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Optical illusion refers to the phenomenon in which the scene observed by the human eye is not completely consistent with the objectively presented scene. Optical illusions in stomatology, as well as their clinical application, are demonstrated in this paper in terms of shade, shape and aesthetic design. Shade is not only affected by the optical illusions with which it is associated, such as color metamerism, color constancy and the Chevreul illusion, but also influenced by the surroundings. It is suggested that the surrounding lighting during veneering should be the same as that during color matching in the clinic. As indicated by the Poggendorf illusion and the Leaning Tower illusion, the practice should be conducted and checked from multiple perspectives to compensate for the limitation of human eyes, such as intraoral scanning. Other digital technologies, including digital facial scanning and cephalometric measurement, could be used to reduce the subjective influence of observation. In terms of esthetic design, the interaction of the part and the whole, suggested by Ebbinghaus illusion, should be considered: an individual harmony smile should be designed considering the characteristics of the personality and the features of the face, lips, teeth and gingiva of the patient. Furthermore, personal information, such as gender and age, should be taken into consideration in beautification presentation. Further research should be focused on the influence of optical illusions in stomatology in more details. More communication among doctors, technicians and patients is needed. Clinicians should be aware of the impact of optical illusions to reduce subjective bias in clinical standardized operations and further take advantage of optical illusions to create beautification presentations of dental restorations and smiles.

This article reports on the recent mining and production status of ruby in Longido, Tanzania. Faceted-grade rubies and their matrix from Longido Area, Tanzania, were investigated by standard gemological testing, including FTIR, UV-VIS, Raman spectra, and LA-ICP-MS. Microscopic observations revealed dense needle-like and triangular inclusions, distinct growth lines, and color banding as typical inclusions. In agreement with the Raman results, the transmission FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of aluminum hydroxide. The Raman spectra identified associated minerals and inclusions, including zoisite, parasites, feldspar within the matrix, rutile, and diaspore in the ruby host. The chemistry analysis revealed a high amount of Cr and relatively low iron as a good indicator of geographic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively detected in the atmospheric environment and implicated as a prominent threat to atherosclerosis, a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. Due to globalization and economic development, the dramatic shift in diet from traditional to high‐fat dietary patterns aggravated atherosclerosis progression induced by environmental factors. However, limited knowledge is available regarding vascular risks and underlying mechanisms of airborne MNPs in high‐risk populations with high‐fat dietary habits. Herein, we demonstrated that MNPs exerted a proatherogenic effect under high‐fat dietary patterns, leading to aortic wall thickening, elastic fiber disorganization, macrophage infiltration, and local inflammation. Based on the correlation analysis between MNPs and PM group, we identified that MNPs might be a key PM component in atherogenic toxicity. MNPs exposure disturbed the dynamic process of lipid metabolism, manifested as aortic lipid accumulation, dyslipidemia, and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder, which was modulated by the JAK–STAT pathway. Overall, these findings provide new insight into understanding the cardiovascular risks and mechanisms of MNPs among high‐risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM) is a leading environmental cause for the increased morbidity and mortality of atherosclerosis (AS) worldwide, but little is known about the toxic component and disturbance of PM exposure on foam cell formation, a crucial pathological process in AS. Airborne magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported to be detected in human serum, which inevitably encounter with macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques, thus throwing potential disturbance on the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells. Here we comprehensively unveiled that the environmental concentrations of PM exposure triggered and potentiated the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells using both real-ambient PM-exposed mice and AS mice models, including high-fat diet-fed mice and apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. The in vitro model further defined the dose-dependent response of PM treatment on foam cell formation. Interestingly, airborne magnetite NPs rather than nonmagnetic NPs at the same concentration were demonstrated to be the key toxic component of PM in the promoted foam cell formation. Furthermore, magnetite NPs exposure led to abnormal cholesterol accumulation in macrophages, which was attributed to the attenuation of cholesterol efflux and enhancement of lipoprotein uptake, but independent of cholesterol esterification. The in-depth data revealed that magnetite NPs accelerated the protein ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of SR-B1, a crucial transporter of cholesterol efflux. Collectively, these findings for the first time identified magnetite NPs as one key toxic component of PM-promoted foam cell formation, and provided new insight of abnormal cholesterol metabolism into the pathogenesis of PM-induced AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]