Biocompatibility Evaluation of Dental Luting Cements Using Cytokine Released from Human Oral Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes

Dental luting cements are commonly used in dentistry for cementation of prosthetic restoration. Many previous studies focused on the measurement of the cell viability as the method of cytotoxicity evaluation during biocompatibility study for the material. In this study, the biocompatibility of various dental luting cements were evaluated using the new method of cytokine release measurement in order to better simulate inflammatory reactions in animal or clinical model using two different oral cells; immortalized human gingival fibroblast and immortalized human oral keratinocytes. Cells were exposed to extractions of various commercially available dental luting cements for different durations. Cytokines of IL-1α and IL-8 were measured from the supernatants of the cells and the results were then compared to the conventional MTT viability test. The result from the conventional cell viability study showed a relatively simple and straight forward indication that only one of the dental luting cements tested in this study was cytotoxic with increasing duration of exposure for both cells. Meanwhile, the result from the cytokine measurement study was much more complex at the time point they were measured, type of cells used for the study and the type of cytokines measured, all of which influenced the interpretation of the results. Hence, the better understanding of the cytokine release would be required for the application in biocompatibility evaluation.     

AQP3-mediated H2O2 uptake inhibits LUAD autophagy by inactivating PTEN

It is widely accepted that redox reprogramming participates in malignant transformation of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the source of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the downstream signaling regulatory mechanism are complicated and unintelligible. In the current study, we newly identified the aquaporin 3 (AQP3) as a LUAD oncogenic factor with capacity to transport exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and increase intracellular ROS levels. Subsequently, we demonstrated that AQP3 was necessary for the facilitated diffusion of exogenous H₂O₂ in LUAD cells and that the AQP3-dependent transport of H₂O₂ accelerated cell growth and inhibited rapamycin-induced autophagy. Mechanistically, AQP3-mediated H₂O₂ uptake increased intracellular ROS levels to inactivate PTEN and activate the AKT/mTOR pathway to subsequently inhibit autophagy and promote proliferation in LUAD cells. Finally, we suggested that AQP3 depletion retarded subcutaneous tumorigenesis in vivo and simultaneously decreased ROS levels and promoted autophagy. These findings underscore the importance of AQP3-induced oxidative stress in malignant transformation and suggest a therapeutic target for LUAD.     

Diagnostic value of combined IQGAP3/BMP4 and IQGAP3/FAM107A expression ratios in urinary cell-free DNA for discriminating bladder cancer from hematuria

Background

Urinary cell-free DNA (ucfDNA) has great potential as a “liquid biopsy” for use in diagnosis of urological cancers. In this study, we compared ucfDNA gene expression levels between patients with bladder cancer (BC) and those with hematuria, and determined whether they could be used as a noninvasive urine-based marker.

Intra‐arterial blood pressure reading in intensive care unit patients in the lateral position

Background. Routine lateral turning of patients has become an accepted standard of care to prevent complications of immobility. The haemodynamic and oxygenation effects for patients in both lateral positions (45°) are still a matter of debate. We aimed to study the effect of these positions on blood pressure, heart rate and oxygenation in a general intensive care population. Design. Observational study. Method. Twenty stable intensive care unit patients had intra‐arterial blood pressure recordings in the supine and lateral positions with the correction of hydrostatic height compared with a fixed reference point (phlebostatic level). A multilevel model was used to analyse the data. Results. Mean arterial pressure readings in the lateral positions were, on average, 5 mmHg higher than in the supine position (p < 0·001). There were no significant differences between mean arterial pressure recordings in the left and right lateral position (p = 1·0). No important differences in oxygenation and heart rate were observed. After correction for covariates, the effects persisted. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated an increase, albeit small, in blood pressure in the lateral positions. No major differences between the left and right lateral position were found. No important differences in oxygenation and heart rate were observed. Relevance to clinical practice. Turning haemodynamically stable patients in the intensive care unit has no important effects on blood pressure measurements when continuous hydrostatic height correction is applied.     

益气活血类中药复方干预恶性肿瘤血行转移机制的研究进展

转移是导致恶性肿瘤不良预后的主要原因，干预转移是恶性肿瘤治疗的关键举措。血行转移作为肿瘤转移途径中最为常见的方式，可归属于中医“传舍”范畴，气虚血瘀是其关键病机。中医药治疗恶性肿瘤强调邪正兼顾，且具有多靶点、多机制、多层次的作用优势。大量临床研究证据表明以益气活血立法的中药复方在延缓肿瘤疾病进程、延长患者生存期方面具有确切作用。基于血行转移在改善肿瘤预后方面的重要意义，越来越多的研究对益气活血类中药复方干预血行转移的作用及机制进行了探索。该文通过查阅国内外相关文献，对益气活血类中药复方干预恶性肿瘤血行转移的研究报道进行了归纳整理，并作简要概述，以期为临床应用益气活血法治疗恶性肿瘤提供理论依据。研究发现以益气活血立法的中药复方能够通过调控细胞黏附分子表达，抑制细胞外基质降解和新生血管生成，增强免疫杀伤作用，以及改善血液高凝、高黏状态等多种机制对血行转移过程中的多个关键步骤起到抑制作用。此外，益气与活血同用，方能契合恶性肿瘤气虚血瘀、本虚标实的病机本质，多项对比性研究结果表明益气活血同用的抗转移效果明显优于单用益气类或活血类药物，且能避免单独使用二者之一促进恶性肿瘤转移的可能风险。本研究发现可为当前临床应用中医药改善恶性肿瘤患者预后提供一定的参考。