Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms governing osteogenic differentiation is of significant importance to the improvement of therapeutics for bone‑related inflammatory diseases. Tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) is regarded as one of the major agents during osteogenic differentiation in an inflammatory environment. miR‑335‑5p post‑transcriptionally downregulates the Dickkopf WNT signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (DKK1) protein level by specifically binding to the DKK1 3'UTR and activating Wnt signaling. The role of miR‑335‑5p in TNF‑α‑induced post‑transcriptional regulation of DKK1 remains to be elucidated. In the present study, the mRNA and protein levels of DKK1 and the level of miR‑335‑5p were determined in MC3T3‑E1 cells and the primary calvarial osteoblasts treated with or without TNF‑α. The role of NF‑κB signaling in TNF‑α‑induced post‑transcriptional regulation of DKK1 was also evaluated. The present study determined that although TNF‑α treatment exhibited cell‑specific effects on DKK1 mRNA expression, the stimulation of TNF‑α time‑ and concentration‑dependently upregulated the protein levels of DKK1. In primary calvarial osteoblasts, the decreased miR‑335‑5p level induced by TNF‑α‑activated NF‑κB signaling served an important role in mediating the post‑transcriptional regulation of DKK1 by TNF‑α treatment. In MC3T3‑E1 cells, the post‑transcriptional regulation of DKK1 by TNF‑α treatment was more complicated and involved other molecular signaling pathways in addition to the NF‑κB signaling. In conclusion, TNF‑α treatment served an important role in the post‑transcriptional regulation of DKK1 expression, which requires further investigation. The results of the present study not only provided new insights into the regulatory effects of miR‑335‑5p on osteogenic differentiation in an inflammatory microenvironment, but may also promote the development of potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of bone‑related inflammatory diseases.

Post-extraction, preventing the absorption of alveolar ridge to retain the supporting construction for implanted teeth is still a challenge. Herein, we developed modified chitosan (CS)-based hydrogel using N-hydroxysuccinimide-terminated 4-arm poly (ethylene glycol) (4-arm-PEG-NHS) as the crosslinking agent, after introducing it to the polyhexamethyleneguanidine hydrochloride (PHMB) solution, CS/PEG/PHMB hydrogel with the enhanced antibacterial properties was obtained. The CS/PEG hydrogel and CS/PEG/PHMB hydrogel prepared here showed excellent mechanical strength and their compressive strength could reach 440 kPa and 450 kPa, respectively. The composite hydrogel was designed to be directional porous, low cytotoxic, pH-sensitive, and degradable. The weight of the hydrogel was reduced by ∼30% after 28 days of incubation, and it swelled significantly in the acidic condition while it did not swell in the neutral and weakly alkaline environments, indicating an excellent biodegradability in the inflammation site. In vitro antibacterial experiments showed that the bacteriostatic rate of the CS/PEG/PHMB hydrogel against S. aureus was above 90%, which could effectively inhibit the spread of the bacteria and inflammation in the alveolar ridge. Additionally, the hybrid hydrogels demonstrated good biocompatibility with the NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells. Overall, the CS/PEG/PHMB hydrogel is a promising biological scaffold for maintaining the alveolar ridge and subsequently improving the success rate of the dental implant.

CuS nanoparticles anchored to g-C₃N₄ nanosheets could be applied for photothermal ablation of bacteria.

Introduction: The efficacy of root canal treatment is greatly impacted by a thorough understanding of root canal anatomy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to thoroughly investigate the root morphology and canal configuration (RMCC) of permanent premolars (PMs). Methodology: A comprehensive analysis was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Literature exploration was carried out across four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science). The risk of bias assessment was conducted for the included studies utilizing the Anatomical Quality Assessment (AQUA) tool. Data analysis was performed utilizing SPSS and RevMAN5.3.3. The meta-analysis was applied with a 95% confidence interval to calculate odds ratios (OR). Results: Among the 82 selected studies, 59 studies exhibited potential bias in domain one (objective(s) and subject characteristics), followed by domain three (methodology characterization). The majority of maxillary PM1s had either single root (46.7%) or double roots (51.9%), while three-rooted variants were uncommon (1.4%). Conversely, most other PMs exhibited a single root. In terms of canal configuration, maxillary PM1s predominantly featured double distinct canals (87.2%), with the majority of maxillary PM2s displaying either a single canal (51.4%) or double canals (48.3%). Mandibular PMs were primarily characterized by single canals, accounting for 78.3% of mandibular PM1s and 90.3% of mandibular PM2s. Subgroup analyses revealed higher incidences of single-rooted and single-canalled PMs among Asians compared to Caucasians. Additionally, women exhibited a higher incidence of single-rooted PMs, while men showed a greater frequency of double-rooted PMs. Conclusions: The comprehensive analysis indicated that maxillary PM1s predominantly possess double roots and double canals, whereas maxillary PM2s and mandibular PMs were primarily characterized by single-rooted with a single canal. Notably, single root and single canal were more prevalent among women and Asian samples.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most pivotal issues accounting for clinical failure of titanium (Ti)-based implants. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop an antibacterial coating with high biocompatibility on the Ti implant surface. In this article, a novel zinc-doped strontium phosphate coating, denoted as Sr-Zn-PCC, was deposited on Ti substrates by phosphate chemical conversion (PCC) method. The texture characterizations indicated that continuous coatings containing SrHPO₄, Sr₃(PO₄)₂ and SrZn₂(PO₄)₂ phases were formed on the Ti surface. It is found that the doping of Zn could tune the surface microstructure, roughness, wettability and corrosion resistance of the coatings. The Sr-Zn-PCC coating showed the same bacterial adhesion property at short time (2 h), but tended to hinder biofilm formation on coatings after incubation for up to 24 h. Up to 80% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were killed within 24 h by contact with the Sr-Zn-PCC surface. Moreover, cytocompatibility assay indicated that MC-3T3 cells had good adhesion, spreading properties on the coatings, suggesting that it is a promising alloy with both excellent antibacterial ability and high biocompatibility for the applications on orthopedic implants.