Clinical study to assess influence of immediate provisionalization and various implant morphologies on implant stability: A prospective clinical study

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different implant morphologies and immediate provisionalization options on the change of implant stability.Methods94 Patients were randomized to receive implants from Straumann® BL/Straumann® BLT/Astra OsseoSpeed® TX, meanwhile having the same opportunity to receive healing abutment or immediate provisionalization. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) and marginal bone loss (MBL) were recorded at following timepoints. Parametric statistic was used for data analysis.ResultsData showed that ISQ and MBL values of conical/straight/straight with micro-thread neck implants had no significant difference.DiscussionImmediate provisionalization options could move the dip point of ISQ values ahead or delayed around one week, which were also relevant to implant systems. MBL values were proved to be unaffected by both two factors mentioned above

Osteogenesis and Antibacterial Activity of Graphene Oxide and Dexamethasone Coatings on Porous Polyetheretherketone via Polydopamine-Assisted Chemistry

Endowing implants with antibacterial ability and osteogenic ability plays important roles in preventing post-operative bacterial contamination and facilitating integration between implants and osseous tissue, consequently reducing implant failure rates. In this study, we develop a facile and versatile strategy with dopamine as an auxiliary for construction of dexamethasone (Dex)/liposome porous coatings. In detail, the surfaces of sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SP) plates are coated with polydopamine firstly and then modified with graphene oxide (GO) and dexamethasone (Dex)-loaded liposome, which is verified by contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR), and Raman spectra. The results of our study suggest that the GO and Dex are successfully coated on the samples’ surfaces. In vitro cell attachment, growth, differentiation, and apatite deposition tests all illustrate that the substrate coated with GO and Dex can significantly accelerate the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3 cells compared with the pristine sulfonated polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Additionally, it exhibits acceptable antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus in vitro. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the modified GO- and Dex-loaded substrates are endowed with impressive biocompatibility and certain antibacterial qualities, making it possible for future application as a perspective implant material

MiR-766-3p and miR-671-5p attenuate aristolochic acid-induced hepatotoxicity by directly targeting the key bioactivating enzyme NQO1

Aristolochic acid (AA) as an emerging contaminant in herbal medicines or crops has been well-recognized for causing nephropathy since 1990s. Over the last decade, mounting evidence has linked AA to liver injury; however, the underlying mechanism is poorly elucidated. MicroRNAs respond to environmental stress and mediate multiple biological processes, thus showing biomarker potentials prognostically or diagnostically. In the present study, we investigated the role of miRNAs in AA-induced hepatotoxicity, specifically in regulating NQO1, the key enzyme responsible for AA bioactivation. In silico analysis showed that hsa-miR-766-3p and hsa-miR-671-5p were significantly associated with AAI exposure as well as NQO1 induction. A 28-day rat experiment of 20 mg/kg AA exposure demonstrated a 3-fold increase of NQO1 and an almost 50 % decrease of the homologous miR-671 that were accompanied with liver injury, which was consistent with in silico prediction. Further mechanistic investigation using Huh7 cells with IC50 of AAI at 146.5 µM showed both hsa-miR-766-3p and hsa-miR-671-5p were able to directly bind to and down-regulate NQO1 basal expression. In addition, both miRNAs were shown to suppress AAI-induced NQO1 upregulation in Huh7 cells at a cytotoxic concentration of 70 μM, and consequently alleviate AAI-induced cellular effects, including cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. Together, these data illustrate that miR-766-3p and miR-671-5p attenuate AAI-induced hepatotoxicity, and thus have monitoring and diagnostic potentials