Molecular crowding facilitates bundling of IMPDH polymers and cytoophidium formation.

The cytoophidium is a unique type of membraneless compartment comprising of filamentous protein polymers. Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of de novo GTP biosynthesis and plays critical roles in active cell metabolism. However, the molecular regulation of cytoophidium formation is poorly understood. Here we show that human IMPDH2 polymers bundle up to form cytoophidium-like aggregates in vitro when macromolecular crowders are present. The self-association of IMPDH polymers is suggested to rely on electrostatic interactions. In cells, the increase of molecular crowding with hyperosmotic medium induces cytoophidia, while the decrease of that by the inhibition of RNA synthesis perturbs cytoophidium assembly. In addition to IMPDH, CTPS and PRPS cytoophidium could be also induced by hyperosmolality, suggesting a universal phenomenon of cytoophidium-forming proteins. Finally, our results indicate that the cytoophidium can prolong the half-life of IMPDH, which is proposed to be one of conserved functions of this subcellular compartment.

[Effects of Implant Position on Clinical Crown Length and Papilla Fills in Implant-supported Maxillary Central Incisors].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of implant position on clinical crown length and papilla fills in implant-supported maxillary central incisors. METHODS: One implant replacing the 11th or 21st tooth was given to 158 patients who lost a maxillary central incisor after trauma. The contra-lateral central incisors were used as controls. The three-dimensional positional parameters were estimated using standardized photographs of the cast models, clinical photographs and peri-apical radiographs. Paired t tests were performed to examine the differences between the implants and the control teeth in clinical crown length, papilla fills, proximal bone crest levels, and the horizontal implant-teeth distance at the mesial and distal implant. Pearson correlations were used to identify the implant positional parameters associated with crown length and papilla fills. RESULTS: The implant-supported crowns were statistically longer than the controls [(10.9±1.1) mm vs. (10.4±0.8) mm, P<0.05]. Greater papilla fills were found in the mesial implants and distal contra-lateral teeth compared with the distal implants (P<0.000 1). The implants had higher levels of mesial proximal bone crest than the distal [(2.2±1.4) mm vs. (1.2±1.5) mm, P<0.05]. The oro-facial position of the implants was associated with the crown length (R=0.602, P=0.001). But the crown length was not correlated with the sagital angulation of the implants or the vertical distance from the implant fixture to the soft tissue margin. The proximal bone crest level was correlated with the papilla fill height (R=0.400, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: An implant positioned buccally results in longer crown length. Minor buccal angulations of the implant do not necessarily result in increased crown length. Appropriate position and input depth may help avoid bone absorption and papilla shrinkage.

Construction of silver-coated high translucent zirconia implanting abutment material and its property of antibacterial.

High translucent zirconia (HTZ) has excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and good semi-translucency making it an ideal material for aesthetic anterior dental implant abutments without antibacterial properties. In the oral environment, the surface of the abutment material is susceptible to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation, which can lead to infection or peri-implantitis and even implant failure. This study aims to promote the formation of a biological seal at the implant-soft tissue interface by modifying the HTZ surface, using the load-bearing capacity of the aluminosilicate porous structure and the broad-spectrum antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles to prevent peri-implant bacterial infection and inflammation and to improve the success rate and prolong the use of the implant. FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopes), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) results showed that aluminosilicate non-vacuum sintering can form open micro- and nanoporous structures on HTZ surfaces, and that porous aluminosilicate coatings obtain a larger number, smaller size, and more uniformly shaped silver nanoparticles than smooth aluminosilicate coatings, and could be deposited deeper in the coating. The ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy) results showed that the early silver ion release of both the smooth silver coating and the porous silver coating was obvious, the silver ion concentration released by the former was higher than that of the latter. However, the silver ion concentration released by the porous silver coating was higher than that of the smooth coating when the release slowed down. Both smooth and porous silver coatings both inhibited E. coli (Escherichia coli), S. aureus (Staphylococcus aureus), and L. acidophilus (L. acidophilus), and porous silver coatings had stronger antibacterial properties. The silver coating was successfully constructed on the surface of HTZ, through aluminium silicate sintering and silver nitrate solution impregnation. It was found that the high concentration environment of silver nitrate solution was more advantageous for nano-Ag deposition, and the non-vacuum sintered porous surface was able to obtain a larger number of nano-Ag particles with smaller sizes. The porous Ag coating exhibited superior antibacterial properties. It was suggested that the HTZ with silver coating had clinical application, and good antibacterial properties that can improve the survival rate and service life of implants.

Paclitaxel liposome for injection (Lipusu) plus cisplatin versus gemcitabine plus cisplatin in the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic lung squamous cell carcinoma: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel controlled clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Lipusu is the first commercialized liposomal formulation of paclitaxel and has demonstrated promising efficacy against locally advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) in a small-scale study. Here, we conducted a multicenter, randomized, phase 3 study to compare the efficacy and safety of cisplatin plus Lipusu (LP) versus cisplatin plus gemcitabine (GP) as first-line treatment in locally advanced or metastatic LSCC. METHODS: Patients enrolled were aged between 18 to 75 years, had locally advanced (clinical stage IIIB, ineligible for concurrent chemoradiation or surgery) or metastatic (Stage IV) LSCC, had no previous systemic chemotherapy and at least one measurable lesion as per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1) before administration of the trial drug. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and safety profiles. To explore the possible predictive value of plasma cytokines for LP treatment, plasma samples were collected from the LP group at baseline and first efficacy evaluation time and were then subjected to analysis by 45-Plex ProcartaPlex Panel 1 to detect the presence of 45 cytokines using the Luminex xMAP technology. The correlation between treatment outcomes and dynamic changes in the levels of cytokines were evaluated in preliminary analyses. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was 15.4 months. 237 patients in the LP group and 253 patients in the GP group were included in the per protocol set (PPS). In the PPS, the median PFS was 5.2 months versus 5.5 months in the LP and GP group (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.03, P = 0.742) respectively. The median OS was 14.6 months versus 12.5 months in the LP and GP group (HR: 0.83, P = 0.215). The ORR (41.8% versus 45.9%, P = 0.412) and DCR (90.3% versus 88.1%, P = 0.443) were also similar between the LP and GP group. A significantly lower proportion of patients in the LP group experienced adverse events (AEs) leading to treatment interruptions (10.9% versus 26.4%, P < 0.001) or treatment termination (14.3% versus 23.1%, P = 0.011). The analysis of cytokine levels in the LP group showed that low baseline levels of 27 cytokines were associated with an increased ORR, and 15 cytokines were associated with improved PFS, with 14 cytokines, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-8, demonstrating an overlapping trend. CONCLUSION: The LP regimen demonstrated similar PFS, OS, ORR and DCR as the GP regimen for patients with locally advanced or metastatic LSCC but had more favorable toxicity profiles. The study also identified a spectrum of different cytokines that could be potentially associated with the clinical benefit in patients who received the LP regimen.

[Predictive factors of asymptomatic airway hyperresponsiveness in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps].

Objective:To explore the predictive factors for asymptomatic airway hyperresponsiveness（AAHR） in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps（CRSwNP）. Methods:A total of 76 CRSwNP patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Fenyang Hospital affiliated to Shanxi Medical University from May 2016 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 40 patients in AAHR group and 36 patients in non-airway hyperresponsiveness（non-airway hyperresponsiveness, NAHR） group. The clinical symptoms, CT score of paranasal sinuses, eosinophil（EOS） count in peripheral blood and nasal polyp tissue were compared and analyzed. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of AAHR, and receiver operating characteristics curve was used to judge the predictive value of the parameters. Results:Compared with NAHR group, AAHR group had more symptoms of mouth breathing and postnasal drip, higher total score of CT in ethmoid sinus, sphenoid sinus, olfactory cleft, and more EOS count in peripheral blood and nasal polyp tissue. The differences were statistically significant. There was a positive correlation between EOS count in peripheral blood and in nasal polyp tissue（r=0.324, P<0.01）. Postnasal drip, high posterior ethmoid sinus（PE） score and nasal polyp tissue EOS count were risk factors for AAHR. The predictive value of nasal polyp tissue EOS count was higher than that of PE score（AUC=0.786 and 0.685, respectively）. When the PE score was ≥1.5, the sensitivity was 80.0% and the specificity was 55.6%. When the nasal polyp tissue EOS count was ≥5.67/HPF, the sensitivity was 82.5% and the specificity was 66.7%. Conclusion:The occurrence of AAHR in patients with CRSwNP was related to clinical symptoms, paranasal sinus CT score, peripheral and nasal polyp tissue EOS count. PE score and nasal polyp tissue EOS count can be used to predict AAHR, however nasal polyp tissue EOS has higher predictive value.

Mussel-inspired chitosan modified superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic cotton fabric for efficient oil/water separation.

Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic textiles exhibit excellent oil/water separation performance but are limited by the poor stability and environmental incompatibility. Inspired by strong adhesion of marine mussels, we designed and fabricated a stable and eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic cotton fabric (CF) from all renewable resources through in-situ surface deposition of polydopamine (PDA) particles followed by adsorption of hydrophilic chitosan via dip coating at room temperature. The as-prepared superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic CF exhibited outstanding oil/water separation performance with separation efficiency and water flux higher than 99 % and 15,000 L m-2 h-1, respectively. Moreover, it not only showed excellent resistance to mechanical abrasion and ultrasound treatment but also had outstanding superwetting stability against acid/alkali/salt erosion. We believed that the eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic CF would exhibit great potential in oil/water separation especially under harsh conditions.

Preparation of silver-nanoparticle-loaded magnetic biochar/poly(dopamine) composite as catalyst for reduction of organic dyes.

In the present study, Ag nanoparticles loaded on polydopamine coated magnetic biochar (MC-PDA-Ag) catalyst was prepared by in-situ reduction approach. The morphology, composition, and structure of MC-PDA-Ag were characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Catalytic reduction tests confirmed that MC-PDA-Ag catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance on the model dyes (MB, RhB, and MO) in the presence of NaBH4. The reduction efficiency of MB exceeded 90% by MC-PDA-Ag even under different initial pH (3-11) and different NaNO3 concentrations (0-0.5 M) within 5 min, indicating that the MC-PDA-Ag catalyst has potential strong universal adaptability in dye wastewater treatment. Furthermore, no significant decrease in catalytic ability was observed after 5 recycles, and the catalyst could be separated by an external magnet, indicating that this as-prepared catalyst exhibited high reusability and easy separability. These results suggest that MC-PDA-Ag composite catalyst can be used as an efficient catalyst for the reduction of organic dyes, and shows great potential application in wastewater treatment.

Influence of Restorative Materials on Color of Implant-Supported Single Crowns in Esthetic Zone: A Spectrophotometric Evaluation.

Restorations of 98 implant-supported single crowns in anterior maxillary area were divided into 5 groups: zirconia abutment, titanium abutment, and gold/gold hue abutment with zirconia coping, respectively, and titanium abutment with metal coping as well as gold/gold hue abutment with metal coping. A reflectance spectrophotometer was used to evaluate the color difference between the implant crowns and contralateral/neighboring teeth, as well as the color difference between the peri-implant soft tissue and the natural marginal mucosa. The mucosal discoloration score was used for subjective evaluation of the esthetic outcome of soft tissue around implant-supported single crowns in the anterior zone, and the crown color match score was used for subjective evaluation of the esthetic outcome of implant-supported restoration. ANOVA analysis was used to compare the differences among groups and Spearman correlation was used to test the relationships. A gold/gold hue abutment with zirconia coping was the best choice for an esthetic crown and the all-ceramic combination was the best for peri-implant soft tissue. Significant correlation was found between the spectrophotometric color difference of peri-implant soft tissue and mucosal discoloration score, while no significant correlation was found between the total spectrophotometric color difference of implant crown and crown color match score.

Preparation and characterization of carboxymethylated carrageenan modified with collagen peptides.

The preparation of carboxymethyl κ-carrageenan collagen peptide (CMKC-COP) was via an imide-bond forming reaction between carboxyl groups in carboxymethyl κ-carrageenan (CMKC) and amino groups in collagen peptide in the presence of 1-ethyl-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy sulfosuccinimide (NHS). CMKC-COP products were verified with infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results of degree of substitution (DS) of CMKC-COP was presented, which are depended on reaction time, molar ratio of collagen peptide to carboxymethyl κ-carrageenan and reaction temperature. The optimal reaction conditions were studied by means of single factor experiment. Also MTT assay was applied to evaluate the effects of CMKC-COP on proliferation of chick embryo fibroblasts. The animal experiment results indicated that the wound covered with CMKC-COP were completely filled with new epithelium within 2 weeks without any significant adverse side reactions. Therefore, the CMKC-COP showed the potentiality to repair skin in cosmetic, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields.

Preparation and characterization of chitosan/gelatin/PVA hydrogel for wound dressings.

Chitosan (CS)/gelatin (Gel)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels were prepared by the gamma irradiation method for usage in wound dressing applications. Chitosan and gelatin solution was mixed with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution at different weight ratios of CS/Gel of 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1. The hydrogels irradiated at 40kGy. The structure of the hydrogels was characterized by using FT-IR and SEM. The CS/Gel/PVA hydrogels were characterized for physical properties and blood clotting activity. The tensile strength of CS/Gel/PVA hydrogel enhanced than on the basis of the Gel/PVA hydrogel. The highest tensile strength reached the 2.2Mpa. All hydrogels have shown a good coagulation effect. It takes only 5min for the BCI index to reached 0.032 only 5min when the weight ratio of CS/Gel was 1:1. It means that the hemostatic effect of hydrogels were optimal. And the hydrogrls also showed good pH-sensitivity, swelling ability and water evaporation rate. Therefore, this hydrogel showed a promising potential to be applied as wound dressing.

Preparation and characterization of aminoethyl hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose modified with nisin.

Nisin grafted aminoethyl hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (AEHPMC) was prepared by an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the presence of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase). AEHPMC was synthesized with 2-chloroethylamine hydrochloride (CEH) which was as an intermediate reactant. The parameters, which influenced the NH2% and the degree of substitution (DS), including reaction time, reaction temperature and the mass ratio of the reactants were investigated. Antioxidant activities of AEHPMC-nisin were evaluated by the scavenging activity of hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. With the DS and concentration increasing of AEHPMC-nisin, the radical scavenging activity increased. The Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay indicated that AEHPMC-nisin had low-toxicity to L929 cells. Therefore, the derivative of HPMC may show a promising potential application in biomedical, food and pharmaceutical fields.

[Crown color match of implant-supported zirconia and porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations: a spectrophotometric comparison].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the crown color match of implant-supported zirconia restorations and porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) restorations in the anterior maxillary region through spectrophotometric evaluation. METHODS: Eighteen patients with 29 implant-supported single crowns in the anterior maxillary area were recruited. Eleven of the implant crowns were zirconia restorations and 18 were PFM restorations. Color matching of the implant crown with contra-lateral/ neighboring tooth at the position of body 1/3 of the crown was assessed using a spectrophotometer (SpectroShade) in CIE L* a* b* coordinates. Subjective crown color match scores were evaluated. Independent sample t test of SPSS 17.0 was used to compare the difference between zirconia restoration and PFM restoration. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the spectrophotometric color difference and the subjective crown color match score. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the distribution of color coordinates of natural anterial teeth. RESULTS: The crown color of the implant-supported zirconia restorations and PFM restorations were both lighter than that of natural teeth (delta L, 4.5 +/- 3.2, 1.0 +/- 2.6). The lightness difference induced by zirconia restorations was significantly larger than that induced by PFM restorations (P=0.004). The spectrophotometric crown color difference (delta E) induced by zirconia restorations (7.0 +/- 2.8) was significantly larger than that induced by PFM restorations (4.0 +/- 1.9) (P=0.002), and both values were beyond the clinical thresholds (3.7). CONCLUSION: The spectrophotometric crown color difference induced by zirconia restorations was significantly larger than that induced by PFM restorations. However, they were indistinguishable in subjective evaluation.

[Influence of all-ceramic and porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations on peri-implant gingival discoloration:a spectrophotometric comparison].

PURPOSE: To compare the gingival discoloration of implant supported all-ceramic and porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) restorations in anterior maxillary region by spectrophotometric evaluation. METHODS: Eighteen patients with 29 implant-supported single crowns (11 all-ceramic restorations, 9 PFM restorations with titanium abutment and 9 PFM restorations with golden alloy abutment) in anterior maxillary area were recruited. The color difference between peri-implant gingiva and contra-lateral/neighboring mucosa was assessed using a spectrophotometer in CIELab coordinates. Subjective gingival discoloration scores were evaluated by clinician. SPSS17.0 software package was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between all-ceramic group (3.4±1.8) and PFM group (4.9±3.4) spectrophotometrically. No significant difference was found between all-ceramic restorations and PFM restorations with titanium abutment (3.5±2.5), and no significant difference was found between PFM restorations with titanium abutment and PFM restorations with gold alloy abutment (6.3±3.8) either. There was, however, significant difference between all-ceramic restorations and PFM restorations with gold alloy abutment (P=0.037). There was no significant difference between all-ceramic group and PFM group regarding the clinical gingival discoloration score (GDS), and this gingival discoloration score was found to have significant correlation with the spectrophotometric evaluation (rs=0.426, P=0.021). CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference between all-ceramic group and PFM group as regard to both spectrophotometric and clinical evaluation of gingival discoloration, but the PFM restorations with gold alloy abutment induce significantly higher discoloration than all-ceramic restorations.

Influence of implant position on clinical crown length and peri-implant soft tissue dimensions at implant-supported single crowns replacing maxillary central incisors.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of implant position on clinical crown length and marginal soft tissue dimensions at implant-supported single crowns of maxillary central incisors and to validate the papilla index score (PIS). Twenty-five patients were included. Standardized and clinical photographs and periapical radiographs from baseline were used to assess three-dimensional positional parameters. The contralateral central incisors were used as controls. Paired sample t test and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze implant position, dimension of crown, and papilla fill. Cohen κ and Spearman correlation were used to validate the PIS. The implant-supported crown was statistically significantly longer than the contralateral tooth, and there was significant correlation between the orofacial position of the implant and the crown length difference. The distal papilla was significantly shorter than the mesial papilla at implant-supported crowns, but this difference was not significant at the contralateral tooth. A significant relationship between the PIS and papilla fill was found. An implant protruding the mucosa in a buccal position will result in an increased implant crown length compared to the contralateral tooth. Minor buccal angulations of the implant could be corrected with customized angulated abutments and did not necessarily result in an increased crown length. The distal implant papilla height was obviously shorter, although the mesial papilla height was similar to that of the healthy dentition. The PIS was found to be a valid index for papilla fill.

Preparation and characterization of sodium alginate modified with collagen peptides.

Collagen peptides grafted sodium alginate (SA-COP) was prepared by reacting alginate with collagen peptide via amide linkage in presence of 1-ethyl-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy sulfosuccinimide (NHS). The reaction conditions affected the degree of substitution (DS) were studied including the mass ratio of collagen peptide to sodium alginate, reaction temperature and reaction time. The hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity could be controlled by adjusting the DS, concentration and molecular weight. MTT assay was used to investigate the cell viability of SA-COP. The results indicated that the SA-COP exhibited better cell viability, and with the DS and concentration increasing of SA-COP, cell viability increased. The improved functionalities of the derivative might be explained by peptides characteristics.

Regeneration of tooth-like hydroxyapatite depended on amelogenin functional section monolayer: a new approach for tooth repair.

Tooth defect due to caries, trauma, or acid corrosion are common in mankind. Ceramics, metal and resin were used to repaired tooth defect in the past hundred years, but they cannot instead enamel and dentin in depth in clinic usage for the difference in structure and element. So the formation of organized nanocrystals that resemble enamel is crucial for successful enamel remineralization. Now synthesizing a mimicking structure of human enamel using acellular methods has attracted much interest from research groups who have tried using recombinant enamel making proteins like amelogenin, surfactants, to mimic the biomineralization process to restore the enamel layer. Since amelogenin can be used in the assembly of functional nanostructures, we hypothesis that rationally designed ß-sheet-forming peptides that spontaneously form three-dimensional fibrillar scaffolds in response to specific environmental triggers may potentially be used in inducing tooth-like hydroxyapatite crystal ex vivo which important to treatment/prevention of dental caries, via bioactive surface groups.

Preparation and in vitro evaluation of povidone-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles for the solubilization of poorly soluble drugs.

Mixed micelles made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), sodium cholate, and phospholipids were prepared to improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. Sylibin, a drug used in treating liver diseases, was incorporated into the mixed micelles. The formulation of sylibin containing PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles with an optimized composition (PVP/sodium cholate/phospholipid/silybin = 3:3:4:1 approximately 2 by weight) was obtained based on the study of pseudoternary phase diagrams. The critical micelle concentration was used to evaluate the micellar stability towards dilution. The results showed that addition of PVP to sodium-cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles increased stability. The solubility of sylibin in PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles was higher than that in pure water or in sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles. In a stability study, we found that PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles showed good stability. After 3 months storage at 40 degrees C, just 2.6% sylibin was lost with only minor changes of the particle size when compared to a reference formulation containing sodium cholate and phospholipid mixed micelles. In addition, the developed formulation significantly improved in vitro drug release. The time required to release 50% sylibin (t50%) from sodium cholate and phospholipid mixed micelles was 326 h, while the t50% from PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles was only 51.1 h. Our results suggest that these mixed micelles might have significant potential application to the biomedical field.

[Feasibility of permanent maxillary tooth removal using articaine anesthesia without palatal injection].

OBJECTIVE: This study was to test the feasibility of permanent maxillary tooth removal using articaine without a second palatal injection. METHODS: Of 104 patients, 38 patients had bilateral extraction and 66 patients had unilateral extraction of maxillary tooth. In the test group, 1.7 mL articaine with 1:100000 epinephrine was injected into the buccal vestibule of the tooth and the tooth were extracted after 5 minutes. In the control group, the patients were subjected to both palatal injection with 2% lidocaine hydrochloride and buccal injection with articaine. All patients completed visual analog scales (VAS) after extraction. RESULTS: The achievement ratio of permanent maxillary tooth anesthesia of test group was 96.2%. The achievement ratio of permanent maxillary tooth anesthesia of control group was 97.1%. There was no statistical significance between achievement ratio of test group and control group(P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Permanent maxillary tooth removal without palatal injection is possible by articaine injection to the buccal vestibule of the tooth.

[Treating metastatic vertebral tumor with percutaneous vertebroplasty: a report of 28 cases].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Treating metastatic vertebral tumor is a common difficulty. Conservative treatment can't efficiently release the pain, and establish the spinal column; while operation may destroy normal tissue, and cause many complications, which would prolong the time of in-hospital, and delay the treatment of primary disease, at the same time, operation is not suitable for multiple metastatic spinal tumors. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) on metastatic spinal tumor under the guidance of digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHODS: A total of 58 patients with metastatic spinal tumor were divided into 2 groups according to their intention, 28 (group A) were treated with PVP combined radiochemotherapy, 30 (group B) were treated with routine radiochemotherapy. Baselines of the 2 groups have no significant difference. Two months after treatment, the life quality, therapeutic response, stabilization of the vertebral column, and toxic effect were compared between group A and group B. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups showed significant changes in life quality, and therapeutic response (P < 0.05, t(1)=2.74, t(2)=11.74). Group A showed no complication. Group B showed 5 cases of pathologic constrictive fracture in spinal body. CONCLUSION: PVP is a simple and minimally invasive treatment with few complications, which can release pain, decrease incidence of pathologic constrictive fracture in spinal body, and improve life quality of patients with metastatic spinal tumor.