Effect of electrochemically dealloying Ti6Al4V abutments on human gingival fibroblasts / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To investigate the effects of electrochemically dealloying of Ti6Al4V abutments on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and to provide experimental evidence for surface modification of implant abutments.@*Methods@#The samples were divided into an NC group (negative control, no other treatment on a smooth surface), an NM-1 group (nanomesh-1, electrochemical dealloying treatment in 1 mol/L NaOH 1 h on 2 V voltage), and an NM-2 group (nanomesh-2, electrochemical dealloying treatment in 5 mol/L NaOH 1 h on 2 V voltage). The surface morphologies of the samples and the adhesion of HGFs on the sample surfaces were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface hydrophilicities of the samples were measured with a contact angle measuring instrument. The proliferation of HGFs on the different samples were evaluated with CCK-8, and the expression of adhesion-related genes, including collagen Ⅰ (COL1A1), collagen Ⅲ (COL3A1), fibronectin 1 (FN1), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), vinculin (VCL), integrin α2 (ITGA2), and integrin β1 (ITGB1), on the different samples was measured with qRT-PCR. The expression of vinculin on the surfaces of HGFs was observed via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) after immunofluorescent staining. Collagen fiber secretion and syntheses of HGFs from different samples were evaluated via Sirius red staining.@*Results@#SEM revealed the formation of ordered and uniform three-dimensional mesh structures on the surfaces of the NM-1 and NM-2 groups, with grid diameters of approximately 30 nm for the NM-1 group and approximately 150 nm for the NM-2 group. Compared with that of the NC group, the water contact angles of the NM-1 group and NM-2 groups were significantly lower (P<0.000 1). Cell proliferation in the NM-1 group was significantly greater than that in the NC group (P<0.01). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the water contact angles or cell proliferation between the NM-1 group and the NM-2 group. SEM revealed that HGFs were adhered well to the surfaces of all samples, while the HGFs in the NM-1 and NM-2 groups showed more extended areas, longer morphologies, and more developed pseudopodia than did those in the NC group after 24 h. qRT-PCR revealed that the expression levels of the adhesion-related genes COL1A1, COL3A1, FN1, FAK and VCL in the NM-1 group were significantly greater than those in the NC and NM-2 groups (P<0.01). The expression of vinculin protein in the NM-1 group was the highest, and the number of focal adhesions was greatest in the NM-1 group (P<0.01). The results of Sirius red staining showed that the NM-1 group had the highest secretion and syntheses of collagen fibers (P<0.000 1).@*Conclusion@#The three-dimensional nanomechanical structure of Ti6Al4V modified by electrochemical dealloying promoted the adhesion, proliferation, collagen fiber secretion and syntheses of HGFs, and electrochemical dealloying of Ti6Al4V with a grid diameter of approximately 30 nm obviously promoted HGF formation.

Epidemiological Survey of Hemoglobinopathies Based on Next-Generation Sequencing Platform in Hunan Province, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province.@*METHODS@#We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed.@*RESULTS@#The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α 3.7/αα (50.23%) and β IVS-II-654/β N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of general practitioners in managing common psychological problems in Shenzhen / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of general practitioners (GPs) in Shenzhen towards managing patients with common mental health problems.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study, from September 19 to October 31, 2020, 500 GPs from 100 community health centers (CHC) in 10 districts of Shenzhen municipality were randomly selected as the research subjects by stratified random sampling; the survey was conducted by self-filled questionnaire, which included general conditions, knowledge tests of common psychological problems (generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, panic attacks, sleep disorders), GPs′ attitudes to take care of common psychological problems, and GPs′ practice of caring for common psychological problems.Results:A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed and 329 valid ones were collected. In terms of knowledge, GPs had the highest accuracy of answering the characteristics of depressive disorder (97.3%, 320/329), and the lowest accuracy of case analysis of panic attacks (50.2%, 165/329). In terms of attitude, 71.1%(234/329)of GPs agreed that "common psychological problems should be taken care of",there was a statistically significant difference in attitude scores among GPs with different years of working in CHC ( Z=14.60, P=0.006). In terms of practice, the most encountered mental health problem was insomnia (91.2%, 300/329), 46.5% (153/329) of GPs would use psychological assessment scales, 52.9% (174/329) of GPs would choose direct referral, and there were statistically significant differences in attitude scores among GPs with different years of working ( Z=10.70, P=0.030) and years of working in CHC ( Z=22.14, P<0.001). Conclusions:GPs have a positive attitude in taking care of common psychological problems, but lack of knowledge and confidence. As working in CHC for more years, GPs are more inclined to care for patients with common psychological problems in practice.

Analysis of related factors of behavioral problems in children with congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with behavioral problems in children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia. METHODS: Random sampling is utilized to obtain a sample of 90 patients. The behavioral problems of the patients are detected by Achenbach Children's Behavior Scale. Parental emotional problems are investigated by the Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that the detection rate of behavioral problems in children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is 53.3% (48/90). Among these behavioral problems, an abnormal rate is higher in the four dimensions: thinking, violation of discipline, social interaction, and aggression. The anxiety and depression scores of caregivers are statistically higher in the abnormal group than in the normal group. The results of the multivariate analysis show that the anxiety degree of the parents had a significant impact on the behavior of the children. CONCLUSIONS: Children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia are facing the issues of high rates of behavioral problems. Parents of children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia had higher levels of anxiety and depression than parents of normal children. The anxiety and depressive state of mind of parents or caregivers had a significant impact on the behavior of children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia.

Prediction of radiotherapy effect by diffusion-weighted imaging in esophageal carcinoma xenograft model

Aim: This study was to evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in predicting the efficacy of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer from xenograft model level. Subjects and Methods: Thirty-two tumor-bearing mice from the Eca-109 cell line nude mice models were established. The experimental group (n = 16) received a single dose of 15 Gy (6MV X-ray), whereas the control group (n = 16) did not receive any treatment. The tumor volume and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were obtained. The cell density, tissue necrosis ratio, and CD31 expression were determined at matched time points. Results: The tumor volume was smaller in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05) on the 7th day after radiotherapy (1.580 ± 0.965 cm3 vs. 2.671 ± 0.915 cm3). The ADC values were higher in the experimental group than in the control group on the 3rd day (P < 0.05) (998.15 ± 163.76 ×10− 6 mm2/s vs. 833.32 ± 142.15 ×10− 6 mm2/s). On the 3rd day after radiotherapy, the differences in cell density and necrosis ratio between the two groups were statistically significant; the tumor cell density was lower in the experimental group (25.56 ± 1.40%) than in the control group (33.48 ± 4.18%) (P < 0.05), and the proportion of tissue necrosis was higher in the experimental group (32.19 ± 1.21%) than in the control group (29.16 ± 2.16%) (P < 0.05). The negative and weak positive rate of CD31 expression in the experimental group was higher than the control group, whereas the generally positive and strong positive rate of CD31 expression was significantly lower than the control group in the early stage (P < 0.05). Conclusion: ADC values may change at the early stage before the morphological changes of tumors. Changes in cell density and necrosis ratio of transplanted tumors correspond to the changes in ADC values. DWI can be used for the early prediction of esophageal cancer radiotherapy efficacy

Associations of health literacy and screen time with non-suicidal self-injury behavior among middle school students in Shenyang / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To examine the association of health literacy (HL) and screen time (ST) with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in middle school students, and to provide guidance for prevention on self-injuries in adolescents.

Analysis of three family clusters of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome by exposure risk matrix / 预防医学

Objective@#To analyze three events of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome （SFTS） among family members by exposure risk matrix, so as to provide reference for SFTS prevention and control.@*Methods @#The field investigation and clinical data of seven confirmed cases with SFTS reported in Linhai from 2014 to 2016 were collected. Exposure risk matrix was used to list the risk of exposure two weeks before the onset, such as the environment, duration of activity and protection, and evaluate the possible routes of transmission. @*Results@#The first event involved three sisters. Two of them had plucked tea together on a hill, and the possibility of infection through tick bites were 60% and 75%, respectively. Another sister was more likely to be infected by ticks in her residence after visiting her sister （no physical contact with the sick sister）, with a possibility of 74%. The second event involved two cases （mother and son）. They were more likely to be infected by ticks in the current residential area, and the possibility were 100% and 80%, respectively. The third event involved two cases （husband and wife）. The wife had 60% possibility of being infected by the ticks on the hill she picked arbutus, and 40% by the ticks in her residence. The husband was most likely to be infected through contacting with body fluids or blood of his wife （44%）, then through the ticks on the hill he picked arbutus （33%）. @*Conclusion@#Among seven cases with SFTS reported in Linhai from 2014 to 2016, six cases have more than 50% possibility of being infected by tick bites; one case has higher possibility of being infected by contacting with body fluids or blood of a patient, but tick bites could not be ruled out.

Clinical features and outcome of Takayasu arteritis associated pulmonary hypertension / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of patients with Takayasu arteritis associated pulmonary hypertension (TA-PH). Methods Patients diagnosed as TA-PH in Shanghai Pulmonary hospital from 2008 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and followed up. Baseline characteristics including hemodynamics were collected. Data were summarized as mean ± standard deviation or frequency (％). Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Thirteen TA-PH patients (10 female, aged 39±11 years old) were included. The duration from symptoms onset to diagnosis was 2 months to 50 years, and ten patients were diagnosed TA and PH at the same time. Shortness of breath was the most common clinical manifestation (12 cases), followed by chest pain and tightness (8 cases) and palpitation (6 cases). All patients had a moderated WHO functional class and 8 patients were in active phase. Vessel wall thickening, lumen narrowing, occlusion and/or dilation were found in CT pulmonary angiography and angiography. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (48.0±14.0) mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistant (7.59±4.21) Wood U were increased. All patients received PH-specific therapies, and patients at active status took glucocorticoid. Stentimplantation in pulmonary artery was performed in 4 patients. Three patients died during the follow-up. Conclusions Patients with TA are at risk of PH, and PH can be the first manifestation of TA, which suggest that PH should be screened regularly in patients with TA and shortness of breath. The prognosis of TA-PH is poor. PH-specific therapies and vascular reconstruction therapy may be effective, but need further investigation.

Short-tandem repeat analysis in seven Chinese regional populations

In the present study, we investigated the application of 13 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D13S317, D7S820, TH01, D16S539, CSFIPO, VWA, D8S1179, TPOX, FGA, D3S1358, D21S11, D18S51 and D5S818) routinely used in forensic analysis, for delineating population relationships among seven human populations representing the two major geographic groups, namely the southern and northern Chinese. The resulting single topology revealed pronounced geographic and population partitioning, consistent with the differences in geographic location, languages and eating habits. These findings suggest that forensic STR loci might be particularly powerful tools in providing the necessary fine resolution for reconstructing recent human evolutionary history.

Prevalence of HIV infection and predictors for syphilis infection among female sex workers in southern China.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors for syphilis infection among female sex workers (FSWs) in Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. A cross-sectional study recruited FSWs using a venue-based method and subsequent snowball sampling with mapping strategies. Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted to collect demographic and behavioral information. Blood was tested for syphilis (RPR with TPPA confirmation) and HIV (EIA with Western blot confirmation) infections. Of the 362 eligible participants, 81.7% were non-local residents (60.5% from other parts of Guangxi and 21.2% were non-Guangxi residents); 58.0% belonged to non-Han minority ethnic groups; 37.5% reported inconsistent condom use with their clients and 71.2% reported inconsistent condom use with their regular sex partners during the past month. Nearly 10% reported having had sex with drug users. The prevalence rates for HIV and syphilis infections were 2.3% and 11.0%, respectively. Almost half (46.6%) of participants reported having had STD symptoms. Inconsistent condom use with clients in the past month (AOR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.8-13.8), less education (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.1-7.4), and HIV infection (AOR = 8.1; 95% CI = 1.1-68.5) were independently associated with syphilis infection.

6-OHDA Induces Cycle Reentry and Apoetosis of PC12 Cells through Activation of ERK1/2 Signaling Pathway / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study investigated the effect and mechanism of cell cycle reentry induced by 6-hydrodopamine (6-OHDA) in PCI2 cells.By using neural differentiated PCI2 cells treated with 6-OHDA,the apoptosis model of dopaminergic neurons was established.Cell viability was measured by MTT.Cell apoptosis and the distribution of cell cycle were assessed by flow cytometry.Western blot was used to detect the activation of extracellular regulator kinasel/2 (ERK1/2) pathway and the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (RB).Our results showed that after PC12 cells were treated wtih 6-OHDA,the viability of PC12 cells was declined in a concentration-dependent manner.Flow cytometry revealed that 6-OHDA could increase the apoptosis ratio of PC12 cells in a time-dependent manner.The percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase of cell cycle was decreased and that in S phase and G2/M phase increased.Simultaneously,ERK1/2 pathway was activated and phos- phorylated RB increased.It was concluded that 6-OHDA could induce cell cycle reentry of dopa-minergic neurons through the activation of ERK1/2 pathway and RB phosphorylation.The aberrant cell cycle reentry contributes to the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons.