Stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) possess multipotent differentiation and immunomodulatory properties. They have been used for orofacial bone regeneration and autoimmune disease treatment. In this study, we show that acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) treatment is able to significantly improve SHED-mediated osteogenic differentiation and immunomodulation. Mechanistically, ASA treatment upregulates the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT)/Wnt/β-catenin cascade, leading to improvement of SHED-mediated bone regeneration, and also upregulates TERT/FASL signaling, leading to improvement of SHED-mediated T-cell apoptosis and ameliorating disease phenotypes in dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis mice. These data indicate that ASA treatment is a practical approach to improving SHED-based cell therapy.

iRoot BP Plus and MTA had similar favourable results when used as pulp-capping agents.

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BackgroundThe symptoms of major depression (MD) are clinically diverse. Do they form coherent factors that might clarify the underlying nature of this important psychiatric syndrome?MethodSymptoms at lifetime worst depressive episode were assessed at structured psychiatric interview in 6008 women of Han Chinese descent, age ⩾30 years with recurrent DSM-IV MD. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatoryfactor analysis (CFA) were performed in Mplus in random split-half samples.ResultsThe preliminary EFA results were consistently supported by the findings from CFA. Analyses of the nine DSM-IV MD symptomatic A criteria revealed two factors loading on: (i) general depressive symptoms; and (ii) guilt/suicidal ideation. Examining 14 disaggregated DSM-IV criteria revealed three factors reflecting: (i) weight/appetite disturbance; (ii) general depressive symptoms; and (iii) sleep disturbance. Using all symptoms (n = 27), we identified five factors that reflected: (i) weight/appetite symptoms; (ii) general retarded depressive symptoms; (iii) atypical vegetative symptoms; (iv) suicidality/hopelessness; and (v) symptoms of agitation and anxiety.ConclusionsMD is a clinically complex syndrome with several underlying correlated symptom dimensions. In addition to a general depressive symptom factor, a complete picture must include factors reflecting typical/atypical vegetative symptoms, cognitive symptoms (hopelessness/suicidal ideation), and an agitated symptom factor characterized by anxiety, guilt, helplessness and irritability. Prior cross-cultural studies, factor analyses of MD in Western populations and empirical findings in this sample showing risk factor profiles similar to those seen in Western populations suggest that our results are likely to be broadly representative of the human depressive syndrome.