[Effects of various surface treatments on the bonding efficacy of noncarious cervical sclerotic lesions].

Noncarious cervical sclerotic lesions (NCSL) are dental cervical lesions with noncarious sclerotic dentine (NCSD), which appears smooth, hard, and either light yellow or dark brown. Most NCSLs are wedge or dish shaped and commonly occur in canines and premolars, leading to dental hypersensitivity and aesthetic defect. The principal treatment is composite resin restoration; however, many clinical problems, such as retention loss, should not be ignored. NCSL's bonding interface includes NCSD and enamel, and interface pre-treatment can promote the bonding effect. This review summarizes current surface treatment methods and their influence on the bonding effectiveness of NCSL to provide guidance for clinical practice.

Cognition in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: A study with long-term VEEG and RS-fMRI.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between alterations of functional brain network and cognition in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) as a function of spike-wave index (SWI) during slow wave sleep. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) data and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) were collected from two groups of patients with BECTS, including a SWI<50% group (5 cases) and a SWI≥50% group (7 cases). The SWI was calculated from the long-term video-electroencephalogram monitoring (one sleep cycle was included at least). The RS-fMRI data were analyzed by regional homogeneity (ReHo) method. RESULTS: There were three main findings. Firstly, Full Intelligence Quotient (FIQ), Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ), and Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) of the SWI≥50% group were significantly lower than SWI<50% group (p<0.05). Secondly, there was a negative correlation between the FIQ, VIQ, PIQ, and SWI (p<0.05), and the FIQ, VIQ, and PIQ were not dependent on age, age of onset, disease course, years of education, and total number of seizures (p>0.05). Finally, compared with the SWI<50% group, the SWI≥50% group showed increased ReHo in the bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral premotor area, bilateral subcortical structure, right temporal lobe, and bilateral insular lobe, while they showed decreased ReHo in the posterior cingulate cortex and posterior of right inferior temporal lobe. CONCLUSIONS: The alterations of functional brain network caused by the frequent discharges during slow wave sleep could affect cognition in patients with BECTS.

Dysregulation of miRNA-21 and their potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the miR-21 and evaluated its clinical significance. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from 30 pairs of fresh specimens of cervical cancer and normal tissues. The expression levels of the miR-21-3p and miR-21-5p were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, with U6 as the internal reference gene. We compared the expression of miR-21-3p and miR-21-5p between study group and control groups, the association between miRNA expression level and clinicopathological factors was investigated. RESULTS: The expression of miR-21-3p and miR-21-5p in HPV positive cervical cancer samples was significantly upregulated compared to that in the paired normal samples (P < 0.05); A multivariate analysis demonstrated that the expression of miR-21 was associated with clinicopathological parameters, including depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-21 upregulation is associated with aggressive progression and poor prognosis in cervical cancer, which suggests that miR-21 might be identified as an independent marker for predicting the clinical outcome of cervical cancer patients.

[Laparoscopic Y-shaped polypropylene mesh for uterine and vaginal vault prolapse].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness oflaparoscopic Y-shaped polypropylene mesh in the treatment of uterine and vaginal vault prolapse. METHODS: Between June 2010 and December 2012, 24 patients with uterine and vaginal vault prolapse were treated by laparoscopic pelvic reconstruction (vagina and uterus-sacral fixation) with Y-shaped polypropylene mesh. The age of patients was 35-60 years (mean, 48.6 years). The disease duration was 2-8 years (mean, 5 years). According to the pelvic organ prolapse quatitative (POP-Q) classification by International Continence Society (ICS), 16 cases were classified as uterine prolapsed degree II and 8 cases as degree III; 15 cases were classified as vaginal prolapse degree I, 7 cases as degree II, and 2 cases as degree III. All patients received postoperative follow-up regularly. Subjective evaluation was done based on prolapse quality of life questionnaire (P-QOL), and objective evaluation based on POP-Q classification. RESULTS: All the patients were operated successfully. The operation time was 22-68 minutes (mean, 33 minutes); the blood loss was 30-80 mL (mean, 51 mL); the indwelling urethral catheter remain was 3-7 days (mean, 4 days); and the hospitalization days were 4-9 days (mean, 6.8 days). Twenty-four patients were followed up 3-12 months (mean, 9 months), of whom, 2 were followed up less than 6 months. All patients had normal urination after withdrawal of urethral catheter, and the residual urine volume was in normal range. No patients had mesh erosion and discomfort during sex, vaginal and anal bearing down. The P-QOL scores at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation were significantly improved when compared with the preoperative value (P < 0.05); but there was no significant difference among 3, 6, and 12 months after operation (P > 0.05). The postoperative POP-Q classification was degree 0 in 19 cases and degree I in 3 cases, and the objective cure rate was 91.7%. No recurrence was found during followup. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic Y-shaped polypropylene mesh for treatment of uterine and vaginal vault prolapse is a safe and effective method, especially applicable to preserve the uterus, and higher requirements of sexual life of patients.

The development of an evaluation method for capture columns used in two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

Capture columns are important interface tools for on line two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). In this study, a systematic method was developed to evaluate and optimize the capture ability of capture columns by off-line method. First, the parameter Δt(R) (Δt(R)=t(2)-t(1)-t(0)-W) was introduced to quantitatively represent the capture ability of the capture column by connecting a capture column behind the first dimensional column. Based on the value of Δt(R), an appropriate capture column was selected after the first dimensional column was fixed. Then, the capture ability of the selected column was promoted by adjusting the mobile phase of the first dimensional column. Capture ability was also optimized using complex sample analysis software system (CSASS) software. Second, the elution mode of the trapped compounds on the capture column was investigated by connecting the capture column before the second dimensional column. More specifically, in mode I, capture column was connected to the second dimension without changing the flow rate direction and the trapped compounds must pass through the capture column and be eluted into the second dimensional column. The contrary connection mode was mode II. It was found that mode I is more suitable method for 2D-LC. Finally, an off-line reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography two-dimensional liquid chromatography (RP/HILIC 2D-LC) system with a C18 capture column was developed to demonstrate the practical application of this method.

Preparation of "click" binaphthyl stationary phase and its application for separation of anthraquinones from Rheum palmatum L.

An organosilane containing binaphthyl functional group was synthesized by clicking 2,2'-bis(prop-2-ynyloxy)-1,1'-binaphthyl with 3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane (AzPTES). The "click" binaphthyl stationary phase was then synthesized by covalently bonding the organosilane onto silica beads. In this synthetic method, the residue of copper iodide (CuI) catalyst can be controlled at a very low level. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were well retained on the "click" binaphthyl column, and showed different retention factors (k) and separation ratio (α) values from those on octadecylsilyl (ODS) column due to the π-π interaction between the analytes and the stationary phase. The anthraquinone compounds in Rheum palmatum L. were selectively separated and enriched into a fraction by the "click" binaphthyl column. By using this way, the complexity of the sample was largely reduced. Twelve of anthraquinones were recognized by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. This stationary phase will be very useful for separating and enriching similar compounds with planar aromatic structures from complex traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) samples.

Purification of compounds from Lignum Dalbergia Odorifera using two-dimensional preparative chromatography with Click oligo (ethylene glycol) and C18 column.

Purification of compounds from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) is an important task for understanding the chemical composition of TCMs. However, it is difficult to obtain compounds with high enough purity for identification by NMR due to the complexity of TCMs in chemical composition. In this study, a two-dimensional purification method based on a Click oligo (ethylene glycol) column and a C18 column was developed to realize an orthogonal separation in preparative level for purifying compounds efficiently. The first dimensional preparation was performed on a Click oligo (ethylene glycol) column to simplify the sample into the fractions with good separation repeatability. On the first dimension, 7.2 g sample was separated into 11 fractions with a recovery of 86% within 6 h. A C18 column was taken as the second dimension to realize the high-performance separation and rapid preparation from the fractions collected from the first dimension. Eight compounds in fraction 6 and 2 compounds in fraction 8 were isolated and identified after optimizing the separation and collection parameters. This method is a high-efficient and orthogonal preparation method to improve the separation of a complex sample and increase the purity of the compounds, which benefits from the application of novel materials in the preparation and purification.

Phenylene-bridged hybrid spheres for high performance liquid chromatography.

Highly monodisperse 1,3-phenylene-bridged hybrid organosilica spheres (m-PHS) were synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 1,3-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (1,3-BTEB) using dodecylamine (DDA) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as templates. In this method, three important factors are the surfactants, the ethanol-water volume ratio and the TEOS/1,3-BTEB molar ratio. Their effects on the spherical particle morphologies were investigated systematically to optimize the synthesis conditions. With the optimal method, m-PHS was prepared with uniform particles in a narrow range 1.8∼2.5 µm. Likewise, highly monodisperse 1,4-phenylene-bridged hybrid organosilica spheres (p-PHS) were synthesized from TEOS and 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (1,4-BTEB) to compare the chromatographic properties with m-PHS. Both two hybrid materials can be directly used for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), showing high column efficiency, and the m-PHS stationary phase exhibits a much longer retention time and better separation ability for some aromatic compounds.