Effects of Maxillary Sinus Graft on the Survival of Endosseous Implants: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the survival rates of implants placed in grafted maxillary sinuses and compare the results obtained with graft materials, implant surfaces and timing of implant placement. Materials and Methods: Between January 1996 and December 2005, 391 implants are placed in 161 patients who underwent sinus grafting treatment simultaneously or separately at Ewha Womans University Hospital. According to inclusion critieria, 272 impants were placed in 102 patients with 112 sinus grafts (30 females, 72 males), aged 26 to 88 years (mean age 49.0±9.7). The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 134 months (mean F/U 47±32). Survival rates were evaluated according to graft material, implant surface and timing of implant placement, The Kaplan-Meier procedure and the log rank (Mantel-Cox) test were used to estimate survival rates and test for equality of survival rates between different groups of patients. Results: Ten-year cumultative survival rate for implants placed in the grafted sinuses was 90.1%. The survival rates for autogenous bone, combination and bone substitutes were 94.6%, 85.9% and 100% respectively (p\u3e0.05). According to implant surface, survival rates were 84.8% in machined group and 97.5% in rough group (p0.05). Conclusion: Ten-year cumultative survival rate for implants placed in the grafter sinuses was 90.1% Rough-shaped implants have a higher survival rate than machined-surface implants when placed in grafted sinuses. (p\u3c0.05)

Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity of Soybeans Fermented with Bacillus subtilis Capable of Producing a Phenolic Glycoside, Arbutin

The production of arbutin, an effective tyrosinase inhibitor as well as an outstanding antioxidant, by 691 Bacillus strains isolated from soybean-based foods was tested to enhance the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of soybeans via fermentation with the strains. Among the strains tested, the 5 strains capable of significantly producing arbutin were identified as B. subtilis via 16S rRNA sequencing. When soybeans were fermented with each of the selected strains, the arbutin content was highest on day 1 of fermentation and decreased thereafter. However, the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the fermented soybeans continuously increased as fermentation progressed, whereas the activity of non-inoculated soybeans was consistently low. The results indicate that arbutin enhances the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of soybeans in the early period of fermentation, while other substances besides arbutin contribute to the activity in the later period. Consequently, soybeans fermented with arbutin-producing B. subtilis strains could be considered as a natural source of cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics used in skin lightening and may be of interest in the food industry because they contain well-known and powerful antioxidants such as arbutin and other substances

Novel Microsatellite Markers Acquired from Rubus coreanus Miq. and Cross-Amplification in Other Rubus Species

The Rubus genus consists of more than 600 species that are distributed globally. Only a few Rubus species, including raspberries and blueberries, have been domesticated. Genetic diversity within and between Rubus species is an important resource for breeding programs. We developed genomic microsatellite markers using an SSR-enriched R. coreanus library to study the diversity of the Rubus species. Microsatellite motifs were discovered in 546 of 646 unique clones, and a dinucleotide repeat was the most frequent (75.3%) type of repeat. From 97 microsatellite loci with reproducible amplicons, we acquired 29 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the Rubus coreanus collection. The transferability values ranged from 59.8% to 84% across six Rubus species, and Rubus parvifolius had the highest transferability value (84%). The average number of alleles and the polymorphism information content were 5.7 and 0.541, respectively, in the R. coreanus collection. The diversity index of R. coreanus was similar to the values reported for other Rubus species. A phylogenetic dendrogram based on SSR profiles revealed that seven Rubus species could be allocated to three groups, and that R. coreanus was genetically close to Rubus crataegifolius (mountain berry). These new microsatellite markers might prove useful in studies of the genetic diversity, population structure, and evolutionary relationships among Rubus species

Elevated APE1/Ref-1 Levels of Synovial Fluids in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Reflection of Disease Activity

There is growing evidence that apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) regulates inflammatory responses. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, which is characterized with synovitis and joint destruction. Therefore, this study was planned to investigate the relationship between APE1/Ref-1 and RA. Serum and synovial fluid (SF) were collected from 46 patients with RA, 45 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and 30 healthy control (HC) patients. The concentration of APE1/Ref-1 in serum or SF was measured using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The disease activity in RA patients was measured using the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28). The serum APE1/Ref-1 levels in RA patients were significantly increased compared to HC and OA patients (0.44 ± 0.39 ng/mL for RA group vs. 0.19 ± 0.14 ng/mL for HC group, p < 0.05 and vs. 0.19 ± 0.11 ng/mL for OA group, p < 0.05). Likewise, the APE1/Ref-1 levels of SF in RA patients were also significantly increased compared to OA patients (0.68 ± 0.30 ng/mL for RA group vs. 0.31 ± 0.12 ng/mL for OA group, p < 0.001). The APE1/Ref-1 concentration in SF of RA patients was positively correlated with DAS28. Thus, APE1/Ref-1 may reflect the joint inflammation and be associated with disease activity in RA

Graphene oxide nanosheet wrapped white-emissive conjugated-polymer nanoparticles

We have demonstrated the preparation of white-emissive conjugated polymer nanoparticles wrapped with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. Highly stable, GO-wrapped, poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) nanoparticles (GO-PFO NPs) with diameters in the range 30-150 nm were successfully obtained by utilizing the GO nanosheets as an interface stabilizer in an emulsification process. The synthesized GO-PFO NPs exhibited unique white-emitting photoluminescence with a characteristic green-emissive broad band above 500 nm, which was distinct from the photoluminescent behavior of PFO NPs without GO. This green emission was deduced to originate from the presence of the GO nanosheet shell surrounding the PFO NPs, rather than from luminescence of GO itself or formation of keto defects in the PFO chain. PL decay analysis showed that the GO-wrapped PFO NPs had a longer luminescence lifetime In comparison to PFO NPs without GO, and highly efficient energy transfer to lower energy state induced by the GO occurred.X111919sciescopu

Efficacy and Safety of Combined Radiofrequency Ablation with Transarterial Chemoembolization in Patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A Hepatocellular Carcinoma Ineligible for Curative Treatment

Background : /Aims: Surgical resection or ablation is recommended for the treatment of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is frequently used in early HCC ineligible for curative resection. We evaluated the clinical effects and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) shortly after TACE in patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage A HCC. Methods : : Sixty-seven BCLC stage A HCC patients who failed to achieve complete response to TACE as either a first line treatment and who subsequently received RFA at the Konkuk University Medical Center from January 2005 to December 2017 were included. Evaluation indices included treatment response, overall survival rate, recurrence-free survival, prognostic factors, and procedure-related complications. Results : : Median follow-up was 46.9 months. Fifty-four (80.6%) patients were of Child-Pugh class A, and 13 (19.4%) were of class B. Modified UICC stages were I in 10 (14.9%), II in 46 (68.7%), and III in 11 (16.4%) patients. In the 67 study subjects, cumulative recurrence-free survival rates were 86.8%, 55.9% and 29.7% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, and overall survival rates were 100%, 93.4%, and 83.5% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Tumor size significantly predicted recurrence. No treatment-related death occurred. Conclusion : s: Combination of RFA was an efficient and safe treatment for BCLC stage A HCC patients that failed to achieve complete response to initial TACE. We suggest TACE plus RFA be considered as a curative option for early HCC patients ineligible for curative resection of RFA

Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Wrapped White-Emissive Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

We have demonstrated the preparation of white-emissive conjugated polymer nanoparticles wrapped with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. Highly stable, GO-wrapped, poly(9,9-di-<i>n</i>-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) nanoparticles (GO-PFO NPs) with diameters in the range 30–150 nm were successfully obtained by utilizing the GO nanosheets as an interface stabilizer in an emulsification process. The synthesized GO-PFO NPs exhibited unique white-emitting photoluminescence with a characteristic green-emissive broad band above 500 nm, which was distinct from the photoluminescent behavior of PFO NPs without GO. This green emission was deduced to originate from the presence of the GO nanosheet shell surrounding the PFO NPs, rather than from luminescence of GO itself or formation of keto defects in the PFO chain. PL decay analysis showed that the GO-wrapped PFO NPs had a longer luminescence lifetime in comparison to PFO NPs without GO, and highly efficient energy transfer to lower energy state induced by the GO occurred