Spatial variability and source analysis of soil heavy metals: A case study of the key planting area of special agricultural products in Cangxi County, China.

Heavy metal pollution in farmland soil represents a considerable risk to ecosystems and human health, constituting a global concern. Focusing on a key area for the cultivation of special agricultural products in Cangxi County, we collected 228 surface soil samples. We analyzed the concentration, spatial distribution, and pollution levels of six heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn, and Hg) in the soil. Moreover, we investigated the sources and contribution rates of these heavy metals using Principal Component Analysis/Absolute Principal Component Scores (PCA/APCS) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) models. Our findings indicate that none of the six metals exceeded the pollution thresholds for farmland soils. However, the mean concentrations of Cr and Ni surpassed the background levels of Sichuan Province. A moderate spatial correlation existed between Pb and Ni, attributable to both natural and anthropogenic factors, whereas Zn, Cu, Hg, and Cr displayed a strong spatial correlation, mainly due to natural factors. The spatial patterns of Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Ni were similar, with higher concentrations in the northern and eastern regions and lower concentrations centrally. Hg's spatial distribution differed, exhibiting a broader range of lower values. The single pollution index evaluation showed that Cr and Ni were low pollution, and the other elements were no pollution. The average value of comprehensive pollution index is 0.994, and the degree of pollution is close to light pollution. Predominantly, higher pollution levels in the northern and eastern regions, lower around reservoirs. The PCA/APCS model identified two main pollution sources: agricultural traffic mixed source (65.2%) and natural parent source (17.2%). The PMF model delineated three sources: agricultural activities (32.59%), transportation (30.64%), and natural parent sources (36.77%). Comparatively, the PMF model proved more accurate and reliable, yielding findings more aligned with the study area's actual conditions.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of fluoride varnish application in preventing Root caries in elderly persons: a Markov simulation study.

BACKGROUND: Root caries are prevalent issues that affect dental health, particularly among elderly individuals with exposed root surfaces. Fluoride therapy has shown effectiveness in preventing root caries, but limited studies have addressed its cost-effectiveness in elderly persons population. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a fluoride treatment program for preventing root caries in elderly persons within the context of Chinese public healthcare. METHODS: A Markov simulation model was adopted for the cost-effectiveness analysis in a hypothetical scenario from a healthcare system perspective. A 60-year-old subject with 23 teeth was simulated for 20 years. A 5% sodium fluoride varnish treatment was compared with no preventive intervention in terms of effectiveness and cost. Tooth years free of root caries were set as the effect. Transition probabilities were estimated from the data of a community-based cohort and published studies, and costs were based on documents published by the government. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to evaluate cost-effectiveness. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of data uncertainty. RESULTS: Fluoride treatment was more effective (with a difference of 10.20 root caries-free tooth years) but also more costly (with a difference of ¥1636.22). The ICER was ¥160.35 per root caries-free tooth year gained. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the risk ratio of root caries in the fluoride treatment group influenced the result most. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, fluoride treatment was cost-effective in 70.5% of the simulated cases. CONCLUSIONS: Regular 5% sodium fluoride varnish application was cost-effective for preventing root caries in the elderly persons in most scenarios with the consideration of data uncertainty, but to a limited extent. Improved public dental health awareness may reduce the incremental cost and make the intervention more cost-effective. Overall, the study shed light on the economic viability and impact of such preventive interventions, providing a scientific basis for dental care policies and healthcare resource allocation.

UTX inhibition suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis in patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells by modulating periostin expression.

Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) exert a crucial influence on glioblastoma (GBM) development, progression, resistance to therapy, and recurrence, making them an attractive target for drug discovery. UTX, a histone H3K27 demethylase, participates in regulating multiple cancer types. However, its functional role in GSCs remains insufficiently explored. This study aims to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of UTX on GSCs. Analysis of TCGA data revealed heightened UTX expression in glioma, inversely correlating with overall survival. Inhibiting UTX suppressed GBM cell growth and induced apoptosis. Subsequently, we cultured primary GSCs from three patients, observing that UTX inhibition suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. RNA-seq was performed to analyze the gene expression changes after silencing UTX in GSCs. The results indicated that UTX-mediated genes were strongly correlated with GBM progression and regulatory tumor microenvironment. The transwell co-cultured experiment showed that silencing UTX in the transwell chamber GSCs inhibited the well plate cell proliferation. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed that periostin (POSTN) played a role in the UTX-mediated transcriptional regulatory network. Replenishing POSTN reversed the effects of UTX inhibition on GSC proliferation and apoptosis. Our study demonstrated that UTX inhibition hindered POSTN expression by enhancing the H3K27me2/3 level, eventually resulting in inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis of patient-derived GSCs. Our findings may provide a novel and effective strategy for the treatment of GBM.

Optical and Structural Properties of Aluminum Nitride Epi-Films at Room and High Temperature.

The high-quality aluminum nitride (AlN) epilayer is the key factor that directly affects the performance of semiconductor deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photoelectronic devices. In this work, to investigate the influence of thickness on the quality of the AlN epilayer, two AlN-thick epi-film samples were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates. The optical and structural characteristics of AlN films are meticulously examined by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a dual-beam ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). It has been found that the quality of AlN can be controlled by adjusting the AlN film thickness. The phenomenon, in which the thicker AlNn film exhibits lower dislocations than the thinner one, demonstrates that thick AlN epitaxial samples can work as a strain relief layer and, in the meantime, help significantly bend the dislocations and decrease total dislocation density with the thicker epi-film. The Urbach's binding energy and optical bandgap (Eg) derived by optical transmission (OT) and SE depend on crystallite size, crystalline alignment, and film thickness, which are in good agreement with XRD and SEM results. It is concluded that under the treatment of thickening film, the essence of crystal quality is improved. The bandgap energies of AlN samples obtained from SE possess larger values and higher accuracy than those extracted from OT. The Bose-Einstein relation is used to demonstrate the bandgap variation with temperature, and it is indicated that the thermal stability of bandgap energy can be improved with an increase in film thickness. It is revealed that when the thickness increases to micrometer order, the thickness has little effect on the change of Eg with temperature.

[Investigation and analysis of the current situation of dental technical professionals in Shanghai medical institutions].

PURPOSE: To investigate the current situation of dental technical personnel team in medical institutions in Shanghai, and to provide reference for the construction of dental technical discipline and development of dental personnel team in the National Center for Stomatology (Shanghai). METHODS: Random sample questionnaire and expert interviews were used to find out the awareness, satisfaction and improvement suggestions of dental technicians among physicians, nursing and medical technicians in medical institutions in Shanghai. RESULTS: Among the positions engaged in by dental technicians, dental prosthetic technician, dental radiology technician and laboratory technician were the three most important positions at present, 62.3% of doctors and nurses were satisfied with the work of dental technicians, while 56.2% of dental medical technicians were generally or relatively unsatisfied with their current work. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to increase training and education opportunities for dental technicians, improve the talent echelon, introduce high-level talents, improve the working environment and treatment, broaden promotion channels, strengthen communication and exchange with medical care, and build a first-class medical technical personnel team that is compatible with the clinical level of stomatology.

Leptin Promotes the Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells through the Cooperative Action of MAPK/ERK1/2, JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathways.

The potential of neural stem cells (NSCs) for neurological disorders the treatment has relied in large part upon identifying the NSCs fate decision. The hormone leptin has been reported to be a crucial regulator of brain development, able to influence the glial and neural development, yet, the underlying mechanism of leptin acting on NSCs' biological characteristics is still poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the role of leptin in the biological properties of NSCs. In this study, we investigate the possibility that leptin may regulate the NSCs' fate decision, which may promote the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs and thus act positively in neurological disorders. NSCs from the embryonic cerebral cortex were used in this study. We used CCK-8 assay, ki67 immunostaining, and FACS analysis to confirm that 25-100 ng/mL leptin promotes the proliferation of NSCs in a concentration-dependent pattern. This change was accompanied by the upregulation of p-AKT and p-ERK1/2, which are the classical downstream signaling pathways of leptin receptors b (LepRb). Inhibition of PI3K/AKT or MAPK/ERK signaling pathways both abolished the effect of leptin-induced proliferation. Moreover, leptin also enhanced the directed neuronal differentiation of NSCs. A blockade of the PI3K/AKT pathway reversed leptin-stimulated neurogenesis, while a blockade of JAK2/STAT3 had no effect on it. Taken together, our results support a role for leptin in regulating the fate of NSCs differentiation and promoting NSCs proliferation, which could be a promising approach for brain repair via regulating the biological characteristics of NSCs.

Association between oral health and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: the Taizhou imaging study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the association between oral health and cognitive function in a sample of older adults from a Chinese rural community. METHODS: The cross-sectional cognitive function of 677 individuals were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A comprehensive profile of the oral health status was evaluated by questionnaire and clinical examination. RESULTS: Multiple covariates-adjusted regression models demonstrated decayed teeth (DT) and decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT) were negatively associated with MoCA score (all p < 0.05). Calculus index (CI) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were significantly associated with the lower MoCA, short-term memory and executive function score, respectively (all p < 0.05). Additionally, participants with missing teeth unrestored tend to get lower MMSE and MoCA scores (p < 0.05). The results also showed that increased DT and CI were modestly associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between oral health and global cognition. Poor periodontal status was strongly associated with worse global cognition performance, especially in the short-term memory and executive domain for the aging population.

Low-dose nalmefene pretreatment reduces etomidate-induced myoclonus: A randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study compared the effectiveness of nalmefene and fentanyl in reducing the incidence and severity of etomidate-induced myoclonus. METHODS: One hundred fifty patients were randomized to receive 0.25ug/kg of nalmefene, 1ug/kg of fentanyl, or the same volume of normal saline 3 minutes prior to etomidate-induced anesthesia. The primary observational indexes were the severity level and incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus, and the secondary observational index included blood pressure, heart rate, and the incidence of adverse effects from anesthesia induction to resuscitation, such as cough, chest wall rigidity, dizziness, nausea, pain after awakening, and intraoperative awareness. RESULTS: The incidence of myoclonus was significantly lower in the nalmefene group (8.0%) than in the fentanyl group (32.0%) (P = .003) and in the normal saline group (72.0%) (P = .000). The severity level of myoclonus in the nalmefene group was significantly lower than the fentanyl group (P = .001) and normal saline group (P = .000). Meanwhile, the incidences of cough and chest wall rigidity during anesthesia induction were significantly lower in the nalmefene group compared with the fentanyl group (P = .003, P = .027). There were no statistically significant differences in heart rate and mean arterial pressure among the 3 gruops (P > .05). There was no difference in the incidence of adverse effects among the 3 groups during recovery from anesthesia (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Intravenous injection of 0.25ug/kg of nalmefene 3 minutes prior to etomidate is more effective in preventing etomidate-induced myoclonus during general anesthesia than 1ug/kg of fentanyl.

Efficacy of Arthroscopic Discopexy on Condylar Growth in Temporomandibular Joint Anterior Disc Displacement: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) anterior disc displacement (ADD) frequently develop dentofacial deformities. It is unknown if adjunctive arthroscopic discopexy compared to orthodontic treatment alone increases condylar growth and then improves dentofacial deformity. This study aimed to determine whether arthroscopic discopexy before functional appliance (joint-occlusal treatment) or single functional appliance (occlusal treatment) increases condylar growth and improves dentofacial deformity among adolescents with TMJ ADD. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, parallel controlled trial was conducted in three centers in China. Adolescents diagnosed with TMJ ADD and dentofacial deformity were enrolled. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to a joint-occlusal group or occlusal group at a ratio of 2:1. MRI, cephalometric radiographs were evaluated at baseline, 8 months and 14 months. The primary outcome was changes in condylar height from 14 months to baseline. Secondary outcomes were changes in skeletal position. RESULTS: A total of 240 patients (14.65±1.88 years of age) were randomized (joint-occlusal group: 160; occlusal group: 80). The overall difference in condylar height between groups was 3.65 mm (95% CI, 3.10 to 4.19; p < 0.001). The between-group differences in condylar height on the left and right sides were 3.60 mm (95% CI, 2.92 to 4.28; p < 0.001) and 3.69 mm (95% CI, 3.06 to 4.32; p < 0.001), respectively. Significant between-group differences were noted in skeletal position (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Joint-occlusal treatment can promote condylar growth and improve dentofacial deformity in adolescents after 14 months when compared with single occlusal treatment.

Microglia-Astrocyte Interaction in Neural Development and Neural Pathogenesis.

The interaction between microglia and astrocytes exhibits a relatively balanced state in order to maintain homeostasis in the healthy central nervous system (CNS). Disease stimuli alter microglia-astrocyte interaction patterns and elicit cell-type-specific responses, resulting in their contribution to various pathological processes. Here, we review the similarities and differences in the activation modes between microglia and astrocytes in various scenarios, encompassing different stages of neural development and a wide range of neural disorders. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of their roles in neural development and regeneration and guiding new strategies for restoring CNS homeostasis.

Synergistic effect of electrolyzed water generated by sodium chloride combined with dimethyl dicarbonate for inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on lettuce.

BACKGROUND: Electrolyzed water (EW) is recognized as an effective way to control and reduce pathogens in vegetables. However, the disinfection efficacy of EW alone is limited. In this work, the bactericidal activity and biofilm removal capability of EW, generated by adding NaCl to a portable EW generator, were investigated with special reference to Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, the impact of EW in combination with dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) in reducing the microbial load and improving the overall quality of lettuce during refrigerated storage was evaluated. RESULTS: EW with 0.3% NaCl (SEW) had the highest bactericidal activity against L. monocytogenes. The pathogen treated with SEW exhibited lower superoxide dismutase activity and more leakage of proteins and nucleic acids than in the case of EW. Furthermore, the use of SEW resulted in changes in the cell permeability and morphology of L. monocytogenes. A decrease in adhesion and collapse of the biofilm architecture were also observed, indicating that SEW was more effective for inactivating L. monocytogenes cells compared to EW. For untreated lettuce, the populations of the total plate count and inoculated L. monocytogenes decreased by 2.47 and 2.35 log CFU g-1 , respectively, after the combined SEW/DMDC treatment for 3 min. The use of SEW alone or combined with DMDC did not negatively impact the lettuce color values, titratable acid, ascorbic acid and soluble solids compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: SEW in combination with DMDC can be used as a novel and potentially effective disinfection strategy for ensuring the safety of vegetable consumption. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

3D Bioprinting of Neurovascular Tissue Modeling with Collagen-Based Low-Viscosity Composites.

In vitro neurovascular unit (NVU) models are valuable for investigating brain functions and developing drugs. However, it remains challenging to recapitulate the native architectural features and ultra-soft extracellular matrix (ECM) properties of the natural NVU. Cell-laden bioprinting is promising to prepare complex living tissues, but hard to balance the fidelity and cell growth. This study proposes a novel two-stage methodology for biomanufacturing functional 3D neurovascular constructs in vitro with low modulus of ECM. At the shaping stage, a low-viscosity alginate/collagen is printed through an embedded approach; at the culturing stage, the alginate is removed through targeted lysing. The low-viscosity and rapid crosslinking properties provide a printing resolution of ≈10 µm, and the lysis processing can decrease the hydrogels' modulus to ≈1 kPa and adjust the porosity of the microstructure, providing cells with an environment closing to the brain ECM. A 3D hollow coaxial neurovascular model is fabricated, in which the endothelial cells has expressed tight junction proteins and shown selective permeability, and the astrocytes outside of the endothelial layer are found to spread out with branches and directly interact with endothelial cells. The present study offers a promising modeling method for better understanding the NVU function and screening neuro-drugs.

CCN3/NOV Regulates Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation in Mouse Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells via the Activation of the Notch/PTEN/AKT Pathway.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the subgranular zone (SGZ) throughout the lifespan and hold immense potential for the repair and regeneration of the central nervous system, including hippocampal-related diseases. Several studies have demonstrated that cellular communication network protein 3 (CCN3) regulates multiple types of stem cells. However, the role of CCN3 in NSCs remains unknown. In this study, we identified CCN3 expression in mouse hippocampal NSCs and observed that supplementing CCN3 improved cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, in vivo results showed that the injection of CCN3 in the dentate gyrus (DG) increased Ki-67- and SOX2-positive cells while decreasing neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (Tuj1) and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells. Consistently with the in vivo results, supplementing CCN3 in the medium increased the number of BrdU and Ki-67 cells and the proliferation index but decreased the number of Tuj1 and DCX cells. Conversely, both the in vivo and in vitro knockdown of the Ccn3 gene in NSCs had opposite effects. Further investigations revealed that CCN3 promoted cleaved Notch1 (NICD) expression, leading to the suppression of PTEN expression and eventual promotion of AKT activation. In contrast, Ccn3 knockdown inhibited the activation of the Notch/PTEN/AKT pathway. Finally, the effects of changes in CCN3 protein expression on NSC proliferation and differentiation were eliminated by FLI-06 (a Notch inhibitor) and VO-OH (a PTEN inhibitor). Our findings imply that while promoting proliferation, CCN3 inhibits the neuronal differentiation of mouse hippocampal NSCs and that the Notch/PTEN/AKT pathway may be a potential intracellular target of CCN3. Our findings may help develop strategies to enhance the intrinsic potential for brain regeneration after injuries, particularly stem cell treatment for hippocampal-related diseases.

Novel Claw-shaped Bone Plate in Complex Unstable Scapular Neck and Body Fractures: Comparison with Reconstruction Locking Plate.

OBJECTIVE: For complex and unstable scapular fractures requiring simultaneous fixation of the glenoid neck, the lateral margin of the body, and/or the scapular diaphysis, reconstruction locking plate is difficult to achieve satisfactory fixation. In order to optimize the fixation effect, the newly designed claw-shaped bone plate was designed for fixing such fractures. We also evaluate the clinical effects and follow-up at an average of 1 year after treatment in scapular internal fixation by using reconstruction locking plate and claw-shaped bone plate in complex unstable scapular body and glenoid neck fracture. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted from 2018 to 2021, thirty-three patients (27 males and six females) who were defined unstable scapular fractures by Ada-Miller. Fifteen patients (52.86 ± 8.26 years) received claw-shaped bone plate and 18 cases (51.61 ± 11.31 years) received reconstruction locking plate with the intermuscular approach. The clinical effect was evaluated based on the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, surgical complications, clinical healing time and Constant-Murley score (CMS). The data analysis by Student t, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson's chi squared test. RESULTS: Compared with reconstruction locking plate, the claw-shaped bone plate showed shorter operation time (102.73 ± 18.43 min vs. 156 ± 37.53, P < 0.0001), higher CMS (94.00 ± 4.07 vs. 89.88 ± 5.42, P = 0.02) and no differences between the two groups regarding intraoperative blood loss (208.00 ± 96.45 mL vs. 269.44 ± 120.21, P = 0.12) and clinical healing times (9.96 ± 1.52 vs. 10.05 ± 1.67, P = 0.87). Follow-up were conducted at first, third, 6 and 12 months after surgery. The operation was successful in all patients with no intraoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of complex and unstable scapular neck body fractures, the application of claw-shaped bone plate demonstrated short operation time, better stability of the fracture block, and higher CMS. In the intraoperative and postoperative follow-up showed better clinical results and rehabilitation effects.

Research Progress of Polydopamine Hydrogel in the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Diseases.

Oral diseases represent one of the most prevalent diseases globally and are associated with serious health and economic burdens, greatly altering the quality of life of affected individuals. Various biomaterials play important roles in the treatment of oral diseases. To some extent, the development of biomaterials has promoted progress in clinically available oral medicines. Hydrogels have unique tunable advantages that make them useful in the next generation of regenerative strategies and have been widely applied in both oral soft and hard tissues repair. However, most hydrogels lack self-adhesive properties, which may result in low repair efficacy. Polydopamine (PDA), the primary adhesive component, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. PDA-modified hydrogels exhibit reliable and suitable adherence to tissues and easily integrate into tissues to promote repair efficiency. This paper reviews the latest research progress on PDA hydrogels and elaborates on the mechanism of the reaction between PDA functional groups and hydrogels, and summarizes the biological properties and the applications of PDA hydrogels in the prevention and treatment of the field of oral diseases. It is also proposed that in future research we should simulate the complex microenvironment of the oral cavity as much as possible, coordinate and plan various biological events rationally, and realize the translation from scientific research to clinical practice.

Voluntary Exercise to Reduce Anxiety Behaviour in Traumatic Brain Injury Shown to Alleviate Inflammatory Brain Response in Mice.

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of neuroinflammation and anxiety disorders in young adults. Immune-targeted therapies have garnered attention for the amelioration of TBI-induced anxiety. A previous study has indicated that voluntary exercise intervention following TBI could reduce neuroinflammation. It is essential to determine the effects of voluntary exercise after TBI on anxiety via inhibiting neuroinflammatory response. Mice were randomly divided into four groups (sham, TBI, sham + voluntary wheel running (VWR), and TBI + VWR). One-week VWR was carried out on the 2nd day after trauma. The neurofunction of TBI mice was assessed. Following VWR, anxiety behavior was evaluated, and neuroinflammatory responses in the perilesional cortex were investigated. Results showed that after one week of VWR, neurofunctional recovery was enhanced, while the anxiety behavior of TBI mice was significantly alleviated. The level of pro-inflammatory factors decreased, and the level of anti-inflammatory factors elevated. Activation of nucleotide oligomerization domain-like thermal receptor protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was inhibited significantly. All these alterations were consistent with reduced microglial activation at the perilesional site and positively correlated with the amelioration of anxiety behavior. This suggested that timely rehabilitative exercise could be a useful therapeutic strategy for anxiety resulting from TBI by targeting neuroinflammation.

The kinase inhibitory region of SOCS3 attenuates reactive astrogliosis and astroglial scar in mice after traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to reactive astrogliosis that impedes neural repair/regeneration. It has been proven that SOCS3 attenuates astrocyte activation by inhibiting the JAK2-STAT3 pathway. However, whether the kinase inhibitory region (KIR) of SOCS3 can be directly applied to mediate astrocyte activation after TBI is not clear. The present study aimed at investigating the inhibitory effect of KIR on reactive astrogliosis and its potential neuroprotection after TBI insult. For this purpose, A TBI model was developed by the free impact of heavy objects in adult mice. KIR was linked to the TAT peptide (TAT-KIR) to facilitate cell membrane penetration and intracranially injected into the cerebral cortex adjacent to the TBI lesion. Then reactive astrogliosis, activity of JAK2-STAT3 pathway, neuron loss, and function deficit were observed. Our results showed a decrease in neuron loss and an improvement in neural function. Meanwhile, Intracranial injection of TAT-KIR in TBI mice demonstrated a reduction of GFAP-positive astrocytes as well as C3/GFAP double-labeled A1 reactive astrocytes. Western blot analysis illustrated that the activity of the JAK2-STAT3 pathway was significantly inhibited by TAT-KIR. We conclude that exogenous treatment TAT-KIR, through suppression of JAK2-STAT3 activity, inhibits TBI -induced reactive astrogliosis induced, thereby alleviating the loss of neurons and relieving the neural function deficit. This investigation suggests that TAT-KIR could be a potential therapeutic strategy for enhancing neural regeneration following.

Metformin attenuates sevoflurane-induced neurogenesis damage and cognitive impairment: involvement of the Nrf2/G6PD pathway.

Anesthetics such as sevoflurane are commonly administered to infants and children. However, the possible neurotoxicity caused by prolonged or repetitive exposure to it should be a concern. The neuroprotective effects of metformin are observed in many models of neurological disorders. In this study, we investigated whether metformin could reduce the developmental neurotoxicity induced by sevoflurane exposure in neonatal rats and the potential mechanism. Postnatal day 7 (PND 7) Sprague-Dawley rats and neural stem cells (NSCs) were treated with normal saline or metformin before sevoflurane exposure. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to observe spatial memory and learning at PND 35-42. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus at PND 14. MTT assays, immunofluorescence staining, and TUNEL staining were used to assess the viability, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of NSCs. Western blotting and ELISA were used to assess the protein expression of cleaved caspase-3, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) pathway-related molecules. Exposure to sevoflurane resulted in late cognitive defects, impaired neurogenesis in both the SVZ and SGZ, reduced NSC viability and proliferation, increased NSC apoptosis, and decreased protein expression of G6PD in vitro. Metformin pretreatment attenuated sevoflurane-induced cognitive functional decline and neurogenesis inhibition. Metformin pretreatment also increased the protein expression of Nrf2 and G6PD. However, treatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor, ML385 or the G6PD inhibitor, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reversed the protective effect of metformin on sevoflurane-induced NSC damage in vitro. Our findings suggested that metformin could reduce sevoflurane-induced neurogenesis damage and neurocognitive defects in the developing rat brain by influencing the Nrf2/G6PD signaling pathways.

Structural, Surface and Optical Studies of m- and c-Face AlN Crystals Grown by Physical Vapor Transport Method.

Bulk aluminum nitride (AlN) crystals with different polarities were grown by physical vapor transport (PVT). The structural, surface, and optical properties of m-plane and c-plane AlN crystals were comparatively studied by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent Raman measurements showed that the Raman shift and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the E2 (high) phonon mode of the m-plane AlN crystal were larger than those of the c-plane AlN crystal, which would be correlated with the residual stress and defects in the AlN samples, respectively. Moreover, the phonon lifetime of the Raman-active modes largely decayed and its line width gradually broadened with the increase in temperature. The phonon lifetime of the Raman TO-phonon mode was changed less than that of the LO-phonon mode with temperature in the two crystals. It should be noted that the influence of inhomogeneous impurity phonon scattering on the phonon lifetime and the contribution to the Raman shift came from thermal expansion at a higher temperature. In addition, the trend of stress with increasing 1000/temperature was similar for the two AlN samples. As the temperature increased from 80 K to ~870 K, there was a temperature at which the biaxial stress of the samples transformed from compressive to tensile stress, while their certain temperature was different.

Personality and psychological profile for patients with and without halitosis: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the personalities, social avoidance and distress, and anxiety status of Chinese patients with and without objective halitosis, and investigate the association among these psychological disorders. METHODS: Patients who complained of bad breath and diagnosed with objective halitosis were enrolled into the halitosis group, while patients without objective halitosis were enrolled into the control group. The questionnaires included the sociodemographic profile of the participants, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: A total of 280 patients were assigned into objective halitosis group (n = 146) and control group (n = 134). The extraversion subscales (E) score of the EPQ in the halitosis group were significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.001). The total SAD score and proportion of patients with anxiety symptoms in the BAI scale in the objective halitosis was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the extraversion subscale and the total SAD score, Social Avoidance and Social Distress subscales (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with objective halitosis have more introverted personality traits and are more likely to have social avoidance and distress than the nonhalitosis population.