hydrophilic PPCPs, including Sulfacetamide (SA), Thiamphenicol, Florfenicol, Chloramphenicol (CHL), Ampicillin, Cephalexin, Ofloxacin, Fluorouracil, Phenytoin, Theophylline, Cimetidine, Methylparaben, Diethyltoluamide, Benzophenone-2 (BP-2), and Benzophenone-4, as adsorbates. We evaluated the adsorption potential of five traditional plastics (TPs), namely Polyamide 6 (PA6), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and Polyurethane (TPU), as well as three biodegradable plastics (BDPs), including Polylactic acid (PLA), Polybutylene succinate (PBS), and Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), for these adsorbates. Out of the 120 combinations of MPs and PPCPs tested, only 24 exhibited significant adsorption behavior. Notably, the adsorption performance of the three BDPs was stronger than that of the three typical TPs (PS, PET, and PVC). Based on their adsorption potential, PA6, BDPs, phenytoin, and BP-2 were identified as potential sources of high ecological risk. To further explore the adsorption mechanism, we investigated the adsorption behaviors of SA, BP-2, and CHL on PA6. The conclusions were as follows: SA, BP-2, and CHL all reached adsorption equilibrium within 24 h, with the partition coefficient (Kd) following this order: BP-2 (8.051) â‰« SA (0.052) > CHL (0.018). The primary forces of adsorption were electrostatic interactions, intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interaction, respectively. Additionally, weak electrostatic effects were observed in the adsorption of CHL and BP-2. The effects of pH, ionic strength, and fulvic acid on adsorption capacity varied. These results highlight a complex adsorption mechanism between MPs and hydrophilic contaminants in the aquatic environment. This study provides a basis for further evaluating the ecological risks of MPs and PPCPs combined pollution.

The effect of increasing the gaps between the front teeth on torque and intrusion control of the incisors for anterior retraction with clear aligners: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of sequential distalization on increasing gaps in the maxillary anterior teeth, focusing on the control of torque and three-dimensional teeth movement during anterior retraction with clear aligners in extraction cases. METHODS: We recruited 24 patients who were undergoing extraction bilateral maxillary first premolars with clear aligners. According to a predetermined increment in the spaces between the maxillary anterior teeth, the patients were divided into three groups: those with no gap (9 cases), a 0.5 mm gap (6 cases) and a 1.0 mm gap (9 cases). In each group, a 2.0 mm en-mass retraction was applied on the anterior teeth. Plaster casts of the upper full dentition were obtained both before and after a 2 mm retraction. The palatal folds were used to overlap each pair of models. The three-dimensional movement of the teeth and the change of torque for the anterior teeth were subsequently analyzed using Geomagic Studio 2014 software. RESULTS: The change in torque in the groups with added gaps was significantly smaller than that in the group with no gaps (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in this respect when comparing the group with a 0.5 mm gap added to the group with a 1.0 mm gap was added (P > 0.05). In the labial-lingual and vertical directions, the displacements of the central and lateral incisors were smaller in the groups with additional gaps compared to those in the groups without gaps (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference observed when comparing the group with a 0.5 mm added gap to the group with a 1.0 mm added gap (P > 0.05). Then, a comparison was made between the displacement of the second premolar to the second molar in the mesial-distal direction across all groups. The study revealed that the anchorage molars in the group without gaps demonstrated significantly smaller displacement compared to those in the group with additional gaps (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Advantages were observed in controlling the torque of the anterior teeth and achieving a desired pattern closer to normal bodily movement by sequentially distalizing the maxillary anterior teeth gaps. Increasing the gaps between the maxillary anterior teeth also resulted in improved control of the vertical direction of the anterior teeth. However, this retraction strategy necessitates substantial protection of the anchorage molars.

Alkaline Phosphatase for Estimating the Time since Deposition of Blood Fingerprints by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Blood is one of the most frequent and valuable traces encountered at crime scenes, where knowing the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains tremendously assists forensic experts to screen out crime-related evidence and aids in the reconstruction of the event sequence. Although increasing proof-of-concept methodologies for investigating the TSD of bloodstains have been reported, there is still no accepted strategy in forensic practice as the aging mechanism involves complex components, leading to the inaccuracy of the estimation results. Herein, an endogenous biomarker of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was chosen to investigate the TSD by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Results demonstrate that the ALP activity acquired via SECM lateral scan assay exhibited a clear decrease over time, and a similar trend was observed on both poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane and glass, with the aging kinetics on PVDF membrane being faster than glass. By means of quantitatively calculating the flux of generated p-aminophenol (PAP), we established the aging curve and realized the TSD estimation of blood fingerprints (BFPs) that was unable to be distinguished via optical measurements. Intriguingly, the as-obtained estimation accuracy ranged from 74.6 to 93.7%, proving the possibility of using an ALP biomarker and SECM. More appealingly, the predicted TSDs were capable of accurately differentiating the deposition sequence of overlapping BFPs, which was hardly achieved by optical means. Therefore, this proof-of-concept strategy demonstrates the value of SECM as a forensic tool and opens possibilities for revealing multidimensional information about crime.

Multifunctional Polymer Vesicles for Synergistic Antibiotic-Antioxidant Treatment of Bacterial Keratitis.

As an acute ophthalmic infection, bacterial keratitis (BK) can lead to severe visual morbidity, such as corneal perforation, intraocular infection, and permanent corneal opacity, if rapid and effective treatments are not available. In addition to eradicating pathogenic bacteria, protecting corneal tissue from oxidative damage and promoting wound healing by relieving inflammation are equally critical for the efficient treatment of BK. Besides, it is very necessary to improve the bioavailability of drugs by enhancing the ocular surface adhesion and corneal permeability. In this investigation, therefore, a synergistic antibiotic-antioxidant treatment of BK was achieved based on multifunctional block copolymer vesicles, within which ciprofloxacin (CIP) was simultaneously encapsulated during the self-assembly. Due to the phenylboronic acid residues in the corona layer, these vesicles exhibited enhanced muco-adhesion, deep corneal epithelial penetration, and bacteria-targeting, which facilitated the drug delivery to corneal bacterial infection sites. Additionally, the abundant thioether moieties in the hydrophobic membrane enabled the vesicles to both have ROS-scavenging capacity and accelerated CIP release at the inflammatory corneal tissue. In vivo experiments on a mice model demonstrated that the multifunctional polymer vesicles achieved efficient treatment of BK, owing to the enhanced corneal adhesion and penetration, bacteria targeting, ROS-triggered CIP release, and the combined antioxidant-antibiotic therapy. This synergistic strategy holds great potential in the treatment of BK and other diseases associated with bacterial infections.

Wet nitrocellulose membrane for the level 3 feature visualization of various latent fingerprints and gender determination.

A facile and high-resolution enhancement of latent fingerprints (LFPs) has been developed by using a wet nitrocellulose (NC) membrane as a matrix under natural light. A clear fingerprint pattern was presented on the membrane after a fingertip touch owing to the difference in light transmittance between the ridge residues and the wet-NC-membrane background. Compared with conventional methods, this protocol can provide a higher resolution fingerprint image to extract level 3 details accurately. It is also compatible with commonly used fingerprint visualization techniques (magnetic ferric oxide powder and AgNO3. The modified membrane could be more general to realize the high-resolution visualization of LFP transferred from various substrates, even independent of light projection. Due to the excellent feasibility and reproducibility of level 3 details extracted by the wet NC membrane, the frequency distribution of the distance between adjacent sweat pores (FDDasp) could be used to effectively distinguish the fragmentary fingerprints. Finally, the level 3 features of LFPs from females and males were conveniently extracted by the wet-NC-membrane method for gender identification. The statistical results indicated that females had a higher average sweat pore density (115/9 mm2) than males (84/9 mm2). Taken together, this approach provided a high-resolution, reproducible, and accurate imaging of LFPs, which shows great promise for forensic information analysis.

Effect of Substituents on Molecular Reactivity during Lignin Oxidation by Chlorine Dioxide: A Density Functional Theory Study.

Lignin is a polymer with a complex structure. It is widely present in lignocellulosic biomass, and it has a variety of functional group substituents and linkage forms. Especially during the oxidation reaction, the positioning effect of the different substituents of the benzene ring leads to differences in lignin reactivity. The position of the benzene ring branched chain with respect to methoxy is important. The study of the effect of benzene substituents on the oxidation reaction's activity is still an unfinished task. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) and the m062x/6-311+g (d) basis set were used. Differences in the processes of phenolic oxygen intermediates formed by phenolic lignin structures (with different substituents) with chlorine dioxide during the chlorine dioxide reaction were investigated. Six phenolic lignin model species with different structures were selected. Bond energies, electrostatic potentials, atomic charges, Fukui functions and double descriptors of lignin model substances and reaction energy barriers are compared. The effects of benzene ring branched chains and methoxy on the mechanism of chlorine dioxide oxidation of lignin were revealed systematically. The results showed that the substituents with shorter branched chains and strong electron-absorbing ability were more stable. Lignin is not easily susceptible to the effects of chlorine dioxide. The substituents with longer branched chains have a significant effect on the flow of electron clouds. The results demonstrate that chlorine dioxide can affect the electron arrangement around the molecule, which directly affects the electrophilic activity of the molecule. The electron-absorbing effect of methoxy leads to a low dissociation energy of the phenolic hydroxyl group. Electrophilic reagents are more likely to attack this reaction site. In addition, the stabilizing effect of methoxy on the molecular structure of lignin was also found.

The effects of aligner anchorage preparation on mandibular first molars during premolar-extraction space closure with clear aligners: A finite element study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of different aligner anchorage preparations on mandibular first molars during premolar-extraction space closure with clear aligners and to assess the effects of different modes of Class II elastics on mandibular first molars. METHODS: Finite element models were constructed on the basis of cone-beam computed tomography data from an orthodontic patient. The models comprised maxilla, mandible, maxillary and mandibular teeth without first premolars, periodontal ligaments, attachments and aligners. Tooth displacement tendencies were calculated using different aligner anchorage preparations and Class II elastics on the models from the same patient. Three group sets were designed on the basis of the positions of aligner cutouts and buttons (mesiobuccal, distobuccal and lingual). Four groups were established in each of the 3 group sets. Four groups were created: (1) no elastic traction + no anchorage preparation, (2) anchorage preparation only, (3) elastic traction only, and (4) elastic traction + anchorage preparation. Different aligner anchorage preparations (0°, 1°, 2°, 3°) were applied on mandibular second premolars and molars. The Class II traction force was set to 100 g. RESULTS: With clear aligners, mandibular first molars were subject to mesial tipping, lingual tipping and intrusion. In the condition of no elastic traction, aligner anchorage preparation resulted in distal tipping, buccal tipping, and extrusion effect on mandibular first molars. Aligner anchorage preparation was more effective in the distal and lingual cutout groups than in the mesial cutout group. In the condition of Class II elastic traction, the bodily movement of mandibular first molars was achieved with a 3° anchorage preparation for the mesial cutout group and a 1.7° anchorage preparation for distal and lingual cutout groups. Absolute maximal anchorage was achieved with a 2° anchorage preparation for distal and lingual cutout groups. CONCLUSIONS: Clear aligner therapy caused mesial tipping, lingual tipping and intrusion of mandibular first molars during premolar-extraction space closure. Aligner anchorage preparation effectively prevented mesial and lingual tipping of mandibular molars. Distal and lingual cutout modes were more effective than mesial cutout modes in aligner anchorage preparation. For each aligner stage (0.25 mm), 1.7° aligner anchorage preparation and Class II elastics with distal or lingual cutouts led to the bodily movement of mandibular first molars, whereas 2° anchorage preparation reached absolute maximal anchorage.

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment.

With huge amount of plastic entering to the environment, microplastic pollution has become a great concern. Microplastic behavior in the environment is important to evaluate its harm to ecosystem and human beings. It has been found that microplastic can be used as a carrier to adsorb and enrich heavy metals or organic pollutants in water or soil. With the development of industry and medicine, antibiotics are improperly used in many countries and most of them end up in wastewater. This study investigates the adsorption behavior of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotic onto virgin and aged polyamide 6 (PA6) microplastics. The maximum adsorption amount was 0.089 mg SMX/g PA6 at 25 °C and pH 7 with initial SMX concentration of 2 mg/L. Results reveal that the adsorption was mainly due to the chemical bounding. The impact of pH, salinity, and humic acid on the adsorption have been studied, and it was found that the pH has significant impact on the adsorption. At pH 5, the adsorption amount was 0.27 mg/g which is two times higher than that at pH 7. The SMX adsorbed on PA6 tends to be more likely desorbed in reservoir water than in ultrapure water. For instance, the desorption amount of SMX from virgin PA6 was 0.15 mg/L in reservoir water but 0.10 mg/L in ultrapure water. The study indicates that microplastics have great threat to environment.

Oral health status of students with visual or hearing impairments in Northeast China.

BACKGROUND: Visual or hearing impairments in students seriously affect their quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify oral hygiene status and its influencing factors on visual or hearing impairments in students in Northeast China. METHODS: This study was conducted in May 2022. A total of 118 visually impaired students and 56 hearing impaired students from Northeast China were included in this study via census. Oral examinations and questionnaire-based surveys of students and their teachers were conducted. The oral examinations included caries experience, prevalence of gingival bleeding and dental calculus. The questionnaires included three parts: Social demographics (residence, sex and race) and parents' educational level; Oral hygiene habits and medical treatment behaviors; Knowledge and attitudes towards oral health care. This questionnaire was selected from the Fourth China National Oral Health Survey and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were previously tested. T tests, one-way ANOVA, χ2 tests and multivariate logistic analyses were conducted to evaluate the differences and dependent variables of dental caries. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries in visually impaired and hearing impaired students were 66.10% and 66.07%. The mean number of DMFT, prevalence of gingival bleeding and dental calculus in visually impaired students were 2.71 ± 3.06, 52.08% and 59.38%, respectively. The mean number of DMFT, prevalence of gingival bleeding and dental calculus in hearing impaired students were 2.57 ± 2.83, 17.86% and 42.86%, respectively. The results of the multivariate logistic analysis showed that fluoride use and parents' educational background had an impact on the caries experience of visually impaired students. The daily toothbrushing frequency and parents' educational background had an impact on the caries experience of hearing impaired students. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health situation of students with visual or hearing impairments remains severe. It is still necessary to promote oral and general health in this population.

The combined effect of pit and fissure sealant application and oral health education on oral health status of children aged 6-9 years: a 12-month follow-up study in Northeast China.

BACKGROUND: Children aged 6-9 years are vulnerable to dental caries due to age-related limitations and a lack of adequate knowledge regarding oral health and hygiene practices. This study aimed to establish a cohort of children aged between 6 and 9 years and conducted a 12-month follow-up to examine the combined effect of pit and fissure sealant (PFS) application and oral health education on their oral health status. METHODS: A cohort study with 12-month follow-up was conducted in Liaoning province, China. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling approach was employed in the study. The enrolled 6- to 9-year-old children were all from the selected primary schools, who had resided in the designated area for at least 6 months. Children who were unable to cooperate with the examiner or without informed consent from their guardians were excluded. Experienced dental professionals examined the oral health status of primary school children aged 6-9 years. All children and their guardians were mandated to complete a questionnaire (qualitative data) at the beginning of the study. In the experiment group, children underwent PFS application and chairside oral health education. Clinical examinations and questionnaire surveys were repeated at the 12-month follow-up. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression were conducted to investigate the potential risk factors associated with dental caries prevalence (dependent variable). Independent variables were items from the questionnaire (such as living place, parents' education level and children' birth weight). The significant variables identified in the chi-square tests were subsequently included in the binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4,085 children aged 6-9 years were included in the study, with 1805 participants assigned to the experiment group and 2280 to the control group. At baseline, the caries rates of the experimental and control group were 77.95% and 80.35%, respectively without any statistically significant differences. However, at the 12-month follow-up, the caries rate in the experimental group (83.65%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (86.62%) (P < 0.05). The results from the binary logistic regression analysis indicated that parents with a college degree and children in the experimental group exhibited lower caries rates. Conversely, higher caries rates were associated with the consumption of sweet beverages and foods more than once a day and a lack of knowledge regarding the causes of caries (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In Liaoning, China, children aged 6 to 9 years exhibited a high prevalence of dental caries. Several factors, including the parent's education level, the frequency of consuming sweet beverages and foods, and the children's understanding of the cause of caries, significantly affected the caries prevalence rates. The implementation of PFS application and oral health education effectively reduce the caries rate among the surveyed children.

High-Resolution Micro-object Separation by Rotating Magnetic Chromatography.

The development of new technologies for the separation, selection, and isolation of microparticles such as rare target cells, circulating tumor cells, cancer stem cells, and immune cells has become increasingly important in the last few years. Microparticle separation technologies are usually applied to the analysis of disease-associated cells, but these procedures often face a cell separation problem that is often insufficient for single specific cell analyses. To overcome these limitations, a highly accurate size-based microparticle separation technique, herein called "rotating magnetic chromatography", is proposed in this work. Magnetic nanoparticles, placed in a microfluidic separation channel, are forced to move in well-defined trajectories by an external magnetic field, colliding with microparticles that are in this way separated on the basis of their dimensions with high accuracy and reproducibility. The method was optimized by using fluorescein isothiocyanate-modified polystyrene particles (chosen as a reference standard) and then applied to the analysis of cancer cells like Hep-3B and SK-Hep-1, allowing their fast and high-resolution chromatographic separation as a function of their dimensions. Due to its unmatched sub-micrometer cell separation capabilities, RMC can be considered a break-through technique that can unlock new perspectives in different scientific fields, that is, in medical oncology.

The effects of aligner overtreatment on torque control and intrusion of incisors for anterior retraction with clear aligners: A finite-element study.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of aligner overtreatment on torque control and intrusion of incisors for anterior retraction with clear aligners. METHODS: Models including a maxillary dentition without first premolars, maxilla, periodontal ligaments, attachments, and aligners were constructed and imported to finite-element software. Two groups of models were created: (1) without canine attachment and (2) with canine attachment. Overtreatment degrees (0°, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, and 5°) were applied for both groups. RESULTS: Clear aligner therapy caused lingual tipping and extrusion of incisors, distal tipping and extrusion of canines, and mesial tipping and intrusion of posterior teeth, which was more significant with canine attachments except for second premolars. Aligner overtreatment produced palatal root torquing and intrusion of incisors, distal tipping of canines, and mesial tipping of second premolars, with more significant in the condition with canine attachments. With canine attachments, 1.2° overtreatment could cause bodily retraction of central incisors. Without overtreatment, stress was concentrated on apical and cervical area of both labial and lingual surfaces of periodontal ligaments. The stress value was higher with canine attachments. However, when overtreatment was added, the stress was distributed more evenly. CONCLUSIONS: Clear aligner therapy produced lingual tipping and extrusion of incisors during anterior retraction. Overtreatment can achieve incisor intrusion and palatal root torquing, and the effect could be augmented by adding attachments on canines, which required more anchorage from posterior teeth. Appropriate overtreatment with placing attachments on canines should be designed to ensure bodily retraction and the least root resorption.

m6A regulator-mediated RNA methylation modification patterns are involved in immune microenvironment regulation of periodontitis.

The role of epigenetic regulation in immunity is emerging, especially for RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. However, little is known about the role of m6A in the regulation of the immune microenvironment of periodontitis. Thus, we aim to investigate the impact of m6A modification in periodontitis immune microenvironment. The RNA modification patterns mediated by 23 m6A-regulators were systematically evaluated in 310 periodontitis samples. The impact of m6A modification on immune microenvironment characteristics was explored, including infiltrating immunocytes, immune reaction gene-sets and HLAs (human leukocyte antigen) gene. m6A phenotype-related immune genes were also identified. 17 m6A regulators were dysregulated and a 15-m6A regulator signature can well distinguish periodontitis and control samples. ALKBH5 and FMR1 are closely related to infiltrating monocyte abundance. ELAVL1 and CBLL1 are significant regulators in immune reaction of TNF_Family_Members_Receptors and Cytokine. The expression of HLA-B and HLA-DOA is affected by ALKBH5 and LRPPRC. 3 distinct RNA modification patterns mediated by 23 m6A regulators were identified. They differ from immunocyte abundance, immune reaction and HLA gene. 1631 m6A phenotype-related genes and 70 m6A-mediated immune genes were identified, and the biological functions of these were explored. Our finding demonstrated the m6A modification plays a crucial role in the diversity and complexity of the immune microenvironment of periodontitis.

Meta-Apo improves accuracy of 16S-amplicon-based prediction of microbiome function.

BACKGROUND: Due to their much lower costs in experiment and computation than metagenomic whole-genome sequencing (WGS), 16S rRNA gene amplicons have been widely used for predicting the functional profiles of microbiome, via software tools such as PICRUSt 2. However, due to the potential PCR bias and gene profile variation among phylogenetically related genomes, functional profiles predicted from 16S amplicons may deviate from WGS-derived ones, resulting in misleading results. RESULTS: Here we present Meta-Apo, which greatly reduces or even eliminates such deviation, thus deduces much more consistent diversity patterns between the two approaches. Tests of Meta-Apo on > 5000 16S-rRNA amplicon human microbiome samples from 4 body sites showed the deviation between the two strategies is significantly reduced by using only 15 WGS-amplicon training sample pairs. Moreover, Meta-Apo enables cross-platform functional comparison between WGS and amplicon samples, thus greatly improve 16S-based microbiome diagnosis, e.g. accuracy of gingivitis diagnosis via 16S-derived functional profiles was elevated from 65 to 95% by WGS-based classification. Therefore, with the low cost of 16S-amplicon sequencing, Meta-Apo can produce a reliable, high-resolution view of microbiome function equivalent to that offered by shotgun WGS. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that large-scale, function-oriented microbiome sequencing projects can probably benefit from the lower cost of 16S-amplicon strategy, without sacrificing the precision in functional reconstruction that otherwise requires WGS. An optimized C++ implementation of Meta-Apo is available on GitHub ( https://github.com/qibebt-bioinfo/meta-apo ) under a GNU GPL license. It takes the functional profiles of a few paired WGS:16S-amplicon samples as training, and outputs the calibrated functional profiles for the much larger number of 16S-amplicon samples.

The natural history of laryngo-onycho-cutaneous syndrome: A case series of six pediatric patients and literature review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Laryngo-onycho-cutaneous syndrome (LOC) is a rare subtype of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), featuring aberrant granulation tissue formation in the skin, larynx, and eyes. So far, three mutations including the specific (founder) mutation in exon 39 of LAMA3 (c.151dup) have been identified, but sparse data exists regarding the natural history, the genotype-phenotype correlation, and its differentiation from other JEB types. METHODS: We reviewed our pediatric EB database to identify English children with clinical and genetically diagnosed LOC within the last 15 years. Their demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were examined. We searched three databases for case reports of LOC between January 1986 and November 2020 and extracted clinical and molecular details. RESULTS: We identified 6 LOC patients, all female (mean age 5.4 years). Periungual hypergranulation and skin fragility were the earliest presenting signs (0-3 months), followed by laryngeal stenosis, symblepharon (mean onset 10.7 and 11.8 months, respectively), and dental abnormalities. Five children developed anemia at an average of 19.2 months. We identified 22 published studies in English with 31 cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study delineates the disease course of LOC and highlights the overlap with some forms of JEB. Classical signs/symptoms including anemia appear early in life. Genetic analysis revealed three new LOC-associated variants and underscores the finding that interpretation of skin immunolabeling and molecular diagnostics can be challenging. We provide recommendations on management of this complex syndrome.

Free-standing electrochemical biosensor for carcinoembryonic antigen detection based on highly stable and flexible conducting polypyrrole nanocomposite.

A flexible free-standing electrochemical biosensor to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is described based on a conducting polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposite film electrode. The conducting PPy composite was constructed by the sandwiched structure formed by PPy doped with pentaerythritol ethoxylate (PEE) and 2-naphthalene sulfonate (2-NS-PPy) separately via electropolymerization. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were fixed on the PPy composite film by electrodeposition and then connected to CEA aptamer through self-assembly to construct a free-standing electrochemical biosensor breaking away from additional soft substrates and current collector. This PPy composite film-based electrochemical biosensor exhibits satisfying sensing performance for CEA detection, with a linear range from 10-10 g/mL to 10-6 g/mL and a detection limit of 0.033 ng/mL, good specificity and long-term sensing stability (96.8% of the original signal after 15 days). The biosensor also presents acceptable reproducibility with 1.7% relative standard deviation. Moreover, this electrochemical biosensor owns the deformation stability that could bear various deformations (twisting, folding, and knotting) without affecting device's sensing performance. It can even maintain 99.4% of the original signal under 25% strain deformation. Due to the superior sensing performance, high stability (mechanical deformation and long-term storage), and flexibility, this free-standing electrochemical biosensor proves huge potential in application of flexible and wearable electronics.

Establishment of a C57BL/6 Mandibular Critical-Size Bone Defect Model.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to identify bone defects of critical size in C57BL/6 mouse mandibles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four male mice were included in this study. All mice underwent surgeries on their left mandibles. Mandibular defects of 1.0 mm (n = 8), 1.6 mm (n = 8), and 2.3 mm (n = 8) were created. For the investigation of bone healing after an 8-week period, micro-computed tomography scans and histomorphology were performed. RESULTS: Mandibular bone nonunions were seen 0/8 in the 1.0-mm group, 6/8 in the 1.6-mm group, and 8/8 in the 2.3-mm group. The outcome of micro-computed tomography showed that, after 8 weeks, the bone mineral density and the bone volume to total volume ratio were significantly different among the 3 groups. The defect gaps in the nonunion 1.6- and 2.3-mm groups were filled with connective tissue, and no obvious bone formation was found. Additionally, in quantitative analysis, according to the new bone fill calculations, the percentages were 91.85% ±â€Š8.03% in the 1.0-mm group, 59.84% ±â€Š20.60% in the 1.6-mm group, and 15.36% ±â€Š8.28% in the 2.3-mm group, which indicated statistically significantly lower defect healing in the 2.3-mm group. CONCLUSIONS: The creation of 2.3-mm mandibular defects produces osseous nonunion in C57BL/6 mice.

Is platelet-rich plasma able to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement?

Objectives To examine whether periodontal injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) could accelerate orthodontic tooth movement.Methods A split-mouth randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted among 16 female participants. Canines were retracted on 0.017 x 0.025-inch stainless steel archwires through closed-coil springs attached on first molars with mini-screws for anchorage preservation. The intervention side received PRP + CaCl2 solution and the control side CaCl2 only. Intraligamental injections were performed during the canine retraction period every three weeks (zero, three and six weeks). The rate of canine retraction was assessed through superimposition of digital models every month for a total of four months. Assessment of associated pain was conducted by questionnaire.Results During the four-month period, a faster rate of canine retraction was detected on the intervention side only for the first month. Following cessation of PRP injections, the rate of canine retraction on the intervention side was initially slower than and then similar to that on the control side. An increase of pain was reported on both sides.Conclusions PRP could accelerate orthodontic tooth movement in the short term with no prolonged effects.

An objective system for appraising clear aligner treatment difficulty: clear aligner treatment complexity assessment tool (CAT-CAT).

BACKGROUND: Recent years have witnessed a remarkable evolution of clear aligner technology and clear aligners are becoming more and more versatile in treating orthodontic patients. The aim of this study was to develop an objective evaluation system for assessing clear aligner treatment difficulty. METHODS: A total of 120 eligible patients (100 patients for developing and testing the evaluation system and 20 patients for validating this system) were recruited in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Based on clinical data (dental models, radiographs and photographs), complexity levels of cases were evaluated by two experts and regarded as the gold standard. Difficulty scores were determined through an evaluation system encompassing three domains (dental model analysis, radiographic examinations and clinical examinations). The reliability of the evaluation system was examined through analyzing the agreement between complexity levels and difficulty scores. Moreover, multivariable linear regression test was used to examine the independent association of each variable (e.g. overbite and crowding) with the complexity level. RESULTS: The results revealed that the assessment of treatment difficulty by this objective evaluation system substantially matched the gold standard (R2 = 0.80). The multivariable regression test revealed that complexity level was significantly associated with difficulty score (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.015), tooth extraction (p < 0.001), treatment stage (p < 0.01) and the number of difficult tooth movement (p = 0.005). This objective evaluation system elaborated in this study was viable and reliable in appraising clear-aligner treatment difficulty in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest orthodontists and general practitioners use this objective evaluation system (CAT-CAT) to appraise clear aligner treatment difficulty and to select appropriate clear aligner patients.