Abstract:Silk fibroin (SF) as a natural biopolymer has become a popular material for biomedical applications due to its minimal immunogenicity, tunable biodegradability, and high biocompatibility. Nowadays, various techniques have been developed for the applications of SF in bioengineering. Most of the literature reviews focus on the SF-based biomaterials and their different forms of applications such as films, hydrogels, and scaffolds. SF is also valuable as a coating on other substrate materials for biomedicine; however, there are few reviews related to SF-coated biomaterials. Thus, in this review, we focused on the surface modification of biomaterials using SF coatings, demonstrated their various preparation methods on substrate materials, and introduced the latest procedures. The diverse applications of SF coatings for biomedicine are discussed, including bone, ligament, skin, mucosa, and nerve regeneration, and dental implant surface modification. SF coating is conducive to inducing cell adhesion and migration, promoting hydroxyapatite (HA) deposition and matrix mineralization, and inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway, making it a promising strategy for bone regeneration. In addition, SF-coated composite scaffolds can be considered prospective candidates for ligament regeneration after injury. SF coating has been proven to enhance the mechanical properties of the substrate material, and render integral stability to the dressing material during the regeneration of skin and mucosa. Moreover, SF coating is a potential strategy to accelerate nerve regeneration due to its dielectric properties, mechanical flexibility, and angiogenesis promotion effect. In addition, SF coating is an effective and popular means for dental implant surface modification to promote osteogenesis around implants made of different materials. Thus, this review can be of great benefit for further improvements in SF-coated biomaterials, and will undoubtedly contribute to clinical transformation in the future.
Abstract:Over the past decade, dramatic progress has been made in dental research areas involving laser therapy. The photobiomodulatory effect of laser light regulates the behavior of periodontal tissues and promotes damaged tissues to heal faster. Additionally, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), a non-invasive treatment, when applied in orthodontics, contributes to alleviating pain and reducing inflammation induced by orthodontic forces, along with improving tissue healing processes. Moreover, PBMT is attracting more attention as a possible approach to prevent the incidence of orthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR) during orthodontic treatment (OT) due to its capacity to modulate inflammatory, apoptotic, and anti-antioxidant responses. However, a systematic review revealed that PBMT has only a moderate grade of evidence-based effectiveness during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) in relation to OIIRR, casting doubt on its beneficial effects. In PBMT-assisted orthodontics, delivering sufficient energy to the tooth root to achieve optimal stimulation is challenging due to the exponential attenuation of light penetration in periodontal tissues. The penetration of light to the root surface is another crucial unknown factor. Both the penetration depth and distribution of light in periodontal tissues are unknown. Thus, advanced approaches specific to orthodontic application of PBMT need to be established to overcome these limitations. This review explores possibilities for improving the application and effectiveness of PBMT during OTM. The aim was to investigate the current evidence related to the underlying mechanisms of action of PBMT on various periodontal tissues and cells, with a special focus on immunomodulatory effects during OTM.
Abstract:Artificial intelligence (AI) has been utilized in soft-tissue analysis and prediction in orthodontic treatment planning, although its reliability has not been systematically assessed. This scoping review was conducted to outline the development of AI in terms of predicting soft-tissue changes after orthodontic treatment, as well as to comprehensively evaluate its prediction accuracy. Six electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus) were searched up to March 14, 2023. Clinical studies investigating the performance of AI-based systems in predicting post-orthodontic soft-tissue alterations were included. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal checklist for diagnostic test accuracy studies were applied to assess risk of bias, while the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment was conducted to evaluate the certainty of outcomes. After screening 2500 studies, four non-randomized clinical trials were finally included for full-text evaluation. We found a low level of evidence indicating an estimated high overall accuracy of AI-generated prediction, whereas the lower lip and chin seemed to be the least predictable regions. Furthermore, the facial morphology simulated by AI via the fusion of multimodality images was considered to be reasonably true. Since all of the included studies that were not randomized clinical trials (non-RCTs) showed a moderate to high risk of bias, more well-designed clinical trials with sufficient sample size are needed in future work.
Abstract:Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are the first station of lymph nodes that extend from the breast tumor to the axillary lymphatic drainage. The pathological status of these LNs can predict that of the entire axillary lymph node. Therefore, the accurate identification of SLNs is necessary for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) to replace axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The quality of life and prognosis of breast cancer patients are related to proper surgical treatment after the precise identification of SLNs. Some of the SLN tracers that have been identified include radioisotope, nano-carbon, indocyanine green (ICG), and methylene blue (MB). However, these tracers have certain limitations, such as pigmentation, radiation dangers, and the requirement for costly detection equipment. Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) have good specificity and sensitivity, and thus can compensate for some shortcomings of the mentioned tracers. This technique is also being applied to SLNB in patients with breast cancer, and can even provide an initial judgment on SLN status. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has the advantages of high distinguishability, simple operation, no radiation harm, low cost, and accurate localization; therefore, it is expected to replace the traditional biopsy methods. In addition, it can significantly enhance the accuracy of SLN localization and shorten the operation time.
Abstract:This study aims to investigate the impact of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β (HNF1b) on macrophage sortilin-mediated lipid metabolism and aortic atherosclerosis and explore the role of the flavone of Polygonatum odoratum (PAOA-flavone)-promoted small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) modification in the atheroprotective efficacy of HNF1b. HNF1b was predicted to be a transcriptional regulator of sortilin expression via bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. HNF1b overexpression decreased sortilin expression and cellular lipid contents in THP-1 macrophages, leading to a depression in atherosclerotic plaque formation in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice. Multiple SUMO1-modified sites were identified on the HNF1b protein and co-immunoprecipitation confirmed its SUMO1 modification. The SUMOylation of HNF1b protein enhanced the HNF1b-inhibited effect on sortilin expression and reduced lipid contents in macrophages. PAOA-flavone treatment promoted SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 1 (SAE1) expression and SAE1-catalyzed SUMOylation of the HNF1b protein, which prevented sortilin-mediated lipid accumulation in macrophages and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. Interference with SAE1 abrogated the improvement in lipid metabolism in macrophage cells and atheroprotective efficacy in vivo upon PAOA-flavone administration. In summary, HNF1b transcriptionally suppressed sortilin expression and macrophage lipid accumulation to inhibit aortic lipid deposition and the development of atherosclerosis. This anti-atherosclerotic effect was enhanced by PAOA-flavone-facilitated, SAE1-catalyzed SUMOylation of the HNF1b protein.
Keywords:Atherosclerosis;Lipid accumulation;Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β (HNF1b);Flavone of Polygonatum odoratum;Sumoylation
Abstract:Aeriscardovia aeriphila, also known as Bifidobacterium aerophilum, was first isolated from the caecal contents of pigs and the faeces of cotton-top tamarin. Bifidobacterium species play important roles in preventing intestinal infections, decreasing cholesterol levels, and stimulating the immune system. In this study, we isolated a strain of bacteria from the duodenal contents of broiler chickens, which was identified as A. aeriphila, and then evaluated the effects of A. aeriphila on growth performance, antioxidant functions, immune functions, and gut microbiota in commercial broiler chickens. Chickens were orally gavaged with A. aeriphila (1×109 CFU/mL) for 21 d. The results showed that A. aeriphila treatment significantly increased the average daily gain and reduced the feed conversion ratio (P<0.001). The levels of serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were significantly increased following A. aeriphila treatment (P<0.05). Blood urea nitrogen and aspartate aminotransferase levels were decreased, whereas glucose and creatinine levels increased as a result of A. aeriphila treatment. Furthermore, the levels of serum antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (P<0.01), superoxide dismutase (P<0.001), and glutathione peroxidase (P<0.05), and total antioxidant capacity (P<0.05) were enhanced following A. aeriphila treatment. A. aeriphila treatment significantly increased the levels of serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) (P<0.05), IgG (P<0.01), IgM (P<0.05), interleukin-1 (IL-1) (P<0.05), IL-4 (P<0.05), and IL-10 (P<0.05). The broiler chickens in the A. aeriphila group had higher secretory IgA (SIgA) levels in the duodenum (P<0.01), jejunum (P<0.001), and cecum (P<0.001) than those in the control group. The messenger RNA (mRNA) relative expression levels of IL-10 (P<0.05) and IL-4 (P<0.001) in the intestinal mucosa of chickens were increased, while nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) (P<0.001) expression was decreased in the A. aeriphila group compared to the control group. Phylum-level analysis revealed Firmicutes as the main phylum, followed by Bacteroidetes, in both groups. The data also found that Phascolarctobacterium and Barnesiella were increased in A. aeriphila-treated group. In conclusion, oral administration of A. aeriphila could improve the growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, immune modulation, and gut health of broilers. Our findings may provide important information for the application of A. aeriphila in poultry production.
Keywords:Chicken;Aeriscardovia aeriphila;Gut health;Microbiome;Immune function