Exosomes from Cyclic Stretched Periodontal Ligament Cells Induced Periodontal Inflammation through miR-9-5p/SIRT1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Abundant evidence demonstrates that mechanical stress could induce an inflammatory response in periodontal tissue, but the precise mechanism remains unclear. In the past few years, periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs), as the most force-sensitive cells, have been investigated in depth as local immune cells, associated with activation of inflammasomes and secretion of inflammatory cytokines in response to mechanical stimuli. However, this study innovatively inspected the effect of PDLCs on the other immune cells after stretch loading to reveal the detailed mechanism by which mechanical stimuli initiate immunoreaction in periodontium. In the present study, we found that cyclic stretch could stimulate human PDLCs to secret exosomes and that these exosomes could further induce the increase of phagocytic cells in the periodontium in Sprague-Dawley rats and the M1 polarization of the cultured macrophages (including the mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 and the bone marrow-derived macrophages from C57BL/6 mice). Furthermore, the exosomal miR-9-5p was detected to be overexpressed after mechanical stimuli in both in vivo and in vitro experiments and could trigger M1 polarization via the SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway in the cultured macrophages. In summary, this study revealed that PDLCs could transmit the mechanobiological signals to immune cells by releasing exosomes and simultaneously enhance periodontal inflammation through the miR-9-5p/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway. We hope that our research can improve understanding of force-related periodontal inflammatory diseases and lead to new targets for treatment.

Characteristics of preplan-based three-dimensional individual template-guided brachytherapy compared to freehand implantation.

Image-guided adaptive intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy (IC/IS IGABT) has exhibited superior dosimetry advantage and local control for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Our group designed a type of cylindrical three-dimensional (3D) printed vaginal template combining an intracavitary applicator with straight and oblique interstitial needles according to the preplan on computed tomography images. This work aimed to research the consistency of the preplan with the treatment plan at every fraction to verify the practical guiding significance of the preplan. We also investigated the difference between 3D-printed template-guided implantation compared with freehand implantation for LACC. Twenty-six patients were treated with 3D-printed individual templates (3D template group), and 20 patients were treated by using freehand insertion (freehand group). Patients in the 3D template group would take a preplan one week before treatment to design and print the individual template, while the freehand group did not. All patients accepted volumetric rotational intensity-modulated radiotherapy at a dose of 49.4 Gy in 26 fractions and subsequent brachytherapy at a dose of 26 Gy in four fractions. All analyses were performed by utilizing SPSS 26. The insertion depth was decreased in fractions 1 and 4 compared with the preplan. None of the dose volume histogram parameters of fractions 1-3, nor the D2cc of bladder and bowel at fraction 4 were barely changed compared with the preplan. The D90 and D98 of the high-risk clinical target volume in the 3D template group were statistically higher than those in the freehand group (p < 0.01). The D2cc of the rectum, bladder, bowel, and sigmoid in the 3D template group were all lower than those in the freehand group (p < 0.01). The preplan in this research is consistent with treatment plans, which is important to ensure the feasibility of applying a 3D-printed template in brachytherapy. The 3D-printed individual guidance template was an effective method in brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.

The protective role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in osteogenic differentiation under inflammatory environment.

Inflammation and alveolar bone destruction constitute the main pathological process of periodontitis. However, the molecular mechanisms of bone destruction under the inflammation environment remain unclear. This study aims to explore the role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in osteogenic differentiation under the inflammation environment. Mouse pre-osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 were pretreated with lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg-LPS). The Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling was activated, and the osteogenic differentiation of cells was examined. The results showed that activation of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling promoted the expression levels of osteogenic differentiation-related genes, and also relieved the inhibitory effect of Pg-LPS on osteogenesis. Noticeably, the effect of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling might be related to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. While applying Ephrin-B2-Fc and EphB4-Fc to periodontitis mice, we observed the reduction of alveolar crest destruction. The current study revealed the possible role of Ephrin-B2/EphB4 signaling in reducing bone destruction in periodontitis and suggested its potential values for further research.

Finite element analysis of maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule restored with fiber-reinforced composite resin posts and resin core: The number and placement of the posts.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Whether fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts should be inserted in root canals to restore teeth with multiple roots remains unclear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this finite element analysis (FEA) study was to determine the optimal use of FRC posts in an endodontically treated maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight different models of a maxillary first molar were established: no post (NP), post in palatal root (P), post in distobuccal root (DB), post in mesiobuccal root (MB), posts in palatal root and distobuccal root (P+DB), posts in palatal root and mesiobuccal root (P+MB), posts in 2 buccal roots (DB+MB), and posts in all roots (P+DB+MB). Two types of loading were applied: a force of 800 N parallel to the long axis of the tooth to simulate the vertical masticatory force and another force of 225 N at 45 degrees to the long axis of the tooth to simulate the lateral masticatory force. The equivalent stresses on the external surfaces of the tooth tissue, the internal surfaces of the root canals and in the posts, as well as the maximal shear stresses on the post-core interface and the core-dentin interface, were calculated with FEA. RESULTS: All the models showed similar maximal equivalent stress values on the external surfaces of the tooth tissue, and stress concentrations were found at the cervical and furcation area. On the internal surfaces of root canals, an increase of equivalent stress at the middle third of the canals with posts and a decrease at the cervical third were observed. Under vertical loading, the P+DB+MB group showed the largest equivalent stress in the post (76.45 MPa in the palatal post), the DB+MB group showed the largest shear stress on the post-core interface (19.02 MPa), and the MB group showed the largest shear stress on the core-dentin interface (12.07 MPa). Under lateral loading, the P+DB+MB group showed the largest equivalent stress in the post (60.11 MPa in the mesiobuccal post) and the largest shear stress on the post-core interface (13.48 MPa) and the DB group showed the largest shear stress on the core-dentin interface (21.03 MPa). CONCLUSIONS: One post in the palatal canal was found to be appropriate for the FRC post and resin core restoration of a maxillary first molar with a 4-wall defect and 1.5-mm-high ferrule. An additional post in the mesiobuccal canal could help disperse lateral occlusal force and improve retention of the restoration.

Large Scale Synthesis of Three-dimensional Hierarchical Porous Framework with High Conductivity and its Application in Lithium Sulfur Battery.

Quick capacity loss due to the polysulfide shuttle effects and poor rate performance caused by low conductivity of sulfur have always been obstacles to the commercial application of lithium sulfur batteries. Herein, an in-situ doped hierarchical porous biochar materials with high electron-ion conductivity and adjustable three-dimensional (3D) macro-meso-micropore is prepared successfully. Due to its unique physical structure, the resulting material has a specific surface area of 2124.9 m2 g-1 and a cumulative pore volume of 1.19 cm3 g-1 . The presence of micropores can effectively physically adsorb polysulfides and mesopores ensure the accessibility of lithium ions and active sites and give the porous carbon material a high specific surface area. The large pores provide channels for the storage of electrolyte and the transmission of ions on the surface of the substrate. The combined effect of these three kinds of pores and the N doping formed in-situ can effectively promote the cycle and rate performance of the battery. Therefore, prepared cathode can still reach a reversible discharge capacity of 616 mAh g-1 at a rate of 5 C. After 400 charge-discharge cycles at 1 C, the reversible capacity is maintained at 510.0 mAh g-1 . This new strategy has provided a new approach to the research and industrial-scale production of adjustable hierarchical porous biochar materials.

The nucleotide usages significantly impact synonymous codon usage in Mycoplasma hyorhinis.

Five annotated genomes of Mycoplasma hyorhinis were analyzed for clarifying evolutionary dynamics driving the overall codon usage pattern. Information entropy used for estimating nucleotide usage pattern at the gene level indicates that multiple evolutionary dynamics participate in forcing nucleotide usage bias at every codon position. Moreover, nucleotide usage bias directly contributes to synonymous codon usage biases with two different extremes. The overrepresented codons tended to have A/T in the third codon position, and the underrepresented codons strongly used G/C in the third position. Furthermore, correspondence analysis and neutrality plot reflect an obvious interplay between mutation pressure and natural selection mediating codon usage in M. hyorhinis genome. Due to significant bias in usages between A/T and G/C at the gene level, different selective forces have been proposed to contribute to codon usage preference in M. hyorhinis genome, including nucleotide composition constraint derived from mutation pressure, translational selection involved in natural selection, and strand-specific mutational bias represented by different nucleotide skew index. The systemic analyses of codon usage for M. hyorhinis can enable us to better understand the mechanisms of evolution in this species.

Contrast-Enhanced MRI Combined With the Glycerol Test Reveals the Heterogeneous Dynamics of Endolymphatic Hydrops in Patients With Menière's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The sensitivity of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) to the glycerol test varies in patients with Menière's disease (MD). PURPOSE: To explore the features of EH and its glycerol-induced dynamics in MD. STUDY TYPE: Case-control study. POPULATION: Twenty patients with MD (24 affected ears) were included. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0T 3D-FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) MRI and late gadolinium enhancement. ASSESSMENT: Intratympanic gadolinium-enhanced MRI was performed in the MD-affected ears before and after the glycerol test. The borders of the endolymphatic and total lymphatic space were contoured on the axial MRI slices to evaluate the volume of hydrops in both the cochlear and vestibular regions. STATISTICAL TESTS: Paired and unpaired t-tests, the Mann-Whitney U-test, linear discriminant analysis, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression. RESULTS: After glycerol ingestion, vestibular EH decreased in all patients, whereas cochlear EH significantly decreased only in patients with positive glycerol test results (all P < 0.01). At baseline, cochlear EH in the positive result group was greater than in the negative result group (P = 0.007). Unexpectedly, in the positive result group a drastic glycerol-induced dehydrating effect was observed in patients whose pretest cochlear EH ratio was >16% (P = 0.011). Moreover, the dehydrating role of glycerol was positively correlated with the baseline cochlear hydrops level (r = 0.7691, P < 0.001). DATA CONCLUSION: MRI provides evidence that glycerol administration improves the hearing threshold via dehydrating the EH. In the cochlear region, the baseline level of cochlear EH is a closely related factor for the validity of the glycerol test, whereas EH is consistently dehydrated in the vestibular component. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:1066-1073.

Efficacy and Timing of Neonatal Ear Correction Molding.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Given the incidence of congenital auricular anomalies varies racially, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy and timing of ear correction molding in infants with auricular anomalies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 141 auricular anomalies of 100 infants less than 4 months of age were treated using the Earlimn molding system. Treatment outcomes were graded (three categories) in terms of auricular morphology. The efficacies and outcomes of modeling were evaluated in infants according to age and anomaly type. RESULTS: The mean age at which correction was initiated was 35.13 days of life, and the average treatment duration was 17.81 days. Of all anomalies, 86% were corrected. Both deformations and certain malformations were satisfactorily corrected. The outcomes of children with conchal crura and mixed anomalies were relatively poor. Although no differences in treatment efficiency were evident among the three age groups, infants < 3 weeks old required shorter treatment courses than those > 6 weeks old. The only complications were mild skin ulcers. CONCLUSIONS: Ear correction molding is remarkably effective for infants with auricular deformations/malformations. Molding efficacy depends on the type of anomaly. Initiation of molding at less than 6 weeks of age is essential to minimize treatment duration. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

[Impact of sperm DNA fragmentation on the outcome of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer].

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of sperm DNA fragmentation (DF) on the outcome of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 308 cases of routine IVF-ET performed at our Center of Reproductive Medicine from January 2016 to January 2018. According to the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), we divided the patients into a normal DFI (DFI ≤ 15%, n = 114), a moderate DFI (15% < DFI ≤ 30%, n = 103), and a high DFI group (DFI > 30 %, n = 91), and compared the development of embryos and clinical outcomes among the three groups. RESULTS: The blastocyst formation rate was remarkably higher in the normal and moderate DFI groups than in the high DFI group (68.9% and 66.2% vs 58.3%, P < 0.05) but the percentage of available blastocysts exhibited no statistically significant difference between the former two and the latter group (88.1% and 84.0% vs 81.2%, P > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences among the normal, moderate and high DFI groups in the percentage of high-quality blastocysts (80.3% vs 68.8% vs 59.7%, P < 0.05). The implantation rate was dramatically lower in the high DFI group than in the normal and moderate DFI groups (30.4% vs 43.1% and 41.0%, P < 0.05), and so was the clinical pregnancy rate (33.6% vs 43.2% and 40.2%, P < 0.05), but the abortion rate markedly higher in the former than in the latter two groups (16.2% vs 10.0% and 9.8%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High sperm DFI can not only significantly reduce the rates of blastocyst formation, available blastocysts and high-quality blastocysts, but also decrease the rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy and increase that of abortion after frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer.

Interaction between caspase-3 and caspase-5 in the stretch-induced programmed cell death in the human periodontal ligament cells.

In our previous studies, programmed cell death (PCD) was induced in human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, through activation of caspase-3 and upregulation of CASP5 gene (encoding caspase-5 protein), in response to mechanical stretch loading. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the inflammatory caspase, caspase-5, and the apoptotic executioner protein, caspase-3, in human PDL cells. Here, we found that cyclic stretching upregulated the activity and the protein expression level of caspase-3 and -5 and the addition of the caspase-3 inhibitor or caspase-5 inhibitor significantly inhibited the stretch-induced PCD. Meanwhile, the inhibition of caspase-5 inhibited the activation of caspase-3 and vice versa. The result of coimmunoprecipitation also demonstrated that the expression of caspase-3 was immunoprecipitated with caspase-5. Thus, our study revealed that the in vitro application of cyclic stretching induced PCD by activation of caspase-3 and -5 in human PDL cells, and these two caspases could interact with each other after mechanical stretch loading. The study may facilitate further studies on the mechanism of stretch-induced PCD and help us understand the force-related periodontal homeostasis and remodeling better.

A clinical, biologic and mechanistic analysis of the role of ZNF692 in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common malignancy in women. The zinc finger protein 692 (ZNF692) has been identified as a transcription factor and its aberrant expression participates in tumorigenesis of various cancers. However, its biological function and molecular mechanisms in cervical cancer remain unclear. METHODS: Microarrays were analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to investigate the expression of ZNF692 in cervical cancer and its relationship with clinicopathologic characteristics. siRNAs and expression plasmids were used to reveal the biological function of ZNF692 in CC and subcutaneous xenograft model to examine the role of ZNF692 in vivo. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay were performed to ascertain whether ZNF692 binds to the promoter region of p27kip1. RESULTS: By analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, we confirmed ZNF692 as a potential oncogene in CC. ZNF692 expression was up-regulated in CC tissues compared with that in adjacent normal tissues, and its overexpression was correlated with poor clinicopathologic characteristics. Moreover, ZNF692 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Regarding molecular mechanisms, up-regulation of ZNF692 was found to enhance the G1/S transition via regulating the p27kip1/PThr160-CDK2 signal pathway in CC cells. CONCLUSION: ZNF692 promotes CC cells proliferation and invasion through suppressing p27kip1 transcription by directly binding its promoter region, which suggests that ZNF692 may serve as an underlying therapeutic target and prognostic marker in CC.

Expression and Distribution of the Auxin Response Factors in Sorghum bicolor During Development and Temperature Stress.

Auxin response factor (ARF) is a transcription factor that can specifically bind to the promoter of auxin-responsive genes in plants and plays an important regulatory role in plant growth and development. The previous studies have predicted 25 ARF genes in Sorghum bicolor (SbARFs) and indicated that SbARFs play complex roles in salt and drought stresses. In this study, we reclassified and analyzed the structures of ARFs in three plants, including sorghum, rice, and Arabidopsis. Phylogenetic analyses categorized 73 ARF into five classes. By studying the characterization of the structures, it was found that SbARFs from the same evolutionary branches showed similar motif patterns. Furthermore, the expression patterns of SbARF genes during development and temperature stress were investigated in sorghum. Quantitative transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results suggested that they had different expression patterns in vegetative and reproductive organs at various developmental stages. High and low-temperature treatments and qRT-PCR demonstrated some of them changed dramatically along with the increase of treatment time. Additionally, in situ hybridization results displayed that SbARF genes were accumulated in vascular tissues under temperature stress. These findings provide evidence that SbARFs may play important roles in sorghum vegetative development, reproductive development, and auxin response to temperature stress.

A case of hypokalemia and proteinuria with a new mutation in the SLC12A3 Gene.

BACKGROUND: Gitelman syndrome is an autosomal recessive inherited renal disorder characterized by hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalciuria. Since the symptoms are not severe and laboratory results are not always clear, Gitelman syndrome can go unnoticed by physicians. Here, we report our experiences with a patient that presented with hypokalemia and proteinuria; genetic analysis revealed a new homozygous mutation in the SLC12A3 gene. CASE PRESENTATION: A 47-year-old man presented with hypokalemia and proteinuria. He had come to the hospital with the same symptoms 11 months and 3 years prior. His laboratory tests showed hypokalemia, hypocalciuria, and increased plasma angiotensin-2 activity. His renal pathology was consistent with the development of minimal lesions. Genetic analysis found a new homozygous mutation in exon 6 on the SLC12A3 gene (p.Trp281Arg) in the patient and in his brother; his mother and sister were diagnosed as heterozygous carriers of the same gene mutation. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with Gitelman syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: This case is the first to report a homozygous mutation in the 841th nucleotide of exon 6 on the SLC12A3 gene (p.Trp281Arg), which may cause Gitelman syndrome. At the same time, this report might stimulate interest in discussing the relationship between different mutations in the SLC12A3 gene and renal pathology.

Evaluation of Outcomes of Dental Implants Inserted by Flapless or Flapped Procedure: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the failure risk and marginal bone loss of dental implants inserted by flapless or flapped procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library within 10 years, along with a hand search of the reference lists of the retrieved articles. RESULTS: A total of 2717 articles were filtered after the searching strategy, and 31 studies were finally selected. Failure rate of dental implants was statistically affected by different insertion procedures (flapless or flapped) with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-2.55; P = 0.01; heterogeneity: I = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.97). Subgroup analysis indicated that in the situation of immediate/early loading, the flapless procedure showed a higher risk of implant failure comparing with flapped procedure (RR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.05-4.78; P = 0.04; heterogeneity: I = 0.0%; P heterogeneity = 0.91). Mean difference of marginal bone loss between the flapless group and the flapped group was -0.10 mm (95% CI: -0.18 to -0.02; P = 0.02; heterogeneity: I = 82%; P heterogeneity = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that flapless procedure may increase the failure risk of the dental implants, especially in the situation of immediate/early loading. Nevertheless, flapless procedure showed a superiority in preserving bone tissues.

Cyclic stretch-induced the cytoskeleton rearrangement and gene expression of cytoskeletal regulators in human periodontal ligament cells.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the mechanism of the stretch-induced cell realignment and cytoskeletal rearrangement by identifying several mechanoresponsive genes related to cytoskeletal regulators in human PDL cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: After the cells were stretched by 1, 10 and 20% strains for 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 or 24 h, the changes of the morphology and content of microfilaments were recorded and calculated. Meanwhile, the expression of 84 key genes encoding cytoskeletal regulators after 6 and 24 h stretches with 20% strain was detected by using real-time PCR array. Western blot was applied to identify the protein expression level of several cytoskeletal regulators encoded by these differentially expressed genes. RESULTS: The confocal fluorescent staining results confirmed that stretch-induced realignment of cells and rearrangement of microfilaments. Among the 84 genes screened, one gene was up-regulated while two genes were down-regulated after 6 h stretch. Meanwhile, three genes were up-regulated while two genes were down-regulated after 24 h stretch. These genes displaying differential expression included genes regulating polymerization/depolymerization of microfilaments (CDC42EP2, FNBP1L, NCK2, PIKFYVE, WASL), polymerization/depolymerization of microtubules (STMN1), interacting between microfilaments and microtubules (MACF1), as well as a phosphatase (PPP1R12B). Among the proteins encoded by these genes, the protein expression level of Cdc42 effector protein-2 (encoded by CDC42EP2) and Stathmin-1 (encoded by STMN1) was down-regulated, while the protein expression level of N-WASP (encoded by WASL) was up-regulated. CONCLUSION: The present study confirmed the cyclic stretch-induced cellular realignment and rearrangement of microfilaments in the human PDL cells and indicated several force-sensitive genes with regard to cytoskeletal regulators.

Open-Framework Oxysulfide Based on the Supertetrahedral [In4Sn16O10S34](12-) Cluster and Efficient Sequestration of Heavy Metals.

The new ion-exchange oxy-sulfide material has a three-dimensional open framework comprising the pseudo-T4 supertetrahedral [In4Sn16O10S34](12-) cluster. This material has large pores and is a fast ion exchanger. It exhibits high selectivity in sequestering heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions including solutions containing heavy concentrations of sodium, calcium, ammonium, magnesium, zinc, carbonate, phosphate, and acetate ions. Moreover, the ion-exchange efficiency in competitive ion-exchange experiments involving mixtures of metal ions is significantly higher than for solutions of single metal ions.

Inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3/SOSC1 Signaling Pathway Improves Secretion Function of Vascular Endothelial Cells in a Rat Model of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the JAK2/STAT3/SOSC1 signaling pathway on the secretion function of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in a rat model of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). METHODS: A PIH rat model was established. Forty-eight pregnant Sprague-Dawley female rats were selected and assigned into four groups: the normal group (normal non-pregnant rats), the non-PIH group (pregnant rats without PIH), the PIH group (pregnant rats with PIH) and the AG490 group (pregnant rats with PIH treated with AG490). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and urinary protein (UP) were measured. The expressions of JAK2/STAT3/SOSC1 signaling pathway-related proteins in placenta tissues were detect by Western blotting. Radioimmunoassay was applied to detect serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), super oxide dismutase (SOD), placental growth factor (PGF), thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and endothelin (ET). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). RESULTS: Compared with the normal and non-PIH groups, the PIH and AG490 groups had higher SBP and UP levels at 17th and 25th day of pregnancy. The expressions of p/t-JAK2, p/t-STAT3 and SOSC1 in the PIH and AG490 groups were higher than those in the non-PIH group, while the expressions of p/t-JAK2, p/t-STAT3 and SOSC1 in the AG490 group were lower than those in the PIH group. Compared with the non-PIH group, serum levels of ET, TXB2, IL-6 and TNF-α were increased in the PIH and AG490 groups, while serum levels of NO, SOD, 6-keto-PGF1a and IL-10 levels were reduced. Furthermore, the AG490 had lower serum levels of ET, TXB2, IL-6 and TNF-α and higher serum levels of NO, SOD, 6-keto-PGF1a and IL-10 than those in the PIH group. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3/SOSC1 signaling pathway could improve the secretion function of VECs in PIH rats.

Immediate dental implant placement into infected vs. non-infected sockets: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was aimed at assessing whether immediate dental implant placement into infected vs. non-infected sites produced different effects on implant failure risk and marginal bone loss. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching articles in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library through February 2015 and by reviewing the reference lists of the retrieved articles. When an intervention led to dichotomous outcomes, the outcomes were expressed as risk ratios, whereas continuous outcomes were expressed as mean differences in millimeters; each had a 95% confidence interval. Study-specific estimates were combined using fixed-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 1743 articles were identified following the search process. Seven studies were finally included in the meta-analysis, which comprised a total of 1586 implants and 25 failures. Compared to the immediate insertion of a dental implant into a non-infected site, the insertion of an implant into an infected site showed 116% increase in the risk of implant failure, which had borderline statistical significance (risk ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.97, 4.80, P = 0.058; heterogeneity: I2  = 0.0%, Pheterogeneity  = 0.997). With regard to marginal bone loss, we observed no statistically significant difference between insertions into infected vs. non-infected sites (mean difference = -0.04, 95% confidence interval: -0.09, 0.02, P = 0.173, heterogeneity: I2  = 0.0%, Pheterogeneity  = 0.765). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that immediately placing a dental implant into an infected site may increase the risk of implant failure. Given the presence of uncontrolled confounders in the studies that were assessed, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Detection of eustachian tube openings by tubomanometry in adult otitis media with effusion.

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common disease and eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction is widely known to be related to the incidence of OME; however, objective evaluation tools for ET function are lacking. To evaluate ET openings by tubomanometry (TMM) in adult patients with otitis media with effusion (OME), the ET patency of 123 ears, including 63 ears of OME patients and 60 control ears, were tested using TMM and tympanometry. ET patency was evaluated by the R value and ET score, and was compared to the tympanogram results. The eustachian tube dysfunction questionnaire (ETDQ-7) was used to assess the severity of the symptoms in OME patients. The results showed that the rates of restricted opening or blocked ET under pressures of 30, 40, and 50 mbar by TMM testing were 10, 5, and 0 %, respectively (control group) and 76.19, 66.7, and 57.97 %, respectively (OME group) (p < 0.05 for all pressure groups). However, the rates were 77.42, 71.97, and 61.29 % in the type B tympanogram group, and 75, 62.5, and 46.87 % in the type C tympanogram group; no significant difference was found at each testing pressure (p = 0.821, 0.246, and 0.516; respectively) between these tympanogram groups. The mean ETDQ-7 score in OME patients was 16.40 ± 10.72, which was significantly negatively correlated with the ET score at 30 and 40 mbar (30 mbar: correlation coefficient -0.29, p = 0.025; 40 mbar: correlation coefficient -0.28; p = 0.030), but not at 50 mbar (correlation coefficient -0.013, p = 0.924). These findings showed that ET blockage or delayed opening were found in most adult patients with OME when evaluated by this innovative and semi objective TMM, testing pressures should be considered when assessing the results of TMM in OME patients.

PCR-sequencing is a complementary method to amplification refractory mutation system for EGFR gene mutation analysis in FFPE samples.

Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) is the most popular technology for EGFR gene mutation analysis in China. Cutoff Ct or ΔCt values were used to differentiate low mutation abundance cases from no mutation cases. In this study, all of 359 NSCLC samples were tested by ARMS. Seventeen samples with larger Ct or ΔCt than cutoff values were retested by PCR-sequencing. TKI treatment responses were monitored on the cases with ARMS negative and PCR-sequencing positive results. One exon 18 G719X case, 67 exon 19 deletion cases, 2 exon 20 insertion cases, 1 exon 20 T790M case, 60 exon 21 L858R cases, 5 exon 21 L861Q cases and 201 wild type cases were identified by ARMS. Another 22 cases were evaluated as wild type but had later amplification fluorescent curves. Seventeen out of these 22 cases were retested by PCR-sequencing. It turns out that 3 out of 3 cases with exon 19 deletion later amplifications, 2 out of 2 cases with L858R later amplifications and 4 out of 12 cases with T790M later amplifications were identified as mutation positive. Two cases with exon 19 deletion and L858R respectively were treated by TKI and got responses. Our study indicated that PCR-sequencing might be a complementary way to confirm ARMS results with later amplifications.