Soft tissue phenotype modification impacts on peri-implant stability: a comparative cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Soft tissue phenotype modification (STPM) could be performed to maintain peri-implant health. Therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze tissue alteration around implants following soft tissue phenotype modification during implant uncovering surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had STPM (either pouch roll or modified roll technique) during implant second-stage surgery with at least 12-month follow-up were included. Clinical and radiographic parameters including mucosal tissue thickness (MTT), recession (REC), keratinized mucosa width (KMW), probing pocket depth (PPD), marginal bone loss (MBL), emergence profile, and emergence angle were extracted from 2-week, 2-month, and 12-month visits after second-stage surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients with 33 implants that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. After soft tissue phenotype modification, at 2 weeks, REC was negatively correlated to mean MTT at mid-buccal site (r = - 0.41, p = 0.018) and borderline correlated at mid-lingual site (r = - 0.343, p = 0.051). Stable KMW was maintained from 2 weeks to 12 months with minimal shrinkage rate (3 ~ 14%). MBL change was limited (0.24 ~ 0.47 mm) after STPM. All implants had shallow PPD (≤ 3 mm) with the absence of bleeding on probing. Emergence angle at the mesial side, however, was significantly correlated to surgical techniques, which indicated pouch roll technique would have 6.96 degrees more than modified roll technique (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Soft tissue phenotype modification, either pouch roll or modified roll technique, during uncovering surgery resulted in favorable clinical outcomes. Thin mucosal tissue thickness and pouch roll technique are the factors related to more recession at 2 weeks. Pouch roll technique could influence the restorative design by having a wide emergence angle at the mesial side. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Modified and pouch roll techniques during uncovering surgery were viable methods to yield favorable peri-implant health, while the preciseness of pouch roll technique was required to avoid mucosal recession and inadequate restorative design.

The Ideal Nasion in Chinese: A Preference Analysis of the General Population.

Augmentation rhinoplasty has gained popularity in China in the past decades and nasion profile is a key variable in aesthetic outcomes. The nasion is the deepest portion of the nasofrontal groove and its aesthetic preferences vary between different ethnic groups. At the time of this writing, there is limited research about ideal nasion measurements in the Chinese population. Therefore, we conducted an online survey of plastic surgeons and the public through social media. Participants were asked to rank nasion images according to their preferences. Images were created from a 3-dimensional scan of a Chinese Han female and modified to show various dimensions of nasion height, position, and forehead height. Nasion preferences were compared by age, sex, ethnicity, occupation, and whether had a history of plastic surgery. There were 777 respondents, including 461 (59.3%) women and 74 (9.5%) plastic surgeons. Nasion height of 8 and 10 mm ranked highest among all demographic groups. All respondents preferred nasion position to be level with the center of the pupil and forehead height of 4 mm above the nasion. Our study showed that the ideal Chinese nasion is in line with baseline ethnic characteristics. Therefore, plastic surgeons must be aware of these nasion preferences to guide preoperative discussions and achieve satisfactory outcomes.

Small-Molecule-based Supramolecular Plastics Mediated by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.

Plastics are one of the most widely used polymeric materials. However, they are often undegradable and non-recyclable due to the very stable covalent bonds of macromolecules, causing environmental pollution and health problems. Here, we report that liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) could drive the formation of robust, stable, and sustainable plastics using small molecules. The LLPS process could sequester and concentrate solutes, strengthen the non-covalent association between molecules and produce a bulk material whose property was highly related to the encapsulated water amounts. It was a robust plastic with a remarkable Young's modulus of 139.5 MPa when the water content was low while became adhesive and could instantly self-heal with more absorbed water. Finally, responsiveness enabled the material to be highly recyclable. This work allowed us to understand the LLPS at the molecular level and demonstrated that LLPS is a promising approach to exploring eco-friendly supramolecular plastics that are potential substitutes for conventional polymers.

Glutaraldehyde Cross-Linking of Oligolysines Coating DNA Origami Greatly Reduces Susceptibility to Nuclease Degradation.

DNA nanostructures (DNs) have garnered a large amount of interest as a potential therapeutic modality. However, DNs are prone to nuclease-mediated degradation and are unstable in low Mg2+ conditions; this greatly limits their utility in physiological settings. Previously, PEGylated oligolysines were found to protect DNs against low-salt denaturation and to increase nuclease resistance by up to ∼400-fold. Here we demonstrate that glutaraldehyde cross-linking of PEGylated oligolysine-coated DNs extends survival by up to another ∼250-fold to >48 h during incubation with 2600 times the physiological concentration of DNase I. DNA origami with cross-linked oligolysine coats are non-toxic and are internalized into cells more readily than non-cross-linked origami. Our strategy provides an off-the-shelf and generalizable method for protecting DNs in vivo.

Hydrogen peroxide is a critical regulator of the hypoxia-induced alterations of store-operated Ca2+ entry into rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

To investigate the association between store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) during hypoxia, this study determined the changes of transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) and Orai1, two candidate proteins for store-operated Ca2+ (SOC) channels and their gate regulator, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), in a hypoxic environment and their relationship with ROS in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Exposure to hypoxia caused a transient Ca2+ spike and subsequent Ca2+ plateau of SOCE to be intensified in PASMCs when TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 were upregulated. SOCE in cells transfected with specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs was almost completely eliminated by the knockdown of TRPC1, STIM1, or Orai1 alone and was no longer affected by hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia-induced SOCE enhancement was further strengthened by PEG-SOD but was attenuated by PEG-catalase, with correlated changes to intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and protein levels of TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1. Exogenous H2O2 could mimic alterations of the interactions of STIM1 with TRPC1 and Orai1 in hypoxic cells. These findings suggest that TRPC1, STIM1, and Orai1 are essential for the initiation of SOCE in PASMCs. Hypoxia-induced ROS promoted the expression and interaction of the SOC channel molecules and their gate regulator via their converted product, H2O2.

Morphologic Variability of Bone and Soft Tissue in Microtia With Hemifacial Microsomia.

Objective: Microtia patients with hemifacial microsomia (HFM) have a host of distinct anatomical disorder of skeletal and soft tissue asymmetries. The purpose of this study was to assess soft tissue discrepancies in microtia patients with HFM and their correlation with skeletal discrepancies. Methods: A total of 42 patients were enrolled and studied prospectively using a 3-dimensional superimposition and color mapping of the soft and hard tissues. Mirroring techniques created perfectly symmetric models for comparison. Differences between affected and normal sides were evaluated in 5 areas: retroauricular mastoid, malar, maxillary frontal, mandibular frontal, and gonion areas. Pearson correlations were used to assess the relationship between skeletal and soft tissue asymmetry. Results: Hard tissue asymmetry ranged from 0.79 mm (mandibular frontal) to 1.29 mm (malar), while soft tissue asymmetry ranged from 1.34 mm (maxillary frontal) to 5.26 mm (retroauricular mastoid). Correlations between skeletal and soft tissue asymmetry varied, with the strongest correlation observed at the retroauricular mastoid area and the weakest at the maxillary frontal area. Conclusion: There was a high correlation between bone and soft tissue hypoplasia at the retroauricular mastoid area, while the other evaluated areas showed poor correlation between skeletal and soft tissue asymmetries. Clinicians should assess each component separately for optimal treatment planning in microtia patients with HFM.

Dual-Targeting Polymer Nanoparticles Efficiently Deliver DNA Vaccine and Induce Robust Prophylactic Immunity against Spring Viremia of Carp Virus Infection.

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) is highly contagious and lethal to most cyprinid fish, causing serious economic losses to the carp aquaculture industry. Although DNA vaccines can generate long-term humoral and cellular immune responses, which provide protective immunity against SVCV, the major drawback of DNA vaccines is their low immunogenicity in clinical tests. Here, we construct a dual-targeted polymer DNA vaccine delivery platform (MCS-PCHG) by using mannosylated chitosan to encapsulate the poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)-loaded DNA vaccine containing the heavy-chain CH3 region (CH3) of common carp IgM and the antigenic domain (G131c). The developed nanovaccine delivery platform showed good biocompatibility in vivo and in vitro. With the modification of the mannose moiety and the modification of CH3, the constructed MCS-PCHG could efficiently activate the maturation of antigen-presenting cells. Moreover, we observe significantly high level of immune-related genes expression, serum antigen-specific IgM, SVCV-neutralizing antibody titers in fish vaccinated with MCS-PCHG. Next, the protective efficacy of MCS-PCHG was further evaluated by challenge test. The highest survival rate (ca. 84%) was observed in fish vaccinated with MCS-PCHG after challenging with SVCV. This study presents a novel design for smart, dual-targeted polymer nanoparticles, which are inherently biocompatible, promising for targeted vaccine delivery. IMPORTANCE Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) affects global cyprinid fish farming industry, with no available commercial vaccine. Herein, we developed a dual-targeting polymer nanovaccine (MCS-PCHG) by using mannose and common carp IgM heavy chain CH3 region (CH3) as antigen presenting cell (APCs) recognition moiety, attaining the effective delivery of antigen. This dual-targeting polymer vaccine can efficiently activate the APCs, and further induce robust and durable adaptive immune response with good protection against SVCV infection. Our study provides valuable theoretical basis for developing efficient vaccine against infectious diseases in aquaculture.

[The level of peripheral circular DNA in patients with hand foot and mouth disease].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the circular DNA level of patients with hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and evaluate its potential clinical value. METHODS: Venous blood in 30 healthy children and 78 patients with HFMD within 3 days of onset of illness and convalescent period was collected. The level of plasma circular DNA was detected by duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Blood sugar, high-sensitive CRP(hs-CRP) and leucocyte were also detected. RESULTS: The level of circular DNA in control group was (6.57 +/- 4.67) ng/ml. The level of circular DNA in ordinary and severe HFMD patients was (11.51 +/- 7.75) ng/ml and (20.59 +/- 10.67) ng/ml before treatment, respectively. The levels of circular DNA in ordinary and severe HFMD patients were significantly higher than that in control group (P = 0.021; 0.000); the level of circular DNA in severe HFMD patients was significantly higher than that in ordinary HFMD patients (P = 0.011). The level of circular DNA in severe HFMD patients after treatment were significantly lower than that before treatment (P = 0.033). The level of circular DNA before treatment and after treatment in ordinary HFMD patients had no significant difference. The levels of blood sugar and hs-CRP in severe HFMD patients were higher than those in ordinary before treatment (P = 0.045; 0.011). The levels of blood sugar and hs-CRP before treatment and after treatment in ordinary HFMD patients had no significant change. There was significantly positive correlation between the level of circular DNA and that of hs-CRP in HFMD patient (P = 0.021), but there was no correlation between the level of circular DNA and that of blood sugar and leucocyte. CONCLUSIONS: The level of circular DNA not only become an early identification marker of severe HFMD patients, but also become monitoring marker of effect of treatment.