OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role of concentrated growth factors (CGF) in the treatment of periodontal cement defects using calcium phosphate cement (CPC) with self-curing properties. METHODS: Thirty-six intrabony defects were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group received CGF+CPC treatment (n=18), while the control group received CPC treatment alone (n=18). The probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and hard tissue filling as measured by cone beam CT (CBCT) were evaluated at baseline and 1 year postoperatively in both groups, and the levels of major growth factors in CGF and serum were compared [platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)]. RESULTS: At baseline, there were no statistically significant differences in probing depth, clinical attachment loss and CBCT measurements between the two groups (P>0.05). At 1 year postoperatively, significant improvements were observed in parameters mentioned above in both groups (P < 0.05). The CGF+CPC group seemed more effective compared with the CPC group in reduction of probing depth [(4.5±1.3) mm vs. (3.2±1.1) mm] and clinical attachment gain [(3.8±0.9) mm vs. (2.0±0.5) mm, P < 0.05]. Compared with the group treated with CPC alone, the hard tissue filling degree shown by CBCT in the CGF+CPC group was significantly increased [the reduction of the depth of the intrabony defects was (3.9±1.2) mm vs. (2.1±0.7) mm, respectively, P < 0.01]. At 1 year post-operatively, the volume of the intrabony defects shown by CBCT in the CGF+CPC group was reduced by (0.031 8±0.004 1) mL, which was significantly more than that in the CPC group [(0.019 7±0.001 2) mL, P < 0.05]. In addition, the concentration of the main growth factors (PDGF-BB, TGF-β1, IGF-1, and VEGF) in CGF were higher than those in serum (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION After 1 year of follow-up, the results of the present study indicated that CGF could significantly improve the clinical and radiological effects of CPC on the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects.
Humans ; Calcium Phosphates/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Bone Cements/therapeutic use* ; Middle Aged ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Alveolar Bone Loss/therapy* ; Becaplermin ; Adult ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/therapeutic use* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis/blood* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/blood* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/blood*

Objective:To investigate the factors influencing phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by gamma interferon release assay (IGRA). Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 360 hospitalized patients who received IGRA in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2019 to December 2021. According to PHA response (IFN-γ level), they were divided into three groups: negative mitogen response group (IFN-γ<2 pg/ml), weak positive mitogen response group (IFN-γ: 2-100 pg/ml), and normal mitogen response group (IFN-γ>400 pg/ml).Results:Immune diseases were independently associated with negative (OR=0.34, 95%CI: 0.17-0.72, P=0.004) and weak positive mitogen responses (OR=0.29, 95%CI: 0.16-0.55, P<0.001). Infections caused by pathogens other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis was independently associated with negative mitogen response (OR=0.266, 95%CI: 0.09-0.83, P=0.023), while immunodeficiency was independently associated with weak positive mitogen response (OR=0.280, 95%CI: 0.12-0.63, P=0.002). Mitogen response was significantly correlated with the levels of albumin and hemoglobin in serum and the counts of neutrophils and lymphocytes ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Immune diseases and immunodeficiency can affect mitogen response. Therefore, clinicians should give attention to mitogen response in the interpretation of IGRA test results to prevent misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. Besides, to a certain extent, mitogen response can reflect the infection status of hospitalized patients.

The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide and the age of onset gradually gets younger. However, specific therapeutic interventions are lacking. The exact mechanism of NAFLD has not yet been well elucidated. Recent studies indicate that adiponectin (APN) is an adipokine with anti-inflammatory activity and is considered a hepatic protector, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Research on APN actions in NAFLD is popular around the world. This article summarizes the mechanism of APN actions in NAFLD, briefly describes the relationship of APN with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and NAFLD-related hepatic fibrosis, and reviews related clinical studies. It is suggested that APN holds promise as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of NAFLD and further research into the signaling pathway of APN would lead to a better understanding of its action mechanism and can provide a novel strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)is one of the most fatal malignant tumors worldwide.As an important part of cutting-edge re-search fields,proteomics has been widely used in the studies of related diseases and has currently become a crucial experimental approach to research on HCC.Significantly expressed proteins can be identified as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and targets for therapeutic drugs for HCC.Moreover,they can be used for prediction of the recurrence and prognosis of HCC,as well as for investigation of pathogene-sis of the disease.The proteomic results from worldwide clinical studies of HCC are summarized,and it is suggested that the clinical applica-tion of results of basic research on HCC proteomics will bring great benefit to the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

As a novel research tool,metabolomics technology can reveal the differences in metabolic profiles during the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),so it has been widely applied for research on HCC biomarkers.The significance of metabo-lomics in the diagnosis of HCC is briefly described,and the metabolomics research aiming at the discovery of HCC biomarkers,including an-imal experiments and clinical studies of metabolites in the serum,urine,and liver tissue,is reviewed.It is pointed out that analyzing and monitoring metabolites in the development and progression of HCC is of great significance for individualized treatment.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Artemisia Argyi extracting solution on anti-hepatic fibrosis.Methods Twenty-four experimental Wistar rats were randomized into four groups:Artemisia group,Danshen group,physiological saline group,and blank control group,with 6 in each.The Artemisia group was treated with 20% Artemisia Argyi extracting solution,the Danshen group with Danshen (salvia) solution,and the physiological saline group with physiological saline by gavage,20ml/kg.After treating three times per day for 3 days,sera were obtained and made a mixture with DMEM to be volume fraction as 5%,10%,and 20%.Effect of different volume fraction of extracting solution on TGF-?1 Smad3 and Smad7 mRNA and protein were detected.Results After treating with 5%,10% and 20% Artemisia Argyi extracting solution contained rat serum for 24h,contrasted to the black control group,the expression of TGF-?1 mRNA level was (0.82?0.03),(0.72?0.03) and (0.67?0.04) times,and the expression of TGF-?1 protein was (0.66?0.09),(0.34?0.05) and (0.31?0.07) times respectively;contrasted to the physiological saline group,the expressions of TGF-?1 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased (P