BACKGROUND:Computer-assisted implant surgery can improve implantation accuracy,but the use of implant template in the posterior tooth area is limited for patients with small opening and small interocclusal distance.Therefore,the digital guide has been improved. OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of modified implant template on the accuracy of assisted implantation in missing second molars. METHODS:From July 2020 to July 2023,40 patients who received digital guide plate implantation or free hand implantation to repair missing second molars were selected from First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.According to the coin toss method,patients were randomly divided into a trial group(n=22;modified digital guide assisted implantation)and a control group(n=18;free hand implantation).The data of neck deviation,tip deviation,depth deviation,and angle deviation were compared between groups for preoperative and postoperative cone beam CT overlap analysis.One week after the operation,the patients'satisfaction with the operation was assessed by visual analog scale score. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The trial group included 25 implants(12 in the upper jaw and 13 in the lower jaw);the control group included 23 implants(8 in the upper jaw and 15 in the lower jaw).The neck deviation,tip deviation,depth deviation,and angle deviation of the trial group were all smaller than those of the control group(P<0.05,P<0.001).There was no significant difference in accuracy between the maxillary and mandibular implant site in the trial group(P>0.05).(2)There was no significant difference in satisfaction with the operation between the two groups(P>0.05).(3)The results showed that improving the digital guide plate for assisted implantation for missing second molar can improve surgical accuracy and is suitable for patients with small opening and small interocclusal distance in the posterior tooth area.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between fat distribution and the composite indices of femoral neck strength in obese postmenopausal women.Methods:A total of 293 postmenopausal women with non-low body weight were selected, laboratory tests, body composition analyzer test and double-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan were performed. Based on the body mass index(BMI), they were divided into three groups, the normal BMI group(18.5 kg/m 2≤BMI<24.0 kg/m 2, n=91), the overweight group(24.0 kg/m 2≤BMI<28.0 kg/m 2, n=115), and the obese group(BMI≥28.0 kg/m 2, n=87). The measurement results were analyzed. Results:In the obese group, bone mineral density(BMD) of all sites was higher than that in the normal BMI group and overweight group( P<0.005), compression strength index(CSI), bending strength index(BSI), and impact strength index(ISI) were significantly lower than those in the normal BMI group( P<0.001, P=0.008, P=0.001). In the obese group, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, total fat mass, appendicular fat mass, and trunk fat mass were risk factors for CSI, BSI and ISI independent of age, fasting blood glucose, and BMI( P<0.05). Visceral fat grade and Chinese visceral adiposity fat index were the risk factors for CSI, BSI, and ISI( P<0.05). Conclusion:The composite indices of femoral neck strength decreased in obese postmenopausal women, and both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat were negatively associated with the composite indices of femoral neck strength.

Objective To design and construct a syndrome differentiation knowledge graph that integrates TCM facial color diagnosis information;To explore the hidden relationships between the knowledge.Methods The literature data came from ancient classics,textbooks,as well as standard literature related to inspection included in the CNKI,VIP and Wanfang Data from the establishment of the databases to December 31,2022.The clinical data was sourced from 30 elderly individuals who underwent TCM health examinations at the Community Health Service Center in Jiading Industrial Zone,Shanghai in September 2022.Facial image acquisition was performed using TFDA-1 digital tongue and facial diagnostic instrument.By following the steps of knowledge extraction,knowledge fusion and quality assessment to construct a graph,and with the assistance of TCM experts for interpretation,using Access 2019 to integrate qualitative textual data and quantitative objective image digital information,a syndrome differentiation knowledge graph integrating TCM facial diagnosis was designed and completed in the Neo4j graph database.In addition,a method was designed to shift facial diagnosis knowledge from qualitative to quantitative.Results There were a total of 194 nodes under 8 entity term types and 12 entity term labels,as well as 361 relationships under 13 semantic relationships in knowledge graph.The Neo4j graph database provided a visualized TCM facial color diagnosis and differentiation,which could be queried and fed back using Cypher language.Conclusion The knowledge graph constructed based on the theory of TCM facial color diagnosis visually shows the complex correlation between facial color diagnosis and syndrome differentiation diagnosis,with a knowledge representation model that forms qualitative data of image features → semantic relationships → syndrome differentiation diagnosis forms.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection and its genotyping in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), as well as macrolide resistance and gene mutation genotyping, in order to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children.Methods:MP positive cases in 620 hospitalized children at Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Sanshui District, Foshan City with CAP were detected.P1-RFLP genotyping was performed for the MP positive cases.The distribution of the MP positive, type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ in different years and different genders, ages as well as seasons were analyzed.The mutations of macrolide resistance genes in MP were detected.The differences of A2063G and A2064G mutations of the drug-resistant mutant gene in each year, gender, age and season were analyzed.Results:Among 620 children with CAP, 198 were MP positive, and the infection rate was 31.94%.There was little difference among the years.The infection rate was higher in female than that in male.The infection rate gradually increased with the increase of age, and the highest infection rates were found in pre-school age and school age.The infection rates in summer and autumn were significantly higher than those in spring and winter.Among 198 children, P1-RFLP classification showed that 157 (79.29%) cases were P1-Ⅰ and 41 (20.71%) cases were P1-Ⅱ.There was no significant difference in the distribution of type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ in each year, gender, age as well as season.A total of 143 cases were tested for mutation of macrolide resistance gene, in 125 of them, MP gene mutation resulted in drug resistance, and the overall drug resistance rate was 87.41%.MP gene mutation led to drug resistance in 125 children, 66 (52.80%) cases had A2063G mutation and 53 (42.40%) cases had A2064G mutation.There was no significant difference between two types in each year, gender, age and season.Conclusion:MP infection rate of CAP among children in our hospital is 31.94%, and is more common in femal, and the infection rates are highest in pre-school age and school age, with summer and autumn as the season of high incidence.The P1-RFLP typing showes no significant differences among the years, genders, ages and seasons.The drug resistance gene mutation among children is high.Time, gender, age and season does not affect drug resistance gene mutation.

Hepatosteatosis is characterized by abnormal accumulation of triglycerides(TG),leading to prolonged and chronic inflammatory infiltration.To date,there is still a lack of effective and economical therapies for hepatosteatosis.Oridonin(ORI)is a major bioactive component extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Rabdosia rubescens.In this paper,we showed that ORI exerted significant protective ef-fects against hepatic steatosis,inflammation and fibrosis,which was dependent on LXRα signaling.It is reported that LXRα regulated lipid homeostasis between triglyceride(TG)and phosphatidylethanol-amine(PE)by promoting ATCL and EPT1 expression.Therefore,we implemented the lipidomic strategy and luciferase reporter assay to verify that ORI contributed to the homeostasis of lipids via the regulation of the ATGL gene associated with TG hydrolysis and the EPT1 gene related to PE synthesis in a LXRα-dependent manner,and the results showed the TG reduction and PE elevation.In detail,hepatic TG overload and lipotoxicity were reversed after ORI treatment by modulating the ATCL and EPT1 genes,respectively.Taken together,the data provide mechanistic insights to explain the bioactivity of ORI in attenuating TG accumulation and cytotoxicity and introduce exciting opportunities for developing novel natural activators of the LXRα-ATGL/EPT1 axis for pharmacologically treating hepatosteatosis and metabolic disorders.

Objective:To study the change pattern of neck diameter and relevant factors in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with helical tomotherapy, aiming to provide reference for clinical practice.Methods:Fifteen NPC patients treated with helical tomotherapy at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center from November 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled in this study. The transverse diameters of NPC patients' neck contours and body weight of all patients during radiotherapy were recorded weekly. We used descriptive statistics to explore the distribution of transverse diameters of NPC patients' neck contours during radiotherapy. And Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the association between weight loss and changes in neck contour transverse diameter.Results:During radiotherapy, the distribution of transverse diameters of NPC patients' neck contours was completely different from the initial values. Specifically, the transverse diameters were significantly reduced at the 4th week of the radiotherapy. Moreover, the reduction of transverse diameter of neck contour was highly correlated with the weight loss ( r=0.803, P<0.05), and moderately correlated with gender ( r=0.523, P<0.05). However, there was no statistical correlation between the alteration of neck diameter and age, TNM stage, and the mean dose of GTV nd-L, GTV nd-R, PTV nd-L and PTV nd-R (all P>0.05). Conclusions:The neck contours of NPC patients are altered regularly during helical tomotherapy, which are narrowed the most obviously in the 4th week. Extensive attention should be paid to the changes of neck contour during radiotherapy in clinical practice.

Objective:To explore the changes of bone turnover markers and geometric parameters of hip bone in overweight postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome(MS), as well as the influence of MS components. To analyze the association of these factors with the risk of fracture.Methods:A total of 505 overweight postmenopausal female patients who underwent health check-up in Lianhu Community Service Center, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province from January to December 2017 were selected. According to the MS diagnostic criteria of the International Diabetes Federation(2009), the patients were divided into MS group( n=331)and non-MS group( n=174). Blood samples were collected to determine the level of procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide(P1NP)and carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type 1 collagen(CTX). Bone mineral density and hip bone geometry parameters were tested with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and hip structural analysis software. Results:The incidence of osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture in MS group was significantly higher than that in non-MS group(21.1% vs 13.8%, 4.8% vs 1. 1%, P<0.05). However, the bone mineral density of lumbar vertebra 1-4, femoral neck, and total hip in MS group was significantly higher than that in non-MS group, which remained after adjusting for age( P<0.05), but the difference disappeared after further adjustment for body mass index( P>0.05). The P1NP, CTX, femur strength index(FSI), section modulus(SM), and cross-sectional area(CSA)of MS group were significantly lower than those of non-MS group, the buckling ration(BR)was significantly higher than that in non-MS group, and the differences were still statistically significant after adjusting for age and body mass index( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in bone mineral density of lumbar vertebra 1-4, femoral neck, total hip, P1NP, and CTX between fracture group and non-fracture group in patients with MS. But FSI, SM, cross-sectional moment of inertia(CSMI), and CSA were significantly lower, BR was significantly higher( P<0.05) and femur strength decreased in patients with fracture. Regression analysis showed that high BR was an independent risk factor for fracture risk, while high FSI, SM, CSMI, and CSA were protective factors. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that wasit circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose were the main MS components affecting bone mineral density, bone turnover indexes, and hip bone geometry parameters. Conclusions:Overweight postmenopausal MS patients had decreased bone turnover rate, femoral strength, and relatively poor bone quality. Hip bone geometry parameters can be used as one of the methods to assess fracture risk in MS patients. Waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose are the important MS components affecting bone mass and bone quality.

Objective:To explore the risk of hip fracture, changes of composite indices of femoral neck strength and its influential factors in non-low-weight postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods:A total of 626 non-low-weight postmenopausal women were selected and divided into type 2 diabetes group, pre-diabetic group, and non-diabetic group according to the diagnostic criteria of the American Diabetes Association in 2010. Each participant completed the questionnaire, physical examination, laboratory examination, and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA) examination.Results:Hip fracture rate in T2DM group was significantly higher than that in non-diabetic group(3.4% vs 0.7%, P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed between pre-diabetic group and non-diabetic group(1.1% vs 0.7%, P>0.05). Bone mineral density(BMD) of lumbar spine 1-4, femoral neck, and total hip was comparable between T2DM group and non-diabetic group or pre-diabetic group and non-diabetic group, respectively( P>0.05). The composite indices of femoral neck strength in T2DM group was significantly lower than that in non-diabetic group( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between pre-diabetic group and non-diabetic group( P>0.05). Regression analysis showed that age and body mass index were the main influential factors of the femoral neck bone mineral density and the composite indices of femoral neck strength( P<0.05). Conclusion:The composite indices of femoral neck strength could be used as one of the markers to evaluate the risk of hip fracture in type 2 diabetic patients.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with dengue fever in Guangdong Province in 2019, so as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of dengue fever.Methods:The general data, laboratory examination data, clinical manifestations and prognosis data of 480 inpatients with dengue fever admitted to Eight People′s Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University between January 4 and October 31, 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical and onset characteristics of patients with dengue fever were described.Results:Among 480 dengue patients, 442(92.1%) were dengue fever, 38(7.9%) were severe dengue, and 136(28.3%) had underlying diseases. The peak age of onset was mainly in young adults aged 20 to 49 years old, accounting for 66.0%(317/480) in total. The seasonal peak was mainly in August to October. There were 399(83.1%) local cases and 61(12.7%) imported cases. The most common clinical manifestations were fever (98.1%, 471/480), chills (72.9%, 350/480), headache (58.5%, 281/480) and bone/joint/muscle pain (67.1%, 322/480), followed by digestive tract symptoms and respiratory tract symptoms. Among 446 serum samples, 358 (80.3%) were dengue virus (DENV)-1, 54 (12.1%) were DENV-2, 34 (7.6%) were DENV-3. The main laboratory tests of the patients were leucopenia (65.8%, 316/480), low hematocrit (30.2%, 145/480), thrombocytopenia (48.3%, 232/480), neutropenia (44.8%, 215/480), elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (37.7%, 181/480) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (59.4%, 285/480). Treatment mainly adopted symptomatic support treatment and active prevention of complications. The length of stay was (5.8±3.1) days (range 1.0-38.0 days). A total of 461(96.0%) patients were cured or improved.Conclusions:In 2019, the majority of dengue fever patients in Guangdong Province are young adults aged 20 to 49 years old, and the proportion of severe patients is high, with DENV-1 infection as the main type. After symptomatic support treatment and active prevention of complications, most of the dengue fever patients have a good prognosis.

The amino acid sequence of ancestral enzymes from extinct organisms can be deduced through in silico approach termed ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR). ASR usually has six steps, which are the collection of nucleic acid/amino acid sequences of modern enzymes, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree construction, computational deduction of ancestral enzyme sequence, gene cloning, and characterization of enzyme properties. This method is widely used to study the adaptation and evolution mechanism of molecules to the changing environmental conditions on planetary time scale. As enzymes play key roles in biocatalysis, this method has become a powerful method for studying the relationship among the sequence, structure, and function of enzymes. Notably, most of the ancestral enzymes show better temperature stability and mutation stability, making them ideal protein scaffolds for further directed evolution. This article summarizes the computer algorithms, applications, and commonly used computer software of ASR, and discusses the potential application in directed evolution of enzymes.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Evolution, Molecular ; Phylogeny ; Proteins/genetics* ; Sequence Alignment