The stable quality of Chinese herbal medicines is a critical factor for their reliable clinical efficiency. An improved liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a liquid chromatographic method were developed to simultaneously analyze five anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) in a Chinese traditional hospital preparation, Fuyankang mixture, in order to quantitatively control its quality in a more effective way.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of different inner metal materials of porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crown on periodontal tissue by means of measuring the level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) after PFM restorations.

METHODS30 teeth were divided into three groups (Ni-Cr alloy group, Co-Cr alloy group and Au-Pt alloy group, 10 teeth each group), and restored by Ni-Cr alloy, Co-Cr alloy and Au-Pt alloy PFM crown according grouping. At the point of pre-restoration, 6-month and 12-month after cementation, the clinical parameters including plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI) and gingival crevice depth (GCD) were detected, and GCF was collected from labial and lingual of mesial site and distal site. The level of sICAM-1 and IL-1beta were detected.

RESULTSAt the point of 6-month and 12-month after cementation, Ni-Cr alloy group showed significant difference for GI, GCD and all GCF indexes when compared to pre-restoration, Co-Cr alloy group and Au-Pt alloy group (P < 0.05). At the point of 12-month after cementation, Co-Cr alloy group showed significant difference for GI, GCD and all GCF indexes when compared to pre-restoration and Au-Pt alloy group (P < 0.05). All indexes have no significant difference for Au-Pt alloy group during the 12-month experiment times when compared to pre-restoration (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONNon-noble metal has bad effect on the periodontal tissue.

Chromium Alloys ; Crowns ; Dental Porcelain ; Gingiva ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Interleukin-1beta ; Metal Ceramic Alloys ; Periodontal Index

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment on clinical periodontal measurements, glycemic control, and level of serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in type 2 diabetes mellitus with chronic periodontitis patients.

METHODSPatients with type 2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis were selected and classified into well-controlled group[glycated hemoglobin Ac(GHbA1)<7.00%, n=30, DMCP1 group] and poorly-controlled group (GHbAc > or = 7.00%, n = 30, DMCP2 group). Thirty systemically healthy patients with chronic periodontitis were recruited as control group (CP group). All subjects underwent non-surgical periodontal therapy. Plaque index(PLI), sulcus bleeding index(SBI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth(PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), serum sICAM-1 concentration, and the value of fasting plasma glucose(FPG), GHbAc were recorded at baseline, 1 and 3 months after periodontal treatment.

RESULTSThe three study groups showed significant improvements for the levels of PD, SBI, PLI, BOP, and serum sICAM-1 concentration at 1 and 3 months after non-surgical periodontal treatment (P < 0.05). The level of CP group and DMCP1 group also showed significant improvements for the levels of CAL (P < 0.05), but no significant change was found in DMCP2 group (P > 0.05). At 3 months after periodontal treatment, GHbA1c levels in DMCP2 group significantly decreased by 1.12% (P < 0.05), whereas no significant changes were found in CP and DMCT groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONNon-surgical periodontal treatment can siginificantly improve periodontal health status in patients with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis, reduce the level of serum sICAM-1, and can reduce the level of GHbA1c in poorly controlled type 2 diabetic patients.

Blood Glucose ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Dental Plaque Index ; Dental Scaling ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Periodontal Index

Objective: To evaluate our replantation and functional reconstruction of amputated lower extremities. Methods: From February 2013 to October 2017, 13 patients with an amputated lower extremity were treated at Orthopaedic Department, The 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force. They were 10 males and 3 females, aged from 15 to 63 years (average, 39 years). In all the patients, large segmental shortening and extremity replantation was conducted at the first stage and Ilizarov extremity lengthening at the secondary stage. After desired extension was achieved, the frame of Ilizarov external fixator was removed and replaced by external fixation with a locking plate under closed reduction. Postoperatively, functions of the knee and ankle joints, sensory recovery of the foot sole, length and appearance of the extremity were observed. Results: All the 13 patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (average, 16 months). All the limb replants survived well. Of them, 12 were satisfied with their weight-bearing walking and therapeutic outcomes. Conclusions For an amputated lower extremity, the first-stage shortening and replantation can result in fine extremity salvage and the secondary Ilizarov extremity lengthening can lead to fine therapeutic outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the effect in lumbar mobility and stress of the facet joint and end plate after implantation of the movable artificial lumbar spine so as to lay a biomechanical foundation for its clinical application.Methods:Total lumbar CT data of a healthy adult male were selected to construct a finite element analysis model and its effectiveness was validated (physiological group). Two groups were replicated after removing the L 3 vertebral body and adjacent discs of the model in physiological group. One group was placed with each component of the movable artificial lumbar spine to construct the non-fusion model (non-fusion group). The other group was placed with titanium cage, titanium plate and other to construct the fusion model (fusion group). The models in the three groups were loaded with 500 N axial load and 10 Nm axial load, and the torque load was used to simulate the movement in six directions: forward flexion, backward extension, left and right lateral bending, and left and right torsion. The lumbar mobility and stress peak and distribution of the proximal facet joints (J 1-2, J 4-5), L 2 inferior endplate and L4 superior endplate at the three model operating sites (L 2-3, L 3-4) and adjacent segments (L 1-2, L 4-5) under the same conditions were compared. Results:The range of motions of the surgical site in flexion, extension, left bending, right bending, left torsion and right torsion were L 2-3of 3.9°-8.7° and L 3-4 of 3.6°-8.4° in non-fusion group, significantly increased compared with fusion group (L 2-3 0.1°-0.2°, L 3-4 0.1°-0.1°) and slightly increased compared with physiological group (L 2-3 2.3°-6.0°, L 3-4 2.3°-7.1°). The range of motions of the adjacent segments in the above six directions were L 1-2 of 1.4°-4.3° and L 4-5 of 1.4°-6.0° in non-fusion group, smaller than those in fusion group (L 1-2 2.1°-6.1°, L 4-5 3.3°-8.6°) and similar to those in physiological group (L 2-3 2.3°-6.0°, L 3-4 2.3°-7.1°). The peak values of von Mises stress in the proximal facet joints were J 1-2 of 7.07-19.21 MPa and J 4-5of 6.12-12.99 MPa in non-fusion group, similar to those in physiological group (J 1-2 8.42-18.53 MPa, J 4-5 7.49-11.70 MPa) and smaller than those in fusion group (J 1-2 10.54-21.16 MPa, J 4-5 10.63-16.13 MPa). The maximum von Mises stress of the L 2 inferior endplate and L 4 superior endplate in the above six directions was 29.39-54.72 MPa and 32.31-47.87 MPa in non-fusion group, significantly increased compared with the L 2 inferior endplate (21.20-42.07 MPa), L 4 superior endplate (22.50-36.76 MPa) and L 2 inferior endplate (11.04-29.55 MPa) in fusion group and the L 4 superior endplate (13.12-21.32 MPa) in physiological group. Conclusion:Compared with the traditional fusion prostheses, the placement of the movable artificial lumbar spine can reconstruct the range of motion of the surgical site in the direction of flexion, extension, lateral bending and torsion, greatly reduce the impact on the stress of adjacent facet joints and the range of motion of adjacent segments, and theoretically reduce the incidence of prosthesis subsidence.

Objective:To investigate the processing accuracy and biomechanical properties of 3D printed artificial bone trabeculae with different porosity generated by the Voronoi Tessellation algorithm, and to provide a reference for improving the biomechanical properties of titanium alloy implants in orthopedics.Methods:A healthy adult male volunteer (aged: 30 years, tall: 175 cm and weight: 70 kg) was selected to collect CT scan data of the lumbar spine. Five kinds of biomimetic artificial bone trabeculae with different porosity were generated using the Voronoi Tessellation algorithm, and divided into Tra_A (73.7%), Tra_B (74.1%), Tra_C (80.0%), Tra_D (80.2%) and Tra_E (85.7%) groups according to the porosity. Selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printing technology was used to process trabecular bone structures with different porosity into titanium alloy prosthesis with a diameter of 18 mm and a height of 20 mm. Each group had 3 samples. The internal structure of each sample was observed by industrial microscope, and the actual porosity of artificial bone trabecular of each group was calculated and compared with the theoretical porosity to evaluate the machining accuracy of artificial bone trabecular with different porosity. Finally, the ultimate load, yield strength and elastic modulus of each sample were evaluated by in vitro mechanical test, and the biomechanical properties of artificial bone trabeculae with different porosity were evaluated.Results:There were no cracks, fracture of connecting rod or accumulation of titanium alloy powder in all specimens. The average actual porosity of the five groups of artificial bone trabecular specimens was 66.0%, 65.5%, 71.8%, 72.5% and 78.1%, respectively. Compared with the theoretical porosity, it was smaller by 10.5%, 11.6%, 10.2%, 9.7% and 8.8%, respectively. In the in vitro mechanical tests for the five groups of artificial bone trabecular specimens, the mean value of ultimate load was 23.6 kN, 18.9 kN, 17.0 kN, 16.3 kN, 10.7 kN, respectively; the mean value of yield strength was 72.2 MPa, 58.7 MPa, 54.9 MPa, 52.2 MPa, and 36.1 MPa, respectively; the mean value of the actual elastic modulus was 7.5 GPa, 6.3 GPa, 4.5 GPa, 4.3 GPa and 2.4 GPa, respectively. With the increase of the porosity of artificial bone trabeculae, all three indicators above showed a decreasing trend. Conclusions:The artificial bone trabeculae generated by the Voronoi Tessellation algorithm and printed by SLM 3D have better machining quality. With the increase of porosity, the processing precision of the titanium alloy artificial bone tray specimens is better. Limit load, yield light and elastic modulus of artificial bone trabecula decrease with the increase of porosity.

BACKGROUND:Currently,a variety of mesenchymal stem cells have been confirmed to have the effect of promoting wound repair,but there is still a lack of relevant research on whether placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells can promote acute skin wound healing. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on the healing of acute skin wound in rats. METHODS:Twenty SD rats were divided into PBS group and stem cell group by the random number table method,with 10 rats in each group.All rats were selected to establish a full-thickness skin defect model.In the PBS group and stem cell group,PBS buffer and placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells were immediately injected on the wound surface and wound margin immediately and on day 8 after modeling.The wound healing was observed immediately and on days 2,4,6,8,10,12,and 14 after modeling.The skin tissue of the wound surface was taken on day 14 and treated with hematoxylin-eosin staining,Masson staining,immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The wound surface of the rats in each group decreased with the prolongation of treatment time.The wound healing rate and wound epithelization rate of the stem cell group at 14 days were higher than those of the PBS group(P<0.01),and the wound contracture rate was lower than that of the PBS group(P<0.01).(2)The results of hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the skin wound healing of the stem cell group was better than that of the PBS group;the degree of wound epithelization was higher,and the morphology of collagen fibers was close to that of normal skin.(3)Masson staining results showed that compared with the PBS group,collagen fibers in the skin wound tissue of the stem cell group were significantly increased and thicker,and the content of collagen fibers in the new tissue was significantly higher than that of the PBS group(P<0.01).(4)Immunohistochemical staining showed that the number of new capillaries in the stem cell group was higher than that in the PBS group(P<0.01),while the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were lower than those in the PBS group(P<0.01).(5)Immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of M2 macrophages in the new wounds of the stem cell group was higher than that of the PBS group(P<0.01),while the number of M1 macrophages was less than that in the PBS group(P<0.01).These findings indicate that placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells can accelerate skin wound healing,promote wound epithelization,and reduce wound contracture,which may be related to the promotion of capillary angiogenesis,regulation of collagen fiber production,inhibition of inflammation,and regulation of macrophage polarization to M2 type.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used to produce epoxy resin and polycarbonate plastic products. In severe cases, these plastics may release BPA, which then infiltrates into the environment. Various concentrations of BPA have been found in most biological fluid. Its presence has been well shown to be closely related to many chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, little is known regarding the adverse effects of BPA exposure and its succedent cellular events on CKD. Hence, in the current in vivo study, we aimed to assess the effects of chronic exposure to BPA on animal nephrotoxicity through investigating oxidative stress and apoptosis. Upon exposure to BPA at 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L via drinking water for four weeks, the mated and pregnant females were continuously exposed to BPA until weaning. Subsequently, three weeks old F1-male neonates were also orally challenged with the same three doses of BPA for ten weeks. The results showed that the kidneys of 0.1 and 1 mg/L BPA-treated mice were seriously damaged; the contents of serum renal function indexes and lipid peroxidation products were significantly increased, including urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; the morphological structure of mouse kidneys was impaired; the expressions of antioxidant-related genes at mRNA and protein levels from mouse kidneys were markedly diminished, including glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase; the expressions of genes and proteins related to apoptosis index (ratio of Bax/Bcl-1 and Caspase-3) were significantly enhanced. The data manifested that cumulative oxidative stress and apoptosis might play an essential role in the animal nephrotoxicity induced by chronic exposure to BPA.
Female ; Male ; Mice ; Animals ; Oxidative Stress ; Antioxidants ; Apoptosis ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Objective Nowadays, radioactive xenon isotopes, including ^131mXe, ^133mXe, ¹³³Xe, and ¹³⁵Xe, are primarily released into the atmosphere through various reactor operation and major accidents of reactors. To improve the online monitoring capability of xenon in nuclear facilities and their gaseous effluents, a highly sensitive online xenon monitoring system was developed to monitor, warn, and alarm the activity concentration of radioactive xenon. Methods The online monitoring system for radioactive xenon gas in nuclear facilities was established using xenon membrane separation and concentration, xenon high-efficiency selective adsorption, and low-background gamma-ray spectrometry analysis methods. Results Under the operation mode of one-hour sampling and one-hour measuring, the minimum detectable activity concentration of the radioactive xenon online monitoring system for ¹³³Xe was approximately (1.43 ± 0.03) Bq/m³. Conclusion This system can be effectively used for online monitoring of xenon activity concentration in nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants and isotope production reactors, as well as in gaseous effluents. It helps improve the safety level of personnel, the environment, and nuclear facilities.