Titanium is abundant, soft and widespread, moreover it costs lowly and contributes towards an excellent biocompatibility and causticity resistance. For the metal materials used for repairing human hard tissues, titanium is the most approach to the human hard tissues regarding elastic modulus. This result may relieve the mechanical inadaptability between metal implants and bone tissues. Compared to other alloys, titanium inlay or crown plays a role on the protection of dental pulp and the prevention of cold or hot stimulus. Titanium and titanium alloy are satisfactory with regrad to the physical, chemical and mechanical properties, especially the biocompatibility and elaboration. Those good characteristics lead to a wide application prospect of titaniun in the field of dental restoration. Titanium and titanium alloy have become a hot topic of the alloy study for the stomatology.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate advantages and disadvantages of preexisting metal post,casting metal post,ceramic post,and fiber post for clinical application,and to evaluate mechanical function,esthetical performance,and biocompatibility of fiber post.METHODS:Articles were retrieved with the key words of "fiber post,post-core restoration,dental materials,cement material,binder" in both English and Chinese between January 1990 and October 2008.Inclusion criteria:Articles addressing clinical application of fiber post for repairing residual root and crown were included.Exclusion criteria:Duplicated studies or Meta analysis was excluded.A total of 24 articles were included to investigate mechanical function,biocompatibility,and stickiness and retention of fiber post.RESULTS:Traditionally,metal post was easily folded and corrosive; in addition,esthetical performance and biocompatibility were still dissolved.Intension,hardness,esthetical performance,corrosion proof,fatigue resistance,and biocompatibility of fiber post were superior to those of traditional metal post.Furthermore,fiber post was able to highly adhere to root canal dentin via resin splicing agent,which could prolong useful life of dental prosthetic restoration,reduce root folded onset,and benefit for dental storage and repairing.Light mass of fiber post was another advantage compared with metal post.If the repair was failure,fiber post was easily taken out and reused.The combination of fiber post and resin nucleus was beneficial for dental prosthetic restoration which was highly closed to original structure of natural teeth.CONCLUSION:Fiber post was characterized by suitable elastic modulus,great esthetical repairing effect,reliable stickiness,easy identification and removal,high achievement ratio of repairing,and convenient operation; therefore,fiber post was a new and ideal material for clinical application.

Objective To investigate the effect of Xuebijing injection on inflammatory factors in patients with Stanford B aortic dissection (AD) after endovascular repair and approach its clinical significance.Methods Sixty patients with Stanford type B AD for endovascular repair admitted to the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from January 2014 to June 2016 were enrolled, and they were divided into a Xuebijing group and a control group according to the random number table method, 30 cases in each group. The patients of Xuebijing group received 100 mL Xuebijing injection+ 50 mL normal saline intravenous drip during operation, while the patients of control group received an equal volume of normal saline, 2 times a day in both groups for consecutive 3 days. Peripheral venous blood was collected before and after treatment for 1, 2, and 3 days, and the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the prognosis of the two groups was observed.Results With the prolongation of time, the postoperative levels of CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 in the two groups showed a tendency of first increase and then decrease compared with the preoperative levels, the above indexes of the two groups were all significantly higher, CRP (mg/L) and TNF-α (ng/L) peaked on the 2nd day postoperatively (control group: CRP was 146.34±13.92 and TNF-α was 72.22±7.63, Xuebijing group: CRP was 114.92±9.89 and TNF-α was 53.44±6.80, allP < 0.05), however, IL-6 (ng/L) peaked on the 1st day postoperatively (control group: 146.08±10.29, Xuebijing group: 117.88±8.84), then decreased, all reached the valley on the 3rd day postoperatively (control group: CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 was 112.59±8.54, 43.73±4.10, 70.03±4.66 respectively, Xuebijing group CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 was 87.75±7.67, 39.43±4.63, 56.65±3.27, respectively), and at the same time point, the level of CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 in the Xuebijing group were significant lower than those in the control group, the change were the most significant on 3 days after operation [CRP (mg/L): 87.75±7.67 vs. 112.59±8.54, TNF-α (ng/L): 39.43±4.63 vs. 43.73±4.10, IL-6 (ng/L): 56.65±3.27 vs. 70.03±4.66, P < 0.05]. There were no serious complications such as renal failure, severe hypoxemia, infection, paraplegia, stent shift and so on, no hospital death occurred and all patients were discharged in rehabilitative condition. Conclusions Endovascular repair in patients with Stanford type BAD may activate an inflammatory response inducing the release of a large amount of inflammatory factors during the early postoperative period, Xuebijing injection can inhibit the inflammatory reaction and prevent the occurrence of postoperative complications.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of electrical stimulation at acupoints in the distribution area of auricular vagus nerve combined with sound masking on auditory brainstem response (ABR) and contents of neurotransmitters of γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-GABA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and acetyl choline (Ach) in inferior colliculus of tinnitus rats.

METHODSTwenty-four male adult SD rats were randomized into a control group, a model group, a 7-d treatment group and a 15-d treatment group. Except the control group, rats in the remaining groups were treated with intraperitoneal injection of 10% salicylate sodium at a dose of 350 mg/kg to establish tinnitus model. Rats in the control group were treated with injection of 0.9% NaCl. Rats in the 7-d treatment group and 15-d treatment group were treated with electrical stimulation at "Shenmen (TF₄)" and "Yidan (CO₁₁)" in the distribution area of auricular vagus nerve combined with sound masking, once a day, for 7 days and 15 days. The SigGenRP software of TDT system was applied to provide voice for single ear and collect the signal, and the voice threshold of ABR was tested. The levels of γ-GABA, 5-HT and Ach in inferior colliculus of rats were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared.

RESULTSCompared with the model group, the threshold values of ABR in 12 kHz and 16 kHz voice stimulation in the 7-d treatment group were significantly lower all P < 0.05); the threshold values of ABR from 4 kHz to 28 kHz voice stimulation in the 15-d treatment group were signally reduced (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), which was more significant than those in the 7-d treatment group. The level of γ-GABA in the model group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and that in the 15-d treatment group was apparently higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The level of 5-HT in the model group was markedly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and that in the 7-d treatment group was lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05), while that in the 15-d treatment group was apparently higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The level of Ach in the model group was obviously; lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and that in the 7-d treatment group was higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONElectrical stimulation at auricular vagus nerve combined with sound masking) could regulate the threshold of ABR, especially in the 15-d treatment group. This may be ascribed to modulating the levels of neurotransmitter of γ-GABA, 5-HT and Ach in inferior colliculus.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Brain Stem ; physiopathology ; Electric Stimulation ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Humans ; Inferior Colliculi ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Tinnitus ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Vagus Nerve ; physiopathology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate an effective and feasible quantitative evaluation table of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation, and to observe the effect of combination of TCM syndrome differentiation and standard bundle therapy in patients with septic shock. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. The septic shock patients with acute deficiency syndrome admitted to department of critical care medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2017 were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into control group and Shenfu group. The patients in both groups received early application of standardized bundle therapy; those in Shenfu group received 60 mL Shenfu injection infusion in addition for 7 days. The TCM syndrome score was evaluated by classification and scoring method of TCM symptoms. The circulation and tissue perfusion, severity of disease, organ function, inflammation response, adjuvant treatment and 28-day mortality were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 50 patients with septic shock were enrolled in the analysis, 25 in control group and 25 in Shenfu group. The markedly effective rate of TCM symptoms score in Shenfu group was significantly higher than that in control group [60.0% (15/25) vs. 16.0% (4/25), P < 0.01]. There was no significant difference in all parameters before treatment between the two groups. After treatment, the observation indexes of both groups were improved. Compared with control group, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) in Shenfu group increased more significantly [mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 13.0 (2.5, 28.5) vs. 6.0 (0, 13.5)], the lactate (Lac) and procalcitonin (PCT) decreased more significantly [Lac (mmol/L): 0.8 (0.1, 3.7) vs. 0.5 (-0.6, 1.7), PCT (μg/L): 2.0 (0.7, 32.3) vs. 0 (-1.8, 3.8)], activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was shortened more significantly [s: 8.5 (0, 12.9) vs. 0 (-7.2, 10.0)], and interleukins (IL-2 receptor and IL-6) levels decreased more significantly [IL-2 receptor (ng/L):1 031.0 (533.0, 1 840.0) vs. 525.5 (186.0, 1 166.8), IL-6 (ng/L): 153.1 (21.4, 406.8) vs. 35.1 (16.3, 110.1)] with significant differences (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the use time of vasoactive drugs, duration of mechanical ventilation, severity of the disease or 28-day mortality between the two groups. However, the use time of vasoactive drugs in Shenfu group was shorter than that in control group (days: 5.48±4.81 vs. 8.28±7.83), and the 28-day mortality was decreased [8.0% (2/25) vs. 20.0% (5/25)]. Conclusions TCM syndrome score is helpful to evaluate the effect of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, and it is effective and feasible in clinical application. Septic shock patients treated with TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment combined with standard bundle therapy were significantly improved in circulation, tissue perfusion, coagulation function and inflammation reaction.