Sufficient bone tissue is required to ensure the long-term stability of implants. Based on the principles of guided bone regeneration, Dr. Istvan Urban proposed the “sausage technique”. Research indicates that the horizontal bone augmentation observed with the sausage technique averages (5.3 ± 2.3) mm and the vertical bone augmentation averages (4.2 ± 1.9) mm, which is significantly greater than the outcomes achieved with traditional guided bone regeneration techniques. The sausage technique is reliable because the biological membrane has sufficient elasticity and toughness with the application of membrane screws, which stabilizes the mixture of autologous bone and bone graft materials in the bone grafting area and prevents the grafting materials from being displaced. Using substitute materials for autologous bone graft balances the osteogenic activity and the low graft absorption rate. A ball drill is used to prepare nourishing holes in the cortical bone of the recipient area, providing a pathway for mesenchymal stem cells and bone progenitor cells to migrate to the bone regeneration area. Furthermore, this method accelerates the early angiogenesis of wound healing, fully reduces tension during suturing, and ensures that excessive pressure is not applied to the healing area during suturing. Thus, the sausage technique is consistent and reliable. Despite the good outcomes demonstrated by the sausage technique in clinical applications, its potential complications related to soft and hard tissue have attracted widespread attention. These complications negatively affect the patient’s recovery process and influence the final results of the surgery. Therefore, a complete understanding of the complications associated with the sausage technique and their underlying causes is necessary to enhance the clinical safety and effectiveness of the sausage technique. This article summarizes the application principles, clinical effects, barrier membrane applications, selection of bone transplant materials, and related complications of the sausage technique, aiming to provide a reference for clinical application.

BACKGROUND: The sirtuin family is well recognized for its crucial involvement in various cellular processes. Nevertheless, studies on its role in the human endometrium are limited. This study aimed to explore the expression and localization of the sirtuin family in the human endometrium, focusing on sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) and its potential role in the oxidative imbalance of the endometrium in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Endometrial specimens were collected from both patients with PCOS and controls undergoing hysteroscopy at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, from July to August 2015 and used for cell culture. The protective effects of SIRT3 were investigated, and the mechanism of SIRT3 in improving endometrial receptivity of patients with PCOS was determined using various techniques, including cellular bioenergetic analysis, small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) silencing, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: The sirtuin family was widely expressed in the human endometrium, with SIRT3 showing a significant increase in expression in patients with PCOS compared with controls ( P <0.05), as confirmed by protein and gene assays. Concurrently, endometrial antioxidant levels were elevated, while mitochondrial respiratory capacity was reduced, in patients with PCOS ( P <0.05). An endometrial oxidative stress (OS) model revealed that the downregulation of SIRT3 impaired the growth and proliferation status of endometrial cells and reduced their receptivity to day 4 mouse embryos. The results suggested that SIRT3 might be crucial in maintaining normal cellular state by regulating antioxidants, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, thereby contributing to enhanced endometrial receptivity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings proposed a significant role of SIRT3 in improving endometrial receptivity in patients with PCOS by alleviating OS and regulating the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Therefore, SIRT3 could be a promising target for predicting and improving endometrial receptivity in this patient population.
Humans ; Female ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/metabolism* ; Endometrium/metabolism* ; Sirtuin 3/genetics* ; Oxidative Stress/genetics* ; Adult ; Animals ; Mice ; Apoptosis/physiology* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Cell Proliferation/physiology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and preliminary mechanisms of icariin (ICA) in enhancing the reparative effects of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on skin radiation damagies in rats. METHODS: Twelve SPF-grade Sprague Dawley rats [body weight (220±10) g] were subjected to a single dose of 10 Gy X-ray irradiation on a 1.5 cm×1.5 cm area of their dorsal skin, with a dose rate of 200 cGy/min to make skin radiation damage model. After successful modelling, the rats were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n=3), and on day 2, the corresponding cells were injected subcutaneously into the irradiated wounds: group A received 0.1 mL of rat ADSCs (1×10 ⁷cells/mL), group B received 0.1 mL of rat ADSCs (1×10 ⁷cells/mL)+1 μmol/L ICA (0.1 mL), group C received 0.1 mL of rat ADSCs (1×10 ⁷cells/mL) pretreated with a hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor+1 μmol/L ICA (0.1 mL), and group D received 0.1 mL of rat ADSCs (1×10 ⁷cells/mL) pretreated with a Notch1 inhibitor+1 μmol/L ICA (0.1 mL). All treatments were administered as single doses. The skin injury in the irradiated areas of the rats was observed continuously from day 1 to day 7 after modelling. On day 28, the rats were sacrificed, and skin tissues from the irradiated areas were harvested for histological examination (HE staining and Masson staining) to assess the repair status and for quantitative collagen content detection. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect CD31 expression, while Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to measure the protein and mRNA relative expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), HIF-2α, and Notch1, 2, and 3. RESULTS: All groups exhibited skin ulcers and redness after irradiation. On day 3, exudation of tissue fluid was observed in all groups. On day 7, group B showed significantly smaller skin injury areas compared to the other 3 groups. On day 28, histological examination revealed that the epidermis was thickened and the dermal fibers were slightly disordered with occasional inflammatory cell aggregation in group A. In group B, the epidermis appeared more normal, the dermal fibers were more orderly, and there was an increase in new blood vessels without significant inflammatory cell aggregation. In contrast, groups C and D showed significantly increased epidermal thickness, disordered and disrupted dermal fibers. Group B had higher collagen fiber content than the other 3 groups, and group D had lower content than group A, with significant differences ( P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed that group B had significantly higher CD31 expression than the other 3 groups, while groups C and D had lower expression than group A, with significant differences ( P<0.05). Western blot and qRT-PCR results indicated that group B had significantly higher relative expression levels of VEGF, PDGF-BB, FGF-2, IL-10, TGF-β, HIF-2α, and Notch1, 2, and 3 proteins and mRNAs compared to the other 3 groups ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION ICA may enhance the reparative effects of ADSCs on rat skin radiation damage by promoting angiogenesis and reducing inflammatory responses through the HIF-2α-VEGF-Notch signaling pathway.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/pathology* ; Rats ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics* ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Adipose Tissue/cytology* ; Stem Cells/cytology* ; Receptors, Notch/metabolism* ; Radiation Injuries, Experimental/metabolism* ; Wound Healing/drug effects* ; Male

BACKGROUND: High temperatures are known to be associated with an increased risk of self-harm, but the influence of demographic changes and country-level indicators on the burden of heat-related self-harm remains unclear. This study examined the key factors driving changes in self-harm mortality linked to high temperatures and explored their impact at the country level. METHODS: This is an ecological study that analyzes data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, the World Bank, and the Climate Research Unit (CRU) were analyzed. Decomposition analyses were used to identify key factors driving changes in high temperature-related self-harm mortality between 1990 and 2021. A panel data model assessed the impact of national indicators on heat-related self-harm mortality. RESULTS: In 2021, 14,885 deaths globally were attributed to heat-related self-harm, a 41.94% increase from 1990, with low-middle SDI regions accounting for 47.84% of these deaths. While the global death rate from heat-related self-harm declined slightly over this period, South Asia and low-middle SDI regions contributed most to the decline. However, population aging exacerbated mortality rates. Demographic and meteorological factors were also linked to heat-related self-harm. CONCLUSION The global decline in heat-related self-harm mortality is largely driven by reductions in females, low-middle SDI regions, and South Asia. However, population aging and growth in these regions have added to the mortality burden, slowing the overall decline. Factors such as population density are also associated with heat-related self-harm. Targeted measures are needed to mitigate heat-induced self-harm more effectively in future.
Humans ; Self-Injurious Behavior/etiology* ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; Global Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Adolescent

Objective: To identify core acupoint patterns and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of acupuncture for primary depressive disorder (PDD) through data mining and network analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Ovid Technologies (OVID), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (VIP), Wanfang Data, and SinoMed Database from database foundation to January 31, 2025, for clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of PDD. Descriptive statistics, high-frequency acupoint analysis, degree and betweenness centrality evaluation, and core acupoint prescription mining identified predominant therapeutic combinations for PDD. Network acupuncture was used to predict therapeutic target for the core acupoint prescription. Subsequent protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and molecular complex detection (MCODE) analyses were conducted to identify the key targets and functional modules. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses explored the underlying biological mechanisms of the core acupoint prescription in treating PDD. Results: A total of 57 acupoint prescriptions underwent systematic analysis. The core therapeutic combinations comprised Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), and Shenmen (HT7). Network acupuncture analysis identified 88 potential therapeutic targets (79 overlapping with PDD), while PPI network analysis revealed central regulatory nodes, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), IL-10, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1). MCODE-based modular analysis further elucidated three functionally coherent clusters: inflammation-homeostasis (score = 6.571), plasticity-neurotransmission (score = 3.143), and oxidative stress (score = 3.000). GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated significant enrichment of the MAPK, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 signaling pathways. These mechanistic insights suggested that the antidepressant effects mediated through mechanisms of neuroinflammatory regulation, neuroplasticity restoration, and immune-oxidative stress homeostasis. Conclusion This study reveals that acupuncture alleviates depression through a multi-level mechanism, primarily involving the neuroinflammation suppression, neuroplasticity enhancement, and oxidative stress regulation. These findings systematically clarify the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture’s antidepressant effects and identify novel therapeutic targets for further mechanistic research.

Objective:To assess the reliability,and validity of the Chinese version of a short-form of Health Literacy Dental scale(HeLD-14)in 3-6 years old preschool children's parents.Methods:The study population consisted of those eligible 3-6 years old preschool children's parents in Yanqing Dis-trict,Beijing,China in 2021.A total of 1 479 preschool children's parents were surveyed by question-naire to understand the general situation of parents and oral health literacy related content.SPSS 21.0 and Mplus 7.4 were used for statistical analysis.Through Cronbach's α coefficient,confirmatory factor a-nalysis,Pearson correlation calculation,Student's t test and other methods,the internal consistency reli-ability,structure validity,calibration validity and discrimination validity of the scale were evaluated.Re-sults:The Cronbach's α coefficient of Chinese version HeLD-14 scale was 0.958,and Cronbach's α co-efficient of different constructs ranged from 0.778 to 0.963.The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor loadings of each item of the Chinese version HeLD-14 scale were between 0.719 and 0.977(P＜0.001),root-mean-square error of approximation(RMSEA)=0.04,comparative fix index(CFI)=0.992,Tucker-Lewis index(TLI)=0.988,and the model had good goodness of fit.The total score of the Chinese version HeLD-14 scale and the scores of the dimension of concerning,understanding,sup-porting,financial burden,medical treatment,communication,and application were all positively correla-ted with general self-efficacy,and the correlation coefficients were 0.439,0.406,0.370,0.344,0.346,0.367,0.373,0.390,respectively(P all＜0.05).For parents in the high group with the top 27％HeLD-14 score,the average HeLD-14 score was 69.27±1.06,which was higher than the low group with the bottom 27％HeLD-14 score,41.29±11.09(t=48.13,P＜0.01).Conclusion:The Chinese version HeLD-14 scale has good reliability and validity in the 3-6 years old preschool children's parents,and can be used as a tool to assess the oral health literacy of parents of preschool children.

Objective To conduct the evaluation and comparison on the application effects of the 5-D Pruritus Assessment Scale and the Multidimensional Uremic Pruritus Assessment Scale in the patients with maintenance hemodialysis.Methods A total of 154 maintenance hemodialysis patients with pruritus symptom in this hospital from February to June 2023 were selected as the study subjects.The 5-D Pruritus Assessment Scale and the Multidimensional Uremic Itch Assessment Scale were used to evaluate the dimensions such as the pruritus degree,duration and itching location.After standardization treatment by aiming at the evaluation results of the two kinds of scales,the Bland-AItman method was adopted to conduct the consistency compari-son.The Spearman correlation coefficient was adopted to test the correlation between the two kinds of scales. Results The consensus limit (LoA) confidence interval of the 5-D Pruritus Assessment Scale was-0.1578 to 0.1603,the Multidimensional Uremic Pruritus Assessment Scale was-0.1592 to 0.1592.The Spearman correlation results showed that the two scales had the positive correlation (r=0.472,P<0.001).In the 5-D Pruritus Assessment Scale,the area under the curve(AUC) of the fractal dimensions such as duration,degree,development direction,disability and distribution were 0.674 (95％CI:0.557-0.790),0.799 (95％CI:0.700-0.899),0.637 (95％CI:0.528-0.747),0.951 (95％CI:0.905-0.997) and 0.786(95％CI:0.701-0.872),respectively.In the Multidimensional Uremic Pruritus Assessment Scale,AUC of the fractal dimen-sions such as symptom and sign,psychological society and sleep were 0.989 (95％CI:0.978-1.000),0.931 (95％CI:0.878-0.985),and 0.951 (95％CI:0.909-0.994),respectively.Conclusion The consistency of the two scales is good,and both scales can be used to evaluate uremia skin pruritus.The Multidimensional Uremic Pruritus Assessment Scale is more targeted in the assessment of sleep dimension,which is more suitable for the evaluation of maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Objective This clinical study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a fully digital technique for mea-suring sagittal condylar inclination(SCI),as well as vali-dating whether differences existed between the left and right SCI values of the same participant,to provide a ref-erence for clinical practice.Methods Ten participants with good occlusal relationship and normal temporomandibular joint were recruited.Three methods were used to mea-sure the SCI values of the participants,namely,A(mechanical facebow transferring and mechanical articulator-based measuring method with physical protrusive interocclusal registration),B(face scan-based virtual facebow and virtual ar-ticulator-based measuring method with digital protrusive interocclusal registration),and C(jaw motion tracking system-based measuring method).With the group subjected to methods A and C as the control,the SCI values obtained by the three methods were statistically analyzed.The left and right SCI values of the same participant were also compared.Re-sults The left and right SCI values measured by method A were 41.70°±7.09° and 42.80°±8.62°,those by method B were 35.09°±12.49° and 37.63°±12.10°,and those by method C were 39.43°±8.72° and 38.45°±6.91°.No significant dif-ference existed among the SCI values measured by the three methods(P>0.05).Meanwhile,no statistical difference existed between the SCI values on the left and right sides of the same participant(P>0.05).Conclusion The accuracy of the virtual facebow and digital protrusive occlusal registration based SCI measuring method was the same as that of mechanical facebow based and jaw motion tracking system-based methods.The SCI values on the left and right sides of the same participant were similar.Clinically,an appropriate SCI measurement and setting strategy can be selected based on the actual situations.

Objective This clinical study aimed to as-sess the trueness of three intraoral scanners for the recor-ding of the maximal intercuspal position(MIP)to provide a reference for clinical practice.Methods Ten participants with good occlusal relationship and healthy temporomandibular joint were recruited.For the control group,facebow transferring procedures were performed,and bite registrations at the MIP were used to transfer maxillary and mandibular casts to a mechanical articulator,which were then scanned with a laboratory scanner to obtain digital cast data.For the experimental groups,three intraoral scanners(Trios 3,Carestream 3600,and Aoralscan 3)were used to obtain digital casts of the participants at the MIP following the scanning workflows endorsed by the corresponding manufacturers.Sub-sequently,measurement points were marked on the control group's digital casts at the central incisors,canines,and first molars,and corresponding distances between these points on the maxillary and mandibular casts were measured to calcu-late the sum of measured distances(DA).Distances between measurement points in the incisor(DI),canine(DC),and first molar(DM)regions were also calculated.The control group's maxillary and mandibular digital casts with the added mea-surement points were aligned with the experimental group's casts,and DA,DI,DC,and DM values of the aligned control casts were determined.Statistical analysis was performed on DA,DI,DC,and DM obtained from both the control and ex-perimental groups to evaluate the trueness of the three intraoral scanners for the recording of MIP.Results In the con-trol group,DA,DI,DC,and DM values were(39.58±6.40),(13.64±3.58),(14.91±2.85),and(11.03±1.56)mm.The Trios 3 group had values of(38.99±6.60),(13.42±3.66),(14.55±2.87),and(11.03±1.69)mm.The Carestream 3600 group showed values of(38.57±6.36),(13.56±3.68),(14.45±2.85),and(10.55±1.41)mm,while the Aoralscan 3 group had val-ues of(38.16±5.69),(13.03±3.54),(14.23±2.59),and(10.90±1.54)mm.Analysis of variance revealed no statistically sig-nificant differences between the experimental and control groups for overall deviation DA(P=0.96),as well as local devi-ations DI(P=0.98),DC(P=0.96),and DM(P=0.89).Conclusion With standardized scanning protocols,the three intra-oral scanners demonstrated comparable trueness to traditional methods in recording MIP,fulfilling clinical requirements.

Objective To investigate the virulence and drug resistance characteristics of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from patients with infectious diarrhea in our hospital.Methods The preliminary identification of microbes was carried out by the VITEK-MS microbial mass spectrometry detection system and virulence genes were detected by the multiplex real-time PCR.Five types of diarrhea-genic Escherichia coli(DEC)clinically isolated from patients with infectious diarrhea in our hospital were identified.The drug resist-ance characteristics of DEC strains were detected by the microbroth dilution and E-test.The drug-resistant molecular characteristics were analyzed by the next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics.The Fisher exact probability method was used for statistical analy-sis.Results The detection rate of DEC in our hospital was 11.9%,with enteroaggregative E.coli(EAEC)accounting for 37.5%,a-typical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC)accounting for 34.38%,enterotoxigenic E.coli(ETEC)accounting for 25.0%,and enteroinvasive E.coli(EIEC)accounting for 3.12%.None of enterohemorrhagic E.coli(EHEC)strain was detected.The resistance rates of 32 DEC strains to ampicillin,tetracycline,and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were 53.12%,43.75%,and 37.5%,respec-tively.ESBLs(+)strains accounted for 18.75%,and the detection rate of multidrug-resistant strains was 83.83%,significantly higher than that of ESBLs(-)strains(P=0.042).A total of 25 ST genotypes were obtained from 32 DEC strains.The dominant genotypes were ST10(4 strains,12.5%),followed by ST28(2 strains,6.25%),ST31(2 strains,6.25%),ST3153(2 strains,6.25%),and the other 21 genotypes(1 strain,3.13%).One carbapenem resistant strain carrying the blaNDM-1 gene was detected in EAEC.Conclu-sion Four virulence genes such as aggR,pic,astA,and eae,are more common in the DEC of patients with infectious diarrhea in our hospital,with EAEC and EPEC as the main subtypes.The genotypes are highly polymorphic,and multidrug-resistant strains have been detected.