No abstract

We report results of new pair creation experiments using ~100 Joule pulses of the Texas Petawatt Laser to irradiate solid gold and platinum targets, with intensities up to ~1.9 × 1021 W.cm−2 and pulse durations as short as ~130 fs. Positron to electron (e+/e−) ratios >15% were observed for many thick disk and rod targets, with the highest e+/e− ratio reaching ~50% for a Pt rod. The inferred pair yield was ~ few ×1010 with emerging pair density reaching ~1015/cm3 so that the pair skin depth becomes < pair jet transverse size. These results represent major milestones towards the goal of creating a significant quantity of dense pair-dominated plasmas with e+/e− approaching 100% and pair skin depth ≪ pair plasma size, which will have wide-ranging applications to astrophysics and fundamental physics.

The emerging evidence showed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in cell growth and apoptosis as well as cancer progression and metastasis of malignant tumor, however, limited data are available on the role of lncRNAs in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Here, we demonstrated that 23.98% of 196 HNSCC cases in Southwest China could be classified as HPV16 infection. The number of MDSCs in HPV-positive HNSCC was significantly higher than normal control, indicating that HPV infection may promote MDSCs aggregation. Then, we applied an array-based approach to monitor the lncRNA expression between HPV-positive HNSCC, HPV-negative HNSCC and normal oral mucous, and obtained 132 different lncRNAs in different HPV infected states of HNSCC. HOTAIR, PROM1, CCAT1, and MUC19 mRNA levels, determined by qRT-PCR were inversely correlated with MDSCs collection of HPV-associated HNSCC in 2 independent patient cohorts. The results may provide a rationale for the further evaluation of lncRNAs as a molecular target to elucidate the molecular mechanism of HPV promoting MDSCs collection of HNSCC.

No abstract

Clear aligners were firstly designed by Kesling in 1946 to correct crowding and introduced to the market by Align Technologies in 1998. 1 With the promise to provide more transparent and aesthetic device, clear aligner treatment (CAT) has quickly become an alternative orthodontic appliance for adult patients. Quality of life (QoL) is a multidimensional evaluation, which combines social, psychological and physical aspects, and subjectively describes the individual well-being. 2,3 It is among pivotal outcome measures in managing dental diseases. 4 Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) refers to the QoL associated with oral health. 5

Both strategies alleviated symptoms in short term, but the patients treated with GS benefited more than those with placebo in long term, which may be due to the suppression of IL-1β and IL-6 and the stimulation of TGF-β.

Bone defects caused heavy social and economic burdens worldwide. Nel‐like molecule, type 1 (NELL‐1) could enhance the osteogenesis and the repairment of bone defects, while the specific mechanism remains to be elucidated. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to play critical roles in the tissue development and serve as biomarkers for various diseases. However, it remains unclear that the expression patterns of circRNAs and the roles of them played in recombinant NELL‐1‐induced osteogenesis of human adipose‐derived stem cells (hASCs). In this study, we performed RNA‐sequencing to investigate the expression profiles of circRNAs in recombinant NELL‐1‐induced osteogenic differentiation and identified two key circRNAs, namely circRFWD2 and circINO80. These two circRNAs were confirmed to be up‐regulated during recombinant NELL‐1‐induced osteogenesis, and knockdown of them affected the positive effect of NELL‐1 on osteogenesis. CircRFWD2 and circINO80 could interact with hsa‐miR‐6817‐5p, which could inhibit the osteogenesis. Silencing hsa‐miR‐6817‐5p could partially reverse the negative effect of si‐circRFWD2 and si‐circINO80 on the osteogenesis. Therefore, circRFWD2 and circINO80 could regulate the expression of hsa‐miR‐6817‐5p and influence the recombinant NELL‐1‐induced osteogenic differentiation of hASCs. It opens a new window to better understanding the effects of NELL‐1 on the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs and provides potential molecular targets and novel methods for bone regeneration efficiently and safely.

Background Human dental pulp stromal cells (hDPSCs) are promising sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for bone tissue regeneration. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been demonstrated to play critical roles in stem cell osteogenic differentiation. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of circAKT3 during osteogenesis of hDPSCs and the underlying mechanisms of its function. Methods We performed circRNA sequencing to investigate the expression profiles of circular RNAs during osteogenesis of hDPSCs. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression pattern of circAKT3 and miR-206 in hDPSCs during osteogenesis. We knocked down circAKT3 and interfered the expression of miR-206 to verify their regulatory role in hDPSC osteogenesis. We detected hDPSCs mineralization by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining and used dual-luciferase reporter assay to validate the direct binding between circAKT3 and miR-206. To investigate in vivo mineralization, we performed subcutaneous transplantation in nude mice and used hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and immunohistochemistry staining. Results Totally, 86 circRNAs were differentially expressed during hDPSC osteogenesis, in which 29 were downregulated while 57 were upregulated. circAKT3 was upregulated while miR-206 was downregulated during hDPSC osteogenesis. Knockdown of circAKT3 inhibited ALP/ARS staining and expression levels of osteogenic genes. circAKT3 directly interacted with miR-206, and the latter one suppressed osteogenesis of hDPSCs. Silencing miR-206 partially reversed the inhibitory effect of circAKT3 knockdown on osteogenesis. Connexin 43 (CX43), which positively regulates osteogenesis of stem cells, was predicted as a target of miR-206, and overexpression or knockdown of miR-206 could correspondingly decrease and increase the expression of CX43. In vivo study showed knockdown of circAKT3 suppressed the formation of mineralized nodules and expression of osteogenic proteins. Conclusion During osteogenesis of hDPSCs, circAKT3 could function as a positive regulator by directly sponging miR-206 and arresting the inhibitive effect of miR-206 on CX43 expression.