[Healing effect of photodynamic therapy on extraction sockets of periodontally compromised teeth: a randomized, controlled, superiority clinical trial].

Objective: To evaluate the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in extraction sockets of periodontally compromised molars on soft tissue healing, postoperative pain, bone density and bone height changes. Methods: This study is a single-center, single-blind, randomized controlled superiority clinical trial. Thirty-eight periodontally compromised molars requiring extraction in patients attending the Department of Periodontology, Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, from December 2022 to September 2023 were included, and randomly assigned to PDT group and control group. The control group received routine debridement after extraction, while PDT group received routine debridement followed by PDT. The bucco-lingual and mesio-distal wound distances at 7 and 14 d after extraction were measured, and then the wound closure rates were calculated. Evaluating the soft tissue healing indexes at 7 and 14 d after extraction. The visual analogue scale was used to assess the pain level at 6 h, 1 d, 2 d, and 3 d after tooth extraction. Apical radiographs were taken immediately and 2 months after extraction in order to compare the changes of the bone density and height. Results: The wound closure rate at 1 week was (78.08±5.45)% in PDT group and (71.03±6.82)% in control group, with significant differences (P<0.01). The wound closure rate at 2 weeks in PDT group [(85.88±3.84) %] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(81.66±3.79) %] (P<0.01), but did not reach the superiority value of the superiority test (superiority value=10%, 95%CI at 1 week: 3.00%-11.12%, 95%CI at 2 weeks: 1.71%-6.73%). The soft tissue healing index of PDT group at 1 week was significantly better than the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups at 2 weeks (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative pain at 6 h, 1 d, 2 d and 3 d as well as in bone density and height changes at 2 months after tooth extraction (P>0.05). Conclusions: PDT could promote soft tissues healing to some extent, but did not provide additional assistance in the healing of extraction sockets of periodontally compromised teeth. PDT did not show benefits on postoperative pain, changes of the bone density and bone height after tooth extraction.

Enhancement of blue and ultraviolet components in PCF-based supercontinuum generation through inter-modal dispersive-wave radiation.

Broadband supercontinuum (SC) light sources generated through nonlinear effects in solid-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have been widely used in spectroscopy, metrology, and microscopy, leading to great application successes. The short-wavelength extension of such SC sources, a longstanding challenge, has been the subject of intensive study over the past two decades. However, the exact mechanism of blue and ultraviolet light generation, especially for some resonance spectral peaks in the short-wavelength regime, is not yet fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that the effect of inter-modal dispersive-wave radiation, which results from phase matching between pump pulses at the fundamental optical mode and packets of linear waves at some higher-order modes (HOMs) propagating in the PCF core, might be one of the critical mechanisms that can result in some resonance spectral components with wavelengths much shorter than that of the pump light. We observed in an experiment that several spectral peaks resided in the blue and ultraviolet regimes of the SC spectrum, whose central wavelengths can be tuned by varying the PCF-core diameter. These experimental results can be interpreted well using the inter-modal phase-matching theory, providing some useful insights into the SC generation process.

[Effect of HIF-1α and BRD4 on autophagy level of breast cancer cell in hypoxic microenvironment].

Objective: To investigate the expressions of HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1, LC3B and p62 in breast cancer tissues and their clinicopathological significance, and to study alterations of their expression in breast cancer cells under hypoxic microenvironment. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1, LC3B and p62 protein expressions in 125 breast cancer tissues and 50 para-cancer normal breast tissues, and their correlation with clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed. The expression of these proteins were also measured after 24 hours of hypoxia stimulation was detected in different breast cancer cell lines and normal breast epithelial cells. Results: The expression of HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1 and LC3B proteins in breast cancer tissues were significantly higher than in para-cancer normal breast tissues (P<0.05). There was a positive association between histologic grade, the expression of HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1 and LC3B (P<0.05). High expressions of HIF-1a and Beclin1 were often correlated with lymph node metastasis and lymphatic invasion (P<0.05). Increased HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1 and LC3B expression was associated with ER or PR negativity, but only HIF-1α was associated with HER2 positivity (P<0.05). HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1, and LC3B were positively correlated with each other in breast cancer tissues (P<0.01). After 24 hours of hypoxic stimulation, the expression of HIF-1α, BRD4, Beclin1 and LC3B was up-regulated in breast cancer cells. Conclusions: Hypoxia induces autophagy in breast cancer tissues. HIF-1α is positively correlated with BRD4, suggesting that BRD4 is involved in the regulation of autophagy by hypoxic microenvironment in breast cancer. High expression of HIF-1α, BRD4 and autophagy may play an important role in the development of breast cancer.

[Keratinized tissue augmentation techniques around dental implants].

Research have indicated that inadequate keratinized tissue has a negative effect on patient oral hygiene, resulting in peri-implant inflammation. It has been recommended that an apically repositioned flap alone or in combination with autogenous soft tissue grafts can increase the width of keratinized mucosa around dental implants, which promotes long term peri-implant health. This review summarized research progress on augmentation techniques of keratinized tissue arround implants in recent years, so as to provide reference for clinical practice and research design in the future.

[The relationship between physical activity and incident hypertension in rural Chinese].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and the risk of incident hypertension among population in rural areas of China. Methods: The Community Intervention of Metabolic Syndrome in China & Chinese Family Health Study (CIMIC) was conducted in 2007-2008. Data on PA, smoking, drinking, blood pressure and other variables were obtained at baseline. Then the follow-up study of incident hypertension was performed during 2012-2015. A total of 41 457 participants aged ≥18 years and free from hypertension at baseline were included in the final analyses. PA was calculated as metabolic equivalent (MET) for each participant. Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the relationship of PA with incident hypertension according to the quartiles of PA. Results: A total of 6 780 participants developed hypertension during an average follow up of 5.8 years. The annual incidence of hypertension was 2.80%. Compared to participants in the first quartile of PA, HR (95%CI) of incident hypertension decreased with the level of PA of 0.92 (0.86, 0.99), 0.72 (0.67, 0.77) and 0.70 (0.65, 0.75) for the 2(nd), 3(rd) and 4(th) quartile, respectively (P(trend)<0.001). In subgroup analyses, compared to the first quartile, hazards of hypertension among normotensive participants (systolic blood pressure less than 120 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and diastolic blood pressure less than 80 mm Hg) in the 2(nd), 3(rd) and 4(th) quartile were 0.82 (0.70, 0.95), 0.73 (0.63, 0.85) and 0.78 (0.67, 0.90), respectively (P(trend)=0.002). Among participants with prehypertension (systolic blood pressure from 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure from 80 to 89 mmHg), similar trend for the relationship of PA and incident hypertension was also found with HR (95%CI) of 0.94 (0.87, 1.01), 0.71 (0.65, 0.77) and 0.66 (0.61, 0.71) for the 2(nd), 3(rd) and 4(th) quartile, respectively (P(trend)<0.001). Conclusion: There was linear trend association between PA and incident hypertension. Increased PA in daily life may be a protective factor against hypertension.

[Whole Genome Sequencing of Human mtDNA Based on Ion Torrent PGM™ Platform].

OBJECTIVES: To analyze and detect the whole genome sequence of human mitochondrial DNA （mtDNA） by Ion Torrent PGM™ platform and to study the differences of mtDNA sequence in different tissues. METHODS: Samples were collected from 6 unrelated individuals by forensic postmortem examination, including chest blood, hair, costicartilage, nail, skeletal muscle and oral epithelium. Amplification of whole genome sequence of mtDNA was performed by 4 pairs of primer. Libraries were constructed with Ion Shear™ Plus Reagents kit and Ion Plus Fragment Library kit. Whole genome sequencing of mtDNA was performed using Ion Torrent PGM™ platform. Sanger sequencing was used to determine the heteroplasmy positions and the mutation positions on HVⅠ region. RESULTS: The whole genome sequence of mtDNA from all samples were amplified successfully. Six unrelated individuals belonged to 6 different haplotypes. Different tissues in one individual had heteroplasmy difference. The heteroplasmy positions and the mutation positions on HVⅠ region were verified by Sanger sequencing. After a consistency check by the Kappa method, it was found that the results of mtDNA sequence had a high consistency in different tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The testing method used in present study for sequencing the whole genome sequence of human mtDNA can detect the heteroplasmy difference in different tissues, which have good consistency. The results provide guidance for the further applications of mtDNA in forensic science.

Ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment for abdominal wall endometriosis: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) for treating abdominal wall endometrioses (AWE). DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in China. POPULATION: Patients with abdominal wall endometriosis. METHODS: From August 2010 to April 2014, 32 patients with AWE were treated with USgHIFU in our hospital. USgHIFU treatment was performed with the Model JC-200 High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Tumor Therapeutic System. The symptom relief and the adverse effects were evaluated after USgHIFU ablation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: USgHIFU as a new treatment option for patients with AWE. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound showed that all lesions were successfully ablated with USgHIFU. The follow-up results showed that the average volume of AWE lesions at 6 months after USgHIFU was significantly smaller than that before treatment (2.80 ± 0.12 versus 1.33 ± 0.31 cm3 ). The pain scores at 6 months after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (6.80 ± 2.64 versus 1.80 ± 0.3). The non-perfused volume (indicative of successful ablation) was measured in all patients immediately after treatment, ranging from 0.9 to 2.1 cm3 (median: 1.6 cm3 ), and the fractional ablation ranged from 87% to 100% (median: 94%). Local oedema was observed in these patients, lasting for 1-3 days only. No severe complications occurred during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our study, USgHIFU ablation is a safe and effective method for treating AWE. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: As a non-invasive treatment technique, HIFU could be used to treat abdominal wall endometriosis.

[Liquid milk exposure and risk assessment of thiocyanate in Chinese populations].

Objective: To analyze liquid milk exposure of thiocyanate among Chinese population and preliminarily assess its health risk. Methods: A total of 2 059 raw milk samples were collected during 2013 and 2014 from 12 Chinese provinces, New Zealand and Netherlands. Farms were chosed according to the main sources of dairy companies, the distribution of farms and the yield of milk. Content of thiocyanate were detected by ion chromatography. Liquid milk consumption data were taken from Chinese beverage and alcoholic beverage consumption survey in 18 cities or counties in 9 provinces, including 16 775 subjects older than 3. A simple distribution model was used to estimate the exposure of thiocyanate from liquid milk. The tolerable daily intake (TDI) of thiocyanate was made 0.08 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1). Then the exposures of different age groups were compared with TDI. Results: Finally, 1 331 samples out of 2 059 were detected to contain thiocyanate. The detection rate was 65%. The average concentration of thiocyanate was 2.11 mg/kg, with a range of 0.10-16.20 mg/kg. The general population's consumption of thiocyanate by drinking liquid milk was 0.001 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1), which was lower than TDI. The P(95) of general population and consumers were 0.009 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1) and 0.020 mg·kg( -1)·d(-1) respectively, which were also lower than TDI. Mean exposures of population aged 3-6, 7-12, 13-17, 18-59 as well as elderly aged 60 and above were 0.007, 0.003, 0.002, 0.001 and 0.001 mg · kg(-1)·d(-1) respectively, which were all lower than TDI. Conclusion: The results suggested that the health risk of thiocyanate exposure by drinking liquid milk among Chinese population was at a low level. However, milk products for children deserve more concern.

Melting-Freezing Transition of Monolayer Water Confined by Phosphorene Plates.

The two-dimensional material phosphorene has become a focus of the scientific community recently. On the basis of molecular dynamics simulations, we utilize phosphorene as a model material to study the behavior of water molecules confined by two phosphorene plates with nonflat surfaces. As the relative position of the two plates changes, the water molecules first stay in a melting process at 230 K and then exhibit a freezing process. The disparate variations of local confinements induced by the mismatch of the two plates are the key for understanding this extraordinary behavior of water. Our results imply that such nonflat surfaces could be an important factor for understanding or controlling the dynamics of water. The phenomena reported here may enrich the knowledge of water and inspire more applications of similar materials.

[Inhibition of Sirolimus on the growth of pancreatic carcinoma and its effect on the expression of glucose transporter and hexokinase â ¡].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Sirolimus could affect the glycolytic catabolism pathways of pancreatic carcinoma through the control of hypoxia induced factor (HIF-1α) to inhibit the growth of tumor, and explore the potential mechanism of targeting the signaling pathways of mTOR for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: Sirolimus was applied to treat the pancreatic carcinoma in nude mice orthotopic transplantation model, its difference with the control group was compared; RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of mTOR, HIF-1α, Glucose carrier protein 1 (GLUT-1) and Hexokinase Ⅱ (HK-Ⅱ), respectively; the changes of activity of HK-Ⅱ in the tumor was determined. RESULTS: The tumor mass of the control group (1.97±0.21)g was significantly larger than that of the Sirolimus group (0.38±0.10)g (P<0.01), and the volume of the control group (1.40±0.15) mm(3) was significantly larger than that of the Sirolimus group (0.27±0.07) mm(3) (P<0.01). The expressions of mTOR, GLUT-1 and HK-Ⅱ mRNA in the control group were higher than those of the Sirolimus group (P<0.05), while no significant change was observed in the expression of HIF-1α (P>0.05); the expressions of p-mTOR, HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and HK-Ⅱ proteins in the control group were higher than those of the Sirolimus group (P<0.05). The activity of HK-Ⅱ in the control group was higher than that of the Sirolimus group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Sirolimus could affect the expression of GLUT-1 and HK-Ⅱ in pancreatic carcinoma through the effects of HIF-1α to inhibit tumor growth, indicating that blocking the mTOR pathway could control the glycolytic metabolism pathways of pancreatic carcinoma, which may become the new strategy for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma.

[Identification of Vaginal Fluid Using Microbial Signatures].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the specific microbial signatures in vaginal fluid. METHODS: Vaginal fluid （16 samples）, saliva （16 samples）, feces （16 samples）, semen （8 samples）, peripheral blood （8 samples）, urine （5 samples）, and nasal secretion （4 samples） were collected respectively. The 16S rRNA genes of Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus iners, and Atopobium vaginae were amplified. PCR production was detected via a 3130xl Genetic Analyzer. RESULTS: The detected number of Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus iners, and Atopobium vaginae were 15, 5, 8, 14, and 3 in all vaginal fluid samples, respectively. Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii existed specifically in vaginal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: There is a potential application value to detect Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus jensenii for the identification of vaginal fluid.

[Research Progress on Gene Alterations of Amelogenin Locus in Gender Identification].

There are two kinds of amelogenin gene mutation, including mutation in primer-binding region of amelogenin gene and micro deletion of Y chromosome encompassing amelogenin gene, and the latter is more common. The mechanisms of mutation in primer-binding region of amelogenin gene is nucleotide point mutation and the mechanism of micro deletion of Y chromosome encompassing amelogenin gene maybe non-allelic homologous recombination or non-homologous end-joining. Among the population worldwide, there is a notably higher frequency of amelogenin gene mutations in Indian population, Sri Lanka population and Nepalese population which reside within the Indian subcontinent. Though amelogenin gene mutations have little impact on fertility and phenotype, they might cause incorrect result in gender identification. Using composite-amplification kit which including autosomal STR locus, amelogenin gene locus and multiple Y-STR locus, could avoid wrong gender identification caused by amelogenin gene mutation.

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of high blood pressure among Chinese rural population in Haimen, Jiangsu.

Nowadays, high blood pressure (HBP) is one of the most common chronic diseases in China. This survey aims to assess HBP prevalence, and related disease awareness, treatment and control among rural population in Haimen, Jiangsu province, China. A total of 7538 rural residents, aged over 18 years, from four randomly selected villages in Haimen, were selected to participate in the blood pressure examination in September 2010, the male-to-female ratio of participants was 1:1.57. In all, 2034 patients were diagnosed with HBP. The total crude prevalence of HBP was 26.98%, the overall standardized prevalence of HBP was 24.38%. Both male and female prevalence rates demonstrate ascending trend with age. Awareness, treatment and control rates among all patients were 68.34%, 61.46% and 27.43% respectively, whereas the corresponding rates in young group (18-44 years) were lower (50.94%, 35.85%, 24.53%). Improving treatment coverage and efficacy should be the focus of HBP prevention in rural areas in China.

Resolving intravoxel fiber architecture using nonconvex regularized blind compressed sensing.

In diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, accurate and reliable estimation of intravoxel fiber architectures is a major prerequisite for tractography algorithms or any other derived statistical analysis. Several methods have been proposed that estimate intravoxel fiber architectures using low angular resolution acquisitions owing to their shorter acquisition time and relatively low b-values. But these methods are highly sensitive to noise. In this work, we propose a nonconvex regularized blind compressed sensing approach to estimate intravoxel fiber architectures in low angular resolution acquisitions. The method models diffusion-weighted (DW) signals as a sparse linear combination of unfixed reconstruction basis functions and introduces a nonconvex regularizer to enhance the noise immunity. We present a general solving framework to simultaneously estimate the sparse coefficients and the reconstruction basis. Experiments on synthetic, phantom, and real human brain DW images demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach.

Nonstraight nanochannels transfer water faster than straight nanochannels.

Understanding the flow of liquids and particularly water in nanochannels is important for scientific and technological applications, such as for filtration and drug delivery. Here we perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the transfer of single-file water molecules across straight or nonstraight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). In contrast with the macroscopic scenario, the nonstraight nanostructure can increase the water permeation. Remarkably, compared with the straight SWCNT, the nonstraight SWCNT with the minimal bending angle of 35° in the simulations can enhance the water transport up to 3.5 times. This enhancement mainly originates from the Lennard-Jones interaction between water molecules and nonstraight nanostructures. Our work offers an additional freedom to design high-flux nanochannels by choosing nonstraight nanostructures and provides an insight into water flow across biological water nanochannels, which are often nonstraight since they are composed of integral membrane proteins.

Novel Y-chromosome polymorphisms in Chinese domestic yak.

Y-chromosome-specific haplotypes (Y-haplotypes) constructed using single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) in the MSY (male-specific region of the Y-chromosome) are valuable in population genetic studies. But sequence variants in the yak MSY region have been poorly characterized so far. In this study, we screened a total of 16 Y-chromosome-specific gene segments from the ZFY, SRY, UTY, USP9Y, AMELY and OFD1Y genes to identify Y-SNPs in domestic yaks. Six novel Y-SNPs distributed in the USP9Y (g.223C>T), UTY19 (g.158A>C and g.169C>T), AMELY2 (g.261C>T), OFD1Y9 (g.165A>G) and SRY4 (g.104G>A) loci, which can define three Y-haplotypes (YH1, YH2 and YH3) in yaks, were discovered. YH1 was the dominant and presumably most ancient haplotype based on the comparison of UTY19 locus with other bovid species. Interestingly, we found informative UTY19 markers (g.158A>C and g.169C>T) that can effectively distinguish the three yak Y-haplotypes. The nucleotide diversity was 1.7 × 10(-4) ± 0.3 × 10(-4) , indicating rich Y-chromosome diversity in yaks. We identified two highly divergent lineages (YH1 and YH2 vs. YH3) that share similar frequencies (YH1 + YH2: 0.82-0.89, YH3: 0.11-0.18) among all three populations. In agreement with previous mtDNA studies, we supported the hypothesis that the two highly divergent lineages (YH1 and YH2 vs. YH3) derived from a single gene pool, which can be explained by the reunion of at least two paternal populations with the divergent lineages already accumulated before domestication. We estimated a divergence time of 408 110 years between the two divergent lineages, which is consistent with the data from mitochondrial DNA in yaks.

Enhanced permeation of single-file water molecules across a noncylindrical nanochannel.

We utilize molecular dynamics simulations to study the effect of noncylindrical shapes of a nanochannel (which are inspired from the shape of real biological water nanochannels) on the permeation of single-file water molecules across the nanochannel. Compared with the cylindrical shape that has been tremendously adopted in the literature, the noncylindrical shapes play a crucial role in enhancing water permeation. Remarkably, the maximal enhancement ratio reaches a value of 6.28 (enhancement behavior). Meanwhile, the enhancement becomes saturated when the volume of the noncylindrical shape continues to increase (saturation behavior). The analysis of average diffusivity of water molecules helps to reveal the mechanism underlying the two behaviors whereas Poiseuille's law fails to explain them. These results pave a way for designing high-flow nanochannels and provide insight into water permeation across biological water nanochannels.

Human placental multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells modulate trophoblast migration via Rap1 activation.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the interaction between human placental multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (hPMSC) and trophoblast. We hypothesize that hPMSCs produce hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) which may interact with trophoblasts and regulate their migration during placentation. METHODS: hPMSCs were isolated from term placentas and conditioned medium was collected after 2 days of culture in hypoxic (<1% O2) or control (20% O2) conditions. Selective agonist and inhibitor or siRNA for protein kinase A (PKA) or Rap1 were combined with Rap1-GTP pull down assays, flow cytometry, integrin ß1 activation assays and adhesion and migration studies to investigate HGF signaling effects in trophoblasts. The hPMSC abundance and HGF level in preeclamptic placentas were compared with gestational age-matched controls. RESULTS: HGF was expressed by hPMSCs and was decreased in hypoxia. HGF induced cAMP production and Rap1 activation in trophoblasts, which in turn activated integrin ß1. The HGF and PKA activator 6-Bnz-cAMP induced Rap1 activation with increased trophoblast adhesion and migration. The alterations were inhibited by PKA inhibitor H89 or Rap1 siRNA. HGF and cAMP expression were reduced in preeclamptic placentas. hPMSC number was decreased in preeclamptic placenta compared to controls (0.68 ± 0.1% vs. 1.32 ± 0.5%; P = 0.026). hPMSC conditioned medium enhanced trophoblast migration which was inhibited by c-Met blocking antibody, but migration was reduced by conditioned medium from hPMSC cultured in hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: hPMSCs secrete HGF and increase trophoblast cAMP production. The cAMP effector PKA modulates adhesion and migration of trophoblast via signaling to Rap1 and integrin ß1.