Search

Anti-Ro52 autoantibody, also known as anti-TRIM21 autoantibody, is one of the widespread autoantibodies in connective tissue diseases(CTD). It was first detected in the patients of Sjögren's syndrome(SS), which had long been considered as an unknown component of anti-SS/Ro autoantibodies. With the development of molecular biology technology, antibodies against Ro52 are considered as independent auto-antibodies. However, there is still some uncertainty about the clinical applications. Recent studies have found that various connective tissue diseases can be positive for anti-Ro52 antibodies alone or in combination with other ones, leading to clinical manifestations or prognosis heterogeneity.

Amino acids modified hydroxyapatite (AA/HAP) composites were synthesized in the presence of different concentrations of serine (Ser), aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu). The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and were evaluated in the in vitro remineralization of acid-etched bovine enamel. The results show that amino acids (AA)can interfere with the growth of HAP crystal plane, resulting in the increase of the solubility and decrease of the ordered structure of the HAP crystals. XRD patterns and TEM analysis show that AA has a significant inhibitory effect on the[100] crystalline direction of HAP.Meanwhile, the HAP composites modified by AA have refined crystalline size when compared with the HAP without AA. The cytotoxicity of the materials was evaluated by CCK-8 assay and the results show that the relative cell activity of AA/HAP composites is better than the HAP. Field emission scanning electron microscope images show that the HAP without amino acids and the HAP modified with two different concentrations of amino acids both can repair the surface lesions of bovine enamel. While only the AA/HAP synthesized in the presence of 10 mmol·L-1 Ser, Asp and Glu generates a dense remineralization layer with a thickness of approximately 22 μm in the subsurface restoration, and obtains the best surface microhardness recovering.

Amino acids modified hydroxyapatite (AA/HAP) composites were synthesized in the presence of different concentrations of serine (Ser), aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu). The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and were evaluated in the in vitro remineralization of acid-etched bovine enamel. The results show that amino acids (AA)can interfere with the growth of HAP crystal plane, resulting in the increase of the solubility and decrease of the ordered structure of the HAP crystals. XRD patterns and TEM analysis show that AA has a significant inhibitory effect on the[100] crystalline direction of HAP.Meanwhile, the HAP composites modified by AA have refined crystalline size when compared with the HAP without AA. The cytotoxicity of the materials was evaluated by CCK-8 assay and the results show that the relative cell activity of AA/HAP composites is better than the HAP. Field emission scanning electron microscope images show that the HAP without amino acids and the HAP modified with two different concentrations of amino acids both can repair the surface lesions of bovine enamel. While only the AA/HAP synthesized in the presence of 10 mmol·L-1 Ser, Asp and Glu generates a dense remineralization layer with a thickness of approximately 22 μm in the subsurface restoration, and obtains the best surface microhardness recovering.

The calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-tricalcium phosphate composite spherical pellets was fabricated, using the calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-TCP as raw material, and through the stirring spray drying method, and then composite spherical pellets were combined with silica gel, porous silica gel/calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold was obtained by stacking aggregation method in the mould. The XRD, SEM and FT-IR, etc are employed to examine the chemical composition, composite morphology and structure characteristics, and the degradability, porosity, mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of the scaffolds materials were studied. The results reveal that the composite porous scaffolds have irregular pore structure with pore size between 0.2-1.0mm, and they have a large number of micropores on each of the composite spherical pellets, with the aperture between 50-200μm. Moreover, the porosity of the composite scaffolds is about 62%, which can meet the requirements of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering in porosity; the cytotoxicity tests show the composite scaffolds have no cytotoxic effect and it has good degradation. Therefore, it has good application prospect in bone tissue engineering of the bone defect repair of non-bearing site.

While the adverse effects of raising a child with autism are well demonstrated, there have been few reports of the post-traumatic growth of mothers of children with autism. The purpose of this research was to explore dimensions of post-traumatic growth in this population in Mainland China and identify the factors facilitating post-traumatic growth. A total of 11 mothers of pre-school children were recruited from five rehabilitation centres of children with disabilities in Shanghai. The semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2012 and October 2012 and analysed using thematic analysis. The data partially confirmed Tedeschi and Calhoun's model of post-traumatic growth. A new philosophy of life, appreciation of life, relating to others, personal strength and spiritual change were five domains of post-traumatic growth in mothers of children with autism. Perceived social support, peer example, effective coping style and self-efficacy enhancement were facilitating factors of post-traumatic growth. Further studies are needed to understand how to promote the post-traumatic growth of mothers of children with autism.

The study evaluated the impact of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) group-work on the post-traumatic growth (PTG) of mothers who have a child with ASD. A quasi-experimental design was used in which 43 mothers participated. 18 mothers in 2 SFBT groups (n = 9 in each group) received a 6-session SFBT group therapy while 25 mothers in a control group received no treatment. The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory was used to measure the PTG levels of the participants at baseline, post-treatment and 6-month follow-up assessments. Mothers who attended SFBT group-work reported higher PTG scores both at post-treatment (t = 4.065, p = 0.001) and 6-month follow-up (t = 2.980, p = 0.006) assessments. Further investigations to prove whether SFBT in groups can increase the positivity of clients would promote the use of SFBT.