[Analysis of surgical approaches and mandibular treatment strategies for different types of tumors involving parapharyngeal space]

In view of the surgical complexity of parapharyngeal space tumors involved, this paper summarized the disease data of patients with parapharyngeal space tumors involved in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2015 to January 2021. It also summarized the surgical approach and mandibular management, so as to explore surgical strategies for different characteristics of parapharyngeal space tumors involved. A total of 49 patients, including 28 males and 21 females, median age 52 years (range 24-72 years). They were treated with four surgical approaches for tumor resection, 25 cervical approach, 5 cheek and neck approach, 3 transoral approach, and 16 cervical-maxillary approach. Among the patients treated with cervical-maxillary approach, 3 patients were treated with mandible square resection, and 6 patients were treated with temporary mandible dissection. Seven cases were treated with tumor resection and partial mandibular resection. There are various surgical approaches and mandibular management methods involving tumors in the parapharyngeal space, and clinical decisions should be made based on tumor diameter, location, boundary, blood supply and pathological types.

Exploring ecological effects of arsenic and cadmium combined exposure on cropland soil: from multilevel organisms to soil functioning by multi-omics coupled with high-throughput quantitative PCR

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) pose potential ecological threats to cropland soils; however, few studies have investigated their combined effects on multilevel organisms and soil functioning. Here, we used collembolans and soil microbiota as test organisms to examine their responses to soil As and Cd co-contamination at the gene, individual, and community levels, respectively, and further uncovered ecological relationships between pollutants, multilevel organisms, and soil functioning. At the gene level, collembolan transcriptome revealed that elevated As concentrations stimulated As-detoxifying genes AS3MT and GST, whereas the concurrent Cd restrained GST gene expression. At the individual level, collembolan reproduction was sensitive to pollutants while collembolan survival wasn't. At the community level, significant but inconsistent correlations were observed between the biodiversity of different soil keystone microbial clusters and soil As levels. Moreover, soil functioning related to nutrient (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur) cycles was inhibited under As and Cd co-exposure only through the mediation of plant pathogens. Overall, these findings suggested multilevel bioindicators (i.e., AS3MT gene expression in collembolans, collembolan reproduction, and biodiversity of soil keystone microbial clusters) in cropland soils co-contaminated with As and Cd, thus improving the understanding of the ecotoxicological impact of heavy metal co-contamination on soil ecosystems.

Extracting Venom from the Parasitoid Wasp Trichogramma dendrolimi using an Artificial Host

Parasitoid wasps are a diverse group of hymenopteran insects that serve as invaluable resources for pest biocontrol. To ensure successful parasitism, parasitoid wasps inject venom into their hosts to suppress their hosts' immunity, modulate hosts' development, metabolism, and even behavior. With over 600,000 estimated species, the diversity of parasitoid wasps surpasses that of other venomous animals, such as snakes, cone snails, and spiders. Parasitoid wasp venom is an underexplored source of bioactive molecules with potential applications in pest control and medicine. However, collecting parasitoid venom is challenging due to the inability to use direct or electrical stimulation and the difficulty in dissection because of their small size. Trichogramma is a genus of tiny (~0.5 mm) egg parasitoid wasps that are widely used for the biological control of lepidopteran pests in both agriculture and forests. Here, we report a method for extracting venom from T. dendrolimi using artificial hosts. These artificial hosts are created with polyethylene film and amino acid solutions and then inoculated with Trichogramma wasps for parasitism. The venom was subsequently collected and concentrated. This method enables the extraction of large amounts of Trichogramma venom while avoiding contamination from other tissues caused by dissection, a common issue in venom reservoir dissection protocols. This innovative approach facilitates the study of Trichogramma venom, paving the way for new research and potential applications.

[Diagnosis and treatment strategy of periodontitis with diabetes]

The number of diabetic patients visiting stomatology for periodontal disease is increasing, and the symptoms are relatively severe, and often complications increase the complexity of periodontal treatment. This article briefly describes the research progress and clinical manifestations of the epidemiology and related pathological mechanisms of periodontitis with diabetes, focusing on the treatment and providing reference for stomatologists in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with diabetic periodontitis.

[Research progress in association between endothelial dysfunction and periodontitis]

Vascular endothelium formulates the basic defense against cardiovascular diseases. Multiple factors such as inflammatory factors, oxidative stress and biological factors can cause endothelial dysfunction and be involved in the formation and development of cardiovascular diseases. In studies of recent years, accumulated evidences showed that periodontitis was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events, and was related to vascular endothelial dysfunction. Periodontal therapy could improve the vascular endothelial function. In this paper, the epidemiological evidences of associations between periodontitis and vascular endothelial dysfunction in recent years were listed, and the possible mechanisms of periodontitis aggravating endothelial dysfunction were analyzed. The importance of periodontal intervention in improving endothelial function was emphasized. This will provide new ideas for further study about the relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases and for the prevention and treatment strategies.

Research Progress in Pharmacological Mechanisms, Structure-Activity Relationship and Synthesis of Sartans

: The sartans are a new class of antihypertensive drugs as angiotensin II receptor blockers which possess plenty of ad-vantages in treating hypertension and related pathologies. This review describes the clinical treatment, side effects, and po-tential therapeutic effects of sartans from 1995 to date. The synthesis, structural-activity and molecular docking with Angi-otensin Type 1 receptor of imidazole derivatives, benzimidazole derivatives and other compounds are also described. With clear Structure-Activity Relationship and abundant pharmacological effects, some types of novel Angiotensin Type 1 re-ceptor antagonists are emerging gradually for further research in the meantime.

[Progress in the methods for evaluating depth of bone invasion and bone invasion of lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma]

The depth of invasion is a new index in the 8th edition of TNM classification and staging of oral cancer. Currently, there is no standardized evaluation method for the diagnosis of bone invasion and depth of invasion in lower gingival squamous cell carcinoma (LGSCC). The evaluation of LGSCC bone invasion depth not only provides a reference for surgical margin, but also determines the choice of surgical method, and is an independent prognostic factor for predicting cervical lymphatic metastasis. At present, the main evaluation methods of LGSCC bone invasion and invasion depth include X-ray, MRI, CT, positron emission tomography(PET)/CT, PET/MRI, singlephoton emission CT(SPECT)/CT and pathological examination. In this paper, the evaluation methods and effects of LGSCC bone invasion and invasion depth are summarized, and its advantages and disadvantages are analyzed in order to provide reference for clinical application.

[Correlation analysis of smell and taste loss with COVID-19 outbreak trend based on big data of internet]

Objective: To analyze the correlation between loss of smell/taste and the number of real confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide based on Google Trends data, and to explore the guiding role of smell/taste loss for the COVID-19 prevention and control. Methods: "Loss of smell" and "loss of taste" related keywords were searched in the Google Trends platform, the data were obtained from Jan. 1 2019 to Jul. 11 2021. The daily and newly confirmed COVID-19 case number were collected from World Health Organization (WHO) since Dec. 30 2019. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 23.0 software. The correlation was finally tested by Spearman correlation analysis. Results: A total of data from 80 weeks were collected. The retrospective analysis was performed on the new trend of COVID-19 confirmed cases in a total of 186 292 441 cases worldwide. Since the epidemic of COVID-19 was recorded on the WHO website, the relative searches related to loss of smell/taste in the Google Trends platform had been increasing globally. The global relative search volumes of "loss of smell" and "loss of taste" on Google Trends was 10.23±2.58 and 16.33±2.47 before the record of epidemic while 80.25±39.81 and 80.45±40.04 after (t value was 8.67, 14.43, respectively, both P<0.001). In the United States and India, the relative searches for "loss of smell" and "loss of taste" after the record of epidemic were also much higher than before (all P<0.001). The correlation coefficients between the trend of weekly new COVID-19 cases and the Google Trends of "loss of smell" in the global, United States, and India was 0.53, 0.76, and 0.82 respectively (all P<0.001), the correlation coefficients with Google Trends of "loss of taste" was 0.54, 0.78, and 0.82 respectively (all P<0.001). The lowest and highest point of loss of smell/taste search curves of Google Trends in different periods appeared 7 to 14 days earlier than that of the weekly newly COVID-19 confirmed cases curves, respectively. Conclusions: There is a significant positive correlation between the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and the amount of keywords, such as "loss of smell" and "loss of taste", retrieved in Google Trends. The trend of big data based on Google Trends might predict the outbreak trend of COVID-19 in advance.

[Study on the effect of antibiotics application in perioperative period on carotid artery and serum interleukin-6 in periodontitis rats with hyperlipidemia or diabetes]

Objective: To investigate the effect of antibiotics application in perioperative period on carotid artery and serum interluekin-6 (IL-6) in chronic periodontitis (CP) rats with hyperlipidemia (HL) or diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: The models of CP rats with HL or DM were established in different batches. The rats were divided into groups as follows: A and A' were normal control groups, n=7 in each group; B(HL) and B'(DM) were groups of HL and DM, n=7 in each; C(HL+CP) and C'(DM+CP) were groups of CP with HL and CP with DM, n=21 in each. After the establishment of the models, groups C and C' were divided into C1 and C1' non-intervention group, C2 and C2' simple tooth extraction group and C3 and C3' antibiotic-assisted tooth extraction, with 7 rats in each of the groups. Two time interventions were performed to extract experimental teeth (bilateral maxillary first and second molars) in groups C2, C2', C3 and C3'. Serum samples were collected at 5 time points before and after tooth extraction (T1: before the first tooth extraction; T2: one week after the first tooth extraction; T3, T4, T5: the first, third and fifth week after the second tooth extraction), respectively. The absolute content of IL-6 in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ratio of the absolute content in the experimental groups and control groups were calculated as the relative content of IL-6. At the end of the experiments, all rats were euthanasia and the bifurcation vascular tissues of carotid artery were collected for the observation of the carotid artery pathology and plaque formation and the measurement of the thickness of carotid intimal-medial layer (IMT). Results: Carotid artery pathology observation showed the IMT in group C was significantly thickened and the group C2 was the most thickened one (compared with group A, P＜0.01). Elastic fibers in groups C1 and C2 were disordered or even broken and disappeared, presenting typical atherosclerotic plaques, which were diffuse calcium salt deposits in the intimal-medial layers and protrude into the lumen. Elastic fibers in group C3 were ranged in ordered relatively without obvious fracture and the number of plaques was significantly reduced. The vascular walls in rats of groups B' and C' were incomplete, the IMTs had no obvious changes, elastic fibers were ranged disorderly and broken and the smooth muscle cells had vacuolar changes. In group C2', the vascular wall was significantly thinned and calcified plaques appeared in the artery, which showed multiple calcification lesions penetrating through the intimal-medial layer or even the whole layer. The vascular wall of group C3' was integrity and the elastic fibers arranged relatively clutter-free, the number of plaques was reduced. Results of detections of IL-6 showed the relative contents of IL-6 in groups B, B', C1, and C1' increased with time. At T3 time point, the relative contents of IL-6 in groups C2 and C3 reached the peak, C2 was 10.4 times of group A and C3 was 9.5 times of group A, and then decreased to different low levels. At T5 point, comparisons of the relative contents of IL-6 showed C3 < C2 < C1 (3.2 times, 5.4 times, 9.6 times of group A, respectively). The relative contents of IL-6 in groups C2' and C3' reached the peak at T2 point (4.9 times and 4.5 times of group A, respectively), and then decline with time. At T5 point, comparisons of the relative contents of IL-6 showed C3'< C2'< C1' (1.2 times, 1.4 times and 3.1 times of group A, respectively). Conclusions: Blood vessels were observed more obvious thickened in the tooth extraction without antibiotic of HL+CP rats with calcifications increase. Blood vessels of DM+CP rats became thin and fragile and even the integrity was damaged. Perioperative use of antibiotics might reduce the carotid artery lesions and decrease serum levels of inflammatory cytokines.

[Clinical characteristics and microbiome analysis in patients with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 related colitis]

Objective: To analyze clinical characteristics and monitor microbiome changes in patients with anti-PD-1 associated colitis. Methods: Two patients with non-small cell lung cancer who developed colitis after treated with anti-PD-1 antibodies were retrospectively analyzed in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020. The clinical symptoms, endoscopic and pathological manifestations, as well microbiome changes were analyzed and compared during pre-treatment, post-treatment and relapse. Results: The main clinical manifestations included diarrhea, elevated inflammatory indicators, colonic mucosal diffuse hyperemic edema with erosion by endoscopy. Changes in the structure of crypts were common pathological characteristics. Glucocorticoids were effective agents, which achieved clinical remission and mucosal healing. The microbiome composition of OTUs was different. After glucocorticoid treatment, the alpha diversity Observed species, Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, ACE indexes all decreased. The Firmicutes decreased with Bacteroidetes increasing in phylum level; while the Bacteroides increased with Ruminococcaceae decreasing in genus level. Lactobacillus was the potentially beneficial genus. Conclusion: Patients developing anti-PD-1 associated colitis have characteristic clinical and pathological manifestations. Glucocorticoids are effective treatment. The fecal microbiome diversity, relative abundance of major phylum and genus have changed after treatment.

[Ultrasound features and clinical characteristics of intestinal ischemia secondary to acute mesenteric venous thrombosis]

Objective: To examine the ultrasound features and clinical characteristics of the intestinal ischemia secondary to acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (AMVT). Methods: From January 2016 to June 2019, 11 patients were diagnosed as intestinal ischemia secondary to AMVT confirmed by surgical pathology or CT in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The patients included 7 males and 4 females, aging of (52.8±11.9) years (range: 34 to 81 years).The clinical characters and ultrasound features were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Abdomen pain was the chief complaint of all patients. Other complaints include 2 cases of blood in the stool, 1 case of hematemesis, 2 cases of vomiting, 1 case of diarrhea. Six patients showed rebound pain on physical examination. All patients had elevated white blood cell account and D-Dimer. Nine patients had a thrombosis in the portal vein simultaneously. All 11 patients underwent the CT scan including 10 contrast-enhanced CT. Mesenteric venous thrombosis was detected in 10 cases who underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging. On CT imaging, 11 patients demonstrated intestinal wall thicken, 5 patients showed intestinal dilation. Eight patients underwent superior mesenteric venous ultrasound examination. Of them, 7 patients were correctly diagnosed as AMVT. Of the 10 patients who underwent abdominal ultrasound, 5 patients showed intestinal lesions including intestinal wall thicken in 4 patients and intestinal dilation in 1 patient. Peritoneal fluid was detected in 10 patients by ultrasound, which was consistent with CT. Ten patients underwent surgical procedures while 1 patient received conservative treatment. Conclusion: Ultrasound is an accurate imaging method in diagnosing superior mesenteric vein thrombosis and can detect intestinal wall thickening, intestinal dilation, and peritoneal fluid.

[Nasopharyngeal low grade papillary adenocarcinoma with squamous differentiation：a case report]

Summary Low grade papillary adenocarcinoma is especially rare tumor in nasopharynx. Here we reported a patient who had low grade papillary adenocarcinoma of the nasopharynx and was diagnosed by pathology. The patient complained for bilateral nasal congestion for 10 years and was hospitalized in recent 3 years. The patient received nasopharyngeal tumor resection, and the postoperative pathological examination showed low grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma with squamation. The patient was followed up for 9 months without recurrence or metastasis. We reported this case and reviewed the relevant literature in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease..

[Prospective study of relationship between metabolic diseases and stroke in Jinchang Cohort]

Objective: To understand the incidence of stroke in the population of Jinchang Cohort and the relationship between metabolic diseases and stroke, and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and treatment of stroke in the population. Methods: The epidemiological investigation data and physical examination data of the 33 042 follow-up participants in Jinchang Cohort were collected for a prospective cohort study. Restricted cubic splines functions was used to analyze the dose-response relationship between metabolic indexes and the risk of stroke incidence. Results: 1) The incidence rate of stroke in Jinchang Cohort was 1.59%, and the standardized incidence rate was 3.99%. 2) Hypertension (male HR=2.20, female HR=4.45) and dyslipidemia (male HR=1.49, female HR=1.79) were the risk factors of stroke incidence in the population and diabetes had influence on the incidence of stroke only in the males (HR=1.79), while obesity had influence only in the females (HR=1.64). The more kinds of metabolic diseases, the higher risk of stroke incidence was. 3) Systolic blood pressure had a non-linear dose-response correlation with the risk of stroke incidence, while diastolic blood pressure had a positive linear correlation with the risk of stroke incidence. Conclusions: The incidence of stroke in Jinchang Cohort population was high compared with both domestic level and oversea level. The patients with metabolic diseases were the population at high-risk for stroke, and more attention should be paid to them in the prevention and treatment of stroke. Diastolic blood pressure might be more closely related to stroke.

[The application value of suppression head impulse paradigm in vestibular neuritis]

Objective:To study the parameters of the suppression head impulse paradigm of vestibular neuritis and explore the application value of suppression head impulse paradigm in vestibular neuritis.Method:Twenty patients with vestibular neuritis in our outpatient clinic were selected. The HIMP and SHIMP gain of unilateral vestibular neuritis patients were detected by video pulse detector.Result:All patients with HIMP examination in the affected side can elicit compensatory saccade, the healthy side with no compensatory saccade; SHIMP examination in the healthy side can elicit anti-compensatory saccade, the affected side without compensatory saccade or weak saccades. The HIMP gain of affected side and healthy side of patients with vestibular neuritis were 0.56±0.15 and 0.99±0.13 respectively, and the SHIMP gain of affected side and healthy side of patients with vestibular neuritis were 0.45±0.13 and 0.9±0.13 respectively. The gain of the affected side and the healthy side of HIMP was larger than those of SHIMP, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).The differences of HIMP and SHIMP gain between the affected side and the healthy side were statistically significant (P<0.01).Conclusion:Video head impulse test combined with suppression head impulse paradigm can evaluate vestibular function injury and residual retention in vestibular neuritis, and can also dynamically monitor vestibular compensation in patients.

[Clinical application of a self-developed bone dust collector in mastoid cavity obliteration following mastoidectomy]

Objective: To introduce a self-developed bone dust collector designed by the authors and evaluate its efficiency in mastoid obliteration following mastoidectomy. Methods: Consecutive patients, from April 2017 to March 2018, who prepared to receive mastoidectomy were randomly divided into two groups, and in each group the bone dust was harvested by self-developed bone dust collector or by conventional used method respectively in mastoidectomy. The amount of the harvested bone dust and the time consumed in the collecting procedure were compared between two groups. The infection of the bone dust after mastoid obliteration was also evaluated during follow up. Results: 33 patients were recruited in bone dust collector group, and 31 patients in conventional method group.There is no significance of difference between two groups in sex ratio, age and pneumatization of mastoid cells (P>0.05 for all). The median amount of bone dust harvested by bone dust collector was significantly larger than that collected by conventional method (1.8 g vs 1.1 g, P<0.05). The median time spent in bone dust collector group was significantly shorter than that spent in conventional method group (4 minutes vs 6 minutes, P<0.05). No bone dust infection was found in the follow-up in all patients. Conclusion: The present self-developed bone dust collector is a easy and useful apparatus which can significantly improve the efficiency of collecting bone dust in mastoidectomy.

[Clinical analysis of thyroid cancer in 62 children]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of thyroid cancer in children. Methods: Clinical data of 164 children (60 boys, 104 girls) with space-occupying lesions of the thyroid who were hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from July 2006 to December 2017 were collected. Sixty-two children with thyroid cancer were reviewed respectively and followed up by telephone. Results: From July 2006 to December 2017, children with thyroid cancer accounted for 37.8% (62/164) of children with space-occupying lesions of the thyroid. The number of children with space-occupying lesions of the thyroid every 2 years was 13, 21, 19, 33, 38, 41, and the number of children with thyroid cancer every 2 years was 2, 5, 3, 8, 21, 23. One out of 62 thyroid cancer was follicular thyroid cancer, the others were papillary thyroid cancer, neck mass was the chief complaint in 60 of 62 patients. Two cases were brought to hospital with respiratory tract oppression as the chief complaint. Forty-eight cases got long-term follow-up by telephone, over 50 percent of cases received follow-up for more than 2 years, the median follow-up time was 2.63 years (0.25-8.67 years), most of these patients had favorable prognoses. Hypothyroidism (98%) and hypocalcemia (33%) were main long-term complication. Hypothyroidism recovered well after thyroxine replacement therapy, and in only 5 children hypocalcemia was spontaneously relieved, the average remission time was 1.9 months, the longest time for recovering from hypocalcemia was 6 months; the other cases responded well when they were treated as secondary hypoparathyroidism, with no hypocalcemia symptoms. Nine children had distant metastasis after operation, the average recurrence time was 12.8 months, and the latest relapsing time was 2 years. The overall prognosis was good, the longest follow-up period was 8 years and no death was found. Conclusions: Pediatric space-occupying lesions of the thyroid and thyroid cancer are rising during the last 12 years. Hypothyroidism and hypocalcemia are main long-term complications after surgery, the children cases recovered well, the remission of hypocalcemia was achieved not later than 6 months. The overall prognosis of childhood thyroid cancer was good, without death within the follow-up period.

[Establishment of rat model with diabetes mellitus and concomitant periodontitis and the carotid artery lesions in the model rats]

Objectives: To establish SD rat model with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and concomitant chronic periodontitis (CP) and to evaluate the influence of periodontitis on the vascular lesions of type 2 diabetes rats. Methods: Totally 241 clean level SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, group A (normal control, NC, n=27), group B (DM, n=34), group C (CP, n=90) and group D (DM+CP, n=90). The rats of DM group were fed with high-fat and high-sugar diet for 8 to 10 weeks, and then were multiply injected with small dose streptozotocin under the condition of ice bath. Blood sugar levels after the injection were dynamically monitored at 72 h, 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively. The CP model was established by means of ligation. Bilateral maxillary first and second molars were selected and ligated using 0.2 mm orthodontic wires binding with 4-0 surgical suture soaked with Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) suspension. After a period of 14 weeks, all the rats were put to death. Maxillary samples were subjected to methylene blue staining to observe alveolar bone loss. Bilateral carotid artery specimens were collected. The left carotid artery specimens were used to detect the prevalence of Pg using quantitative real-time PCR. The right carotid artery specimens were used to observe pathological changes. Results: Blood sugar levels of rats in group B and D increased and changed sharply after Streptozotocin injection with in 1 week. Symptoms of 'more drink, more food and body weight loss' appeared. The fasting blood glucose (FBG) was more than 7.8 mmol/L and (or) the random blood glucose (RBG) was more than 17.8 mmol/L. Both FBG and RBG became stable after 2 to 3 weeks. Levels of HbA1C in group B and D ([7.32±0.45]%, [9.41±0.45]%) were significantly higher than that of group A ([4.02±0.45]%) (P<0.01). Rats of group D were observed the most severe bone loss showing wider interdental space and furcation involvement. Pathological results of carotid artery tissues of group D showed the worst lesions including thinning and calcification of vessel walls, and breaking down or disappearance of elastic fibers. The prevalences of DNA of Pg in groups of A, B, C and D were 3/7, 3/7, 6/7 and 7/7, respectively. The bacteria numbers detected by quantitative real-time PCR in groups C and D were significantly higher than that of groups A and B (P<0.01). Conclusions: Rat model of type 2 DM with periodontitis was successfully established in the present study. Carotid artery specimens from DM+CP model rats showed typical vascular lesions such as calcification and fiber disorders. Pg was found in all carotid specimens and the highest bacteria numbers were detected in the composite model rats. The Pg might play a role in the progress of diabetes vascular lesions.

[Effects of oral interventions on carotid artery, serum C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 in chronic periodontitis rats with atherosclerosis]

Objective: To explore the effect of variousoral interventions on the development of atherosclerosis in SD rats with chronic periodontitis and atherosclerosis. Methods: Forty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups, Group A(healthycontrol), Group B(atherosclerosis, As) and Group C(chronic periodontitis with atherosclerosis, CP+As). Rats in Group C were further divided randomly into Subgroup C1(natural process, n=7), Subgroup C2(mechanical therapy, n=7), Subgroup C3(systemic antibiotic treatment, n=7) and Subgroup C4(tooth extraction, n=7). Rats in each subgroup of Group C received one of the appropriate oral interventions. The pathological lesions of carotid artery plaque were stained with hematoxylin and eosin(HE) and observed under a light microscope. The serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP) and interleukin-6(IL-6) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in five different time points. Results: Pathological results showed that increased foam cells and inflammatory cells were found in Group B. Irregular vessel wall, inflammatory cell, the foam cells, disordered elastic fibers were observed in Group C. While fewer in flammatory cells were found in Subgroup C2 than that in other subgroups. The changing trends of the serum levels of CRP and IL-6 were consistant with time went by. The levels of serum CRP, IL-6 in Groups B and C were significantly higher than that in Group A at all time points(P<0.01). The levels of serum CRP, IL-6 in Subgroup C1 became higher gradually(P<0.05) with time being. The serum levels after oral interventions changed significantly compared with the baseline levels(P<0.05). One week after the second round of intervention, the serum levels of CRP(C2: [9.43 ± 1.28] μg/L, C3: [12.38±0.81] μg/L, C4: [15.76±1.03] μg/L) and IL-6 (C2: [94.71±16.09] μg/L, C3: [112.89± 40.16] μg/L, C4: [175.11 ± 50.79] μg/L) in intervention subgroups reached the peaksand were significantly higher than that of Group B(CRP: [6.96±1.30] μg/L, IL-6: [43.36±7.46] μg/L) and Subgroup C1(CRP: [8.41± 0.46] μg/L, IL-6: [73.59±27.89] μg/L)(P<0.05). The changes of serum levels then declined with time beingin each group/subgroupand level in Subgroup C2 was the lowest(P<0.01). Conclusions: In chronic periodontitis of rats with atherosclerosis, permanent periodontitis mightsignificantly raise the risk of the development of atherosclerosis. Oral interventions increased the risk of atherosclerosis in a short period of time because of increased levels of serum inflammatory factors, but effective improvement could be observed on the As lesions after oral interventions in along term, especially after the periodontal mechanical therapy.

Proteomic research on diapause-related proteins in the female ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata L

In the experiments reported here, we used the female ladybird Coccinella septempunctata L. as a model to identify diapause-associated proteins using proteomics technology. Our results indicated that protein expression patterns of diapausing and nondiapausing individuals were highly differentiated. A total of 58 spots showed significant differences in abundance (Ratio > 2 and P < 0.05) according to two-dimensional electrophoresis and GE Image Scanner III analysis. Sixteen protein spots were further investigated using mass spectrometry. Eight proteins were characterized, including chaperones and proteins involved in glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among these proteins, five proteins were upregulated in diapausing female adults, including a chaperone (Symbionin symL), malate dehydrogenase (putative), two proteins linked to lipid metabolism (unknown and conserved hypothetical protein) and phosphoglyceromutase (partial). By contrast, isocitrate dehydrogenase (RH49423p), fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (AGAP001942-PA), and a putative medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase were downregulated. These results contribute to the understanding of diapause mechanisms of the ladybird C. septempunctata and may suggest methods for improving the application of this natural enemy insect.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)-based scaffolds for tissue engineering

Development and selection of an ideal scaffold is of importance for tissue engineering. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) is a biocompatible bioresorbable copolymer that belongs to the polyhydroxyalkanoate family. Because of its good biocompatibility, PHBHHx has been widely used as a cell scaffold for tissue engineering. This review focuses on the utilization of PHBHHx-based scaffolds in tissue engineering. Advances in the preparation, modification, and application of PHBHHx scaffolds are discussed.

Application of low-volume zero-balanced ultrafiltration and its effect on blood propofol concentration: a randomized controlled trial

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of low-volume zero-balanced ultrafiltration during cardiopulmonary bypass in heart valve replacement surgery.

METHODS

This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled study carried out in the operating room. Forty patients of ASA grade II-III, elected to undergo heart valve replacement surgery, were enrolled. All patients were randomly assigned to either a low-volume (35 mL/kg) zero-balanced ultrafiltration group (N.=20) or to a control group (N.=20). Blood propofol concentrations and entropy index were measured using cardiopulmonary bypass. Concentrations of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and cardiac troponin I were measured before and after the end of cardiopulmonary bypass and corrected according to hematocrit.

RESULTS

Blood levels of cardiac troponin I, TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-10 after surgery were all significantly lower in the ultrafiltration group than in the control group (P<0.05) after the end of bypass. Blood propofol concentrations decreased significantly in both groups during cardiopulmonary bypass and remained significantly lower in the ultrafiltration group than the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the entropy index (P=0.5583).

CONCLUSION

Low-volume zero-balanced ultrafiltration performed during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery significantly decreased post-bypass levels of the cytokines, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, and postoperative cardiac troponin I. Blood propofol concentration was also decreased; however, the depth of anesthesia was not affected significantly.

Family-based association analysis of S100A8 genetic polymorphisms with aggressive periodontitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

It is known that S100A8, a member of the S100 calcium-binding protein family, is associated with inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis. Our previous population-based study found an association between two polymorphisms, rs3795391 (A > G) and rs3806232 (A > G), in the upstream region of the S100A8 gene and aggressive periodontitis (AgP) in Chinese people. Based on those results, this investigation set out to analyze and corroborate whether the association also exists within families.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two hundred and four subjects from 73 nuclear families were recruited. All probands and their relatives were diagnosed according to the 1999 classification of periodontal diseases. Anticoagulated peripheral blood samples were collected from all the subjects, and DNA was extracted. The two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs3795391 and rs3806232) were detected and analyzed by standard polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. Analysis of genotype/allele was performed by Family-Based Association Test (FBAT) software ( http://www.biostat.harvard.edu/~fbat/default.html).

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant association of the SNP rs3795391 with AgP in the additive genetic model (chi(2) = 3.9836, d.f. = 1, p = 0.0459). Allele A showed significantly preferential transmission to the AgP affected individuals (Z = 1.996, p = 0.0459). The other SNP, rs3806232, showed no significant results in all models.

CONCLUSIONS

This family-based association study supports the previous findings that SNP rs3795391 (A > G) of the S100A8 gene might contribute to AgP susceptibility. This is, to our knowledge, the first investigation about AgP using FBAT in genetic analysis.

Elevation of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in plasma of patients with aggressive periodontitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Systemic levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 have been reported to be elevated in patients with periodontitis compared with periodontally healthy individuals. Most studies included patients with chronic periodontitis and comprised predominantly Caucasians. The aim of this study was to determine the relative levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in plasma of patients with aggressive periodontitis in China and to examine the relationships between these two inflammatory mediators and clinical parameters, peripheral blood cells and protein variables.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Plasma samples were collected from 84 patients with aggressive periodontitis and from 65 control subjects. Periodontal examination consisted of taking probing depth and attachment loss measurements. The levels of plasma C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

RESULTS

The levels of plasma C-reactive protein in patients with aggressive periodontitis were significantly higher than those in control subjects (1.87 vs. 0.52 mg/L). The level of plasma interleukin-6 in patients with aggressive periodontitis was 1.20 pg/mL, higher than that in control subjects (0.08 pg/mL). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that log C-reactive protein was significantly related to severe sites percentage and albumin following correction for age, gender, body mass index and smoking (p = 0.000, p = 0.008, respectively). Log interleukin-6 was found to be significantly correlated with periodontal diagnosis, leukocyte count and level of fasting blood glucose after adjusting for the confounders (p = 0.000, p = 0.009 and p = 0.013, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Patients with aggressive periodontitis have significantly elevated levels of plasma C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. These elevated inflammatory factors might potentially increase the risk for cardiovascular events and glucose dysregulation in relatively young individuals.

Visual evoked potentials estimation by adaptive noise cancellation with neural-network-based fuzzy inference system

Visual Evoked potentials (VEPs) are time-varying signals typically buried in relatively large background noise known as the electroencephalogram (EEG). An adaptive noise cancellation with neural-network-based fuzzy inference system was used and the NNFIS was carefully designed to model the VEP signal. An advantage of the method in this paper is that no reference signal is required. The NNFIS based on Takagi and Sugeno's fuzzy model has the advantage of being linear-in-parameter, which is able to closely fit any function mapping and can track the dynamic behavior of VEP in a real-time fashion. 4 sets of simulated data indicate that the proposed method is appropriate to estimate VEP. A total of 150 trials are processed to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.

Hybrid processing and time-frequency analysis of ECG signal

A new simple approach basing on the histogram and genetic algorithm(GA) to efficiently detect QRS-T complexes of the ECG curve is described, so as to easily get the P-wave (when AF does not happen) or the f-wave (when AF happens). By means of signal processing techniques such as the power spectrum function, the auto-correlation function and cross-correlation function, two kinds of ECG signal when AF does or does not happen were successively analyzed, showing the evident differences between them.