Objective:To investigate the physical morphology of the root canal taper in human maxillary and mandibular permanent first molars.Methods: Forty maxillary and 44 mandibular extracted human permanent first molars were investigated.The roots were dissected transversely from their apical foramen vertical to the long axis of the root,and 1-mm-thick serial sections were made.The root apex side of each section was observed with a stereomicroscope at 30? magnification.The maximum and minimum canal diameters were measured at 0,1,2,and 3 mm from the apical foramen.The physical canal taper in the apical section was calculated.Results: 47.5%-60.0% of the narrowest diameter of root canals were present at the foramen,and 25.0%~42.5% located at the level of 1 mm from apical foramen.Almost all physical configurations of root canals in 3 mm apical region showed a bottleneck-like taper.Canal dia-meters increased rapidly at 1-2 mm with the biggest taper,and the taper had a bigger variance(0.07-0.35).The ring of shrunken bottleneck was formed at the level of 1 mm from apical foramen.The taper of canal in maximal diameter was larger than the one in minimal diameter.Conclusion: The physical morphology of bottleneck-like taper in apical canal was helpful to locate the canal apical stop in root canal treatment.

Objective To compare the reproducibility and reliability of facial soft tissue landmarks using a direct and an indirect placement methods in facial three-dimensional (3D) soft tissue assessment.Methods 3D coordinates of 37 soft tissue landmarks were obtained respectively in 35 normal healthy volunteers from 3D optical capture system and Materialise's interactive medical image control system (Mimics).Landmarks were affixed on the cutaneous surface (direct method) and marked on the 3D reconstructed craniofacial model (indirect method).Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and paired t-tests were used to compare the reliability and reproducibility of facial landmarks between two placement methods.Results For the direct placement method,86.5 ％ landmarks had an ICC higher than 0.75.For the indirect placement method,75.7％ landmarks had an ICC higher than 0.75.The inter-observer variability using the direct placement method was (1.259±0.566) mm,which was significantly smaller (P＜0.05) than (1.420±0.638) mm obtained by the indirect placement method.Conclusions Compared with indirect method,direct method has higher reliability and reproducibility in evaluating facial soft tissue.

Bibliometrics ; Biochemistry ; Biotechnology ; China ; Journal Impact Factor ; Periodicals as Topic ; statistics & numerical data ; Science

TBL (Team-based learning) model is a new teaching method.By evaluating the effect of TBL model in theory teaching on Chinese orthodontic postgraduate program in the department of Orthodontics,Guanghua School of Stomatology,Sun Yat-sen University,and comparing the traditional teaching model which centered on teachers,we have probed into the application experience of TBL teaching method in curriculum setting of preclinical theoretic learning in orthodontics postgraduate education.The result shows TBL has significantly enhanced students' enthusiasm for learning,sense of collaboration,and has improved the quality of education.TBL method is better,even though there is something that needs to be improved.

OBJECTIVEThis paper aimed to determine the mRNA expression of osteoclast-related factors interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-12 (IL-12) p35, IL-12p40, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATcl), receptor activator of nuclear factor-KB (RANK), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA in murine macrophages infected by a periodontitis patient's own tissue nucleic acid. Another aim was to investigate the effects of a periodontitis patient's own tissue nucleic acid on the differentiation of macrophages into osteoclasts.

METHODSInflammatory periodontal tissue samples of chronic periodontitis patients were taken during periodontal flap surgery, and healthy gingival tissue samples were taken from orthodontic patients during tooth extractions. Total RNA from periodontal tissue was extracted and reversely transcribed into cDNA and then cryo-preserved until further use. First, specific sequence oligodeoxynucleotide MT0I at a concentration of 1 µg · mL⁻¹ was added in murine macrophage RAW264.7, and the cells were incubated for 3 hours. Cells with PBS (1 µg · mL⁻¹) were used as negative controls. The inflammatory periodontal tissue cDNA and healthy periodontal tissue cDNA (1 µg · mL⁻¹) was added subsequently. There were four experimental groups: healthy periodontal tissue cDNA+ RAW264.7, inflammatory periodontal tissue cDNA+RAW264.7, MT01+healthy periodontal tissue cDNA+RAW264.7, and MT01+inflammatory periodontal tissue cDNA+RAW264.7. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the mRNA expression of osteoclast-related factors IL-6, IL-12p35, IL-12p4O, MMP-9, NFATcl, RANK, and TNF-α mRNA after 3, 6, 12, and 24-hours.

RESULTSThe mRNA levels of osteoclast-related factors NFATc1, MMP-9, TNF-a, IL-6, IL-12p40, IL-12p35, and RANK in RAW264.7 were markedly upregulated with the treatment of periodontitis patient's own tissue nucleic acid. However, the mRNA expression of osteoclast-related factors was inhibited by use of an immunosuppressant MT01.

CONCLUSIONThe periodontitis patient's own tissue nucleic acid could promote the differentiation of murine macrophage into osteoclasts.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Gingiva ; Humans ; Interleukin-12 Subunit p40 ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Mice ; Osteoclasts ; metabolism ; Periodontitis ; RNA, Messenger ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The contents of schisandrin, schizandrin A, B and C were determined by HPLC, and the effects of the climate factors and altitude on lignin contents were analyzed in order to select the optimal cultivation area of S. chinensis. The lignin contents were analyzed by HPLC using a ZORBAX SB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm). The column temperature and detection wave length were set at 35 degrees C and 254 nm, respectively. Methanol-water was used as the mobile phase in gradient elution mode and the flow-rate was 1.0 mL min(-1). The method had a good repeatability, stability and accuracy. The correlation of climate factors and lignins contents was analyzed by SPSS software. The results showed that the schizandrin A content in S. chinensis fruits were higher than 0.4% in Ji'an, Liuhe, Antu and Fusong in Jilin province, which met the quality requirement. It had significant linear negative correlation relationship between schisandrin, schizandrin A, B and altitude, the contents decreased with the increase of altitude. The significant negative linear fitting coefficient was 0.844 1 between schisandrin and altitude; but it had not significant correlation between schizandrin C and altitude. A significant positive correlation of climate factors and the contents of S. chinensis lignins were mainly the temperature factors (the average annual temperature, the highest temperature in July, the average temperature in July, the highest temperature in January, the average temperature in January) and precipitation factor (average annual precipitation), which reveals that higher temperature and precipitation were helpful to the formation and accumulation of lignins of S. chinensis. So the cultivation area of S. chinensis should be in the low elevations region with warm and rainy climate.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Ecological and Environmental Phenomena ; Geography ; Lignin ; metabolism ; Schisandra ; metabolism

RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a newly-developed method in transcriptome research, it can afford more accurate transcription information and be more quickly by using Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) technology. RNA-Seq has been widely used in various biological fields. Genuine traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), with good quality and therapeutic effect, were always praised highly and used by famous physicians. The geo-herbalism formation of TCM is based on the product of the gene expression at specific space and time. So it has been a research hotspot to analyze the mechanism of biosynthesis through RNA-Seq in the study on the secondary metabolism of medicinal plant. This article mainly illustrates the RNA-Seq and its advantages, it also discusses the potential application in genuine TCM, and it can provide useful information for other researchers.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Gene Expression Profiling ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; RNA ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVEThis aimed to investigate the effect of specific sequence oligodeoxynucleotide MT01 on the biological properties of osteoblasts invaded by Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis ) by evaluating proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis.

METHODSMG63 osteoblasts were recovered and incubated with MT01, CpG ODN, metronidazole (MNZ), and gentamicin (GEN) for 3 h. P. gingivalis (the multiplicity of infection was 100:1) was added subsequently and cocultured for another 24 and 48 h. Cells with PBS comprised the blank group, whereas cells with P. gingivalis comprised the negative controls. Six experimental groups were established: PBS group, P. gingivalis group, MT01+P. gingivalis group, CpG ODN+ P. gingivalis group, MNZ+P. gingivalis group, and GEN+P. gingivalis group. The proliferative ability was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, and the percentages of apoptosis and cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry.

RESULTSCompared with the blank group, proliferation increased significantly in the MT01+P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05). The ratio of cells was lower at the G₁ phase and higher at the S phase in the MT01+P. gingivalis group compared with the results in the P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05). Early cell apoptosis in the MT01+P. gingivalis group was significantly lower than that in the P. gingivalis group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMT01 can promote the proliferation, reduce the ratio of the G₁phase, increase the ratio of the S phase, and inhibit the early apoptosis of osteoblasts invaded by P. gingivalis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Flow Cytometry ; Gentamicins ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Metronidazole ; pharmacology ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides ; pharmacology ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; pathogenicity

Objective:To assess the characteristics change of sleep architecture in drug naive patients with schizophrenia,compared with healthy control.Methods:The key words including schizophrenia and sleep architecture (or sleep structure or sleep disturbance or polysomnogram and so on) were used to search literatures in MEDLINE,Embase,Springer,PsychINFO,google scholar,Wanfang data,published from 1980 to 2015.Fifteen studies that compared sleep architecture in drug naive patients with schizophrenia and healthy control were included.Literature quality evaluation was performed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.The meta-analysis was performed by using Stata13.0 software.Results:Compared to healthy control,the total sleep time decreased (P ＜ 0.01),the sleep latency increased (P ＜ 0.01),the sleep efficiency decreased (P ＜ 0.01),and the rapid-eye-movemem (REM) sleep latency increased (P ＜ 0.01) significantly in drug naive patients with schizophrenia.The proportion of stage1 was increased,and the proportions of stage4 and slow wave sleep stage were decreased,the differences between case and control were statistically significant.Conclusion:In the control of drug effects,patients with schizophrenia may have poorer sleep quality of be poorer than healthy controls,such as the decreased total sleep time,specifically slow wave sleep,prolonged sleep latency and decreased sleep efficiency.

Objective To evaluate the quality of life and influencing factors in patients with breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery, so as to provide theoretical support for preoperative health education and postoperative rehabilitative intervention for these patients. Methods 120 breast conserving surgery (BSC) and 140 modified radical mastectomy (MRM) patients were assessed with Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B V4.0) one week after operation. Life quality was evaluated between the two groups, and the influencing factors were also analyzed. Results Postoperative breast cancer patients after breast conserving surgery were with good breast complementary attention, lower emotion state. The other scores of quality of life had no statistical difference. Influencing factors on the quality of life of breast cancer patients were anxiety state, relationship of family members, position of surgery and character type. Conclusions It suggests that nursing specialists should make out corresponding, scientific and reasonable nursing intervention schemes based on the characteristics of different groups of people to ease psychological burden, and elevate the quality of life effectively for postoperative breast conserving surgery patients.