With the rapid aging of the global population, the demand for prosthodontic rehabilitation of partial edentulism continues to increase. Among the available treatment options, removable partial dentures remain an essential clinical modality for restoring partially edentulous arches and masticatory function because of their broad indications, minimal invasiveness, and cost-effectiveness. However, unlike fixed prosthodontics, which have undergone substantial digitalization, removable partial denture therapy is characterized by dual tooth-tissue support, complex biomechanics, and highly variable anatomical morphology. As a result, the digital design and fabrication of removable partial dentures have long faced major bottlenecks, including limited standardization, steep learning curves, and heavy dependence on expert experience. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has undergone a paradigm shift from early expert systems to machine learning and deep learning, creating new opportunities to address the complexity and precision demands of removable partial denture design. Based on a comprehensive literature review and our team's clinical experience, this article systematically elaborates on the specific applications and normative standards of AI throughout the entire removable partial denture fabrication workflow. In the data acquisition phase, we emphasize multimodal data fusion and digital pressure impression strategies. In the intelligent diagnosis and planning phase, deep learning is utilized to achieve the automatic identification of edentulous areas and undercuts, while machine learning and expert systems assist in abutment selection and treatment plan generation. Regarding automated design logic, the article analyzes the process from the intelligent planning of the common path of insertion to parametric design based on biomechanical optimization. At the clinical operation level, a standardized human-machine collaborative workflow of “AI generation-clinician review-local fine-tuning” is proposed. In terms of ethics and accountability, the principles of algorithmic transparency and “the clinician as the ultimate responsible subject” are emphasized. Furthermore, integrating clinical practice, this article innovatively proposes a “capability grading system for AI-assisted removable partial denture design (comprising the auxiliary analysis level, the rule-based design level, and the intelligent adaptive level)”. The aim is to offer practical recommendations for dental clinicians, dental technicians, and researchers, thereby facilitating the transition of removable partial denture prosthodontics toward greater precision, intelligence, and standardization.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections in wild rodents in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China, so as to provide insights into formulation of technical guidelines for monitoring of and the precise control strategy for S. japonicum infections in wild rodents during the elimination phase. Methods Two administrative villages where schistosomiasis was historically highly prevalent were selected each from Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, and Duchang County, Jiangxi Province as study villages. Wild rodents were captured from study villages with baited traps or cages at night in June and September, 2021. The number of rodents captured was recorded, and the rodent species was characterized based on morphologi-cal characteristics. Liver tissues were sampled from captured rodents for macroscopical observation of the presence of egg granu- lomas, and S. japonicum infection was detected simultaneously using liver tissue homogenate microscopy, examinations of mesenteric tissues for parasites, and modified Kato-Katz thick smear technique (Kato-Katz technique). A positive S. japonicum infection was defined as detection of S. japonicum eggs or adult worms by any of these methods. The rate of wild rodent capture and prevalence of S. japonicum infections in wild rodents were compared in different study villages and at different time periods, and the detection of S. japonicum infections in wild rodents was compared by different assays. Results The overall rate of wild ro- dent capture was 8.28% (237/2 861) in Dongzhi County, and the wild rodent capture rates were 9.24% (133/1 439) and 7.31% (104/1 422) in two study villages (χ² = 3.503, P = 0.061), and were 8.59% (121/1 409) and 7.99% (116/1 452) in June and September, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.337, P = 0.561). The overall rate of wild rodent capture was 3.72% (77/2 072) in Duchang County, and the wild rodent capture rates were 6.91% (67/970) and 0.91% (10/1 102) in two study villages (χ² = 51.901, P < 0.001), and were 4.13% (39/945) and 3.37% (38/1 127) in June and September, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.815, P = 0.365). Rattus norvegicus was the predominant rodent species captured in both counties, accounting for 70.04% (166/237) of all captured wild rodents in Dongzhi County and 88.31% (68/77) in Duchang County. No S. japonicum infection was detected in wild rodents captured in Duchang County. Nevertheless, the overall prevalence of S. japonicum infections was 51.05% (121/237) in wild rodents captured in Dongzhi County, with prevalence rates of 50.38% (67/133) and 51.92% (54/104) in two study villages (χ² = 0.098, P = 0.755), and 54.31% (63/116) and 47.93% (58/121) in September and June, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.964, P = 0.326). Of 237 wild rodents captured in Dongzhi County, there were 140 (59.07%) rodents with visible hepatic egg granulomas, 117 (49.47%) tested positive for S. japonicum eggs by liver tissue homogenate microscopy, 34 (14.35%) tested positive for S. japonicum eggs with Kato-Katz technique; however, no adult S. japonicum worms were detected in mesenteric tissues. In addition, hepatic egg granulomas were found in all wild rodents tested positive for S. japonicum eggs with liver tissue homogenate microscopy. Conclusions The rate of wild rodent capture and prevalence of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents vary greatly in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China, and the prevalence of S. japonicum infection is slightly higher in wild rodents captured in autumn than in summer. Liver tissue is recommended as the preferred sample for surveillance of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents, and a combination of macroscopical observation of hepatic egg granulomas and liver tissue homogenate microscopy may be a standard method for surveillance of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents.

OBJECTIVES: Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive corneal ectasia disorder, arising from a myriad of causes including genetic predispositions, environmental factors, biomechanical influences, and inflammatory reactions. This study aims to identify potential pathogenetic gene mutations in patients with sporadic KC in the Han Chinese population. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with primary KC as well as 50 unrelated population-matched healthy controls, were included in this study to identify potential pathogenic gene mutations among sporadic KC patients in the Han Chinese population. Sanger sequencing and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were used to analyze mutations in the zinc finger protein 469 (ZNF469) gene. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to explore the potential role of ZNF469 in KC pathogenesis. RESULTS: Five novel heterozygous missense variants were identified in KC patients. Among them, 2 compound heterozygous variants, c.8986G>C (p. E2996Q) with c.11765A>C (p. D3922A), and c.4423C>G (p. L1475V) with c.10633G>A (p. G3545R), were determined to be possible pathogenic factors for KC. CONCLUSIONS Mutations in the ZNF469 gene may contribute to the development of KC in the Han Chinese population. These mutation sites may provide valuable information for future genetic screening of KC patients and their families.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Case-Control Studies ; China/ethnology* ; Exome Sequencing ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Keratoconus/genetics* ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; East Asian People/genetics*

Digital technologies have become an integral part of complete denture restoration. With advancement in computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), tools such as intraoral scanning, facial scanning, 3D printing, and numerical control machining are reshaping the workflow of complete denture restoration. Unlike conventional methods that rely heavily on clinical experience and manual techniques, digital technologies offer greater precision, predictability, and efficacy. They also streamline the process by reducing the number of patient visits and improving overall comfort. Despite these improvements, the clinical application of digital complete denture restoration still faces challenges that require further standardization. The major issues include appropriate case selection, establishing consistent digital workflows, and evaluating long-term outcomes. To address these challenges and provide clinical guidance for practitioners, this expert consensus outlines the principles, advantages, and limitations of digital complete denture technology. The aim of this review was to offer practical recommendations on indications, clinical procedures and precautions, evaluation metrics, and outcome assessment to support digital restoration of complete denture in clinical practice.
Humans ; Denture, Complete ; Computer-Aided Design ; Denture Design/methods* ; Consensus ; Printing, Three-Dimensional

Objective:To investigates the efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)in treating older patients(≥60 years old)with hematologic malignancies.Methods:We conducted a retrospective study involving 67 patients aged 60 years and above, diagnosed with malignant hematological diseases, who received allo-HSCT at the Clinical Research Centrer for Haematologic Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between June 2015 and March 2023.We collected pre-transplant data, including the patients' age, gender, pre-transplantation disease risk stratification, disease status, and the haematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index(HCT-CI). We retrospectively analyzed clinical data regarding treatment-related toxicity, infections, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease(a/cGVHD), as well as recurrent and non-recurrent deaths, to estimate the overall survival(OS)rate and event-free survival (EFS)rate.Results:Sixty-seven patients were included in the study, comprising 55 males(82.1%)and 12 females(17.9%), with a median age of 63(61, 65) years .The cohort consisted of 42 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia, 22 cases of myelodysplastic syndromes, and 3 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 1-year OS and EFS rates were 62.9% and 59.2%, respectively, while the 2-year OS and EFS rates were 55.3% and 51.8%, respectively.The cumulative incidence of 1-year non-relapse mortality and relapse was 25.4% and 21.2%, respectively.A total of 13 patients developed grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD, with a 1-year cumulative incidence of 22.0%, and 7 patients developed cGVHD requiring treatment.When stratified by age group, the OS rate was higher in patients aged 60~64 years compared to those aged ≥65 years; however, this difference was not statistically significant(Log-rank χ2=0.99, P=0.317). In contrast, when stratified by disease load, the OS rate was significantly higher in the complete remission(CR)group than in the non-CR group, with a statistically significant difference(Log-rank χ2=15.04, P<0.001). When stratified by donor type, the OS rate was higher in the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) allogeneic group compared to the haploinsufficiency group; however, the difference was not statistically significant(Log-rank χ2=2.71, P=0.100). Twenty-seven patients died at an average of 125 days (range 3-1 054 days) after HSCT.The causes of death included leukemia recurrence in 9 cases (33.3%), infection in 8 cases (29.6%), GVHD in 5 cases (18.5%), poor implantation in 3 cases (11.1%), multi-organ failure in 1 case (3.7%), and cerebrovascular accident in 1 case (3.7%). The results of multifactorial analysis indicated that a pre-transplant tumor load greater than 5% was an independent risk factor for OS after transplantation ( HR=4.59, 95% CI: 2.01-10.42, P<0.001)as well as for disease recurrence ( OR=13.11, 95% CI: 1.96-87.87, P=0.008). Additionally, the occurrence of infection was identified as an independent risk factor for non-recurrent death after transplantation( OR=3.95, 95% CI: 1.13 to 13.71, P=0.031). Conclusions:For patients aged 60 years or older with hematologic malignancies, HSCT can serve as a viable treatment option, particularly for those with refractory recurrence and high cytogenetic risk, as it has the potential to significantly enhance prognosis and increase both EFS and OS rates.

Objective To investigate the impact of intergenerational caregiving on the brain structure and function of grandparents,and to analyze its correlation with caregiving factors.Methods Healthy adults(66 with grandchildren,24 without grandchildren)were recruited as study subjects,and clinical and MRI data were collected.Resting-state brain functional degree centrality(DC)and surface-based morphometry(SBM)methods were used to compare the differences in brain structure and function between the groups with and without grandchildren.The correlation between the differences in brain regions and △ values with grandchild's age,number,and time spent in childcare were assessed,respectively.Results Compared to the group without grandchildren,the group with grandchildren showed reduced surface area and cortical volume in the left middle temporal gyrus,as well as decreased DC values in the left medial superior frontal gyrus,bilateral orbital superior frontal gyrus,and left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus(P＜0.05),respectively.In the grandchildren group,DC values and △ values in the left orbital superior frontal gyrus,left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus were significantly positively correlated with time spent in childcare.Conclusion The brain structures and functions of grandparents related to empathy and motivation are changed in intergenerational caregiving,which may reveal the neuroplasticity after caring for their grandchildren.

Objective To investigate the impact of intergenerational caregiving on the brain structure and function of grandparents,and to analyze its correlation with caregiving factors.Methods Healthy adults(66 with grandchildren,24 without grandchildren)were recruited as study subjects,and clinical and MRI data were collected.Resting-state brain functional degree centrality(DC)and surface-based morphometry(SBM)methods were used to compare the differences in brain structure and function between the groups with and without grandchildren.The correlation between the differences in brain regions and △ values with grandchild's age,number,and time spent in childcare were assessed,respectively.Results Compared to the group without grandchildren,the group with grandchildren showed reduced surface area and cortical volume in the left middle temporal gyrus,as well as decreased DC values in the left medial superior frontal gyrus,bilateral orbital superior frontal gyrus,and left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus(P＜0.05),respectively.In the grandchildren group,DC values and △ values in the left orbital superior frontal gyrus,left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus were significantly positively correlated with time spent in childcare.Conclusion The brain structures and functions of grandparents related to empathy and motivation are changed in intergenerational caregiving,which may reveal the neuroplasticity after caring for their grandchildren.

Objective:To investigates the efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)in treating older patients(≥60 years old)with hematologic malignancies.Methods:We conducted a retrospective study involving 67 patients aged 60 years and above, diagnosed with malignant hematological diseases, who received allo-HSCT at the Clinical Research Centrer for Haematologic Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between June 2015 and March 2023.We collected pre-transplant data, including the patients' age, gender, pre-transplantation disease risk stratification, disease status, and the haematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index(HCT-CI). We retrospectively analyzed clinical data regarding treatment-related toxicity, infections, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease(a/cGVHD), as well as recurrent and non-recurrent deaths, to estimate the overall survival(OS)rate and event-free survival (EFS)rate.Results:Sixty-seven patients were included in the study, comprising 55 males(82.1%)and 12 females(17.9%), with a median age of 63(61, 65) years .The cohort consisted of 42 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia, 22 cases of myelodysplastic syndromes, and 3 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 1-year OS and EFS rates were 62.9% and 59.2%, respectively, while the 2-year OS and EFS rates were 55.3% and 51.8%, respectively.The cumulative incidence of 1-year non-relapse mortality and relapse was 25.4% and 21.2%, respectively.A total of 13 patients developed grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD, with a 1-year cumulative incidence of 22.0%, and 7 patients developed cGVHD requiring treatment.When stratified by age group, the OS rate was higher in patients aged 60~64 years compared to those aged ≥65 years; however, this difference was not statistically significant(Log-rank χ2=0.99, P=0.317). In contrast, when stratified by disease load, the OS rate was significantly higher in the complete remission(CR)group than in the non-CR group, with a statistically significant difference(Log-rank χ2=15.04, P<0.001). When stratified by donor type, the OS rate was higher in the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) allogeneic group compared to the haploinsufficiency group; however, the difference was not statistically significant(Log-rank χ2=2.71, P=0.100). Twenty-seven patients died at an average of 125 days (range 3-1 054 days) after HSCT.The causes of death included leukemia recurrence in 9 cases (33.3%), infection in 8 cases (29.6%), GVHD in 5 cases (18.5%), poor implantation in 3 cases (11.1%), multi-organ failure in 1 case (3.7%), and cerebrovascular accident in 1 case (3.7%). The results of multifactorial analysis indicated that a pre-transplant tumor load greater than 5% was an independent risk factor for OS after transplantation ( HR=4.59, 95% CI: 2.01-10.42, P<0.001)as well as for disease recurrence ( OR=13.11, 95% CI: 1.96-87.87, P=0.008). Additionally, the occurrence of infection was identified as an independent risk factor for non-recurrent death after transplantation( OR=3.95, 95% CI: 1.13 to 13.71, P=0.031). Conclusions:For patients aged 60 years or older with hematologic malignancies, HSCT can serve as a viable treatment option, particularly for those with refractory recurrence and high cytogenetic risk, as it has the potential to significantly enhance prognosis and increase both EFS and OS rates.

The present jaw relationship record tray is designed in an upper and lower integrated type,which can not accurately ob-tain important information of maxillary occlusal plane,the position about 1 mm below the upper lip and the support degree of the upper lip during clinical work.Therefore,the base-plate and occlusal-rim composite solid(diagnostic denture)is not accurate and the accu-rate jaw relationship can not be tranfered in the following steps.This paper introduces the design,clinical application process and key points of a split-type jaw relationship record tray.It can accurately obtain important information such as the occlusal plane,the position about 1mm below the upper lip,and the degree of support of the upper lip.It provides reference for the accurate recording and transfer of the jaw relationship.It also lays a foundation for the direct fabrication of full denture based on the information obtained by the split-type jaw relationship record tray after the digital impression obtained by intraoral scanning.

Objective To explore the efficacy of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation(rPMS)in patients with lumbar disc herniation(LDH).Methods From March 2023 to March 2024,60 LDH patients were recruited in the inpatient or outpatient department of the rehabilitation department of a tertiary hospital.All patients were randomly assigned to the rPMS group or the conventional group,30 cases in each group.Both groups received routine physical therapy,and the rPMS group was treated with rPMS on this basis.VAS,JOA,and neurophysiological tests were performed before intervention and 2 weeks after intervention.Results The VAS and JOA scores of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P<0.05).Compared with the conventional group,the VAS and JOA scores of the rPMS group were significantly lower(P<0.05).Compared before and after treat-ment,the neuroelectrophysiological examination of the rPMS group was significantly improved(P<0.05).After 2 weeks of treatment,the tibial nerve motor conduction velocity,H reflex latency and IP peak in the conventional group were significantly faster than those before treatment(P<0.05).After 2 weeks of treatment,compared with the conventional group,there were significant differences in tibial nerve motor conduction velocity,peroneal nerve motor conduction velocity,superficial peroneal nerve sensory conduction velocity,sural nerve sensory conduction velocity,H reflex latency and IP peak(P<0.05).Conclusion rPMS can significantly improve and restore pain and nerve injury in patients with LDH.rPMS can be used as an effective adjuvant therapy.