A new procedure, free from human assessment, that automatically grades some facial skin structural signs. Comparison with assessments by experts, using referential atlases of skin aging

Abstract

Objective

To develop an automatic system that grades the severity of facial signs through "selfies" pictures taken by women of different ages and ethnics.

Methods

1140 women from three ethnics (African‐American, Asian, Caucasian), of different ages (18–80 years old), took "selfies" by high resolution smartphones cameras under different conditions of lighting or facial expressions. A dedicated software, was developed, based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that integrates training data from referential Skin Aging Atlases. The latter allows to an immediate quantification of the severity of 9 facial signs according to the ethnicity declared by the subject. These automatic grading were confronted to those assessed by 12 trained experts and dermatologists either on "selfies" pictures or in live conditions on a smaller cohort of women.

Results

The system appears weakly influenced by lighting conditions or facial expressions (coefficients of variations ranging 10–13% for most signs) and leads to global agreements with experts' assessments, even showing a better reproducibility on some facial signs.

Conclusion

This automatic scoring system, still in development, seems offering a new quantitative approach in the quantified description of facial signs, independent from human vision, in many applications, being individual, cosmetic oriented or dermatological with regard to the follow up of medical anti‐aging corrective strategies.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://bit.ly/2HpJhVS

Exploring the possibility of predicting long‐term oxidative stability in prototype skincare formulations using various lipid oxidation‐initiators

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify an effective lipid oxidation initiator which could predict, within one month, the long‐term oxidative stability of a prototype skincare formulation. The main purpose is to find a potential initiator not to assess oxidation stability of the formulations.

Methods

Four initiators (below) were examined in three steps

1.Reaction kinetics using a Clark electrode (Oxygraph);

2. Effect of adding an initiator on the product's physical and oxidative stability in prototype skincare formulations by visual observation, peroxide value and headspace GC‐MS determination of volatile oxidation products; and

3. Ability to differentiate unstable vs. stable prototype creams by initiator addition.

The four initiators explored were: FeCl₂/H₂O₂, FeCl₃/ascorbic acid, 2,2′‐Azobis(2,4‐dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN) and 2,2′‐Azobis(2‐methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH).

Results

In Oxygraph, the initiator systems FeCl₂/H₂O₂ and FeCl₃/ascorbic acid were good accelerators of oxygen consumption. The addition of FeCl₂/H₂O₂ to prototype formulations did not affect the physical stability. However, the addition of FeCl₃/ascorbic acid to prototype formulations resulted in phase separation and FeCl₃/ascorbic acid was therefore deemed unusable. Moreover, the addition of AAPH or AMVN resulted in an increased and decreased viscosity, respectively.

In the oxidation stability study, peroxide value increased significantly when AMVN was added. However, the peroxide value remained low for the other initiators and the control (no initiator). The secondary volatile oxidation product, butanal, increased most with the FeCl₂/H₂O₂ addition.

Three out of the four initiators did not have the ability to rank the stable and unstable formulations in accordance with the result obtained for volatile oxidation products after 42 days of storage at 20°C of formulations without initiator. Only, FeCl₂/H₂O₂ was able to rank the formulations in accordance with the oxidative stability observed for volatile oxidation products after 42 days of storage.

Conclusion

FeCl₂/H₂O₂ showed potential as an initiator to predict the oxidative stability of skincare formulations, but more studies are needed to confirm the result in a broader range of products over a longer time.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://bit.ly/2RV98ck

15 keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester (80 µgr/mL) gel for cosmetic eyelash growth and enhancement

Summary

Background

Eyelashes have both a protective and an aesthetic function. Hypotrichosis of the eyelashes may negatively influence an individual's self‐perception.

Objective

To evaluate efficacy and safety of topical administration of a new cosmetic preparation containing 15 keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester (80 µgr/mL) for the treatment of idiopathic hypotrichosis of the eyelashes.

Methods

This is a monocentric, double‐blind, vehicle‐controlled study. Forty patients (18 years) with idiopathic hypotrichosis (GEA 1 or 2), who also exhibit feelings of low confidence, based on the ESQ score, were divided into two groups. Group 1: twenty women treated with once‐daily 15 keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester gel and Group 2: twenty women treated only with the vehicle gel.

Results

Group 1: The average difference in eyelash length measured at the midpoint of palpebral margins between T0 and T2 for Group 1 was 1633 mm and for Group B was 0.25 (P < 0.0001). Comparing the ESQ questionnaires of Groups 1 and 2 from T0 to T2, only the 80% of the patients of Group 1 declared to dedicate less time to the application of cosmetic mascara, having longer and darker lashes at T2 vs patients of Group 2, of which only 20% reported longer and darker eyelashes at T2. About safety, only one patient of Group 1 experienced sensation of ocular sensation heaviness and headache. No other side effects were referred.

Conclusions

15 keto fluprostenol isopropyl ester gel was effective in enhancing eyelash growth, with an excellent safety profile.

http://bit.ly/2CCDHtF

Adsorption studies of 17β-estradiol from aqueous solution using a novel stabilized Fe–Mn binary oxide nanocomposite

Abstract

The removal of 17β-estradiol (E2) from contaminated water on nanoscale Fe–Mn binary oxide-loaded multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs/FMBO) was evaluated in this work. The characterizations of the mesoporous adsorbent were analyzed by using SEM, TEM, VSM, XRD, XPS, and FTIR measurements. The effects of experimental conditions in E2 removal, including stabilizer additional level, adsorption time, initial E2 concentration, solution pH, reaction temperature, and foreign ions, were examined. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (q_m) of MWCNTs/FMBO for E2 in the experiment was 47.25 mg/g as verified by the Langmuir sorption isotherm study. The adsorption process was pH-sensitive with an optimum pH of 7.0. On the kinetics study, the adsorption data could be satisfactorily fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetics. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermal. In addition, the foreign ions did not show any noticeable inhibition for E2 removal from the water solution except for PO₄³⁻ that was adversely affected for E2 uptake than other anions in a certain concentration. The adsorption capacities of the mesoporous adsorbent remained at 86.16% even after five adsorption–desorption cycles without significant loss of capacity, which demonstrated the stability and reusability for further removal of E2. Moreover, both hydrogen bond and π–π interaction might be the dominating adsorption mechanisms for E2 adsorption onto MWCNTs/FMBO.

http://bit.ly/2DrVkOn

Atraumatic restorative treatment—ART in early childhood caries in babies: 4 years of randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) performed 4 years ago in babies suffering from early childhood caries (ECC), and to compare the clinical performance of ART atraumatic restorations performed with two different high-viscosity glass ionomer cements (GIC).

Materials and methods

This was a longitudinal follow-up of a randomized, double-blind, split-mouth-type clinical trial. The initial sample was composed of 100 deciduous molars with occlusal lesions in 25 children with ages between 18 and 36 months who received ART with two different GICs: Ketac Molar Easymix® (3 M ESPE) and Vitro Molar® (DFL). The clinical assessments were performed by a trained, blind examiner gauged by the parameters assessed in 1, 2, and 4 years (ART and USPHS criteria).

Results

For the analysis of the clinical performance of ARTs between the different GICs, the chi-square and Mann–Whitney tests were applied (p < 0.05). In the 4 years of evaluation, the sample was composed by 76 ARTs and 19 children, with 94.7% of the treatments having inactivated the cavity process. The total success percentage of the ARTs was 94%, 87.5%, and 82.9%, in 1, 2, and 4 years of follow-up, respectively. Moreover, among the GICs studied, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03756025).

Conclusion

ART was effective in handling ECC, with an excellent clinical performance of ART restorations, for both GICs, during the 4 years of follow-up.

Clinical relevance

ART, with both GIC studied, is an alternative therapy for ECC.

http://bit.ly/2R120GJ

Gender difference in authorship of clinical practice guidelines and position statements in endocrinology

http://bit.ly/2T5KF1j

A survey of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in environmental water in Okinawa Prefecture of Japan and relationship with indicator organisms

Abstract

Surveys of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-pE) in stream water and untreated wastewater were carried out in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Thirty-six samples of water were collected from 18 streams in Okinawa Prefecture, as well as ten samples of wastewater flowing into four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). We investigated bacterial species, Escherichia coli O antigen, ESBL phenotype, ESBL genotype, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type of isolates, and total viable count and fecal coliforms as indicator organisms. The relation between indicator organisms and ESBL-pE was also validated using the same samples. A total of 141 ESBL-pE including 107 E. coli, 15 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2 Proteus mirabilis, and 17 other species was isolated from stream water and wastewater. Of the 141 ESBL-pE, 14.9% and 54.6% were found to be blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-14-like types, respectively, which have been found in hospital isolates in Okinawa. Two pairs of possibly related patterns according to PFGE criteria were isolated from stream water and wastewater in two districts. When ESBL-pE was significantly isolated, total viable count and fecal coliform boundaries were ≥ 6.0 × 10³ CFU/ml and ≥ 4.3 × 10² most probable number/100 ml, respectively. These results suggested that ESBL-pE isolated from stream water is human derived, and that total viable count and fecal coliforms will be useful as indicators for confirming the spread of ESBL-pE to the environment by means of simple hygiene surveys.

http://bit.ly/2S1lGPl

Spontaneous Brain Activity Predicts Task-Evoked Activity During Animate Versus Inanimate Touch

Abstract

The spontaneous activity of the brain is characterized by an elaborate temporal structure with scale-free properties as indexed by the power law exponent (PLE). We test the hypothesis that spontaneous brain activity modulates task-evoked activity during interactions with animate versus inanimate stimuli. For this purpose, we developed a paradigm requiring participants to actively touch either animate (real hand) or inanimate (mannequin hand) stimuli. Behaviorally, participants perceived the animate target as closer in space, temporally more synchronous with their own self, and more personally relevant, compared with the inanimate. Neuronally, we observed a modulation of task-evoked activity by animate versus inanimate interactions in posterior insula, in medial prefrontal cortex, comprising anterior cingulate cortex, and in medial superior frontal gyrus. Among these regions, an increased functional connectivity was shown between posterior insula and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) during animate compared with inanimate interactions and during resting state. Importantly, PLE during spontaneous brain activity in PACC correlated positively with PACC task-evoked activity during animate versus inanimate stimuli. In conclusion, we demonstrate that brain spontaneous activity in PACC can be related to the distinction between animate and inanimate stimuli and thus might be specifically tuned to align our brain with its animate environment.

http://bit.ly/2T6RnnA

Reduced White Matter Fiber Density in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Differences in brain networks and underlying white matter abnormalities have been suggested to underlie symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, robustly characterizing microstructural white matter differences has been challenging. In the present study, we applied an analytic technique that calculates structural metrics specific to differently-oriented fiber bundles within a voxel, termed "fixels". Fixel-based analyses were used to compare diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 25 individuals with ASD (mean age = 16.8 years) and 27 typically developing age-matched controls (mean age = 16.9 years). Group comparisons of fiber density (FD) and bundle morphology were run on a fixel-wise, tract-wise, and global white matter (GWM) basis. We found that individuals with ASD had reduced FD, suggestive of decreased axonal count, in several major white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum (CC), bilateral inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, right arcuate fasciculus, and right uncinate fasciculus, as well as a GWM reduction. Secondary analyses assessed associations with social impairment in participants with ASD, and showed that lower FD in the splenium of the CC was associated with greater social impairment. Our findings suggest that reduced FD could be the primary microstructural white matter abnormality in ASD.

http://bit.ly/2AXEJ3d

Thalamocortical Afferents Innervate the Cortical Subplate much Earlier in Development in Primate than in Rodent

Abstract

The current model, based on rodent data, proposes that thalamocortical afferents (TCA) innervate the subplate towards the end of cortical neurogenesis. This implies that the laminar identity of cortical neurons is specified by intrinsic instructions rather than information of thalamic origin. In order to determine whether this mechanism is conserved in the primates, we examined the growth of thalamocortical (TCA) and corticofugal afferents in early human and monkey fetal development. In the human, TCA, identified by secretagogin, calbindin, and ROBO1 immunoreactivity, were observed in the internal capsule of the ventral telencephalon as early as 7–7.5 PCW, crossing the pallial/subpallial boundary (PSB) by 8 PCW before the calretinin immunoreactive corticofugal fibers do. Furthermore, TCA were observed to be passing through the intermediate zone and innervating the presubplate of the dorsolateral cortex, and already by 10–12 PCW TCAs were occupying much of the cortex. Observations at equivalent stages in the marmoset confirmed that this pattern is conserved across primates. Therefore, our results demonstrate that in primates, TCAs innervate the cortical presubplate at earlier stages than previously demonstrated by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, suggesting that pioneer thalamic afferents may contribute to early cortical circuitry that can participate in defining cortical neuron phenotypes.

http://bit.ly/2T6RiQO

Neural Coding of Contact Events in Somatosensory Cortex

Abstract

Manual interactions with objects require precise and rapid feedback about contact events. These tactile signals are integrated with motor plans throughout the neuraxis to achieve dexterous object manipulation. To better understand the role of somatosensory cortex in interactions with objects, we measured, using chronically implanted arrays of electrodes, the responses of populations of somatosensory neurons to skin indentations designed to simulate the initiation, maintenance, and termination of contact with an object. First, we find that the responses of somatosensory neurons to contact onset and offset dwarf their responses to maintenance of contact. Second, we show that these responses rapidly and reliably encode features of the simulated contact events—their timing, location, and strength—and can account for the animals' performance in an amplitude discrimination task. Third, we demonstrate that the spatiotemporal dynamics of the population response in cortex mirror those of the population response in the nerves. We conclude that the responses of populations of somatosensory neurons are well suited to encode contact transients and are consistent with a role of somatosensory cortex in signaling transitions between task subgoals.

http://bit.ly/2AVPqTX

Selective Modulation of Early Visual Cortical Activity by Movement Intention

Abstract

The primate visual system contains myriad feedback projections from higher- to lower-order cortical areas, an architecture that has been implicated in the top-down modulation of early visual areas during working memory and attention. Here we tested the hypothesis that these feedback projections also modulate early visual cortical activity during the planning of visually guided actions. We show, across three separate human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies involving object-directed movements, that information related to the motor effector to be used (i.e., limb, eye) and action goal to be performed (i.e., grasp, reach) can be selectively decoded—prior to movement—from the retinotopic representation of the target object(s) in early visual cortex. We also find that during the planning of sequential actions involving objects in two different spatial locations, that motor-related information can be decoded from both locations in retinotopic cortex. Together, these findings indicate that movement planning selectively modulates early visual cortical activity patterns in an effector-specific, target-centric, and task-dependent manner. These findings offer a neural account of how motor-relevant target features are enhanced during action planning and suggest a possible role for early visual cortex in instituting a sensorimotor estimate of the visual consequences of movement.

http://bit.ly/2T1f94t

Biological Characteristics of Connection-Wise Resting-State Functional Connectivity Strength

Abstract

Functional connectivity is defined as the statistical dependency of neurophysiological activity between 2 separate brain areas. To investigate the biological characteristics of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC)—and in particular the significance of connection-wise variation in time-series correlations—rsFC was compared with strychnine-based connectivity measured in the macaque. Strychnine neuronography is a historical technique that induces activity in cortical areas through means of local administration of the substance strychnine. Strychnine causes local disinhibition through GABA suppression and leads to subsequent activation of functional pathways. Multiple resting-state fMRI recordings were acquired in 4 macaques (examining in total 299 imaging runs) from which a group-averaged rsFC matrix was constructed. rsFC was observed to be higher (P < 0.0001) between region-pairs with a strychnine-based connection as compared with region-pairs with no strychnine-based connection present. In particular, higher resting-state connectivity was observed in connections that were relatively stronger (weak < moderate < strong; P < 0.01) and in connections that were bidirectional (P < 0.0001) instead of unidirectional in strychnine-based connectivity. Our results imply that the level of correlation between brain areas as extracted from resting-state fMRI relates to the strength of underlying interregional functional pathways.

http://bit.ly/2AXu48I

Plasticity in Adult Mouse Visual Cortex Following Optic Nerve Injury

Abstract

Optic nerve (ON) injury is an established model of axonal injury which results in retrograde degeneration and death of retinal ganglion cells as well anterograde loss of transmission and Wallerian degeneration of the injured axons. While the local impact of ON crush has been extensively documented we know comparatively little about the functional changes that occur in higher visual structures such as primary visual cortex (V1). We explored the extent of adult cortical plasticity using ON crush in aged mice. V1 function of the contralateral hemisphere was assessed longitudinally by intrinsic signal imaging and 2-photon calcium imaging before and after ON crush. Functional imaging demonstrated an immediate shift in V1 ocular dominance towards the ipsilateral, intact eye, due to the expected almost complete loss of responses to contralateral eye stimulation. Surprisingly, within 2 weeks we observed a delayed increase in ipsilateral eye responses. Additionally, spontaneous activity in V1 was reduced, similar to the lesion projection zone after retinal lesions. The observed changes in V1 activity indicate that severe ON injury in adulthood evokes cortical plasticity not only cross-modally but also within the visual cortex; this plasticity may be best compared with that seen after retinal lesions.

http://bit.ly/2Cz9r2L

Sequence Variation Associated with SLC12A5 Gene Expression Is Linked to Brain Structure and Function in Healthy Adults

Abstract

A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) gene, rs3918242, has been shown to affect MMP9 expression in macrophages and was associated with schizophrenia by two independent groups. However, rs3918242's effects on MMP9 expression were not replicable in cell lines or brain tissue. Additionally, publically available data indicate that rs3918242 genotype is related not to MMP9 expression, but rather to expression of SLC12A5, a nearby gene coding for a K+/Cl- cotransporter, whose expression has also been related to schizophrenia. Here, we studied brain structure and function in healthy participants stratified by rs3918242 genotype using structural MRI (N = 298), functional MRI during an N-back working memory task (N = 554), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) during the same task (N = 190). We found rs3918242 was associated with gray matter volume (GMV) in the insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally, closely replicated in discovery and replication samples; and with inferior parietal lobule (IPL) GMV when the samples were meta-analytically combined. Additionally, using both fMRI and MEG, rs3918242 was associated with right IPL working memory-related activation, replicated in two cohorts and across imaging modalities. These convergent results provide further impetus for examinations of the relationship of SLC12A5 with brain structure and function in neuropsychiatric disease.

http://bit.ly/2T5H7w5

Das Ende der TPF-Induktion bei lokoregionär fortgeschrittenen HNO-Karzinomen? Induktionschemotherapie gefolgt von Cetuximab und Bestrahlung nicht effektiver als simultane Radiochemotherapie

http://bit.ly/2U9QNG1

Fruits and vegetables (FVs)

Nature's bountiful gift to humankind: Vegetables & fruits & their role in cardiovascular disease & diabetes p. 569

Kamala Krishnaswamy, Rajagopal Gayathri

DOI:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1780_18  

Fruits and vegetables (FVs) are recognized as healthy constituents of diet and a sustainable solution to the existing twin burden of micronutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases in developing and developed countries. In general, FVs are nutrient dense foods low in energy, containing varying amounts of vitamins and minerals including carotenoids, B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium and fibre. These are abundantly rich in phytochemicals that function as antioxidants, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory agents. This review summarizes some epidemiological, prospective cohort and intervention studies on the health benefits of FVs in relation to cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. The rich varieties of FVs available, their composition, production scenario in India, dietary intake and trends over time, barriers to sufficient intake mainly sociocultural, economic and horticulture environment, policies for promotion and prevention of diseases are considered.

Monitoring of environmental persistent organic pollutants in hair samples collected from wild terrestrial mammals of Primorsky Krai, Russia

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) constitute a wide range of chemicals. Their release into the environment has raised great concern due to their potentially harmful impact in humans and wildlife species. The aim of this current study was to detect selected POPs in hair samples of wild terrestrial mammals from Primorsky Krai, Russia, so as to assess potential environmental exposure. The tested wild species were leopard cat, musk deer, wolf, amur hedgehog, and raccoon dog. The targeted organochlorines were hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and DDTs (opDDE, ppDDE, and opDDD), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (acenaphylene (ACEN), fluorene (FLU), anthracene (ANTH) phenathrene (PHEN), and pyrene (PYR)). The detection of POPs was conducted in hair samples by a one-step hair extraction method, by using a headspace solid-phase microextraction technique (HS-SPME) and analyzed then by GC-MS. The majority of the wild animal hair samples were found positive in all tested pollutants. More specifically, the percentage of positive hair samples for HCB was 93.3% and for DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs, 20.0 to 100.0%, 6.7 to 100.0%, and 75.0 to 100.0%, respectively. DDT, PCB, and PAH detection ranged from 1.26 to 52.06 pg mg⁻¹, 0.73 to 31.34 pg mg⁻¹, and 2.59 to 35.00 pg mg⁻¹, respectively. The highest mean concentration levels of all tested pollutants were found for musk deer (PCBs 12.41 pg mg⁻¹, DDTs 21.87 pg mg⁻¹, PAHs 22.12 pg mg⁻¹) compared to the other wild species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that provides results regarding contamination in different terrestrial mammals by POP exposure. The use of hair as a matrix is proven to be an effective tool for nondestructive biological monitoring of POP contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.

http://bit.ly/2FDdNtG

Removal efficiency of commonly prescribed antibiotics via tertiary wastewater treatment

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as "hot spots" of antibiotics release to the environment. Treatment operations at WWTPs may remove a significant proportion of antibiotics from influent wastewater; however, the effects of tertiary treatment processes on antibiotics removal are not well understood. The objective of this review is to summarize the current literature regarding antibiotics removal from common tertiary processes at full-scale municipal WWTPs and to reveal the research gaps and inform future research directions. Chlorination, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and sand filtration were reviewed due to their popularity of application in the USA. The majority of studies of antibiotics removal via tertiary wastewater treatment have been conducted in EU nations, the USA, Australia, and China. Chlorination significantly reduces antibiotics concentrations in wastewater effluents. In comparison, sand filtration and UV irradiation are less effective. However, a large discrepancy of removal efficiencies is apparent across different studies of these treatment processes. Increases in antibiotics concentration following tertiary treatment have also been observed. Possible reasons for the discrepancies, such as sorption to filtered particles, sampling strategies, specific operating parameters of wastewater treatment plants, and deconjugation, are discussed. It is concluded that the effects of tertiary treatment on antibiotic removal efficiency are still arguable, and caution must be taken when sampling wastewater in full-scale WWTPs for comparison of removal efficiencies of antibiotics.

http://bit.ly/2FS4yVA

Changes in proinflammatory gene expression in human whole blood after contact with UV-conditioned implant surfaces

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this in vitro study was to assess changes in the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines in human whole blood after contact with titanium implant surfaces conditioned by UV light. To this end, expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines were analyzed in vitro in human whole blood.

Materials and methods

Dental implants made of grade 4 titanium were conditioned by UV light in a UV device and submerged in human whole blood. Unconditioned implants served as controls, and blood samples without implants served as the negative control group. Sampling was performed at 1, 8, and 24 h. Changes in the expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL1B) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) were assessed using RT-qPCR at the mRNA level.

Results

The gene expression of IL1B was significantly suppressed in the test group over the observation period compared to the control group during the 1–8 h after having contact between the implant surface and the blood. The gene expression of TNF was not significantly altered by UV conditioning after 1 and 8 h of observation, but both cytokine expression levels were increased significantly after 24 h.

Conclusions

Differences in the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines after insertion of UV-conditioned titanium implants can be assessed using a human whole blood test. UV-conditioned implant surfaces apparently suppress the release of IL1B in vitro.

Clinical relevance

The results of our publication demonstrate that modulation of the early inflammatory response in human whole blood is possible by surface treatment with UV light. In particular, the suppression of IL1B expression, especially after the initial contact of blood cells, may be beneficial in the osseointegration of titanium implants by positively influence the balance between rejection and acceptance of an implant.

http://bit.ly/2CBQTPt