Influence of Graphene Oxide on the Mechanical Properties, Fracture Toughness, and Microhardness of Recycled Concrete.

There is a constant drive to improve the properties of recycled concrete owing to its inferior strength and fracture toughness compared to normal concrete and recent progress in graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials impelling nanosized reinforcements to recycled concrete. Here, GO-modified natural sand (NS)- or recycled sand (RS)-based mortars (GONMs or GORMs) with six GO fractions (wGOs) were fabricated to explore their 28 d mechanical strengths (f28t, f28c), fracture toughness (KIC, δc), and microhardness (Hv), as well as their crystal phases (using X-ray powder diffraction) and microstructures (using scanning electronic microscopy). Results reveal, greater enhancements in mechanical strengths (4.50% and 10.61% in f28t, 4.76% and 13.87% in f28c), fracture toughness (16.49% and 38.17% in KIC, 160.14% and 286.59% in δc), and microhardness (21.02% and 52.70% in Hv) of GORM with just 0.025 wt‰ and 0.05 wt‰ GO, respectively, with respect to the control are achieved when comparing with those of GONM with the same wGO. More zigzag surfaces, more irregular weak interface slips, and the relatively lower strengths of RS bring the superiority of the template and reshaping effects of GO into full play in GORM rather than in GONM. These outcomes benefit a wide range of applications of recycled concrete products.

Endoscope-assisted neurectomy and inferior alveolar nerve avulsion in treating trigeminal neuralgia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore endoscope-assisted surgical treatment for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN), with neurectomy and avulsion of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN), when patients are not willing to undergo intracranial procedures. CLINICAL MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five TN patients with inferior alveolar neuralgia in the mandibular branch were admitted; endoscope-assisted inferior alveolar neurectomy and avulsion was performed for TN treatment. Clinical observation and postoperative follow-up were conducted. RESULTS: After the operation, all patients had complete relief of pain, with mild postoperative swelling, limited mouth opening, and fast recovery. Patients were followed up for 3-24 months. Facial numbness and paresthesia were felt in the IAN distribution area of the operated side, with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: Endoscope-assisted neurectomy and avulsion of the IAN is a safe surgical method to treat TN in the mandibular branch when craniotomy is contraindicated or when patients decline neurosurgical options. It is effective in pain relief, with limited invasiveness and speedy recovery.

miR-1827 inhibits osteogenic differentiation by targeting IGF1 in MSMSCs.

We recently reported that maxillary sinus membrane stem cells (MSMSCs) have osteogenic potential. However, the biological mechanisms of bone formation remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanisms of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the osteogenic differentiation of MSMSCs. The expression of miRNAs was determined in differentiated MSMSCs by comprehensive miRNA microarray analysis and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). We selected miR-1827 for functional follow-up studies to explore its significance in MSMSCs. Here, miR-1827 was found to be up-regulated during osteogenic differentiation of MSMSCs. Over expression of miR-1827 inhibited osteogenic differentiation of MSMSCs in vitro, whereas the repression of miR-1827 greatly promoted cell differentiation. Further experiments confirmed that insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is a direct target of miR-1827. miR-1827 inhibited osteogenic differentiation partially via IGF1, which in turn is a positive regulator of osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, miR-1827 suppressed ectopic bone formation and silencing of miR-1827 led to increased bone formation in vivo. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate that miR-1827 can regulate osteogenic differentiation. The increase in miR-1827 expression observed during osteogenesis is likely a negative feedback mechanism, thus offering a potential therapeutic target to address inadequate bone volume for dental implantation through inhibiting miR-1827.

The preoperative platelet-lymphocyte ratio versus neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio: which is better as a prognostic factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma?

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown that the presence of systemic inflammation and platelet status correlate with poor survival in various cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the preoperative platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) undergoing surgery. METHODS: In this study, 306 patients with OSCC who had surgery were enrolled. The optimal cutoff value of PLR and NLR was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The prognostic significance of both markers was determined by uni- and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that high NLR and PLR were classified using a cutoff value of 2.7 and 135, respectively, based on ROC curve analysis. Only PLR was associated with decreased disease-free survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.237; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.401-3.571; p = 0.001] and overall survival [HR = 2.022; 95% CI: 1.266-3.228; p = 0.003] by both uni- and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The preoperative PLR is superior to NLR as an independent indicator in predicting disease-free survival and overall survival in patients who undergo oral cancer resection for OSCC.

Investigation of multipotent postnatal stem cells from human maxillary sinus membrane.

Maxillary sinus membrane (MSM) elevation is a common surgical technique for increasing bone height in the posterior maxilla prior to dental implant placement. However, the biological nature of bone regeneration in MSM remains largely unidentified. In this study, MSM tissue was obtained from 16 individuals during orthognathic surgery and used to isolate MSM stem cells (MSMSCs) by single-colony selection and STRO-1 cell sorting. The cell characteristics in terms of colony-forming ability, cell surface antigens, multi-differentiation potential and in vivo implantation were all evaluated. It was found that MSMSCs were of mesenchymal origin and positive for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) markers such as STRO-1, CD146, CD29 and CD44; furthermore, under defined culture conditions, MSMSCs were able to form mineral deposits and differentiate into adipocytes and chondrocytes. When transplanted into immunocompromised rodents, MSMSCs showed the capacity to generate bone-like tissue and, importantly, maintain their MSC characteristics after in vivo implantation. These findings provide cellular and molecular evidence that MSM contains stem cells that show functional potential in bone regeneration for dental implant.

Treatment of a subtype of trigeminal neuralgia with descending palatine neurotomy in the pterygopalatine fossa via the greater palatine foramen-pterygopalatine canal approach.

PURPOSE: To discuss an effective surgical treatment of a subtype of trigeminal neuralgia with descending palatine neuralgia of the maxillary division. METHOD: Nine patients, who suffered from trigeminal neuralgia with descending palatine neuralgia of the maxillary division, received neurotomy and avulsion of the descending palatine nerve in the pterygopalatine fossa via the greater palatine foramen-pterygopalatine canal approach. Seven of the patients had a recurrence of descending palatine neuralgia after they received treatment of maxillary neuralgia with neurotomy and avulsion of the infraorbital nerve; two patients were diagnosed with descending palatine neuralgia of the maxillary division in our department. Postoperative follow-up was conducted. RESULTS: Pain in the palate disappeared; all patients felt numb and paresthetic in the area innervated by the trigeminal nerve, with no pain. During the 3-36 months of follow-up, no recurrence occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Descending palatine neurotomy in the pterygopalatine fossa via the greater palatine foramen-pterygopalatine canal approach is a simple, safe and effective way to treat a subtype of trigeminal neuralgia--descending palatine neuralgia.

Knockdown of Cdc6 inhibits proliferation of tongue squamous cell carcinoma Tca8113 cells.

The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of Cdc6 downregulation on the proliferation of Tca8113 cells. Two lentiviral vectors (KD1 and KD2) expression cdc6 siRNA were constructed and then infected into Tca8113 cells. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect the mRNA and protein expression of Cdc6. MTT assays were employed to delineate the growth curves, and flow cytometry was performed to assess cell-cycle progression and apoptosis in Tca8113 cells. Following infection with the lentiviral vectors, real-time PCR and Western blot analysis revealed that Cdc6 expression was markedly suppressed in Tca8113 cells. When compared with the negative control group, the mRNA expression of Cdc6 was reduced by 50% and 65% and the protein expression by 65.87% and 79.38% in cells harboring KD1 or KD2, respectively. Cell growth was slowed, and the growth inhibition rate was 25.84% and 30.34% in Tca8113 cells following infection with KD1 or KD2, respectively. In addition, cell-cycle progression was altered. In KD- infected Tca8113 cells, the proportion of cells in the S phase was markedly reduced, but the proportion in the G1 phase was significantly increased; this was accompanied by an increase in cell apoptosis. Downregulation of Cdc6 effectively inhibited the proliferation of Tca8113 cells.

Pulmonary metastases from an Ameloblastoma: case report and review of the literature.

Ameloblastomas have a high recurrence rate, and because of their biological tendency towards local invasion are considered borderline tumours. Despite this, reports of metastasis of these tumours are rare. This report presents a patient with mandibular ameloblastoma that recurred 29 years after surgery and metastasized to both lungs. Because of the large range of the area of metastasis, complete surgical resection of the tumours was impossible. After confirming the diagnosis by biopsy of the pulmonary lesions the pulmonary metastases were not treated actively. Observation over 4 years showed no obvious change in the lung metastasis. Recent cases are summarized and analyzed in this paper, with respect to its occurrence, pathological types, methods of treatment and other related aspects.

Spatio-temporal localization of HIF-1alpha and COX-2 during irradiation-induced oral mucositis in a rat model system.

PURPOSE: Oral mucositis is a common side effect of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the significance of and the relationship between hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression and the corresponding protein levels in irradiated rat mucosa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A Sprague-Dawley rat model of irradiation-induced oral mucositis was generated. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate the HIF-1alpha and COX-2 mRNA level in rat buccal mucosa exposed to a fractionated irradiation regime. The Streptavidin-Biotin-Complex method was applied to delineate the in situ localization, intensity, and distribution of both proteins. The right buccal mucosa was not irradiated and used as control tissue. RESULTS: The RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that, upon irradiation, HIF-1alpha and COX-2 expression was significantly induced in the left buccal mucosa in contrast to control buccal mucosa. Based on immunohistochemical analyses, the HIF-1alpha and COX-2 level, in situ localization, and the type of cells exhibiting the highest HIF-1alpha and COX-2 amounts appear to correlate. CONCLUSIONS: The expression and protein levels of HIF-1alpha and COX-2 are substantially enhanced in irradiated rat mucosa and correlate with each other and with the severity of irradiation-induced oral mucositis.