OBJECTIVEThe effect of sandblasting on the bond strength between 3mol% yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconium polycrystal (3Y-TZP) zirconia framework and veneering porcelain was evaluated.

METHODSA total of 21 specimens [(25 ± 1) mm x (3 ± 0.1) mmx (0.5 ± 0.05) mm] were prepared according to ISO 9693. The specimens were then randomly divided into 3 groups. Sandblasting was performed on 2 meshes of Al₂O₃ particles: group A with mesh 110 and group B with mesh 80. Group C, which was not sandblasted, was the control group. The surface roughness of the zirconia framework, as well as the bond strength between 3Y-TZP zirconia framework and veneering porcelain, was measured. The interface microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and elemental distribution was detected by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

RESULTSSurface roughness values were (1.272 ± 0.149) μm for group A, (0.622 ± 0.113) μm for group B, and (0.221 ± 0.065) μm for group C. Statistical significance were found among groups (P < 0.05). The bond strength values were (28.21 ± 1.52) MPa for group A, (27.71 ± 1.27) MPa for group B, and (24.87 ± 3.84) MPa for group C. Statistical significance was found between group A and group C (P < 0.05), whereas the other groups had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). Interface adhesion failure was the primary performance. SEM images showed the close interface bonding, and EDS showed that the interface had no obvious element penetration.

CONCLUSIONAl₂O₃ sandblasting can slightly enhance the bond strength between zirconia framework and veneering porcelain.

Aluminum Oxide ; chemistry ; Dental Bonding ; Dental Porcelain ; chemistry ; Dental Stress Analysis ; Dental Veneers ; Materials Testing ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Shear Strength ; Surface Properties ; Yttrium ; chemistry ; Zirconium ; chemistry

This study was aimed to explore the antitumor effect of volatile oil of X ihuang pill and its immune mecha-nism in order to screen the antitumor active site of Xihuang pill. Among 70 female Wistar rats, 10 rats were random-ly selected as the blank control group; and the other 60 rats was used in the establishment of walker 256 breast can-cer cell tumor-bearing rat models. The model rats were randomly divided into the negative control group (model group), high-dose volatile oil group, middle-dose volatile oil group, low-dose volatile oil group, high-dose Xihuang pill group, and lentinan group (positive control group), with 10 rats in each group. The intragastric administration was given twice a day for 14 days. Blood was taken from the abdominal aorta. Tumor tissues was removed and weighed to calculate the tumor inhibitory rate. ELISA method was used to detect the level of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ and TGF-β in peripheral blood. The flow cytometry was used to detect the content of CD3+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, and B7-1 cell (CD80). The results showed that the tumor inhibitory rates of volatile oil of high-dose group and middle-dose group were 28.4% and 24.1%, respectively. Compared with the model group, the average level of IL-2 and IFN-γ of volatile oil of high-dose group and middle-dose group and CD3+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, B7-1 cell con-tent were obviously increased (P< 0.05). It was concluded that volatile oil of Xihuang pill had certain antitumor ef-fect, which was one of the antitumor active sites of Xihuang pill. The volatile oil of Xihuang pill upregulates the lev-els of IL-2 and IFN-γ, as well as the contents of CD3+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, B7-1 cell in order to increase the im-mune clearance function of tumor-bearing rats.

Objective To assess the effectiveness of extra-anatomic prosthesis bypass in the retroperitoneum as a treatment for infected abdominal aortic aneurysms (iAAAs).Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 10 consecutive patients diagnosed with iAAAs and treated by an extraanatomic prosthesis bypass in the retroperitoneum over the past 7 years.All 10 patients were regularly followed up by outpatient observation after their discharge.Results Ten patients with iAAAs underwent an extra-anatomic prosthesis bypass in the retroperitoneum and debridement of the infected aneurysm.An emergency operation was performed for one patient who underwent concomitant gastrointestinal procedures for aortoduodenal fistula,the other 9 cases underwent an elective operation after an intravenous antibiotic therapy for 2-4 weeks.All 10 patients were definitely diagnosed by one or more sequential CT scans combining with other methods.All patients had at least a positive preoperative blood culture or intraoperative tissue culture during the perioperative period,including Salmonella in 5 cases,Burkholderia pseudomallei in 3 cases,Escherichia coli in 1 case,Klebsiella pneumoniae in 1 case.All patients were discharged in 4-6 weeks after their operations.Except 1 case who died 16 months after surgery,all other patients were alive and were free from graft infection during the follow-up period.Conclusions The extra-anatomic prosthesis bypass in the retroperitoneum for treating iAAAs are safe and effective.

OBJECTIVETo establish the EST-SSR marker system for Cordyceps by using ESTs of C. bassiana and C. militaris.

METHODThe ESTs of Cordyceps were downloaded from the public database of NCBI, and the redundant ESTs with low quality were removed. The EST-SSR primers were designed by Sequece Seiner 1. 2. And the primers were screened through PAGE-Electrophoresis.

RESULTThe 4 556 non-redundant ESTs which from C. bassiana with total length of 2 953 173 bp were selected. 718 EST-SSRs distributed in 616 ESTs were totally screened out, accounting for 15.8% of the non-redundant ESTs. It was discovered that the average distance of EST-SSSR was 1/4 096 bp in EST-SSRs distribution of C. bassiana. Trinucleotide repeats were the most abundant types with 419 repeated sequences. Regarding to C. militaris, totally 1 363 non-redundant ESTs were acquired, from which 1 117 EST-SSRs were screened, and rate of SSR sites in ESTs was 81.95%. The leading motif of SSR was nucleotide A. The 50 pairs of EST-SSR primers were designed according to the ESTs of C. bassiana, and preliminary test showed the 34 pairs of primers amplified clear fragments,accounting for 68% of all primers. Furthermore, the 39 of the 40 pairs of primers from the ESTs of C. militaris were found to be amplified as the clear fragments, accounting for 97.5%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that different anamorph of Cordyceps spieces were divided into four branches.

CONCLUSIONThe EST-SSR of Cordyceps had comparably higher utility value. The EST-SSR markers developed from ESTs of C. bassiana and C. militaris had well transferability in Cordyceps. And it was suggested that the EST-SSR markers should be an easy and effective way to assay molecular genetic structure of Cordyceps.

China ; Cordyceps ; classification ; genetics ; DNA Primers ; DNA, Fungal ; genetics ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Genetic Markers ; genetics ; Genome, Fungal ; genetics ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid ; genetics

Objective To prepare PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD fusion protein.Methods The recombinant plasmid of pET 1 6b-Cu,Zn-SOD and pET16b-PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3).Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside was then added at a final concentration of 0.84 mmol/L,and the cells were incubated for 4 h to induce the expression of Cu,Zn-SOD and PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD fusion protein.Lysozyme and ultrasound were used to lyse the bacteria,the supernatant was collected for 15％ SDS-PAGE to analyze the expression of the target protein.Ni-NTA His bind resin was used to purify Cu,Zn-SOD protein and PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD fusion protein under natural conditions.Western blot was used to identify the target protein.Results The results of Western blot showed that the purity of the target protein was about 90％,and the Cu,Zn-SOD protein with a molecular weight about 19 kDa and the PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD fusion protein with a molecular weight about 20 kDa were found.Conclusion PTD4-Cu,Zn-SOD fusion protein is prepared successfully.

Objective To investigate the effect of gefitinib, an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) , on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of endosteum-derived stem cells ( EDSCs ) in rats. Methods Femoral fracture models were established in healthy male 4-week old SD rats. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. The experimental group was subjected to intragastric lavage with gefitinib, an EGFR signaling inhibitor ( 100 mg/kg·d ) while the control group to intragastric lavage with an isodose of methyl cellulose. Bilateral femurs and tibias were harvested one week after lavage for separation of EDSCs and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ( BMSCs ) respectively using density gradient centrifuga-tion. After proliferative cloning in vitro, expression of the cell surface antigens ( CD29, CD34, CD44 and CD45) of the third passage cells was detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Proliferation of the cells was detected by BrdU, cell cycle was measured by FCM, and expression of the genes related to cell cycle inhibitory factors (p15, p16, p21 and p27) was determined by PCR. ALP staining was performed 14 days after osteogenesis induction. After 21 days of chondrogenic induction, von Kossa staining was conducted. qRT-PCR of the mRNA obtained was used to detect expression of osteogenic differentiation of related genes ( osteocalcin, bsp, runx2 and osterix ). Results CD29 and CD44 were positively expressed while CD34 and CD45 negatively expressed in EDSCs and BMSCs. After the EGFR signaling pathway was blocked by gefitinib, BrdU detection found that gefitinib inhibited BMSCs ( 11.15%) much more than EDSCs ( 0.25%). Cell cycle detection showed that the volume of EDSCs was increased in phases G0/G1 and S but decreased significantly in phase G2-M. ALP staining showed that the increase of EDSCs ALP+ cells (53.31% ) was significantly higher than that of BMSCs (25.04% ) . The increased expression percentages of the genes related to cell cycle inhibitors in EDSCs (103.9%, 58.0%, 117.3% and 105.1%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in BMSCs (39.3%, 38.4%, 24.5% and 83.4%, respectively) ( P ＜0.05). The increased expression percentages of the genes related to osteogenic differentiation in EDSCs (247.0%, 289.9%, 66.1% and 233.2%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in BMSCs (106.5%, 186.4%, 41.7% and 190.8%, respectively). All the above differences were statistically significant ( P ＜0.05) . Conclusions Gefitinib, an EGFR inhibitor, can inhibit proliferation of EDSCs and BMSCs but promote their osteogenic differentiation. It inhibits proliferation of BMSCs more significantly as it promotes osteogenic differentiation of EDSCs.

Objective:To learn about the genotyping of human Brucella isolated from Sichuan Province. Methods:BCSP31-PCR and AMOS-PCR were used to identify the genus and biotype of the 66 strains isolated from confirmed human brucellosis cases in Sichuan Province from 2014 to 2020, respectively. The isolated strains were genotyped by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)-9. The sequence type (ST) was compared trough the online MLST database. A minimum spanning tree (MST) was constructed to cluster the newly discovered and known ST using the BioNumerics software version 7.6.Results:The 66 strains isolated from human cases of brucellosis in Sichuan Province from 2014 to 2020 were Brucella, and 65 of them were Brucella melitensis while one strain was Brucella abortus. The MLST method identified three known STs (ST-8, ST-39 and ST-2) and one newly type (ST-101). Among them, ST-8 was the main ST in Sichuan Province (90.91%, 60/66), another 4 strains of Brucella melitensis were ST-39, and 1 strain of Brucella abortus was ST-2. The newly type ST-101 was isolated from Leshan City in 2019, belonging to the Brucella melitensis and closely related to the evolution of ST-8. Conclusion:Brucella melitensis is the main epidemic Brucella strain in Sichuan Province, ST-8 is predominant genotype, with a small amount of ST-39, ST-101 and ST-2.

Objective:To investigate the effect of modified fluoroscopic monitoring in the treatment of acetabular anterior column fractures with percutaneous retrograde screw fixation under computer-assisted 3D navigation.Methods:A retrospective case series analysis was performed on the clinical data of 42 patients with acetabular anterior column fractures admitted to Central Theater Command General Hospital of PLA from December 2013 to December 2016. There were 24 males and 18 females, with the age of 20-61 years [(41.6±12.9)years]. All patients underwent percutaneous retrograde acetabular anterior column screw fixation under computer-assisted 3D navigation. A total of 61 screws were inserted. The observation indexes included the time for insertion of each screw, intraoperative bleeding volume, fluoroscopy time, coincidence rate between intraoperative fluoroscopy and postoperative imaging, and complications. The D'Aubigné-Postel system was used to evaluate the hip joint function at postoperative 6 months. Fracture healing and complications were detected at postoperative 12 months.Results:All patients were followed up for 9-18 months [(13.1±3.2)months]. Time for insertion of each screw was (18.7±4.8)min, intraoperative bleeding volume was (16.6±3.8)ml, fluoroscopy time was (25.3±10.9)s, and coincidence rate between intraoperative fluoroscopy and postoperative imaging was 100%. There were no complications such as neurovascular injury, thrombosis, wound infection, heterotopic ossification and long-term pain. Six months after operation, D'Aubigné-Postel function score was (10.7±0.9)points, significantly improved compared with preoperative (8.7±1.6)points ( P<0.05). Two patients (3 screws) had lower limb mobility and two patients (2 screws) had screw loosening. Conclusion:For acetabular anterior column fractures, percutaneous retrograde acetabular anterior column screw placement assisted by 3D navigation is helpful to improve the accuracy of screw insertion, decrease introperative fluoroscopy time, reduce operation risk, improve screw coincidence rate, and therefore improve hip function.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical application of online adaptive radiotherapy based on iterative cone-beam computed tomography (iCBCT) for the pelvic malignancies.Methods:This was a prospective clinical trial of iCBCT guided online adaptive radiotherapy for pelvic malignancies in Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Clinical data of 13 patients with pelvic malignancies who received online adaptive radiotherapy from August to November, 2022 were preliminarily analyzed (2 cases of cervical cancer, 4 postoperative cervical cancer, 3 postoperative endometrial cancer, 3 bladder cancer and 1 prostate cancer). The feasibility of online adaptive radiotherapy, adaptive radiotherapy time, the frequency and magnitude of edits for organs at risk and target volume, target volume coverage and organs at risk doses were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software. Data conforming to normal distribution were described by Mean±SD, and data with non-normal distribution were expressed by M ( Q1, Q3). Data with homogeneous variances were analyzed by t-test, and data with non-normal distribution or heterogeneous variances were analyzed by nonparametric test. Results:The average adaptive time was 15 min and 38 s (from acceptance of acquired CBCT scan to completion of the final plan selection). 85.4% (830/972 fractions) of influencer structures (system-defined organs adjacent to and with high impact on the generation of clinical target volume and planning target volume, primarily bladder, rectum and small intestine in pelvic neoplasms) automatically generated by artificial intelligence required no edits or minor editors, and 89.8% (491/547 fractions) of clinical target volume automatically generated by artificial intelligence required no edits or minor editors. The adapted plan was adopted in 98.5% (319/324 fractions) of radiotherapy fractions. Compared with the scheduled plan, the adapted plan showed better target volume coverage and reduced the dose of organs at risk.Conclusions:iCBCT guided online adaptive radiotherapy for the pelvic malignancies can be achieved within clinically acceptable timeslots. In addtion, better dose coverage of target volume shows the advantages of online adaptive radiotherapy.

Hypertension and its associated cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and ischemic heart disease result in a high burden of disease and health losses, making it the most burdensome disease in the world and one of the important public health issues in China. Currently Chinese scholars have carried out a large number of studies on the prevalence of hypertension, including regional and national prevalence studies. However, long-term follow-up studies on incidence of hypertension are relatively few and mostly limited to specific ages and regions. This paper summarizes the prevalence, incidence and epidemiological trend of hypertension in Chinese adults. The hypertension prevalence increased from 5.1% in 1959 to 27.5% in 2018, and presents an overall trend of high in the north and low in the south. The hypertension incidence is at a high level (the cumulative incidence was 33.4% after 22 years-follow-up), but there are few researches on the trend of hypertension incidence in huge region.