The medial 2/3 of the third rugae and the regional palatal vault dorsal to it is a stable region to register 3D digital models for evaluation of orthodontic tooth movement in adult patients.

Angiogenesis is one of the critical biological elements affecting the development and progression of cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators and aberrantly expressed in various types of human cancer. Our previous studies indicated that lncRNA taurine upregulated 1 (TUG1) implicated in the regulation of blood-tumor barrier permeability; however, its role in glioblastoma angiogenesis still unclear. Here we demonstrated that TUG1 was up-expressed in human glioblastoma tissues and glioblastoma cell lines. Knockdown of TUG1 remarkably suppressed tumor-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation as well as reducing spheroid-based angiogenesis ability in vitro, which are the critical steps for tumor angiogenesis. Besides, knockdown of TUG1 significantly increased the expression of mircroRNA-299 (miR-299), which was down-expressed in glioblastoma tissues and glioblastoma cell lines. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that TUG1 influenced tumor angiogenesis via directly binding to the miR-299 and there was a reciprocal repression between TUG1 and miR-299 in the same RNA-induced silencing complex. Moreover, knockdown of TUG1 reduced the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), which was defined as a functional downstream target of miR-299. In addition, knockdown of TUG1, shown in the in vivo studies, has effects on suppressing tumor growth, reducing tumor microvessel density and decreasing the VEGFA expression by upregulating miR-299 in xenograft glioblastoma model. Overall, the results demonstrated that TUG1 enhances tumor-induced angiogenesis and VEGF expression through inhibiting miR-299. Also, the inhibition of TUG1 could provide a novel therapeutic target for glioblastoma treatment.

Aim To evaluate the expression of Foxp3‐positive lymphocytes around newly formed tissue after regenerative endodontic treatment (RET) in vivo and investigate the effects of stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAP) on the conversion of CD4+CD25− T cells to CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro. Methodology Three 6‐month‐old beagles with nine doubled‐rooted premolars in each dog were randomly assigned to the RET group and the control group. RET was performed after apical periodontitis had been induced in the experimental immature teeth. Three months later, the expression of Foxp3 was detected in the histological sections by immunofluorescent staining. Human SCAP and CD4+CD25− T cells from mice spleens (1 : 1 and 1 : 5) were co‐cultured in cell–cell contact or in Transwells, respectively, for 24 and 72 h in vitro. The percentage of Tregs was evaluated by flow cytometry. The results were analysed using the Fisher's exact test and analysis of variance. P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results Inflammatory cells were present with tissue regeneration in the RET group, and Foxp3‐positive T cells were enriched around the newly formed tissues. SCAP promoted Treg conversion after 72 h in vitro. Cell–cell contact played an important role after the 24 h co‐culture, whilst soluble factors were also involved after 72 h (P < 0.05). Conclusions SCAP promoted the conversion of pro‐inflammatory T cells to Tregs in vitro. Tregs were enriched around the regenerating tissues in the root canals after RET, which may create a suitable immune microenvironment for the differentiation of SCAP. This study provides an underlying mechanism for tissue regeneration during RET.

WNT10A (Wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 10A) plays a crucial role in tooth development, and patients with biallelic WNT10A mutation and mice lacking Wnt10a show taurodontism. However, whether epithelial or mesenchymal WNT10A controls the initiation of the root furcation formation remains unclear, and the functional significance of WNT10A in regulating root morphogenesis has not been clarified. Here, we investigated how Wnt10a affects tooth root development by generating different tissue-specific Wnt10a conditional knockout mice. Wnt10a knockout in the whole tissue ( EIIa-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox) and in dental epithelium ( K14-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox) led to an absence of or apically located root furcation in molars of mice, a phenotype that resembled taurodontism. An RNAscope analysis showed that the dynamic epithelial and mesenchymal Wnt10a expression pattern occurred during root development. Immunofluorescent staining of E-cadherin and EdU revealed decreased epithelial cell proliferation at the cervical region of the molar in K14-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox mice at postnatal day 0 (PN0), just before the initiation of root morphogenesis. Interestingly, we found increased pulpal mesenchymal cell proliferation in the presumptive root furcating region of the molar in K14-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox mice at PN4 and PN7. RNA-seq indicated that among the Wnt ligands with high endogenous expression levels in molars, Wnt4 was increased after epithelial knockout of Wnt10a. The RNAscope assay confirmed that the expression of Wnt4 and Axin2 in the dental papilla of the presumptive root furcating region, where dental pulp overgrowth occurred, was increased in K14-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox molars. Furthermore, after suppression of the elevated Wnt4 level in K14-Cre;Wnt10aflox/flox molars by Wnt4 shRNA adenovirus and kidney capsule grafts, the root furcation defect was partially rescued. Taken together, our study provides the first in vivo evidence that epithelial Wnt10a guides root furcation formation and plays a crucial role in controlling the organized proliferation of adjacent mesenchymal cells by regulating proper Wnt4 expression during root furcation morphogenesis.

Genes associated with the WNT pathway play an important role in the etiology of tooth agenesis. Low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 6 encoding gene ( LRP6) is a recently defined gene that is associated with autosomal dominant inherited tooth agenesis. Here, we aimed to identify novel LRP6 mutations in patients with tooth agenesis and investigate the significance of Lrp6 during tooth development. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified 4 novel LRP6 heterozygous mutations (c.2292G>A, c.195dup, c.1095dup, and c.1681C>T) in 4 of 77 oligodontia patients. Notably, a patient who carried a nonsense LRP6 mutation (c.2292G>A; p.W764*) presented a hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia phenotype. Preliminary functional studies, including bioinformatics analysis and TOP-/FOP-flash reporter assays, demonstrated that the activation of WNT/β-catenin signaling was compromised as a consequence of LRP6 mutations. RNAscope in situ hybridization revealed dynamic and special changes of Lrp6 expression during murine tooth development from E11.5 to E16.5. It was noteworthy that Lrp6 was specifically expressed in the epithelium at E11.5 to E13.5 but was expressed in both dental epithelium and dental papilla from E14.5 and persisted in both tissues at later stages. Our study broadens the mutation spectrum of human tooth agenesis and is the first to identify a LRP6 mutation in patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and reveal the dynamic expression pattern of Lrp6 during tooth development. Information from this study is conducive to understanding the functional significance of Lrp6 on the biological process of tooth development.

This is the first study to analyse all three important types of hereditary dentin defect and include comprehensive genetic analyses of both dentin sialoprotein and dentin phosphoprotein in Chinese families. This study expands the spectrum of DSPP variants, highlighting their associated phenotypic continuum.

TiO2 nanoparticles doped with different amount of lanthanum were obtained by sol-gel approach and followed annealing at different temperature. The crystal size of TiO2 doped with lanthanum was smaller than that of pure TiO2. Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 doped with lanthanum for water splitting into H2 was investigated. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 doped with lanthanum for water splitting into H2 is higher than that of pure TiO2. It was found that the optimal photocatalyst was TiO2 doped with 2 wt% lanthanum and calcined at 600 degrees C for 4 h which had hydrogen generation rate 700.6 micromol h(-1).

ABSTRACT.Patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) were evaluated using ultrafast magnetic resonance imaging (UMRI) while asleep and awake to analyze tongue changes. The upper airway of 21 OSAHS patients and 20 normal controls were examined during sleep using UMRI. A series of midline sagittal images of the upper airway were obtained to measure dynamic changes in tongue size and the distance from the tongue to the x-axis (an extended line from the anterior nasal spine to posterior nasal spine) and the y-axis (a perpendicular line from the center of the pituitary to the x-axis). The maximum and minimum sagittal Dynamic changes of the tongue in OSAHS during sleep diameters of the tongue were shorter in the OSAHS group than in the control group (P < 0.01) while awake, whereas the difference between the maximum and minimum vertical diameters of the tongue and the upper and central part of tongue between the posterior border and the retropharyngeal wall were greater (P < 0.05). During sleep, the maximum values and differences between the maximum and minimum tongue sizes in the OSAHS group were larger than in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the minimum values were lower than in the control group (P < 0.01). Tongue size significantly differs between OSAHS patients and normal controls during sleep. The tongue tends to move downward during OSAHS, which may be attributed to increased upper airway resistance.