Scalping of aroma compounds from food simulants into polyethylene terephthalate laminated steel.

BACKGROUND: Aroma scalping is a very common problem and can affect the sensory quality of packaged food. To study the aroma scalping characteristics of polyethylene terephthalate laminated steel (PET-LS), the sorption kinetics of six common aroma compounds (2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, hexanal, citral, butyl acetate, isopentyl acetate) in foods were assessed for drawn-redrawn cans made with PET-LS. RESULTS: Storage temperature and initial concentration were proved as important factors to affect compound sorption and diffusion for flavors. The correlation between logarithm of equilibrium absorption ln M∞ and reciprocal of absolute temperature 1/T showed good linear relationship (R2 = 0.9380-0.9998) at 4 °C, 20 °C and 50 °C, and the M∞ obtained by the experiment was very close to the predicted value at 37 °C. At low initial concentration (below 500 µL L-1 ), the absorption capacity and initial concentration showed a slow linear growth trend, whereas there was a rapid change at high initial concentration. The values of diffusion coefficient D were on the order of 10-11 -10-12  m2  day-1 , which were lower than reported for other polymer materials (linear low-density polyethylene, polybutylene succinate, polylactic acid). CONCLUSION: The equilibrium absorption amount of each flavor component was dependent on the temperature under the same concentration (500 µL L-1 ). The Fickian diffusion model was used for fitting the experimental kinetics values satisfactorily (R2 = 0.9158-0.9885). © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Intelligent electromagnetic navigation system for robot-assisted intraoral osteotomy in mandibular tumor resection: a model experiment.

Background: Mandibular tumor surgery necessitates precise osteotomies based on tumor boundaries; however, conventional osteotomies often lack accuracy in predicting osteotomy positions and planes, potentially leading to excessive resection of normal bone tissues or residual tumors, thus compromising postoperative quality of life and clinical outcomes. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) augmented with artificial intelligence (AI) offers precise localization capabilities, aiding surgeons in achieving accurate osteotomy positioning. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a robotic magnetic navigation system for positioning and osteotomy in an intraoral surgical trial of a mandibular tumor model. Methods: Patient computed tomography (CT) imaging data of mandibular chin and body tumors were utilized to create 3D printed models, serving as study subjects for mandibular tumor resection. Ten pairs of models were printed for the experimental and control groups. The experimental group (EG) underwent osteotomy using a robot-assisted surgical navigation system, performing osteotomy under robotic navigation following alignment based on preoperative design. The control group (CG) underwent traditional surgery, estimating osteotomy position empirically according to preoperative design. Postoperative CT scans were conducted on both models, and actual postoperative results were compared to preoperative design. Osteotomy accuracy was evaluated by positional and angular errors between preoperatively designed and actual osteotomy planes. Results: For ten randomly selected spots on the left and right sides, respectively, the EG group had mean distance errors of 0.338 mm and 0.941 mm. These values were obtained from the EG group. In the EG group, on the left side, the mean angular errors were 14.741 degrees, while on the right side, they were 13.021 degrees. For the 10 randomly selected spots on the left and right sides, respectively, the CG had mean distance errors of 1.776 mm and 2.320 mm. This is in contrast to the results obtained by the EG. It was determined that the left side had a mean angle error of 16.841 degrees, while the right side had an error of 18.416 degrees in the CG group. The above results indicated significantly lower point errors of bilateral osteotomy planes in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of electromagnetic navigation robot-assisted intraoral osteotomy for mandibular tumors and suggests that this approach can enhance the precision of clinical surgery.

The role of oxidative stress biomarkers in the development of peri-implant disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the role of oxidative stress (OS) biomarkers in peri­implant diseases using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. DATE: The review incorporated cross-sectional studies, randomized controlled trials, and case-control trials to evaluate the differences in OS biomarkers of peri­implant disease. SOURCES: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI, and no restrictions were applied during the search process. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 452 studies were identified, of which 18 were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias and sensitivity analysis were assessed using Egger's test and funnel plots. RESULTS: We found that the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the peri­implant sulcus fluid (PISF) of patients with peri­implant diseases were significantly reduced (SMD = -1.40; 95 % CI = 1.70, -1.11; p < 0.001), while the levels of total myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly increased (SMD = 0.46; 95 % CI = 0.12, 0.80; p = 0.008; SMD = 0.28; 95 % CI = 0.01, 0.56; p = 0.043). However, there were no significant differences of MPO concentration (SMD = 0.38; 95 % CI = -0.39, 1.15; p = 0.331) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)(SMD = -0.43; 95 % CI = -1.94, 1.07; p = 0.572) in PISF between peri­implant disease group and control group. Similarly, salivary MPO did not show significant differences (SMD = 1.62; 95 % CI = -1.01, 4.24; p = 0.227). CONCLUSIONS: Our results supported that the level of local OS biomarkers was closely related to peri­implant diseases. GSH-Px, total MPO and MDA may be PISF biomarkers with good capability to monitor the development of peri­implant disease. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study found significant differences in the levels of local OS biomarkers (GSH-Px, total MPO, and MDA) between patients with peri­implant diseases and healthy subjects, which may be ideal candidate biomarkers for predicting and diagnosing peri­implant diseases.

Biodegradable Zn-5Dy Alloy with Enhanced Osteo/Angio-Genic Activity and Osteointegration Effect via Regulation of SIRT4-Dependent Mitochondrial Function.

Zinc (Zn)-dysprosium (Dy) binary alloys are promising biodegradable bone fracture fixation implants owing to their attractive biodegradability and mechanical properties. However, their clinical application is a challenge for bone fracture healing, due to the lack of Zn-Dy alloys with tailored proper bio-mechanical and osteointegration properties for bone regeneration. A Zn-5Dy alloy with high strength and ductility and a degradation rate aligned with the bone remodeling cycle is developed. Here, mechanical stability is further confirmed, proving that Zn-5Dy alloy can resist aging in the degradation process, thus meeting the mechanical requirements of fracture fixation. In vitro cellular experiments reveal that the Zn-5Dy alloy enhances osteogenesis and angiogenesis by elevating SIRT4-mediated mitochondrial function. In vivo Micro-CT, SEM-EDS, and immunohistochemistry analyses further indicate good biosafety, suitable biodegradation rate, and great osteointegration of Zn-5Dy alloy during bone healing, which also depends on the upregulation of SIRT4-mediated mitochondrial events. Overall, the study is the first to report a Zn-5Dy alloy that exerts remarkable osteointegration properties and has a strong potential to promote bone healing. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of mitochondrial modulation and shall guide the future development of mitochondria-targeting materials in enhancing bone fracture healing.

Silver-based intermetallic heterostructures in Sb2Te3 thick films with enhanced thermoelectric power factors.

In this work, Ag(x)Te(y)-Sb(2)Te(3) heterostructured films are prepared by ligand exchange using hydrazine soluble metal chalcogenide. Because of the created interfacial barrier, cold carriers are more strongly scattered than hot ones and thereby an over 50% enhanced thermoelectric power factor (~2 µW/(cm·K(2))) is obtained at 150 °C. This shows the possibility of engineering multiphases to further improve thermoelectric performance beyond phonon scattering through a low-temperature solution processed route.

High-entropy alloy nanopatterns by prescribed metallization of DNA origami templates.

High-entropy multimetallic nanopatterns with controlled morphology, composition and uniformity hold great potential for developing nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and catalysis. Nevertheless, the lack of general methods for patterning multiple metals poses a limit. Here, we develop a DNA origami-based metallization reaction system to prescribe multimetallic nanopatterns with peroxidase-like activities. We find that strong coordination between metal elements and DNA bases enables the accumulation of metal ions on protruding clustered DNA (pcDNA) that are prescribed on DNA origami. As a result of the condensation of pcDNA, these sites can serve as nucleation site for metal plating. We have synthesized multimetallic nanopatterns composed of up to five metal elements (Co, Pd, Pt, Ag and Ni), and obtained insights on elemental uniformity control at the nanoscale. This method provides an alternative pathway to construct a library of multimetallic nanopatterns.

Enhanced Detection in Droplet Microfluidics by Acoustic Vortex Modulation of Particle Rings and Particle Clusters via Asymmetric Propagation of Surface Acoustic Waves.

As a basis for biometric and chemical analysis, issues of how to dilute or concentrate substances such as particles or cells to specific concentrations have long been of interest to researchers. In this study, travelling surface acoustic wave (TSAW)-based devices with three frequencies (99.1, 48.8, 20.4 MHz) have been used to capture the suspended Polystyrene (PS) microspheres of various sizes (5, 20, 40 µm) in sessile droplets, which are controlled by acoustic field-induced fluid vortex (acoustic vortex) and aggregate into clusters or rings with particles. These phenomena can be explained by the interaction of three forces, which are drag force caused by ASF, ARF caused by Leaky-SAW and varying centrifugal force. Eventually, a novel approach of free transition between the particle ring and cluster was approached via modulating the acoustic amplitude of TSAW. By this method, multilayer particles agglomerate with 20 µm wrapped around 40 µm and 20 µm wrapped around 5 µm can be obtained, which provides the possibility to dilute or concentrate the particles to a specific concentration.

A Novel Detachable, Reusable, and Versatile Acoustic Tweezer Manipulation Platform for Biochemical Analysis and Detection Systems.

Multifunctional, integrated, and reusable operating platforms are highly sought after in biochemical analysis and detection systems. In this study, we demonstrated a novel detachable, reusable acoustic tweezer manipulation platform that is flexible and versatile. The free interchangeability of different detachable microchannel devices on the acoustic tweezer platform was achieved by adding a waveguide layer (glass) and a coupling layer (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer film). We designed and demonstrated the detachable multifunctional acoustic tweezer platform with three cell manipulation capabilities. In Demo I, the detachable acoustic tweezer platform is demonstrated to have the capability for parallel processing and enrichment of the sample. In Demo II, the detachable acoustic tweezer platform with capability for precise cell alignment is demonstrated. In Demo III, it was demonstrated that the detachable acoustic tweezer platform has the capability for the separation and purification of cells. Through experiments, our acoustic tweezer platform has good acoustic retention ability, reusability, and stability. More capabilities can be expanded in the future. It provides a simple, economical, and multifunctional reusable operating platform solution for biochemical analysis and detection systems.

Dental pulp stem cells overexpressing hepatocyte growth factor facilitate the repair of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and recurrent disease without satisfactory treatment strategies. Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) transplantation has been proposed as a potential therapy for UC. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of the rat hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene transduced into DPSCs for UC. METHODS: The therapeutic effects of HGF-DPSCs transplanted intravenously into a rat model of UC induced by 5% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) were compared with the other treatment groups (LV-HGF group, DPSCs group and GFP-DPSCs group). Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the localization and proliferation of HGF-DPSCs at the site of colon injury. The expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) and western blotting. The oxidative stress markers were detected by ELISA. DAI scores and body weight changes were used to macroscopically evaluate the treatment of rats in each group. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays showed that HGF-DPSCs homed to colon injury sites and colocalized with intestinal stem cell (ISC) markers (Bmi1, Musashi1 and Sox9) and significantly promoted protein expression (Bmi1, Musashi1, Sox9 and PCNA). Anti-inflammatory cytokine (TGF-ß and IL-10) expression was the highest in the HGF-DPSCs group compared with the other treatment groups, while the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and INF-γ) was the lowest. Additionally, the oxidative stress response results showed that malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) expression decreased while superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression increased, especially in the HGF-DPSCs group. The DAI scores showed a downward trend with time in the five treatment groups, whereas body weight increased, and the changes were most prominent in the HGF-DPSCs group. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated that HGF-DPSCs can alleviate injuries to the intestinal mucosa by transdifferentiating into ISC-like cells, promoting ISC-like cell proliferation, suppressing inflammatory responses and reducing oxidative stress damage, which provides new ideas for the clinical treatment of UC.

Therapeutic effect of dental pulp stem cell transplantation on a rat model of radioactivity-induced esophageal injury.

Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) transplantation has been demonstrated to promote the regeneration and repair of tissues and organs and is a potentially effective treatment for radioactive esophageal injury. In this study, to explore the therapeutic effects of DPSCs on acute radiation-induced esophageal injury, DPSCs were cultured and transplanted into rats with acute radioactive esophageal injuries induced by radioactive 125I seeds in vivo. In the injured esophagus, PKH26-labeled DPSCs co-localized with PCNA, CK14, CD71, and integrin α6, and the expression levels of these four makers of esophageal stem cells were significantly increased. After DPSC transplantation, the injured esophagus exhibited a greater thickness. In addition, the esophageal function and inflammation recovered faster. The results demonstrated that transplanted DPSCs, which trans-differentiated into esophageal stem cells in vivo, could repair the damaged esophageal tissue.