The welfare and ethics of laboratory animals are the ethical principles and behavioral norms that need to be followed in conducting animal-based scientific research, breeding and managing laboratory animals, and supervising and regulating such activities. The level of protection of laboratory animal welfare and ethics is closely related to the development of science and technology, which has become a widely recognized international consensus. At present, Guangdong Province is accelerating the construction of a high-level science and technology innovation province and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Center. Guangdong Province should rely on its advanced governance capacity in the field of laboratory animal science and technology ethics to promote the high-quality development of its laboratory animal science and technology sector. Based on the management laws, regulations, and institutional mechanisms of laboratory animals in China, this paper explores the optimization of the laboratory animal science and technology ethics governance system, which includes the institutional guarantees, responsibility systems, ethical review and supervision mechanisms, and education and outreach. Through methods such as literature research, questionnaire surveys, and interview investigations, an empirical study of the laboratory animal science and technology ethics governance system in Guangdong Province has been conducted. Analysis of literature and research results shows that Guangdong Province has basically established a laboratory animal management system, collaboration mechanism, supervision mechanism, and education and training system that meet the current requirements of the laboratory animal science and technology ethics governance system in China. However, there are still problems such as an incomplete laboratory animal science and technology ethics supervision mechanism, an underdeveloped operation mechanism of review institutions, insufficient attention paid by laboratory animal units to the ethical review of animal experiments, inconsistent ethical review standards, and a lack of professional ethical education and training for ethics review personnel. Therefore, optimization measures such as improving the laboratory animal science and technology ethics review system, strengthening supervision and inspection, further strengthening the accountability of responsible entities, formulating review norms, and enhancing hierarchical and classified education and training are proposed, to provide a theoretical basis for promoting the normalized and long-term governance of laboratory animal science and technology ethics in Guangdong Province.

Geriatric oral health care encounters significant challenges with the increase in the proportion of older individuals. Age-related changes in the dentition, muscles, and joints result in a decline in objective masticatory function, subjective restoration requirements, and acceptability among the elderly population, with individual variations influenced by systemic health. Considering functional requirements, the adaptability of stomatognathic and systemic health conditions, health economics and other factors, the authors believe that it should not be limited to the conventional "one-to-one" strategy for replacing missing teeth in geriatric prosthodontics. There is an urgent need for a precise and adaptable restoration strategy that is more suitable for older individuals. The proposal of a new concept of functional tooth loss updates the minimal restoration standards for elderly patients and establishes the theory of age-friendly functional restoration. Based on the restoration strategy of functional tooth loss, this paper proposes a new concept termed "age-friendly functional restoration of the stomatognathic system", which integrates treatment considerations including endodontics, periodontology, mucosa, muscles, temporomandibular joint, and systemic health. Efforts should be made in four areas as follows. Firstly, the "assessment of accessible function" should be enhanced by considering the interrelationship between stomatognathic and systemic health. Secondly, the "evaluation of appropriate function" is supposed to be optimised in view of subjective needs and objective evaluation of the stomatognathic system. Moreover, the "formulation of treatment plans" needs to be accomplished with the aid of assistive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to accurately exert appropriate functional restoration. Lastly, the "management and maintenance of health" is likely to be strengthened through follow-ups, propaganda and education, and preventive healthcare, so as to improve quality of life and ultimately achieve healthy ageing among older individuals.
Humans ; Tooth Loss/therapy* ; Aged ; Stomatognathic System ; Oral Health ; Dental Care for Aged ; Dental Restoration, Permanent/methods*

Objective:To compare the short-term clinical outcomes of thoracoscopy-assisted minimally invasive mitral valve surgery(minimally invasive cardiac surgery MICS group)versus conven-tional median sternotomy mitral valve surgery(conventional surgery group),including surgical metrics,postoperative complications,transfusion volume,and in-hospital mortality rate.Methods:A ret-rospective analysis was performed for 141 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery in Chongqing General Hospital from January 2021 to June 2022,and these patients were divided into MICS group with 42 patients and conventional surgery group with 99 patients.Propensity score matching at a ratio of 1∶1 was performed to ob-tain 82 patients,with 41 patients in each group,and related data were collected and compared,including surgical procedure,cardiopul-monary bypass time,postoperative ventilation time,transfusion volume,and in-hospital mortality.Results:There were no significant differences between the MICS group and the conventional surgery group in sex,age,cardiac functional grading,and comorbidity with diabetes or hypertension,and as for the surgical procedure,there was no significant difference between the two groups in the number of patients undergoing atrial fibrillation radiofrequency ablation(11/42 vs.26/99,P=0.583)or tricuspid valvuloplasty(14/42 vs.39/99,P=0.310).Compared with the conventional surgery group,the MICS group had significantly longer aortic cross-clamp time[(122±48)min vs.(91±50)min,P=0.031]and cardiopulmonary bypass time[(180±73)min vs.(136±72)min,P=0.033],while there was no significant difference in postoperative ventilation time between the two groups after surgery[18.6(12.0,36.2)h vs.24.0(15.5,33.1)h,P=0.265].There was no significant difference in the number of patients with acute renal failure after surgery between the MICS group and the conventional surgery group[grade 1:3(42)vs.7(99);grade 2:0(42)vs.2(99);grade 3:1(42)vs.9(99);P=0.398].There was also no significant difference in the number of patients receiving hemodialysis after surgery between the two groups[1(42)vs.4(99),P=0.531].The MICS group had a significantly lower postoperative transfusion volume than the conventional surgery group[120(80,240)mL vs.400(200,600)mL,P=0.002],and there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality rate between the two groups[1(42)vs.2(99),P=0.665].After propensity score matching,there were no significant differences between the two groups in general characteristics(sex,age,and comorbidities).Compared with the conventional surgery group,the MICS group had longer cardiopulmonary bypass time[(165±73)min vs.(122±74)min,P=0.053]and aortic cross-clamp time[(119±48)min vs.(98±52)min,P=0.073]and a significantly lower postoperative transfusion volume[120(80,240)mL vs.400(200,600)mL,P<0.001].There were no significant differences between the two groups in 30-day in-hospital mortality rate and postoperative compli-cations(including acute renal failure and requirement for hemodialysis).Conclusion:Thoracoscopy-assisted minimally invasive mitral valve surgery has comparable short-term clinical outcomes and safety to conventional sternotomy.Although MICS requires longer cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamp time,it has relatively low requirements for postoperative transfusion and shows favorable clinical outcomes.

Japan is one of the main trading partners for the import and export of experimental animals in China,and its quarantine and supervision policies for the import and export of experimental animals are very detailed and strict.This article takes experimental dogs,cats,and monkeys as examples to provide an in-depth analysis of the quarantine and supervision policies for the main experimental animals exported to Japan.At the same time,it reflects on the current laws and regulations,import and export management method,standards,biosafety,breeding and management status,as well as the import and export business status of experimental animals in China.Suggestions are provided in improving the laws and regulations,import and export management method,ensuring national biosafety,improving the management level of experimental animal breeding,and promoting the import and export trade of experimental animals,in order to provide reference for comprehensively improving the production,use,and breeding management level of experimental animals in China and strengthening the trade between China and Japan.

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

The overall health condition of patients significantly affects the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of endodontic diseases.A systemic consideration of the patient's overall health along with oral conditions holds the utmost importance in determining the necessity and feasibility of endodontic therapy,as well as selecting appropriate therapeutic approaches.This expert consensus is a collaborative effort by specialists from endodontics and clinical physicians across the nation based on the current clinical evidence,aiming to provide general guidance on clinical procedures,improve patient safety and enhance clinical outcomes of endodontic therapy in patients with compromised overall health.

In the current scientific research training of the academic postgraduate students majoring in clinical laboratory diagnostics, there are many problems including insufficient scientific research level, poor scientific research environment and so on. Based on many years of experience on cultivating postgraduate students and starting from the five factors of 4M1E (man, machine, material, method and environment) method, a scientific strategy is proposed, and then the scientific research ability and level of academic postgraduate students majoring in clinical laboratory diagnostics could be improved by exerting its own self-motivation, strengthening the guidance of tutors, improving training tools, heightening scientific thinking, and enhancing environmental friendliness of scientific research.

Antimicrobial peptides have antibacterial effects on various pathogenic microorganisms, including natural antimicrobial peptides and synthetic antimicrobial peptides. According to the structure of natural antimicrobial peptides, synthetic antimicrobial peptides can be obtained by recombining different functional domains, adjusting the original amino acid sequence, or completely redesigning the peptides from scratch. Antimicrobial peptides can inhibit the growth of various cariogenic microorganisms and the formation of microbial biofilms. They also reduce acid production and acid resistance of microorganisms. Natural antimicrobial peptide genes can be used as genetic susceptibility markers for predicting the development of caries, thus, showing potential applications in the prevention and treatment of dental caries. The instability of natural antimicrobial peptides and the inability to achieve targeted sustained release limit their application in the prevention and treatment of oral caries. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides can enhance their stability and the antibacterial effect. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides can also be polymerized with common oral adhesives to reduce the incidence of microleakage after filling treatment for caries and to prevent the occurrence of secondary caries. The pH-sensitive antimicrobial peptides are slowly released to promote remineralization in the process of caries. However, the safety and biocompatibility of synthetic antimicrobial peptides are worse than those of natural antimicrobial peptides. Moreover, the combined effect of antibacterial peptides and anticaries drugs, such as fluoride, is still uncertain. Therefore, in this paper, we will review the design methods, application and underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial peptides to introduce novel methods and ideas for the prevention and treatment of dental caries.

Objective:To investigate the influence of left atrial size on the ablation efficacy, cardiac morphology and function after valve replacement combined with X-type radiofrequency ablation on posterior wall of left atrium.Methods:From January 2015 to December 2019, 416 patients with mitral valve disease complicated with atrial fibrillation were divided into two groups according to the size of left atrium(Anteroposterior diameter 60 mm). Valve replacement combined with " X" radiofrequency ablation on posterior wall of left atrium was performed. The clinical data were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Except for the AF types, gender, length of stay and postoperative complications, other clinical data, operative and perioperative indicators were better in small left atria group(SLA)than in large left atria group(LLA). The differences were statistically significant( P<0.05). Fractional shortening(FS), ejection fraction(EF) in SLA at any time point were higher than that in LLA, P<0.05. The sinus rhythm conversion rates, the change rate of LA anteroposterior diameter in SLA at postoperative time points were higher than that in LLA, P<0.05. There was no significant difference of cardiac troponin(cTn) and myoglobin(MYO) between the two groups in 6 months after operation, P>0.05. The B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP), cTn, MYO in the other time points were lower than that in LLA, P<0.05. Conclusion:Larger left atrium reduces the rate of sinus rhythm conversion and maintenance in patients undergoing valve replacement combined with fibrillation ablation. There were worse ventricular remodeling and cardiac function recovery. Preoperative evaluation of left atrial size is helpful for prognosis.

To access the efficacy of stents for spontaneous isolated dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SIDSMA). The study is a prospective single-arm study which has been registered on Clinical Trials (NCT03916965). Clinical data and follow-up information of the SIDSMA patients who received stent implantation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University during April 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019 were collected. The patients were recommended to be followed up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. A total of 34 patients were enrolled. Their mean age was (54±8) years. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom. Patients received (2.1±0.6) stents on the average. Post-operation hospital stay was (2.7±1.6) days, and the patients were followed up for (2.3±1.9) months (CT angiography) and (5.5±1.7) months (clinical visit/phone call). There was no recurrence of abdominal pain. The CT angiography showed complete remodeling and incomplete remodeling took place in 23 and 9 patients (69.7% and 27.3%), respectively. Two patients (6.1%) had mild in-stent stenosis. No stent rupture or migration was reported. This study demonstrated a satisfactory short-term result of stents implantation for SIDSMA, which indicated the endovascular treatment could be the first-line therapy for SIDSMA.
Aneurysm, Dissecting ; Endovascular Procedures ; Humans ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Stents ; Treatment Outcome