Comparison of the clinical outcomes between proximal femoral nail anti-rotation with cement enhancement and hemiarthroplasty among elderly osteoporotic patients with intertrochanteric fracture.

BACKGROUND: The proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) with cement enhancement enhances the anchorage ability of internal fixation in elderly with osteoporotic intertrochanteric fracture. However, whether it is superior to hemiarthroplasty is still controversial. The present study aimed to determine which treatment has better clinical outcomes among older patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 102 elderly patients with osteoporosis who developed intertrochanteric fractures and underwent PFNA combined with cement-enhanced internal fixation (n = 52, CE group), and hemiarthroplasty (n = 50, HA group) from September 2012 to October 2018. All the intertrochanteric fractures were classified according to the AO/OTA classification. Additionally, the operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusion rates, postoperative weight-bearing time, hospitalization time, Barthel Index of Activities Daily Living, Harris score of hip function, visual analog (VAS) pain score, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The CE group had significantly shorter operative time, lesser intraoperative blood loss, lower blood transfusion rate, and longer postoperative weight-bearing time than the HA group. The CE group had lower Barthel's Index of Activities of Daily Living, lower Harris' score, and higher VAS scores in the first and third months after surgery than the HA group, but no difference was observed between the two groups from 6 months to 12 months. There was no significant difference in the total post-operative complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The use of PFNA combined with a cement-enhanced internal fixation technique led to shorter operative time and lesser intraoperative blood loss and trauma in elderly patients as compared to HA.

Photo-Enhanced Chemo-Transistor Platform for Ultrasensitive Assay of Small Molecules.

Compared with traditional assay techniques, field-effect transistors (FETs) have advantages such as fast response, high sensitivity, being label-free, and point-of-care detection, while lacking generality to detect a wide range of small molecules since most of them are electrically neutral with a weak doping effect. Here, we demonstrate a photo-enhanced chemo-transistor platform based on a synergistic photo-chemical gating effect in order to overcome the aforementioned limitation. Under light irradiation, accumulated photoelectrons generated from covalent organic frameworks offer a photo-gating modulation, amplifying the response to small molecule adsorption including methylglyoxal, p-nitroaniline, nitrobenzene, aniline, and glyoxal when measuring the photocurrent. We perform testing in buffer, artificial urine, sweat, saliva, and diabetic mouse serum. The limit of detection is down to 10-19 M methylglyoxal, about 5 orders of magnitude lower than existing assay technologies. This work develops a photo-enhanced FET platform to detect small molecules or other neutral species with enhanced sensitivity for applications in fields such as biochemical research, health monitoring, and disease diagnosis.

Long-term evaluation of peri-implant keratinized mucosa stability after free epithelialized graft and keratinized mucosa shifting procedures: A retrospective study up to 13 years.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the risk of less than 2 mm keratinized mucosa (KM) width occurrence after free epithelialized graft (FEG) and keratinized mucosa shifting (KMS) procedures using survival analysis. In addition, KM dimensional changes were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 76 implants in 36 patients with insufficient KM (<2 mm). The implants underwent either FEG or KMS procedures. The mid-buccal KM width was measured from surgery to the end of a one 13-year follow-up period. RESULTS: Mean follow-up durations were 9.2 ± 3.9 years for FEG and 6.3 ± 4.2 years for KMS. Two implants in FEG and nine implants in KMS exhibited a KM width of less than 2 mm during follow-up. The hazard ratios for KMS compared to FEG were 6.48 (crude) and 6.54 (adjusted), both statistically significant (p < .05). The incidence rate of KMS (4.06%) was higher than that of FEG (0.63%), with an average incidence time of 3.38 years for KMS and 8.82 years for FEG post-surgery. FEG showed a significant shrinkage within 6 months (33% ± 22%), whereas KMS demonstrated a gradual decrease over 13 years (34% ± 25%). FEG exhibited significantly greater width change than KMS during a 5-year follow-up (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: FEG and KMS enhanced PIKM but exhibited different long-term reduction patterns. FEG demonstrated rapid shrinkage, while KMS displayed gradual and continuous reduction. Moreover, KMS presented a higher risk and incidence of KM width less than 2 mm compared to FEG.

Biosynthesis of diverse α,ω-diol-derived polyhydroxyalkanoates by engineered Halomonas bluephagenesis.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of biodegradable and biocompatible plastics with potential to replace petroleum based plastics. Diversity of PHA monomer structures provides flexibility in material properties to suit more applications. In this study, 5-hydroxyvalerate (5HV) synthesis pathway was established based on intrinsic alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenases. The PHA polymerase cloned from Cupriavidus necator functions to polymerize 5HV into its copolymers in ratios ranging from 8% to 32%. Elastic copolymer P(85% 3HB-co-15% 5HV) was generated with an elongation at break and a Young's modulus of 1283% and 73.1 MPa, respectively. The recombinant H. bluephagenesis was able to convert various diols including 1, 3-propanediol, 1, 4-butanediol and 1, 5-pentanediol into PHA, leading to 13 PHA polymers including transparent P(53% 3HB-co-20% 4HB-co-27% 5HV) and sticky P(3HB-co-3HP-co-4HB-co-5HV). The engineered H. bluephagenesis was successfully grown in a 7-L bioreactor to produce the highly elastic P(85% 3HB-co-15% 5HV) and the sticky P(3HB-co-3HP-co-4HB-co-5HV), demonstrating their potential for industrial scale-up.

Aquapteridospora jiangxiensis, a new aquatic hyphomycetous fungus from a freshwater habitat in China.

During an investigation of freshwater fungi in Jiangxi province, China, a new hyphomycetous fungus, Aquapteridospora jiangxiensis, was collected and isolated. Aquapteridospora jiangxiensis is characterized by its unbranched and guttulate conidiophores with multi-septa swollen at the base, polyblastic conidiogenous cells with sympodial proliferations, and denticles, and guttulate conidia with a sheath. A photo plate of the macro- and micro-morphology and a muti-loci (ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF1 and RPB2) phylogenetic tree are provided. A key to the species of Aquapteridospora is also presented in this paper.

A universal strategy for the fabrication of single-photon and multiphoton NIR nanoparticles by loading organic dyes into water-soluble polymer nanosponges.

The development of optical organic nanoparticles (NPs) is desirable and widely studied. However, most organic dyes are water-insoluble such that the derivatization and modification of these dyes are difficult. Herein, we demonstrated a simple platform for the fabrication of organic NPs designed with emissive properties by loading ten different organic dyes (molar masses of 479.1-1081.7 g/mol) into water-soluble polymer nanosponges composed of poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMA). The result showed a substantial improvement over the loading of commercial dyes (3.7-50% loading) while preventing their spontaneous aggregation in aqueous solutions. This packaging strategy includes our newly synthesized organic dyes (> 85% loading) designed for OPVs (242), DSSCs (YI-1, YI-3, YI-8), and OLEDs (ADF-1-3, and DTDPTID) applications. These low-cytotoxicity organic NPs exhibited tunable fluorescence from visible to near-infrared (NIR) emission for cellular imaging and biological tracking in vivo. Moreover, PSMA NPs loaded with designed NIR-dyes were fabricated, and photodynamic therapy with these dye-loaded PSMA NPs for the photolysis of cancer cells was achieved when coupled with 808 nm laser excitation. Indeed, our work demonstrates a facile approach for increasing the biocompatibility and stability of organic dyes by loading them into water-soluble polymer-based carriers, providing a new perspective of organic optoelectronic materials in biomedical theranostic applications.

Evaluation of students' self-assessment performance in preclinical endodontic training by means of rubrics and a 3D printed model.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Effective evaluation of students' self-assessment ability is crucial. This study was to develop a standardized 3D printed teaching model accompanied by structured scoring rubrics for preclinical endodontic training, to appraise students' self-assessment ability, and to evaluate their perceptions of the training system. METHODS: The 3D printing model was designed to house a standardized central incisor. Forty-four undergraduate dental students were enrolled and their endodontic performance was self-assessed and also rated by a teaching assistant and a tutor using 3 structured rubrics including access cavity, mechanical preparation, and obturation assessments. In total, 21 rubric evaluation items of preclinical tasks were assessed, and the assessment results from the student, teaching assistant, and tutor were compared. Furthermore, questionnaires were used to evaluate students' experiences with the new system. RESULTS: The tutor, teaching assistant, and students all had similar scorings and high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for mechanical preparation and obturation rubrics, while the students had underestimated scores on the access cavity rubric with a rather low ICC of 0.387, which also lead to the underestimated overall scoring (P < 0.05). Among the 21 evaluation criteria, 9 items were rated statistically different (P < 0.05), which denoted the major deficiencies of students' self-assessments. More than 80% of students rated satisfied for most of the questions regarding the new training system, except the tactile sensation, hardness, and radiopacity. CONCLUSION: The proposed standardized 3D printed model and structured scoring rubrics is feasible for preclinical endodontic training, and standardized evaluation of students' self-assessment ability.

Risk assessment of interproximal contact loss between implant-supported fixed prostheses and adjacent teeth: A retrospective radiographic study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Studies of interproximal contact loss (ICL) associated with implant-supported fixed prostheses (ISFPs) have typically used dental floss or metal strips to determine ICL and have shown a high prevalence of 34% to 66%, which does not match the authors' experience. Moreover, the implant prosthetic factors contributing to ICL have seldom been reported. PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical study was to examine follow-up radiographs of ISFPs to determine the prevalence of open contacts between the ISFP and adjacent teeth and to assess the risk factors associated with ICL at patient, implant prosthesis, and adjacent tooth levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients treated with ISFPs at a single clinical center were included. Digital radiographs obtained at the time of ISFP delivery and subsequent follow-up were assessed, and a total of 180 ISFPs with 296 interproximal contacts in 147 patients were screened for analyses. The prevalence and risk factors of ICL at the levels of patient (age, sex, diabetes, smoking, and bruxism), implant prosthesis (follow-up period, arch location, splinting, ceramic or metal materials, screw or cement-retained, and abutment-fixture connection), and adjacent tooth (mesial or distal side, contact with unrestored tooth, composite resin restoration, or fixed prosthesis, vitality, bone height, and contralateral spacing) were analyzed with logistic regressions and generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses (α=.05). RESULTS: The onset of ICL was from 6 to 96 months after ISFP delivery. The prevalence of ICL at the patient level was 15.0%, at the implant prosthesis level 13.3%, and at the adjacent tooth levels 8.8%. Twenty-six of the participants had 2 or more ISFPs. The multivariable GEE analysis reported that sex at patient level; longer follow-up period and implant prostheses with external hexagonal and internal octagonal connections at implant prosthesis level; and contralateral spacing, contact with composite resin filling and mesial side of ISFP at adjacent tooth level were significant risk factors of ICL, where contralateral spacing had the highest adjusted odds ratio of 20.88 (P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the ICL were found at the mesial side of ISFPs, and the odds of ICL was significant in participants with longer follow-up periods. Internal hexagonal connections reported relatively lower risk than others. Factors relevant to the anterior component of occlusal force, such as male sex, contralateral spacing at adjacent tooth, and proximal contact of ISFP with resin filling, seem to be high risk factors for ICL.

Stimulatory effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis GroEL protein on interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 in human osteoblasts.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Porphyromonas gingivalis is an oral pathogen associated with periodontal diseases. P. gingivalis GroEL protein is a stimulator of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. This study inspected effects of P. gingivalis GroEL protein on production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 by human osteoblasts. METHODS: Viability of GroEL-treated osteoblasts was analyzed with 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 was analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of mRNA were analyzed using the reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The antioxidant (curcumin), the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580) and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor (SP600125) were employed to elucidate possible signaling pathways involved. RESULTS: Treatment with GroEL did not affect morphology and viability of osteoblasts. GroEL significantly induced the secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 by osteoblasts in a concentration-dependent pattern. Moreover, the mRNA levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were stimulated by GroEL. The application of SP600125 (10 µM) significantly suppressed the induction of IL-6 and IL-8 by GroEL-treated cells. However, curcumin (20 µM) and SB203580 (20 µM) only down-regulated the stimulatory effects of GroEL on IL-6. CONCLUSION: GroEL protein stimulated the inflammatory reaction of osteoblasts, probably through the activation of p38 MAPK or JNK pathway. The findings suggest that P. gingivalis GroEL may influence the immune functions of osteoblasts and endanger the periodontal health.

Recommendations for treating stage I-III periodontitis in the Taiwanese population: A consensus report from the Taiwan Academy of Periodontology.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Based on the fundamental of the S3-level clinical practice guideline (CPG) for treating stage I-III periodontitis developed by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP), this consensus report aimed to develop treatment recommendations for treating periodontitis in the Taiwanese population. METHODS: The report was constructed by experts from the Taiwan Academy of Periodontology. The following topics were reviewed: (a) the prevalence of periodontitis in Asia and current status of treatment in Taiwan; (b) specific anatomical considerations for treating periodontitis in Asians; (d) educational and preventive interventions and supragingival plaque control; (d) subgingival instrumentation and adjunctive treatment; (e) surgical periodontal therapy; and (f) maintenance and supportive periodontal care. Recommendations were made according to the evidences from the EFP CPG, the published literature and clinical studies in Asians, and the expert opinions. RESULTS: The treatment recommendations for the Taiwanese population were generally in parallel with the EFP CPG, and extra cautions during treatment and maintenance phases were advised due to the anatomical variations, such as shorter root trunk, higher prevalence of supernumerary distolingual root and lingual bony concavity in mandibular posteriors, and thinner anterior labial plate, of the Asian population. CONCLUSION: The EFP CPG could be adopted for treating periodontitis and maintaining periodontal health of the Taiwanese population, and anatomical variations should be cautious when the treatment is delivered.

Caries and Restoration Detection Using Bitewing Film Based on Transfer Learning with CNNs.

Caries is a dental disease caused by bacterial infection. If the cause of the caries is detected early, the treatment will be relatively easy, which in turn prevents caries from spreading. The current common procedure of dentists is to first perform radiographic examination on the patient and mark the lesions manually. However, the work of judging lesions and markings requires professional experience and is very time-consuming and repetitive. Taking advantage of the rapid development of artificial intelligence imaging research and technical methods will help dentists make accurate markings and improve medical treatments. It can also shorten the judgment time of professionals. In addition to the use of Gaussian high-pass filter and Otsu's threshold image enhancement technology, this research solves the problem that the original cutting technology cannot extract certain single teeth, and it proposes a caries and lesions area analysis model based on convolutional neural networks (CNN), which can identify caries and restorations from the bitewing images. Moreover, it provides dentists with more accurate objective judgment data to achieve the purpose of automatic diagnosis and treatment planning as a technology for assisting precision medicine. A standardized database established following a defined set of steps is also proposed in this study. There are three main steps to generate the image of a single tooth from a bitewing image, which can increase the accuracy of the analysis model. The steps include (1) preprocessing of the dental image to obtain a high-quality binarization, (2) a dental image cropping procedure to obtain individually separated tooth samples, and (3) a dental image masking step which masks the fine broken teeth from the sample and enhances the quality of the training. Among the current four common neural networks, namely, AlexNet, GoogleNet, Vgg19, and ResNet50, experimental results show that the proposed AlexNet model in this study for restoration and caries judgments has an accuracy as high as 95.56% and 90.30%, respectively. These are promising results that lead to the possibility of developing an automatic judgment method of bitewing film.

Detection of Dental Apical Lesions Using CNNs on Periapical Radiograph.

Apical lesions, the general term for chronic infectious diseases, are very common dental diseases in modern life, and are caused by various factors. The current prevailing endodontic treatment makes use of X-ray photography taken from patients where the lesion area is marked manually, which is therefore time consuming. Additionally, for some images the significant details might not be recognizable due to the different shooting angles or doses. To make the diagnosis process shorter and efficient, repetitive tasks should be performed automatically to allow the dentists to focus more on the technical and medical diagnosis, such as treatment, tooth cleaning, or medical communication. To realize the automatic diagnosis, this article proposes and establishes a lesion area analysis model based on convolutional neural networks (CNN). For establishing a standardized database for clinical application, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) with application number 202002030B0 has been approved with the database established by dentists who provided the practical clinical data. In this study, the image data is preprocessed by a Gaussian high-pass filter. Then, an iterative thresholding is applied to slice the X-ray image into several individual tooth sample images. The collection of individual tooth images that comprises the image database are used as input into the CNN migration learning model for training. Seventy percent (70%) of the image database is used for training and validating the model while the remaining 30% is used for testing and estimating the accuracy of the model. The practical diagnosis accuracy of the proposed CNN model is 92.5%. The proposed model successfully facilitated the automatic diagnosis of the apical lesion.

Influence of Human Jaw Periosteal Cells Seeded ß-Tricalcium Phosphate Scaffolds on Blood Coagulation.

Tissue engineering offers auspicious opportunities in oral and maxillofacial surgery to heal bone defects. For this purpose, the combination of cells with stability-providing scaffolds is required. Jaw periosteal cells (JPCs) are well suited for regenerative therapies, as they are easily accessible and show strong osteogenic potential. In this study, we analyzed the influence of uncoated and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-coated ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) scaffolds on JPC colonization and subsequent osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, interaction with the human blood was investigated. This study demonstrated that PLGA-coated and uncoated ß-TCP scaffolds can be colonized with JPCs and further differentiated into osteogenic cells. On day 15, after cell seeding, JPCs with and without osteogenic differentiation were incubated with fresh human whole blood under dynamic conditions. The activation of coagulation, complement system, inflammation, and blood cells were analyzed using ELISA and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). JPC-seeded scaffolds showed a dense cell layer and osteogenic differentiation capacity on both PLGA-coated and uncoated ß-TCP scaffolds. SEM analyses showed no relevant blood cell attachment and ELISA results revealed no significant increase in most of the analyzed cell activation markers (ß-thromboglobulin, Sc5B-9, polymorphonuclear (PMN)-elastase). However, a notable increase in thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complex levels, as well as fibrin fiber accumulation on JPC-seeded ß-TCP scaffolds, was detected compared to the scaffolds without JPCs. Thus, this study demonstrated that besides the scaffold material the cells colonizing the scaffolds can also influence hemostasis, which can influence the regeneration of bone tissue.

Mechanical properties, accuracy, and cytotoxicity of UV-polymerized 3D printing resins composed of Bis-EMA, UDMA, and TEGDMA.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Three-dimensional printing has the potential for clinical applications, and additive manufacturing materials for dental use merit further investigation. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the properties of materials formulated with ethoxylated bisphenol A-dimethacrylate (Bis-EMA), urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA), and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) as 3D printing resins for ultraviolet digital light processing (UV-DLP) 3D printers and to characterize the mechanical and biological properties and accuracy of the printed objects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten different light-polymerized resins were formulated using Bis-EMA, UDMA, and TEGDMA. Their viscosities were measured, and only 7 resins with viscosities lower than 1500 centipoise (cP) were selected for 3D printing and further material characterization. The light-polymerized resins were printed into representative shapes using a custom-made 3D printer equipped with a 405-nm UV-DLP projector as the light source. The printed specimens were subjected to biologic, mechanical, and accuracy tests, and the data were submitted to 1-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc comparisons (α=.05). RESULTS: Photopolymerizable resins made of Bis-EMA, UDMA, and TEGDMA were successfully formulated for 3D printing to fabricate objects of various shapes and sizes. TEGDMA served as the diluent to reduce the viscosity and increase the degree of conversion, while UDMA and Bis-EMA provided strength as demonstrated by the mechanical testing. All the printed objects passed cytotoxicity testing. The flexural strengths of the printed specimens ranged between 60 MPa and 90 MPa; flexural modulus ranged between 1.7 GPa and 2.1 GPa; and surface hardness ranged between 14.5 HV and 24.6 HV. These represent similar mechanical properties to those of currently used clinical resin materials. In the accuracy test, the resin mixture composed of 80% Bis-EMA, 10% UDMA, and 10% TEGDMA had the highest accuracy, with a 0.051-mm deviation from the original design. CONCLUSIONS: Bis-EMA, UDMA, and TEGDMA are good candidates for the formulation of 3D printing resins for dental use. The printed objects demonstrated favorable biological and mechanical properties. Further, the accuracy of the printed specimens showed potential for clinical application.

Highly Efficient Fluorescent Material Based on Rare-Earth-Modified Polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Fluorescent materials play an important role in biomedical fields. However, the main types of fluorescent materials suffer from several disadvantages especially the biotoxicity, which largely restrict its wider applications in biological fields. In this study, a highly efficient rare-earth-modified fluorescent material was successfully designed and fabricated based on polyhydroxyalkanoates, which are known as biodegradable and biocompatible materials. A new Functional-PHA polymer was microbially synthesized by engineered Halomonas bluephagenesis and was used as a basal matrix to generate the rare-earth-modified PHA. N-Acetyl-l-cysteine-grafted PHA (NAL-grafted-PHA) was first produced via a UV-initiated thiol-ene click reaction and the rare earth metal ions (Eu3+ and Tb3+) were subsequently chelated onto the NAL-grafted-PHA through the coordination effect. The composite material exhibited intense photoluminescence properties under UV laser excitation, indicating the excellent features as fluorescent material. The enhanced hydrophilicity and superior biocompatibility of rare-earth-chelated PHA were confirmed, suggesting its great potential application value in biomedical fields.

Facile reflux synthesis of polyethyleneimine-capped fluorescent carbon dots for sequential bioassays toward Cu2+ /H2 S and its application for a logic system.

In this work, we present a novel facile strategy for green synthesis of polyethyleneimine (PEI)-capped carbon dots (PEI-CDs), in which citric acid and PEI were chosen as reactants and highly fluorescent PEI-CDs could be readily obtained via a simple one-pot refluxing under 120 °C within 2 H. Fluorescence studies indicate that the as-prepared PEI-CDs exhibit strong fluorescence emission at 446 nm with excitation at 365 nm. Upon the sequential addition of Cu2+ and H2 S, PEI-CDs result in an interesting "ON-OFF-ON" three-state emission responses, promising a bifunctional sensory platform. Moreover, the Cu2+ /H2 S-facilated reversible fluorescence changes of PEI-CDs have demonstrated the design of an INHIBIT logic system based on Boolean logic.

Investigation of Electrical Stability and Sensitivity of Electric Double Layer Gated Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) for miRNA Detection.

In this research, we developed a miRNA sensor using an electrical double layer (EDL) gated field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensor with enhanced sensitivity and stability. We conducted an in-depth investigation of the mechanisms that give rise to fluctuations in the electrical signal, affecting the stability and sensitivity of the miRNA sensor. Firstly, surface characteristics were studied by examining the metal electrodes deposited using different metal deposition techniques. The lower surface roughness of the gold electrode improved the electrical current stability. The temperature and viscosity of the sample solution were proven to affect the electrical stability, which was attributed to reducing the effect of Brownian motion. Therefore, by controlling the test conditions, such as temperature and sample viscosity, and the surface characteristics of the metal electrodes, we can enhance the stability of the sensor. Metal electrodes deposited via sputtering and e-beam evaporator yielded the lowest signal fluctuation. When ambient temperature was reduced to 3 °C, the sensor had better noise characteristics compared to room temperature testing. Higher viscosity of samples resulted in lower signal fluctuations. Lastly, surface functionalization was demonstrated to be a critical factor in enhancing the stability and sensitivity. MiRNA sensors with higher surface ratios of immobilized DNA probes performed with higher sensitivity and stability. This study reveals methods to improve the characteristics of EDL FET biosensors to facilitate practical implementation in clinical applications.

The effect of partially exposed connective tissue graft on root-coverage outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review was to compare the root-coverage outcomes of using a partially exposed connective tissue graft (CTG) technique with a fully covered CTG technique for root coverage. An electronic search up to February 28th , 2017, was performed to identify human clinical studies with data comparing outcomes of root coverage using CTG, with and without a partially exposed graft. Five clinical studies were selected for inclusion in this review. For each study, the gain of keratinized gingiva, reduction of recession depth, number of surgical sites achieving complete root coverage, percentage of root coverage, gain of tissue thickness, and changes of probing depth and clinical attachment level were recorded. Meta-analysis for the comparison of complete root coverage between the two techniques presented no statistically significant differences. A statistically significant gain of keratinized tissue in favor of the sites with an exposed CTG and a tendency of greater reduction in recession depth were seen at the sites with a fully covered CTG. Based on the results, the use of a partially exposed CTG in root-coverage procedures could achieve greater gain in keratinized gingiva, while a fully covered CTG might be indicated for procedures aiming to reduce recession depth.

Assessing the Quality of Life in Patients With Dentofacial Deformities Before and After Orthognathic Surgery.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the effect of health-related quality of life (QoL) among patients with dentofacial deformities who underwent orthognathic surgery compared with a control group without dentofacial deformities by use of generic oral health and condition-specific approaches. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 2 questionnaires were administered to 85 patients (31 male and 54 female patients) who were evaluated before undergoing orthognathic surgery. The Short Form Oral Health Impact Profile Questionnaire (OHIP-14) and the Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) were administered before and 5 to 7 months after orthognathic surgery. The control group comprised 96 young university student volunteers without dentofacial deformities. RESULTS: The questionnaires were collected 5 to 7 months after surgery. The preoperative scores of the patients and the control group were contrasted separately. The respondents' postoperative OHIP-14 and OQLQ scores were significantly lower (P < .001 for total scores). The preoperative OQLQ scores for all domains were significantly higher among the patients than among the controls (P < .001 for total scores), whereas the total scores and 3 subscale scores of the OHIP-14 in the functional and psychological domains were significantly higher among the patients than among the controls (P < .05 for total scores). The preoperative and postoperative OQLQ total scores were remarkably different between male and female patients (P < .05). The postoperative OQLQ total scores were considerably higher in older patients than in younger patients (P < .05). All patients in the Class III group who underwent double-jaw surgery showed remarkable changes after surgery (P < .001 for total scores). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with dentofacial deformities had a poorer QoL compared with the healthy population, especially in functional and psychological aspects. Orthognathic surgery had a significant positive impact on QoL. Patients with Class III malocclusion who underwent double-jaw surgery seemingly benefitted the most after surgery.

Association between monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 -2518 A/G gene polymorphism and the outcome of the nonsurgical periodontal treatment.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Elevated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is related to severe periodontal destruction. Furthermore, MCP-1 -2518 A/G gene polymorphism affects MCP-1 after inflammatory stimuli. This study analyzed the association between MCP-1 -2518 gene polymorphism and the outcome of nonsurgical periodontal treatment. METHODS: Forty periodontal patients were recruited and MCP-1 -2518 A/G gene polymorphisms were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. The clinical periodontal parameters, including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival index (GI), bleeding index (BI) and plaque index (PI), were recorded before and six weeks after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Patients were divided into chronic periodontitis (CP) or aggressive periodontitis (AP). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to investigate certain predictors of the therapy outcome. RESULTS: The frequency of MCP-1 -2518 genotype-positive (carrying allele G) was 42.5%. Poor treatment outcome in PD, GI and BI improvement could be predicted with MCP-1 -2518 A/G genotype and aggressive periodontitis status as the predictor variables. In contrast, MCP-1 -2518 A/A genotype and aggressive periodontitis status could predict better treatment response in PD and BI improvement. However, MCP-1 -2518 genotype did not affect the treatment outcome in patients with chronic periodontitis. CONCLUSION: MCP-1 -2518 A/G genotype might be useful in predicting less favorable nonsurgical treatment outcome in patients with aggressive periodontitis. However, MCP-1 -2518 gene polymorphism may not play a role in patients with chronic periodontitis. This study suggests that MCP-1 -2518 genotype may influence the outcome of nonsurgical periodontal treatment in aggressive periodontitis patients.