Aesthetic occiput augmentation using methylmethacrylate.

Cranioplasty for only aesthetic reasons has not been commonly performed to date. However, recently there has been a new focus by the public on a more aesthetically pleasing head shape with frequent patient requests for purely aesthetic contouring of the occiput, an important definer of cosmetic head shape. For example, in Asia, where the normal cranial shape is mesocephalic or brachycephalic and often with a planar occiput, requests for its aesthetic correction are increasingly common. Accordingly, the author developed a minimally invasive occiput augmentation using methylmethacrylate. In this study, the indications for aesthetic occiput contouring were planar occiput, left-right asymmetric occiput, and grooved occiput. Under local anesthesia, soft methylmethacrylate is subperiosteally inserted through a small incision (about 5-cm length), manually and precisely contoured in situ through the scalp to the desired occipital shape. All is performed as an outpatient procedure, and a quick recovery is the case. Between March 2007 and October 2013, 959 patients received such aesthetic occiput augmentation. The mean follow-up period was 49 months (range, 3-84 months). Nearly all patients were satisfied with the outcome, and complications were very rare. Only 5 patients (0.5%) needed additional corrective procedures. The author has concluded that aesthetic occiput augmentation using methylmethacrylate yields consistent, predictable, and satisfactory results. Additional long-term follow-up is required for a final conclusion, however.

The Evolution of Three Schizothoracinae Species from Two Major River Systems in Northwest China Based on Otolith Morphology and Skeletal Structure.

Schizothoracinae species are the largest group of Cypriniformes that readily adapt to the natural conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This group has habitat characteristics and distribution patterns centered on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To study the evolution of three Schizothoracinae species in Northwest China, the evolutionary characteristics of these species were explored based on differences in otolith morphology and skeletal morphology. From 2020 to 2022, 138 samples (63 Aspiorhynchus laticeps, 35 Diptychus maculatus and 40 Schizothorax pseudaksaiensis) were collected from the Tarim River and Ili River, 6 basic morphological parameters of otoliths were measured and converted into 6 morphological factors and 7 morphological indices. A total of 77 Fourier transform coefficients of each otolith were selected The first three principal components accounted for 92.834% of the total variation in 13 otolith morphological indices of the three Schizothoracinae species, and the overall discrimination rate was 94.20%. According to the principal component analysis of 77 Fourier harmonic values of otoliths, the first 20 principal components explained 97.233% of the total variation, and the overall discrimination rate was 100%. The results of the cluster analysis directly reflected the relationships between related species. The differences in the bone morphology of the three Schizothoracinae species were particularly reflected in the number of whiskers, pharyngeal teeth and vertebrae, and there were also significant differences in the shapes of the sphenotic (SP), pterotic (PTE), preoperculum (PO), branchiostegal ray (BRA) and basibranchial (BB) bones. Their unique morphological and skeletal characteristics are closely related to geological changes and water system evolutionary trends. This study contributes to the understanding of species identification and the evolutionary status of plateau fishes, provides a reference for further evolutionary classification and for assessing the evolutionary mechanisms of plateau fishes, and provides a scientific basis for phylogeny and germplasm resource protection.

Tunable membranes for free-flow zone electrophoresis in PDMS microchip using guided self-assembly of silica microbeads.

In this paper, we evaluate the strategy of using self-assembled microbeads to build a robust and tunable membrane for free-flow zone electrophoresis in a PDMS microfluidic chip. To fabricate a porous membrane as a salt bridge for free-flow zone electrophoresis, we used silica or polystyrene microbeads between 3-6 µm in diameter and packed them inside a microchannel. After complete evaporation, we infiltrated the porous microbead structure with a positively or negatively charged hydrogel to modify its surface charge polarity. Using this device, we demonstrated binary sorting (separation of positive and negative species at a given pH) of peptides and dyes in standard buffer systems without using sheath flows. The sample loss during sorting could be minimized by using ion selectivity of hydrogel-infiltrated microbead membranes. Our fabrication method enables building a robust membrane for pressure-driven free-flow zone electrophoresis with tunable pore size as well as surface charge polarity.

Using methyl methacrylate in forehead contouring for aesthetic purposes.

Various methods using autologous bone grafts or alloplastic implants have been reported for the contouring of flat or depressed foreheads; the majority of these reports deal with correction of cranial deformities arising from injuries or congenital conditions. These methods all require relatively or quite invasive procedures. However, it is of course desirable if cosmetic surgery can be performed with minimally invasive procedures. The author presents an outpatient procedure using methyl methacrylate for aesthetic forehead contouring. From January 2006 to November 2012, 210 patients underwent methyl methacrylate forehead augmentation on an all outpatient basis. Under only local anesthesia, a V-shaped transverse scalp incision (5 cm length) was made behind the front hair line, followed by subperiosteal dissection of the skin covering the forehead. Methyl methacrylate was inserted and manually molded to the desired contour through the skin. The amount of methyl methacrylate used ranged from 10 to 40 mL, with a mean of 25 mL, depending on the size and shape. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 6 years, averaging 45 months, and with the exception of a very small percentage, all patients were satisfied with the results. Based on these results, the author concludes that aesthetic forehead augmentation using methyl methacrylate is an effective surgical procedure with minimal side effects and a high degree of patient satisfaction.

Material-level countermeasures for securing microfluidic biochips.

Flow-based microfluidic biochips (FMBs) have been rapidly commercialized and deployed in recent years for biological computing, clinical diagnostics, and point-of-care-tests (POCTs). However, outsourcing FMBs makes them susceptible to material-level attacks by malicious actors for illegitimate monetary gain. The attacks involve deliberate material degradation of an FMB's polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) components by either doping with reactive solvents or altering the PDMS curing ratio during fabrication. Such attacks are stealthy enough to evade detection and deteriorate the FMB's function. Furthermore, material-level attacks can become prevalent in attacks based on intellectual property (IP) theft, such as counterfeiting, overbuilding, etc., which involve unscrupulous third-party manufacturers. To address this problem, we present a dynamic material-level watermarking scheme for PDMS-based FMBs with microvalves using a perylene-labeled fluorescent dye. The dyed microvalves show a unique excimer intensity peak under 405 nm laser excitation. Moreover, when pneumatically actuated, the peak shows a predetermined downward shift in intensity as a function of mechanical strain. We validated this protection scheme experimentally using fluorescence microscopy, which showed a high correlation (R2 = 0.971) between the normalized excimer intensity change and the maximum principal strain of the actuated microvalves. To detect curing ratio-based attacks, we adapted machine learning (ML) models, which were trained on the force-displacement data obtained from a mechanical punch test method. Our ML models achieved more than 99% accuracy in detecting curing ratio anomalies. These countermeasures can be used to proactively safeguard FMBs against material-level attacks in the era of global pandemics and diagnostics based on POCTs.

Electrochemical activation and inhibition of neuromuscular systems through modulation of ion concentrations with ion-selective membranes.

Conventional functional electrical stimulation aims to restore functional motor activity of patients with disabilities resulting from spinal cord injury or neurological disorders. However, intervention with functional electrical stimulation in neurological diseases lacks an effective implantable method that suppresses unwanted nerve signals. We have developed an electrochemical method to activate and inhibit a nerve by electrically modulating ion concentrations in situ along the nerve. Using ion-selective membranes to achieve different excitability states of the nerve, we observe either a reduction of the electrical threshold for stimulation by up to approximately 40%, or voluntary, reversible inhibition of nerve signal propagation. This low-threshold electrochemical stimulation method is applicable in current implantable neuroprosthetic devices, whereas the on-demand nerve-blocking mechanism could offer effective clinical intervention in disease states caused by uncontrolled nerve activation, such as epilepsy and chronic pain syndromes.

Biomimetic fracture model of lizard tail autotomy.

Lizard tail autotomy is an antipredator strategy consisting of sturdy attachment at regular times but quick detachment during need. We propose a biomimetic fracture model of lizard tail autotomy using multiscale hierarchical structures. The structures consist of uniformly distributed micropillars with nanoporous tops, which recapitulate the high-density mushroom-shaped microstructures found on the lizard tail's muscle fracture plane. The biomimetic experiments showed adhesion enhancement when combining nanoporous interfacial surfaces with flexible micropillars in tensile and peel modes. The fracture modeling identified micro- and nanostructure-based toughening mechanisms as the critical factor. Under wet conditions, capillarity-assisted energy dissipation pertaining to liquid-filled microgaps and nanopores further increased the adhesion performance. This research presents insights on lizard tail autotomy and provides new biomimetic ideas to solve adhesion problems.

Neuroinflammation and apoptosis after surgery for a rat model of double-level cervical cord compression.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most prevalent type of non-traumatic spinal cord injury. The pathological process of CSM is relatively complicated. Most of the chronic cervical cord compression animal models established using hydrophilic expanding polymer are single-segment compression, which was deviated from clinical practice with double-segment or multi-segment compression. This study aims to better mimic the actual clinical compression by using a new type of hydrophilic expanding polymer to establish an animal model of double-level cervical cord compression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Progressive cord compression was done with implantation of polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylamide hydrogel in the spinal canal at the C3-4 and C5-6 levels. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 32) were divided into three groups: sham (no compression, n = 12) and screw compression group (n = 8), and hydrogel compression group (n = 12). Functional deficits were characterized using motor function scores, forelimb grip strength, hindlimb pain threshold, and gait analysis, while compression was imaged with magnetic resonance imaging. The apoptosis, inflammation, and demyelination were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, Luxol fast blue staining, TUNEL assay, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Motor function scores for rats with cervical cord hydrogel compression were significantly decline in motor function scores, an increase in allodynia, neurons and oligodendrocytes apoptosis related to B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2 associated X (Bax)/cleaved caspase-3, and impaired axonal conduction, as well as neuroinflammation zone related to microglia or macrophages aggregation related to the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-repeat-containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, and activation of astrocytes, as well as oxidative stress were observed. CONCLUSION: We believe that this model utilizing compression on double-level cervical cord will allow researchers to investigate of translationally relevant therapeutic methods for CSM.

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.

[Regulating action of iron regulatory protein-2 in iron metabolism of lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the regulating mechanism of iron regulatory protein-2 (IRP2) in the iron metabolism of lung cancer. METHODS: The cultured A549 cells were divided into 3 groups: liposome group (including liposomes 20 mg/L), random oligonucleotide group (SCODN group) and antisense oligonucleotide group (ASODN group). And the liposome-mediated transfection was employed with the liposome and SCODN groups as controls. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were used to examine the mRNA and protein expressions of iron metabolism-related transferring (Tf), transferrin receptor (TfR) and ferritin (Fn) genes, etc. RESULTS: After a 48-hour transfection, the mRNA expression of Tf had no statistically significant difference among three groups (F = 2.18, P = 0.078); the mRNA expression of TfR in the ASODN group was significantly lower than that in the liposome and SCODN groups (P < 0.05). The expression of Fn mRNA in the ASODN group (0.56 ± 0.06) was higher than that in the liposome (0.36 ± 0.05) and SCODN groups (0.39 ± 0.03) (P < 0.05). After a 48-hour transfection, the IRP2 protein expression of the ASODN group was significantly lower than those of the liposome and SCODN groups (P < 0.05). The Tf protein expression was not statistically different in three groups (F = 2.67, P = 0.088). The TfR protein expression of the ASODN group was lower than those of the liposome and SCODN groups (P < 0.05). And the Fn protein expression of the ASODN group was higher than those of the liposome and SCODN groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IRP2 may affect the expressions of TfR and Fn in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells by changing the amount of protein and regulating the iron metabolism.

Differential expression of bio-active metabolites produced by chitosan polymers-based Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fermentation.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain PPL shows a potential for the control of phytopathogenic fungi. In the present study, upon growing the strain PPL on various forms of chitosan (0.5 % powder, 0.1 % soluble, and 0.15 % colloidal) as the carbon source, the antifungal activity on tomato Fusarium wilt correlated with the activity of chitosanase and ß-1,3-glucanase. The colloidal substrate-based strain PPL fermentation displayed the highest degree of spore germination inhibition (79.5 %) and biocontrol efficiency (76.0 %) in tomato by increased biofilm formation. The colloidal culture upregulated the expression of chitosanase gene (5.9-fold), and the powder attributed to the expression of cyclic lipopeptides-genes (2.5-5.7 fold). Moreover, the three chitosan cultures induced the morphological changes of Fusarium oxysporum. These results suggest that the choice of growth substrate synergistically affects the production of secondary metabolites by PPL strain, and consequently its antifungal activity.

Capillary-valve-based fabrication of ion-selective membrane junction for electrokinetic sample preconcentration in PDMS chip.

In this paper, we report a novel method for fabricating ion-selective membranes in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/glass-based microfluidic preconcentrators. Based on the concept of capillary valves, this fabrication method involves filling a lithographically patterned junction between two microchannels with an ion-selective material such as Nafion resin; subsequent curing results in a high aspect-ratio membrane for use in electrokinetic sample preconcentration. To demonstrate the concentration performance of this high-aspect-ratio, ion-selective membrane, we integrated the preconcentrator with a surface-based immunoassay for R-Phycoerythrin (RPE). Using a 1x PBS buffer system, the preconcentrator-enhanced immunoassay showed an approximately 100x improvement in sensitivity within 30 min. This is the first time that an electrokinetic microfluidic preconcentrator based on ion concentration polarization (ICP) has been used in high ionic strength buffer solutions to enhance the sensitivity of a surface-based immunoassay.

Free-flow zone electrophoresis of peptides and proteins in PDMS microchip for narrow pI range sample prefractionation coupled with mass spectrometry.

In this paper, we are evaluating the strategy of sorting peptides/proteins based on the charge to mass without resorting to ampholytes and/or isoelectric focusing, using a single- and two-step free-flow zone electrophoresis. We developed a simple fabrication method to create a salt bridge for free-flow zone electrophoresis in PDMS chips by surface printing a hydrophobic layer on a glass substrate. Since the surface-printed hydrophobic layer prevents plasma bonding between the PDMS chip and the substrate, an electrical junction gap can be created for free-flow zone electrophoresis. With this device, we demonstrated a separation of positive and negative peptides and proteins at a given pH in standard buffer systems and validated the sorting result with LC/MS. Furthermore, we coupled two sorting steps via off-chip titration and isolated peptides within specific pI ranges from sample mixtures, where the pI range was simply set by the pH values of the buffer solutions. This free-flow zone electrophoresis sorting device, with its simplicity of fabrication, and a sorting resolution of 0.5 pH unit, can potentially be a high-throughput sample fractionation tool for targeted proteomics using LC/MS.

Quantitative fluorescence imaging of mitochondria in body wall muscles of Caenorhabditis elegans under hyperglycemic conditions using a microfluidic chip.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common metabolic disease, and insulin resistance plays a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Because completely functional mitochondria are necessary to obtain glucose-stimulated insulin from pancreatic beta cells, dysfunction of mitochondrial oxidative pathway could be involved in the development of diabetes. As a simple animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans renders itself to investigate such metabolic mechanisms because it possesses insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway similar to that in humans. Currently, the widely spread agarose pad-based immobilization technique for fluorescence imaging of the mitochondria in C. elegans is laborious, batchwise, and does not allow for facile handling of the worm. To overcome these technical challenges, we have developed a single-channel microfluidic device that can trap a C. elegans and allow to image the mitochondria in body wall muscles accurately and in higher throughput than the traditional approach. In specific, our microfluidic device took advantage of the proprioception of the worm to rotate its body in a microfluidic channel with an aspect ratio above one to gain more space for its undulation motion that was favorable for quantitative fluorescence imaging of mitochondria in the body wall muscles. Exploiting this unique feature of the microfluidic chip-based immobilization and fluorescence imaging, we observed a significant decrease in the mitochondrial fluorescence intensity under hyperglycemic conditions, whereas the agarose pad-based approach did not show any significant change under the same conditions. A machine learning model trained with these fluorescence images from the microfluidic device could classify healthy and hyperglycemic worms at high accuracy. Given this significant technological advantage, its easiness of use and low cost, our microfluidic imaging chip could become a useful immobilization tool for quantitative fluorescence imaging of the body wall muscles in C. elegans.

A deep learning algorithm for detection of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma from photographic images: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The overall prognosis of oral cancer remains poor because over half of patients are diagnosed at advanced-stages. Previously reported screening and earlier detection methods for oral cancer still largely rely on health workers' clinical experience and as yet there is no established method. We aimed to develop a rapid, non-invasive, cost-effective, and easy-to-use deep learning approach for identifying oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) patients using photographic images. METHODS: We developed an automated deep learning algorithm using cascaded convolutional neural networks to detect OCSCC from photographic images. We included all biopsy-proven OCSCC photographs and normal controls of 44,409 clinical images collected from 11 hospitals around China between April 12, 2006, and Nov 25, 2019. We trained the algorithm on a randomly selected part of this dataset (development dataset) and used the rest for testing (internal validation dataset). Additionally, we curated an external validation dataset comprising clinical photographs from six representative journals in the field of dentistry and oral surgery. We also compared the performance of the algorithm with that of seven oral cancer specialists on a clinical validation dataset. We used the pathological reports as gold standard for OCSCC identification. We evaluated the algorithm performance on the internal, external, and clinical validation datasets by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity with two-sided 95% CIs. FINDINGS: 1469 intraoral photographic images were used to validate our approach. The deep learning algorithm achieved an AUC of 0·983 (95% CI 0·973-0·991), sensitivity of 94·9% (0·915-0·978), and specificity of 88·7% (0·845-0·926) on the internal validation dataset (n = 401), and an AUC of 0·935 (0·910-0·957), sensitivity of 89·6% (0·847-0·942) and specificity of 80·6% (0·757-0·853) on the external validation dataset (n = 402). For a secondary analysis on the internal validation dataset, the algorithm presented an AUC of 0·995 (0·988-0·999), sensitivity of 97·4% (0·932-1·000) and specificity of 93·5% (0·882-0·979) in detecting early-stage OCSCC. On the clinical validation dataset (n = 666), our algorithm achieved comparable performance to that of the average oral cancer expert in terms of accuracy (92·3% [0·902-0·943] vs 92.4% [0·912-0·936]), sensitivity (91·0% [0·879-0·941] vs 91·7% [0·898-0·934]), and specificity (93·5% [0·909-0·960] vs 93·1% [0·914-0·948]). The algorithm also achieved significantly better performance than that of the average medical student (accuracy of 87·0% [0·855-0·885], sensitivity of 83·1% [0·807-0·854], and specificity of 90·7% [0·889-0·924]) and the average non-medical student (accuracy of 77·2% [0·757-0·787], sensitivity of 76·6% [0·743-0·788], and specificity of 77·9% [0·759-0·797]). INTERPRETATION: Automated detection of OCSCC by deep-learning-powered algorithm is a rapid, non-invasive, low-cost, and convenient method, which yielded comparable performance to that of human specialists and has the potential to be used as a clinical tool for fast screening, earlier detection, and therapeutic efficacy assessment of the cancer.

Rapid and high-throughput analysis of N-glycans from ovarian cancer serum using a 96-well plate platform.

We present a rapid and high-throughput human serum N-glycan preparation technology using 96-well plate-based procedures. The released N-glycans from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane filter plate are subsequently loaded to porous graphitic carbon (PGC) containing a 96-well plate to remove salts and other contaminants without sacrificing accuracy or reproducibility. This robust glycan preparation technology is applied to ovarian cancer diagnosis using 5 microl of patient serum.

[Clinical application of two extraction methods of impacted teeth combined with immediate implantation].

PURPOSE: To observe the effects of immediate implantation combined with high-speed turbine minimally invasive technology and traditional technology on postoperative analgesia, mouth opening and alveolar bone resorption after removal of complex impacted teeth. METHODS: Eighty patients with impacted teeth treated in our hospital from January 2014 to December 2018 were randomly divided into 2 groups: experimental group and control group with 40 cases in each group. Patients in the experimental group were treated with high-speed turbine minimally invasive surgery combined with immediate implantation, while patients in the control group were treated with traditional surgery combined with immediate implantation. Differences in alveolar bone resorption, pain, swelling, limited mouth opening, intact extraction socket and complications were compared between the two groups. SPSS 19.0 software package was used to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: Three months after operation, the implant height of the maxillary anterior teeth, maxillary molar, mandibular anterior teeth and mandibular molar areas in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. One day after operation, the VAS score of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Three months after operation,there was no significant difference in VAS score between the two groups (P>0.05); but intact extraction socket, swelling degree and mouth opening limitation of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The root fracture, adjacent teeth loosening, gingival tear, lingual bone plate fracture of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: High-speed turbine minimally invasive treatment combined with immediate implantation after extraction of complex impacted teeth can significantly increase alveolar bone resorption, relieve swelling and preserve intact extraction socket, reduce pain and complications after operation. It is recommended to be popularized in clinic.

Effects of gold nanostructures on differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

Nanoparticles are nanocrystals with complex facets and defective structures that do not adopt an idealised shape. Various physicochemical parameters of nanoparticles, such as surface composition, size, and stiffness, can regulate differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but the influence of shapes with many edges and corner regions has not been investigated. Herein, we investigated the effects of two gold nanostructures modified with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid, namely gold nanocubes (MUA-AuNCs) and nanooctahedras (MUA-AuNOs), on viability and differentiation in rat bone marrow MSCs (bMSCs). Analysis of cytotoxicity and proliferation demonstrated good biocompatibility, with concentrations <100 µg·mL-1 not significantly different from untreated controls. Alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin Red S staining revealed weaker potential for bMSCs to differentiate into osteoblasts following treatment with both low (5 µg·mL-1) and high (25 µg·mL-1) concentrations of the gold nanostructures. By contrast, Oil Red O staining showed that both nanostructures enhanced adipogenic differentiation, and upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and fatty acid binding protein-4 (Fabp4) expression at both mRNA and protein levels. The effects on differentiation were both structure- and dose-dependent; MUA-AuNOs were more effective for enhancing adipogenic differentiation and weakening osteogenic differentiation, possibly due to generating higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings lay the foundation for using these nanoparticles as ex vivo labels in MSC-based imaging and therapy.

[The study of combined unilateral intraoral and extraoral reduction approach in the treatment of anterior temporo-mandibular joint dislocation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical outcomes of a combined unilateral intraoral and extraoral reduction approach in the treatment of anterior temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocation. METHODS: Postural muscular chains were utilized in the biomechanical analysis of stomatognathic systems for improving TMJ repositioning approaches. A total of 87 patients with anterior TMJ dislocation were included in the present study. A combined unilateral intraoral and extraoral reduction approach was applied, and the clinical effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Biomechanical analysis reveal that reflexive contrac-tion of the maxillary muscle group was blocked sufficiently during the combined unilateral intraoral and extraoral reduction process. All dislocated TMJs were set successfully and efficiently with few complications. CONCLUSIONS: Combined unilateral intraoral and extraoral reduction approach is an effective, convenient, and minimally invasive way to treat anterior TMJ dislo-cations.

Thermoresponsive in Situ Forming Hydrogel with Sol-Gel Irreversibility for Effective Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infected Wound Healing.

An in situ forming hydrogel has emerged as a promising wound dressing recently. As physically cross-linked hydrogels are normally unstable, most in situ forming hydrogels are chemically cross-linked. However, big concerns have remained regarding the slow gelation and the potential toxicity of residual functional groups from cross-linkers or the polymer matrix. Herein, we report a sprayable in situ forming hydrogel composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide166-co-n-butyl acrylate9)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide166-co-n-butyl acrylate9) copolymer (P(NIPAM166-co-nBA9)-PEG-P(NIPAM166-co-nBA9), denoted as PEP) and silver-nanoparticles-decorated reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (Ag@rGO, denoted as AG) in response to skin temperature. This thermoresponsive hydrogel exhibits intriguing sol-gel irreversibility at low temperatures for the stable dressing of a wound, which is attributed to the inorganic/polymeric dual network and abundant coordination interactions between Ag@rGO nanosheets and PNIPAM. The biocompatibility and antibacterial ability against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of this PEP-AG hydrogel wound dressing are confirmed in vitro and in vivo, which could transparently promote the healing of a MRSA-infected skin defect.