Microbial infections are a prevalent challenge in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Antibiotic therapy faces clinical limitations due to its single-target mechanism and tendency to induce resistance with repeated use, necessitating novel antibacterial strategies. Stimuli-responsive antibacterial materials, whose antimicrobial activity can be modulated by external stimuli, offer advantages such as remote controllability, potential for localized precision treatment, and a reduced risk of inducing resistance. Among these materials, mechanical force-triggered piezoelectric materials exhibit significant antibacterial activity in the biomedical field owing to their unique piezoelectric effect, excellent stability, and good biocompatibility. Research has shown that piezoelectric materials can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in response to external forces, which enables antibacterial effects without requiring an external power source. The underlying mechanisms primarily include direct electric field effects, generation of reactive oxygen species, and immune modulation. Preliminary applications in treating oral infections (e.g., dental caries, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis) have confirmed their stability and biocompatibility, establishing a foundation for clinical translation. However, long-term efficacy and biosafety in the complex oral microenvironment require further validation. Future research should focus on optimizing material preparation protocols to enhance antibacterial efficacy and stability, further investigating the underlying antimicrobial mechanisms, and systematically evaluating their therapeutic outcomes and safety profiles across various types of oral infections. This review summarizes the antibacterial effects, mechanisms, stability, safety, and research progress of piezoelectric materials in the stomatologic field, aiming to provide new insights for further research and application in this area.

AIM: To investigate the changes of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness, retinal thickness and blood flow density in different stages of diabetic retinopathy(DR)patients based on optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 382 patients(382 eyes)diagnosed with DR in our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024. According to the staging criteria, the patients were divided into mild group(n=121), moderate group(n=133), severe group(n=72), and proliferative group(n=56). The general clinical data of the four groups of patients was compared; OCTA was used to scan and collect data from all patients, and the RNFL thickness, retinal thickness, and blood flow density were compared among the four groups of patients.RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in age, gender, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and random blood glucose among patients in the mild, moderate, severe, and proliferative groups(all P>0.05). As the stage of DR worsened, the duration of the disease gradually prolonged(P<0.05). The thickness of the RNFL(superior, inferior, temporal, nasal, and average thickness)and retinal thickness significantly increased with the severity of DR(all P<0.001); however, there was no statistically significant difference in inferior RNFL thickness between the moderate and mild groups(P>0.05). The blood flow density in the superficial and deep retinal layers, as well as in the choroidal capillary layer, significantly decreased with the progression of DR(all P<0.05). Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference in superficial retinal blood flow density between the moderate and severe groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: OCTA can accurately observe the changes in RNFL thickness, retinal thickness, and blood flow density in patients with DR at different stages, which can serve as sensitive indicators for monitoring DR progression.

The underlying cause of low response rates to existing immunotherapies is that tumor cells dominate tumor immune escape through surface antigen deficiency and inducing tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). Here, we proposed an in situ tumor cell engineering strategy to disrupt tumor immune escape at the root by restoring tumor cell MHC-I/tumor-specific antigen complex (MHC-I/TSA) expression to promote T-cell recognition and by silencing tumor cell CD55 to increase the ICOSL⁺ B-cell proportion and reverse the TIME. A doxorubicin (DOX) and dual-gene plasmid (MAC pDNA, encoding both MHC-I/ASMTNMELM and CD55-shRNA) coloaded drug delivery system (LCPN@ACD) with tumor targeting and charge/size dual-conversion properties was prepared. LCPN@ACD-induced ICD promoted DC maturation and enhanced T-cell activation and infiltration. LCPN@ACD enabled effective expression of MHC-I/TSA on tumor cells, increasing the ability of tumor cell recognition and killing. LCPN@ACD downregulated tumor cell CD55 expression, increased the proportion of ICOSL⁺ B cells and CTLs, and reversed the TIME, thus greatly improving the efficacy of αPD-1 and CAR-T therapies. The application of this in situ tumor cell engineering strategy eliminated the source of tumor immune escape, providing new ideas for solving the challenges of clinical immunotherapy.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling in macrophages, promoting tissue inflammation. However, its role in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. Macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout mice were used to validate STING's pathological role in AMI. Cardiac and liver mtDNA were used to activate macrophages in co-culture systems with cardiomyocytes to assess fibrosis and hypertrophy. Panaxatriol saponin (PTS) was tested for its ability to block mtDNA-driven macrophage activation and subsequent cardiomyocyte damage. STING-PTS binding ability was analyzed. AMI rats received PTS to evaluate its effects on myocardial inflammation and ventricular remodeling. In vivo, macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout reduced myocardial inflammation and injury after AMI. In vitro, mtDNA-activated macrophages induced cardiomyocyte fibrosis and hypertrophy through STING signaling. PTS suppressed mtDNA-driven macrophage activation by directly binding STING, thereby blocking inflammatory cascades. In AMI rats, PTS treatment attenuated acute inflammation and reversed ventricular remodeling. These findings establish the mtDNA-STING axis in macrophages as a critical driver of post-AMI inflammation and identify pharmacological STING inhibition with PTS as a promising therapeutic strategy. The study bridges genetic validation with translational applications, highlighting macrophage STING as a novel target for ischemic heart disease management.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of copper-doped barium titanate(BaCuTiO4)piezoelectric materials combined with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(LIPUS)to activate their piezoelectric-catalytic synergistic effect for treating implant-associated infections.Methods BaCuTiO4 coatings were synthesized on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V substrates using a hydrothermal method,and their surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy.The piezoelectric characteristics of the coatings were analyzed using a piezoresponse force microscope.An in vitro biofilm model of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)was used,with barium titanate(BaTiO3)coatings serving as the control group.Under LIPUS intervention(1.0 W/cm2,1 MHz,10 min),the bacterial viability was assessed using colony counting to evaluate the antibacterial performance of the BaCuTiO4 coatings.Confocal microscopy was used to observe biofilm viability in different groups,assessing the biofilm removal capability of the coatings.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation in each group was detected using Rhodamine b as a probe to evaluate the catalytic efficiency of the coatings in generating ROS.Results Copper doping significantly reduced the piezoelectric coefficient of the coating(from 17.7 pm/V to 7.8 pm/V),bringing its piezoelectric performance closer to the requirements of natural bone tissues.Under LIPUS activation,the BaCuTiO4 coatings increased the generation efficiency of reactive oxygen species by 67.5％and effectively disrupted and removed biofilms formed by MRSA,achieving an antibacterial rate of 90.5％.Conclusions The BaCuTiO4 coatings achieve efficient antibacterial and biofilm-clearing functions through a piezoelectric-catalytic synergistic mechanism.Their piezoelectric properties are well-matched with natural bone tissues,promoting implant osseointegration.

There are a large number of drug transporters widely distributed in various tissues and organs in the human body.They are involved in the membrane transport of numerous endogenous substances,toxins,and drugs.The transmembrane transport mediated by transporters not only plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of the internal environment,but also closely related to drug absorption,distribution,metabolism,and excretion processes.In clinical practice,drug-drug and drug-endogenous molecule interactions based on drug transporters may affect therapeutic efficacy or lead to toxic side effects.Therefore,it is particularly important to closely monitor and evaluate the risks of transporters mediated drug-drug interactions in the drug development and marketing process.This review summarized the classification,functions,tissue distribution and substrate specificity of typical drug transporters in new drug development.Subsequently,the research progress regarding drug-drug interactions involving 24 drug transporters for 55 newly approved drugs by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2023 is comprehensively reviewed.The aim is to provide reference for further drug-drug interaction research together with its scientific significance during new drug development stage.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of copper-doped barium titanate(BaCuTiO4)piezoelectric materials combined with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(LIPUS)to activate their piezoelectric-catalytic synergistic effect for treating implant-associated infections.Methods BaCuTiO4 coatings were synthesized on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V substrates using a hydrothermal method,and their surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy.The piezoelectric characteristics of the coatings were analyzed using a piezoresponse force microscope.An in vitro biofilm model of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)was used,with barium titanate(BaTiO3)coatings serving as the control group.Under LIPUS intervention(1.0 W/cm2,1 MHz,10 min),the bacterial viability was assessed using colony counting to evaluate the antibacterial performance of the BaCuTiO4 coatings.Confocal microscopy was used to observe biofilm viability in different groups,assessing the biofilm removal capability of the coatings.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation in each group was detected using Rhodamine b as a probe to evaluate the catalytic efficiency of the coatings in generating ROS.Results Copper doping significantly reduced the piezoelectric coefficient of the coating(from 17.7 pm/V to 7.8 pm/V),bringing its piezoelectric performance closer to the requirements of natural bone tissues.Under LIPUS activation,the BaCuTiO4 coatings increased the generation efficiency of reactive oxygen species by 67.5％and effectively disrupted and removed biofilms formed by MRSA,achieving an antibacterial rate of 90.5％.Conclusions The BaCuTiO4 coatings achieve efficient antibacterial and biofilm-clearing functions through a piezoelectric-catalytic synergistic mechanism.Their piezoelectric properties are well-matched with natural bone tissues,promoting implant osseointegration.

There are a large number of drug transporters widely distributed in various tissues and organs in the human body.They are involved in the membrane transport of numerous endogenous substances,toxins,and drugs.The transmembrane transport mediated by transporters not only plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of the internal environment,but also closely related to drug absorption,distribution,metabolism,and excretion processes.In clinical practice,drug-drug and drug-endogenous molecule interactions based on drug transporters may affect therapeutic efficacy or lead to toxic side effects.Therefore,it is particularly important to closely monitor and evaluate the risks of transporters mediated drug-drug interactions in the drug development and marketing process.This review summarized the classification,functions,tissue distribution and substrate specificity of typical drug transporters in new drug development.Subsequently,the research progress regarding drug-drug interactions involving 24 drug transporters for 55 newly approved drugs by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2023 is comprehensively reviewed.The aim is to provide reference for further drug-drug interaction research together with its scientific significance during new drug development stage.

Background: Data on the efficacy and incidence of adverse effects associated with dexmedetomidine (DEX) as a local anesthetic adjuvant for patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) are inconclusive. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and risks of DEX for PCEA using opioids as a reference. Methods: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China Biology Medicine for randomized controlled trials comparing DEX and opioids as local anesthetic adjuvants in PCEA. Results: In total, 636 patients from seven studies were included in this meta-analysis. Postoperative patients who received DEX had lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores than those who received opioids at 4–8 h (mean difference [MD]: 0.61, 95% CI [0.45, 0.76], P < 0.001, I2 = 0%), 12 h (MD: 0.85, 95% CI [0.61, 1.09], P < 0.001, I2 = 0%), 24 h (MD: 0.59, 95% CI [0.06, 1.12], P = 0.030, I2 = 82%), and 48 h (MD: 0.54, 95% CI [0.05, 1.02], P = 0.030, I2 = 91%). Additionally, patients who received DEX had a lower incidence of itching (odds ratio [OR]: 2.86, 95% CI [1.18, 6.95], P = 0.020, I2 = 0%) and nausea and vomiting (OR: 6.83, 95% CI [3.63, 12.84], P < 0.001, I2 = 24%). In labor analgesia, no significant differences in neonatal (pH and PaO2 of cord blood, fetal heart rate) or maternal outcomes (duration of labor stage, mode of delivery) were found between the DEX and opioid groups. Conclusions Compared with opioids, using DEX as a local anesthetic adjuvant in PCEA improved postoperative analgesia and reduced the incidence of itching and nausea and vomiting without increasing the incidence of adverse events.

Objective To establish a predictive model for survival outcomes of glioma patients based on both brain radiomics features from preoperative MRI multi-sequence images and clinical features.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the MRI images and clinical data of 388 glioma patients and extracted the radiomics features from the peritumoral edema zone,tumor core,and whole tumor on T1,T2,and T1-weighted contrast-enhanced(T1CE)and fluid attenuated inversion recovery(FLAIR)sequences.The cases were divided into a training set(271 cases)and a test set(117 cases).Random survival forest algorithms were used to select the radiomics features associated with overall survival(OS)in the training set to construct a radiomic score(Rad-score),based on which the patients were classified into high-and low-risk groups for Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.Cox proportional hazard regression models for the 3 different tumor zones were constructed,and their performance for predicting 1-and 3-year survival rates was evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation and AUC analysis followed by external validation using data from another 10 glioma patients.The best-performing model was used for constructing a nomogram for survival predictions.Results Five radiomics features from the tumor core,7 from the peritumoral edema zone,and 5 from the whole tumor were selected.In both the training and test sets,the high-and low-risk groups had significantly different OS(P<0.05),and age,IDH status and Rad-score were independent factors affecting OS.The combined model showed better performance than the Rad-score model with AUCs for 1-year and 3-year survival prediction of 0.750 and 0.778 in the training set,0.764 and 0.800 in the test set,and 0.938 and 0.917 in external validation,respectively.Conclusion The predictive model combining preoperative multi-modal MRI radiomics features and clinical features can effectively predict survival outcomes of glioma patients.