Layperson assessment of smile lines and upper lip combined images in smile esthetics.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The esthetic assessment of smile lines by laypersons is a subject of ongoing debate. However, smile lines often appear with different types of upper lip curvature, which further complicates the esthetic assessment process, and studies on this combination are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical study was to investigate a layperson's esthetic perception of smile lines and upper lip combined images. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-six smile images resulting from combinations of 3 upper lip types, 4 anterior smile line types, and 3 posterior smile line types were generated by an image editing software program. Eighty-three laypersons (39 men and 44 women; 18 to 35 years of age) completed rating images using a visual analog scale. Unattractive smiles were designated to be those with scores <50 and attractive ones with scores ≥50. Data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests (α=.05). RESULTS: High anterior smile line with gingival display >4 mm obtained significantly lower scores of <50 when combined with all upper lip curvatures (upward: 28.29 ±22.79, straight: 38.74 ±23.00, downward: 30.67 ±22.25, P<.01). High anterior smile lines with gingival display ≤4 mm combined with upward and straight upper lip curvature images obtained significantly higher scores, and all were ≥50 (upward: 63.24 ±22.22, straight: 61.40 ±21.58, P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: From a layperson's perspective, high anterior smile lines with gingival display >4 mm combined with any lip type were determined to be unattractive. If gingival display was ≤4 mm combined with both upward and straight lip types, the smile was assessed as attractive.

High beam quality yellow laser at 588†nm by an intracavity frequency-doubled composite Nd:YVO4 Raman laser.

High beam quality 588 nm radiation was realized based on a frequency-doubled crystalline Raman laser. The bonding crystal of YVO4/Nd:YVO4/YVO4 was used as the laser gain medium, which can accelerate the thermal diffusion. The intracavity Raman conversion and the second harmonic generation were realized by a YVO4 crystal and an LBO crystal, respectively. Under an incident pump power of 49.2 W and a pulse repetition frequency of 50 kHz, the 588 nm power of 2.85 W was obtained with a pulse duration of 3 ns, corresponding to a diode-to-yellow laser conversion efficiency of 5.75% and a slope efficiency of 7.6%. Meanwhile, a single pulse's pulse energy and peak power were 57 µJ and 19 kW, respectively. The severe thermal effects of the self-Raman structure were overcome in the V-shaped cavity, which has excellent mode matching, and combined with the self-cleaning effect of `Raman scattering, the beam quality factor M2 was effectively improved, which was measured optimally to be Mx 2 = 1.207, and My 2 = 1.200, with the incident pump power being 49.2 W.

Success rate of fractured teeth receiving modified crown lengthening surgery and restorations.

BACKGROUND: Whether to preserve a structurally compromised tooth or remove it is a dilemma often encountered by clinicians. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term success rate of fractured teeth preserved by modified crown lengthening surgery and restorations. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with a total of 45 fractured teeth who had received modified crown lengthening surgery were recruited and examined. Numbers of teeth lost were recorded, and the criteria for successful teeth were defined. Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to determine the success rate. Possible risk factors were compared between successful and unsuccessful groups by a Cox regression analysis to explore the potential predictors of failure with a significant level at α = 0.05. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of success time without considering variants was 6.2 ± 0.6 years (95% CI 5.1-7.7). The mean survival rates ± SD at 1.0-, 2.0-, 3.0-, 5.0-, 7.0-, and 9.0-year intervals was 97.8 ± 2.2%, 92.2 ± 4.4%, 72.8 ± 7.9%, 68.2 ± 8.6%, 60.7 ± 10.5%, and 40.4 ± 13.6%, respectively. Failure cases in teeth with poor plaque control and step-shaped fracture margin were significantly more than those with good plaque control and knife-shaped fracture margin (HR = 7.237, p = 0.011; HR = 15.399, p = 0.006; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Fractured teeth treated with modified crown lengthening surgery are anticipated to have a high clinical success rate for 6.2 ± 0.6 years. Plaque control and fracture morphology appeared to be significantly associated with the success of the multidisciplinary treatment approach.

Kinesin family member 2C aggravates the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and interacts with competing endogenous RNA.

Kinesin family member 2C (KIF2C), a substantial mitotic regulator, has been verified to exert a malignant function in several cancers. However, its function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In this study, the expression profile of KIF2C in HCC was characterized through the dataset from the TCGA and clinical tissue microarrays containing 220 pairs of resected HCC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues in our hospital. The results indicated that KIF2C was substantially higher expression in tumor tissues than adjacent nontumor tissues. High expression of KIF2C significantly correlated with large tumor (>5.0 cm) (P = .001) and implied a dismal postoperative overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.729; P = .002) in our cohort of patients. Gain and loss of function assays displayed that KIF2C promoted HCC cell proliferation, accelerated cell cycle progression, and impeded apoptosis. By bioinformatic tools and mechanistic investigation, we found that KIF2C interacted with various cell-cycle-related proteins and was significantly involved in growth-promoting pathways. KIF2C upregulated PCNA and CDC20 expression. Subsequently, we investigated the regulation of KIF2C by competing endogenous RNA and elucidated that has-miR-6715a-3p was directly bond to the 3'-untranslated region of KIF2C through dual luciferase assays, thereby inhibiting KIF2C expression. Furthermore, the long noncoding RNA GS1-358P8.4 was found to be a candidate of KIF2C for has-miR-6715a-3p binding. HCC patients with high lncRNA-GS1-358P8.4 expression had shorter OS and relapse-free survival compared to those with low expression, which was accordance with the KIF2C. Taken together, KIC2C aggravated HCC progression, it could serve as a prognostic indicator and confer a novel target for clinical treatment.

Novel Models Predict Postsurgical Recurrence and Overall Survival for Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma ≤10 cm and Without Portal Venous Tumor Thrombus.

BACKGROUND: The predictive model of postsurgical recurrence for solitary early hepatocellular carcinoma (SE-HCC) is not well established. The aim of this study was to develop a novel model for prediction of postsurgical recurrence and survival for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 1,081 patients with HBV-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm who underwent curative liver resection from 2003 to 2016 in our center were collected retrospectively and randomly divided into the derivation cohort (n = 811) and the internal validation cohort (n = 270). Eight hundred twenty-three patients selected from another four tertiary hospitals served as the external validation cohort. Postsurgical recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) predictive nomograms were generated. The discriminatory accuracies of the nomograms were compared with six conventional hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging systems. RESULTS: Tumor size, differentiation, microscopic vascular invasion, preoperative α-fetoprotein, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, albumin-to-bilirubin ratio, and blood transfusion were identified as the risk factors associated with RFS and OS. RFS and OS predictive nomograms based on these seven variables were generated. The C-index was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.87) for the RFS-nomogram and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83-0.91) for the OS-nomogram. Calibration curves showed good agreement between actual observation and nomogram prediction. Both C-indices of the two nomograms were substantially higher than those of the six conventional HCC staging systems (0.54-0.74 for RFS; 0.58-0.76 for OS) and those of HCC nomograms reported in literature. CONCLUSION: The novel nomograms were shown to be accurate at predicting postoperative recurrence and OS for patients with HBV-related SE-HCC ≤10 cm after curative liver resection. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This multicenter study proposed recurrence or mortality predictive nomograms for patients with hepatitis B virus-related solitary early hepatocellular carcinoma ≤10 cm after curative liver resection. A close postsurgical surveillance protocol and adjuvant therapy should be considered for patients at high risk of recurrence.

Perioperative blood transfusion has distinct postsurgical oncologic impact on patients with different stage of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The influence of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) on postsurgical survival of patients with different stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not well clarified. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of PBT on survival outcomes of different stage of HCC patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent liver resection for HCC between January 2009 and November 2015 were identified from an HCC prospective database in authors' center. The survival outcomes were compared between patients receiving PBT and those without PBT before and after propensity score matching (PSM) in different stage subsets. Cox regression analysis was performed to verify the impact of PBT on outcomes of HCC. RESULTS: Among 1255 patients included, 804 (64.1%) were Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0-A, and 347 (27.6%) received PBT. Before PSM, patients with PBT had worse disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with those without PBT in both BCLC 0-A subset and BCLC B-C subset (all P < 0.05). After PSM, 288 pairs of patients (with and without PBT) were created. In the subset of BCLC 0-A, the median DFS of patients with PBT was shorter than those without PBT (12.0 months vs. 36.0 months, P = 0.001) Similar result was observed for OS (36.0 months vs. 96.0 months, P = 0.001). In the subset of BCLC B-C, both DFS and OS were comparable between patients with PBT and those without PBT. Cox regression analysis showed that PBT involved an increasing risk of DFS (HR = 1.607; P < 0.001) and OS (HR = 1.756; P < 0.001) for this subset. However, PBT had no impact on DFS (P = 0.126) or OS (P = 0.139) for those with stage B-C HCC. CONCLUSIONS: PBT negatively influenced oncologic outcomes of patient with BCLC stage 0-A HCC, but not those with stage B-C after curative resection.

Hornerin promotes tumor progression and is associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The function of hornerin (HRNR), a member of the S100 protein family, is poorly clarified in the development of human tumors. The role of HRNR in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is investigated in the study. METHODS: The expression levels of HRNR were assessed in tumor samples from a cohort of 271 HCC patients. The effect of HRNR on proliferation, colony formation and invasion of tumor cells was examined. We further determined the role of HRNR in tumor growth in vivo by using xenograft HCC tumor models. The possible mechanism of the HRNR promotion of HCC progression was explored. RESULTS: We found that HRNR was overexpressed in HCC tissues. The high expression of HRNR in HCCs was significantly associated with vascular invasion, poor tumor differentiation, and advanced TNM stage. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of HCC patients with high HRNR expression were poorer than those in the low HRNR expression group. HRNR expression was an independent risk factor linked to both poor DFS (HR = 2.209, 95% CI = 1.627-2.998,P <  0.001) and OS (HR = 2.459,95% CI = 1.736-3.484, P <  0.001). In addition, the knockdown of HRNR by shRNAs significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of HCC tumor cells. HRNR silencing led to the decreased phosphorylation of AKT signaling. Notably, tumor growth was markedly inhibited by HRNR silencing in a xenograft model of HCC. CONCLUSIONS: HRNR promotes tumor progression and is correlated with a poor HCC prognosis. HRNR may contribute to HCC progression via the regulation of the AKT pathway.

Esthetics and smile-related characteristics assessed by laypersons.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the characteristics of full-smile images assessed by laypersons using visual analog scale measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 176 young Chinese subjects (88 males and 88 females; 20-35 years of age) with healthy dentogingival tissue were recruited to have their dynamic smiles captured using digital technology. A full-smile frame image of each subject was selected and evaluated by 22 laypersons (11 males and 11 females; 20-35 years of age) using visual analog scale measurement. Unattractive and attractive groups were designated according to the 25th percentile and 75th percentile of average visual analog scale score for the subjects, respectively. Eight smile variables were used to measure the characteristics of the full-smile images. Pearson's Chi-square test and unpaired t tests were used to analyze the data with significance level α = 0.05. RESULTS: The visual analog scale measurement scores of unattractive and attractive subgroups, respectively, were 37.89 ± 2.12 and 50.67 ± 2.75 (male subjects), and 37.14 ± 2.80 and 51.92 ± 1.99 (female subjects). VAS scores were significantly different between subgroups for both male and female subjects (P < .001). No significant differences were observed between male and female subjects (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Attractive full-smiles in young Chinese subjects demonstrated higher frequencies of average or low anterior smile line, average or low posterior smile line, upward upper lip curvature, and "broad and short" smile with high smile index. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The smile variables of anterior smile line, posterior smile line, upper lip curvature, and smile index are predominant factors of smile attractiveness, which should be given priority to consider and manage in the anterior esthetic treatment plan.

Adjuvant antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To investigate whether adjuvant antiviral treatment could improve prognosis and entecavir is the optimal nucleoside/nucleotide analog (NA) regimen after curative therapy of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A comprehensive electronic search was performed. All controlled trials comparing antiviral treatment with placebo or no treatment for HBV-related HCC after curative treatment were included. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Stata 12.0 software. An indirect treatment comparison method was used to compare the relative efficacy of different NA strategies. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies containing 8072 patients were included. NA was found to significantly improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Alternatively, for interferon, a non-significant benefit was found. By adjusted indirect comparisons among entecavir, lamivudine and adefovir, entecavir were found to display almost but not significant superiority to the other NA in improving RFS. No tendency favoring a specific NA regimen was found for OS. CONCLUSION: In HBV-HCC patient after curative treatment, NA improve the prognosis significantly but the role of interferon remains to be elucidated; entecavir was not found to be superior to other NA based on available data.

[Evaluation with different measuring methods for the alveolar bone change of ridge preservation in molar sites].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of the vertical height and width of the alveolar bone six months after the alveolar ridge preservation in periodontal compromised molar sites of severe alveolar bone defects with clinical direct measurement, parallel periapical radiographs, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and to analyze the effect of the three different methods of measurement. METHODS: In this study, 20 subjects requiring tooth extraction on account of periodontal disease with a total of 23 extracted molars were enrolled. Extractions were performed atraumatically and patients were received alveolar ridge preservation procedure with Bio-Oss and Bio-Gide. Clinical direct measurements were taken after tooth extraction and during the implant surgery 6 months later, CBCT scans and parallel periapical radiographs were taken immediately after ridge preservation and 6 months later. The changes of alveolar ridge width and vertical height after six months were measured and analyzed through the above-mentioned three methods and the similarities and differences of the measured effect were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant difference of alveolar vertical height in the center of the extraction sites, the center of distal aspect, and distobuccal aspect between the clinical direct measurements and the CBCT measurements (P>0.05), alveolar vertical height in other points and alveolar width measurements were statically significant (P<0.05). After 6 months, 10 sites of 10 subjects were received a flap and re-entered to perform dental implants surgery. The vertical height in the center of alveolar increased significantly and the changes of alveolar vertical height of clinical direct and CBCT measurement were (6.15 ± 1.73) mm and (6.59 ± 2.53) mm, respectively. The measurements of the width of the alveolar bone were (8.45 ± 1.18) mm and (8.52 ± 1.27) mm, respectively. The measurements of the two methods were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The change of the alveolar height in the center of the extraction socket after six months measured by parallel periapical was (5.84 ± 4.28) mm, which was closed to the clinical direct measurement and the CBCT measurement. CONCLUSION: Clinical direct measurement and CBCT measurement were largely consistent in the evaluation of the alveolar bone height and width after the alveolar ridge preservation using deproteinized boving bone mineral (DBBM, Bio-Oss) and bioabsorbable collagen membrane (Bio-Gide) in periodontal compromised molar sites of severe bone defects.

Risk factors and outcomes of postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatico-duodenectomy: an audit of 532 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic fistula (PF) remains the most challenging complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors of PF and delineate its impact on patient outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of 532 patients who underwent PD and divided them into PF group and no PF group. Risk factors and outcomes of PF following PD were examined. RESULTS: PF was found in 65 (12.2%) cases, of whom 11 were classified into ISGPF grade A, 42 grade B, and 12 grade C. Clinically serious postoperative complications in the PF versus no PF group were mortality, abdominal bleeding, bile leak, intra-abdominal abscess and pneumonia. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that blood loss ≥ 500 ml, pancreatic duct diameter ≤ 3 mm and pancreaticojejunostomy type were independent risk factors of PF after PD. CONCLUSIONS: Blood loss ≥ 500 ml, pancreatic duct diameter ≤ 3 mm and pancreatico-jejunostomy type were independent risk factors of PF after PD. PF was related with higher mortality rate, longer hospital stay, and other complications.

Assessment of dynamic smile and gingival contour in young Chinese people.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to classify the dynamic smile and to quantify the gingival line (GL), as well as apico-coronal displacement of the gingival zenith (GZ), in the maxillary anterior dentition in a young Chinese population. METHODS: Two-hundred young Chinese subjects (100 men and 100 women; 20-35 years of age) with healthy dentogingival tissue were recruited. The dynamic smile process was captured using a digital camera. The smile type, GL type, the vertical distance of the GZ between the canine and the central incisor on the same side and the GZ of the lateral incisor-GL relationship were measured using a self-developed smile-analysis method. The kappa statistics was used to examine the reliability of the data recorded by the rater. The Pearson chi-square test was used to analyse the differences between subjects regarding the frequencies of smile type and GL type at α = 0.05. RESULTS: Data revealed that 45.5% of subjects had a high smile and 45.5% had an average smile; 58.2% of the subjects presented an upwards GL. The GZ of canine teeth was 0.33 mm apical to the corresponding central incisor and no significant difference between both sides of the GZ was observed. The GZ of the lateral incisor was located coronal to the GL in 87.9% of samples. The vertical distance between the GZ of the lateral incisor and the GL was 0.59 mm and no statistically significant difference was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The most common findings were a high or average smile type, combined with an upward GL. In the majority of subjects, the GZ of the lateral incisor is coronal to the GL. The apico-coronal displacement of the GZ showed bilateral symmetry.

[Finite element analysis of the maxillary central incisor with crown lengthening surgery and post-core restoration in management of crown-root fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To construct the finite element models of maxillary central incisor and the simulations with crown lengthening surgery and post-core restoration in management of different crown-root fracture types, to investigate the stress intensity and distributions of these models mentioned above, and to analyze the indications of crown lengthening from the point of view of mechanics. METHODS: An extracted maxillary central incisor and alveolar bone plaster model were scanned by Micro-CT and dental impression scanner (3shape D700) respectively. Then the 3D finite element models of the maxillary central incisor and 9 simulations with crown lengthening surgery and post-core restoration were constructed by Mimics 10.0, Geomagic studio 9.0 and ANSYS 14.0 software. The oblique static force (100 N) was applied to the palatal surface (the junctional area of the incisal 1/3 and middle 1/3), at 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis, then the von Mises stress of dentin, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, post and core, as well as the periodontal ligament area, were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 10 high-precision three-dimensional finite element models of maxillary central incisor were established. The von Mises stress of models: post>dentin>alveolar bone>core>periodontal ligament, and the von Mises stress increased linearly with the augmentation of fracture degree (besides the core). The periodontal ligament area of the crown lengthening was reduced by 12% to 33%. The von Mises stress of periodontal ligament of the B2L2c, B2L3c, B3L1c, B3L2c, B3L3c models exceeded their threshold limit value, respectively. CONCLUSION: The maxillary central incisors with the labial fracture greater than three-quarter crown length and the palatal fracture deeper than 1 mm below the alveolar crest are not the ideal indications of the crown lengthening surgery.

[Different multidisciplinary approaches of two traumatic teeth fractures in the esthetic zone: a case report].

In this article, different methods to deal with teeth fractures were discussed by presenting a case of traumatic crown-root fracture in the anterior esthetic zone. The traumatic crown-root fracture is a common problem in clinic. When a fracture line locates in close proximity to or below the alveolar bone crest, the fracture most likely involve the junctional epithelium and the connective tissue attachment. This type of fracture becomes a challenge for restorative dentists because it involves biologic, functional, and esthetic considerations, especially when the fracture occurs in an esthetic area. In this case, a young patient presented with two fractured upper anterior teeth to the Department of Periodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology. After the comprehensive clinical evaluation, the right central incisor was decided to extract for implant therapy and the right lateral incisor was decided to retain by one modified crown lengthening surgery. The most common technique applied to save a retained root is a clinical crown lengthening procedure. However, the aggressive alveolar bone resection of both target and adjacent teeth to reestablish the bone width and periodontal health may compromise functional and esthetic outcomes. To reduce loss of excessive osseous tissue during osteotomy procedure, the modified crown lengthening of the right lateral incisor was performed, including minor bone resection and root reshaping. Regarding the right central incisor, the retained root was all located below the alveolar bone crest. The extraction and implant procedure, combined with guided bone graft were performed to avoid the damage to neighbor teeth during traditional restorative therapy and to reshape a preferable buccal contour. At the last visit, the patient was recalled with healthy periodontium, normal tooth function and favorable esthetic results.

[Radiographic evaluation of ridge preservation after molar tooth extraction: a controlled clinical trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the bone dimensional changes following tooth extraction alone with extraction plus ridge preservation (using deproteinized boving bone mineral Bio-Oss® and bioresorbable collagen mambrane Bio-Gide®) in periodontal compromised extraction sockets. METHODS: Eighteen molars of sixteen subjects requiring tooth extraction because of periodontal destruction were enrolled in this study. The subjects were assigned to the control group (extraction alone, EXT) or to the test group (ridge-preservation procedure with Bio-Oss® and Bio-Gide, RP). Parallel periapical X-rays and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were taken immediately after tooth extraction alone or plus ridge-preservation (baseline) and 6 months later. The changes of horizontal ridge width and vertical ridge height were assessed. RESULTS: At the central buccal aspect, the ridge height increased 2.9 mm in RP group, and reduced 1.0 mm in EXT group. At the distal buccal aspect, the ridge height increased 1.45 mm in RP group, and reduced 1.45 mm in EXT group. The differences between the groups reached statistical significance (P<0.05). The mean ridge width increased at the 1 mm below the crest (the horizontal ridge width was measured with grafting material at three levels at 1 mm below the most coronal aspect of the crest,HW1), which amounted to 3.40 to 5.80 mm in RP group, and 1.45 to 2.90 mm in EXT group. The mean ridge increased at the 4 mm below the crest (the horizontal ridge width was measured with grafting material at three levels at 4 mm below the most coronal aspect of the crest,HW4), which amounted to 0.40 to 3.50 mm in RP group, and reduced 0.10 to increased 0.15 mm in EXT group. The test group and the control group were not significantly different (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The ridge-preservation approach using Bio-Oss® in combination with Bio-Gide® can significantly increase vertical ridge height and horizontal ridge width after tooth extraction compared with extraction alone in periodontal compromised molars.

Exploring the mechanism of Corbrin capsules in the intervention of AKI-COVID-19 based on network pharmacology combined with GEO dataset.

AIM: of the study: This study used network pharmacology and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to investigate the therapeutic effects of Corbrin capsules on acute kidney injury (AKI)-COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The active constituents and specific molecular targets of Corbrin capsules were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and Swiss Target Prediction databases. The targets related to AKI and COVID-19 disease were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), GeneCards, and GEO databases. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by utilizing Cytoscape. To enhance the analysis of pathways associated with the pathogenesis of AKI-COVID-19, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. Furthermore, immune infiltration analysis was performed by using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and CIBERSORT. Molecular docking was used to assess interactions between differentially expressed genes and active ingredients. Verification was performed by utilizing GEO databases and in vivo assays. RESULTS: This study revealed an overlap of 18 significantly differentially expressed genes between the Corbrin capsules group and the AKI-COVID-19 target group. Analysis of the PPI network identified TP53, JAK2, PIK3CA, PTGS2, KEAP1, and MCL1 as the top six core protein targets with the highest degrees. The results obtained from GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the target genes were primarily enriched in the apoptosis and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Moreover, the analysis of immune infiltration revealed a notable disparity in the percentage of quiescent memory CD4 + T cells. Western blot analyses provided compelling evidence suggesting that the dysregulation of 6 core protein targets could be effectively reversed by Corbrin capsules. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the key components, targets, and pathways involved in treating AKI-related COVID-19 using Corbrin capsules. This study also provided a new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this treatment.

Patterns, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Recurrence After Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with and without Microvascular Invasion.

Purpose: The patterns and risk factors of postsurgical recurrence of patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with microvascular invasion (MVI) are not clarified. This study aimed to decipher and compare the postoperative recurrent patterns and the risk factors contributing to recurrence between MVI positive (MVI(+)) and MVI negative (MVI(-)) HCC after hepatectomy. Patients and methods: Patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy in three Chinese academic hospitals between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2018, were enrolled. Recurrent patterns included early (≤2 years) or late (>2 years) recurrence, recurrent sites and number, and risk factors of recurrence were compared between the MVI(+)and MVI(-) groups by propensity score-matching (PSM). Results: Of 1756 patients included, 581 (33.1%) were MVI(+), and 875 (49.8%) patients developed early recurrence. Compared with the MVI(-) group, the MVI(+) group had a higher 2-year recurrence rate in the PSM cohort (hazard ratio [HR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-2.10; P < 0.001), and more patients with multiple tumor recurrence. Patients with early recurrence in the MVI(+) group had a worse overall survival (OS) than those in the MVI(-) group (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02-1.50; P = 0.034). Resection margin (RM) ≤1.0 cm is a surgical predictor of early recurrence for the MVI(+) group (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54-0.87; P = 0.002), but not for the MVI(-) group. Conclusion: Compared to MVI(-) HCC, MVI(+) HCC tends to be early, multiple recurrence and lung and lymph node metastasis after resection. RM ≤1.0 cm is a surgical risk factor of early recurrence for patient with MVI.

[Combined crown lengthening surgery with restorative therapy for inducing papilla growth: a case report].

A young lady with unsatisfied restorations of upper anterior teeth and swollen gum wanted to improve aesthetics. Oral examination showed that 12-22 were provisional crowns with normal occlusion, poorly gingival contour and gummy smile. The gingiva was red, light swollen and bleeding on probing. X-ray showed the roots of 11, 21 were short and the alveolar bone absorbed. After the periodontal initial treatment, an ideal location of gingival margin was determined. Then, an esthetic periodontal surgery was performed to recover the biology width and the gingival margin was fitted with the anterior teeth. The temporary restorations were made twice to guide the gingiva growth by changing the shape of the restorations and moving up the contact points of the restorations. The ceramic crowns were completed 3 months after the operation. The gummy smile disappeared and the gingival margin was filled well with the upper anterior ceramic crowns. The 14-month follow-up presented a satisfied effect. Crown lengthening surgery combined restorative therapy could lead papilla to grow well. This process is beneficial for the future treatment plan and clinical esthetic evaluation.

[Method and its application of gingival thickness measurement based on cone-beam computed tomography].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a novel method for obtaining the clear visualization of the gingival profile by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) that consistently allows the measurements of gingival thickness and use it to explore the relationship between the gingival thickness and gingival biotype, and the gingival thickness and underlying alveolar bone thickness in the maxillary anterior region. METHODS: In this study, 15 volunteers with healthy gingiva in the maxillary anterior teeth were involved, and a special preparation was done before CBCT scans including making impression with the contrast agent. The tissue biotypes were assessed clinically with the probe, The thickness of both gingiva and bone and the gingival thickness of the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) were measured radiographically with cone-beam computed tomography scans. All data analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0. RESULTS: The CBCT image showed clear visualization of the gingival profile. The average gingival thickness of the CEJ was (1.22±0.32) mm. A correlation was observed between the tissue biotypes and the gingival thickness (r=0.449,P<0.05). The labial gingival thickness was negative associated with the underlying bone thickness measured with CBCT in the maxillary anterior region (r=-0.31, P=0.021). CONCLUSION: A method was established for measuring gingival thickness based on cone-beam computed tomography. The gingival biotypes had a positive correlation with gingival thickness of the CEJ.

[Shape analysis of healthy gingival curve in maxillary anterior teeth in 120 Chinese youth].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the relationship of the gingival crest, the gingival curve characteristic point (inflection point, IP) and the contact points and to use it as reference to design the location of contact area in anterior teeth restoration to form the natural papillae. METHODS: Two-dimensional gingival curve morphology analysis based on standardized digital images was done to measure the value of different points in the upper anterior teeth for 120 young Chinese. RESULTS: In the maxillary anterior teeth, the average mesial papilla heights(MPH) of central incisors(CI), lateral incisors(LI), canines(CA) were (4.49 ± 0.86) mm, (3.64 ± 0.77) mm and (4.12 ± 0.92) mm; the average distal gingival papilla heights(DPH) were (4.09 ± 0.72) mm, (3.48 ± 0.83) mm and (4.13 ± 0.94) mm . The relationship of the gingival curve inflection points of maxillary anterior teeth with the gingival zenith and the contact points were determined in horizontal and vertical ways. In the CI, the mesial IP in X and Y axis were 0.61±0.10 and 0.26±0.07, in distal were 0.57±0.10 and 0.25±0.07. In the LI, the mesial IP in X and Y axis were 0.50±0.10 and 0.23±0.08, in distal were 0.56±0.11 and 0.26±0.08. In the CA, the mesial IP in X and Y axis were 0.52±0.09 and 0.23±0.07, the distal IP were 0.60±0.12 and 0.26±0.08. CONCLUSION: The upper anterior teeth papillae shapes of the different teeth and gingival curves are determined with certain characteristics, and the gingival curve inflection points have some mathematical relationship with the gingival crest and the contact points.