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Growing demand for wound care resulting from the increasing chronic diseases and trauma brings intense pressure to global medical health service system. Artificial skin provides mechanical and microenvironmental support for wound, which is crucial in wound healing and tissue regeneration. However, challenges still remain in the clinical application of artificial skin since the lack of the synergy effect of necessary performance. In this study, a multi-functional artificial skin is fabricated through microfluidic spinning technology by using core-shell gel nanofiber scaffolds (NFSs). This strategy can precisely manipulate the microstructure of artificial skin under microscale. The as-prepared artificial skin demonstrates superior characteristics including surface wettability, breathability, high mechanical strength, strain sensitivity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. Notably, this artificial skin has the capability to deliver medications in a controlled and sustained manner, thereby accelerating the wound healing process. This innovative approach paves the way for the development of a new generation of artificial skin and introduces a novel concept for the structural design of the unique core-shell gel NFSs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a unique type of electromagnetic radiation, and EMP exposure causes a series of biological effects. The nervous system is sensitive to EMP. We studied the neuroprotective effects of isoflurane preconditioning against EMP exposure and used hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) to observe the effects of electromagnetic pulse and isoflurane preconditioning on neurons. Inflammatory cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to detect the expression of caspase-3, CD11b, TLR4, and NF κ Bp65. We found that after EMP exposure, the number of abnormal neurons had increased, and the expression of caspase-3, CD11b, TLR4, and NF κ Bp65 had also increased. Isoflurane preconditioning can reverse the above phenomenon. Moreover, we found that isoflurane preconditioning can reduce neuronal apoptosis and improve cognitive impairment induced by EMP. These findings indicate that isoflurane preconditioning can protect neurons in the cerebral cortex from EMP exposure, alleviate the inflammatory reaction and cell apoptosis, and improve cognitive impairment induced by EMP. These effects may occur through the downregulation of the TLR4/NF κ B signaling pathway and the inhibition of microglial activation.

Objective: To study the optimal waist circumference (WC) cut-off values for identifying metabolic risk factors in middle-aged and elderly subjects in Shandong Province of China., Methods: A total of 2,873 men and 5,559 women were included in this cross-sectional study. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was diagnosed according to the definition of Chinese Diabetes Society in 2004. The relation between WC and MetS was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The optimal WC cut-off values were identified using the area under the ROC curve and the different diagnostic criteria for central obesity were compared., Results: The WC was the risk factor for MetS independent of BMI, blood glucose, blood lipid, and blood pressure. The optimal WC cut-off value was 83.8 cm and 91.1 cm for identifying MetS in women and men, respectively. Compared with 80 cm and 85 cm for women and men, 85 cm and 90 cm had a higher Youden index for identifying all metabolic risk factors and MetS in women and men., Conclusion: The appropriate WC cut-off value is 85 cm and 90 cm for identifying central obesity and MetS in women and men in Shandong Province of China., (Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To observe the protective effect of the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the associated lung injury., Methods: In rat models of the SAP established with injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliary-pancreatic duct, the changes of the serum amylase and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the pancreatic and lung tissues were evaluated. The pathological changes of the pancreatic and lung tissues were also observed., Results: MG-132 significantly decreased serum amylase, pancreatic weight/body weight ratio, and pancreatic and pulmonary myeloperoxidase activity (P<0.05). Histopathological examinations revealed milder edema, cellular damage, and inflammation in the pancreatic and lung tissues of rats pretreated with the peptide (P<0.05)., Conclusion: MG-132 ameliorates SAP and the associated lung injury in rats.