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The purpose of this study is to investigate opportunities and challenges of carers’ support on online social platforms. We conducted a systematic literature review of 20 journal articles, and explored positive and negative aspects of online social platforms in three main categories: (i) Carer Wellbeing, (ii) Care Service, and (iii) Common Opportunities or Challenges. A Demographic analysis of publication year, country, user type, and research method have been discussed. The study uncovered that online platforms have a proportional amount of positive and negative impacts. We found that (i) the challenges guide us on how to educate carers and plan for uncertainties, and (ii) the opportunities shed a ray of hope on ways to assist the carers using online social networks. Results guide future research in mitigating challenges and strengthening opportunities for supporting and empowering carers on online social platforms.

Natural rubber latex (NRL) is a type of high molecular weight polymeric substance. Currently, more than 90% of NRL comes from one single tropical tree species – Hevea brasiliensis (para rubber tree). Recently, promising results in the use of NRL from Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree to produce replacement and regeneration tissues has been reported. Among them, wound healing in cutaneous tissues, eardrum replacement, bone regeneration, and dental alveolus replacement afford a unique means to repair or replace the failing organs or tissues. The primary particle of NRL is around 100-300 nm in diameter, which is promising nanoparticles used in biotechnology including pharmaceutics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In order for NRL nanoparticles to be employed in regenerative medicine, they need to have designed biological interaction with cells as well as favorable mechanical properties. Cells can delicately sense and respond to external nano-scale features in intricate living systems. With this in mind, an in-depth understanding of cell differentiation may bring a new perspective to regenerative medicine including new bone regeneration and cartilage therapy. To the best our knowledge, no attention has been paid to differentiation activity of NRL nanoparticles. In this study, we focused on the surface modification of NRL nanoparticles through the biomineralization of hydroxyapatite (HA) in order to create a better cytocompatibility with controlled cell adhesion and mineralization properties in osteogenic culture to determine the effect on bone outcomes. Using MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic-like cells, we examined the osteogenic differentiation and expressions of multiple proteins and characteristic genes of mature osteoblast., Natural rubber latex (NRL) is a type of high molecular weight polymeric substance. Currently, more than 90% of NRL comes from one single tropical tree species – Hevea brasiliensis (para rubber tree). Recently, promising results in the use of NRL from Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree to produce replacement and regeneration tissues has been reported. Among them, wound healing in cutaneous tissues, eardrum replacement, bone regeneration, and dental alveolus replacement afford a unique means to repair or replace the failing organs or tissues. The primary particle of NRL is around 100-300 nm in diameter, which is promising nanoparticles used in biotechnology including pharmaceutics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In order for NRL nanoparticles to be employed in regenerative medicine, they need to have designed biological interaction with cells as well as favorable mechanical properties. Cells can delicately sense and respond to external nano-scale features in intricate living systems. With this in mind, an in-depth understanding of cell differentiation may bring a new perspective to regenerative medicine including new bone regeneration and cartilage therapy. To the best our knowledge, no attention has been paid to differentiation activity of NRL nanoparticles. In this study, we focused on the surface modification of NRL nanoparticles through the biomineralization of hydroxyapatite (HA) in order to create a better cytocompatibility with controlled cell adhesion and mineralization properties in osteogenic culture to determine the effect on bone outcomes. Using MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic-like cells, we examined the osteogenic differentiation and expressions of multiple proteins and characteristic genes of mature osteoblast.

MPV17 is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein whose dysfunction causes mitochondrial DNA abnormalities and disease by an unknown mechanism. Perturbations of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools are a recognized cause of mitochondrial genomic instability; therefore, we determined DNA copy number and dNTP levels in mitochondria of two models of MPV17 deficiency. In Mpv17 ablated mice, liver mitochondria showed substantial decreases in the levels of dGTP and dTTP and severe mitochondrial DNA depletion, whereas the dNTP pool was not significantly altered in kidney and brain mitochondria that had near normal levels of DNA. The shortage of mitochondrial dNTPs in Mpv17-/- liver slows the DNA replication in the organelle, as evidenced by the elevated level of replication intermediates. Quiescent fibroblasts of MPV17-mutant patients recapitulate key features of the primary affected tissue of the Mpv17-/- mice, displaying virtual absence of the protein, decreased dNTP levels and mitochondrial DNA depletion. Notably, the mitochondrial DNA loss in the patients' quiescent fibroblasts was prevented and rescued by deoxynucleoside supplementation. Thus, our study establishes dNTP insufficiency in the mitochondria as the cause of mitochondrial DNA depletion in MPV17 deficiency, and identifies deoxynucleoside supplementation as a potential therapeutic strategy for MPV17-related disease. Moreover, changes in the expression of factors involved in mitochondrial deoxynucleotide homeostasis indicate a remodeling of nucleotide metabolism in MPV17 disease models, which suggests mitochondria lacking functional MPV17 have a restricted purine mitochondrial salvage pathway.