[Research progress of traditional Chinese medicines as quorum sensing inhibitors in collaboration with antibiotics to inhibit drug-resistant bacteria].

Quorum sensing system regulates the expression of genes related to bacterial growth, metabolism and other behaviors by sensing bacterial density, and controls the unified action of the entire bacterial population. This mechanism can ensure the normal secretion of bacterial metabolites and the stability of the biofilm microenvironment, providing protection for the formation of biofilms and the normal growth and reproduction of bacteria. Traditional Chinese medicine, capable of quorum sensing inhibition, can inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilms, reduce bacterial resistance, and enhance the anti-infection ability of antibiotics when combined with antibiotics. In recent years, the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections has become a research hotspot. Starting with the associations between quorum sensing, biofilm and drug-resistant bacteria, this paper reviews the relevant studies about the combined application of traditional Chinese medicines as quorum sensing inhibitors with antibiotics in the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria. This review is expected to provide ideas for the development of new clinical treatment methods and novel anti-infection drugs.

Distributed Fixed-Time Control for Leader-Steered Rigid Shape Formation With Prescribed Performance.

Resorting to the principle of rigid body kinematics, a novel framework for a multirobot network is proposed to form and maintain an invariant rigid geometric shape. Unlike consensus-based formation, this approach can perform both translational and rotational movements of the formation geometry, ensuring that the entire formation motion remains consistent with the leader. To achieve the target formation shape and motion, a distributed control protocol for multiple Euler-Lagrange robotic vehicles subject to nonholonomic constraints is developed. The proposed protocol includes a novel prescribed performance control (PPC) algorithm that addresses the second-order dynamics of the robotic vehicles by employing a combination of nonsingular sliding manifold and adaptive law. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed formation framework and control protocol is demonstrated through the numerical simulations and practical experiments with a team of four robotic vehicles.

[Clinical metabolomics of Zicuiyin in treatment of diabetic kidney disease].

This study aimed to analyze the therapeutic effect of Zicuiyin on diabetic kidney disease(DKD) and explore the possible targets of this formula. Eighteen DKD patients treated in the endocrine department or nephrology department of Second Affilia-ted Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January to December in 2019 were enrolled and assigned into a test group(n=10) and a control group(n=8). Both groups received routine chemical medicine treatment. In addition, the test group was treated with Zicuiyin and the control group with Huangkui Capsules for 8 weeks. The clinical trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the ethical approval No. 2017-023-01, and all the patients signed the informed consent form. The results showed that the 8-week treatment with Zicuiyin lowered the level of glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c) and recovered the 24 h urinary protein(24hUP), 24 h urinary microalbumin(24hmAlb), urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR), and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) of the patients with 24hUP<3.5 g. According to the different levels in 24hUP, all the patients were divided into two subgroups(subgroup A with 24hUP<3.5 g and subgroup B with 24hUP≥3.5 g). The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS)-based non-targeted metabolomics analysis was conducted on the baseline serum samples from diffe-rent subgroups of patients. Nineteen biomarker candidates were identified to distinguish the metabolic differences between the two subgroups, and their correlations with clinical indicators were analyzed. Zicuiyin lowered the levels of phenylalanine, pseudouridine, and adenosine [fold change(FC)<0.5, P<0.05] in subgroup A. The results indicated that Zicuiyin was more effective on the DKD patients with low urinary protein levels, and its targets were involved in phenylalanine metabolism and nucleoside metabolism.

Optical coherence tomography in patients with Wilson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Morphological changes of retina in patients with Wilson's disease (WD) can be found by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and such changes had significant differences between neurological forms (NWD) and hepatic forms (HWD) of WD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between morphological parameters of retina and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions, course of disease, type of disease, and sexuality in WD. METHODS: A total of 46 WD patients and 40 health controls (HC) were recruited in this study. A total of 42 WD patients were divided into different groups according to clinical manifestations, course of disease, sexuality, and brain MRI lesions. We employed the Global Assessment Scale to assess neurological severity of WD patients. All WD patients and HC underwent retinal OCT to assess the thickness of inner limiting membrane (ILM) layer to retinal pigment epithelium layer and inner retina layer (ILM to inner plexiform layer, ILM-IPL). RESULTS: Compared to HWD, NWD had thinner superior parafovea zone (108.07 ± 6.89 vs. 114.40 ± 5.54 µm, p < .01), temporal parafovea zone (97.17 ± 6.65 vs. 103.60 ± 4.53 µm, p < .01), inferior parafovea zone (108.114 ± 7.65 vs. 114.93 ± 5.84 µm, p < .01), and nasal parafovea zone (105.53 ± 8.01 vs. 112.10 ± 5.44 µm, p < .01) in inner retina layer. Course of disease influenced the retina thickness. Male patients had thinner inner retina layer compared to female patients. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that WD had thinner inner retina layer compared to HC, and NWD had thinner inner retina layer compared to HWD. We speculated the thickness of inner retina layer may be a potential useful biomarker for NWD.

Ineffectiveness of Skin Tests in Predicting Allergic Reactions Induced by Chinese Herbal Injections.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether skin tests are suitable to predict the allergy reactions induced by Chinese herbal injections (CHIs). METHODS: The skin tests including skin prick tests (SPT), intradermal tests (IDT) and provocation tests including subcutaneous tests and intravenous tests were administered to 249 healthy subjects and 180 allergic patients for 3 CHIs, including ginkgolide injection, diterpene ginkgolide meglumine injection and Salvianolate lyophilized injection. The results of the provocation tests were used as the "gold standard" to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the skin tests. RESULTS: The results did not show any significant differences between the healthy and allergy groups in both skin tests and provocation tests (P>0.05). The specificities of SPT and IDT were 0.976 and 0.797, respectively, and the sensitivities of both SPT and IDT were 0. CONCLUSION: Skin tests are insufficient to predict the likelihood of allergic reactions resulting from CHIs. (ChiCTR-CPC-15006921).

CD8+ T lymphocytes enhance the anabolic effect of intermittent parathyroid hormone on cementoblasts.

Root resorption is usually inflammatory in nature and has a tight link with immune system. Intermittent parathyroid hormone (iPTH) could promote cementum regeneration. The cross-talk of immune cells and cementoblasts may play an important role in the regeneration which stayed to be elucidated. In this study, a CD8+ T cells-OCCM-30 cells coculture system was established in vitro to investigate whether CD8+ T cells could enhance the anabolic effect of iPTH on cementoblasts and to find out the potential link of the effect with Wnt signal pathway. Determined by real-time PCR and Western Blot, we found an amplified cementogenesis in the OCCM-30 cells from coculture system, including increased mRNA and protein expression of Alp, Opn and Runx2, ALP activity and mineralization. We also found iPTH could increase the expression of Wnt10b in CD8+ T cells by ELISA. In addition, Wnt10b would promote the proliferation of OCCM-30 cells, while the effect on differentiation was various in different culture medium. These results demonstrated that the stimulating effect of iPTH on cementoblasts could be mediated through an interaction with CD8+ T cells, and T-cell-induced Wnt10b might be a key mechanism in the mediation.

The effectiveness of supplemental vibrational force on enhancing orthodontic treatment. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The results from the literature regarding the influence of supplemental vibrational forces (SVFs) on orthodontic treatment are controversial. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate whether SVFs have positive effects, such as in accelerating tooth movement, alleviating pain, and preventing root resorption, in orthodontic patients. SEARCH METHODS: Searches through five electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central) were complemented by hand searches up to January, 2019. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials reporting on the effects of SVFs in orthodontic patients in English were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Study selection, data extraction, and a risk of bias assessment were independently performed by two reviewers. Study characteristics and outcomes were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. A qualitative analysis of the effects of SVFs on orthodontic tooth movement, pain experience, and root resorption was conducted. RESULTS: Thirteen studies, including nine clinical trials, were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. There was no significant evidence to support the positive effects of SVFs in orthodontic patients, neither in accelerating tooth movement nor in alleviating pain experience. According to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria, the quality of the evidence was very low for all the outcomes in the qualitative analysis. LIMITATIONS: The results of this systematic review are based on a limited number of studies and the methodological heterogeneity and non-comparability of original outcomes made it difficult to conduct a meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to support the claim that SVFs have positive clinical advantages in the alignment of the anterior teeth. The potential positive effects of vibrational forces on space closure, pain experience, and root resorption in orthodontic patients are inconclusive with no sufficient information at present. High-quality clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to find more comprehensive evidence of the potential positive effects of vibrational forces. REGISTRATION: The protocol for this systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018098788). FUNDING: This study has not received any contributions from private or public funding agencies. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Quality of Life of Implant-Supported Overdenture and Conventional Complete Denture in Restoring the Edentulous Mandible: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) associated with an implant-supported overdenture (IOD) compared with a conventional complete denture (CCD) in restoring the edentulous mandible. METHODS: A literature search was performed in the MEDLINE (through Ovid), PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published between 1990 and July 2016. The search was restricted to articles published in English. Two reviewers selected the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Another 2 reviewers analyzed the data. RESULTS: From 108 articles that were obtained, 5 articles met the inclusion criteria. Four studies had a high risk of bias, and 1 study had an unclear risk of bias. There was a significant difference in Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) scores between pre- and post-treatment within the groups and in posttreatment OHIP scores between IOD and CCD groups. CONCLUSION: Regarding the edentulous mandible, patients benefited more from the IOD with 2 implants, as determined by OHRQoL scores. Considering the differences between each domain of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) questionnaire and the lack of long-term performance, more random control trials with sufficient sample sizes need to be designed to investigate long-term performance after treatment.