The Effect of Osteochondral Regeneration Using Polymer Constructs and Continuous Passive Motion Therapy in the Lower Weight-Bearing Zone of Femoral Trocheal Groove in Rabbits

Remedying patellofemoral osteochondral defects using clinical therapy remains challenging. Construct-based and cell-based regenerative medicine with in vitro physical stimuli has been progressively implemented. However, the effect of physical stimuli in situ in knee joints with degradable constructs is still not well-documented. Therefore, we studied whether it was practical to achieve articular cartilage repair using a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) construct in addition to early short-term continuous passive motion (CPM) for treatment of full-thickness osteochondral defects in the lower-weigh bearing (LWB) zone of the femoral trocheal groove. Twenty-six rabbits were randomly allocated into either intermittent active motion (IAM) or CPM treatment groups with or without PLGA constructs, termed PLGA construct-implanted (PCI) and empty defect knee models, respectively. Gross observation, histology, inflammatory cells, which were identified using H&E staining, total collagen and alignment, studied qualitatively using Masson’s trichrome staining, glycosaminoglycan (GAG), identified using Alcian blue staining, and newly formed bone, observed using micro-CT, were evaluated at 4 and 12 weeks after surgery. Repair of osteochondral defects in the PCI-CPM group was more promising than all other groups. The better osteochondral defect repair in the PCI-CPM group corresponded to smooth cartilage surfaces, no inflammatory reaction, hyaline cartilaginous tissues composition, sound collagen alignment with positive collagen type II expression, higher GAG content, mature bone regeneration with osteocyte, clear tidemark formation, and better degradation of PLGA. In summary, the use of a simple PLGA construct coupled with passive motion promotes positive healing and may be a promising clinical intervention for osteochondral regeneration in LWB defects.     

Candida species and other yeasts in the oral cavities of type 2 diabetic patients in Cali,Colombia

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of Candida species and to study factors associated to oral cavity colonization in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods:

A total of 107 diabetics were classified into controlled and uncontrolled according to glycosylated hemoglobin values. Each patient was assessed for stimulated salivary flow rates, pH, and an oral rinse to search for yeast. The study also determined the state of oral health via Klein and Palmer CPO indexes for permanent dentition, dental plaque by O''Leary, and a periodontal chart.

Results:

We found yeasts in 74.8% of the patients. A total of 36 of the 52 subjects with controlled diabetes presented yeasts and 44 in the uncontrolled; no significant differences (p = 0.2) were noted among the presence of yeasts and the control of blood glucose. The largest number of isolates corresponded to C. albicans, followed by C. parapsilosis. Uncontrolled individuals presented a significantly higher percentage of yeast different from C. albicans (p = 0.049).

Conclusions:

We found a high percentage of Candida colonization and uncontrolled individuals had greater diversity of species. The wide range of CFU/mL found both in patients with oral candidiasis, as well as in those without it did not permit distinguishing between colonization and disease. We only found association between isolation of yeasts and the low rate of salivary flow.     

Nanoparticles-based multi-adjuvant whole cell tumor vaccine for cancer immunotherapy

Whole cell tumor vaccine (WCTV), as a potential treatment modality, elicits limited immune responses because of the poor immunogenicity. To address this issue, researchers have attempted to transduce a cytokine adjuvant into tumor cells, but these single-adjuvant WCTVs curtail the high expectations. In present study, we constructed a multi-adjuvant WCTV based on the nanoparticles modified with cell penetrating peptide, which could facilitate the transportation of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) into tumor cells. After inactivation, as-designed multi-adjuvant WCTV exhibited programmed promotions on DC recruitment, antigen presentation, and T-cell activation. In vivo evaluations demonstrated the satisfactory effects on tumor growth suppression, metastasis inhibition, and recurrence prevention. Therefore, the nanoparticles-based multi-adjuvant WCTV may serve as a high-performance treatment for anti-tumor immunotherapy.     

Resting-state beta and gamma activity in Internet addiction

Internet addiction is the inability to control one's use of the Internet and is related to impulsivity. Although a few studies have examined neurophysiological activity as individuals with Internet addiction engage in cognitive processing, no information on spontaneous EEG activity in the eyes-closed resting-state is available. We investigated resting-state EEG activities in beta and gamma bands and examined their relationships with impulsivity among individuals with Internet addiction and healthy controls. Twenty-one drug-naïve patients with Internet addiction (age: 23.33 ± 3.50 years) and 20 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy controls (age: 22.40 ± 2.33 years) were enrolled in this study. Severity of Internet addiction was identified by the total score on Young's Internet Addiction Test. Impulsivity was measured with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 and a stop-signal task. Resting-state EEG during eyes closed was recorded, and the absolute/relative power of beta and gamma bands was analyzed. The Internet addiction group showed high impulsivity and impaired inhibitory control. The generalized estimating equation showed that the Internet-addiction group showed lower absolute power on the beta band than did the control group (estimate = − 3.370, p < 0.01). On the other hand, the Internet-addiction group showed higher absolute power on the gamma band than did the control group (estimate = 0.434, p < 0.01). These EEG activities were significantly associated with the severity of Internet addiction as well as with the extent of impulsivity. The present study suggests that resting-state fast-wave brain activity is related to the impulsivity characterizing Internet addiction. These differences may be neurobiological markers for the pathophysiology of Internet addiction.     

Role of DISC1 Interacting Proteins in Schizophrenia Risk from Genome‐Wide Analysis of Missense SNPs

A balanced translocation affecting DISC1 cosegregates with several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, in a Scottish family. DISC1 is a hub protein of a network of protein–protein interactions involved in multiple developmental pathways within the brain. Gene set‐based analysis has been proposed as an alternative to individual analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to get information from genome‐wide association studies. In this work, we tested for an overrepresentation of the DISC1 interacting proteins within the top results of our ranked list of genes based on our previous genome‐wide association study of missense SNPs in schizophrenia. Our data set consisted of 5100 common missense SNPs genotyped in 476 schizophrenic patients and 447 control subjects from Galicia, NW Spain. We used a modification of the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis adapted for SNPs, as implemented in the GenGen software. The analysis detected an overrepresentation of the DISC1 interacting proteins (permuted P‐value = 0.0158), indicative of the role of this gene set in schizophrenia risk. We identified seven leading‐edge genes, MACF1, UTRN, DST, DISC1, KIF3A, SYNE1, and AKAP9, responsible for the overrepresentation. These genes are involved in neuronal cytoskeleton organization and intracellular transport through the microtubule cytoskeleton, suggesting that these processes may be impaired in schizophrenia.     

慢性难愈合创面早期防控体系建设探索

【摘要】 北大医疗鲁中医院烧伤皮肤外科在烧伤患者逐渐减少, 科室被压缩?合并的情况下, 受付小兵院士 “战时治烧伤, 平时治创面” 理念的启发, 于 2015 年成立烧伤与创面修复中心, 在淄博市开展了以慢性难愈合创面为主的创面诊疗工作, 通过普及创面修复知识, 开展居家照护? 多学科诊疗? 医护一体的工作模式, 建立创面修复移动工作站, 筹建精准扶贫基地, 成立创面修复专业委员会和创面修复专科联盟等组织开展学术交流, 使科室逐渐发展壮大, 走向了可持续发展之路? 本研究主要结合淄博市创面修复学科建设总结该学科的建设经验, 以期能够给予正在建设以及准备建设该学科的医疗机构提供借鉴?