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Bacground/purpose: Endodontically treated teeth are more prone to vertical root fracture with the mechanical property changes to some extent during root canal treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a bioceramic sealer on the mechanical properties of tooth roots. Materials and methods: Dentin discs were dried by two different methods (ethanol drying and paper points drying) and then filled with a BC sealer named iRoot SP. SEM and EDS were used to analyze the newly formed minerals in dentin tubules. Elastic modulus and hardness of the secondary dentin in areas proximal to the primary dentin (PD-SD) and areas proximal to canal or iRoot SP (SD-C/SD-iRoot SP) were measured using nanoindentation technique. The compressive strength of roots filled with iRoot SP were tested by compressive loading test. Results: (1) Penetration and mineralization: Paper points drying was more conducive to iRoot SP adhesion, spreading and penetration into the dentin tubules than 95% ethanol drying. (2) Micromechanical properties: After filling root canal with iRoot SP, the elastic modulus and hardness of SD-iRoot SP were higher than those of PD-SD (P = 0.001 and P = 0.000). (3) Fracture resistance: The compressive strength of the roots filled with iRoot SP was not significantly different from that of the roots unprepared and unfilled (P = 0.957), but was higher than that of the roots prepared and unfilled (P = 0.009). Conclusion: Excessive drying (95% ethanol drying method) is not conducive to the penetration and mineralization of the BC sealer iRoot SP into dentin tubules. The good bioactivity of iRoot SP was responsible for increasing the elastic modulus and hardness of dentin, which strengthened the prepared roots.

Invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT) cells produce large amounts of cytokines in response to α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) stimulation. An analog containing two phenyl rings on the acyl chain, C34, was previously found to be more Th1-biased than α-GalCer and triggered greater anticancer activities against breast cancer, melanoma and lung cancer in mice. Since liver is enriched in iNKT cells, we investigated anticancer efficacy of C34 on neuroblastoma with hepatic metastasis. C34 induced Th1-biased cytokine secretions in the liver, significantly suppressed neuroblastoma growth/metastasis and prolonged mouse survival. The anti-tumor efficacy might be attributed to greater expansions of hepatic NKT, NK, CD4+ T, and CD8+ T cells as well as reduction of the number of SSCloGr1intCD11b+ subset of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the liver of tumor-bearing mice, as compared to DMSO control group. C34 also upregulated expression of CD1d and CD11c, especially in the SSCloGr1intCD11b+ subset of MDSCs, which might be killed by C34-activated NKT cells, attributing to their reduced number. In addition, C34 also induced expansion of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and NK cells, which might eliminate neuroblastoma cells. These immune-modulating effects of C34 might act in concert in the local milieu of liver to suppress the tumor growth. Further analysis of database of neuroblastoma revealed that patients with high CD11c expression in the monocytic MDSCs in the tumor had longer survival, suggesting the potential clinical application of C34 for treatment of neuroblastoma.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for mycobacterial pulmonary infections (MPI), including tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD). Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor (DPP4i), a common DM medication, has an immune-modulation effect that raises concerns about developing MPI. However, there is scarce research on the topic. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary-referral center in Taiwan from 2009 to 2016. Patients with type 2 DM who were receiving any DM medication were enrolled. TB and NTM-LD were defined by microbiological criteria. We analyzed the risk of MPI in DPP4i users using Cox proportional hazard regression with adjusted inverse probability of treatment weighting. Results: A total of 9963 patients were included. Among them, 3931 were classified as DPP4i users, and 6032 patients were DPP4i nonusers. DPP4i users had no increase in incidences of MPI (604 vs. 768 per 100,000 person-years, p = 0.776), NTM-LD (174 vs. 255 per 100,000 person-years, p = 0.228), and TB (542 vs. 449 per 100,000 person-years, p = 0.663) relative to those of DPP4i nonusers. After adjustment, the adjusted hazard ratios for MPI (aHR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.79–1.45), TB (aHR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.81–1.64) and NTM-LD (aHR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.49–1.47) were not significantly increased relative to those of nonusers. The subgroup analysis also showed that DPP4i use did not increase the risk of MPI in different DM severities and comorbidities. Conclusions: According to our large cohort study, DPP4i use is safe for patients with type 2 DM and might not increase the risk of MPI.

Background: The effect of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) on the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection is unclear. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies that assessed the association between the use of ICS and the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were searched to January 1st, 2023. ROBINS-I was used to assess risk of bias of included studies. The outcome of interest was the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection in patients and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software version 3. Results: Twelve studies involving seven observational cohort studies, three case-control studies, and two cross-sectional studies were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, compared to non-ICS use, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection was 0.997 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.664–1.499; p = 0.987) for patients with ICS use. Subgroup analyses demonstrated no statistical significance in the increased risk of SARS-COV-2 infection in patients with ICS monotherapy or in combination with bronchodilators (pooled OR=1.408; 95% CI=0.693–2.858; p = 0.344 in ICS monotherapy, and pooled OR=1.225; 95% CI=0.533–2.815; p = 0.633 in ICS combination, respectively). In addition, no significant association was observed between ICS use and the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection for patients with COPD (pooled OR=0.715; 95% CI=0.415–1.230; p = 0.225) and asthma (pooled OR=1.081; 95% CI=0.970–1.206; p = 0.160). Conclusions: The use of ICS, either monotherapy or in combination with bronchodilators, does not have impact on the risk of SARS-COV-2 infection.

Background: Lycopene is a natural red compound with potent antioxidant activity that can be utilized both as pigment and as a raw material in functional food, and so possesses good commercial prospects. The biosynthetic pathway has already been documented, which provides the foundation for lycopene production using biotechnology. Aim of review: Although lycopene production has begun to take shape, there is still an urgent need to alleviate the yield of lycopene. Progress in this area can provide useful reference for metabolic engineering of lycopene production utilizing multiple approaches. Key scientific concepts of review: Using conventional microbial fermentation approaches, biotechnologists have enhanced the yield of lycopene by selecting suitable host strains, utilizing various additives, and optimizing culture conditions. With the development of modern biotechnology, genetic engineering, protein engineering, and metabolic engineering have been applied for lycopene production. Extraction from natural plants is the main way for lycopene production at present. Based on the molecular mechanism of lycopene accumulation, the production of lycopene by plant bioreactor through genetic engineering has a good prospect. Here we summarized common strategies for optimizing lycopene production engineering from a biotechnology perspective, which are mainly carried out by microbial cultivation. We reviewed the challenges and limitations of this approach, summarized the critical aspects, and provided suggestions with the aim of potential future breakthroughs for lycopene production in plants.

Background: Anti-interleukin-5 (IL-5) therapy has been proposed as a novel treatment option for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its efficacy for preventing COPD exacerbation remains unclear. Methods: A literature review was conducted to August 26th 2019. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the clinical efficacy and adverse effects of anti-IL-5 therapy were included in the meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the risk of COPD exacerbation. Results: A total of 3 articles containing 5 RCTs were included in the study. Overall, 2837 and 1442 patients received anti-IL-5 therapy (mepolizumab, n = 865; benralizumab, n = 1972) and placebo, respectively. In the pooled analysis, anti-IL-5 therapy was associated with a lower risk of COPD exacerbation compared with the placebo (rate ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86–0.97, I2 = 0%). In addition, no significant differences in the changes in SGRQ scores and FEV1 from baseline were found between the anti-IL-5 therapy and placebo (SGRQ, mean difference, −0.86, 95% CI, −1.92 – 0.19, I2 = 0%; FEV1, mean difference, 0.01, 95% CI, −0.01 – 0.03, I2 = 0%). Anti-IL-5 therapy had a similar risk of any adverse event (risk ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.99–1.05), an event leading to treatment discontinuation (risk ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.72–1.48) and any serious adverse events (risk ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.85–1.01) when compared with the placebo. Conclusion: Anti-IL-5 therapy was associated with a lower rate of COPD exacerbation compared with placebo. In addition, anti-IL-5 therapy was well tolerated for COPD patients.

Purpose: The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of baloxavir with other anti-influenza agents or placebo in the treatment of influenza. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane databases and clinical registration were searched from inception until February 15 2021 for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Only phase 3 RCTs evaluating the usefulness of baloxavir in the treatment of influenza were included. Results: Three RCTs enrolling 3771 patients (baloxavir group, n = 1451; oseltamivir group, n = 1288; placebo group, n = 1032) were included. Compared with oseltamivir, baloxavir had an insignificantly shorter time to the alleviation of symptoms (mean difference [MD], −1.29 h; 95% CI, −6.80 to 4.21; I2 = 0%). In contrast, baloxavir had a significantly shorter time to the alleviation of symptoms than placebo (MD, −26.32 h; 95% CI, −33.78 to −18.86; I2 = 0%). Baloxavir was associated with a significant decline in influenza virus titers and viral RNA load compared to oseltamivir and placebo. Baloxavir was associated with a lower risk of any adverse events than oseltamivir (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69–0.98; I2 = 0%) and placebo (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66–0.96; I2 = 0%). Conclusions: The findings of this meta-analysis suggested that baloxavir is superior to placebo in the treatment of influenza in both clinical outcome and virological response. Moreover, baloxavir was found to have a better virological response than oseltamivir and to be as effective as oseltamivir clinically. Compared with oseltamivir and placebo, baloxavir appears to be a relatively safe anti-influenza agent.

In this study, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the large-scale extraction, enrichment, and separation of suffruticosol B (SB), trans-ε-Viniferin (TV), trans-gnetin H (TG) from oil tree peony seeds shell (PSS) was successfully constructed. The ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), macroporous adsorption resin (MAR), and column chromatography (CC) were employed to extract, enrich and separate SB, TV and TG from PSS, and the conditions were optimized. The results implied that SB (1.6937 g), TV (0.5884 g) and TG (3.8786 g) with the purity of 99.67 %, 99.32 % and 98.54 %, respectively, were obtained after the extraction, enrichment and separation. The total yields of the SB, TV and TG were 0.61 mg/g, 0.02 mg/g and 6.64 mg/g with the total extraction rates at 70.55 %, 69.77 % and 78.36 %, respectively. This is the first report on the large-scale extraction, enrichment and separation of oligostilbenes. The SOP in this paper could produce high purity SB, TV and TG, and provide a new idea for PSS as a new oligostilbene resource. The study expands the new development and research field of PSS and provides theoretical support for the green utilization of oil tree peony.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of taking Clostridium butyricum (Miyarisan BM) orally for 4 weeks since the 32+0 weeks of gestation on preventing Group B Streptococcus colonization. Materials and methods: We retrospectively collected data on the pregnancy outcomes of 1602 women between October 2017 and August 2019. The control group received standard antenatal care, and the intervention group received standard antenatal care with a daily oral dose of probiotics since the 32+0 weeks of gestation. The daily dose was one pack of C. butyricum (Miyarisan BM) once or twice a day. A vaginal Group B Streptococcus swab was collected between 36+0 and 36+6 weeks of gestation. Results: After applying the designated exclusion criteria, the total number of participants was 1576. The Group B Streptococcus colonization rate was significantly decreased in the intervention group (P = 0.0338; adjusted OR: 0.66 (0.45–0.97)). Conclusion: Probiotics can reduce the colonization rate of Group B Streptococcus in the vagina and rectum under three conditions: (1) intervention of adequate length, (2) sufficient probiotic dose, and (3) effective probiotics.

Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (formerly known as the 2019 novel coronavirus [2019-nCoV]) in Wuhan, China in December 2019, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), more than 75,000 cases have been reported in 32 countries/regions, resulting in more than 2000 deaths worldwide. Despite the fact that most COVID-19 cases and mortalities were reported in China, the WHO has declared this outbreak as the sixth public health emergency of international concern. The COVID-19 can present as an asymptomatic carrier state, acute respiratory disease, and pneumonia. Adults represent the population with the highest infection rate; however, neonates, children, and elderly patients can also be infected by SARS-CoV-2. In addition, nosocomial infection of hospitalized patients and healthcare workers, and viral transmission from asymptomatic carriers are possible. The most common finding on chest imaging among patients with pneumonia was ground-glass opacity with bilateral involvement. Severe cases are more likely to be older patients with underlying comorbidities compared to mild cases. Indeed, age and disease severity may be correlated with the outcomes of COVID-19. To date, effective treatment is lacking; however, clinical trials investigating the efficacy of several agents, including remdesivir and chloroquine, are underway in China. Currently, effective infection control intervention is the only way to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.