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Abstract The repair of bone defects remains a major challenge in the clinic, and treatment requires bone grafts or bone replacement materials. Existing biomaterials have many limitations and cannot meet the various needs of clinical applications. To treat bone defects, we constructed a nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)/methylacrylylated silk fibroin (MASF) composite biological scaffold using photocurable 3D printing technology. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to detect the changes in the morphological structure of the composite scaffold with different contents of nanohydroxyapatite, and FTIR was used to detect the functional groups and chemical bonds in the composite scaffold to determine the specific components of the scaffold. In in vitro experiments, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from SD rats were cocultured with scaffolds soaking solution, and the cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, Western blot analysis, Quantitative real-time PCR analysis, bone alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red staining of scaffolds were detected to determine the biocompatibility of scaffolds and the effect of promoting proliferation and osteogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. In the in vivo experiment, the skull defect was constructed by adult SD rats, and the scaffold was implanted into the skull defect site. After 4 weeks and 8 weeks of culture, the specific osteogenic effect of the scaffold in the skull defect site was detected by animal micro-CT, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Masson's staining. Through the analysis of the morphological structure of the scaffold, we found that the frame supported good retention of the lamellar structure of silk fibroin, when mixed with nHA, the surface of the stent was rougher, the cell contact area increased, and cell adhesion and lamellar microstructure for cell migration and proliferation of the microenvironment provided a better space. FTIR results showed that the scaffold completely retained the β -folded structure of silk fibroin, and the scaffold composite was present without obvious impurities. The staining results of live/dead cells showed that the constructed scaffolds had no significant cytotoxicity, and thw CCK-8 assay also showed that the constructed scaffolds had good biocompatibility. The results of osteogenic induction showed that the scaffold had good osteogenic induction ability. Moreover, the results also showed that the scaffold with a MASF: nHA ratio of 1: 0.5 (SFH) showed better osteogenic ability. The micro-CT and bone histometric results were consistent with the in vitro results after stent implantation, and there was more bone formation at the bone defect site in the SFH group.This research used photocurable 3D printing technology to successfully build an osteogenesis bracket. The results show that the constructed nHA/MASF biological composite material, has good biocompatibility and good osteogenesis function. At the same time, in the microenvironment, the material can also promote bone defect repair and can potentially be used as a bone defect filling material for bone regeneration applications.

There are three traditional surgical approaches to hemiarthroplasty (HA) for femoral neck fractures, respectively, the anterior approach (AA), the lateral approach (LA) and the posterior approach (PA). However, the optimum approach is still controversial, the purpose of this meta-analysis is to identify the merits and demerits of all three approaches. All clinical published studies in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from January 2000 to April 2022 were searched which compared different surgical approaches and covered surgery-related outcomes and frequent complications. Five randomized controlled trials and 26 cohort studies for a total of 31 clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. The dislocation of PA was significantly higher than LA (OR: 3.00 95% CI: 2.25–4.01 I2 = 27% P

Inspired by the tactile sensory mechanism of human skin, ionic hydrogels‐derived ionic flexible sensors have attracted much attention since they can produce output signals that match the recognition mode of nerves, showing a potential application in the human‐machine interaction. Unfortunately, the practical sensing properties of ionic hydrogels are restricted by the drawbacks of hydroelastic instability and non‐selective response ability, such as poor mechanical strength, irretentive solvent retaining capacity, and low‐temperature intolerance. Herein, in this study, a novel physical‐crosslink enhanced ionic hydrogel‐PVA/PEG/TA‐MXene‐Na+/Li+ (PPM‐NL) nanocomposite is prepared and shows well comprehensive properties of mechanical strength (400% elongation at break, 0.93 MPa), electrical conductivity (8.1 S m−1), tear resistance, self‐healing and anti‐freezing/drying features (93% water retention after sixty days and frost resistance −27 °C). The PPM‐NL hydrogel‐derived flexible sensor displays selective response behavior to tensile and compressive deformation with high sensitivity (G = 1.12) and rapid response time (only 60 ms). Further, this ionic flexible device is applied to monitor the joint motions of humanoid hands and integrated into manipulators to recognize the thickness and softness of objects, showing superior environmental stability. It can be believed that this ionic flexible sensor will provide inspiration for developing next‐generation biomimetic tactile perception of robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of tactile perception limits the dexterity of a prosthetic hand and its acceptance by amputees. Recreating the sensing properties of the skin using a flexible tactile sensor could have profound implications for prosthetics, whereas existing tactile sensors often have limited functionality with cross‐interference. In this study, we propose a machine‐learning‐assisted multifunctional tactile sensor for smart prosthetics, providing a human‐like tactile sensing approach for amputations. This flexible sensor is based on a poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)–melamine sponge, which enables the detection of force and temperature with low cross‐coupling owing to two separate sensing mechanisms: the open‐circuit voltage of the sensor as a force‐insensitive intrinsic variable to measure the absolute temperature and the resistance as a temperature‐insensitive extrinsic variable to measure force. Furthermore, by analyzing the unsteady heat conduction and characterizing it using real‐time thermal imaging, we demonstrated that the process of open‐circuit voltage variation resulting from the unsteady heat conduction is closely correlated with the heat‐conducting capabilities of materials, which can be utilized to discriminate between substances. Assisted by the decision tree algorithm, the device is endowed with thermal conductivity sensing ability, which allows it to identify 10 types of substances with an accuracy of 94.7%. Furthermore, an individual wearing an advanced myoelectric prosthesis equipped with the above sensor can sense pressure, temperature, and recognize different materials. We demonstrated that our multifunctional tactile sensor provides a new strategy to help amputees feel force, temperature and identify the material of objects without the aid of vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new naphthalene derivatives, named naphthalene A (1) and naphthalene B (2), together with eight known compounds (3–10) were isolated from dichloromethane fraction of Phellinus igniarius. The structures of compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and absolute configurations were established based on electronic circular dichroism data. Compounds 9 and 10 exhibited moderate activity, increasing Glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4) translocation by 1.62 and 1.87 folds, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kurarinone, a flavonoid isolated from Sophora flavescens Aiton, has been reported to have significant antitumor activity. However, the cytotoxic activity of kurarinone against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells is still under explored. In our study, we have evaluated the inhibitory effects of kurarinone on the growth of NSCLC both in vivo and in vitro as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying kurarinoneinduced A549 cell apoptosis. The results showed that kurarinone effectively inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells with little toxic effects on human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B. FASC examination and Hoechst 33258 staining assay showed that kurarinone dose-dependently provoked A549 cells apoptosis. Mechanistically, kurarinone significantly decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, thereby causing the activation of caspase 9 and caspase 3, and reduced the expression of Grp78, which led to relieve the inhibition of caspase-12 and caspase-7, as well as suppressing the activity of AKT. Meanwhile, modeling results from the Surflex-Dock program suggested that residue Ser473 of Akt is a potential binding site for kurarinone. In vivo, kurarinone inhibited the growth of A549 xenograft mouse models without apparent signs of toxicity. Our study indicated that kurarinone has the potential effects of anti-NSCLC, implemented through activating mitochondria apoptosis signaling pathway, as well as repressing the activity of endoplasmic reticulum pathway and AKT in A549 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, biomass-derived and biodegradable polylactide (PLA) has sparked tremendous attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-derived polymers for diverse applications. Unfortunately, the current applications of PLA have been mainly limited to biomedical and commodity fields, mostly because the poor heat resistance (resulting from low melting temperature) and hydrolysis stability make it hard to use as an engineering plastic. Stereocomplexation between enantiomeric poly( l-lactide) (PLLA) and poly( d-lactide) (PDLA) opens a new avenue toward PLA-based engineering plastics with improved properties. The formation, crystal structure, properties, and potential applications of stereocomplex-type PLA (SC-PLA) are summarized by some research groups. However, since it is challenging to achieve full stereocomplexation from high-molecular-weight PLLA/PDLA blends and to avoid serious thermal degradation of the PLAs after complete melting, the advances and progress in the processing of SC-PLA into useful products are quite rare in open publication. In this review, some important strategies for enhancing stereocomplex crystallization in practical processing operations are presented and recently developed processing technologies for SC-PLA are highlighted, such as low-temperature sintering. Furthermore, major challenges and future developments are briefly discussed. This review is expected to potentially open up new research activities in the processing of SC-PLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To discover new bioactive compounds from nature plants, a primary screening of traditional Chinese medicines had been taken. The screening results showed that a EtOAc extract of Sedum sarmentosum displayed a certain degree of cytotoxic activity and bioassay-directed isolation of EtOAc extract gave two new megastigmanes, (6S,9R)-2-hydroxy-4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxo-cyclohex-2-enyl)-butyric acid (1) and (6S,9R)-2-hydroxy-4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxo-cyclohex-2-enyl)-butyric acid methyl ester (2) together with seven known flavonoids. The chemical structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of detailed 1D, 2D NMR and MS data. When tested against HepG2 and Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, compounds 1–9 showed weak anti-HCC activity. In addition, in vitro antioxidant activities of 1–9 were evaluated by ABTS radical cation-scavenging assay. 1 and 2 exhibited weak activity with per micromoles equivalent to 0.039 and 0.042 μM of Trolox, respectively. The flavonoid component, quercetin (9) showed the highest antioxidant activities with per micromoles equivalent 0.67 μM of Trolox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the anti-diabetic activity and potential mechanism of stigmasterol (SMR), which is a kind of phytosterols derived from the edible soybean oil in vitro and in vivo. SMR displayed a mild GLUT4 translocation activity by 1.44-fold in L6 cells. L6 cells were treated with different concentration of SMR, showing significant effects on the enhancing glucose uptake. SMR administrated orally to the KK-Ay mice significantly alleviated their insulin resistance and oral glucose tolerance with reducing fasting blood-glucose levels and blood lipid indexes such as triglyceride and cholesterol. Moreover, the GLUT4 expression in L6 cells, skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue had been also enhanced. In this paper we conclude that, stigmasterol seems to have potential beneficial effects on the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with the probable mechanism of targeting GLUT4 glucose transporter included increasing GLUT4 translocation and expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a frequent complication in geriatric patients with hip fractures, which is linked to poorer functional recovery, longer hospital stays, and higher short-and long-term mortality. Patients with increased age, preoperative cognitive impairment, comorbidities, perioperative polypharmacy, and delayed surgery are more prone to develop POD after hip fracture surgery. In this narrative review, we outlined the latest findings on postoperative delirium in geriatric patients with hip fractures, focusing on its pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Perioperative risk prediction, avoidance of certain medications, and orthogeriatric comprehensive care are all examples of effective interventions. Choices of anesthesia technique may not be associated with a significant difference in the incidence of postoperative delirium in geriatric patients with hip fractures. There are few pharmaceutical measures available for POD treatment. Dexmedetomidine and multimodal analgesia may be effective for managing postoperative delirium, and adverse complications should be considered when using antipsychotics. In conclusion, perioperative risk intervention based on orthogeriatric comprehensive care is the most effective strategy for preventing postoperative delirium in geriatric patients with hip fractures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Chen, Liang, Wu, Deng, Wang, Lunzhu and Li.)

Multi shape memory polymers (multi-SMPs) exhibit many potential applications such as aerospace, soft robotics, and biomedical devices because of their unique abilities. Although many works are done to broaden the preparations of multi-SMPs, the desire to a simple and versatile strategy as well as more complex shapes still exists. Moreover, a light-induced SMP shows more advantages than a thermal-induced one in many practical working circumstances. Herein, inspired by strong adhesion and efficient photothermal conversion of polydopamine (PDA) coating, we report a more simple and facile approach to prepare light-induced multi-SMPs by introducing a gradient PDA coating on a dual-SMP through time-controlled dipping. The photothermal converting properties with varying thicknesses of PDA under the tunable near-infrared light source are investigated. Then, light-induced multishape memory effects based on gradient PDA coatings are illustrated, where three designs of multi-SMPs - rectangle, triangle, and cross are prepared and demonstrated. Also, the evolutions of coating morphology during shape shifting are carefully studied. Finally, we present few complex designs of patterns and shapes as well as a design of potential application for the highly controllable smart devices. This strategy demonstrates a very simple and general strategy to design and prepare the light-induced multi-SMPs with complex shapes based on any thermal-responsive dual-SMPs.

Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng. (EA) is a well-known noxious invasive species. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that the essential oil derived from EA (EAEO) is mainly composed of sesquiterpenes. However, the pharmacological value of EAEO in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unexplored. Herein, we investigated the anti-HCC activities of EAEO, and explored the potential mechanisms of EAEO-induced apoptosis. An MTT assay showed that EAEO inhibited HCC cell proliferation with little toxicity on normal liver cells. Wound healing and FACS assays revealed that EAEO suppressed HCC cell migration and arrested cell cycle, respectively. Moreover, EAEO promoted in vitro HCC cell apoptosis, and EAEO treatment inhibited HepG2 xenografts growth and enhanced apoptotic nucleus of xenografts in HepG2-bearing nude mice. Mechanistically, EAEO significantly decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and resulted in the activation of caspase-9 and -3. EAEO also reduced the expression of Grp78, which in turn relieved the inhibition of caspase-12 and -7. Meanwhile, EAEO suppressed the phosphorylation of STAT3 and AKT, indicative of its anti-HCC potential. In summary, we determined that EAEO treatment promoted HCC apoptosis via activation of the apoptotic signaling pathway in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, as well as repressed the activity of STAT3 and AKT in HCC cells.

Scope: The number of people with diabetes is increasing rapidly in the world. In the present study, the hypoglycemic activity and potential mechanism of ergosterol (ERG), a phytosterol derived from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus are investigated in vitro and in vivo., Methods and Results: ERG is isolated from Pleurotus ostreatus and identified by NMR spectra. The effects of ERG on the glucose uptake, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation, GLUT4 expression, and the phosphorylation of AMPK, Akt and PKC in L6 cells are evaluated. ERG enhances glucose uptake and displays a GLUT4 translocation activity with up-regulating GLUT4 expression and phosphorylation of Akt and PKC in L6 cells. In vivo, antidiabetic activity of ERG is examined. The phosphorylation of Akt and PKC in different tissues from KK-A y mice is assessed. ERG significantly improves insulin resistance and blood lipid indices while reducing fasting blood glucose levels and protecting pancreas and liver in the mice. Moreover, the phosphorylation of Akt and PKC is increased in different tissues., Conclusion: The results suggest that ERG may be a potential hypoglycemic agent for the treatment of T2DM with the probable mechanism of stimulating GLUT4 translocation and expression modulated by the PI3K/Akt pathway and PKC pathway., (© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The title compound, 6,7-de-hydro-royleanone, C 20 H 26 O 3 [systematic name: (4b S )-3-hy-droxy-2-isopropyl-4b,8,8-trimethyl-4b,5,6,7,8,8a-hexa-hydro-phenanthrene-1,4-dione] was isolated from Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. The compound crystallizes in the space group P 2 1 . The crystal structure features two O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the [010] direction.

The title compound, C 20 H 28 O 4 [systematic name: (4b S ,8a S ,10 S )-3,10-dihy-droxy-2-isopropyl-4b,8,8-trimethyl-4b,5,6,7,8,8a,9,10-octa-hydro-phenanthrene-1,4-dione], is an abietane-type diterpene, which was isolated from Taxodium ascendens (B.). The compound crystallizes in the chiral space group P 2 1 , but it was not possible to determine the absolute structure of the mol-ecule in the crystal by resonant scattering. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by two intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, enclosing S (5) and S (6) ring motifs. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the [010] direction. The crystal structure of the 10 R stereoisomer of the title compound, isolated from the roots of Premna obtusifolia (Verbenaceae), has been reported. It crystallized in the chiral space group P 2 1 2 1 2 1 , and the absolute structure was determined as (4b S ,8a S ,10 R ), by resonant scattering using Cu K α radiation [Razak et al. (2010 ▸). Acta Cryst. E 66 , o1566-o1567].

This study was designed to explore the effects and mechanism of isoliensinine (isolie) from embryos of Nelumbo nucifera on type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia in vivo and in vitro. The in vitro study showed that isolie increased the GLUT4 translocation by 2.5-fold in L6 cells. Furthermore, after 4 weeks of treatment, the in vivo biochemical study indexes revealed that isolie had a positive effect on decreasing serum insulin level (42.2 ± 5.10 vs 55.7 ± 6.33 mU/L, P < 0.05) and reducing fast blood glucose (9.4 ± 1.5 vs 18.7 ± 2.3 mmol/L, P < 0.001) and body weight (37.8 ± 2.9 vs 46.9 ± 5.4 g, P < 0.05) compared with the KK-Ay model mice. Isolie treatment led to significant increases in GLUT4 proteins (∼2.7-fold in skeletal muscle and ∼2.4-fold in WAT) and phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (∼1.4-fold in skeletal muscle, ∼3.1-fold in WAT, and ∼2.3-fold in liver). However, isolie caused a significant decrease in lipogenesis protein expressions of PPARγ and SREBP-1c, and decreased the activity of ACC by increasing the phospho-ACC level. Our findings showed that isolie has the potential to alleviate type 2 diabetes associated with hyperlipidemia in KK-Ay mice. Regulation of GLUT4, SREBP-1c, PPARγ, AMPK phosphorylation, and ACC phosphorylation is implicated in the antidiabetic effects of isolie.

This study investigated the active principles, hypoglycemic activity and potential mechanisms of the flavonoid rich extract from Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep. (ST-EtOAc) in KK-Ay diabetic mice. An off-line semipreparative liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR) and liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-UV-ESIMS) protocol was performed to determine 13 flavonoids from ST-EtOAc. ST-EtOAc administrated orally to the KK-Ay mice significantly increased their sensibility to insulin, reduced fasting blood-glucose levels and blood lipid indexes such as triglyceride and cholesterol. Moreover, ST-EtOAc exhibited a strong effect of stimulation on glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation by 2.7-fold in L6 cells. However, the selective AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C can completely inhibit the activation of the AMPK pathway and prevent the GLUT4 translocation caused by ST-EtOAc. In vivo, phosphorylation of the AMPK expression in the liver and skeletal muscle was measured. The results showed phosphorylation of the AMPK had been improved and GLUT4 expression had been also enhanced. In this paper, we conclude that, ST-EtOAc seems to have potential beneficial effects on the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with the probable mechanism of stimulating GLUT4 translocation modulated by the AMPK pathway.