Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CI/RI) is a complex pathological process that often occurs secondary to trauma, surgery, and shock. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a subunit of the PPAR and is a ligand-activated nuclear transcription factor. After being activated by its ligand, PPARγ can combine with specific DNA response elements to regulate the transcription and expression of genes. It has a wide range of biological functions, such as regulating lipid metabolism, improving insulin sensitivity, modulating anti-tumor mechanisms, and inhibiting inflammation. In recent years, some studies have shown that PPARγ exerts a protective effect during CI/RI. This article aims to summarize the research progress of studies that have investigated the protective effects of PPARγ in CI/RI and the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which these effects are modulated, including inhibition of excitatory amino acid toxicity, reduced Ca²⁺ overload, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, inhibition of microglial activation, maintain the BBB, promotion of angiogenesis, and neurogenesis and anti-apoptotic processes.

Background: The current study explored the effect of virtual simulation and jaw model on development of preclinical periodontal skills in undergraduate students. The study also sought to explore effectiveness of VR in periodontal preclinical training and determine adequate performance mode in basic periodontal education to improve future preclinical training strategies. Methods: Sixty volunteer sophomores and juniors from the stomatology department in Lanzhou university were enrolled to the current study. Participants were randomly assigned into four groups (each group, n = 15) including the traditional jaw model group (Group J) which was the control group, virtual reality group (Group V), virtual-jaw group (Group V-J), and jaw-virtual group (Group J-V). Participants received training on uniform basic periodontal knowledge before completing the first theoretical assessment. Participants further underwent a total 8 h of operation training and completed a second theoretical assessment. Performance of participants was evaluated using the supragingival scaling processes, and clinical operation scores were graded by a blinded professional using an established standard scoring system. Results: The findings showed no significant difference in the first theoretical outcomes between the four groups (P > 0.05). The scores of the second theoretical assessment were significantly improved for the V-J and J-V groups (60.00 ± 4.47, 58.33 ± 4.35) compared with the scores of the first theoretical exam (49.67 ± 4.81, 48.00 ± 4.93, P < 0.05). The operation process scores of students in Group V-J and J-V (72.00 ± 5.92; 70.00 ± 3.05) were significantly higher compared with the scores in the other two groups (V: 61.67 ± 7.85; J: 60.67 ± 2.58). The scaling process performance of students in Group V-J and J-V (53.00 ± 3.05; 63.40 ± 4.39) was improved compared with that of students in the other two groups (V: 41.90 ± 5.23; J: 47.40 ± 4.31). Conclusion: The findings show that combination of virtual reality and jaw model during periodontal preclinical training increases students’ grades and improves acquiring of professional skills. Findings from the current study indicate that the jaw model should be applied prior to virtual reality to ensure high efficacy.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by dysbiotic microbial biofilms and localized reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, with inflammation management made challenging by recurrent infections from residual pathogenic bacteria in the periodontal pockets. To address this, we engineered an injectable pH-responsive hydrogel (MH@ZIF-8/CS/β-GP) through the integration of minocycline hydrochloride (MH)-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles into a chitosan (CS) and β-glycerophosphate (β-GP) crosslinked matrix. The MH@ZIF-8 displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy against key periodontal pathogens including Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), primarily attributed to the synergistic antimicrobial effects of Zn ions and MH. Additionally, MH@ZIF-8 effectively eliminated ROS by inhibiting the NLRP3/Caspase-1/IL-1β signaling pathway, demonstrating potent anti-inflammatory effect in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The MH@ZIF-8/CS/β-GP hydrogel, which exhibited favored cytocompatibility with human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), undergoed a rapid sol-gel transition and pH-responsive sustained-release drug delivery under the acidic conditions of periodontal pockets, effectively responding to periodontitis microenvironment. Meanwhile, this hydrogel effectively alleviated alveolar bone loss in vivo. Overall, the developed MH@ZIF-8/CS/β-GP hydrogel presents a novel strategy for chronic periodontitis treatment and demonstrates promising clinical application potential.