Promoted Abutment-Soft Tissue Integration Around Self-Glazed Zirconia Surfaces with Nanotopography Fabricated by Additive 3D Gel Deposition.

Introduction: Improving the biological sealing around dental abutments could promote the long-term success of implants. Although titanium abutments have a wide range of clinical applications, they incur esthetic risks due to their color, especially in the esthetic zone. Currently, zirconia has been applied as an esthetic alternative material for implant abutments; however, zirconia is purported to be an inert biomaterial. How to improve the biological activities of zirconia has thus become a popular research topic. In this study, we presented a novel self-glazed zirconia (SZ) surface with nanotopography fabricated by additive 3D gel deposition and investigated its soft tissue integration capability compared to that of clinically used titanium and polished conventional zirconia surfaces. Materials and Methods: Three groups of disc samples were prepared for in vitro study and the three groups of abutment samples were prepared for in vivo study. The surface topography, roughness, wettability and chemical composition of the samples were examined. Moreover, we analyzed the effect of the three groups of samples on protein adsorption and on the biological behavior of human gingival keratinocytes (HGKs) and human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Furthermore, we conducted an in vivo study in which the bilateral mandibular anterior teeth of rabbits were extracted and replaced with implants and corresponding abutments. Results: The surface of SZ showed a unique nanotopography with nm range roughness and a greater ability to absorb protein. The promoted expression of adhesion molecules in both HGKs and HGFs was observed on the SZ surface compared to the surfaces of Ti and PCZ, while the cell viability and proliferation of HGKs and the number of HGFs adhesion were not significant among all groups. In vivo results showed that the SZ abutment formed strong biological sealing at the abutment-soft tissue interface and exhibited markedly more hemidesmosomes when observed with a transmission electron microscope. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the novel SZ surface with nanotopography promoted soft tissue integration, suggesting its promising application as a zirconia surface for the dental abutment.

Universal machine-learning algorithm for predicting adsorption performance of organic molecules based on limited data set: Importance of feature description.

Adsorption of organic molecules from aqueous solution offers a simple and effective method for their removal. Recently, there have been several attempts to apply machine learning (ML) for this problem. To this end, polyparameter linear free energy relationships (pp-LFERs) were employed, and poor prediction results were observed outside model applicability domain of pp-LFERs. In this study, we improved the applicability of ML methods by adopting a chemical-structure (CS) based approach. We used the prediction of adsorption of organic molecules on carbon-based adsorbents as an example. Our results show that this approach can fully differentiate the structural differences between any organic molecules, while providing significant information that is relevant to their interaction with the adsorbents. We compared two CS feature descriptors: 3D-coordination and simplified molecular-input line-entry system (SMILES). We then built CS-ML models based on neural networks (NN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB). They all outperformed pp-LFERs based models and are capable to accurately predict adsorption isotherm of isomers with similar physiochemical properties such as chiral molecules, even though they are trained with achiral molecules and racemates. We found for predicting adsorption isotherm, XGB shows better performance than NN, and 3D-coordinations allow effective differentiation between organic molecules.

Predictive Value of the Hepatic Immune Predictive Index for Patients with Primary Liver Cancer Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved survival outcomes and resulted in long-term responses in primary liver cancer in some patients. Nevertheless, not all patients with PLC could benefit from immunotherapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify patients suitable for such therapy. METHODS: 215 patients with primary liver cancer with immunotherapy from Nanfang Hospital were screened between August 2018 and October 2020 as a training set and our validation set included 71 patients of hepatocellular carcinoma from Jiangxi Cancer Hospital from May 2019 to July 2021. The primary endpoint was the disease control rate (DCR), and the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. RESULTS: In the training set, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥3 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level ≥20 ng/mL were independently associated with non-DCR in the training set after adjusting for distant metastasis at baseline and targeted therapy combination. Furthermore, a hepatic immune predictive index (HIPI) based on NLR and AFP level was developed and patients with poor HIPI associated with worse clinical outcomes. In validation set, high HIPI was associated with poor OS. CONCLUSION: HIPI, based on NLR and AFP level, is an effective indicator in ICI-treated patients with primary liver cancer. Our findings may help guide the selection and on-treatment strategies for immunotherapies for primary liver cancer patients.

Substituent Effects on the Ultraviolet Absorption Properties of 2,4-Dihydroxy Dibenzophenone.

Substituent effects on the ultraviolet absorption properties of 2,4-dihydroxy dibenzophenone were investigated experimentally. Nine compounds of 2,4-dihydroxy dibenzophenone with different substituents were prepared by a solvent-free reaction of benzoyl chloride. The maximum absorption wavelength (λmax) of these samples was measured, and their UV resistance properties in cotton fabric as well as in polyester were determined. The results show that the λmax is dependent on the substituents at the benzylidene ring, and both electron donating substituents and electron withdrawing substituents cause a bathochromic shift. The UV resistance of fabric increases with the increase in compound concentration. The dyeing rate of each compound on polyester was higher than that of cotton. On cotton fabric, the dyeing rate of 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone was the highest, 77.8%. On polyester, that of 2,4-dihydroxy-4'-ethyl dibenzophenone was the highest, 84.1%. The study provides new insights into the effect of substituents on the properties of 2,4-dihydroxy dibenzophenone that are related to the whitening of cotton and polyester materials.

China's practical wisdom: Assumption of liability for endangering public health in bankruptcy proceedings-A case study of the Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology vaccine incident and the Johnson & Johnson baby powder incident.

The assumption of liability for endangering public health has always been a legislative challenge in bankruptcy proceedings. Although it has been theoretically proven that the tort creditor should hold a position higher than that of unsecured creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, both legislation and judicial practice have been found wanting in many countries. China has witnessed large-scale domestic public health incidents where the tort debtor has entered bankruptcy proceedings while the tort claims were being settled. In Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology vaccine incident, to maintain social order and protect the rights and interests of the tort creditor, the Chinese government required the tort debtor to set up a special compensation fund of RMB 500 million and hand it over to a third party for management. This approach was mainly adopted because tort creditors can only participate in the bankruptcy distribution as an unsecured creditor, according to the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of China, and as a result, their rights and interests cannot be guaranteed. In the context of the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of China, this approach face predicaments of legitimacy and effectiveness. Moreover, even if the legislators follow scholars' advice and grant the tort creditor priority in bankruptcy proceedings, that would still not be enough to protect the rights and interests of the tort creditor, not to mention the possibility that the tort debtor might follow the example of Johnson & Johnson to avoid liability in practice. In fact, the Chinese government's approach is similar to that of Johnson & Johnson's, but more advisable. The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of China (Bill of Amendment) will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for preliminary deliberation this year, and the Chinese government's approach to the Changchun Changsheng vaccine case is very likely to be codified. This will resolve the predicaments of legitimacy and effectiveness that the government's current approach is facing and serve as a point of reference for the future revision of U.S. bankruptcy law and the handling of related cases.

Use of computed tomography-derived body composition to determine the prognosis of patients with primary liver cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been used to successfully treat primary liver cancer (PLC); however, identifying modifiable patient factors associated with therapeutic benefits is challenging. Obesity is known to be associated with increased survival after ICI treatment; however, the relationship between body composition (muscle, fat) and outcomes is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and CT-derived fat content and the prognosis of ICIs for the treatment of PLC. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study of 172 patients with PLC, we measured the skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle density, visceral adipose tissue index, subcutaneous adipose tissue index, total adipose tissue index (TATI), and visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio using CT. In addition, we analyzed the impact of body composition on the prognosis of the patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen for influencing factors. RESULTS: Among the seven body composition components, low SMI (sarcopenia) and low TATI were significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes. Multivariate analysis revealed that sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR], 5.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74-16.74; p = 0.004) was a significant predictor of overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that sarcopenia and TATI were significant predictors of OS. Body mass index was not associated with survival outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia and fat tissue content appear to be independently associated with reduced survival rates in patients with PLC treated with ICIs.

Splenomegaly in predicting the survival of patients with advanced primary liver cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) play an increasingly important role in the treatment of primary liver cancer (PLC). Some patients with PLC experience symptoms of splenomegaly. Splenomegaly may affect the efficacy of ICIs due to an imbalance of the immune microenvironment. Currently, there is a lack of evidence on the relationship between splenomegaly and prognosis in patients with PLC treated with ICIs. This study analyzed the relationship between splenomegaly and prognosis in patients with PLC treated with ICIs. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study of 161 patients with PLC treated with ICIs, splenomegaly was diagnosed using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and the impact of splenomegaly on patient survival was analyzed. RESULTS: Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, we determined that splenomegaly was associated with shortened overall survival (p = 0.002) and progression-free survival (p = 0.013) in patients with PLC treated with ICIs. Kaplan-Meier analysis further validated our results. The overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with splenomegaly were significantly shorter than those of patients without splenomegaly (p < 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that splenomegaly was a predictor of prognosis in patients with PLC treated with ICIs. This is the first study to report this important finding.

Lung metastasis and lymph node metastasis are risk factors for hyperprogressive disease in primary liver cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: At present, some cancer patients experience hyperprogressive disease (HPD) after receiving immunotherapy. This study used the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 to evaluate the incidence of HPD in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for treating primary liver cancer (PLC) and to explore the risk factors for HPD. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study included patients with PLC who were treated with ICIs. The RECIST 1.1 was used to determine patients with HPD. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to explore the risk factors for HPD, and clinical variables with prognostic significance for HPD were included to establish a risk model. RESULTS: Among 129 patients with PLC treated with ICIs, HPD occurred in 13 patients (10.1%). In the multivariate regression analysis, lymph node metastasis and lung metastasis were risk factors for HPD. The area under the curve of the risk model, established by including lymph node metastasis, lung metastasis, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, albumin, and performance status, was 0.801 (P<0.001). The progression-free survival of HPD patients was significantly worse than that of non-HPD patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 10.1% of patients with PLC had HPD. Compared with the non-HPD patients, lung metastasis and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors of HPD.

Construction and management of ARDS/sepsis registry with REDCap.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to construct and manage an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/sepsis registry that can be used for data warehousing and clinical research. METHODS: The workflow methodology and software solution of research electronic data capture (REDCap) was used to construct the ARDS/sepsis registry. Clinical data from ARDS and sepsis patients registered to the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital formed the registry. These data were converted to the electronic case report form (eCRF) format used in REDCap by trained medical staff. Data validation, quality control, and database management were conducted to ensure data integrity. RESULTS: The clinical data of 67 patients registered to the ICU between June 2013 and December 2013 were analyzed. Of the 67 patients, 45 (67.2%) were classified as sepsis, 14 (20.9%) as ARDS, and eight (11.9%) as sepsis-associated ARDS. The patients' information, comprising demographic characteristics, medical history, clinical interventions, daily assessment, clinical outcome, and follow-up data, was properly managed and safely stored in the ARDS/sepsis registry. Data efficiency was guaranteed by performing data collection and data entry twice weekly and every two weeks, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ARDS/sepsis database that we constructed and manage with REDCap in the ICU can provide a solid foundation for translational research on the clinical data of interest, and a model for development of other medical registries in the future.