CCR2 is a potential therapeutic target in peri-implantitis.

AIM: CCR2 (C-C chemokine receptor type 2) plays a crucial role in inflammatory and bone metabolic diseases; however, its role in peri-implantitis remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether CCR2 contributes to peri-implantitis and the treatment effects of cenicriviroc (CVC) on peri-implant inflammation and bone resorption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of CCR2 was studied using clinical tissue analysis and an in vivo peri-implantitis model. The role of CCR2 in promoting inflammation and bone resorption in peri-implantitis was evaluated in Ccr2-/- mice and wild-type mice. The effect of CVC on peri-implantitis was evaluated using systemic and local dosage forms. RESULTS: Human peri-implantitis tissues showed increased CCR2 and CCL2 levels, which were positively correlated with bone loss around the implants. Knocking out Ccr2 in an experimental model of peri-implantitis resulted in decreased monocyte and macrophage infiltration, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine generation and impaired osteoclast activity, leading to reduced inflammation and bone loss around the implants. Treatment with CVC ameliorated bone loss in experimental peri-implantitis. CONCLUSIONS: CCR2 may be a potential target for peri-implantitis treatment by harnessing the immune-inflammatory response to modulate the local inflammation and osteoclast activity.

Mucosal bleeding correlates with submucosal microbial dysbiosis in peri-implant mucositis of patients with periodontitis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between microbial communities and the severity of peri-implant mucosal bleeding in peri-implant mucositis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Submucosal plaque samples were collected from 54 implants divided into the healthy implant (HI) group, peri-implant mucositis (PM) group, and peri-implantitis (PI) group. Sequencing of 16S rRNA was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Alpha diversity (i.e., Shannon and Chao index) and beta diversity were used to measure microbial diversity within and between microbial communities, respectively. Differences in microbial taxa between groups were assessed via linear discriminate analysis effect size. Correlation between the modified sulcus bleeding index (mSBI) and microbial dysbiosis index (MDI) was examined using Spearman correlation analysis and linear models. RESULTS: The submucosal bacterial richness (Chao index) was positively correlated with the mean mSBI in the PM group. As the mean mSBI increased in the PM group, the beta diversity became closer to that of the PI group. In the PM group, the abundances of 47 genera were significantly correlated with the mean mSBI, and the MDI was positively associated with the mean mSBI. Fourteen of the forty-seven genera were discriminative taxa between the HI and PI groups, and the abundances of these biomarkers became closer to those in the PI group in the progression of peri-implant disease. CONCLUSIONS: A higher mSBI value corresponded to a higher risk of microbial dysbiosis in peri-implant mucositis. The biomarkers identified may be useful for monitoring the progression of peri-implant disease.

pH-responsive nonwoven fabric with reversibly wettability for controllable oil-water separation and heavy metal removal.

Removal of organic solvents and heavy metals in effluents is of great significance to environmental pollution control and ecological civilization construction. pH-responsive materials have unique advantages in treating complicated oily wastewater. In this work, an intelligent pH-responsive nonwoven fabric with excellent reversible wettability was prepared. The pH-sensitive polymer was synthesized by free radical polymerization (FRP) technique, then dipped with SiO2 on PP fabric. The particular molecular structure of poly (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) enabled the fabric surface to switch wettability rapidly between hydrophilic/underwater oleophobic and oleophobic/hydrophobic under pH stimulus and exhibit controllable selective separation of various oil/water mixtures. Furthermore, the fabric removed Pb2+ efficiently under a wide pH range. The experimetal results showed that the separation flux reached 19,229 ± 1656.43 L-h-1-m-2 for water and 19,342 ± 1796.77 L-m-2-h-1 for n-hexane. Besides, the obtained fabric effectively realized the separation and collection process of complex ternary mixtures. The fabric removed Pb2+ in solutions with efficiency up to 90.83%. After immersing in acid and alkali solutions for 24 h, no significant damage to the surface wettability. This economical and intelligent fabric is able to meet the different separation purposes of industrial wastewaters with complex compositions.

Critical roles for CCR2 and the therapeutic potential of cenicriviroc in periodontitis: A pre-clinical study.

AIM: CCR2 plays important roles in many inflammatory and bone metabolic diseases, but its specific role in periodontitis is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to explore the role of CCR2 in the progression of periodontitis and evaluate the effect of cenicriviroc (CVC) on periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of CCR2 was studied in patients with periodontitis and in ligation-induced murine model of periodontitis. The role of CCR2 in promoting inflammation and bone resorption in periodontitis was evaluated in Ccr2-/- mice and wild-type mice. The effect of CVC in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis was evaluated by systemic and local medication. Microcomputed tomography, haematoxylin and eosin staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and flow cytometry were used for histomorphology, molecular biology, and cytology analysis, respectively. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrated that CCR2 was highly expressed in human and murine periodontitis and that CCR2 deficiency was associated with decreased inflammatory monocyte and macrophage infiltration and inflammatory mediators, osteoclast number and alveolar bone resorption. Prevention and treatment with CVC significantly reduced the severity of periodontitis, regardless of whether it was administered systemically or locally. CONCLUSIONS: CCR2 plays an important role in the development and progression of periodontitis, and CVC is a potential drug for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis.

Fatigue properties of plasma nitriding for dental implant application.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Fatigue failure of implant components is a common clinical problem. Plasma nitriding, an in situ surface-strengthening method, may improve fatigue properties of dental implants. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of plasma nitriding on the fatigue behavior of implant systems. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The preload and friction coefficient of plasma nitrided abutment screws, as well as settlement of the implant-abutment interface, were measured. Then, the reverse torque values and pullout force were evaluated after cyclic loading. Finally, the fatigue properties of the implant system were investigated with static fracture and dynamic fatigue life tests, and the morphology of the fracture on the surface of the implant system was observed. RESULTS: The plasma nitriding treatment reduced the friction coefficient; increased the preload, settlement value, reverse torque values, pullout force, and static fracture load; and prolonged fatigue life. Furthermore, abutment screws with plasma nitriding treatment showed a different fatigue fracture mode. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma nitriding improved mechanical performance and may be a suitable way to optimize the fatigue behavior of dental implants.

Bioinspired design of underwater superoleophobic Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/ polyacrylonitrile/TiO2 nanofibrous membranes for highly efficient oil/water separation and photocatalysis.

Inspired by fish scales, this study prepares a thermo-responsive underwater oleophobic PNIPAM/PAN/TiO2 nanofibrous membranes by traditional electrospinning technique using poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Thermal properties, mechanical properties, surface chemical composition, wettability, photocatalysis, and oil/water separation of PNIPAM/PAN/TiO2 membrane are explored compared to pure PNIPAM membrane. Result reveals that PAN/TiO2 compounds make PNIPAM membrane with a smaller fiber diameter of 141 nm and high tensile stress of 7.4 MPa, and also decompose 98% of rhodamine B after UV light radiation. This bioinspired design structure endows the membrane with superhydrophilicity with a low water contact angle, and underwater superoleophobicity with a high oil contact angle of 157° (petroleum ether) and 151° (dichloromethane). This membrane can efficiency separate oil/water mixture with a high separation efficiency. Moreover, the resultant PNIPAM/PAN/TiO2 membrane has the bionic fish scale structure, and has wettability respond at lower critical solution temperature making the water flux decreased from 10013 ± 367 L m-2·h-1 to 7713 ± 324 L m-2·h-1, and thus has a potential to be used in purification of reclaimed water and separation of oil from water.

B12-dependent photoresponsive protein hydrogels for controlled stem cell/protein release.

Thanks to the precise control over their structural and functional properties, genetically engineered protein-based hydrogels have emerged as a promising candidate for biomedical applications. Given the growing demand for creating stimuli-responsive "smart" hydrogels, here we show the synthesis of entirely protein-based photoresponsive hydrogels by covalently polymerizing the adenosylcobalamin (AdoB12)-dependent photoreceptor C-terminal adenosylcobalamin binding domain (CarHC) proteins using genetically encoded SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry under mild physiological conditions. The resulting hydrogel composed of physically self-assembled CarHC polymers exhibited a rapid gel-sol transition on light exposure, which enabled the facile release/recovery of 3T3 fibroblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) from 3D cultures while maintaining their viability. A covalently cross-linked CarHC hydrogel was also designed to encapsulate and release bulky globular proteins, such as mCherry, in a light-dependent manner. The direct assembly of stimuli-responsive proteins into hydrogels represents a versatile strategy for designing dynamically tunable materials.

Setting up multivariate specifications on critical raw material attributes to ensure consistent drug dissolution from high drug-load sustained-release matrix tablet.

The purpose of this study was to describe the raw material variability that influenced the in-vitro dissolution behavior of high drug-load sustained-release matrix tablet and to ensure the consistent quality of the final product. The Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) - hydroxypropyl methylcellulose - anhydrous lactose - magnesium stearate (57:20:23:0.5%, w/w) was used as the model formulation. PNS extract powders with lot-to-lot and source-to-source differences were collected to cover the common cause variations and their physicochemical properties were characterized by the chromatographic fingerprints and the SeDeM expert system. It was found that the release behavior of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in PNS from different batches exhibited considerable variations. Latent variable modeling results demonstrated that the physical properties of raw materials played major roles in predicting the drug dissolution. PNS extracts with high specific surface area, the width of particle size distribution and hygroscopicity or low moisture content led to an increase in drug release. In order to perform efficient pass/fail judgments for incoming new materials, multivariate specifications of critical material attributes (CMAs) were established and the multivariate design space in line with the quality by design (QbD) principles was explored to achieve the release target.

[Near infrared spectrum monitoring of scale up process for macroporous resin purification of Grardeniae extract].

To establish a fast detection method during the purifying process of the extracts from Grardeniae using macroporous resin based on near infrared spectroscopy. First, the ethanol eluent was collected from the purification process of small size sample; and near infrared (NIR) spectrum was collected. Then the content of the geniposide was determined by HPLC method, and partial least squares (PLS) method was used to establish the quantitative model to predict the content of geniposide by NIR spectrum. This model was used to supervise the changes of geniposide concentrations in ethanol eluent during medium scale process. Experimental results showed that the NIR small scale model can accurately predict the concentrations of geniposide in the production process of medium scale. However, with the proceeding of batch processes, the prediction performance of the model was decreased, so model updating method was employed to maintain the model. After twice updates, the NIR quantitative model can accurately predict the concentrations of the geniposide during medium scale process. Therefore, through model updates, the established NIR quantitative model can be applied in different scales of macroporous resin purification processes, to improve the data utilization efficiency of small scale process and save the cost of rebuilding the quantitative model of medium scale.

[Quality by design based high shear wet granulation process development for the microcrystalline cellulose].

The design space of the high shear wet granulation process was established and validated within the framework of quality by design (QbD). The system of microcrystalline cellulose-de-ioned water was used in this study. The median granule size and bulk density of granules were identified as critical quality attributes. Plackeet-Burmann experimental design was used to screen these factors as follows: dry mixing time, the impeller and chopper speed of dry mixing, water amount, water addition time, wet massing time, the impeller and chopper speed of wet massing and drying time. And the optimization was implemented with the central composite experimental design based on screened critical process parameters. The design space of the high shear wet granulation process was established based on the quadratic polynomial regression model. Since the P-values of both models were less than 0.05 and values of lack of fit were more than 0.1, the relationship between critical quality attributes and critical process parameters could be well described by the two models. The reliability of design space, illustrated by overlay plot, was improved with the addition of 95% confidence interval. For those granules whose process parameters were in the design space, the granule size could be controlled within 250 to 355 µm, and the bulk density could be controlled within a range of 0.4 to 0.6 g x cm(-3). The robustness and flexibility of the high shear wet granulation process have been enhanced via the establishment of the design space based on the QbD concept.

The novel human ß-defensin 114 regulates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammation and protects sperm from motility loss.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important pathological factor involved in serious inflammatory diseases and male reproductive impairments. Emerging evidence demonstrates that antimicrobial peptides possess protective activity in response to LPS-induced inflammation. However, the LPS-binding and/or immunosuppressive activity of ß-defensins (DEFBs) has been underestimated. In the present work, we characterized a novel human defensin, DEFB114, which was expressed predominantly in the epididymis and gingival cells at the RNA level. Homogenous recombinant DEFB114 peptides were prepared and characterized using mass spectrometry. DEFB114 protein exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity with salt sensitivity against typical pathogenic microbes (i.e. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans). Interestingly, DEFB114 demonstrated novel LPS-binding activity in vitro and inhibited TNF-α release in RAW264.7 cultures through the inhibition of MAPK p42/44 when challenged with LPS. Moreover, DEFB114 could also rescue the LPS-induced reduction of human sperm motility in vitro and protect d-galactosamine-sensitized C57BL/6 mice from LPS-induced lethality in vivo. The protective activity of DEFB114 on RAW264.7, human sperm, and the d-galactosamine-sensitized mice was disulfide bond-dependent because alkylated DEFB114 lost its activity. The low cytotoxicity of the DEFB114 peptide toward human erythrocytes is indicative of its potential therapeutic use in the treatment of LPS-induced inflammation, LPS contamination, and potentially septic shock.

Global Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Tracheal Tissue Engineering Research.

The development of tracheal tissue engineering (TTE) has seen a rapid growth in recent years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the global status, trends, and hotspots of TTE research based on bibliometrics and visualization analysis. Publications related to TTE were retrieved and included in the Web of Science Core Collection. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to generate knowledge maps. Six hundred fifty-five publications were identified, and the quantity of the annual publications worldwide was on the increase. International collaboration is a widespread reality. The United States led the world in the field of trachea tissue engineering, whereas University College London was the institution with the greatest contribution. In addition, Biomaterials had a great influence in this field, attracting the largest number of papers. Moreover, the topics of TTE research largely concentrated on the biomechanical scaffold preparation, the vascularization and epithelialization of scaffold, the tracheal cartilage regeneration, and the tissue-engineered tracheal transplantation. And the research on the application of decellularization and 3D printing for the construction of a tissue-engineered trachea was likely to receive more widespread attention in the future. Impact statement In recent years, tracheal tissue engineering (TTE) has experienced rapid growth. In this study, we investigated the worldwide status and trends of TTE research, and revealed the countries, institutions, journals, and authors that had made significant contributions to the field of TTE. Moreover, the possible research hotspots in the future were predicted. According to our research, researchers can gain a better understanding of the trends in this field, and stay informed of the most current research by tracking key journals, institutions, and authors.

[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nutrients and Enzyme Activities].

The threat of microplastic pollution in soil ecosystems has caused widespread concern. In order to clarify the effect of polyethylene microplastics on soil properties, a 4-month soil incubation experiment was conducted in this study to investigate the effect of different mass fraction (1 %, 2.5 %, and 5 %) and particle sizes (30 mesh and 100 mesh) of polyethylene microplastics on soil chemical properties, nutrient contents, and enzyme activities. The results showed that:① When the particle size was 100 mesh, microplastics at the mass concentrations of the 2.5 % and 5 % treatments significantly reduced soil pH, and the exposure of polyethylene microplastics had no significant effect on soil conductivity. ② Compared to that in CK, the addition of microplastics reduced soil available potassium, available phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen to varying degrees. The addition of 100 mesh microplastics significantly increased soil organic matter and ammonium nitrogen. ③ When the particle size was 100 mesh, compared to that in CK, treatments of all concentrations significantly increased soil catalase activity and alkaline phosphatase, showing an increasing but not significant trend, and the 5 % concentration treatment significantly decreased soil sucrase activity. ④ Changes in soil properties were influenced by the addition of microplastics of different concentrations and sizes, with higher concentrations and smaller particle sizes having more significant effects. In conclusion, the effects of microplastics on soil properties were not as pronounced as expected, and future research should focus on the mechanisms involved in the different effects.

Application of tissue engineering techniques in tracheal repair: a bibliometric study.

Transplantation of tissue-engineered trachea is an effective treatment for long-segment tracheal injury. This technology avoids problems associated with a lack of donor resources and immune rejection, generating an artificial trachea with good biocompatibility. To our knowledge, a systematic summary of basic and clinical research on tissue-engineered trachea in the last 20 years has not been conducted. Here, we analyzed the development trends of tissue-engineered trachea research by bibliometric means and outlined the future perspectives in this field. The Web of Science portal was selected as the data source. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the Bibliometric Online Analysis Platform were used to analyze the number of publications, journals, countries, institutions, authors, and keywords from 475 screened studies. Between 2000 and 2023, the number of published studies on tissue-engineered trachea has been increasing. Biomaterials published the largest number of papers. The United States and China have made the largest contributions to this field. University College London published the highest number of studies, and the most productive researcher was an Italian scholar, Paolo Macchiarini. However, close collaborations between various researchers and institutions from different countries were generally lacking. Despite this, keyword analysis showed that manufacturing methods for tracheal stents, hydrogel materials, and 3D bioprinting technology are current popular research topics. Our bibliometric study will help scientists in this field gain an in-depth understanding of the current research progress and development trends to guide their future work, and researchers in related fields will benefit from the introduction to transplantation methods of tissue-engineered trachea.

We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of tissue-engineered trachea.We systematically outlined the preparation methods and current development forms of tissue-engineered trachea.We predicted future tissue-engineered trachea research trends from the perspectives of countries, institutions, researchers, and popular research topics.

Can graphene oxide cause damage to eyesight?

As graphene becomes one of the most exciting candidates for multifunctional biomedical applications, contact between eyes and graphene-based materials is inevitable. On the other hand, eyes, as a special organ in the human body, have unique advantages to be used for testing new biomedical research and development, such as drug delivery. Intraocular biocompatible studies on graphene-related materials are thus essential. Here, we report our recent studies on intraocular biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of graphene oxide (GO) both in vitro and in vivo. The successful preparation of GO nanosheets was confirmed using atomic force microscopy, contact angle analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The influence of GO on human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in terms of the cell morphology, viability, membrane integrity, and apoptosis was investigated using various techniques, including optical micrography, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, and apoptosis assay. The addition of GO had little influence on cell morphology, but the change was visible after long-time culturing. RPE cells showed higher than 60% cell viability by CCK-8 assay in GO solutions and less than 8% LDH release, although a small amount of apoptosis (1.5%) was observed. In vitro results suggested good biocompatibility of GO to RPE cells with slight adverse influence, on the cell viability and morphology in long-time periods, along with aggregation of GO. Thus, some further studies are needed to clarify the cytotoxicity mechanism of GO. GO intravitreally injected eyes showed few changes in eyeball appearance, intraocular pressure (IOP), eyesight, and histological photos. Our results suggested that GO did not cause any significant toxicity to the cell growth and proliferation. Intravitreal injection of GO into rabbits' eyes did not lead to much change in the eyeball appearance, IOP, electroretinogram, and histological examination.

Evaluation the loosening of abutment screws in fluid contamination: an in vitro study.

Screw loosening is one of the most common clinical problems of dental implants. Research on the influencing factors of screw loosening is very important to prevent screw loosening. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of liquid contamination on the screw loosening. According to the contamination condition, forty-five abutment screws were divided into three groups (n = 15): no contamination, artificial saliva contamination, and mouthwash contamination. The preload and friction coefficient of the abutment screws were recorded. Then, the reverse torque values (RTVs) and settlement were measured after 3.0 × 105 and 6.0 × 105 cycles. The surface wear of the screws was analyzed. Finally, the stress distribution of the abutment screws was calculated by finite element analysis (FEA). The results showed that fluid contamination reduced the friction coefficient, increased the preload, decrease the settlement, improved resistance to screw loosening, and reduced wear on the thread surface. Appropriate antimicrobial lubrication may improve the anti-loosening performance of abutment screws and prevent excessive wear on the threaded surface.

Effect of central screw taper angles on the loosening performance and fatigue characteristics of dental implants.

Biomechanical performance plays an important role in the long-term service of dental implants. Loosening and fatigue damage of the central screw are the most common problems. This research investigated the effect of the central screw taper angle on the loosening performance and fatigue characteristics of dental implants. Central screws with four taper angles, 30°, 60°, 90° and 180°, were processed and tested. The loosening performance of the screws under initial and postload conditions was compared. Then, the fatigue characteristics of dental implants was measured. Finally, the wear and fracture modes of the screws were observed. The damage locations were verified by finite element analysis (FEA). The results showed that the central screws with 30° taper had substantially better anti-loosening performance and less fretting wear. The central screws with 180° taper had a higher preload, resulting in a longer fatigue life. Furthermore, the fatigue fracture of the central screw occurred at the level of the first thread position, consistent with the FEA results. In the future clinical applications, central screws with a 30° taper angle may improve anti-loosening performance and prolong fatigue life by increasing the tightening torque.

Shift in the submucosal microbiome of diseased peri-implant sites after non-surgical mechanical debridement treatment.

Objectives: The object of this prospective study was to assess the submucosal microbiome shifts in diseased peri-implant sites after non-surgical mechanical debridement therapy. Materials and methods: Submucosal plaques were collected from 14 healthy implants and 42 diseased implants before and eight weeks after treatment in this prospective study. Mechanical debridement was performed using titanium curettes, followed by irrigation with 0.2% (w/v) chlorhexidine. Subsequently, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the changes in the submucosal microbiome before and after the non-surgical treatment. Results: Clinical parameters and the submucosal microbiome were statistically comparable before and after mechanical debridement. The Alpha diversity decreased significantly after mechanical debridement. However, the microbial richness varied between the post-treatment and healthy groups. In network analysis, the post-treatment increased the complexity of the network compared to pre-treatment. The relative abundances of some pathogenic species, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Peptostreptococcaceae XIG-6 nodatum, Filifactor alocis, Porphyromonas endodontalis, TM7 sp., and Desulfobulbus sp. HMT 041, decreased significantly following the non-surgical treatment. Conclusions: Non-surgical treatment for peri-implant diseases using mechanical debridement could provide clinical and microbiological benefits. The microbial community profile tended to shift towards a healthy profile, and submucosal dysbiosis was relieved following mechanical debridement.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Gingival Immune-Mediated Inflammation in Peri-Implantitis and Periodontitis Within the Same Host Environment.

Objective: This investigation aimed to determine whether and to what extent there are transcriptional differences between periodontitis and peri-implantitis in the same susceptible host. Background: As an immune-mediated inflammatory disease resulting in aggressive bone resorption around dental implants, peri-implantitis constitutes a major threat to dental implants' long-term success. Compared to periodontitis, its etiological molecular mechanism remains elusive. Currently, there are few investigations on these two diseases at the transcriptional level within the same basal environment. Methods: Ligature-induced peri-implantitis and periodontitis were generated in the same mice. Gingival tissues of healthy, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis sites from the same oral cavity were collected and used for RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between periodontitis/peri-implantitis and healthy sites. Enrichment analysis of DEGs was performed. The comprehensive immune landscape was annotated by seq-ImmuCC. Hub genes from peri-implantitis-specific DEGs were filtered using the STRING database and Cytoscape. Validation of the selected hub genes was performed on the GEO106090 dataset (gingival tissues from six periodontitis patients, six peri-implantitis patients, and six healthy controls). Results: The results indicated that peri-implantitis and periodontitis exhibited significantly distinct transcriptional signatures, with the complement and coagulation cascade pathways and osteoclast differentiation predominating in peri-implantitis mucosa. Compared with periodontitis, peri-implantitis sites exhibited elevated macrophage proportions and relatively enriched macrophage activation and bone loss. Hub genes were selected, and IL1B, CCL3, and CLEC4E were significantly highly expressed in human peri-implantitis mucosa. Conclusion: The study suggests that the interplay between macrophages and bone resorption seems to be more robust than in periodontitis. IL1B, CCL3, and CLEC4E may be considered promising therapeutic targets for peri-implantitis. These critical biological processes and identified genes may contribute to the etiology of peri-implantitis, which is unique from periodontitis. This work may make way for deeper exploration and contribute significantly to the treatment and prevention of peri-implantitis.

Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE) Using Polyethylene Glycol Microspheres: Safety and Efficacy in 81 Patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) using polyethylene glycol microspheres (PEGM) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentric prospective study enrolled 81 patients who underwent PAE with 400 ± 75 µm PEGM (HydroPearl®, Terumo, Japan). Results from baseline and 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups were assessed for subjective outcomes including International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), Quality of life (QoL), and International Index of Erectile Function, and objective outcomes such as peak urinary flow (Qmax) and post-void residual volume (PVR). The visual analogue scale, satisfaction questionnaire, prostatic volume, and prostatic specific antigen levels were also evaluated. Complications were documented using the modified Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS: Technical success was obtained in all patients. Clinical success was achieved in 78.5% of patients. Before PAE, 54.3% of patients had an indwelling catheter which was removed in 75% of them after procedure. A statistically significant decrease was observed in IPSS and QoL from baseline to 12 months (20.14 vs 5.89; 4.8 vs 0.63, P < .01), respectively. Objective outcomes also showed a statistically significant improvement in Qmax (+ 114.9%; P < .01), achieving a maximum urinary flow of 14.2 mL/sec, and PVR (decrease 58%; P < .05) at 12 months. Minor complications (Clavien-Dindo grades I-II) occurred in 13.6% of patients, without major complications observed. CONCLUSION: PAE with PEGM is safe and effective treatment in patients with symptomatic BPH, with a significant improvement in both subjective and objective outcomes.