Generation of soft annular beams with high uniformity, low ring width increment, and a smooth edge.

In this paper, soft-edge toroidal amplitude filter (STAF) and soft-edge toroidal complex amplitude filter (STCAF) are designed according to the principle that soft-edge structures can eliminate diffraction. Based on the Mach-Zehnder interference principle, a double optical path compound interference modulation method that can generate soft annular beams is proposed by using STAF and STCAF. The 1/e2 radius and peak-to-average ratio (PAR) were used to evaluate the ring width and uniformity of the annular beam. Compared with the annular beams generated by STAF and hard-edge toroidal amplitude filter (HTAF), it can be found that the soft annular beam generated by this proposed method has the advantages of high uniformity, small ring width increment, and smooth edges. By analyzing the influence of the number and height of the sawtooth structures on the annular beam propagation performance, the relationship between the PAR and the structure parameters of the STAF was established. Moreover, three kinds of toroidal filters were designed by lithography processing, and an experimental system was built to generate the soft annular beam. In the experiment, the average value of the ring width increment of the soft annular beam is 0.0125, the PAR is less than 1.5, and the root mean square error of the PAR curve is 0.0865, which indicates that the soft annular beam maintains high uniformity during propagation.

Large-range and high-precision autofocus method based on an annular DOE for a laser direct writing system.

We present a large-range and high-precision autofocus method based on an annular diffractive optical element (DOE) for a laser direct writing system. By analyzing the shape of the return spot, the defocus direction and the defocus amount can be obtained at the same time. The experimental results show that the linear detection range of the proposed method can reach at least 76 µm, the sensitivity can reach 100 nm, the detection accuracy can reach 100 nm, and the noise fluctuation does not exceed 50 nm. Apparently, with the advantages of a large detection range, high detection, and good stability, the automatic focus detection method proposed in this paper can be widely applied in various wafer-scale complex microstructure preparation systems.

Histone Demethylase Jmjd3 Regulates the Osteogenic Differentiation and Cytokine Expressions of Periodontal Ligament Cells.

Periodontal ligament (PDL) cells are critical for the bone remodeling process in periapical lesions since they can differentiate into osteoblasts and secrete osteoclastogenesis-promoting cytokines. Post-translational histone modifications including alterations of the methylation status of H3K27 are involved in cell differentiation and inflammatory reaction. The histone demethylase Jumonji domain-containing 3 (Jmjd3) specifically removes methylation of H3K27. We investigated whether Jmjd3 is involved in the osteogenic differentiation and secretion of PDL cells' inflammatory factors. Jmjd3 expression in periapical lesions was examined by immunostaining. Using siRNA specific for Jmjd3 or the specific Jmjd3 inhibitor GSK-J4, we determined Jmjd3's roles in osteogenic differentiation and cytokine production by real-time RT-PCR. The locations of Jmjd3 and NF-κB were analyzed by immunocytochemistry. Compared to healthy PDLs, the periapical lesion samples showed higher Jmjd3 expression. Treatment with GSK-J4 or Jmjd3 siRNA suppressed PDL cells' osteogenic differentiation by suppressing the expressions of bone-related genes (Runx2, Osterix, and osteocalcin) and mineralization. Jmjd3 knockdown decreased the expressions of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) induced by lipopolysaccharide extracted from Porphyromonas endodontalis (Pe-LPS). Pe-LPS induced the nuclear translocations of Jmjd3 and NF-κB; the latter was inhibited by GSK-J4 treatment. Jmjd3 appears to regulate PDL cells' osteogenic differentiation and proinflammatory cytokine expressions.

[Effects of Porphyromonas endodontalis lipopolysaccharides on the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in mouse osteoblasts].

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted from Porphyromonas endodontalis (P.endodontalis) on expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA and protein in MC3T3-E1 cells and the role of p38 mitogen-activated　protein　kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kB(NF-kB）in the process. METHODS: MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with different concentrations of P.endodontalis LPS(0-50mg/L) and 20 mg/L P.endodontalis LPS for different hours (0-48 h). The expression of MCP-1 mRNA was detected by real-time reverse transcription PCR(RT-PCR) and protein was detected by enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MC3T3-E1 cells were pretreated with SB203580 (inhibitor of p38MAPK) and BAY11-7082 (inhibitor of NF-kB) for 1h, and then were treated with 20 mg/L P.endodontalis LPS for 24 h, the expression of MCP-1 mRNA was also detected by RT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnett t test with SPSS 13.0 software package. RESULTS: The level of MCP-1 mRNA and protein increased significantly after treatment with different concentrations of P.endodontalis LPS (0-50 mg/L), which indicated that P.endodontalis LPS induced osteoblasts to express MCP-1 in a dose dependent manners. During the observation time (0-48 h), the impact of 20 mg/L P.endodontalis LPS on induction of MCP-1 in MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited a time-dependent manner. The expression of MCP-1 mRNA decreased significantly after pretreated with 10 mol/L SB203580 and BAY11-7082 for 1 h,and the inhibitory effect of SB203580 was stronger than BAY11-7082. CONCLUSIONS: P.endodontalis LPS may induce the expression of MCP-1 mRNA and protein in MC3T3-E1 cells through the signaling pathway of p38MAPK and NF-kB.

[Expression of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 in chronic periapical lesions and its clinical significance].

PURPOSE: To detect the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS-1) and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) in chronic periapical lesions and to clarify their roles in pathogenesis of apical periodontitis. METHODS: A total of 25 chronic periapical lesion tissues and 16 normal periodontal ligament tissues were collected respectively. The expression of mRNA was measured by real-time PCR, the protein expression was measured by immunohistochemical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 software package. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical results indicated that expression levels of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 protein in chronic periapical lesions were significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.01); Moreover, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 protein expression levels in severe inflammation group were significantly higher than that in mild inflammation group (P<0.01). In mild inflammation group, severe inflammation group and control group, the expression levels of SOCS-1 mRNA were 2.620±1.552, 2.373±1.083 and 1.277±1.040, whereas those of SOCS-3 were 9.308±5.901, 7.565±3.233 and 1.232±1.099, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The expression levels of SOCS-1 mRNA and SOCS-3 mRNA are significantly higher both in mild inflammation group and severe inflammation group than that in control group (P<0.01), while no significant difference is found in mild and severe inflammation group.