Search

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.08.071 Byline: Zhonghao Liu, Kory J. Lavine, Irene H. Hung, David M. Ornitz Keywords: Fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18); Skeletal development; Growth plate; Chondrocyte; Osteoblast; Periosteum; Perichondrium; Vascular development Abstract: Fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) has been shown to regulate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation by signaling through FGF receptor 3 (FGFR3) and to regulate osteogenesis by signaling through other FGFRs. Fgf18.sup.-/- mice have an apparent delay in skeletal mineralization that is not seen in Fgfr3.sup.-/- mice. However, this delay in mineralization could not be simply explained by FGF18 signaling to osteoblasts. Here we show that delayed mineralization in Fgf18.sup.-/- mice was closely associated with delayed initiation of chondrocyte hypertrophy, decreased proliferation at early stages of chondrogenesis, delayed skeletal vascularization and delayed osteoclast and osteoblast recruitment to the growth plate. We further show that FGF18 is necessary for Vegf expression in hypertrophic chondrocytes and the perichondrium and is sufficient to induce Vegf expression in skeletal explants. These findings support a model in which FGF18 regulates skeletal vascularization and subsequent recruitment of osteoblasts/osteoclasts through regulation of early stages of chondrogenesis and VEGF expression. FGF18 thus coordinates neovascularization of the growth plate with chondrocyte and osteoblast growth and differentiation. Author Affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA Article History: Received 9 June 2006; Revised 29 August 2006; Accepted 30 August 2006

Objectives To systematically review the current dental literature regarding clinical accuracy of guided implant surgery and to analyze the involved clinical factors. Material and Methods PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis were performed. Clinical studies with the following outcome measurements were included: (1) angle deviation, (2) deviation at the entry point, and (3) deviation at the apex. The involved clinical factors were further evaluated. Results Fourteen clinical studies from 1951 articles initially identified met the inclusion criteria. Meta-regression analysis revealed a mean deviation at the entry point of 1.25 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-1.29), 1.57 mm (95% CI: 1.53-1.62) at the apex, and 4.1° in angle (95% CI: 3.97-4.23). A statistically significant difference ( P < .001) was observed in angular deviations between the maxilla and mandible. Partially guided surgery showed a statistically significant greater deviation in angle ( P < .001), at the entry point ( P < .001), and at the apex ( P < .001) compared with totally guided surgery. The outcome of guided surgery with flapless approach indicated significantly more accuracy in angle ( P < .001), at the entry point ( P < .001), and at apex ( P < .001). Significant differences were observed in angular deviation based on the use of fixation screw ( P < .001). Conclusions The position of guide, guide fixation, type of guide, and flap approach could influence the accuracy of computer-aided implant surgery. A totally guided system using fixation screws with a flapless protocol demonstrated the greatest accuracy. Future clinical research should use a standardized measurement technique for improved accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• It was discovered for the first time that L. japonica crude extract and Radix Puerariae crude extract can improve the performance of finishing pigs. • L. japonica crude extract had a strong effect on serum antioxidant capacity of finishing pigs. • L. japonica crude extract and Radix Puerariae crude extract reduced the production of pro-inflammatory factors in finishing pigs. This study aimed to investigate the influence of adding Lonicera japonica (L. japonica) and Radix Puerariae crude extracts, and their mixture to the diet of finishing pigs on their growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immunological functions. A total of 72 healthy Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred barrows without significant differences in body weight were selected and randomly divided into four groups (18 in each group). The groups were fed with the following diets: control group, basic diet; L. japonica crude extract (CGA) group, basic diet + 1 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract; Radix Puerariae crude extract (PF) group, basic diet + 1 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract; and mix group, basic diet + 0.5 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract + 0.5 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract. The following results were obtained: 1) The average daily feed intake in the mix group significantly increased compared with that in the control group (P< 0.05), and the ratio of feed to gain significantly decreased (P< 0.05). 2) The red blood cell count significantly increased in the CGA and PF groups compared with that in the control group (P< 0.05). The neutrophil count in the PF group significantly decreased compared with that in the control group (P< 0.05). 3) Serum cholesterol content was significantly lower in the CGA group than in the other three groups(P< 0.05), whereas the high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels in the serum of the PF and mix groups were significantly higher than those of the control groups. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) level in the serum of the mix group was significantly lower than that in the PF group (P< 0.05). 4) The malondialdehyde content in the serum of the CGA group was significantly reduced compared with that of the control group (P< 0.05). The total antioxidant capacity and the activity levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly enhanced compared with those of the control group (P< 0.05). 5) The immunoglobulin M and interleukin-4 levels in the serum of the CGA group were significantly reduced compared with those of the control group (P< 0.05). The IL-4 content of the PF group significantly decreased (P< 0.05). The immunoglobulin A content in the serum of the mix group significantly increased, whereas the IL-4 content was significantly reduced (P< 0.05). In summary, adding L. japonica and Radix Puerariae crude extracts to the diet can improved antioxidant capacities, blood biochemical indices, and immunological functions, thereby enhancing the growth performance of finishing pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus and different durations of glycaemic control on early osseointegration of dental implants, and to explore possible mechanisms by measuring the expression of integrin α5β1 and fibronectin in bone around the implant. We divided 33 male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats aged 3 months into 3 groups. The first group comprised diabetic rats with dental implants (controls); the second group was treated with insulin and implants were placed simultaneously (exenatide alone group); and the third group was treated with insulin until the serum glucose was at a constant concentration ( < 16 mmol/L), and implants were then inserted (exenatide+normal glucose group). Rats were killed 7, 14, 30, and 60 days after implants had been inserted. The expression of integrin α5β1 and fibronectin in bone around the implants was detected by immunohistochemical analysis in each group. The expression in the exenatide+normal glucose group was stronger than in the other 2 groups. Fourteen days after implantation, expression of integrin α5β1 in the exenatide alone group was significantly stronger than that in the control group (p=0.027), and 60 days after implantation the expression of fibronectin in the exenatide alone group was also significantly stronger than that among the controls (p=0.001). Both fibronectin and integrin α5β1 participate in the adhesion of osteoblasts and act as signals at the bone/implant interface. Diabetes interferes with the osseointegration of implants by deferring expression of fibronectin and integrin α5β1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ti element was used for the first time to optimize the soft magnetic properties of Fe 85 Si 9.6 Al 5.4 SMPCs. • The effects of Ti content on the soft magnetic properties of Fe 85- x Si 9.6 Al 5.4 Ti x SMPCs were studied systematically • Fe 85- x Si 9.6 Al 5.4 Ti x SMPCs showed high effective permeability (62.9) and low core loss (140.6 mW/cm3). • The addition of Ti element made the FeSiAl SMPCs exhibit good corrosion resistance. In this study, the effects of Ti content on the soft magnetic properties of Fe 85- x Si 9.6 Al 5.4 Ti x soft magnetic powder cores (SMPCs) were studied systematically. The addition of nonmagnetic Ti gradually decreased the saturation magnetization (M s) of the Fe 85- x Si 9.6 Al 5.4 Ti x alloys powder, whereas the resistivity and density gradually increased, leading to a significant decrease in core loss (P cv). The SMPCs doped with 0.5 wt% Ti showed the best magnetic properties, including low P cv of 140.6 mW/cm3, stable effective permeability (μ e) of 62.9 up to 1 MHz, and high DC bias performance of 46% at 100 Oe. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the Fe 85- x Si 9.6 Al 5.4 Ti x SMPCs gradually improved as the Ti content increased, reaching a maximum at a Ti content of 2.5 wt%, at which the corrosion current density decreased to a minimum of 1.45 × 10−6 A/cm2. The addition of Ti can effectively improve the corrosion resistance of Fe 85 Si 9.6 Al 5.4 SMPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a polyketide mycotoxin produced by several Aspergillus and Penicillium species that is of great concern as a contaminant in agricultural products. In this study, the bacterial strain CO29 with high OTA-detoxification ability was isolated from vineyards and was identified as Cytobacillus oceanisediminis based on morphological and physiological characteristics, combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The removal of OTA by CO29 was partly attributed to physical absorption, but the main mechanism of OTA removal was degradation. The degradation activity was completely removed by boiling, and could be significantly reduced by proteinase K treatment, but was only partially inhibited by the metal chelator EDTA. Zn2+ significantly improved the degradation of OTA, while Ca2+ and Mg2+ significantly inhibited the degradation. In addition, organic solvents inhibited OTA degradation in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, the mechanism of degradation by CO29 cell lysates was deduced as being enzymatic. Two OTA degradation intermediates were observed, one of which was identified as OTα. The time-profiles of OTA degradation by cell lysates showed an increase of OTα corresponding to the decrease of OTA. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of a Cytobacillus oceanisediminis strain with the ability to detoxify OTA, with potential applications in the bioremediation of contaminated soils. [Display omitted] • Coumarin was used as an alternative substrate to screen OTA degrading bacteria. • C. oceanisediminis CO29 capable of OTA detoxification was isolated and identified. • Intracellular enzymatic degradation was mainly responsible for the OTA removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Shell substrate with axisymmetric distribution thickness is investigated. • Different curvatures on upper and lower surfaces of substrate are involved. • Axisymmetric distribution film stress resultant is considered in the model. • Analytical formulas between shell deformation and film stress are provided. Axisymmetric film/substrate systems are irreplaceable for many applications, owing to special structural requirements. Stoney's formula is widely used to analyze the thin plate film/substrate system. Many researches have been presented to relax limitations of Stoney's formula, which considered the substrate as a thin plate without any curvature. For the optical lens, the axisymmetric thin shell substrate with different curvatures on its upper and lower surfaces is common due to the need of optical focusing. The film stress of the optical lens needs to be optimized and measured due to its effects on system deformations and optical performances. However, the optical lens cannot be solved by Stoney's formula and its extensions due to the curvatures. In this paper, analytical solutions for the thin shell optical lens with different curvatures on upper and lower substrate surfaces are developed by the thin shell theory with the axisymmetric distribution film stress resultant (FSR) in consideration. The FSR is modeled by thermal stress equivalent method, which allows the calculation for the axisymmetric distribution FSR induced by many factors. The forward and inverse solutions between the FSR and the bending deformation are provided in the form of simple formulas with correction coefficient vectors depending on the global substrate thickness, which enables its feasibility in practical applications. Moreover, the two solutions are verified by the finite element method considering the deformation normal to the substrate surface measured by the interferometer in inverse solution, and small errors are found when the optical lens conforms to the assumptions of the method in this paper. The proposed method is efficient to predict the optical lens' bending deformations, and extends the usage of curvature-based techniques from plates to shells with different curvatures on upper and lower surfaces in the film stress measurement, which makes great significance to the thin film/substrate application. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The ZrO 2 coating layer were prepared by the hydrolysis-precipitation method. • Homogeneous ZrO 2 coating layer coated on the FeSiBNbCu nanocrystalline powder. • The micromorphology, chemical composition, and conversion mechanisms were studied. • The effect of ZrO 2 coating layer on the soft magnetic properties was investigated. • The presence of ZrO 2 coating layer reduce P cv while improving DC bias performance. The insulation coating plays a crucial role in minimizing core loss (P cv) in soft magnetic powder cores (SMPCs). In this work, we prepared ZrO 2 coating layer on FeSiBNbCu spherical powder by the hydrolysis-precipitation method and investigated the magnetic properties of the FeSiBNbCu@ZrO 2 nanocrystalline SMPCs. ZrO 2 coating layer were successfully fabricated on the powder by adding a proper amount of K 2 ZrF 6 in alkaline ethyl alcohol solution. The micromorphology and chemical structure of the ZrO 2 coating layer on the surface of FeSiBNbCu nanocrystalline powder, as well as the conversion mechanisms, has been investigated. The presence of the ZrO 2 coating reduces the P cv by significantly lowers eddy loss (P e) of the nanocrystalline SMPCs, meanwhile improves DC bias performance and slightly decreases their permeability. When the additive amount of K 2 ZrF 6 is 1.0 wt%, the nanocrystalline SMPCs has best comprehensive soft magnetic properties, including stable effective permeability (μ e) of 57.8 up to 1 MHz, excellent DC bias performance of 59.3 % at a bias field of 100 Oe, and the lowest P cv of 194.7 mW/cm3 at a frequency (f) of 150 kHz and maximum magnetic induction (B m) of 50 mT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Al 1.5 (Co x Fe 6-x) 6 Cr high-entropy alloy soft magnetic powder cores were first designed and prepared via gas atomization and insulation. • The effects of Co/Fe ratio on the phase formation, microstructure evolution and soft magnetic properties of the Al 1.5 (Co x Fe 6-x) 6 Cr high-entropy alloy soft magnetic powder cores were systematically investigated. • The association of magnetic domains, grain size and particle size with H c variation of Al 1.5 (Co x Fe 6-x) 6 Cr high-entropy alloys was analyzed. Al 1.5 (Co x Fe 6-x) 6 Cr high-entropy alloy (HEA) soft magnetic powder cores (SMPCs) were designed and prepared via gas atomization and insulation, and the effects of the Co/Fe ratio on their phase formation, microstructure evolution, and soft magnetic properties were systematically investigated. An increase in Co content promoted the precipitation of the B2 phase from the body-centered cubic (BCC) matrix, and the content of the B2 phase was greater than that of the BCC phase at x = 4, thus replacing the BCC phase as the matrix, which contributed to the optimization of the soft magnetic properties of the AlCoFeCr HEA. The SMPC composed of the BCC single phase exhibits the lowest eddy current loss (P e) of 55.1 mW/cm3 (@100 kHz, 50 mT), excellent direct current (DC) bias performance of 80.6 % at 100 Oe, and high stable effective permeability (μ e) of 49.9 up to 1 MHz. The association of magnetic domains, grain size, and particle size with H c variation was analyzed, providing guidelines for subsequent studies to obtain HEAs with good soft magnetic properties. By comprehensively and systematically comparing the microstructural differences of diverse matrix-phase HEAs and SMPCs, the specific application of this HEA system under high-temperature conditions can be expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • FeNi nanoparticles was used for the first time to coated FeSi powder. • The soft magnetic properties of the FeSi/FeNi SMPCs were investigated. • FeSi/FeNi SMPCs showed high effective permeability (increased by 43.8%) and low core loss (decreased by 22.1%). In this work, a new type of FeSi/FeNi soft magnetic powder core (SMPC) was successfully fabricated by coating FeNi nanoparticles on the surface of FeSi micrometer powder. The effects of different contents of FeNi nanoparticles on the micromorphology, internal structures, and soft magnetic properties of SMPCs were studied. The results show that FeNi nanoparticles adhere to the surface of FeSi powder, which can effectively fill the air gap between FeSi powder and is beneficial to the compaction of the powder cores during the pressing process. Thus, the density of the SMPCs is increased. Compared to FeSi SMPCs, the comprehensive soft magnetic properties of FeSi/FeNi SMPCs have been greatly improved. When adding 15 wt% FeNi nanoparticles, the SMPCs exhibit excellent magnetic properties with high effective permeability (increased by 43.8 %) and low core loss (decreased by 22.1 %). The high performance FeSi/FeNi SMPCs prepared in this work are expected to be widely used in power choke coils, uninterruptible power supplies, and boosts and inverter inductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]