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Introduction This study aimed to investigate the functions of delta-like homologue 1 ( DLK1) in the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells ( hDPSCs). Methods Immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine the expression of alkaline phosphatase ( ALP), dentin sialophosphoprotein ( DSPP), DLK1, NOTCH1 and p- ERK1/2 in the mouse first maxillary molar. Recombinant lentivirus was constructed to overexpress DLK1 stably in hDPSCs. The cell viability and proliferation of hDPSCs were examined by CCK8 and EdU incorporation assay respectively. The odontoblastic differentiation of hDPSCs was determined by detection of ALPase activity assay, ALP and alizarin red staining and the expression of mineralization-related genes including ALP, DSPP and dental matrix protein. The mRNA and protein levels of DLK1 and p- ERK1/2 protein expression were detected. ERK inhibitor was used to test the differentiation effect of DLK1 on hDPSCs. Results Delta-like homologue 1 was highly expressed on the odontoblasts and dental pulp cells on the first maxillary molar; the expression of p- ERK1/2 is similar with the DLK1 in the same process. The expression level of DLK1 increased significantly after the odontoblastic induction of hDPSCs. DLK1 overexpression increased the proliferation ability of hDPSCs and inhibited odontoblastic differentiation of hDPSCs. The protein level of p- ERK1/2 significantly increased in hDPSCs/dlk1-oe group. ERK signalling pathway inhibitor reversed the odontoblastic differentiation effects of DLK1 on hDPSCs. Conclusions The proliferation of hDPSCs was promoted after DLK1 overexpression. DLK1 inhibited the odontoblastic differentiation of hDPSCs, which maybe through ERK signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is the most common and malignant brain tumor with extremely poor prognosis. It is crucial to understand the molecular characteristics of glioma and find out more effective therapeutic targets for the treatment of glioma. USP17 is a novel deubiquitinating enzyme that is differentially expressed in certain types of solid tumor. Our present study investigated the pathological functions and clinical significance of USP17 in glioma for the first time. We found that USP17 was down-regulated in glioma tissue compared with normal tissues. Overexpression of USP17 in glioma cells reduced their tumorigenesis and proliferation ability through reducing Ras and Myc protein levels. Subsequent in vivo experiments showed that overexpression of USP17 suppressed tumor progression in an orthotopic glioma models. Further, study of a cohort of 104 patients with stage I–IV glioma showed that USP17 expression was negatively associated with the WHO grade ( p < 0.001). USP17 was more highly expressed in low grade (I + II) glioma than high-grade (III + IV) glioma ( p < 0.001). Taken together, our results indicate that USP17 might play important functions in glioma through suppressing glioma tumorigenesis and proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The viability of periodontal ligament fibroblasts ( PDLF) can affect the long-term prognosis of replanted avulsed teeth. When immediate replantation of an avulsed tooth is not possible, the cells should be incubated in a physiological storage medium instantly to maintain their biological activity. The ability of different storage media to preserve PDLF viability has been previously evaluated. However, few studies have showed the effect of temperature on the viability of PDLF cultured with various storage media in vitro. Material and Methods This study was designed to measure PDLF activity by CCK-8 assay to compare the effectiveness at 4, 22 (room temperature), and 37°C under various storage media. Results Statistical analysis demonstrated that tap water, saline, and saliva decreased cell viability as the storage temperature increased. But the temperature played only a minor role on cell viability when cells were incubated in Hank's balanced salt solution ( HBSS), Dubelco's modified Eagle's medium ( DMEM), or milk. Conclusions Within the parameters of this study, it seems that room temperature is adequate for storing the avulsed teeth in HBSS, DMEM, or milk in the extra-alveolar period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pain intensity, and anxiety levels and the relationship between the three aspects in healthy young Chinese orthodontic patients in the early stage of orthodontic treatment. We enrolled 252 eligible participants (10–29 years old) to complete validated Chinese versions of questionnaires, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (S-AI), the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline and on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 30 after initial archwire placement (SF-36 only at baseline and day 30). The response rate was 96% (243 of 252). SF-36 had moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient exceeding 0.7, good fit on day 30). Statistical significant changes were observed in physical function (P<0.01), body pain (P=0.01), and general health (P<0.01) domains. Spearman correlation coefficients for SF-36 with S-AI were −0.131~−0.515 (P<0.05); SF-36 with VAS were −0.141~−0.273 (P<0.05), indicating significant but moderate negative correlations between HRQoL and pain/anxiety. Overall, the application of SF-36 in assessing HRQoL is reluctantly suitable for young Chinese orthodontic patients in the early stage of orthodontic treatment. Early treatment-related pain and anxiety are important factors in HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rainfall changes interacting with vegetation cover types affect deep percolation. • Deep percolation depends more on precipitation amount and duration than on intensity. • Deep percolation decreases with increased plant cover and total aboveground biomass. • Restoration with sand-stabilizing vegetation reduces deep percolation in sandy lands. Changes in precipitation patterns and vegetation variability generally affect deep percolation and increasingly limited groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the dynamics of deep percolation and its response to precipitation patterns after vegetation restoration in semi-arid sandy lands are not well understood. Thus, in this work, four typical geomorphologic landscapes with different vegetation types (M: mobile sandy land without vegetation; SH: semi-mobile sandy land with Caragana microphylla shrub but not herbaceous plants; SH&H: semi-fixed sandy land with C. microphylla shrub and herbaceous plants; H: fixed sandy land with herbaceous plants but not C. microphylla shrub) were simulated by an underground observation chamber to monitor daily variability in deep percolation, and characteristics of precipitation and vegetation growth were recorded during the growing seasons from 2010 to 2018. Our results showed that precipitation amount and duration were the most critical factors affecting deep percolation in M, H, SH and SH&H. The response of deep percolation to precipitation events in M was more sensitive than that in SH, H, and SH&H. The amount of deep percolation in M varied consistently with precipitation, and was significantly higher than that in SH, H and SH&H. Deep percolation had a weak negative correlation with species richness and mean height, and a strong negative correlation with mean plant cover and total aboveground biomass. Restoration of sand-stabilizing vegetation reduced deep percolation, and the reduction was greater in H than in SH. Average annual coefficients of deep percolation were 53.3 %, 9.9 %, 7.3 %, and 4.7 % in M, SH, H, and SH&H, respectively. Our results highlight that restoration of sand-stabilizing vegetation and subsequent increases in plant cover and aboveground biomass significantly reduce deep percolation and even groundwater recharge in semi-arid sandy lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper the structures, mechanical properties and tribological characterization of the tetrahedral amorphous carbon films implanted with Ti ion with energy range from 2 keV to 12 keV using MEVVA implantation have been investigated. The structures of the Ti containing amorphous carbon film have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopes. The tetrahedral amorphous carbon transform to sp2-rich amorphous carbon during Ti ion implantation. The hardness and elastic modulus of the tetrahedral amorphous carbon films decreases with Ti ion implantation as a result of graphitization of sp3-rich amorphous carbon film. The compressive stress of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films implanted with Ti decreases with increase of ion implantation dose and energy. The friction coefficient of tetrahedral amorphous carbon film implanted with Ti increases with implantation dosage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from oral pathogenic bacteria is an important factor leading to alveolar bone absorption and the implant failure. The present study aimed to evaluate the modulation of berberine hydrochloride (BBR) on the LPS-mediated osteogenesis and adipogenesis imbalance in rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Cell viability, osteoblastic and adipogenic differentiation levels were measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and content assay, and oil red O staining, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and immunoblotting were used to detect the related gene and protein expression levels. In undifferentiated cells, BBR increased the mRNA expression levels of the osteoblastic genes (Alp, RUNX family transcription factor 2, osteocalcin and secreted phosphoprotein 1) but not the adipogenic genes (fatty acid binding protein 4, Adipsin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγ). LPS-induced osteoblastic gene downregulation, adipogenic gene enhancement and NF-κB activation were reversed by BBR treatment. In osteoblastic differentiated cells, decreased ALP production by LPS treatment was recovered with BBR co-incubation. In adipogenic differentiated cells, LPS-mediated lipid accumulation was decreased by BBR administration. The mRNA expression levels of the pro-inflammatory factors (MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) were increased by LPS under both adipogenic and osteoblastic conditions, which were effectively ameliorated by BBR. The actions of BBR were attenuated by compound C, suggesting that the role of BBR may be partly due to AMP-activated protein kinase activation. The results demonstrated notable pro-osteogenic and anti-adipogenic actions of BBR in a LPS-stimulated inflammatory environment. This indicated a potential role of BBR for bacterial infected-related peri-implantitis medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]