Immediate precision of the digital osteotomy template in the digital stackable template: a clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate accuracy of the digital osteotomy template in the digital stackable template. METHODS: From November 2018 to January 2020, 4 patients with dentition loss were selected from the Prosthodontics Department, West China Stomatological Hospital. All patients met the conditions for immediate planting and immediate restoration. Owing to the lack of vertical target-restoration space, the implantation plan included intraoperative osteotomy. According to the preoperative cone beam CT (CBCT) data, combined with aesthetic digital smile design (DSD) analysis, virtual wax design, and so on, the ideal bone plane design was performed. According to the virtual osteotomy plane, the virtual implantation plan was designed, and then the digital stackable template assuming osteotomy template, implantation guide, and temporary restoration were made and 3D printed. Osteotomy was performed under the guidance of digital osteotomy template during the operation. The preoperative CBCT and postoperative CBCT of all patients overlapped, the deviation between the actual osteotomy and the ideal osteotomy was calculated, and the angle deviation between the postoperative bone plane and the ideal bone plane was measured. RESULTS: The ave-rage volume deviation between the postoperative design and the ideal one was 492.94 mm³, accounting for 21.21% of the preset osteotomy volume. The average deviation between the postoperative osteotomy and the ideal osteotomy in four patients was 0.024 8 mm. The average angle between the postoperative bone plane and the ideal bone plane was 6.03°. CONCLUSIONS: The displacement deviation of virtual osteotomy design and the actual osteotomy one under the guidance of digital osteotomy template in the digital stackable template are highly consistent with the original design. Thus, this clinical technique is worth popularizing, accurate, and quantifiable.

[Effect of CO2 fractional laser on the early control of scar post-secondary repair in patients with a cleft lip].

OBJECTIVE: To observe and compare the clinical efficacy of CO2 fractional laser in the early control of scar post-secondary repair in patients with a cleft lip. METHODS: In the treatment group, 43 patients with secondary repair of cleft lip were treated via CO2 fractional laser. The control group covered 70 patients post-cheiloplasty. The effect in the two groups after six months was compared. The duration from the beginning of the laser treatment to surgery and patient gender were analyzed to determine if they affected the efficacy of the laser treatment for scars. RESULTS: 1) The curative effect in the treatment group was better than that in the control group (P<0.000 1), the total effectiveness rate was 90.7% in the treatment group. 2) No significant statistical difference in efficacy was observed between men and women (P=0.487). Moreover, no significant statistical difference in efficacy (P=0.055) was observed among patients one year after surgery, within the duration of <3 months, and within the duration of ≥3 months. CONCLUSIONS: CO2 fractional laser had a definite effect on the treatment of scar post-secondary repair in patients with a cleft lip. No significant correlation was observed between treatment effect and patient gender, and no difference was noted among patients one year after surgery. In the beginning of the laser treatment, no difference was observed between the durations of <3 months and ≥3 months after the reconstruction, Therefore, early intervention of scars a year after secondary repair of a cleft lip can achieve good results.

[A technique to design the framework of removable partial denture by multi-stage expert system].

This study aims to apply a new expert system to design removable partial denture (RPD) framework. The RPD design is completed in three steps, namely, "selecting missing teeth", "selecting abutment condition", and "selecting personalized clasp". The system can help auxiliary dentists develop personalized treatment plans to reduce their clinical workload. It can also generate a dental preparation guideline for clinical preparation, which can prevent tooth preparation mistakes. By generating the standard electronic drawings of the framework design, the system can reduce the inconvenience caused by manual drawing, thereby facilitating dentist-technician communication and reducing the rate of remade.

Gegen Qinlian decoction enhances immunity and protects intestinal barrier function in colorectal cancer patients via gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND: We previously showed, using the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database, that Gegen Qinlian decoction (GQD) had a direct antitumor effect, and was combined with programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 inhibitors to treat microsatellite stable (MSS) tumor-bearing mice. However, the effect of GQD on patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is not clear. AIM: To determine the therapeutic mechanism of GQD in improving immune function, reducing inflammation and protecting intestinal barrier function. METHODS: Seventy patients with CRC were included in this study: 37 in the control group and 33 in the treatment group. The proportions of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, natural killer (NK), NKT and T regulatory cells were measured by flow cytometry. Levels of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-10 and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in serum were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of zonula occludens (ZO)-1, occludin, nuclear factor (NF)-κB and TNF-α in tumor and normal tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry. The composition of gut microbiota from patients in the treatment group was assessed using 16S rDNA analysis. RESULTS: There were no adverse events in the treatment group. The proportion of CD4+ T cells and NKT cells in the post-treatment group was significantly higher than that in the pre-treatment and control groups (P < 0.05). The level of TNF-α in the post-treatment group was significantly lower than that in the pre-treatment and control groups (P < 0.05). The concentration of 5-HT in the post-treatment group was significantly lower than that in the pre-treatment group (P < 0.05). The expression of ZO-1 and occludin in tumor tissues in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of ZO-1 in normal tissues of the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P = 0.010). Compared with the control group, expression of NF-κB and TNF-α in tumor tissues of the treatment group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the pre-treatment group, GQD decreased the relative abundance of Megamonas and Veillonella. In addition, GQD increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Akkermansia and Prevotella. CONCLUSION: GQD enhances immunity and protects intestinal barrier function in patients with CRC by regulating the composition of gut microbiota.