Association of Polymorphism in IL-18 Gene with Periodontitis in Uyghur Adults in Xinjiang and Evidence from Six Case-Control Studies with a Comprehensive Analysis.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of IL-18 137 G > C, 607 C > A gene polymorphism in Uyghur population with chronic periodontitis (CP) and combine the results with the meta-analysis. METHODS: In a case-control study, 200 cases with CP and 100 healthy controls were recruited; IL-18 137 G > C, 607 C > A genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In the meta-analysis, we used electronic databases, including CNKI, Wan Fang, PubMed, EMBASE databases etc.to obtain relevant research published through June 2020. Studies were considered eligible if odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were provided or calculated from the given data. The size of the combined effect was calculated using STATA 15.0. RESULTS: Our study revealed significant association between CP and IL-18 137 G > C (P = .045, OR = 1.67), 607 C > A (P = .045, OR = 1.67). The overall meta-analysis revealed significant associations between IL-18 137 G > C polymorphism and CP risk in Allele, dominant, co-dominant and recessive genetic models. The subgroup analysis also showed a significant association between the IL-18 137 G > C and risk for periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis in the Asian (GC+ CC VS. GG: P = .047, OR = 1.64,95%CI = 1.01-2.68). CONCLUSIONS: IL-18 137 G > C, 607 C > A could be associated with susceptibility to periodontitis in Uyghur population. Further case-control of candidate genes studies targeting larger sample sizes and different ethnic groups are needed to arrive more accurate conclusions.

Association between pain, anxiety, and pain relief in patients receiving emergent endodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVES: The experience of pain relief is closely associated with the affective-cognitive processing of hedonic value. Higher pain relief plays a key role in patients' satisfaction with treatment and higher motivation to receive treatment. Previous studies focused on pain and anxiety of endodontic treatment. However, the association between pain relief, pain, and anxiety has not been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 35 patients (20 females and 15 males, with mean age 46.3 years old) with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis receiving emergent endodontic treatment. Pain-related experience, including pain relief, pain, and anxiety, was assessed before and after treatment, based on an 11-point numerical scale. RESULTS: We found that before treatment, the expected pain relief (median score = 8) that one anticipated was positively correlated with the degree of pain reduction perceived after treatment (two-tailed rho = 0.51, p = 0.002). Expected pain relief was also positively correlated with the post-treatment relief (two-tailed rho = 0.76, p < 0.001) and the relief recalled after 6 weeks (two-tailed rho = 0.69, p < 0.001). Moreover, logistic regression models revealed that expected pain relief was a significant predictor of the subgroups of low vs. moderate scores of post-treatment pain (B = - 1.06, p = 0.017) and anxiety (B = - 1.60, p = 0.009), controlled for the condition of pre-treatment medication. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings highlight that for patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis who received emergent endodontic treatment, their expected pain relief before treatment is a critical factor associated with pain reduction and post-treatment pain/anxiety. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Assessment of expected pain relief may be integrated into pre-treatment assessment for painful dental patients.

Liposome and microemulsion loaded with ibuprofen: from preparation to mechanism of drug transport.

To compare the difference between liposome (LP) and microemulsion (ME) in delivering ibuprofen (IBU) transdermally and explore relative mechanism. IBU-LP and IBU-ME were prepared by ethanol injection and spontaneous emulsification, respectively. The percutaneous delivery was evaluated using Franz diffusion cells. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), activation energy (Ea), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to investigate the transdermal mechanism. The particle size and encapsulation efficiency were 228.00 ± 8.60 nm, 86.68 ± 1.43%(w/w) for IBU-LP, and 56.74 ± 7.11 nm, 91.08 ± 3.27%(w/w) for IBU-ME. Percutaneous study showed that formulations enhanced permeation and drug retention in the skin. FTIR and DSC showed that the permeation occurred due to the interaction of the formulations with the lipid bilayer and the protein. The decrease in Ea (1.506 and 0.939 kcal/mol) revealed that the stratum corneum (SC) lipid bilayers were significantly disrupted and this destructive effect of IBU-LP was stronger. IBU-LP was superior to IBU-ME in the aspects of transdermal delivery of IBU.

Magnification of fear and intention of avoidance in non-experienced versus experienced dental treatment in adults.

BACKGROUND: Dental fear is associated with the experience of prior dental treatment and avoidance of dental visits. It remains unclear if individuals show an intention of avoidance (IA) towards treatments that they have not received (i.e., non-experienced dental treatment). The study aims to investigated (a) if individuals showed an increased fear and IA to non-experienced, compared to experienced dental treatment, and (b) if fear and IA to non-experienced treatment is associated with dental anxiety. METHODS: Fear/IA of 12 common conditions of dental treatment of 402 adults were investigated. If subjects have experienced the condition, fear and IA were assessed based on subjects' prior experience (i.e., ExpFear/ExpIA). If they have not experienced the condition, fear and IA were assessed based on their anticipation (i.e., NExpFear/NExpIA). Trait dental anxiety was assessed using the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+). RESULTS: (A) NExpFear and NExpIA were significantly higher than ExpFear and ExpIA, respectively. (B) The IDAF-4C+ scores are positively correlated with NExpFear/NExpIA and negatively correlated with the magnification of fear (i.e., the discrepancy in the fear/IA of non-experienced vs. experienced conditions). (C) The condition 'extraction of a wisdom tooth' and 'root canal treatment' showed the highest ratings on NExpFear. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals may develop a high degree of fear and IA of the treatment they have not received. Trait dental anxiety plays a key role in the fear of non-experienced treatment.

The anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex are associated with avoidance of dental treatment based on prior experience of treatment in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: Fear concerning stressful medical or dental procedures is one of the major factors that distance patients from health care. Fear and avoidance of dental treatments can be shaped by a patient's prior experience with receiving dental procedures or by imagining the procedures. METHODS: We performed two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to investigate the role of the anterior insula (aINS) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), which are both critical to threat perception, in dental avoidance. Dental avoidance based on both prior treatment experience and imagination was assessed using a customized questionnaire. In an fMRI task-based study, we investigated brain activation in 17 healthy participants when they viewed images depicting dental procedures that evoked a moderate degree of fear. Region-of-interest analysis was performed to assess the association between dental avoidance and aINS as well as dACC activation. In a resting state fMRI study, we investigated 18 healthy participants for the association between the intrinsic functional connectivity of the aINS and dACC and dental avoidance. RESULTS: We found that (1) the participants showed a higher activation of the right aINS and bilateral dACC when they viewed images of dental procedures compared with the brain activation observed when they viewed scrambled images (p < 0.05 corrected for small volume and family-wise error). (2) The avoidance ratings based on prior experience of dental treatment were significantly positively correlated with the activation in the right aINS (r = 0.67, p = 0.003), right dACC (r = 0.65, p = 0.005) and left dACC (r = 0.63, p = 0.007). (3) The intrinsic functional connectivity between the aINS and the orbitofrontal cortex was positively correlated with the avoidance ratings based on experience (uncorrected p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight prior experience of dental treatment as a predominant factor in shaping patients' avoidance behavior. Individual differences in threat perception may play a key role in the development of dental avoidance.

Highly crystalline cellulose microparticles from dealginated seaweed waste ameliorate high fat-sugar diet-induced hyperlipidemia in mice by modulating gut microbiota.

The effects of seaweed cellulose (SC) on high fat-sugar diet (HFSD)-induced glucolipid metabolism disorders in mice and potential mechanisms were investigated. SC was isolated from dealginated residues of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), with a crystallinity index of 85.51 % and an average particle size of 678.2 nm. Administering SC to C57BL/6 mice at 250 or 500 mg/kg BW/day via intragastric gavage for six weeks apparently inhibited the development of HFSD-induced obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, oxidative stress and liver damage. Notably, SC intervention partially restored the structure and composition of the gut microbiota altered by the HFSD, substantially lowering the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, and greatly increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Oscillospira, Bacteroides and Akkermansia, which contributed to improved short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Supplementing with a higher dose of SC led to more significant increases in total SCFA (67.57 %), acetate (64.56 %), propionate (73.52 %) and butyrate (66.23 %) concentrations in the rectal contents of HFSD-fed mice. The results indicated that highly crystalline SC microparticles could modulate gut microbiota dysbiosis and ameliorate HFSD-induced obesity and related metabolic syndrome in mice. Furthermore, particle size might have crucial impact on the prebiotic effects of cellulose as insoluble dietary fiber.

Flexible, scalable and simple-fabricated silver nanorod-decorated bacterial nanocellulose SERS substrates cooperated with portable Raman spectrometer for on-site detection of pesticide residues.

Owing to good flexibility, prominent mechanical properties, three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous structure and low background interference, sustainable bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a highly attractive matrix material for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor. Herein, a highly sensitive, flexible and scalable silver nanorod-decorated BNC (AgNRs@BNC) SERS sensor is developed by a simple vacuum-assisted filtration. The AgNRs were firmly locked in the 3D nanofibrous network of cellulose nanofibers upon vacuum drying process, resulting in the formation of 3D SERS hotspots with a depth of more than 10 µm on the sensor. With 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) as a target molecule, a lowest distinguishable level of 10-12 M and a high enhancement factor of 1.1 × 109 were realized by the optimal AgNRs1.5@BNC SERS sensor. Moreover, the AgNRs@BNC SERS sensor exhibits high detectable level of 10-9 M for thiram molecules by integrating with a portable Raman spectrometer. Besides, toxic thiram residues on grape surface could be directly on-site identified by the combination of AgNRs@BNC SERS sensors and a portable Raman spectrometer through a feasible press-and-peel method. The flexible AgNRs@BNC SERS sensor cooperated with portable Raman system demonstrates great potential for on-site detection of pesticide residues on irregular food surfaces.

Recent progress in biomedical applications of titanium dioxide.

As one of the most common chemical materials, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been prepared and widely used for many years. Among all the applications, the biomedical applications of TiO2 have motivated strong interest and intensive experimental and theoretical studies, owing to its unique photocatalytic properties, excellent biocompatibility, high chemical stability, and low toxicity. Advances in nanoscale science suggest that some of the current problems of life science could be resolved or greatly improved through applying TiO2. This paper presents a critical review of recent advances in the biomedical applications of TiO2, which includes the photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment, drug delivery systems, cell imaging, biosensors for biological assay, and genetic engineering. The characterizations and applications of TiO2 nanoparticles, as well as nanocomposites and nanosystems of TiO2, which have been prepared by different modifications to improve the function of TiO2, are also offered in this review. Additionally, some perspectives on the challenges and new directions for future research in this emerging frontier are discussed.

Chitosan-Based Hydrogels for Bioelectronic Sensing: Recent Advances and Applications in Biomedicine and Food Safety.

Due to the lack of efficient bioelectronic interfaces, the communication between biology and electronics has become a great challenge, especially in constructing bioelectronic sensing. As natural polysaccharide biomaterials, chitosan-based hydrogels exhibit the advantages of flexibility, biocompatibility, mechanical tunability, and stimuli sensitivity, and could serve as an excellent interface for bioelectronic sensors. Based on the fabrication approaches, interaction mechanisms, and bioelectronic communication modalities, this review divided chitosan-based hydrogels into four types, including electrode-based hydrogels, conductive materials conjugated hydrogels, ionically conductive hydrogels, and redox-based hydrogels. To introduce the enhanced performance of bioelectronic sensors, as a complementary alternative, the incorporation of nanoparticles and redox species in chitosan-based hydrogels was discussed. In addition, the multifunctional properties of chitosan-based composite hydrogels enable their applications in biomedicine (e.g., smart skin patches, wood healing, disease diagnosis) and food safety (e.g., electrochemical sensing, smart sensing, artificial bioelectronic tongue, fluorescence sensors, surface-enhanced Raman scattering). We believe that this review will shed light on the future development of chitosan-based biosensing hydrogels for micro-implantable devices and human-machine interactions, as well as potential applications in medicine, food, agriculture, and other fields.

Polystyrene microsphere-mediated optical sensing strategy for ultrasensitive determination of aflatoxin M1 in milk.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination poses a serious threat to human health globally. Hence, it is necessary to develop reliable and ultrasensitive methods for the determination of AFM1 residue in food products at low levels. In this study, a novel polystyrene microsphere-mediated optical sensing (PSM-OS) strategy was constructed to solve the problems of low sensitivity and susceptibility to interference from the matrix in AFM1 determination. Polystyrene (PS) microspheres have the advantages of low cost, high stability, and controllable particle size. They can be useful optical signal probes for qualitative and quantitative analyses attributed to the fact that they have strong ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) characteristic absorption peaks. Briefly, magnetic nanoparticles were modified with the complex of bovine serum protein and AFM1 (MNP150-BSA-AFM1), and biotinylated antibodies of AFM1 (AFM1-Ab-Bio). Meanwhile, PS microspheres were also functionalized with streptavidin (SA-PS950). In the presence of AFM1, a competitive immune reaction was triggered leading to the changes in AFM1-Ab-Bio concentrations on the surface of MNP150-BSA-AFM1. The complex of MNP150-BSA-AFM1-Ab-Bio binds with SA-PS950 to form the immune complexes due to the special binding of biotin and streptavidin. The remaining SA-PS950 in the supernatant was determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometer after magnetic separation, which positively correlated with the concentration of AFM1. This strategy allows for ultrasensitive determination of AFM1 with limits of detection as low as 3.2 pg/mL. It was also successfully validated for AFM1 determination in milk samples, and a high consistency was found with the chemiluminescence immunoassay. Overall, the proposed PSM-OS strategy can be used for the rapid, ultrasensitive, and convenient determination of AFM1, as well as other biochemical analytes.

Magnetic relaxation switching biosensor via polydopamine nanoparticle mediated click chemistry for detection of chlorpyrifos.

Traditional magnetic relaxation switching (MRS) biosensors suffer from poor sensitivity and unsatisfactory stability. In this study, a polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles (NPs)-Cu2+ chelate complex mediated signal conversion system and a Cu+-catalyzed click chemistry triggered magnetic signal amplification system were evaluated and dynamically integrated into an MRS biosensor. Owing to abundant functional groups and a large surface area, PDA NPs enabled the absorption of a large amount of Cu2+ ions by chelation. The residual Cu2+ ions can be reduced with sodium ascorbate to Cu+, which could initiate the click reaction between azide-functionalized magnetic NPs (MNPs) and alkyne-functionalized MNPs that resulted in the production of aggregated nanoclusters. The transverse relaxation time (T2) depends on the degree of aggregation of MNPs; T2 is expressed as the magnetic signal readout. In addition, PDA NPs can be easily conjugated with antibodies by mixing, thus providing a straightforward bridge that integrates the immunoassay and magnetic signal readout. Combined with the high capacity of PDA NPs for chelating Cu2+ and high efficiency of click reaction for changing the T2 signals, the PDA-MRS biosensor enables the detection of chlorpyrifos with a limit of detection of 0.084 ng/mL, providing 22-fold enhancement than traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (1.86 ng/mL). This demonstrates its great potential for the detection of hazardous chemical molecules in a complex sample matrix.

Towards Development of Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensors for Food and Drug Safety: Progress and Trends.

Due to their advantages of good flexibility, low cost, simple operations, and small equipment size, electrochemical sensors have been commonly employed in food safety. However, when they are applied to detect various food or drug samples, their stability and specificity can be greatly influenced by the complex matrix. By combining electrochemical sensors with molecular imprinting techniques (MIT), they will be endowed with new functions of specific recognition and separation, which make them powerful tools in analytical fields. MIT-based electrochemical sensors (MIECs) require preparing or modifying molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) on the electrode surface. In this review, we explored different MIECs regarding the design, working principle and functions. Additionally, the applications of MIECs in food and drug safety were discussed, as well as the challenges and prospects for developing new electrochemical methods. The strengths and weaknesses of MIECs including low stability and electrode fouling are discussed to indicate the research direction for future electrochemical sensors.

A review of current status of ratiometric molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensors: From design to applications.

Electrochemical techniques have been demonstrated as powerful tools for various applications in analytical science. However, due to limited electrochemically active surface areas and poor anti-inference performance, their sensitivity and stability are weakened in real samples. By integrating electrochemical techniques with ratio-signal output modes and molecular imprinting polymers (MIPs), the newly constructed ratiometric molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensors (RMIECs) can outcompete conventional electrochemical techniques with higher sensitivity and stability, easier pretreatment, better selectivity and reproducibility, and are more adapted to complex environments. Fascinated by the superior performances of RMIECs, researchers from all research fields have been devoted to the design and development of RMIECs in different applications. For the first time, we summarize distinct ratiometric signal output modes and highlight four different types of RMIECs as well as their design, working principle and applications in analytical fields. In addition, the current challenges and prospects are carefully discussed to provide innovative idea tactics for developing new electrochemical methods.

Bacteria Inspired Internal Standard SERS Substrate for Quantitative Detection.

Metal-respiring bacteria are frequently used to recycle metal resources by biosynthesizing nanoparticles on its surface in environment treatment. However, further utilization of biogenetic nanoparticles through combining the advantages of both bacteria and nanoparticles is still limited. Herein, biogenetic Au@Ag nanoislands are utilized as the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for quantitative detection. Specifically, Au@Ag nanoislands enhance the Raman signal via surface plasmon resonance, while biomolecules (phospholipid, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, etc.) on bacterium serve as an internal standard to eliminate the discrepancy of the target SERS intensity in different hot spots. Gene-controlled biomolecules in bacteria guarantee the reproducibility of this SERS substrate. The generality of this analytical method is demonstrated by determining rhodamine 6G, malachite green, and uric acid. This discovery solves a pervasive problem in SERS analysis through a simple biogenetic nanosystem, which opens up an avenue to address scientific challenges by using versatile organisms from nature.

Removal of intracardiac bone cement embolism after percutaneous kyphoplasty: A case report.

RATIONALE: Leakage of bone cement is a common complication after percutaneous kyphoplasty. In rare cases, bone cement can leak into the venous system, which can be life threatening, especially when it causes an embolism in the heart. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 79-year-old female patient developed chest pain with chest tightness 3 weeks after the percutaneous kyphoplasty. DIAGNOSES: Initially, negative fluoroscopy results and elevated myocardial enzymes suggested that the patient's chest pain and chest tightness symptoms were manifestations of coronary heart disease. However, in the subsequent computed tomography (CT) examination, foreign bodies in the heart and pulmonary vessels were found. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent emergency surgery to remove the bone cement and repair the tricuspid valve. OUTCOMES: The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 13th day after surgery. LESSONS: If a patient develops chest pain with chest tightness after percutaneous kyphoplasty, the clinicians must be vigilant and take into account the limited sensitivity of fluoroscopy and use chest computer tomography and echocardiogram as the first choice and thereby prevent serious consequences.

Enzyme induced molecularly imprinted polymer on SERS substrate for ultrasensitive detection of patulin.

We designed a new type of MIP-SERS substrate for specific and label-free detection of patulin (PAT), by combining molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) selectivity and SERS technology sensitivity. Initially, the solid substrate of PDMS/AAO was prepared using poly dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) concreted anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template. Then moderate Au was sputtered on the surface of PDMS/AAO to obtain Au/PDMS/AAO SERS substrate. Based on the HRP enzyme initiated in situ polymerization on the Au/PDMS/AAO, the MIP-SERS substrate was successfully synthesized with selective polymer and high tense of SERS "hot spots". The new MIP-SERS substrate showed strong SERS enhancement effect and good selectivity for PAT. Besides, the results showed that the method owned a linear range from 5 × 10-10 to 10-6 M with the limit of detection (LOD) of 8.5 × 10-11 M (S/N = 3) for PAT. The proposed method also exhibited acceptable reproducibility (relative standard deviation, RSD = 4.7%)，good stability (Raman intensity is above 80% after two weeks) and recoveries from 96.43% to 112.83% with the average RSD of 6.3%. The substrate is easy to use without complex sample pretreatment, which makes it a potential candidate as a rapid and sensitive detection method in food samples.

Platelet membrane-coated nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and local chemo-photothermal therapy of orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Specific targeted drug delivery and controllable release of drugs at tumor regions are two of the main challenges for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy, particularly post metastasis. Herein, we present a platelet membrane-facilitated local chemo-photothermal therapy strategy, in which polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles act as photothermal agents and along with antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX) are encapsulated into platelet membranes (PLT-PPy-DOX). The particles are endowed with immune evasiveness and tumor targeting abilities from platelet membranes, and are then intravenously injected into an orthotopic mouse model of HCC. As expected, the PLT-PPy-DOX nanoplatforms were abundant in the tumor tissues. Hyperthermia was generated under laser irradiation (808 nm) not only to ablate tumor cells directly but also to increase the triggered release of DOX. This combination of local chemotherapy and photothermal therapy demonstrated excellent antitumor efficiency in suppressing primary tumor growth and inhibiting tumor metastases. This localized therapy which adopts biocompatible natural cell membranes and good biodegradable organic photothermal agents may provide new insights into designing biomimetic nano-vehicles for personalized therapy of HCC.

[Effect of calcium sodium phosphosilicate and potassium nitrate on dentin hypersensitivity: a systematic review and Meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and Meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy of calcium sodium phos-phosilicate (CSPS) and potassium nitrate as desensitizing agents for the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH). METHODS: A thorough search in The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Chinese WanFang Data, CBM, and CNKI were conducted for studies published up to June 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the treatment of DH with CSPS and potassium nitrate toothpaste were included. Quality assessment and data extraction were performed by two reviewers independently, and Meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Eight RCTs involving 411 patients were included. Experimental group comprised 203 and control group had 208 patients. The Meta-analysis indicated the superior effect of CSPS dentifrice on air blast sensitivity at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of follow-up [SMD=-1.85, 95%CI (-2.89, 
-0.81), P=0.000 5, I²=93%], [SMD=-1.61, 95%CI (-1.96, -1.26), P<0.000 01, I²=49%], [SMD=-3.79, 95%CI (-7.18, -0.40), P=0.03, I²=98%], and [SMD=-2.13, 95%CI (-2.69, -1.58), P<0.000 01] , respectively. No significant effects were seen at 12 weeks [SMD=-0.63, 95%CI (-1.47, 0.20), P=0.14, I²=71%]. CSPS dentifrice showed a better desensitizing effect at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks of follow-up on cold water sensitivity [SMD=-1.07, 95%CI (-1.48, -0.66), P<0.000 01, I²=69%], [SMD=
-1.29, 95%CI (-1.81, -0.76), P<0.000 01, I²=64%], [SMD=-1.20, 95%CI (-1.57, -0.83), P<0.000 01, I²=86%], [SMD=-1.30, 95%CI (-2.51, -0.08), P=0.04, I²=82%], and [SMD=-0.79, 95%CI (-1.27, -0.31), P=0.001], respectively. No significant effects at 1 week of follow-up [SMD=0.00, 95%CI (-0.62, 0.62), P=1]. The favorable effect of CSPS dentifrice on tactile sensitivity was more obvious than the control group at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of follow-up [SMD=-1.31, 95%CI (-2.00, -0.62), P=0.000 2, I²=67%], [SMD=-1.37, 95%CI (-1.74, -0.99), P<0.000 01, I²=23%], and [SMD=-1.33, 95%CI (-1.82,-0.84), P<0.000 01], respectively. No significant effects at 1 week of follow-up [SMD=-0.32, 95%CI (-0.94, 0.31), P=0.32] were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence indicated that CSPS was more effective than potassium nitrate at reducing DH. The evidence generated by this review was based on a small number of individuals. High-quality and large sample size as well as ideally-designed clinical trials are required in the future before definitive recommendations can be made.

[Evaluation of modified scene simulation teaching of endodontics in pre -clinical practice].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of modified scene simulation teaching of endodontics in pre-clinical teaching. METHODS: Forty students were randomly divided into the experimental group and control group, there were 20 students in each group. Students in the experimental group were taught with modified scene simulation teaching method, while students in the control group were taught with traditional teaching method. The teaching quality was compared with SPSS 18.0 software package. RESULTS: The score of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group in history taking, medical records writing and practical performance(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The teaching effect of modified scene simulation teaching in pre-clinical teaching is better than traditional teaching method. It makes students better grasp the clinical medical essentials and feels the patient's feelings, as well as help the students to improve their subjective initiative of learning.

Trophic predator-prey relationships promote transport of microplastics compared with the single Hypoaspis aculeifer and Folsomia candida.

Although the roles of earthworms and soil collembolans in the transport of microplastics have been studied previously, the effects of the soil biota at different trophic levels and interspecific relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we examine three soil microarthropod species to explore their effects on the transport of microplastics. The selected Folsomia candida and Hypoaspis aculeifer are extensively used model organisms, and Damaeus exspinosus is a common and abundant indigenous species in China. A model food chain (prey-collembolan and predator-mite) was structured to test the role of the predator-prey relationship in the transport of microplastics. Commercial Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles (Diameter: 80-250 µm) were selected as the test microplastics, because large amounts of PVC have persisted and accumulated in the environment. Synchronized soil microarthropods were held in plates for seven days to determine the movement of microplastics. The 5000 microplastic particles were carefully placed in the center of each plate prior to the introduction of the animals. Our results clearly show that all three microarthropod species moved and dispersed the microplastics in the plates. The 0.54%, 1.8% and 4.6% of the added microplastic particles were moved by collembolan, predatory mite and oribatid mite, respectively. Soil microarthropods (<0.2 cm) transported microplastic particles up to 9 cm. The avoidance behavior was observed in the collembolans in respect of the microplastics. The predatory -prey relationship did promote the transport of microplastics in the plates, increasing transport by 40% compared with the effects of adding single species (P < .05). Soil microarthropods commonly occur in surface soils (0-5 cm) and, due to their small body size, they can enter soil pores. Our results therefore suggest that the movement of microplastics by soil microarthropods may influence the exposure of other soil biota to microplastics and change the physical properties of soils.