Modification of dentin surface to enamel-like structure: A potential strategy for improving dentin bonding durability, desensitizing and self-repairing

Introduction: Current theories of dentin bonding are based on the concept of "hybrid layer". However, the histological complexity of dentin, as well as the vulnerability of the hybrid layer, goes against the long-term effect of dentin bonding. At the same time, post-operative sensitivity is more likely to occur after traditional adhesive restoration. The Hypothesis: Compared to dentin bonding, enamel bonding exhibits a more optimal immediate and long-term performance, owing to its higher degree of mineralization, well-arranged enamel crystals and the porous structure after etching. Moreover, "enamel hypersensitivity" is never going to happen due to the lack of tubules existing in dentin. In light of this phenomenon, we brought up the concept and the proposal method to form an "enamel-like" dentin, simulating enamel structure to achieve satisfying durability of dentin bonding and obtain good performance for preventing post-operative sensitivity. With the application of mesoporous silicon bi-directionally binding to hydroxyapatite of dentin itself and hydroxyapatite nanorods synthetized in vitro, we may be able to form an enamel-like "functional layer" via ion-regulating self-assembly. Evaluation of Hypothesis: This paper explains how to achieve dentin enamel-like modification by chemical methods, especially, details the strategies and possible mechanisms of the hypothesis. Validation of the hypothesis is more likely to eliminate the adverse effect of dentinal fluid, improve long-term performance of dentin bonding, offer strategies for desensitizing treatment and self-repairing carious-affected dentin, and furthermore, provide the possibility to introduce new theories of dentin bonding

UPLC-QTOF-MS Based Comparison of Rotundic Acid Metabolic Profiles in Normal and NAFLD Rats

Rotundic acid, the principal bioactive constituent of the herbal remedy “Jiubiying”, has been considered as a candidate compound for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the in vivo and in vitro metabolism of rotundic acid has remained unclear. With the aim of elucidating its metabolic profile, a reliable approach that used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied for screening and identifying rotundic acid in vivo (plasma, feces, urine, and liver tissue of normal and NAFLD model rats) and in vitro (rat liver microsomes) metabolites. Herein, 26 metabolites of rotundic acid were identified, including 22 metabolites in normal rats, 20 metabolites in NAFLD model rats, and eight metabolites in rat liver microsomes. Among them, 17 metabolites were identified for the first time. These data illustrate that the pathological status of NAFLD affects the metabolism of rotundic acid. Furthermore, the major pathways of metabolism included phase Ⅰ (demethylation, desaturation, etc.) and phase Ⅱ (sulfation and glucuronidation) reactions, as well as a combined multiple-step metabolism. This work provides important information on the metabolism of rotundic acid and lays the foundation for its future clinical application

Effect of Heat Treatment on Cr2Nb Phase and Properties of Spark Plasma Sintered Cu-2Cr-1Nb Alloy

Achieving a good match between strength and conductivity is a challenge of the development of the high-performance Cu-Cr-Nb alloy for aerospace and fusion energy. The effect of heat treatment on Cr2Nb phase, strength and conductivity of spark plasma sintered (SPSed) Cu-2Cr-1Nb (at%) alloy was investigated. The results illustrated that Cr2Nb phase of Cu-2Cr-1Nb alloy can be regulated by heat treatment, multi-scale Cr2Nb phase with sizes of 0.10–0.50 μm, 30–100 nm and less than 30 nm was obtained, and the strength and conductivity were significantly increased after heat treatment at 500 °C for 2 h, the room temperature tensile strength and conductivity were 332 MPa and 86.7% IACS, 2.5% and 34.8% higher than those of as-SPSed alloy; the tensile strength at 700 °C was 76 MPa. Increasing heat treatment temperature and time, the tensile strength of the alloy was reduced by 1.5%, 4.3% and 12.3% after heat treatment at 500 °C, 700 °C and 950 °C for 72 h. The good match between strength and conductivity of Cu-Cr-Nb alloy was obtained by reducing the content of alloying elements (Cr and Nb) and microstructure regulation. This approach can be used to prepare structural/functional materials with excellent strength and conductivity

Apatinib treatment efficiently delays biochemical-only recurrent ovarian cancer progression

Abstract Background Biochemical recurrence is defined as only rising CA-125 but no radiographic evidence of disease; noteworthily, it generally precedes the onset of clinical evidence. Now treatment strategies of biochemical recurrence ovarian cancer (OC) remain controversial. Apatinib as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents has shown its effect in the treatment of some advanced malignancies. In our study, we focused on the efficacy of apatinib in recurrent OC, especially its clinical activity in biochemical-only recurrent OC patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical material of 41 recurrent patients who had received apatinib monotherapy or apatinib plus chemotherapy between June 2016 and August 2018. Apatinib was administered at a 500mg daily dose. Response was determined according to measurable disease or serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)-125 levels. Progression-free survival (PFS) was estimated by Kaplan–Meier method. Results All patients were evaluable, 19 (46.34%) had biochemical relapse and 22 (53.66%) had clinical relapse. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the overall population were 31.71% and 78.05%, respectively. The median PFS was 7 months (95% confidence interval 5.43–8.57). And in patients with biochemical-only relapse, the median PFS was 6 months, with ORR of 26.32% and DCR of 89.47%. Conclusions Apatinib is a well-tolerated and effective agent to delay clinical progression of patients with biochemical-only recurrent OC. More important, our study shows the promising prospect for treating OC patients with asymptomatic biochemical relapse

Genetic Effects and Heterosis of Yield and Yield Component Traits Based on Gossypium Barbadense Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines in Two Gossypium Hirsutum Backgrounds.

We hybridized 10 chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) each from two CSSL populations and produced 50 F1 hybrids according to North Carolina Design II. We analyzed the genetic effects and heterosis of yield and yield components in the F1 hybrids and parents in four environments via the additive-dominance genetic model. Yield and yield components of the CSSLs were controlled by combined additive and dominance effects, and lint percentage was mainly controlled by additive effects, but boll weight, boll number, seedcotton yield and lint yield were mainly controlled by dominance effects. We detected significant interaction effects between genetics and the environment for all yields traits. Similar interactions were detected between two CSSL populations (Pop CCRI 36 and Pop CCRI 45). Significant positive mid-parent heterosis was detected for all yield traits in both populations, and significant positive better-parent heterosis was also detected for all yield traits except lint percentage. The differences among parents were relatively small, but significant heterosis was detected for yield and yield components. Therefore, the relationship between heterosis and genetic distance for yield traits is complicated and requires further study. These CSSLs represent useful tools for improving yield and yield components in cotton

Low FOXD3 expression was assotiated with poor prognosis in HGG patients.

<p>A and B: Kaplan-Meier curves OS and PFS in all HGG patients according to the expression levels of FOXD3, respectively. C and D: Kaplan-Meier curves OS and PFS in grade III glioma patients according to the expression levels of FOXD3, respectively. E and F: Kaplan-Meier curves OS and PFS in grade IV glioma patients according to the expression levels of FOXD3, respectively.</p

FOXD3 silencing promoted proliferation and inhibited starvation-induced apoptosis in SW1080 cells.

<p>A: Western blotting analysis of FOXD3 and cleaved caspase-3 expression in SW1080 cells. B: Cell proliferation assay showing significantly enhanced proliferation rate of FOXD3-silenced SW1080 cells in comparison with siNC-treated SW1080 cells (<i>P</i><0.05) by MTT assay. C: Representative images of EdU assay in SW1080 cells. D: Statistical results from five independent EdU assays. E: Representative results of apoptosis assay by flow cytometry in serum-starvated SW1080 cells. F: Statistical results from three independent apoptosis assays. Summarized results are expressed as mean ±SD. EV, empy vector; NC, negative control. Scale bar, 50μm.</p

Mumps Epidemiology and Mumps Virus Genotypes Circulating in Mainland China during 2013-2015.

With the implementation of mumps virus (MuV) vaccination in the expanded program on immunization (EPI) in mainland China since 2008, the incidence of mumps has decreased, and the natural epidemic pattern of mumps has slightly changed during 2013-2015. The two epidemic peaks (April-July and November-December) became less obvious than those observed from 2004 to 2012. Children and adolescents younger than 15, particularly in the five-to-nine-year-old age group, remain the target group and should be the focus of high-quality immunization activities in mainland China. However, it was also found that the incidence and reported cases of mumps decreased in each age group during 2013-2015, particularly in the five-to-nine-year-old and ten-to-fourteen-year-old age groups. The proportion of mumps cases among adults in some provinces also increased. Unlike the changes in the epidemiological characteristics of mumps affected by vaccination, the data of MuV virology surveillance indicated that most of the MuV transmission chains have not yet been effectively interrupted, and MuV remains a natural epidemic pattern in mainland China. In the MuV virology surveillance, 194 MuV strains during 2013-2015 were isolated from 10 of 31 provinces in mainland China. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the small hydrophobic (SH) gene, both genotype F (99.0%) and G (1.0%) were identified, and genotype F was still the predominant genotype continuously circulating in mainland China. Representative genotype F and G strains isolated in China from 1995 to 2012 were selected for further analysis. The results indicated that there were multiple transmission chains within genotype F, with no obvious geographical or time differences. The high genetic diversity of genotype F strains could be a result of the continuous transmission and evolution of the MuV in mainland China. Genotype G was also detected in four provinces in mainland China. Because of the limited epidemiological data, it was uncertain whether the genotype G MuV strains found in 2011 and 2013 were imported from other countries. Therefore, combined high-quality epidemiological and virological surveillance is necessary for mumps control; it can also be used to observe the changes in epidemiological characteristics and viral transmission of mumps over time after mumps-containing vaccine (MuCV) implementation and to provide a comprehensive epidemiological and genetic baseline for mumps elimination in mainland China

Relationship between FOXD3 expression and clinicopathological features of 184 patients with HGGs.

<p>Abbreviations: GTR, gross total removal; KPS score, Karnofsky performance score; NTR, near total removal.</p><p>Relationship between FOXD3 expression and clinicopathological features of 184 patients with HGGs.</p