| 1. |
- Cheng, Liqin, et al.
(författare)
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A MicroRNA Gene Panel Predicts the Vaginal Microbiota Composition
- 2021
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Ingår i: mSystems. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 2379-5077. ; 6:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vaginal microbiota plays an essential role in vaginal health. The vaginas of many reproductive-age women are dominated by one of the Lactobacillus species. However, the vaginas of a large number of women are characterized by the colonization of several other anaerobes. Notably, some women with the non-Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiota develop bacterial vaginosis, which has been correlated with sexually transmitted infections and other adverse outcomes. However, interactions and mechanisms linking the vaginal microbiota to host response are still under investigation. There are studies suggesting a link between human microRNAs and gut microbiota, but limited analysis has been carried out on the interplay of microRNAs and vaginal microbiota. In this study, we performed a microRNA expression array profiling on 67 vaginal samples from young Swedish women. MicroRNAs were clustered into distinct groups according to vaginal microbiota composition. Interestingly, 182 microRNAs were significantly elevated in their expression in the non-Lactobacillus-dominated community, suggesting an antagonistic relationship between Lactobacillus and microRNAs. Of the elevated microRNAs, 10 microRNAs displayed excellent diagnostic potential, visualized by receiver operating characteristics analysis. We further validated our findings in 34 independent samples where expression of top microRNA candidates strongly separated the Lactobacillus-dominated community from the non-Lactobacillus-dominated community in the vaginal microbiota. Notably, the Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated community showed the most profound differential microRNA expression compared with the non-Lactobacillus-dominated community. In conclusion, we demonstrate a strong relationship between the vaginal microbiota and numerous genital microRNAs, which may facilitate a deeper mechanistic interplay in this biological niche. IMPORTANCE Vaginal microbiota is correlated with women's health, where a non-Lactobacillus-dominated community predisposes women to a higher risk of disease, including human papillomavirus (HPV). However, the molecular relationship between the vaginal microbiota and host is largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated a link between the vaginal microbiota and host microRNAs in a group of young women. We uncovered an inverse correlation of the expression of microRNAs with the abundance of Lactobacillus species in the vaginal microbiota. Particularly, the expression of microRNA miR-23a-3p and miR-130a-3p, displaying significantly elevated levels in non-Lactobacillus-dominated communities, predicted the bacterial composition of the vaginal microbiota in an independent validation group. Since targeting of microRNAs is explored in the clinical setting, our results warrant investigation of whether microRNA modulation could be used for treating vaginosis recurrence and vaginosis-related diseases. Conversely, commensal bacteria could be used for treating diseases with microRNA aberrations.
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| 2. |
- Cheng, Liqin, et al.
(författare)
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Vaginal microbiota and human papillomavirus infection among young Swedish women
- 2020
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Ingår i: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2055-5008. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. To define the HPV-associated microbial community among a high vaccination coverage population, we carried out a cross-sectional study with 345 young Swedish women. The microbial composition and its association with HPV infection, including 27 HPV types, were analyzed. Microbial alpha-diversity was found significantly higher in the HPV-infected group (especially with oncogenic HPV types and multiple HPV types), compared with the HPV negative group. The vaginal microbiota among HPV-infected women was characterized by a larger number of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria (BVAB), Sneathia, Prevotella, and Megasphaera. In addition, the correlation analysis demonstrated that twice as many women with non-Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiota were infected with oncogenic HPV types, compared with L. crispatus-dominated vaginal microbiota. The data suggest that HPV infection, especially oncogenic HPV types, is strongly associated with a non-Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiota, regardless of age and vaccination status.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Engstrand, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Hydroxyapatite formation on a novel dental cement in human saliva
- 2012
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Ingår i: ISRN Dentistry. - : Hindawi Limited. - 2090-438X. ; , s. 624056-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dental materials have to meet high standards regarding mechanical strength and handling properties. There is however only a limited amount of research that has been devoted to natural formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) in contact with the materials. The objective of the current investigation was to study the surface reactions occurring in human salvia on a novel dental cement. Ceramir Crown & Bridge, a bioceramic luting agent intended for permanent cementation of conventional oral prosthetics, was evaluated by immersing discs made from the cement in human saliva and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for seven days, after which they were dried and analyzed. The analytical methods used in order to verify HA formation on the surface were grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All results showed that HA was formed on the surfaces of samples stored in saliva as well as on samples stored in PBS. The possibility of a dental luting cement to promote natural formation of HA at the tooth interface increases the stability and durability of the system and could help prevent secondary caries.
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| 5. |
- Engstrand, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of polymer addition on the mechanical properties of a premixed calcium phosphate cement
- 2013
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Ingår i: Biomatter. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2159-2535. ; 3:4, s. e27249-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Premixed calcium phosphate cements can reduce handling complications that are associated with the mixing of cements in the operating room. However, to extend the clinical indication of ceramic cements their mechanical properties need to be further improved. The incorporation of a polymeric material with intrinsically high tensile properties could possibly assist in increasing the mechanical properties of calcium phosphate cement. In this study polymer microparticles made from poly(lactid-co-glycolide) plasticised with poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PLGA/PEG microparticles) were added in amounts of up to 5 wt% to a premixed acidic calcium phosphate cement. The PLGA/PEG microparticles added undergo a shape transformation at 37°C, which could give a better integration between polymer microparticles and ceramic cement compared to polymer microparticles lacking this property. The results showed that the incorporation of 1.25 wt% PLGA/PEG microparticles increased the compressive strength by approximately 20% up to 15.1 MPa while the diametral tensile strength was kept constant. The incorporation of PLGA/PEG microparticles increased the brushite to monetite ratio after setting compared to pure ceramic cements. In conclusion, small amounts of PLGA/PEG microparticles can be incorporated into premixed acidic calcium phosphate cement and increase their mechanical properties, which could lead to increased future applications.
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| 6. |
- Engstrand, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of water content on hardening and handling of a premixed calcium phosphate cement
- 2013
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Ingår i: Materials science & engineering. C, biomimetic materials, sensors and systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 0928-4931 .- 1873-0191. ; 33:1, s. 527-531
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Handling of calcium phosphate cements is difficult, where problems often arise during mixing, transferring tosyringes, and subsequent injection. Via the use of premixed cements the risk of handling complications is reduced. However, for premixed cements to work in a clinical situation the setting time needs to be improved. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the addition of water on the properties of premixed cement. Monetite-forming premixed cements with small amounts of added water (less than 6.8 wt.%) were prepared and the influence on injectability, working time, setting time and mechanical strength was evaluated. The results showed that the addition of small amounts of water had significant influence on the properties of the premixed cement. With the addition of just 1.7 wt.% water, the force needed to extrude the cement from a syringe was reduced from 107 (±15)N to 39 (±9)N, the compression strength was almost doubled, and the setting time decreased from 29 (±4)min to 19 (±2)min, while the working time remained 5 to 6 h. This study demonstrates the importance of controlling the water content in premixed cement pastes and how water can be used to improve the properties of premixed cements.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Engstrand, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hybrids as injectable biomaterials
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biomedical Materials. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-6041 .- 1748-605X. ; 7:3, s. 035013-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the major issues with the currently available injectable biomaterials for hard tissue replacement is the mismatch between their mechanical properties and those of the surrounding bone. Hybrid bone cements that combine the benefits of tough polymeric and bioactive ceramic materials could become a good alternative. In this work, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was copolymerized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to form injectable in situ cross-linkable hybrid cements. The hybrids were characterized in terms of their mechanical, rheological, handling and in vitro bioactive properties. The results indicated that hybridization improves the mechanical and bioactive properties of POSS and PEG. The Young moduli of the hybrids were lower than those of commercial cements and more similar to those of cancellous bone. Furthermore, the strength of the hybrids was similar to that of commercial cements. Calcium deficient hydroxyapatite grew on the surface of the hybrids after 28 days in PBS, indicating bioactivity. The study showed that PEG–POSS-based hybrid materials are a promising alternative to commercial bone cements.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Engstrand, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of composition on mechanical properties of brushite cements
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. - : Elsevier. - 1751-6161 .- 1878-0180. ; 29, s. 81-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to a fast setting reaction, good biological properties, and easily available starting materials, there has been extensive research within the field of brushite cements as bone replacing material. However, the fast setting of brushite cement gives them intrinsically low mechanical properties due to the poor crystal compaction during setting. To improve this, many additives such as citric acid, pyrophosphates, and glycolic acid have been added to the cement paste to retard the crystal growth. Furthermore, the incorporation of a filler material could improve the mechanical properties when used in the correct amounts. In this study, the effect of the addition of the two retardants, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate and citric acid, together with the addition of β-TCP filler particles, on the mechanical properties of a brushite cement was investigated. The results showed that the addition of low amounts of a filler (up to 10%) can have large effects on the mechanical properties. Furthermore, the addition of citric acid to the liquid phase makes it possible to use lower liquid-to-powder ratios (L/P), which strongly affects the strength of the cements. The maximal compressive strength (41.8 MPa) was found for a composition with a molar ratio of 45:55 between monocalcium phosphate monohydrate and beta-tricalcium phosphate, an L/P of 0.25 ml/g and a citric acid concentration of 0.5 M in the liquid phase.
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