Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice exhibit periodontitis phenotype and altered oral microbiome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Leptin-deficient obesity is associated with various systemic diseases including diabetes and low bone mass phenotype. However, the periodontal status of leptin-deficient obese individuals is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to analyze the periodontal status, alveolar bone phenotype, and oral microbiome status in leptin-deficient obese mice (ob/ob mice). METHODS: This study used 12-week-old wild-type and ob/ob male mice. The alveolar bone phenotype and periodontal status in the maxilla were analyzed by micro-CT and histological analysis. Osteoclasts in alveolar bone were visualized by TRAP staining. Expressions of inflammatory markers (MMP-9, IL-1ß, and TGF-ß1) and osteoclastogenic markers (RANKL and OPG) in periodontium were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR. The oral microbiome was analyzed by 16 S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS: CEJ-ABC distance in maxillary molars (M1-M3) of ob/ob mice was significantly higher compared with that of wild-type. The alveolar bone BV/TV ratio was reduced in ob/ob mice compared with wild-type. Higher numbers of osteoclasts were observed in ob/ob mice alveolar bone adjacent to the molar root. Epithelial hyperplasia in gingiva and disordered periodontal ligaments was observed in ob/ob mice. RANKL/OPG expression ratio was increased in ob/ob mice compared with wild-type. Expressions of inflammatory markers MMP-9, IL-1ß, and TGF-ß1 were increased in ob/ob mice compared with wild-type. Oral microbiome analysis showed that beneficial bacteria Akkermansia and Ruminococcaceae_UCG_014 were more abundant in the wild-type mice while the inflammation-related Flavobacterium was more abundant in ob/ob mice. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, ob/ob mice showed higher expressions of inflammatory factors, increased alveolar bone loss, lower abundance of the beneficial bacteria, and higher abundance of inflammatory bacteria in the oral cavity, suggesting leptin-deficient obesity as a risk factor for periodontitis development in ob/ob mice.

Porous organic polymers as a platform for sensing applications.

Sensing analysis is significantly important for human health and environmental safety, and has gained increasing concern. As a promising material, porous organic polymers (POPs) have drawn widespread attention due to the availability of plentiful building blocks and their tunable structures, porosity and functions. Moreover, the permanent porous nature could provide a micro-environment to interact with guest molecules, rendering POPs attractive for application in the sensing field. In this review, we give a comprehensive overview of POPs as a platform for sensing applications. POP-based sensors are mainly divided into five categories, including fluorescence turn-on sensors, fluorescence turn-off sensors, ratiometric fluorescent sensors, colorimetric sensors and chemiresistive sensors, and their various sensing applications in detecting explosives, metal ions, anions, small molecules, biological molecules, pH changes, enantiomers, latent fingerprints and thermosensation are summarized. The different structure-based POPs and their corresponding synthetic strategies as well as the related sensing mechanisms mainly including energy transfer, donor-acceptor electron transfer, absorption competition quenching and inner filter effect are also involved in the discussion. Finally, the future outlook and perspective are addressed briefly.

The distribution of active ß-glucosidase-producing microbial communities in composting.

The composting ecosystem is a suitable source for the discovery of novel microorganisms and secondary metabolites. Cellulose degradation is an important part of the global carbon cycle, and ß-glucosidases complete the final step of cellulose hydrolysis by converting cellobiose to glucose. This work analyzes the succession of ß-glucosidase-producing microbial communities that persist throughout cattle manure - rice straw composting, and evaluates their metabolic activities and community advantage during the various phases of composting. Fungal and bacterial ß-glucosidase genes belonging to glycoside hydrolase families 1 and 3 (GH1 and GH3) amplified from DNA were classified and gene abundance levels were analyzed. The major reservoirs of ß-glucosidase genes were the fungal phylum Ascomycota and the bacterial phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Deinococcus-Thermus. This indicates that a diverse microbial community utilizes cellobiose. The succession of dominant bacteria was also detected during composting. Firmicutes was the dominant bacteria in the thermophilic phase of composting; there was a shift to Actinomycetes in the maturing stage. Proteobacteria accounted for the highest proportions during the heating and thermophilic phases of composting. By contrast, the fungal phylum Ascomycota was a minor microbial community constituent in thermophilic phase of composting. Combined with the analysis of the temperature, cellulose degradation rate and the carboxymethyl cellulase and ß-glucosidase activities showed that the bacterial GH1 family ß-glucosidase genes make greater contribution in cellulose degradation at the later thermophilic stage of composting. In summary, even GH1 bacteria families ß-glucosidase genes showing low abundance in DNA may be functionally important in the later thermophilic phase of composting. The results indicate that a complex community of bacteria and fungi expresses ß-glucosidases in compost. Several ß-glucosidase-producing bacteria and fungi identified in this study may represent potential indicators of composting in cellulose degradation.

Effects of novel functionalized magnesium phosphate monomers on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate copolymers.

In this study, inorganic magnesium hydroxide (MH) was modified by three phosphoric acids respectively to obtain three different novel functionalized monomers. The chemical structure and morphology of (Pn-MH) were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, functional monomers were introduced into the PET main chain structure. A new type of high-performance co-polyesters was successfully prepared. The specific structure of P1-MH-PET was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Thermal stability of Pn-MH-PETs was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The flame retardant properties were evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical combustion test (UL-94) and cone calorimeter. The results show that the thermal stability and flame retardant properties of 5%Pn-MH-PETs are greatly improved. Among them, the best performance is 5%P1-MH-PET, LOI is 32.5%, UL-94 test reached V-0 grade. Compared with neat PET, the peak heat release rate (PHRR), peak smoke release rate (PSPR), carbon dioxide release rate (CO2PR) and carbon monoxide release rate (COPR) decreased by 57.0%, 38.1%, 54.6% and 57.3%, respectively. Fortunately, the mechanical properties of 5%P3-MH-PET were also improved.

Preparation of a novel functionalized magnesium-based curing agent as an intrinsic flame retardant for epoxy resin.

In this study, a novel organic-inorganic hybrid flame retardant 10-(1,4-dicarboxylic acid magnesium salt)-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DMMH) was synthesized via neutralization and addition reaction of maleic acid, magnesium hydroxide and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO), and subsequently used in an intrinsic flame retardant epoxy resin. The chemical structure and morphology of DMMH were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, the prepared DMMH was combined with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to form an intumescent flame retardant system. The thermal stability and flame retardance were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), UL-94 vertical burning test, limiting oxygen index (LOI) and cone calorimetry. It was observed that the addition of 1.7% DMMH and 5.3% APP led EP-7 to acquire UL-94 V-0 rating, with the limiting oxygen index of 26.0%. As compared with pure EP, the peak heat release rate, total heat release, smoke production rate and total smoke production of the sample was noted to decrease by 54.5%, 35.1%, 43.6% and 38.1%, respectively. In addition, the introduction of DMMH did not negatively impact the mechanical properties of the epoxy resin.

Attractive protein-polymer interactions markedly alter the effect of macromolecular crowding on protein association equilibria.

The dependence of the fluorescence of catalase upon the concentration of added superoxide dismutase (SOD) indicates that SOD binds to saturable sites on catalase. The affinity of SOD for these sites varies with temperature, and with the concentration of each of three nominally inert polymeric additives--dextran 70, Ficoll 70, and polyethylene glycol 2000. At room temperature (25.0 degrees C) and higher, the addition of high concentrations of polymer is found to significantly enhance the affinity of SOD for catalase, but with decreasing temperature the enhancing effect of polymer addition diminishes, and at 8.0 degrees C, addition of polymer has little or no effect on the affinity of SOD for catalase. The results presented here provide the first experimental evidence for the existence of competition between a repulsive excluded volume interaction between protein and polymer, which tends to enhance association of dilute protein, and an attractive interaction between protein and polymer, which tends to inhibit protein association. The net effect of high concentrations of polymer upon protein associations depends upon the relative strength of these two types of interactions at the temperature of measurement, and may vary significantly between different proteins and/or polymers.

Penctrimertone, a bioactive citrinin dimer from the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. T2-11.

Penctrimertone (1), a novel citrinin dimer bearing a 6/6/6/6 tetracyclic ring scaffold, along with two known compounds xerucitrinic acid A (2) and citrinin (3) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. T2-11. Their structures were unequivocally established by a comprehensive interpretation of the spectroscopic data, with the stereochemistry for 1 was defined by a combination of TDDFT-ECD calculations and the DP4+ probability analysis based on NMR chemical shift calculations. Bioassays revealed that compound 1 exhibited noticeable antimicrobial activities and moderate cytotoxicity. A plausible biosynthetic pathway of 1 was also proposed.

Effect of drug solubility on polymer hydration and drug dissolution from polyethylene oxide (PEO) matrix tablets.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of drug solubility on polymer hydration and drug dissolution from modified release matrix tablets of polyethylene oxide (PEO). Different PEO matrix tablets were prepared using acetaminophen (ACE) and ibuprofen (IBU) as study compounds and Polyox WSR301 (PEO) as primary hydrophilic matrix polymer. Tablet dissolution was tested using the USP Apparatus II, and the hydration of PEO polymer during dissolution was recorded using a texture analyzer. Drug dissolution from the preparations was dependent upon drug solubility, hydrogel formation and polymer proportion in the preparation. Delayed drug release was attributed to the formation of hydrogel layer on the surface of the tablet and the penetration of water into matrix core through drug dissolution and diffusion. A multiple linear regression model could be used to describe the relationship among drug dissolution, polymer ratio, hydrogel formation and drug solubility; the mathematical correlation was also proven to be valid and adaptable to a series of study compounds. The developed methodology would be beneficial to formulation scientists in dosage form design and optimization.

Correlation between drug dissolution and polymer hydration: a study using texture analysis.

Texture analysis is a new approach in pharmaceutical research and development; this study evaluated the correlation between drug dissolution and polymer hydration from a modified release matrix tablet of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride using a texture analyzer. A series of matrix tablets of pseudoephedrine was designed and prepared. Modified drug release was achieved by combined use of matrix excipients Polyox WSR301 (PEO) and Compritol 888ATO (GB). Dissolution profiles of the tablets were assessed using USP Method II. Polymer swelling behaviors during dissolution were measured using a texture analyzer. Increase in proportion of PEO and GB in the formulation reduced drug dissolution within the first 90 min. However, drug release was complete in 6h due to high aqueous solubility of pseudoephedrine. Linear correlations were observed among drug dissolution, polymer content and parameters of texture analysis including hydrogel thickness and AUC(TA) for formulations that contained hydrophilic PEO. The study demonstrated a unique application of a texture analyzer in characterization of modified release matrix tablets.

[Scanning electron microscope observation of the effect of different dentin bonding surfaces on the bonding interface].

To study the microstructural influence of dry or wet dentin bonding surface on the dentin bonding interface, five wet bonding systems were used to bond Chrisma B20 resin with dry or moist dentin surface with scanning electron microscope. All these systems were found to be well able to infiltrate into the dentin bonding interface on wet dentin surface, and significant changes occurred in the bonding interface when acetone-based adhesives were applied on dry dentin surfaces, demonstrating thinner hybrid layer and the formation of partially hybrid region, while alcohol- and water-based adhesives showed no changes. The necessity of moist dentin surface is therefore suggested when wet bonding systems are used.

[Effect of cellulose-decomposing strain on microbial community of cow manure compost].

Taking the cow dung and straw as composting raw materials, effect of cellulose-decomposing strain on microbial community of cow manure compost was investigated with the traditional culture method and PCR-DGGE technique. The results showed that the microbiological inocula showed a more rapid rate of temperature elevation at the start of composting and prolonged the time of high-temperature process and increased the number of microbial. The DGGE map of cellulose-decomposing strain compost was different from natural compost, the succession of microbial community in cellulose-decomposing strain was faster than natural compost. Sequence comparison revealed that the Pseudomonas sp. of bacterial appeared at the initial stage and Acinetobacter sp., Flavobacteria were existed at the high-temperature process in natural compost; while Arthrobacter sp. was appeared at the high-temperature process in cellulose-decomposing strain compost. Bacillus sp. was dominant species at middle and later stage in natural compost and cellulose-decomposing strain compost. Eimeriidae of fungal appeared in compost materials, Aspergillus and thermophilic fungi were dominant species at the high-temperature process in natural compost and cellulose-decomposing strain compost. Ascomycota appeared at middle and later stage in natural compost; while Basidiomycetes in cellulose-decomposing strain compost. Aspergillus was found throughout the process. This result suggested that the microbiological inocula were able to facilitate the bacterial microbial diversity of the compost; reduced the fungal microbial diversity of the compost. The aims of this study were to provide a scientific basis to the diversity of microbial community by monitoring the dynamics of microbial community in cellulose-decomposing strain compost and represent an important step towards the understanding of microbiological inocula and its function in the degradation process of compost.

[Giant cell tumor of temporal bone and mandibular condyle: a case report].

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) seldom occurs in the head or face. This article reported a case that GCTB occurred simultaneously in the temporal bone and mandibular condyle, and analyzed their clinical and pathological features.

[Effects of c-Met-siRNA on the biological behaviour of laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of c-Met-siRNA on the proliferation, movement and invasion of laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells in vitro. METHOD: Firstly, the pSilencer 2.0/c-Met-shRNA recombinant plasmid was transfected into laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells with transfecting agent of cationic liposome Lipofectamine 2000. Secondly,the transfection efficacy was tested by RT-PCR and Western-Blot, then the most inhibitive c-Met-siRNA sequence was elected. Cell proliferation, movement and invasion were detected with MTT, cell migration assay and cell invasion assay, respectively. RESULT: After the transfection of pSilencer 2.0/c-Met-shRNA recombinant plasmid into laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells, the expression of mRNA and protein of c-Met decreased significantly in Hep-2 cells, and ability of the proliferation, movement and invasion of laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells were also inhibited. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that c-Met-siRNA can down-regulated the expression of c-Met and markedly inhibited laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cell proliferation, movement and invasion. It may have the potential as a therapeutic modality to treat human laryngeal carcinoma.

[Bonding strength and interface effects of different dentin surface on acetone-based adhesives bonding].

PURPOSE: To study the influences on microstructure characteristic and bonding strength of acetone-based wet bonding systems when bonding on dry or wet dentin surface. METHODS: Three acetone-based wet bonding systems, Gluma One-Bond, Bond-1 and One-Step, were used to bond Chrisma composite resin to dry or moist dentin surface, and the bonding interface was observed with HITACHI S-2700 scanning electron microscope. Microtensile strengths of different groups were measured with Instro 1195. RESULTS: All three bonding systems can infiltrate well into dentin bonding interface in the wet groups. A hybrid layer of about 5microm could be observed with resin tags traversing from the resin layer above into the undemineralized dentin below and the lateral branch of dentinal tubule. In the dry groups, three zones, a surface and a basal hybrid layer sandwiching a middle hybridoid region, could be observed. The hybrid layer was very thinner. Microtensile strength had significantly decreased while bonding on dry dentin surface with acetone-based wet bonding systems, with the maximum decrease of 39% in Bond-1. CONCLUSION: Incompletely infiltrated adhesive on dentin bonding interface could be observed and microtensile strength had significantly decreased while bonding on dry dentin surface with acetone-based wet bonding systems. Moist dentin surface, which can maintain collagen-rich fibrous network of demineralized dentin, is necessary when bonding with acetone-based wet bonding systems. Microtensile strength approaches to the real dentin bonding strength.

Structural transformation and aggregation of human alpha-synuclein in trifluoroethanol: non-amyloid component sequence is essential and beta-sheet formation is prerequisite to aggregation.

Amyloid-like aggregation of alpha-synuclein and deposit in Lewy bodies are thought to be the major cause of Parkinson's disease. Here we describe the secondary structural transformation and aggregation of human alpha-synuclein and its C-terminus truncated fragments in trifluoroethanol. Proteins containing the NAC (non-amyloid component) segment undergo a three-state transition: from native random coil to beta-sheet and to alpha-helical structure, while the NAC deficient fragment and gamma-synuclein undergo a typical two-state coil-to-alpha transition. The beta-sheet form is highly hydrophobic that strongly binds to 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) and is prone to self-aggregation. The results suggest that the NAC sequence is essential to beta-sheet formation and the aggregation originates from the beta-sheet intermediate, which may be implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.