Effect of home-based virtual reality training and telerehabilitation on balance in individuals with Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: In the last decade, there is a growing interest in the use of virtual reality for rehabilitation in clinical and home settings. The aim of this systematic review is to do a summary of the current evidence on the effect of home-based virtual reality training and telerehabilitation on postural balance in individuals with central neurological disorders. METHODS: Literature was searched in PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of home-based virtual reality (VR) training and telerehabilitation (TR) on postural balance in patients with Parkinson's disease, Multiple sclerosis or stroke. Studies were imported to EndNote and Excel to perform two screening phases by four reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using PEDro scale and Cochrane assessment tool for risk of bias. Synthesis of the data on comparative outcomes was performed using RevMan software. RESULTS: Seven RCTs were included, with all three pathologies represented. VR and TR consisted of a training device (e.g., Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360) and a monitoring device (e.g., Skype or Microsoft Kinect). Five studies used the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for measuring postural balance. Across studies, there was an improvement in BBS scores over time in both experimental and control groups, and the effect remained at follow-up for both groups. However, there was no significant difference between  groups post-intervention (MD = 0.74, p = 0.45). CONCLUSION: Home-based VR and TR can be used as prolongation to conventional therapy.

High-Sensitive Cardiac Troponin T for Prediction of Cardiovascular Outcomes in Stable Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A 3-Year Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients, who are often excluded from cardiovascular (CV) clinical trials, are associated with higher CV morbidity and mortality. The risk stratification scheme for these patients is lacking. Therefore, this investigation examined the independent CV prognostic value of high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and added prognostic value over echocardiographic parameters and other clinical risk predictors in asymptomatic stable maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. METHODS: 181 patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing MHD were eligible from the dialysis center of Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between October 2017 and September 2018. These patients were followed until September 2020 or until death. The median follow-up was 31 (IQR: 21-33) months. Outcome measures were all-cause mortality, first fatal or nonfatal CV events (CVEs), and 4-point composite major adverse CVEs (MACE). We performed multivariable Cox regression analysis using demographic, clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic data to identify predictors of CV outcomes. We also evaluated the increased discriminative value associated with the addition of echocardiographic parameters and hs-cTnT using net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). RESULTS: During follow-up, 37 patients died, 84 patients suffered one or more CVEs, and 78 patients developed 4-point MACE. In univariable analyses, age, dialysis vintage, diastolic blood pressure, parathyroid hormone concentrations, hs-cTnT, B-type natriuretic peptide, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and E/E' predicted all end points. hs-cTnT remained a strong predictor for each end point in multivariate analysis, whereas LVMI and E/E' did not. The addition of hs-cTnT on top of clinical and echocardiographic variables was associated with improvements in reclassification for CVEs (NRI = 44.6% [15.9-74.3%], IDI = 15.9% [5.7-31.0%], all p < 0.001), all-cause mortality (NRI = 35.5% [10.1-50.2%], p < 0.001, IDI = 4.4% [1.3-8.5%], p = 0.005), and 4-point MACE (NRI = 47.2% [16.1-64.9%], p < 0.001, IDI = 16.9% [5.5-37.3%], p = 0.005). Adding echocardiographic variables on top of clinical variables and hs-cTnT was not associated with significant improvements in NRI and IDI (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that hs-cTnT is a powerful independent predictor of CV outcome and all-cause mortality in stable MHD patients. The additional use of echocardiography for improvement of risk stratification is not supported by our results.

Circ_0082182 promotes oncogenesis and metastasis of colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo by sponging miR-411 and miR-1205 to activate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of endogenous single-strand RNA transcripts with crucial regulation in human cancers. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of circ_0082182 in CRC and its specific functional mechanism. METHODS: The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure the levels of circ_0082182, microRNA-411 (miR-411) and microRNA-1205 (miR-1205). Cell proliferation was detected by Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used for determining cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Cell apoptosis was also assessed by caspase3 and caspase9 activities. Cell migration and invasion were examined using scratch assay and transwell assay. The interaction between circ_0082182 and miRNA was validated by the dual-luciferase reporter and biotinylated RNA pull-down assays. Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated proteins were quantified by Western blot. Xenograft model was established for the research of circ_0082182 in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_0082182 was upregulated in CRC and could predict the poor prognosis of CRC patients. Functionally, circ_0082182 promoted CRC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and metastasis while inhibited apoptosis. Subsequently, circ_0082182 was shown to act as the sponges of miR-411 and miR-1205. MiR-411 and miR-1205 were identified as tumor inhibitors in CRC. Furthermore, circ_0082182 promoted the CRC progression via sponging miR-411 and miR-1205. Moreover, circ_0082182 facilitated the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and EMT process by targeting miR-411 and miR-1205. In vivo, circ_0082182 accelerated the CRC tumorigenesis and EMT process by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway by downregulating the expression of miR-411 or miR-1205. CONCLUSION: This study showed that circ_0082182 functioned as an oncogene in the developing process of CRC by sponging miR-411 or miR-1205 to activate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Circ_0082182 might be a molecular target in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium pneumonia in a uremic patient on hemodialysis: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Even though enterococci can cause serious infections in multiple sites, they are a rare cause of pneumonia. We reported a uremic patient with vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE-fm) pneumonia, possibly related to epileptic seizures. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year old man with uremia on hemodialysis was admitted to the hospital with complaint of recurrent epileptic seizures, followed by a two-week history of recurrent fever and cough with purulent sputum. Chest CT demonstrated multiple exudation of both lungs. He was diagnosed as community acquired pneumonia. Despite antibiotic combination therapy, abnormal chest shadows aggravated. Sputum and blood cultures were initially negative, but later blood culture grew VRE-fm. We suspected aspiration of gastrointestinal content induced by epilepsy as the most likely mechanism. The patient was successfully treated with a four-week course of linezolid according to the antibiotic susceptibility testing. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should consider multi-drug resistant organisms such as VRE in uremic patients with pneumonia that fails to resolve with broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially in the cases with aspiration induced by epilepsy, immunocompromised conditions, and repeated or prolonged hospitalizations.

Effect of 650-nm low-level laser irradiation on c-Jun, c-Fos, ICAM-1, and CCL2 expression in experimental periodontitis.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of 650-nm low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) as an adjunctive treatment of experimental periodontitis. To investigate possible LLLI-mediated anti-inflammatory effects, we utilized an experimental periodontitis (EP) rat model and analyzed c-Jun, c-Fos, ICAM-1, and CCL2 gene expressions on PB leukocytes and in the gingival tissue. Total RNA was isolated from the gingivae and peripheral blood (PB) leukocytes of normal, EP, scaling, and root planing (SRP)-treated EP and LLLI + SRP-treated EP rats, and gene expressions were analyzed by real-time PCR. The productions of c-Jun, c-Fos, ICAM-1, and CCL2 in gingivae were analyzed immunohistochemically. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was used to determine osteoclast activity in alveolar bone. The c-Jun and ICAM-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were significantly decreased in the EP rat gingival tissue treated by SRP + LLLI than by SRP, the c-Jun, ICAM-1, and c-Fos mRNA levels on PB leukocytes reduced after LLLI treatment but did not show any significant differences in both groups. There was no significant difference in CCL2 mRNA levels on PB leukocytes and in gingivae between the SRP + LLLI and the SRP groups. The c-Fos mRNA levels in gingivae did not show significant difference in both groups. Immunohistochemistry showed that the CCL2, ICAM-1, c-Jun, and c-Fos productions were significantly reduced in rats of the SRP + LLLI group compared with the only SRP group. LLLI significantly decreased the number of osteoclasts as demonstrated by TRAP staining. The 650-nm LLLI might be a useful treatment modality for periodontitis.

Correction to: Effect of 650-nm low-level laser irradiation on c-Jun, c-Fos, ICAM-1, and CCL2 expression in experimental periodontitis.

After publication of our article [1] we realized that we had not acknowledged that some of the text overlaps with a previous publication [2]. We apologize to readers for this error.

EA15, MIR22, LINC00472 as diagnostic markers for diabetic kidney disease.

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and to explore new potential therapeutic strategies and biomarkers for DKD. First we analyzed the differentially expressed changes between patients with DKD and the control group using the chip data in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then the gene chip was subjected to be annotated again, so as to screen long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and study expression differences of these lncRNAs in DKD and controlled samples. At last, the function of the differential lncRNAs was analyzed. A total of 252 lncRNAs were identified, and 14 were differentially expressed. In addition, there were 1,629 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) genes, and proliferation and apoptosis adapter protein 15 (PEA15), MIR22, and long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 472 ( LINC00472) were significantly differentially expressed in DKD samples. Through functional analysis of the encoding genes coexpressed by the three lncRNAs, we found these genes were mainly enriched in type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease pathways, whereas in Gene Ontology (GO) function classification, they were also mainly enriched in the immune response, type I interferon signaling pathways, interferon-γ mediated signaling pathways, and so forth. To summary, we identified EA15, MIR22, and LINC00472 may serve as the potential diagnostic markers of DKD.

Specific expression network analysis of diabetic nephropathy kidney tissue revealed key methylated sites.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common and serious complication in diabetes patients. However, the evidences of gene regulation mechanism and epigenetic modification with DN remain unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to search regulating genes for early diagnosis on DN. We identified tissue specific genes through mining the gene expression omnibus (GEO) public database, enriched function by gene ontology (GO), and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis, and further compared tissue-specific network. Meanwhile, combining with differentially methylated sites, we explored the association epigenetic modification with the pathogenesis of DN. Glomeruli (Glom) may be the main tissue of signal recognition and tubulointerstitium (Tub) is mainly associated with energy metabolism in the occurrence of DN. By comparing tissue-specific networks between Glom and Tub, we screened 319 genes, which played an important role in multiple tissue on kidney. Among them, ANXA2, UBE2L6, MME, IQGAP, SLC7A7, and PLG played a key role in regulating the incidence of DN. Besides, we also identified 1 up-regulated gene (PIK3C2B) and 39 down-regulated genes (POLR2G, DDB1, and ZNF230, etc.) in the methylated data of Glom specific genes. In the Tub specific expressed genes, we identified two hypo-methylated genes (PPARA and GLS). Tub mainly caused abnormal energy metabolism, and Glom caused the changes in cell connections and histone modification. By analyzing differentially methylated sites and tissue-specific expressed genes, we found the change of methylated status about the core regulating genes may be a potential factor in the pathogenesis of DN.

Ternary nanocomposites of Au/CuS/TiO2 for an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

A novel and highly sensitive photoelectrochemical biosensor for the detection of glucose based on ternary nanocomposites of Au/CuS/TiO2 (Au/CuS/TiO2) has been fabricated. Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays (TiO2 NTs) were prepared by anodization of Ti foils, and CuS nanoparticles (NPs) and Au NPs were deposited on TiO2 NTs by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The resultant Au/CuS/TiO2 exhibited excellent photoelectrochemical behavior as a glucose sensor under white light illumination due to the remarkable photocatalytic capabilities of TiO2 and CuS, and the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of Au NPs. The fabricated Au/CuS/TiO2 non-enzymatic photoelectrochemical sensor showed brilliant catalytic activity, favourable selectivity, good reproducibility and long-term stability for glucose detection under optimized conditions. The linear range was 0.1-3 µM (R = 0.9942) with a detection limit of 0.03 µM (S/N = 3). Moreover, the proposed sensor detected glucose in human serum samples. Thus, Au/CuS/TiO2 appears to be a promising photocatalyst for a non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

Sensitive detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis based on magnetic capture and upconversion fluorescent identification with multifunctional nanospheres.

A specific and sensitive detection system was designed to detect Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major periodontal pathogen, in mixed bacterial fluids. This new detection system was based on the use of fluorescent and magnetic encoding nanospheres that were conjugated with monoclonal antibodies specific to P. gingivalis, thus enabling rapid detection of the target bacterium. This strategy simplifies the detection process and improves the sensitivity compared with conventional methods, with a detection limit of approximately 10 colony-forming units (CFU) ml(-1) . This new method shows strong anti-interference ability and excellent selectivity and specificity to detect P. gingivalis in mixed solutions.

Increased Expression of TNF-α Occurs Before the Development of Periodontitis Among Obese Chinese Children: A Potential Marker for Prediction and Prevention of Periodontitis.

PURPOSE: Because the relationship between childhood obesity and periodontal diseases has rarely been studied, this study investigated the potential association between obesity and periodontitis among Chinese school-age children and its underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The periodontal status of normal and obese Chinese children was examined and the expression of several inflammatory factors was compared between the normal and obese group. The periodontal status, including the sulcus bleeding index (SBI), plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing percentage (BOP%) and probing depth (PD) of normal and obese children was recorded. A correlation analysis between obesity degree and periodontitis was performed. The plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were examined using ELISA. RESULTS: No obvious correlation was observed between obesity and the four clinical periodontal indices SBI, PI, SBI and BOP% was observed, which is in contrast to the contribution of obesity to periodontitis in adults. However, the concentration of serum TNF-α was significantly elevated in the obese group (219.91 ± 24.57 pg/ml, n = 30) when compared with the normal group (169.31 ± 23.62 pg/ml, n = 23) (t = 2.844, p < 0.05), indicating that obesity still reinforces the inflammation responses in the periodontium. CONCLUSION: Among the Chinese school-age children, obesity leads to the accumulation of TNF-α in the gingival crevicular fluid, which occurs much earlier than and may contribute to the development of periodontitis associated with obesity.

A novel electrochemical sensor based on zirconia/ordered macroporous polyaniline for ultrasensitive detection of pesticides.

A simple and mild strategy was proposed to develop a novel electrochemical sensor based on zirconia/ordered macroporous polyaniline (ZrO2/OMP) and further used for the detection of methyl parathion (MP), one of the organophosphate pesticides (OPPs). Due to the strong affinity of phosphate groups with ZrO2 and the advantages of OMP such as high catalytic activity and good conductivity, the developed sensor showed a limit of detection as low as 2.28 × 10(-10) mol L(-1) (S/N = 3) by square-wave voltammograms, and good selectivity, acceptable reproducibility and stability. Most importantly, this novel sensor was successfully applied to detect MP in real samples of apple and cabbage. It is expected that this method has potential applications in electrochemical sensing platforms with simple, sensitive, selective and fast analysis.

Evaluation of bi-directional causal association between periodontitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia: epidemiological studies and two-sample mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Periodontitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are all common chronic diseases with higher incidence in middle-aged and old men. Several studies have indicated a potential association between periodontitis and BPH, although the findings remain inconclusive. However, there is no mendelian randomization (MR) studies to assess this association. Methods: The 40 men who had received health check-ups were included in an epidemiological study. Genetic data of BPH (13118 cases and 72799 controls) and periodontitis (3046 cases and 195395 controls) from FinnGen project was used to perform two-sample MR analysis. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) model was identified as the primary analytical method, with MR Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode serving as additional approaches. Results: The epidemiological analysis demonstrated a lack of statistically significant differences in the prevalence of clinical BPH between severe periodontitis group and non-severe periodontitis group. Similarly, no statistically significant differences were found in the prevalence of severe periodontitis among individuals with clinical BPH compared to those without. Additionally, Among the five models utilized in MR analysis, including the IVW model, no evidence of a causal link between periodontitis and BPH was observed. Conclusion: The findings from our epidemiological investigation and MR analysis do not provide support for a causal relationship between periodontitis and BPH.

Distinct effects of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbes on invader Ageratina adenophora during its early life stages.

Microbes strongly affect invasive plant growth. However, how phyllosphere and rhizosphere soil microbes distinctively affect seedling mortality and growth of invaders across ontogeny under varying soil nutrient levels remains unclear. In this study, we used the invader Ageratina adenophora to evaluate these effects. We found that higher proportions of potential pathogens were detected in core microbial taxa in leaf litter than rhizosphere soil and thus leaf inoculation had more adverse effects on seed germination and seedling survival than soil inoculation. Microbial inoculation at different growth stages altered the microbial community and functions of seedlings, and earlier inoculation had a more adverse effect on seedling survival and growth. The soil nutrient level did not affect microbe-mediated seedling growth and the relative abundance of the microbial community and functions involved in seedling growth. The effects of some microbial genera on seedling survival are distinct from those on growth. Moreover, the A. adenophora seedling-killing effects of fungal strains isolated from dead seedlings by non-sterile leaf inoculation exhibited significant phylogenetic signals, by which strains of Allophoma and Alternaria generally caused high seedling mortality. Our study stresses the essential role of A. adenophora litter microbes in population establishment by regulating seedling density and growth.

Functionalized PLGA Microsphere Loaded with Fusion Peptide for Therapy of Bone Defects.

The challenges in the treatment of extensive bone defects are infection control and bone regeneration. Bone tissue engineering is currently one of the most promising strategies. In this study, a short biopeptide with specific osteogenic ability is designed by fusion peptide technology and encapsulated with chitosan-modified poly(lactic acid-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres. The fusion peptide (FP) mainly consists of an osteogenic functional sequence (P-15) and a bone-specific binding sequence (Asp-6), which can regulate bone formation accurately and efficiently. Chitosan-modified PLGA with antimicrobial and pro-healing effects is used to achieve the sustained release of fusion peptides. In the early stage, the antimicrobial and soft tissue healing effects can stop the wound infection as soon as possible, which is relevant for the subsequent bone regeneration process. Our data show that CS-PLGA@FP microspheres have antibacterial and pro-cell migration effects in vitro and excellent pro-wound-healing effects in vivo. In addition, CS-PLGA@FP microspheres promote the expression of osteogenic-related factors and show excellent bone regeneration in a rat defect model. Therefore, CS-PLGA@FP microspheres are an efficient biomaterial that can accelerate the recovery of bone defects.

[Therapeutic efficacy of salbutamol and dexamethasone added into whole lung lavage fluid in patients with pneumoconiosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of salbutamol and dexamethasone added into large-volume whole lung lavage (WLL) fluid in patients with pneumoconiosis. METHODS: A total of 176 patients with pneumoconiosis were randomly divided into control group (n=86) and treatment group (n=90). The control group received WLL with 0.9% sodium chloride solution, while for the treatment group, salbutamol and dexamethasone were added into the WLL fluid for both lungs at the 1st and 4th WLLs.Before and after WLL, the pulmonary wheezing, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (Pa02), peak airway pressure(Pa peak), amount of intrapulmonary residual fluid, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEVw) (72 h later),diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO ), and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured for comparison between the two groups. RESULTS: After WLL, the treatment group had a significantly lower detection rate of pulmonary wheezing than the control group ( 13.3% vs 29.1 %, x2=5.028, ?=0.025), and the control group had a significantly higher incidence rate of pulmonary wheezing than the treatment group (21.8% vs 3.7%, 0R=5.423,95%CI 2.036-9.568 ). Compared with the control group, the treatment group had significantly higher Pa02 and significantly lower Pa peak and amount of intrapulmonary residual fluid (t =2.163 -4.132, P<0.05) and significantly higher FEV1, DLCO, and FVC (t=1.986-2.345, P<0.05) after WLL. CONCLUSION: Salbutamol and dexamethasone added into large-volume WLL fluid may effectively alleviate bronchial spasm, reduce hypoxemia, and decrease Pa peak in patients with pneumoconiosis, thus promoting lung function recovery after WLL.

Assembly and Function of Seed Endophytes in Response to Environmental Stress.

Seeds are colonized by diverse microorganisms that can improve the growth and stress resistance of host plants. Although understanding the mechanisms of plant endophyte-host plant interactions is increasing, much of this knowledge does not come from seed endophytes, particularly under environmental stress that the plant host grows to face, including biotic (e.g., pathogens, herbivores and insects) and abiotic factors (e.g., drought, heavy metals and salt). In this article, we first provided a framework for the assembly and function of seed endophytes and discussed the sources and assembly process of seed endophytes. Following that, we reviewed the impact of environmental factors on the assembly of seed endophytes. Lastly, we explored recent advances in the growth promotion and stress resistance enhancement of plants, functioning by seed endophytes under various biotic and abiotic stressors.

A Bone Targeting Nanoparticle Loaded OGP to Restore Bone Homeostasis for Osteoporosis Therapy.

Restoring bone homeostasis is the key to the treatment of osteoporosis. How to increase osteogenic ability or inhibit osteoclast activity has always been a topic of great concern. In recent years, short peptides with biological activity have received great attention in bone repair. However, the application of short peptides is still limited due to the lack of a stable and targeted delivery system. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles modified by alendronate (AL) to transport osteogenic peptides (OGP) (AL-PLGA@P NPs) are designed. Benefiting from the high affinity of AL for hydroxyapatite, AL-PLGA@P NPs have the ability to target bone. In this delivery system, OGP that promotes osteogenesis synergizes with AL, which inhibits osteoclasts, to regulate bone homeostasis, which gives them more advantages in the treatment of osteoporosis. The data shows that nanoparticles can selectively deliver peptides to the bone surface without systemic toxicity. Moreover, nanoparticles can upregulate osteogenesis-related factors (ALP, Runx-2, and BMP2) and downregulate osteoclast-related factors (TRAP and CTSK) in vitro. With AL-PLGA@P NPs, bone microarchitecture and bone mass are improved in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats. Therefore, this study proposes a novel osteoporosis-based drug system that effectively improves bone density.

A Comparative Study of Temporomandibular Joints in Adults with Definite Sleep Bruxism on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Cone-Beam Computer Tomography Images.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the imaging characteristics of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of definite sleep bruxers through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT). METHODS: Nineteen definite sleep bruxers diagnosed by polysomnography and twenty asymptomatic non-bruxers matched by age, gender, and education level participated in this study. After obtaining MRI and CBCT images of all TMJs of the subjects, evaluation and measurement were conducted, respectively. The analyzed parameters included disc position, disc configuration, joint effusion (JE), joint space or condyle position, and condylar bony changes. RESULTS: Of the 38 joints in the study group, disc deformity and disc displacement of TMJs were both 57.9% when the mouth was closed, and 76.3% showed condylar bony changes, while when the mouth was open, 82% of all TMJs showed physiological biconcave discs. Comparison of joint space revealed that the anterior space was larger in the study group. There was no significant difference between the mild and the moderate to severe sleep bruxism subgroups in the changes of TMJ. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that a higher prevalence of disc deformity, disc displacement, JE, and condylar bony changes occurred in temporomandibular joints of sleep bruxers. These changes were not related to the severity of sleep bruxism.

Histatin 1-modified SIS hydrogels enhance the sealing of peri-implant mucosa to prevent peri-implantitis.

Dental implants make it possible to replace teeth in more sophisticated ways. Nevertheless, peri-implantitis is one of the leading causes of implant failure, which can be avoided with proper soft tissue sealing. The aim of this study was to achieve the promotion of the synthesis of peri-implant epithelial hemidesmosome through Histatin 1 and porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) hydrogel to form a good peri-implant seal. The results show that hydrogel can improve the biological barrier function around implants by combining antibacterial, promoting soft tissue healing and promoting epithelial bonding. This means that the morphology and anti-infection ability of soft tissue are enhanced, which ensures the long-term stability of the implant.SIS-Hst1 hydrogel has certain clinical application in the prevention and early treatment of peri-implantitis. In conclusion, Hst1-SIS hydrogel, as a local administration system, provides experimental evidence for the prevention of peri-implant disease.