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We reported uveal effusion and transient myopia as the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Choroidal retinopathy is rare but extremely destructive to visual function. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and effective treatments will result in complete resolution of the uveal effusion and functional restoration of vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Liver cirrhosis has been a rising complication of chronic liver disease in Singapore. Ultrasound has been widely accepted as a non-invasive imaging modality for the evaluation of hepatic haemodynamics. This study aims to correlate the Doppler ultrasound values with the progression of liver cirrhosis to allow further understanding and possible prediction of clinical events for timely intervention. Methods Study sample of 56 eligible patients with liver cirrhosis was divided according to their Child-Pugh clinical score into Child’s A (n = 29 patients), B (n = 19 patients) and C (n = 8 patients). The maximum portal vein velocity, maximum hepatic vein velocity, maximum hepatic artery velocity and hepatic artery resistive index were assessed by Doppler ultrasound. Results The incidence of ascites increases with the severity of cirrhosis. Flattening of the hepatic vein waveforms was dependant on degree of liver cirrhosis. Maximum hepatic vein velocity was higher in cirrhotic patients (where p = 0.05). Maximum portal vein velocity was found to be lower in cirrhosis (where p < 0.001) and mean maximum portal vein velocity decreases as severity of cirrhosis worsens. Hepatic artery resistive index was significantly higher in cirrhosis (where p < 0.001). Significant association was found between maximum hepatic vein velocity and maximum hepatic artery velocity and significant negative correlation was observed with the maximum portal vein velocity and hepatic artery resistive index. Conclusion The study demonstrated that these parameters can supplement the evaluation of liver cirrhosis and will be able to distinguish the different grades of liver cirrhosis using Doppler ultrasound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gasotransmitter, has been recently linked to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function and bone homeostasis. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) are the main MSCs in PDL, which respond to mechanical force to induce physiological activities during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). However, it is unknown whether mechanical force might induce endogenous H2S production by PDLSCs to regulate alveolar bone homeostasis. Here, we used a mouse OTM model to demonstrate that orthodontic force-induced endogenous H2S production in PDL tissue was associated with macrophage accumulation and osteoclastic activity in alveolar bone. Then, we showed that mechanical force application induced cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) expression and endogenous H2S production by PDLSCs. Moreover, blocking endogenous H2S or systemically increasing H2S levels could decrease or enhance force-induced osteoclastic activities to control tooth movement. We further revealed how force-induced H2S production by PDLSCs contributed to the secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand/osteoprotegerin (RANKL/OPG) system by PDLSCs. The secretion and expression of these factors controlled macrophage migration and osteoclast differentiation. This study demonstrated that PDLSCs produced H2S to respond to and transduce force signals. Force-induced gasotransmitter H2S production in PDLSCs therefore regulated osteoclastic activities in alveolar bone and controlled the OTM process through the MCP-1 secretion and RANKL/OPG system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behaviour and mechanism of solid-state sintered silicon carbide ceramics in the mixed HF–HNO3acid solution were investigated in this paper. The corrosion results of SiC in different corrosion medium demonstrated that the corrosion of ceramic was affected by the coefficient of HF and HNO3. In addition, the results of different corrosion time showed that the corrosion process can be divided into three stages: 0–6, 6–24, 24–96 h, which was also proved by the strength degradation of SiC after being corroded for different time. Because the relationship between mass loss and corrosion time was linear, the corrosion of first two stages was controlled by chemical reaction. Owing to the scattered data of mass loss in the third stage, the apparent activation is introduced to investigate the control mechanism. The corrosion results at different corrosion temperatures demonstrated that the corrosion mechanism was diffusion control in the third stage, and the apparent activation energy was 198.47 ± 13.97 kJ mol−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune system plays a pivotal role during bone remodeling process. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) induces local inflammation in periodontium, but whether systemic immune response is involved in OTM remains unknown. In this study, we show that tooth movement distance was significantly reduced in T-cell-deficient immunocompromised mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Intravenous infusion of allogeneic T cells to the immunocompromised mice rescued the OTM distance. Correspondingly, increased numbers of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts were detected around the alveolar bone after OTM in WT mice but were barely detected in immunocompromised mice. Moreover, intravenous infusion of T cells rescued the number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts in the OTM area of the immunocompromised mice, thus suggesting T cells are required for OTM. We then reveal that OTM induced a significant elevation of type 1 T helper cell (Th1) cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) around periodontal tissue in WT but not in immunocompromised mice. Infusion of T cells could increase the levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ in periodontal tissues of immunocompromised mice. More interestingly, intraperitoneal injection of TNF-α inhibitor etanercept significantly reduced the distance of OTM in T-cell-infused immunocompromised mice. In summary, this study demonstrates a previously unrecognized mechanism that T cells are required for OTM depending on Th1-associated cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium-lithium base alloy is one of the lightest metallic engineering materials with a density of 1·35-1·65 g cm−3, which is referred to as superlight materials. It has become an attractive material in the fields of aerospace, automobiles, portable electronics, etc. In this paper, the developing history and recent progress of superlight magnesium-lithium base alloys are reviewed. The progress on molten electrolysis preparation, processing technologies and surface processing technologies are introduced, and future research directions are suggested based on the current research progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients may present with various symptoms and multi-system damage. We reported a 63-year-old male patient with SLE presenting as type B insulin resistance (TBIR) complicated with cryoglobulinemia. TBIR is an extremely rare disease, which is a manifestation of anti-insulin receptor antibodies (AIRA). Clinical feature is a sudden onset of hyperglycemia with major weight loss; however, the ensuing refractory hypoglycemia is more fatal. The average dosage of exogenous insulin is 5100 U/d. SLE patients with AIRA had poor prognosis, most of whom died of SLE activity. Cryoglobulins are immunoglobulins that reversibly precipitate in the cold, which will induce clinical symptoms. Non-infectious mixed cryoglobulinemia is frequently secondary to autoimmune diseases, such as SLE. Our patient was prescribed methylprednisolone (MP) and cyclophosphamide (CTX). Finally he had remission during the short-term follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an SLE patient presenting as TBIR complicated with cryoglobulinemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously hypothesized that the development of traumatic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis was similar to that of hypertrophic non-union. Besides similarities in etiology, hypertrophic bone stumps, and long-term development, the radiolucent zone, frequently located in the ankylosed bone, is another common feature. In this study, we demonstrated that the radiolucent zone also contained multilineage potential cells (RZs, radiolucent-zone-related cells) as the non-union tissues. RZs were characterized and compared with mandibular bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) by analysis of MSC-related markers, colony-forming-unit assays, multipotential differentiation assays, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays, and cell transplantation in vivo. Both cell types were positive for CD105, CD166, and Stro-1 expression, negative for CD34 and CD45 expression, and exhibited osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potentials. However, compared with mandibular BMSCs, RZs showed lower colony-forming-unit abilities and proliferation rates. The mineralization and bone-forming ability of RZs was weaker than that of mandibular BMSCs, with Runx2 and ALP mRNA expression and ALP activity significantly lower in RZs. All these results suggest that RZs possess the properties of MSCs but lower proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capacity similar to that of stromal cells in hypertrophic non-union tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]