Relationship between sex hormones and RIG-I signaling in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

It has previously been suggested that men and women demonstrate differing immune responses to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, resulting in the investigation of the role of sex hormones and if they influence the anti-HCV response. The present study aimed to examine if hormone levels were associated with interferon (IFN) signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 131 patients infected with HCV and 113 healthy controls. HCV infection was diagnosed based on the presence of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA in serum. Expression of testosterone and estrogen was measured at the protein level using a competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay, and at the mRNA level using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HCV-infected males had increased levels of estrogen and a decreased ratio of testosterone to estrogen compared with healthy male controls (all P<0.001). HCV-infected patients demonstrated a significantly decreased expression of IFN and retinoic acid-induced gene protein I (RIG-I), RIG-I mRNA compared with controls. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that among males, levels of RIG-I correlated with levels of IFN-ß mRNA (r=0.460), testosterone (r=-0.500), and the ratio of testosterone to estrogen (r=-0.477; all P<0.001). However, levels of RIG-I did not correlate with levels of IFN-α mRNA (r=0.158) or estrogen (r=0.173; both P>0.05). These results suggested that testosterone or the ratio of testosterone to estrogen may inhibit RIG-I signaling and thereby influence immune responses to HCV infection.

Theoretical evaluation of flotation performance of carboxyl hydroxamic acids with different number of polar groups on the surfaces of diaspore (010) and kaolinite (001).

The adsorption behaviors of three carboxyl hydroxamic acids on diaspore (010) and kaolinite (001) have been studied by density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) method. The results indicated that carboxyl hydroxamic acids could adsorb on diaspore surface by ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds, and adsorb on kaolinite surface by hydrogen bonds. The models of carboxyl hydroxamic acids adsorbed on diaspore and kaolinite surfaces are proposed.

[Precision and accuracy of a dental spectrophotometer in gingival color measurement of maxillary anterior gingival].

OBJECTIVE: To explore a gingival shade matching method and to evaluate the precision and accuracy of a dental spectrophotometer modified to be used in gingival color measurement. METHODS: Crystaleye, a dental spectrophotometer (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) with a custom shading cover was tested. For precision assessment, two experienced experimenters measured anterior maxillary incisors five times for each tooth. A total of 20 healthy gingival sites (attached gingiva, free gingiva and medial gingival papilla in anterior maxillary region) were measured,the Commission Internationale de I' Eclairage (CIE) color parameters (CIE L*a*b*) of which were analyzed using the supporting software. For accuracy assessment, a rectangular area of approximately 3 mm×3 mm was chosen in the attached gingival portion for spectral analysis. PR715 (SpectraScan;Photo Research Inc.,California, USA), a spectroradiometer, was utilized as standard control. Average color differences (ΔE) between the values from PR715 and Crystaleye were calculated. RESULTS: In precision assessment,ΔL* between the values in all the test sites and average values were from(0.28±0.16)to(0.78±0.57), with Δa*and Δb* from(0.28±0.15)to (0.87±0.65),from(0.19±0.09)to( 0.58±0.78), respectively. Average ΔE between values in all test sites and average values were from (0.62 ± 0.17) to (1.25 ± 0.98) CIELAB units, with a total average ΔE(0.90 ± 0.18). In accuracy assessment, ΔL* with control device were from(0.58±0.50)to(2.22±1.89),with Δa*and Δb* from(1.03±0.67)to(2.99±1.32),from(0.68±0.78)to(1.26±0.83), respectively. Average ΔE with the control device were from (2.44±0.82) to (3.51±1.03) CIELAB units, with a total average ΔE (2.96 ± 1.08). CONCLUSION: With appropriate modification, Crystaleye, the spectrophotometer, has demonstrated relative minor color variations that can be useful in gingival color measurement.

[Effect of Shofu gingival matrices which simulate the gingival color on spectrophotometric tooth color measurement].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of gingival color on spectrophotometric color measurement in a standardized model. METHODS: Shofu gingival matrices were used to simulate the soft tissue and VITA Classical shade tabs were fixed into them. Both the gingival matrices and shade tabs were measured with Crystaleye spectrophotometer in a black box. Regions of the shade tabs, gingival color and their combinated effect on measurements were analyzed, Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify the correlation of the gingival color difference with the shade tabs color difference. RESULTS: The ranges of color difference were 1.01-2.26 in the cervical, 0.93-1.27 in the body and 1.67-2.97 in the incisal regions, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference among all the gingival groups in the cervical region. Color differences were similar in the body and the incisal regions. The color measurement with Crystaleye was influenced by the regions of the shade tabs, the gingival color and their combination (P<0.001). Pearson Correlation Coefficient was 0.646 in the cervical, 0.386 in the body and 0.217 in the incisal regions respectively(P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The color measurement in the cervical region with the spectrophotometer was influenced by the color of the simulated gingiva. Such influence was not obvious in the body and incisal regions. Color coordinates changed regularly with the gingival color.

Reliability and accuracy of Crystaleye spectrophotometric system.

OBJECTIVE: to develop an in vitro shade-measuring model to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the Crystaleye spectrophotometric system, a newly developed spectrophotometer. METHODS: four shade guides, VITA Classical, VITA 3D-Master, Chromascop and Vintage Halo NCC, were measured with the Crystaleye spectrophotometer in a standardised model, ten times for 107 shade tabs. The shade-matching results and the CIE L*a*b* values of the cervical, body and incisal regions for each measurement were automatically analysed using the supporting software. Reliability and accuracy were calculated for each shade tab both in percentage and in colour difference (ΔE). Difference was analysed by one-way ANOVA in the cervical, body and incisal regions. RESULTS: range of reliability was 88.81% to 98.97% and 0.13 to 0.24 ΔE units, and that of accuracy was 44.05% to 91.25% and 1.03 to 1.89 ΔE units. Significant differences in reliability and accuracy were found between the body region and the cervical and incisal regions. Comparisons made among regions and shade guides revealed that evaluation in ΔE was prone to disclose the differences. CONCLUSION: measurements with the Crystaleye spectrophotometer had similar, high reliability in different shade guides and regions, indicating predictable repeated measurements. Accuracy in the body region was high and less variable compared with the cervical and incisal regions.

Codon-pair usage and genome evolution.

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate possible evolutionary constraints that shape codon-pair context. The distributions of numbers of modes (DNM) of codon-pairs in protein coding sequences (CDSs) and the frequency of base triplet pairs in intergenic sequences (IGSs) are analyzed in 110 fully sequenced genomes. We propose that these distributions are in accordance with a gamma distribution. By studying the shape parameter alpha value of gamma distribution a distinct relation between the alpha value and the genome evolution is obtained. For codon-pairs in CDSs, the alpha value increases in the order Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota, and divides the species into three evolutionary groups, Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota. For triplet pairs in IGSs, on the other hand, the alpha value classifies the species into two groups, one is Bacteria and the other is Archaea and Eukaryota. The findings suggest that the codon-pair context could be an important determinant for phylogeny of individual species, and indicate the existence of fundamental differences of evolutional constraints imposed on CDSs and IGSs among Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota.