Study on the application of cone-beam CT in root canal morphology of first deciduous molars / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To analyze the number, distribution of root canals in children's first deciduous teeth through a retrospective study of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). @* Methods@#A total of 185 first deciduous molars were selected from 91 children aged 4 to 8 years old in the Stomatology Department of Mianyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The number, distribution of root canals were analyzed.@* Results @#All 46 maxillary first deciduous molars had three roots; 139 mandibular first deciduous molars had two roots (77.70%) and three roots (22.30%). The root canals of all maxillary first deciduous molars are type Ⅰ, while the main root canal type of mandibular first deciduous molars is type Ⅳ. Of 51 children with bilateral mandibular first deciduous molars, 48 (94.12%) had symmetrical root and canal distributions.@*Conclusion @#The first deciduous molars usually have 2 to 3 roots. Root canals are mainly type I and IV. The distribution of root canals is symmetrical.

Differential Protein Expressions in Virus-Infected and Uninfected Trichomonas vaginalis

Protozoan viruses may influence the function and pathogenicity of the protozoa. Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protozoan that could contain a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, T. vaginalis virus (TVV). However, there are few reports on the properties of the virus. To further determine variations in protein expression of T. vaginalis, we detected 2 strains of T. vaginalis; the virus-infected (V⁺) and uninfected (V⁻) isolates to examine differentially expressed proteins upon TVV infection. Using a stable isotope N-terminal labeling strategy (iTRAQ) on soluble fractions to analyze proteomes, we identified 293 proteins, of which 50 were altered in V⁺ compared with V⁻ isolates. The results showed that the expression of 29 proteins was increased, and 21 proteins decreased in V⁺ isolates. These differentially expressed proteins can be classified into 4 categories: ribosomal proteins, metabolic enzymes, heat shock proteins, and putative uncharacterized proteins. Quantitative PCR was used to detect 4 metabolic processes proteins: glycogen phosphorylase, malate dehydrogenase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, which were differentially expressed in V⁺ and V⁻ isolates. Our findings suggest that mRNA levels of these genes were consistent with protein expression levels. This study was the first which analyzed protein expression variations upon TVV infection. These observations will provide a basis for future studies concerning the possible roles of these proteins in host-parasite interactions.

Enhancing inulinase yield by irradiation mutation associated with optimization of culture conditions

A new inulinase-producing strain was isolated from rhizosphere soils of Jerusalem artichoke collected from Shihezi (Xinjiang, China) using Jerusalem artichoke power (JAP) as sole carbon source. It was identified as an Aspergillus niger strain by analysis of 16S rRNA. To improve inulinase production, this fungus was subjected to mutagenesis induced by ⁶⁰Co γ-irradiation. A genetically stable mutant (designated E12) was obtained and it showed 2.7-fold higher inulinase activity (128 U/mL) than the parental strain in the supernatant of a submerged culture. Sequential methodology was used to optimize the inulinase production of stain E12. A screening trial was first performed using Plackett-Burman design and variables with statistically significant effects on inulinase bio-production were identified. These significant factors were further optimized by central composite design experiments and response surface methodology. Finally, it was found that the maximum inulinase production (185 U/mL) could be achieved under the optimized conditions namely pH 7.0, yeast extract concentration of 5.0 g/L, JAP concentration of 66.5 g/L, peptone concentration of 29.1 g/L, solution volume of 49.4 mL in 250-mL shake flasks, agitation speed of 180 rpm, and fermentation time of 60 h. The yield of inulinase under optimized culture conditions was approximately 1.4-fold of that obtained by using basal culture medium. These findings are of significance for the potential industrial application of the mutant E12.

Mild salinization stimulated glyphosate degradation and microbial activities in a riparian soil from Chongming Island, China.

An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of simulated saltwater treatment with different percentages of artificial seawater on degradation dynamics of herbicide glyphosate and microbial activities in a riparian soil in Chongming Island, China. The results showed that 10% seawater treatment showed significantly enhancing effects on degradation efficiency of glyphosate with the lowest residual concentration among all the treatments. However, glyphosate degradation was markedly decreased in the riparian soil with 20% and 50% seawater treatments. The half-lives for 20% and 50% seawater treatments were prolonged by 12.1 and 39.0%, respectively, as compared to control. Microbial investigation indicated that 10% seawater treatment significantly stimulated microbial activities in the glyphosate-spiked riparian soil throughout the incubation period. At 42 day of incubation experiment, flourescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis rate, microbial adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and basal soil respiration (BSR) in the glyphosate-spiked riparian soil with 10% seawater were 59.2, 42.5 and 31.8% higher than those with no saltwater treatment, respectively. In contrast, saltwater treatment with 50% seawater significantly inhibited microbial activities. Especially, FDA hydrolysis rate, microbial ATP and BSR were decreased by 66.4, 58.6 and 66.8%, respectively, as compared to control. The results indicate that levels of simulated saltwater can exert variable effects on herbicide degradation dynamics and microbial parameters in the riparian soil.