Strength of Denture Base Resins Repaired with Auto- and Visible Light-Polymerized Materials

Purpose: Clinicians are still confused about the choice of repair method, which depends on factors such as the length of time required for processing, the mechanical strength of the repaired material, and the effect of stress concentration in the acrylic resins before the repair. The aim was to determine the impact and flexural strength characteristics, such as stress at yield, Young's modulus, and displacement at yield of denture base resins fractured and repaired by three methods using heat‐, auto‐, and visible light‐polymerized acrylic resins. Material and Methods: For impact and flexural strength tests, 18 rectangular specimens measuring 50 × 6 × 4 mm³ and 64 × 10 × 3.3 mm³, respectively, were processed using Impact 2000, Lucitone 550, Impact 1500, and QC‐20 acrylic resins. Fracture tests were performed according to ISO1567:1999. Afterward, all fractured specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 7 days, and then repaired with (1) the same acrylic resin used for specimen fabrication (n = 6), (2) an autopolymerized acrylic resin (TruRepair, n = 6), and (3) a visible light acrylic resin (Versyo.com, n = 6). The repaired specimens were again submitted to the same fracture tests, and the failures were classified as adhesive or cohesive. Data from all mechanical tests after repair by the different methods were submitted to two‐way ANOVA, and mean values were compared by the Tukey test. Results: All acrylic resins showed adhesive fractures after impact and flexural strength tests. Differences (p < 0.05) were found among repair methods for all acrylic resins studied, with the exception of displacement at yield, which showed similar values for repairs with auto‐ and visible light‐polymerized acrylic resins. The highest values for impact strength, stress, and displacement at yield were obtained when the repair was made with the same resin the specimen was made of. Conclusion: Denture base acrylic resins repaired with the same resin they were made of showed greater fracture strength.     

高端医疗服务发展的国际经验与启示

高端医疗服务业是健康服务业发展的关键领域,但由于公立医院特需服务不断扩张、社会办医政策存"玻璃门"等原因,我国高端医疗服务业的发展尚处于初期阶段。事实上,高端医疗服务业在部分国家(特别是发达国家)已经初具规模,并在发展基础、运营模式、保障体系等方面积累了比较丰富的经验。本研究介绍了英国、美国、德国、新加坡、澳大利亚和印度发展高端医疗服务业的经验:建立国家安全网医院起兜底作用,实行分层定价和差异化补贴政策,借助商业健康保险,运用公私合作模式,优先发展若干领域。并结合我国实际情况,提出我国发展高端医疗服务业的启示:在确保基本医疗服务的前提下,实行有差别的支付政策;推广商业健康保险,拓展公私合作,确定发展高端医疗的优先领域。     

长安郭氏“循经取穴”冲击波治疗膝关节骨性关节炎临床研究

目的:探讨长安郭氏“循经取穴”冲击波治疗膝关节骨性关节炎的临床疗效。方法:选取96例膝关节骨性关节炎患者,依照随机数字表法分为对照组和观察组,每组48例。对照组采用塞来昔布治疗,观察组采用循经取穴冲击波联合塞来昔布治疗,两组治疗时间均为3个月。结果:治疗后两组中医症状评分均降低,且观察组低于对照组; 治疗后两组膝关节功能评分均增高,且观察组高于对照组(均P<0.05)。治疗后观察组总有效率高于对照组(P<0.05)。治疗后两组关节液白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、基质金属蛋白酶-3(MMP-3)水平均降低,且观察组低于对照组(均P<0.05)。治疗期间两组不良反应发生率比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:长安郭氏“循经取穴”冲击波联合塞来昔布治疗膝关节骨性关节炎能够改善患者临床症状及膝关节功能,抑制炎症反应,疗效较好。     

Detection of the Philadelphia chromosome in acute lymphoblastic leukemia by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

The Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome is an acquired abnormality in the malignant cells of 10% to 25% of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Unlike chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), where the molecular detection of the Ph1 chromosome is relatively straightforward using conventional Southern hybridization analysis, the detection of the Ph1 chromosome in ALL is complicated by the existence of several molecular subtypes, and the fact that translocation breakpoints are dispersed over a large genomic area. To circumvent these difficulties, we investigated pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine if this method could be used directly on clinical samples to detect the Ph1 chromosome in ALL. We report that, in a study of seven patients with Ph1-positive ALL, we could easily detect the Ph1 using only a single PFGE analysis, regardless of the Ph1 subtype, and we could confirm that the translocations occur either within or very near the BCR gene in all seven. We conclude that PFGE is a useful technique for the detection of the Ph1 in ALL, which ultimately may find wide applicability in the detection of other chromosomal abnormalities in other malignancies.     

Optogenetic manipulation of astrocytes from synapses to neuronal networks: A potential therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases

Astrocytes are the most widespread and heterogeneous glial cells in the central nervous system and key regulators for brain development. They are capable of receiving neurotransmitters produced by synaptic activities and regulating synaptic functions by releasing gliotransmitters as part of the tripartite synapse. In addition to communicating with neurons at synaptic levels, astrocytes can integrate into inhibitory neural networks to interact with neurons in neuronal circuits. Astrocytes are closely related to the pathogenesis and pathological processes of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Recently, optogenetics has now been applied to reveal the function of astrocytes in physiology and pathology. Herein, we discuss the possibility whether optogenetics could be used to control the release of gliotransmitters and regulate astrocytic membrane channels. Thus, the capability of modulating the bidirectional interactions between astrocytes and neurons in both synaptic and neuronal networks via optogenetics is evaluated. Furthermore, we discuss that manipulating astrocytes via optogenetics might be an effective way to investigate the potential therapeutic strategy for NDs.