Fully digital workflow of occlusal reconstruction treatment in a patient with congenital dentition defects.

OBJECTIVE: Occlusal reconstruction is a critical intervention for patients with dental hard tissue defects, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, and jaw position abnormalities. Clinical efficiency and outcomes of these procedures have improved with advances in digital technologies. This case report aims to illustrate a comprehensive digital workflow for occlusal reconstruction in a patient with congenital dentition defects, emphasizing the application of digital technologies to enhance treatment outcomes. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS: A 28-year-old woman with previously installed porcelain-fused-to-metal bridge restorations presented with a fractured prosthesis and TMJ symptoms. A multidisciplinary approach was adopted involving the use of digital facebow, intraoral scanners, digital smile design, and CAD/CAM technologies. The process included the extraction of defective restorations, temporary restorations to refine jaw position, and final permanent restorations. The digital workflow facilitated precise diagnostics and treatment, culminating in the successful installation of permanent restorations. Regular follow-ups at one- and three-months post-treatment confirmed stable occlusal function and high patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This case report showcases the potential of multiple digital technologies to streamline complex dental treatments and achieve high-quality results. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The integration of digital technologies in occlusal reconstruction treatments offers significant benefits in terms of precision, patient comfort, and esthetic outcomes.

Engineering biomimetic nanosystem targeting multiple tumor radioresistance hallmarks for enhanced radiotherapy.

Tumor cells establish a robust self-defense system characterized by hypoxia, antioxidant overexpression, DNA damage repair, and so forth to resist radiotherapy. Targeting one of these features is insufficient to overcome radioresistance due to the feedback mechanisms initiated by tumor cells under radiotherapy. Therefore, we herein developed an engineering biomimetic nanosystem (M@HHPt) masked with tumor cell membranes and loaded with a hybridized protein-based nanoparticle carrying oxygens (O2) and cisplatin prodrugs (Pt(IV)) to target multiple tumor radioresistance hallmarks for enhanced radiotherapy. After administration, M@HHPt actively targeted and smoothly accumulated in tumor cells by virtue of its innate homing abilities to realize efficient co-delivery of O2 and Pt(IV). O2 introduction induced hypoxia alleviation cooperated with Pt(IV) reduction caused glutathione consumption greatly amplified radiotherapy-ignited cellular oxidative stress. Moreover, the released cisplatin effectively hindered DNA damage repair by crosslinking with radiotherapy-produced DNA fragments. Consequently, M@HHPt-sensitized radiotherapy significantly suppressed the proliferation of lung cancer H1975 cells with an extremely high sensitizer enhancement ratio of 1.91 and the progression of H1975 tumor models with an excellent tumor inhibition rate of 94.7%. Overall, this work provided a feasible strategy for tumor radiosensitization by overcoming multiple radioresistance mechanisms.

DFT investigation of the DDQ-catalytic mechanism for constructing C-O bonds.

In this study, we investigated the photo-catalytic mechanisms for the construction of C-O bonds from arenes (benzene, 2',6'-dimethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-carboxylic acid, or 2,4-dichloro-1-fluorobenzene), catalyzed by 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ). All the structures for the Gibbs free surfaces were calculated at the M06-2X-D3/ma-def2-SVP level in the SMD solvent model. Also, TDDFT calculations of DDQ were performed at the PBE1PBE-D3/ma-def2-SVP level in the SMD solvent model. The computational results indicated that DDQ, serving as a photo-catalyst, would be excited under visible light of 450 nm, aligning well with experimental observations as reflected in the UV-vis spectrum. Gibbs free energy surface analyses of the three reactions suggested that the path involving 3DDQ* activating the reactant (-COOH, H2O, or CH3OH) is favorable. Additionally, the role of O2 was investigated, revealing that it could facilitate the recycling of DDQ by lowering the energy barrier for the conversion of the DDQH˙ radical (not DDQH2) into DDQ. The use of ρhole and ρele can reveal the photo-catalytic reaction and charge transfer processes, while localized orbital locator isosurfaces and electron spin density isosurface graphs were employed to analyze structures and elucidate the single electron distribution. These computational results offer valuable insights into the studied interactions and related processes, shedding light on the mechanisms governing C-O bond formation from arenes catalyzed by DDQ.

Online Detection of Laser Welding Penetration Depth Based on Multi-Sensor Features.

The accurate online detection of laser welding penetration depth has been a critical problem to which the industry has paid the most attention. Aiming at the laser welding process of TC4 titanium alloy, a multi-sensor monitoring system that obtained the keyhole/molten pool images and laser-induced plasma spectrum was built. The influences of laser power on the keyhole/molten pool morphologies and plasma thermo-mechanical characteristics were investigated. The results showed that there were significant correlations among the variations of the keyhole-molten pool, plasma spectrum, and penetration depth. The image features and spectral features were extracted by image processing and dimension-reduction methods, respectively. Moreover, several penetration depth prediction models based on single-sensor features and multi-sensor features were established. The mean square error of the neural network model built by multi-sensor features was 0.0162, which was smaller than that of the model built by single-sensor features. The established high-precision model provided a theoretical basis for real-time feedback control of the penetration depth in the laser welding process.

A membrane associated tandem kinase from wild emmer wheat confers broad-spectrum resistance to powdery mildew.

Crop wild relatives offer natural variations of disease resistance for crop improvement. Here, we report the isolation of broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance gene Pm36, originated from wild emmer wheat, that encodes a tandem kinase with a transmembrane domain (WTK7-TM) through the combination of map-based cloning, PacBio SMRT long-read genome sequencing, mutagenesis, and transformation. Mutagenesis assay reveals that the two kinase domains and the transmembrane domain of WTK7-TM are critical for the powdery mildew resistance function. Consistently, in vitro phosphorylation assay shows that two kinase domains are indispensable for the kinase activity of WTK7-TM. Haplotype analysis uncovers that Pm36 is an orphan gene only present in a few wild emmer wheat, indicating its single ancient origin and potential contribution to the current wheat gene pool. Overall, our findings not only provide a powdery mildew resistance gene with great potential in wheat breeding but also sheds light into the mechanism underlying broad-spectrum resistance.

Modulation of alveolar macrophage and mitochondrial fitness by medicinal plant-derived nanovesicles to mitigate acute lung injury and viral pneumonia.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is generally caused by severe respiratory infection and characterized by overexuberant inflammatory responses and inefficient pathogens-containing, the two major processes wherein alveolar macrophages (AMs) play a central role. Dysfunctional mitochondria have been linked with distorted macrophages and hence lung disorders, but few treatments are currently available to correct these defects. Plant-derive nanovesicles have gained significant attention because of their therapeutic potential, but the targeting cells and the underlying mechanism remain elusive. We herein prepared the nanovesicles from Artemisia annua, a well-known medicinal plant with multiple attributes involving anti-inflammatory, anti-infection, and metabolism-regulating properties. By applying three mice models of acute lung injury caused by bacterial endotoxin, influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus respectively, we showed that Artemisia-derived nanovesicles (ADNVs) substantially alleviated lung immunopathology and raised the survival rate of challenged mice. Macrophage depletion and adoptive transfer studies confirmed the requirement of AMs for ADNVs effects. We identified that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) enclosed in the vesicles is a major molecular effector mediating the regulatory roles of ADNVs. Specifically, GABA acts on macrophages through GABA receptors, promoting mitochondrial gene programming and bioenergy generation, reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory signals, thereby enhancing the adaptability of AMs to inflammation resolution. Collectively, this study identifies a promising nanotherapeutics for alleviating lung pathology, and elucidates a mechanism whereby the canonical neurotransmitter modifies AMs and mitochondria to resume tissue homeostasis, which may have broader implications for treating critical pulmonary diseases such as COVID-19.

Retroperitoneal neuroglial heterotopia: a case report and literature review.

Background: Neuroglial heterotopia is a rare lesion composed of differentiated neuroectodermal cells that manifest in extracranial locations, with the majority of cases predominantly occurring in the head and neck region. Retroperitoneal neuroglial heterotopia is exceptionally rare, with isolated cases published in the scientific literature. Case report: Here, we present the case of a 3-year-old girl who was admitted without clinical signs but presented with a palpable abdominal mass. Ultrasonography and computed tomography scans revealed a sizable cystic lesion within the retroperitoneal space. Subsequently, laparoscopic resection was performed. Histological examination unveiled neuroglial cell-lined cysts encompassing fibrous connective tissue, ganglia, glial tissue, and nerve bundles. Notably, distinct areas and cell types exhibited expression of S100, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and neuron-specific enolase. Follow-up assessments revealed no relapses or late complications. Conclusion: In cases of retroperitoneal neuroglial heterotopia, most children may remain asymptomatic without any congenital anomalies. Despite their detectability through imaging, accurate preoperative diagnosis is seldom achieved. Generally, a favorable prognosis follows complete surgical resection, although further cases are required to confirm its long-term efficacy, necessitating extended follow-up for verification.

BRG1 programs PRC2-complex repression and controls oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination.

Chromatin-remodeling protein BRG1/SMARCA4 is pivotal for establishing oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage identity. However, its functions for oligodendrocyte-precursor cell (OPC) differentiation within the postnatal brain and during remyelination remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that Brg1 loss profoundly impairs OPC differentiation in the brain with a comparatively lesser effect in the spinal cord. Moreover, BRG1 is critical for OPC remyelination after injury. Integrative transcriptomic/genomic profiling reveals that BRG1 exhibits a dual role by promoting OPC differentiation networks while repressing OL-inhibitory cues and proneuronal programs. Furthermore, we find that BRG1 interacts with EED/PRC2 polycomb-repressive-complexes to enhance H3K27me3-mediated repression at gene loci associated with OL-differentiation inhibition and neurogenesis. Notably, BRG1 depletion decreases H3K27me3 deposition, leading to the upregulation of BMP/WNT signaling and proneurogenic genes, which suppresses OL programs. Thus, our findings reveal a hitherto unexplored spatiotemporal-specific role of BRG1 for OPC differentiation in the developing CNS and underscore a new insight into BRG1/PRC2-mediated epigenetic regulation that promotes and safeguards OL lineage commitment and differentiation.

RotatedStomataNet: a deep rotated object detection network for directional stomata phenotype analysis.

KEY MESSAGE: Innovatively, we consider stomatal detection as rotated object detection and provide an end-to-end, batch, rotated, real-time stomatal density and aperture size intelligent detection and identification system, RotatedeStomataNet. Stomata acts as a pathway for air and water vapor in the course of respiration, transpiration, and other gas metabolism, so the stomata phenotype is important for plant growth and development. Intelligent detection of high-throughput stoma is a key issue. Nevertheless, currently available methods usually suffer from detection errors or cumbersome operations when facing densely and unevenly arranged stomata. The proposed RotatedStomataNet innovatively regards stomata detection as rotated object detection, enabling an end-to-end, real-time, and intelligent phenotype analysis of stomata and apertures. The system is constructed based on the Arabidopsis and maize stomatal data sets acquired destructively, and the maize stomatal data set acquired in a non-destructive way, enabling the one-stop automatic collection of phenotypic, such as the location, density, length, and width of stomata and apertures without step-by-step operations. The accuracy of this system to acquire stomata and apertures has been well demonstrated in monocotyledon and dicotyledon, such as Arabidopsis, soybean, wheat, and maize. The experimental results that the prediction results of the method are consistent with those of manual labeling. The test sets, the system code, and their usage are also given ( https://github.com/AITAhenu/RotatedStomataNet ).

A Fusion Network with Stacked Denoise Autoencoder and Meta Learning for Lateral Walking Gait Phase Recognition and Multi-Step-Ahead Prediction.

Lateral walking gait phase recognition and prediction are the premise of hip exoskeleton application in lateral resistance walk exercise. In this work, we presented a fusion network with stacked denoise autoencoder and meta learning (SDA-NN-ML) to recognize gait phase and predict gait percentage from IMU signals. Experiments were conducted to detect the four lateral walking gait phases and predict their percentage in 10 healthy subjects across different speeds. The performance of SDA-NN-ML and other widely used algorithms including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) were evaluated. The cross-subject recognition accuracy of SDA-NN-ML (89.94%) decreased by 4.62% compared to the training accuracy, which outperformed SVM (8.60%), AdaBoost (5.61%), and LSTM (7.12%). For real-time and cross-subject prediction of gait phase percentage, the RMSE of SDA-NN-ML (0.2043) outperformed that of a single regression network (0.2426). With a signal noise ratio of 100:30, the cross-subject recognition accuracy decreased by a mere 5.70%, while the prediction result (RMSE) of SDA-NN-ML increased by 0.0167 when compared to the noise-free results. SDA-NN-ML demonstrates a stable multi-step-ahead prediction ability with an accuracy higher than 82.50% and an RMSE of less than 0.23 when the ahead time is less than 200 ms. The results demonstrated that the proposed method has high accuracy and robust performance in lateral walking gait recognition and prediction.

Oxygen-Bridged Cu Binuclear Sites for Efficient Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Ethanol at Ultralow Overpotential.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR) to alcohols offers a promising strategy for converting waste CO2 into valuable fuels/chemicals but usually requires large overpotentials. Herein, we report a catalyst comprising unique oxygen-bridged Cu binuclear sites (CuOCu-N4) with a Cu···Cu distance of 3.0-3.1 Å and concomitant conventional Cu-N4 mononuclear sites on hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNCs). The catalyst exhibits a state-of-the-art low overpotential of 0.19 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode) for ethanol and an outstanding ethanol Faradaic efficiency of 56.3% at an ultralow potential of -0.30 V, with high-stable Cu active-site structures during the CO2RR as confirmed by operando X-ray adsorption fine structure characterization. Theoretical simulations reveal that CuOCu-N4 binuclear sites greatly enhance the C-C coupling at low potentials, while Cu-N4 mononuclear sites and the hNCNC support increase the local CO concentration and ethanol production on CuOCu-N4. This study provides a convenient approach to advanced Cu binuclear site catalysts for CO2RR to ethanol with a deep understanding of the mechanism.

Correlation between Heteroatom Coordination and Hydrogen Evolution for Single-site Pt on Carbon-based Nanocages.

The electrocatalytic performance of single-site catalysts (SSCs) is closely correlated with the electronic structure of metal atoms. Herein we construct a series of Pt SSCs on heteroatom-doped hierarchical carbon nanocages, which exhibit increasing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities along S-doped, P-doped, undoped and N-doped supports. Theoretical simulation indicates a multi-H-atom adsorption process on Pt SSCs due to the low coordination, and a reasonable descriptor is figured out to evaluate the HER activities. Relative to C-coordinated Pt, N-coordinated Pt has higher reactivity due to the electron transfer of N-to-Pt, which enriches the density of states of Pt 5d orbital near the Fermi level and facilitates the capturing of protons, just the opposite to the situations for P- and S-coordinated ones. The stable N-coordinated Pt originates from the kinetic stability throughout the multi-H-atom adsorption process. This finding provides a significant guidance for rational design of advanced Pt SSCs on carbon-based supports.

Combination of disulfiram and Copper-Cysteamine nanoparticles induces mitochondria damage and promotes apoptosis in endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer (EC) stands as one of the most prevalent gynecological malignancies affecting women, with its incidence and disease-related mortality steadily on the rise. Disulfiram (DSF), an FDA-approved medication primarily used for treating alcohol addiction, has exhibited promising anti-tumor properties. Studies have revealed DSF's capacity for enhanced anti-tumor activity, particularly when combined with copper. The novel Copper-Cysteamine (CuCy) compound, Cu3Cl(SR)2 (R[bond, double bond]CH2CH2NH2), showcases photodynamic effects and demonstrates significant anti-tumor potential under various conditions, including exposure to ultraviolet light, X-ray, microwave, and ultrasound. This study delves into exploring the synergistic anti-tumor effects and underlying mechanisms by utilizing copper-cysteamine in conjunction with DSF against endometrial cancer. The investigation involved comprehensive analyses encompassing in vitro experiments utilizing Ishikawa cells, in vivo studies, and transcriptomic analyses. Remarkably, the combined administration of both compounds at a low dose of 0.5 µM exhibited pronounced efficacy in impeding tumor growth, inhibiting blood vessel formation, and stimulating cell apoptosis. Notably, experiments involving transplanted tumors in nude mice vividly demonstrated the significant in vivo anti-tumor effects of this combination treatment. Detailed examination through transmission electron microscopy unveiled compelling evidence of mitochondrial damage, cellular swelling, and rupture, indicative of apoptotic changes in morphology due to the combined treatment. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis unveiled substantial downregulation of mitochondrial-related genes at the molecular level, coupled with a significant hindrance in the DNA repair pathway. These findings strongly suggest that the combined application of CuCy and DSF induces mitochondrial impairment in Ishikawa cells, thereby fostering apoptosis and ultimately yielding potent anti-tumor effects.

Silent uterine rupture in the term pregnancy: Three case reports.

RATIONALE: Uterine rupture is extremely hazardous to both mothers and infants. Diagnosing silent uterine rupture in pregnant women without uterine contractions is challenging due to the presence of nonspecific symptoms, signs, and laboratory indicators. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the elevated risks associated with silent uterine rupture. PATIENT CONCERNS: on admission, case 1 was at 37 gestational weeks, having undergo laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage 8 months prior to the in vitro fertilization embryo transfer procedure, case 2 was at 38 4/7 gestational weeks with a history of 5 previous artificial abortion and 2 previous vaginal deliveries, case 3 was at 37 6/7 gestational weeks with a history of laparoscopic myomectomy. DIAGNOSES: The diagnosis of silent uterine rupture was based on clinical findings from cesarean delivery or laparoscopic exploration. INTERVENTIONS: Case 1 underwent emergent cesarean delivery, revealing a 0.25 cm × 0.25 cm narrow concave area above the Ring Ties with active and bright amniotic fluid flowing from the tear. Case 2 underwent vaginal delivery, and on the 12th postpartum day, ultrasound imaging and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 5.8 cm × 3.3 cm × 2.3 cm lesion on the lower left posterior wall of the uterus, and 15th postpartum day, laparoscopic exploration confirmed the presence of an old rupture of uterus. Case 3 underwent elective cesarean delivery, revealing a 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm uterine rupture without active bleeding at the bottom of the uterus. OUTCOMES: The volumes of antenatal bleeding for the 3 patients were approximately 500 mL, 320 mL, and 400 mL, respectively. After silent uterine ruptures were detected, the uterine tear was routinely repaired. No maternal or neonatal complications were reported. LESSONS: Obstetricians should give particular consideration to the risk factors for silent uterine rupture, including a history of uterine surgery, such as laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage, laparoscopic myomectomy, and induced abortion.

Converting Commercial Zn Foils into Single (002)-Textured Zn with Millimeter-Sized Grains for Highly Reversible Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are promising but hindered by unfavorable dendrite growth and side reactions on zinc anodes. In this study, we demonstrate a fast melting-solidification approach for effectively converting commercial Zn foils into single (002)-textured Zn featuring millimeter-sized grains. The melting process eliminates initial texture, residual stress, and grain size variations in diverse commercial Zn foils, guaranteeing the uniformity of commercial Zn foils into single (002)-textured Zn. The single (002)-texture ensures large-scale epitaxial and dense Zn deposition, while the reduction in grain boundaries significantly minimizes intergranular reactions. These features enable large grain single (002)-textured Zn shows planar and dense Zn deposition under harsh conditions (100 mA cm-2, 100 mAh cm-2), impressive reversibility in Zn||Zn symmetric cell (3280 h under 1 mA cm-2, 830 h under 10 mAh cm-2), and long cycling stability over 180 h with a high depth of discharge value of 75 %. This study successfully addresses the issue of uncontrollable texture formation in Zn foils following routine annealing treatments with temperatures below the Zn melting point. The findings of this study establish a highly efficient strategy for fabricating highly reversible single (002)-textured Zn anodes.

SLPA-Net: a real-time recognition network for intelligent stomata localization and phenotypic analysis.

Plant stomatal phenotype traits play an important role in improving crop water use efficiency, stress resistance and yield. However, at present, the acquisition of phenotype traits mainly relies on manual measurement, which is time-consuming and laborious. In order to obtain high-throughput stomatal phenotype traits, we proposed a real-time recognition network SLPA-Net for stomata localization and phenotypic analysis. After locating and identifying stomatal density data, ellipse fitting is used to automatically obtain phenotype data such as apertures. Aiming at the problems of small stomata and high similarity to background, we introduced ECANet to improve the accuracy of stoma and aperture location. In order to effectively alleviate the unbalance problem in bounding box regression, we replaced the Loss function with a more effective Focal EIoU Loss. The experimental results show that SLPA-Net has excellent performance in the migration generalization and robustness of stomata and apertures detection and identification, as well as the correlation between stomata phenotype data obtained and artificial data. For convenience, we developed SLPA-Net into a freely available software, the software can be obtained at https://github.com/AITAhenu/SLPA.

The cAMP receptor protein gene contributes to growth, stress resistance, and colonization of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Porcine infectious pleuropneumonia (PCP) is a severe disease of porcine caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP). The spread of PCP remains a threat to the porcine farms and has been known to cause severe economic losses. The cAMP receptor protein (CRP) serves as a pivotal player in helping bacteria adapt to shifts in their environment, particularly when facing the challenges posed by bacterial infections. In this study, we investigated the role of CRP in APP. Our results revealed that crp mutant (Δcrp) strains were more sensitive to acidic and osmotic stress resistance and had lower biofilm formation ability than wild-type (WT) strains. Furthermore, the Δcrp strains showed deficiencies in anti-phagocytosis, adhesion, and invasion upon interaction with host cells. Mice infected with the Δcrp strains demonstrated reduced bacterial loads in their lungs compared to those infected with the WT strains. This study reveals the pivotal role of crp gene expression in regulating pleuropneumonia growth, stress resistance, iron utilization, biofilm formation, phagocytosis, adhesion, invasion and colonization. Our discoveries offer novel perspectives on understanding the development and progression of APP infections.

Effects of Benzo (a) Pyrene and 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl Ether Exposure on the Thyroid Gland in Rats by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) are widespread environmental pollutants and can destroy thyroid function. We assessed the biochemical changes in the thyroid tissue of rats exposed to B[a]P and BDE-47 using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy combined with support vector machine(SVM). After B[a]P and BDE-47 treatment in rats, the structure of thyroid follicles was destroyed and epithelial cells were necrotic, indicating that B[a]P and BDE-47 may lead to changes of the thyroid morphology of the rats. These damages are mainly related to C=O stretch vibrations of lipids (1743 cm-1), as well as the secondary structure of proteins [amide I (1645 cm-1) and amide II (1550 cm-1)], and carbohydrates [C-OH (1138 cm-1), C-O (1106 cm-1, 1049 cm-1, 991 cm-1), C-C (1106 cm-1) stretching] and collagen (phosphodiester stretching at 922 cm-1) vibration modes. When SVM was used for classification, there was a substantial separation between the control and the exposure groups (accuracy = 96%; sensitivity = 98%; specificity = 87%), and there was also a major separation between the exposed groups (accuracy = 93%; sensitivity = 94%; and specificity = 92%).