[Abstract ]Objective:To estimate dental maturation norms of permanent dentition in a group of Nanjing children using Nolla's tech-nique.Methods:549 cases of panoramic radiographs (279 males and 270 females)of Nanjing children at the age range of 3 to 16 years were collected for the study.All permanent mandibular teeth on the left side (except for the third molars)were scored according to Nolla's method,and data were presented in tables and used to plot dental maturation curves for the Nanjing boys and girls.Results:Females were found to be more advanced in the degrees of dental development.Dental maturation is significantly associated with chron-ological age (for males and females:r =0.959,P <0.001 and r =0.953,P <0.001,respectively).The mathematical model of them was established,and then the fitting equation was obtained.Conclusion:The dental maturation curve and chronology of permanent dentition can provide the growth norms of permanent teeth for Nanjing children and facilitate the way for dentists to assess the growing children during diagnosis and treatment planning.

Aim To observe the effects of cytokine signaling inhibition protein-3(SOCS3) on the liver fibrosis progression and reverse.Methods C57BL/6 mouse model was established by subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride(CCl4).After a successful model of fibrosis, one-month normal diet was given to induce the reverse fibrosis model, while normal mice of the same gender and weight were as control group.Mice were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 weeks, respectively, then the liver tissue was harvested for the observation of its injury by hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining.Then Masson staining was applied for the detection of changes in collagen, and the immunohistochemistry(IHC) for the observation of type Ⅰ Collagen(Colla-1), alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-β1) and SOCS3 protein expression.In vitro formation of fibrosis was induced by TGF-β1 stimulating HSC-T6 cell lines, which was then reversed by MDI medium, with co-incubation of HSC-T6 cells with plasmid in the process of the reverse.Western blot was employed to detect SOCS3, Colla-1, α-SMA, TGF-β1 expression.Results The expression of SOCS3 and TGF-β1 increased in mouse model of fibrosis with the worsening fibrosis process and decreased in the reverse process.Over-expression SOCS3 in the reverse process reduced the development of liver fibrosis;meanwhile, the expression of TGF-β1 was also reduced accordingly.Conclusion SOCS3 may influence the development of the liver fibrosis and its reverse via regulating the expression of TGF-β1.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban infusion to infarct related vessels on patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: From Jan 2013 to Jun 2014, a total of 30 STEMI patients were enrolled as tirofiban group (tirofiban 500μg was infused to infarct related vessels during emergency PCI), and received intravenous drip of tirofiban 0.1 μg•kg-1•min-1 for 24h after stent implantation; another 31 STEMI patients were regarded as pure stenting group during the same period and they received direct stent implantation during emergency PCI. Computer-assisted Quantitative Blush Evaluator (QuBE) score, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during hospitalization and after six-month follow-up and incidence rate of major adverse cardiovascular events were compared and analyzed between two groups. Results: There were no significant difference in baseline data between two groups, P>0.05. Compared with pure stenting group, after six months, there were significant rise in QuBE score [(10.88±5.03) scores vs. (14.70±6.69) scores] and LVEF [(57.19±4.59)% vs. (59.80±5.34)%], and significant reduction in incidence rate of MACE (35.5% vs. 10.0%) in tirofiban group, P<0.05 all. Conclusion: Tirofiban application in infarct related vessels during emergency PCI in STEMI patients can effectively and safely improve myocardial microcirculation perfusion level and it is worth extending.

0.05),but the total expenses and antibiotic cost of the medical treatment in group B were obviously lower than those in group A(P

AIM:To investigate the effect of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 ( STAT 1 ) on proliferation and interferon-β(IFN-β) sensitivity of human non-small-cell lung cancer H1299 cells.METHODS:STAT1 or EGFP gene was transfected into H1299 cells by the lentiviral vectors system.The cell number was counted under a mi-croscope and cell proliferation was tested by MTT assay.In addition, the cells transfected with STAT1 and EGFP were trea-ted with IFN-βand cell viability was measured by MTT assay.The protein levels of p-STAT1, ICAM-1 and PCNA were de-tected by Western blot.RESULTS: Over-expression of STAT1 inhibited H1299 cell proliferation (P<0.05).H1299 cells transfected with STAT1 gene had a higher sensitivity to IFN-βthan the control cells transfected with EGFP ( P <0.05).Overexpression of STAT1 increased the protein level of p-STAT1, and reduced IACM-1 expression in H1299 cells. Moreover, STAT1 enhanced STAT1 phosphorylation and downregulated the expression of PCNA in H1299 cells treated with IFN-β.CONCLUSION:STAT1 inhibits the proliferation and enhances the IFN-βsensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer H1299 cells.

Objective To develop a high performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC) for the analysis of of cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes.Methods The study included 167 consecutive chest pain patients who underwent coronary artery angiography in the Department of Cardiology,Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Command between September 2012 and February 2013.According to the clinical symptoms and t angiographic results,patients were divided into three groups:acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group (n =46),stable angina pectoris (SAP) group (n =76) and the control group (n =45).After the erythrocyte sample was hypotonically lysed and washed,saponification was carried out in a polassium hydroxide solution at 70 ℃.After extraction by Hexane/isopropanol mixture,the sample was separated on a Lichrospher column and detected by ultraviolet absorbance at 208 nm.A mobile phase composed of acetonitrile-isopropyl alcohol was found to be the most suitable for this separation.Concentrations of cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes were tested.Analysis of variance with covariates (ANOVA) was used to evaluate differences in CEM levels among groups.The relationship between continuous variables was evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient.Results Under the chromatographic conditions described,retention time of the cholesterol was approximately 6.1 min.Good separation and detectability of cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes were obtained.The method proved to be linear in the injection range of cholesterol from 0.05 g to 2.00 g.Cholesterol content in erythrocyte membranes were (87.0 μg/mg,75.4-98.9 μg/mg),(92.9 μg/mg,83.8-109.0 μg/mg) and (173.9 μg/mg,140.0-188.8 μ g/mg) in the control,SAP and ACS groups,respectively.Cholesterol content in erythrocyte membranes was significantly higher in ACS group than that in SAP and control groups (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion We have successfully developed a method for the determination of cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes with good sensitivity,specificity and repeatability.

BACKGROUND:Clinical use of vascular stents involves high medical costs,but it may also bring long-term benefits in reducing cardiovascular events and improving the quality of life in patients.Economics evaluation can help decision makers better understand the balance between the cost and benefit of treatment. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the related articles of health economics and discuss the hot spots in the study of the effect and problems of vascular stents in medical quality management. METHODS:The articles concerning health economics evaluation of vascular stents were retrieved from the core set of the Web of Science.The VOSviewer_1.6.19 software was used to make a visualization analysis of the annual publication volume,institutions,countries,keywords,etc.Finally,the research hot spots on the effects and problems of vascular stents were analyzed from the perspective of health economics and medical quality management. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)120 articles in English were finally included.In the past 10 years,the highest number of articles published in this field was in 2019,with 10 articles.The institution with the largest number of articles published was Harvard University in the United States with 20 articles,and the country with the largest number of articles published was the United States with 58 articles.(2)Keyword cluster analysis demonstrated that the cost-effectiveness analysis of bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents in coronary disease,the cost-effectiveness analysis of angioplasty stent intervention,and the effect of coronary stents in percutaneous coronary intervention are the research hot spots in the field of health economics evaluation of vascular stent research.(3)In the context of medical quality management,the paper further summarized the research hot spots on the therapeutic effect of vascular stents as follows:long-term effect of vascular stents,safety,drug release mechanism research,personalized therapy,restenosis problems,and stent insertion technology.(4)The results of highly cited literature analysis exhibited that drug-eluting stents release drugs to reduce the risk of vascular restenosis,and the restenosis rate is lower than that of bare metal stents,but the cost is usually higher.Biodegradable stents combine the advantages of bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents,that is,avoiding long-term stent existence and reducing the risk of restenosis,but their cost may be higher,and there may be some complications in the short term,and they are not widely used at present.(5)In addition to the direct stent cost,factors that need to be considered when comparing the cost-effectiveness of vascular stents include the risk and cost of stent re-intervention,the risk and cost of complications,the duration and cost of drug therapy,and the quality of life of patients.Therefore,while the initial cost of drug-eluting and biodegradable stents may be higher than bare metal stents,they may lead to better clinical outcomes in the long term,resulting in a more favorable cost effect.(6)Future research directions should focus on making personalized vascular stent treatment decisions,observing the long-term effect of stent treatment,the impact of the stent on patients'quality of life,formulating health policies,rational allocation of medical resources,and the establishment of long-term follow-up mechanisms.

Objective:To evaluate the role of silencing regulatory protein (SIRT1) and its associated microRNAs (miRNAs) in dexmedetomidine-induced attenuation of renal damage in diabetic mice.Methods:SPF grade C57 male mice, aged 8 weeks, in which diabetes mellitus model was developed by intraperitoneal injection of 1% streptozotocin, were used.Thirty mice in which the model was successfully developed were divided into 5 groups ( n=6 each) using the random number table method: diabetes mellitus group (D group), diabetes mellitus + dexmedetomidine group (DD group), diabetes mellitus + dexmedetomidine + EX527 group (DDE group), diabetes mellitus + dexmedetomidine + miR-34a-3p-agomir group (DDH group), and diabetes mellitus + dexmedetomidine + miR-34a-3p-agomirNC group (DDC group). Six normal mice were selected as control group (C group). Dexmedetomidine 40 μg/kg was intraperitoneally injected once every 2 h, 3 times in total in DD, DDE, DDH and DDC groups.miR-34a-3p-agomir and miR-34a-3p-agomirNC 2.5 mmol were intraperitoneally injected via the tail vein at 72 h before dexmedetomidine administration once every 3 days, 2 times in total in DDH and DDC groups, respectively.SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 10 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected at 1 h before dexmedetomidine administration in group DDE.At 24 h after the end of administration, serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-18, Cr and BUN, contents of nitric oxide (NO) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), ROS activity, and expression of SIRT1, FoxO3a and P53 protein and mRNA, and expression of miR-217, miR-138 and miR-34a in renal tissues were determined. Results:Compared with group C, the serum IL-6, IL-18, Cr and BUN concentrations, contents of T-AOC and NO, and ROS activity were significantly increased, the expression of P53 protein and mRNA, miR-34a, miR-217 and miR-138 was up-regulated, and the expression of SIRT1 and FoxO3a protein and mRNA was down-regulated in group D ( P<0.05). Compared with group D, serum IL-6, IL-18, Cr and BUN concentrations, ROS activity and NO content were significantly decreased, T-AOC content was increased, the expression of SIRT1 and FoxO3a protein and mRNA was up-regulated, and the expression of miR-34a was down-regulated in group DD ( P<0.05). Compared with group DD, the serum IL-6, IL-18, Cr and BUN concentrations, NO content and ROS activity were significantly increased, T-AOC content was decreased, and the expression of SIRT1 and FoxO3a protein and mRNA was down-regulated in group DDE and group DDH ( P<0.05), no significant change was found in the expression of P53 protein and mRNA, miR-217, miR-34a and miR-138 in group DDE ( P>0.05), and the expression of P53 protein and mRNA and miR-34a was significantly up-regulated in group DDH ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which dexmedetomidine attenuates renal injury may be related to down-regulation of miR-34a expression, which further up-regulates SIRT1/FoxO3 expression and decreases oxidative stress in diabetic mice.

Proteasome activator PA28γ,also known as Ki antigen,REGγ or PSME3,is first found as Ki antigen in the serum of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus,which belongs to 11S proteasome activator family together with PA28α and PA28β.In the amino acid sequence,PA28γ has 25%homology with PA28α and PA28β and its seven-subunit homomer is a 20S proteasome acti-vator,which mainly exists in the nucleus and participates in ubiquitin and ATP-dependent or independent protein degradation.More and more studies have reported the role of PA28γ in human immune-related diseases.This article reviews the function of PA28γ as a proteasome activator and its role in immune-related diseases including cancer,inflammation and virus infection-related diseases and other diseases in recent years,so as to reveal the role of PA28γ in the occurrence and development of immune-related diseases and its potential as a target for immunotherapy.