Distribution of Subgingival Bacteria in Chronic Periodontitis Patients Correlated with IgA Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Several studies indicated that chronic periodontitis (CP) and its subgingival bacteria correlated with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Previous research has shown that prevalence of IgAN in chronic periodontitis patients is significantly higher than that in non CP patients in Xinjiang especially in ethnic Uyghur. The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution of plaque bacterial microbes in CP and IgAN patients and to find correlation between CP and IgAN. METHODS: All of the subgingival plaque samples including 7 healthy controls (N group), 8 CP patients, 14 IgAN patients, and 14 CP with IgAN patients were obtained from ethnic Uyghur people. To investigate the distribution of plaque microbe in Uyghur CP and IgAN patients, the 16s rRNA sequencing and comparative analysis of subgingival bacteria were performed. RESULTS: There were no statistically differences in the community richness estimator (Chao) and the diversity estimator (Shannon index) among four groups. The abundance of Burkholderiales (order), Ottowia (genus) in the plaque microbes were significantly higher in CP with IgAN patients than CP patients. The abundance of Eubacterium (genus) was significantly higher in CP with IgAN patients than IgAN patients. The abundance of Veillonella (genus) was significantly higher while Streptococcus (genus), Tannerella (genus) were significantly lower in CP patients than healthy volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: The composition and abundance of subgingival plaque microbes in Uyghur CP and IgAN patients were significantly different at several levels. Which suggested that abundance of subgingival bacteria is correlated to CP and IgAN.

Potential distribution of three types of ephemeral plants under climate changes.

Background: Arid and semi-arid regions account for about 40% of the world's land surface area, and are the most sensitive areas to climate change, leading to a dramatic expansion of arid regions in recent decades. Ephemeral plants are crucial herbs in this area and are very sensitive to climate change, but it is still unclear which factors can determine the distribution of ephemeral plants and how the distribution of ephemeral plants responds to future climate change across the globe. Aims: Understanding the impact of climate change on ephemeral plant distribution is crucial for sustainable biodiversity conservation. Methods: This study explored the potential distribution of three types of ephemeral plants in arid and semi-arid regions (cold desert, hot desert, and deciduous forest) on a global scale using the MaxEnt software. We used species global occurrence data and 30 environmental factors in scientific collections. Results: Our results showed that (1) the average value of the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of each species was higher than 0.95, indicating that the MaxEnt model's simulation accuracy for each species was good; (2) distributions of cold desert and deciduous forest species were mainly determined by soil pH and annual mean temperature; the key factor that determines the distribution of hot desert species was precipitation of the driest month; and (3) the potential distribution of ephemeral plants in the cold desert was increased under one-third of climate scenarios; in the hot desert, the potential suitable distribution for Anastatica hierochuntica was decreased in more than half of the climate scenarios, but Trigonella arabica was increased in more than half of the climate scenarios. In deciduous forests, the ephemeral plant Crocus alatavicus decreased in nearly nine-tenths of climate scenarios, and Gagea filiformis was increased in 75% of climate scenarios. Conclusions: The potential suitable distributions of ephemeral plants in the different ecosystems were closely related to their specific adaptation strategies. These results contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the potential distribution pattern of some ephemeral plants in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

Estimation of COVID-19 case fatality ratio based on a bi-directional correction method

The case fatality rate (CFR) can be used to predict the number of potential deaths in the epidemic and thus can reflect the appropriateness and quality of medical measures developed by public health. When a new disease breaks out, it is particularly important to accurately estimate the CFR. However, while the epidemic is still developing, the crude CFR is often lower than the true value and the hospital CFR is often higher than the true value due to differences in occurrence time, patient number, and treatment plans. Therefore, this study proposes a bi-directional correction method to estimate the CFR. COVID-19 data from China were used to evaluate this method. The results show that this method provides more accurate results than both the crude CFR and hospital CFR. Additionally, this method was used to estimate the CFR of COVID-19 in other countries, with an aim to provide a reference for prevention and control decisions for the COVID-19 epidemic and for the evaluation of medical efforts.

Estimating the cure rate and case fatality rate of the ongoing epidemic COVID-19

The epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in Wuhan at the end of 2019 has become an urgent public event of worldwide concern. However, due to the changing data of the epidemic, there is no scientific estimate of the cure rate and case fatality rate of the epidemic. This study proposes a method to estimate the cure rate and case fatality rate of COVID-19. The ratio of cumulative discharges on a given day to the sum of cumulative discharges on a given day and cumulative deaths before j days is used to estimate the cure rate. Moreover, the case fatality ratio can also be estimated. After simulation calculations, j is statistically appropriate when it is 8-10, and it is also clinically appropriate. When j is 9, based on the available data, it is inferred that the cure rate of this epidemic is about 93% and the case fatality rate is about 7%. This method of estimating the cure rate can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in different medical schemes and different regions, and has great value and significance for decision-making in the epidemic.

Association of NLRP3 gene polymorphism with hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis in patients of Xinjiang Kazakh nationality / 中华老年心脑血管病杂志

Objective To study the association of NLRP3 gene polymorphism with primary hyper tension (PH) and carotid atherosclerosis (CA) in patients of Xinjiang Kazakh nationality.Methods Three hundred and fifty PH patients of Xinjiang Kazakh nationality were divided into CA group (n=150) and CA-free group (n=200) with 200 Xinjiang Kazakh nationality people undergoing physical examination served as a control group in this study.Their NLRP3 rs10754558 genotypes and alleles were detected using the Tapman probe method and their serum IL-1β level was measured by ELISA.Results The detection rate of rs10754558 genotypes and alleles was significantly higher in CA group than in control group (20.0％ vs 9.0％,43.0％ vs 34.8％,P＜0.05).No significant difference was found in NLRP3 gene types and G alleles between the two groups (P＞ 0.05).The serum IL-1β level was significantly higher in CA and CA-free groups than in control group (2.79±0.83 ng/L and 2.82±0.92 ng/L vs 2.21±0.91 ng/L,P＜0.05) and in GG gene type carriers of CA and CA-free groups than in those of control group (3.40±± 0.37 ng/L and 3.35±0.43 ng/L vs 2.21±0.90 ng/L,P＜0.05).Conclusion NLRP3 rs10754558 gene polymorphism is associated with genetic susceptibility to hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis in patients of Xinjiang Kazakh nationality.

Correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and C-reactive protein with coronary artery disease / 中华临床营养杂志

Objective To identify the potential correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25 (OH)D3]and C-reactive protein (CRP) with coronary artery disease.Methods We measured the serum 25 (OH)D3 and CRP levels in 416 suspected coronary heart disease patients who underwent coronary angiography.Gensini scores were used to assess the severity of coronary stenosis.Based on the results of coronary angiography,the 416 patients were divided into normal group (n =246),stable angina group (n =110),and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group (n =60).Results The serum levels of 25 (OH) D3 in the normal group and stable angina group were significantly higher than that in the ACS gropu [(33.15 ± 20.95) nmol/L vs.(15.55 ±5.7) nmol/L,(28.93 ± 16.45) nmol/Lvs.(15.55 ± 5.7) nmol/L,bothP＜0.001].TheCRPlevelin the normal group was significantly lower than those in the stable angina group and the ACS group [(4.33 ± 0.12) rng/Lvs.(5.68 ± 0.25) mg/L,(4.33 ± 0.12) mg/Lvs.(5.73 ± 0.31) mg/L,bothP＜0.001].The serum 25 (OH)D3 was not correlated with CRP or Gensini score in the normal group.In the ACS group,the serum 25 (OH) D3 was negatively correlated with CRP level and Gensini score (r =-0.026,P =0.045 ; r =-0.256,P =0.048),while CRP level was positively correlated with Gensini score (r =0.459,P ＜0.001).Inthe stable angina group,the serum 25 (OH)D3 was also negatively correlated with CRP level and Gensini score (r =-0.211,P =0.027; r =-0.208,P =0.029),and the latter two were positively correlated (r =0.574,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions Low serum 25 (OH) D3 levels are associated with coronary artery stenosis.Combining with CRP,it may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease through inflammatory mechanism.

Degumming of kenaf fibers by combining steam explosion with ultrasonic treatment / 生物工程学报

Kenaf has a high content of gum that is difficult to remove. Traditional chemical degumming process causes serious environmental pollution. To solve the problem, we developed a new method to degum kenaf. We pretreated the kenaf with steam explosion followed by ultrasonic treatment. We chose the single factor tests to select the ultrasonic frequency, sodium hydroxide concentration and processing time. Combined with orthogonal tests, we found that the optimum conditions were as follows: ultrasonic frequency was 28 kHz, sodium hydroxide concentration was 2%, and processing time was 60 min. Under these conditions, the residual gum of kenaf fiber was 9.72% and the fineness was 139.45 N(m). Steam explosion combined with ultrasonic method is effective in degumming of kenaf.

Relationship between resting heart rate and carotid artery structure in young hypertensive patients / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between resting heart rate (RHR)and carotid artery structure in young hypertensive patients.Methods A total of 663 primary hypertensive patients aged between 18 and 45 (38.01 ± 5.78) were chosen from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January,2009 to January,2012.Patients under this study were divided into three groups according to their RHRs:group A (RHR＜70 bpm,n=163),group B(70 bpm≤RHR＜80 bpm,n=268),group C (RHR≥80 bpm,n=232).Data on bilateral carotid artery intima-media thickness,common carotid artery diameter were detected by carotid ultra-sonography.Indexes of carotid artery were analyzed by both variance and bi-variate correlation analysis.Results 1)Differences in the blood pressure among three groups showed statistical significance (P＜0.01),with diastolic pressure in group A higher than in group B (P＜0.05),while both systolic and diastolic pressure in group C higher than in group B (P＜0.01).2)In group A,the right carotid artery diameter was higher than in group C(P＜0.05) and the left carotid artery diameter higher than in group B(P＜ 0.05) with the left carotid artery diameter higher than in group C (P＜0.05).3) Significant positive correlations were found between RHR and blood pressure (r =0.112,0.118) and negative correlation between RHR and left carotid artery diameter (r=-0.89).However,correlation between RHR and right carotid artery diameter was not significant (r=-0.075,P=0.068).Conclusion When blood pressure had an increase,we found that the carotid artery diameter was decreasing along with the increasing RHR among the young hypertensive patients.

Periodontal ligament cells from miniature swine grow on a hydroxyapatite scaffold / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Periodontal tissue engineering technology provides new ideas and new ways for periodontitis-induced bone defect repair. OBJECTIVE:To develop a culture model for the periodontal ligament cells of miniature swine, which was constructed with hydroxyapatite, to investigate the biocompatibility with hydroxyapatite. METHODS:Periodontal ligament cells from miniature swine were harvested by using tissue explant method. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of stromal cel antigen 1 in the periodontal ligament cells of miniature swine. The third passage cells were co-cultured with a three-dimension hydroxyapatite scaffold, and the biological characteristics of the cells were observed under a scanning electron microscope at days 1, 3, 7 of co-culture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The pirmary miniature swine periodontal ligament cells grew wel , and they were positive for stromal cel antigen 1. Under the scanning electron microscope, the periodontal ligament cells of miniature swine grew wel on the hydroxyapatite scaffold at days 1, 3, 7 of co-culture. These prove that the miniature swine periodontal ligament cells, which can be separated using tissue explant method and cultured successful y in vitro, can grow wel on the hydroxyapatite scaffold.

Detection of five periodontal pathogens in coronary atherosclerotic plaque / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ObjectiveTo detect five periodontal pathogenic bacteria in coronary atherosclerotic plaques.MethodsAtherosclerotic plaque specimens were obtained from 101 patients who scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.The bacteria DNA was obtained from coronary atherosclerotic plaques using the chelex-100 method.The extracted DNA were examined by PCR.ResultsWithin the 101 pieces of atherosclerotic plaque samples Porphyromonas gingivalis( Pg,31％ ),Tannerella forsythensis(Tf,42％ ),Prevotella intermedia( Pi,26％ ),Fusobacterium nucleatum( Fn,21％ ),Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans( Aa,23％ ).PCR products were sequenced and were compared with GenBank sequences,the homology was 99％-100％.ConclusionPeriodontitis might affect the development of atherosclerosis and there is a correlation between coronary heart disease and chronic periodontitis.

Preparation and release exam of magnetic chitosan nano-spheres of doxorubicin / 生物医学工程学杂志

Magnetic chitosan (CS) nano-spheres were prepared by the modified suspension cross-linking technique. The results demonstrated that the magnetic drug nano-spheres are mainly spherical in form with a size of 200 to 800 nm, and show good magnetic responsivity. Here, Doxorubicin was used as exam drug. Glutaraldehyde connects Doxorubicin to CS by the chemical bond (-N = C-), and the drug content is in range of 1% to 15% (w/w). The chemical bond is broken depending on pH, so pH is the important factor for the release of doxorubicin. The doxorubicin release was 22.0%, 13.4%, and 4.1% in the space of 7d, when pH was 1, 2, 4. So the nano-spheres are pH-sensitive magnetic targeting drug micro-spheres.

Detection of CRP in rat chronic periodontitis and atherosclerosis compound model / 基础医学与临床

Objective To detect and analyse CRP level in rat chronic periodontitis and atherosclerosis compound model.Methods Sixty rats were randomly divided into four groups,15 in each group: Group A:control group;Group B:periodontitis group;Group C:atherosclerosis group;Group D:periodontitis and atherosclerosis group.Every group accepted the corresponding treatment.Pathological changes in periodontal tissue of experimental teeth and arterial vessels were observed.CRP level in serum was assayed by ELISA.Results Histopathological observation of periodontal tissue revealed: Obvious inflammation of periodontal tissue was observed in group B,D.Attachment loss levels in group B and D were higher than that of A,C groups(P