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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to construct a guided bone regeneration membrane that is similar to bone components and structurally resembles the native extracellular matrix with sufficient antibacterial properties., Materials and Methods: A novel type of biomimetic and bioactive silver ion-loaded calcium phosphate/chitosan (Ag-CaP/CS) membrane with antibacterial ability was successfully developed by incorporation of silver ion-loaded CaP via a one-step electrospinning method and subsequently crosslinked with vanillin., Results: Evaluation of the physicochemical properties revealed that the fabricated fibrous membranes mimicked the extracellular matrix structure and the addition of CaP significantly increased the mineralization ability of the membranes. Importantly, the Ag-CaP/CS membranes exhibited a sustainable release of Ag + , which in turn inhibited the adhesion and growth of Staphylococcus mutans . The results of cell adhesion and MTT assay revealed that the Ag-CaP/CS membranes were cytocompatible with bone marrow stromal cells., Conclusion: The fabricated electrospinning Ag-CaP/CS nanofiber membranes with excellent biocompatibility and strong antimicrobial properties have great potential to be used for guided bone regeneration., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Depression and anxiety are common among patients who have a major cardiovascular event. However, despite their frequency, there is a lack of evidence regarding the relationship between depression and/or anxiety and receiving revascularization in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) hospitalizations. Using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the years 2004 to 2013, we assessed whether a clinical co-diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety decreases the likelihood of revascularization among STEMI hospitalizations. Our central finding is that, paradoxically, the odds of in-hospital mortality were lower among STEMI hospitalizations with a clinical co-diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety as compared to those without. We further discovered that clinical diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety were less prevalent among revascularized as compared to non-revascularized STEMI hospitalizations. However, the percentage of clinical diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety among STEMI hospitalizations increased at a similar rate over a 10-year period irrespective of revascularization status. In conclusion, these results are suggestive of the potentially underdiagnosed mental health issues surrounding major cardiovascular events, and indeed, chronic disease as a whole. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document and examine the "depression paradox" among a population of cardiac patients., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The care of patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) can be resource intensive, which can be driven by readmissions. Our objective was to characterize index readmissions at 30, 90, and 180 days after TEVAR., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Readmissions Database was performed for patients who underwent TEVAR in 2013. Multivariable analysis identified independent predictors for index readmission at 30, 90, and 180 days., Results: There were 4045 TEVARs performed for descending thoracic aortic dissection (37.7%), nonruptured aneurysm (56%), and ruptured aneurysm (6.3%). There were 419 (11.1%) index readmissions at 30 days, 895 (23.6%) at 90 days, and 1131 (29.8%) at 180 days. The most frequent reason for index readmission was heart related at 30 days (15.5%) and aorta related at 90 days (18%) and 180 days (19.6%). Reinterventions were performed at 6.4%, 9.5%, and 9.7% of 30-, 90-, and 180-day readmissions, respectively. The majority of these included additional endovascular stent graft placement (51.9% of reinterventions at 30 days, 67.7% at 90 days, and 65.9% at 180 days). In multivariable analysis, 30-day index readmission was associated with initial ruptured presentation (odds ratio [OR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.5; P = .023) and diagnosis-related group (DRG) severity grades of moderate (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.74-2.73), major (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.28-4.74), and extreme (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 0.76-3.36; P = .009). Index readmission at 90 days was independently associated with initial ruptured presentation (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.18-3.01; P = .008), urgent/emergent TEVAR (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08-1.85; P = .014), and DRG severity grades of moderate (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 0.95-2.47), major (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.39-3.7), and extreme (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.43-4.18; P = .002). Finally, at 180 days, initial ruptured presentation (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.05-2.62; P = .029), urgent/emergent TEVAR (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.08-1.79; P = .013), and DRG severity grades of moderate (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01-2.38), major (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.38-3.33), and extreme (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.47-3.89; P = .002) were, again, independently associated with index readmission., Conclusions: A large portion of patients treated with TEVAR were readmitted most commonly for heart-related reasons at 30 days and aorta-related reasons at 90 and 180 days. TEVAR performed to treat initial aortic rupture and greater DRG severity grade were independently associated with an index readmission at 30, 90, and 180 days. Urgent/emergent TEVAR was independently associated with an index readmission at 90 and 180 days. These factors are important to consider in using readmissions as a quality measure., (Copyright © 2018 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is increasing demand for biomaterials that both assist with bone regeneration and have anti-infection qualities in clinical applications. To achieve this goal, chitosan microspheres with either positive or negative charges were fabricated and then assembled as a gel for bone healing. The positively charged chitosan microspheres (CSM; ∼35.5 μm) and negatively charged O-carboxymethyl chitosan microspheres (CMCSM; ∼13.5 μm) were loaded, respectively, with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) and berberine (Bbr) via swollen encapsulation and physical adsorption without a significant change in the electric charges. The release kinetics of BMP-2 and Bbr from the microspheres were also studied in vitro. The results showed that the Bbr/CMCSM microsphere group possessed high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus; the BMP-2/CSM microsphere group also had excellent cytocompatibility and improved osteoinductivity with the assistance of BMP-2. The assembled gel group consisting of Bbr/CMCSM and BMP-2/CSM had a porous structure that allowed biological signal transfer and tissue infiltration and exhibited significantly enhanced bone reconstruction compared with that of the respective microsphere groups, which should result from the osteoconductivity of the porous structure and the osteoinduction of the BMP-2 growth factor. The oppositely charged microspheres and their assembled gel provide a promising prospect for making injectable tissue-engineered constructs with regenerative and anti-infective dual effects for biomedical applications.

Previous findings that skill learning is associated with the formation and preferential stabilization of new dendritic spines in cortex have raised the possibility that this preferential stabilization is a mechanism for lasting skill memory. We investigated this possibility in adult mice using in vivo two-photon imaging to monitor spine dynamics on superficial apical dendrites of layer V pyramidal neurons in motor cortex during manual skill learning. Spine formation increased over the first 3 days of training on a skilled reaching task, followed by increased spine elimination. A greater proportion of spines formed during the first 3 training days were lost if training stopped after 3, compared with 15 days. However, performance gains achieved in 3 training days persisted, indicating that preferential new spine stabilization was non-essential for skill retention. Consistent with a role in ongoing skill refinement, the persistence of spines formed early in training strongly predicted performance improvements. Finally, while we observed no net spine density change on superficial dendrites, the density of spines on deeper apical branches of the same neuronal population was increased regardless of training duration, suggestive of a potential role in the retention of the initial skill memory. Together, these results indicate dendritic subpopulation-dependent variation in spine structural responses to skill learning, which potentially reflect distinct contributions to the refinement and retention of newly acquired motor skills., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The majority of the burden of firearm injury in the United States is on men as compared to women. There is limited evidence regarding sex differences in short-term hospitalization outcomes after surviving firearm injury. The risk of cardiovascular and all-cause hospital readmission, length of stay (LOS), and costs within 180 days after surviving an index firearm injury was compared between males and females. A claims-based, retrospective, cohort study was performed using Nationwide Readmission Database (2013-2014) to obtain a cohort of patients who survived an index hospitalization of firearm injury. The analysis was performed in August 2017. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Among 17,594 males and 2,289 females discharged alive after index firearm injury hospitalization, 14.4% and 13.2% were readmitted within 180 days. Within 180 days, the risk of cardiovascular readmission was 3.3 times greater among males versus females (HR = 3.34, 95% CI [1.18, 9.44]. Risk of all-cause readmission among males was greater at 90 days (HR = 1.40, 95% CI [1.04, 1.87]. Patients surviving a firearm injury have a substantial risk of subsequent hospitalizations. Cardiovascular readmissions are greater among males than females during the first 6 months after injury and may be indicative of a continuing long-term risk of health and patient outcomes that contributes to the overall burden of firearm injury.

Retinoic acid (RA) and its receptors (RARs) are well established essential transcriptional regulators during embryonic development. Recent findings in cultured neurons identified an independent and critical post-transcriptional role of RA and RARα in the homeostatic regulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in mature neurons. However, the functional relevance of synaptic RA signaling in vivo has not been established. Here, using somatosensory cortex as a model system and the RARα conditional knock-out mouse as a tool, we applied multiple genetic manipulations to delete RARα postnatally in specific populations of cortical neurons, and asked whether synaptic RA signaling observed in cultured neurons is involved in cortical information processing in vivo Indeed, conditional ablation of RARα in mice via a CaMKIIα-Cre or a layer 5-Cre driver line or via somatosensory cortex-specific viral expression of Cre-recombinase impaired whisker-dependent texture discrimination, suggesting a critical requirement of RARα expression in L5 pyramidal neurons of somatosensory cortex for normal tactile sensory processing. Transcranial two-photon imaging revealed a significant increase in dendritic spine elimination on apical dendrites of somatosensory cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons in these mice. Interestingly, the enhancement of spine elimination is whisker experience-dependent as whisker trimming rescued the spine elimination phenotype. Additionally, experiencing an enriched environment improved texture discrimination in RARα-deficient mice and reduced excessive spine pruning. Thus, RA signaling is essential for normal experience-dependent cortical circuit remodeling and sensory processing. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The importance of synaptic RA signaling has been demonstrated in in vitro studies. However, whether RA signaling mediated by RARα contributes to neural circuit functions in vivo remains largely unknown. In this study, using a RARα conditional knock-out mouse, we performed multiple regional/cell-type-specific manipulation of RARα expression in the postnatal brain, and show that RARα signaling contributes to normal whisker-dependent texture discrimination as well as regulating spine dynamics of apical dendrites from layer (L5) pyramidal neurons in S1. Deletion of RARα in excitatory neurons in the forebrain induces elevated spine elimination and impaired sensory discrimination. Our study provides novel insights into the role of RARα signaling in cortical processing and experience-dependent spine maturation., (Copyright © 2018 the authors 0270-6474/18/385277-12$15.00/0.)

The major challenges associated with skin regeneration can include hindered vascularization and an insufficient degree of epithelization. In view of the complexity of these processes and the control signals on which they depend, one possible solution to these limitations could be simulating normal skin development and wound repair via the exogenous delivery of multiple cytokines. Here, we report the use of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF or FGF-7) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF-2) released chemically modified collagen membranes to facilitate skin wound healing. The results from in vitro studies confirmed that this system resulted in higher cellular proliferation and faster cell migration. After transplanting the biomaterial onto an excisional wound healing model, the dual growth factor group, compared with the single growth factor groups and empty control group, showed more highly developed vascular networks and organized epidermal regeneration in the wounds. As a consequence, this experimental group showed mature epidermal coverage. Overall, this novel approach of releasing growth factors from a collagen membrane opens new avenues for fulfilling unmet clinical needs for wound care., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Nogo-A has been well described as a myelin-associated inhibitor of neurite outgrowth and functional neuroregeneration after central nervous system (CNS) injury. Recently, a new role of Nogo-A has been identified as a negative regulator of synaptic plasticity in the uninjured adult CNS. Nogo-A is present in neurons and oligodendrocytes. However, it is yet unclear which of these two pools regulate synaptic plasticity. To address this question we used newly generated mouse lines in which Nogo-A is specifically knocked out in (1) oligodendrocytes (oligoNogo-A KO) or (2) neurons (neuroNogo-A KO). We show that both oligodendrocyte- and neuron-specific Nogo-A KO mice have enhanced dendritic branching and spine densities in layer 2/3 cortical pyramidal neurons. These effects are compartmentalized: neuronal Nogo-A affects proximal dendrites whereas oligodendrocytic Nogo-A affects distal regions. Finally, we used two-photon laser scanning microscopy to measure the spine turnover rate of adult mouse motor cortex layer 5 cells and find that both Nogo-A KO mouse lines show enhanced spine remodeling after 4 days. Our results suggest relevant control functions of glial as well as neuronal Nogo-A for synaptic plasticity and open new possibilities for more selective and targeted plasticity enhancing strategies.

Purpose: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a serious public health problem affecting hundreds of millions of elderly people worldwide, which is difficult to be treated by traditional methods because of the peculiarity of skeletal system and liver damage caused by high-dose administration. In this research, a porous drug release system has been attempted to encapsulate rifampicin (RIF) into poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microspheres to improve the efficacy and benefit of anti-tuberculosis drug in skeletal system., Materials and Methods: The microspheres prepared by two different methods, oil-in-oil (o/o) emulsion solvent evaporation method and oil-in-water (o/w) method, were characterized in terms of morphology, size, encapsulation efficiency, drug distribution, degradation, and crystallinity., Results: The microspheres exhibited a porous structure with evenly drug distribution prepared by o/o emulsion solvent evaporation method, and their diameter ranged from 50.54 to 57.34 μm. The encapsulation efficiency was up to 61.86% when drug-loading content was only 1.51%, and showed a little decrease with the drug-loading content increasing. In vitro release studies revealed that the drug release from porous microspheres was controlled by non-Fickian diffusion, and almost 80% of the RIF were completely released after 10 days. The results of RIF-loaded microspheres on the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus proved that the porous microspheres had strong antibacterial ability. In addition, the polymer crystallinity had prominent influence on the degradation rate of microspheres regardless of the morphology., Conclusion: It was an efficient way to entrap slightly water-soluble drug like RIF into PCL by o/o emulsion solvent evaporation method with uniform drug distribution. The RIF-loaded porous PCL microspheres showed the combination of good antimicrobial properties and excellent cytocompatibility, and it could generate gentle environment by PCL slow degradation., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Purpose: Globally, the age-standardised prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has nearly doubled from 1980 to 2014, rising from 4.7% to 8.5% with an estimated 422 million adults living with the chronic disease. The MULTI sTUdy Diabetes rEsearch (MULTITUDE) consortium was recently established to harmonise data from 17 independent cohort studies and clinical trials and to facilitate a better understanding of the determinants, risk factors and outcomes associated with T2DM., Participants: Participants range in age from 3 to 88 years at baseline, including both individuals with and without T2DM. MULTITUDE is an individual-level pooled database of demographics, comorbidities, relevant medications, clinical laboratory values, cardiac health measures, and T2DM-associated events and outcomes across 45 US states and the District of Columbia., Findings to Date: Among the 135 156 ongoing participants included in the consortium, almost 25% (33 421) were diagnosed with T2DM at baseline. The average age of the participants was 54.3, while the average age of participants with diabetes was 64.2. Men (55.3%) and women (44.6%) were almost equally represented across the consortium. Non-whites accounted for 31.6% of the total participants and 40% of those diagnosed with T2DM. Fewer individuals with diabetes reported being regular smokers than their non-diabetic counterparts (40.3% vs 47.4%). Over 85% of those with diabetes were reported as either overweight or obese at baseline, compared with 60.7% of those without T2DM. We observed differences in all-cause mortality, overall and by T2DM status, between cohorts., Future Plans: Given the wide variation in demographics and all-cause mortality in the cohorts, MULTITUDE consortium will be a unique resource for conducting research to determine: differences in the incidence and progression of T2DM; sequence of events or biomarkers prior to T2DM diagnosis; disease progression from T2DM to disease-related outcomes, complications and premature mortality; and to assess race/ethnicity differences in the above associations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

We tested the effect of soil moisture content on the efficiency of gas-phase ozonation for two types of soils containing residual petroleum. For the first soil (BM2), having a total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration of 18,000mg/kg soil, a moisture content of 5% benefited oxidation, giving the highest efficiency of ozonation for TPH removal and for producing soluble and biodegradable products. In contrast, higher moisture content hindered O 3 from oxidizing reactive materials in the second soil (BM3), which had a higher TPH concentration, 33,000mg/kg soil. This trend was documented by less TPH removal, less generation of soluble and biodegradable organic products, and a carbon balance that showed retarded carbon oxidation. An unexpected phenomenon was smoldering during ozonation of air-dried (<1% moisture) BM3, which did not occur with the same moisture conditions for BM2. BM3 smoldered was due to its higher TPH content, low heat buffering, and more release of volatiles with low self-ignition points. Smoldering did not occur for ≥ 5% water content, as it suppressed the temperature increase needed to volatilize the organics that initiated smoldering. The findings underscore the importance of controlling water content during ozonation to optimize the effectiveness of ozonation and prevent smoldering., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Non-fatal firearm injuries constitute approximately 70% of all firearm trauma injuries in the United States. Patterns of severity of these injuries are poorly understood. We analyzed the overall, age-, sex- and intent-specific temporal trends in the injury severity of firearm hospitalizations from 1993 to 2014., Methods: We assessed temporal trends in the severity of patients hospitalized for firearm using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data over a 22 year period. Firearm hospitalization was identified using assault (E965x), unintentional (E922x), intentional self-harm (E955x), legal (E970) and undetermined (E985x) International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD9) codes. Injury severity was measured using the computed New Injury Severity Score (NISS). We used survey weighted means, SD and annual percent change (APC), and joinpoint regression to analyze temporal trends., Results: A weighted total of 648 662 inpatient admissions for firearm injury were analyzed. Firearm injury severity demonstrated a significant annual increase of 1.4% (95% CI=1.3 to 1.6), and was driven by annual increases among young adults (APC=1.4%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.5), older adults (APC=1.5%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.6), female (APC=1.5%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.6) and male (APC=1.4%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.6) hospitalizations. The annual increase among assault/legal injuries was 1.4% (95% CI=1.3 to 1.5), similar to unintentional (APC=1.4%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.6), intentional self-harm (APC=1.5%, 95% CI=1.4 to 1.6) and undetermined (APC=1.4%, 95% CI=1.3 to 1.6)., Conclusions: The severity of hospitalized firearm injuries increased significantly from 1993 to 2014. This annual increase reflects a move towards hospitalization of more serious injuries, and outpatient management of less serious injuries across the board, suggesting a mounting burden on the US healthcare system., Level of Evidence: Level IV., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Barnes et al. (2017) reveal that in the visual cortex of sensory-deprived mice, dendritic spine enlargement correlates with recent spine loss from the same dendritic branch. Such branch-specific homeostatic plasticity highlights dendritic branches as key computational units., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

LB-100 is a novel PP2A inhibitor. Its activity in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells was tested. The in vitro studies demonstrated that LB-100 inhibited survival and proliferation of both established CRC cells (HCT-116 and HT-29 lines) and primary human colon cancer cells. Further, LB-100 activated apoptosis and induced G1-S cell cycle arrest in CRC cells. LB-100 inhibited PP2A activity and activated AMPK signaling in CRC cells. AMPKα1 dominant negative mutation, shRNA-mediated knockdown or complete knockout (by CRISPR/Cas9 method) largely attenuated LB-100-induced AMPK activation and HCT-116 cytotoxicity. Notably, microRNA-17-92-mediated silence of PP2A (regulatory B subunit) also activated AMPK and induced HCT-116 cell death. Such effects were again largely attenuated by AMPKα mutation, silence or complete knockout. In vivo studies showed that intraperitoneal injection of LB-100 inhibited HCT-116 xenograft growth in nude mice. Its anti-tumor activity was largely compromised against HCT-116 tumors-derived from AMPKα1-knockout cells. We conclude that targeting PP2A by LB-100 and microRNA-17-92 activates AMPK signaling to inhibit CRC cells., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The listed authors have no conflicts of interest.

The dipping-drying procedure and cross-linking method were used to make drug-loaded chitosan (CS) coating on nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide66 (nHA/PA66) composite porous scaffold, endowing the scaffold controlled drug release functionality. The prefabricated scaffold was immersed into an aqueous drug/CS solution in a vacuum condition and then crosslinked by vanillin. The structure, porosity, composition, compressive strength, swelling ratio, drug release and cytocompatibility of the pristine and coating scaffolds were investigated. After coating, the scaffold porosity and pore interconnection were slightly decreased. Cytocompatibility performance was observed through an in vitro experiment based on cell attachment and the MTT assay by MG63 cells which revealed positive cell viability and increasing proliferation over the 11-day period in vitro. The drug could effectively release from the coated scaffold in a controlled fashion and the release rate was sustained for a long period and highly dependent on coating swelling, suggesting the possibility of a controlled drug release. Our results demonstrate that the scaffold with drug-loaded crosslinked CS coating can be used as a simple technique to render the surfaces of synthetic scaffolds active, thus enabling them to be a promising high performance biomaterial in bone tissue engineering.

Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common type of mental retardation attributable to a single-gene mutation. It is caused by FMR1 gene silencing and the consequent loss of its protein product, fragile X mental retardation protein. Fmr1 global knockout (KO) mice recapitulate many behavioral and synaptic phenotypes associated with FXS. Abundant evidence suggests that astrocytes are important contributors to neurological diseases. This study investigates astrocytic contributions to the progression of synaptic abnormalities and learning impairments associated with FXS., Methods: Taking advantage of the Cre-lox system, we generated and characterized mice in which fragile X mental retardation protein is selectively deleted or exclusively expressed in astrocytes. We performed in vivo two-photon imaging to track spine dynamics/morphology along dendrites of neurons in the motor cortex and examined associated behavioral defects., Results: We found that adult astrocyte-specific Fmr1 KO mice displayed increased spine density in the motor cortex and impaired motor-skill learning. The learning defect coincided with a lack of enhanced spine dynamics in the motor cortex that normally occurs in response to motor skill acquisition. Although spine density was normal at 1 month of age in astrocyte-specific Fmr1 KO mice, new spines formed at an elevated rate. Furthermore, fragile X mental retardation protein expression in only astrocytes was insufficient to rescue most spine or behavioral defects., Conclusions: Our work suggests a joint astrocytic-neuronal contribution to FXS pathogenesis and reveals that heightened spine formation during adolescence precedes the overabundance of spines and behavioral defects found in adult Fmr1 KO mice., (Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The mammalian cerebral cortex is typically organized in six layers containing multiple types of neurons, with pyramidal neurons (PNs) being the most abundant. PNs in different cortical layers have distinct morphology, physiology and functional roles in neural circuits. Therefore, their development and synaptic plasticity may also differ. Using in vivo transcranial two-photon microscopy, we followed the structural dynamics of dendritic spines on apical dendrites of layer (L) 2/3 and L5 PNs at different developmental stages. We show that the density and dynamics of spines are significantly higher in L2/3 PNs than L5 PNs in both adolescent (1 month old) and adult (4 months old) mice. While spine density of L5 PNs decreases during adolescent development due to a higher rate of spine elimination than formation, there is no net change in the spine density along apical dendrites of L2/3 PNs over this period. In addition, experiences exert differential impact on the dynamics of apical dendritic spines of PNs resided in different cortical layers. While motor skill learning promotes spine turnover on L5 PNs in the motor cortex, it does not change the spine dynamics on L2/3 PNs. In addition, neonatal sensory deprivation decreases the spine density of both L2/3 and L5 PNs, but leads to opposite changes in spine dynamics among these two populations of neurons in adolescence. In summary, our data reveal distinct dynamics and plasticity of apical dendritic spines on PNs in different layers in the living mouse cortex, which may arise from their distinct functional roles in cortical circuits.

The configuration of synaptic circuits underlies their ability to process and store information. Research on dendritic spines has revealed that their structural and functional alterations are clustered along the parent dendrite. Here we review the evidence supporting such notion of clustered synaptic plasticity, discuss its functional implications and possible contributing factors, and suggest potential strategies to deal with open challenges., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We evaluated how gas-phase O 3 interacts with residual petroleum hydrocarbons in soil. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were 18 ± 0.6 g/kg soil, and TPH carbon constituted ∼40% of the dichloromethane-extractable carbon (DeOC) in the soil. At the benchmark dose of 3.4 kg O 3 /kg initial TPH, TPH carbon was reduced by nearly 6 gC/kg soil (40%), which was accompanied by an increase of about 4 gC/kg soil in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a 4-fold increase in 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ). Disrupting gas channeling in the soil improved mass transport of O 3 to TPH bound to soil and increased TPH removal. Ozonation resulted in two measurable alterations of the composition of the organic carbon. First, part of DeOC was converted to DOC (∼4.1 gC/kg soil), 75% of which was not extractable by dichloromethane. Second, the DeOC containing saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes (SARA), was partially oxidized, resulting in a decline in saturates and aromatics, but increases in resins and asphaltenes. Ozone attack on resins, asphaltenes, and soil organic matter led to the production of NO 3 - , SO 4 2- , and PO 4 3- . The results illuminate the mechanisms by which ozone gas interacted with the weathered petroleum residuals in soil to generate soluble and biodegradable products.

Redesigned multifunctional biopolymers represent a novel building bridge for interdisciplinary collaborations in biomaterials development. We prepared fluorescein-grafted polyurethane scaffolds (PU-C1, PU-C5, and PU-B1) to meet both clinical needs and biological safety evaluations, using different contents of calcein and different synthesis procedures for potential biomedical tracing. X-ray diffraction, infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy were used to analyze the composition and structure of polyurethanes, as well as to observe their morphology with and without biomarkers. Fluorescence spectrophotometer and fluorescence microscopy were used to detect the fluorescence characteristics. The results showed that the grafting of calcein significantly affected the chemical structure and fluorescence sensitivities of copolymers. When compared to calcein, which was added before synthesis (PU-C1), the marker that was added during the extender process (PU-B1) presented higher fluorescence efficiency. Both PU-C5 and PU-B1 exhibited strong fluorescent response and good cytocompatibility in vitro and in vivo, with no interference from the autofluorescence of tissues after 4 weeks of implantation. The fluorescence-marked material can be used to continuously and noninvasively monitor the dynamic changes in polymers, which provides a way to clearly trace the material or to distinguish between the material and tissue in vivo.

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with little extraframework Ti was hydrothermally synthesized in a tetrapropylammonium hydroxide system using starch as the additive. The influences of the amount of starch added on the coordination states of titanium ions and the functional mechanism of starch were studied by various characterization means. The addition of starch slowed the crystallization rate of TS-1 so that the insertion rate of titanium to the framework matched well with that of silicon. Therefore, the generation of extraframework Ti, including the anatase TiO 2 and octahedrally coordinated titanium, was eliminated. The catalytic performances of the TS-1 samples were evaluated in the epoxidation of 1-butene to produce butene oxide. The catalytic activity of TS-1 was improved significantly due to the increasing amount of framework Ti., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Solving the issue of infection associated with implanted bone substitutes is one of the modern challenges of the biomedical engineering field. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel porous scaffold with sufficient antibacterial activity for bone repair or regeneration. Porous nanohydroxyapatite/polyurethane (n-HA/PU) composite scaffolds containing different amounts of silver phosphate particles were prepared through the in situ foaming method. Subsequently, their physicochemical properties, antibacterial abilities, and preliminary cytocompatibilities were evaluated. The results indicated that the porosity and mechanical properties of the n-HA/PU scaffolds incorporated with Ag3PO4 did not change significantly compared to n-HA/PU scaffold without Ag3PO4. The release of Ag(+) was time and concentration dependent, increasing with the immersion time and Ag3PO4 percentage in the scaffolds. A continuous Ag(+) release can last more than 3 weeks. The antibacterial tests and cytocompatibility evaluation revealed that n-HA/PU scaffolds with 3 wt% Ag3PO4 (n-HA/PU3) exhibit stronger antimicrobial effects as well as satisfactory cytocompatibility. The n-HA/PU3 scaffolds may hold great potential for application in the field of bone regeneration, especially for infection-associated bone defect repair.

Neural circuits underlying auditory fear conditioning have been extensively studied. Here we identified a previously unexplored pathway from the lateral amygdala (LA) to the auditory cortex (ACx) and found that selective silencing of this pathway using chemo- and optogenetic approaches impaired fear memory retrieval. Dual-color in vivo two-photon imaging of mouse ACx showed pathway-specific increases in the formation of LA axon boutons, dendritic spines of ACx layer 5 pyramidal cells, and putative LA-ACx synaptic pairs after auditory fear conditioning. Furthermore, joint imaging of pre- and postsynaptic structures showed that essentially all new synaptic contacts were made by adding new partners to existing synaptic elements. Together, these findings identify an amygdalocortical projection that is important to fear memory expression and is selectively modified by associative fear learning, and unravel a distinct architectural rule for synapse formation in the adult brain.

Efficient noninvasive techniques are desired for monitoring the remediation process of contaminated soils. We applied the direct current resistivity technique to image conductivity changes in sandbox experiments where two sandy and clayey soils were initially contaminated with diesel hydrocarbon. The experiments were conducted over a 230 day period. The removal of hydrocarbon was enhanced by a bioelectrochemical system (BES) and the electrical potentials of the BES reactors were also monitored during the course of the experiment. We found that the variation in electrical conductivity shown in the tomograms correlate well with diesel removal from the sandy soil, but this is not the case with the clayey soil. The clayey soil is characterized by a larger specific surface area and therefore a larger surface conductivity. In sandy soil, the removal of the diesel and products from degradation leads to an increase in electrical conductivity during the first 69 days. This is expected since diesel is electrically insulating. For both soils, the activity of BES reactors is moderately imaged by the inverted conductivity tomogram of the reactor. An increase in current production by electrochemically active bacteria activity corresponds to an increase in conductivity of the reactor.

Supply chain management represents one of the most important scientific streams of operations research. The supply of energy, materials, products, and services involves millions of transactions conducted among national and local business enterprises. To deliver efficient and effective support for supply chain design and management, structural analyses and predictive models of customer-supplier relationships are expected to clarify current enterprise business conditions and to help enterprises identify innovative business partners for future success. This article presents the outcomes of a recent structural investigation concerning a supply network in the central area of Japan. We investigated the effectiveness of statistical learning theory to express the individual differences of a supply chain of enterprises within a certain business community using social network analysis. In the experiments, we employ support vector machine to train a customer-supplier relationship model on one of the main communities extracted from a supply network in the central area of Japan. The prediction results reveal an F-value of approximately 70% when the model is built by using network-based features, and an F-value of approximately 77% when the model is built by using attribute-based features. When we build the model based on both, F-values are improved to approximately 82%. The results of this research can help to dispel the implicit design space concerning customer-supplier relationships, which can be explored and refined from detailed topological information provided by network structures rather than from traditional and attribute-related enterprise profiles. We also investigate and discuss differences in the predictive accuracy of the model for different sizes of enterprises and types of business communities.

A series of MIL-53(Fe)-type materials, Fe(BDC)(DMF,F), were prepared by using different ratios of n(FeCl3)/n(FeCl2), which have varied amounts of Fe(2+) in their frameworks. From FeCl3 to FeCl2, the structures of the synthesized samples transform from MIL-53(Fe) to Fe(BDC)(DMF,F). Along with this structure transformation, the crystal morphology goes through a striking change from a small irregular shape to a big triangular prism. This phenomenon indicates that the addition of FeCl2 is beneficial for the formation of a Fe(BDC)(DMF,F) structure. The catalytic activity of these iron-containing MOFs was tested in phenol degradation with hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant at near neutral pH and 35 °C. The degradation efficiency of these samples increases gradually from MIL-53(Fe) to Fe(BDC)(DMF,F). (57)Fe Mössbauer spectra reveal that Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) coexist in the Fe(BDC)(DMF,F) framework, and the highest amount of Fe(2+) in the sample prepared with mixed FeCl3 and FeCl2 is 26.0%. The result illustrates that the amount of Fe(2+) in the samples can be controlled using varied n(FeCl3)/n(FeCl2) in the feed. The diverse amount of Fe(2+) in this series of FeMOF materials exactly explains the distinction of reaction efficiency. The iron leaching tests, structures of the fresh and used catalysts, and the data of the recycling runs show that the Fe-containing MOFs are stable in this liquid-phase reaction.

Previous research has raised substantial controversy over the synergistic effects of exogenous growth factors, BMP-2 and bFGF, when used together for the treatment of bony defects. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of BMP-2 and bFGF at specified dose ratio composited with n-HA/PU40, a porous scaffold material, for repairing femoral defect in rats. Four weeks after implantation of this composite system, tissue specimens were collected for histological, immunohistochemical examinations, and µ-CT scanning. The results showed that the group DUAL/BMSCs with both the factors had better effect on repairing bone defects than the other four groups in terms of new bone formation and bone-scaffold bonding, suggesting crosstalk between these growth factors during early bone regeneration. This work demonstrates that provided that there is effective contact between cells and active proteins in the defect area, the controlled release of bFGF and BMP-2 have positive synergistic effects on early bone formation in the defect area. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 659-668, 2016., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Studies on the accuracy of microRNAs (miRNAs) in diagnosing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have still controversial. Therefore, we conduct to systematically identify miRNAs related to NSCLC, and their target genes expression changes using microarray data sets., Methods: We screened out five miRNAs and six genes microarray data sets that contained miRNAs and genes expression in NSCLC from Gene Expression Omnibus., Results: Our analysis results indicated that fourteen miRNAs were significantly dysregulated in NSCLC. Five of them were up-regulated (miR-9, miR-708, miR-296-3p, miR-892b, miR-140-5P) while nine were down-regulated (miR-584, miR-218, miR-30b, miR-522, miR486-5P, miR-34c-3p, miR-34b, miR-516b, miR-592). The integrating diagnosis sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) were 82.6% and 89.9%, respectively. We also found that 4 target genes (p < 0.05, fold change > 2.0) were significant correlation with the 14 discovered miRNAs, and the classifiers we built from one training set predicted the validation set with higher accuracy (SE = 0.987, SP = 0.824)., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that integrating miRNAs and target genes are valuable for identifying promising biomarkers, and provided a new insight on underlying mechanism of NSCLC. Further, our well-designed validation studies surely warrant the investigation of the role of target genes related to these 14 miRNAs in the prediction and development of NSCLC.

We incorporated ultrafine polymer fibers into calcium phosphate cement (CPC) to improve the resorption rate of CPC with fiber degradation. Different weight percentages of electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) fibers (0%, 3%, and 7%, named as ultrafine fiber-incorporated CPC0 [UFICPC0], UFICPC3, and UFICPC7) were included into preset CPC specimens for in vitro immersion in lipase phosphate-buffered solution and long-term in vivo implantation in the femoral condyle of rabbits. The effect of the ultrafine poly(ε-caprolactone) fibers with a diameter ranging from nanometer to micrometer on CPC degradation was evaluated by measuring the pH of the medium, mass loss, porosity, and physiochemical properties. For the in vivo evaluation, histomorphometrical analysis as well as three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction was applied to assess the osteogenic properties of the CPC composite. After in vitro immersion and in vivo implantation, the total porosity and macroporosity as well as the bone formation and ingrowth increased significantly during time in the fiber-incorporated CPC specimens. After 24 weeks of implantation, the degraded space was occupied by newly formed bone, and the UFICPC3 and UFICPC7 composites showed ~3.5 times higher fraction of bone volume than that of the pristine CPC (UFICPC0). In vitro and in vivo results proved that the introduction of ultrafine degradable fibers within a CPC matrix can be used to improve macroporosity efficiently and enhance CPC degradation and bone ingrowth largely.

Tissue formation on scaffold outer edges after implantation may restrict cell infiltration and mass transfer to/from the scaffold center due to insufficient interconnectivity, leading to incidence of a necrotic core. Herein, a nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide66 (n-HA/PA66) anisotropic scaffold with axially aligned channels was prepared with the aim to enhance pore interconnectivity. Bone tissue regeneration and infiltration inside of scaffold were assessed by rabbit cranial defect repair experiments. The amount of newly formed bone inside of anisotropic scaffold was much higher than isotropic scaffold, e.g., after 12 weeks, the new bone volume in the inner pores was greater in the anisotropic scaffolds (>50%) than the isotropic scaffolds (<30%). The results suggested that anisotropic scaffolds could accelerate the inducement of bone ingrowth into the inner pores in the non-load-bearing bone defects compared to isotropic scaffolds. Thus, anisotropic scaffolds hold promise for the application in bone tissue engineering.

To improve the mechanical properties of bone tissue and achieve the desired bone tissue regeneration for orthopedic surgery, newly designed hydroxyapatite/polyurethane (HA/PU) porous scaffolds were developed via in situ polymerization. The results showed that the molecular modification of PU soft segments by glyceride of castor oil (GCO) can increase the scaffold compressive strength by 48% and the elastic modulus by 96%. When nano-HA (n-HA) particles were incorporated into the GCO-PU matrix, the compressive strength and elastic modulus further increased by 49 and 74%, from 2.91 to 4.34 MPa and from 95 to 165.36 MPa, respectively. The n-HA particles with fine dispersity not only improved the interface bonding with the GCO-PU matrix but also provided effective bioactivity for bonding with bone tissue. The hierarchical structure and mechanical quality of the n-HA/GCO-PU composite scaffold were determined to be appropriate for the growth of cells and the regeneration of bony tissues, demonstrating promising prospects for bone repair and regeneration.

A novel bi-layered osteochondral scaffold, including of PVA/Gel/V layer for the cartilage and n-HA/PA6 layer for the subchondral bone, has been proposed to evaluate the potential of the engineered of osteochondral grafts in repairing articular osteochondral defects in rabbits. The two different layers of the scaffolds were seeded with allogenic bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs), which were chondrogenically and osteogenically induced respectively. The critical-size osteochondral defects were created in the knees of adult rabbits. The defects were treated with cell-bi-layered constructs (Group A), bi-layered constructs (Group B) and untreated group C as control group. The adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs were demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in vitro. Cell survival was tracked via fluorescent labeling in vivo. Overall, the porous PVA/Gel/V-n-HA/PA6 scaffold was compatible and had no negative effects on the BMSCs in vitro culture. The cell-bi-layered scaffolds showed superior repair results as compared to the control group using gross examination and histological assessment. With BMSCs implantation, the two different layers of the composite biomimetic scaffolds provided a suitable environment for cells to form respective tissue. Simultaneously, the RT-PCR results confirmed the expression of specific extracellular matrix (ECM) markers for cartilaginous or osteoid tissue. This investigation showed that the porous PVA/Gel/V-n-HA/PA6 scaffold is a potential matrix for treatment of osteochondral defects, and the method of using chondrogenically and osteogenically differentiated BMSCs as seed cells on each layer might be a promising strategy in repair of articular osteochondral defect due to enhanced chondrogenesis and osteogenesis., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Scaffolds are used in bone tissue engineering to provide a temporary structural template for cell seeding and extracellular matrix formation. However, tissue formation on scaffold outer edges after implantation due to insufficient interconnectivity may restrict cell infiltration and mass transfer to/from the scaffold center, leading to bone regeneration failure. To address this problem, we prepared nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide66 (n-HA/PA66) anisotropic scaffolds with axially aligned channels (300 μm) with the aim to enhance pore interconnectivity and subsequent cell and tissue infiltration throughout the scaffold. Anisotropic scaffolds with axially aligned channels had better mechanical properties and a higher porosity (86.37%) than isotropic scaffolds produced by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). The channels in the anisotropic scaffolds provided cells with passageways to the scaffold center and thus facilitated cell attachment and proliferation inside the scaffolds. In vivo studies showed that the anisotropic scaffolds could better facilitate new bone ingrowth into the inner pores of the scaffold compared to the isotropic scaffolds. The anisotropic scaffolds also had improved vascular invasion into their inner parts, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and thus facilitating revascularization and bone ingrowth. Enhanced cell and tissue penetration to the scaffold center was observed in the anisotropic scaffolds both in vitro and in vivo, indicating the axially aligned channels positively influenced cell and tissue infiltration. Thus, such scaffolds have great potential for applications in bone tissue engineering.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the causal agent of a serious disease of swine. Here, we report the genome sequence of PRRSV strain HB-XL isolated from a pig farm with a clinical outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The genome is 15,323 bp long and has nine open reading frames (GenBank: KP162169). Comparative and phylogenetic analysis showed that HB-XL belongs to the highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) subfamily in the family PRRSV. The viral nonstructural protein 2 (Nsp2) of the HB-XL strain contained 30 discontinuous amino acid (AA) deletions relative to that of the Nsp2 of the VR2332 strain. The AA substitutions R13 and R151 suggested high virulence of the HB-XL strain. The unique mutations in glycoprotein 5 (GP5) and Nsp2 revealed that HB-XL might be a novel variant PRRSV strain recombined with vaccine strains. However, the low morbidity and mortality in the pig herd from which HB-XL was isolated indicate that the virulence of the virus was weak, so it has potential as a future vaccine strain.

In order to understand the photovoltaic performance differences between the recently reported DR3TBTT-HD and DR3TBDT2T based solar cells, a modified two-diode model with Hecht equation was built to simulate the corresponding current-voltage characteristics. The simulation results reveal that the poor device performance of the DR3TBDTT-HD based device mainly originated from its insufficient charge transport ability, where an average current of 5.79 mA cm(-2) was lost through this pathway at the maximum power point for the DR3TBDTT-HD device, nearly three times as large as that of the DR3TBDT2T based device under the same device fabrication conditions. The morphology studies support these simulation results, in which both Raman and 2D-GIXD data reveal that DR3TBTT-HD based blend films exhibit lower crystallinity. Spin coating at low temperature was used to increase the crystallinity of DR3TBDTT-HD based blend films, and the average current loss through insufficient charge transport at maximum power point was suppressed to 2.08 mA cm(-2). As a result, the average experimental power conversion efficiency of DR3TBDTT-HD based solar cells increased by over 40%.

Biomaterial scaffolds meant to function as supporting structures to osteogenic cells play a pivotal role in bone tissue engineering. Recently, we synthesized an aliphatic polyurethane (PU) scaffold via a foaming method using non-toxic components. Through this procedure a uniform interconnected porous structure was created. Furthermore, hydroxyapatite (HA) particles were introduced into this process to increase the bioactivity of the PU matrix. To evaluate the biological performances of these PU-based scaffolds, their influence on in vitro cellular behavior and in vivo bone forming capacity of the engineered cell-scaffold constructs was investigated in this study. A simulated body fluid test demonstrated that the incorporation of 40 wt % HA particles significantly promoted the biomineralization ability of the PU scaffolds. Enhanced in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the seeded mesenchymal stem cells were also observed on the PU/HA composite. Next, the cell-scaffold constructs were implanted subcutaneously in a nude mice model. After 8 weeks, a considerable amount of vascularized bone tissue with initial marrow stroma development was generated in both PU and PU/HA40 scaffold. In conclusion, the PU/HA composite is a potential scaffold for bone regeneration applications., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Polyurethane (PU) has been widely used for the biomedical applications but its potential for bone regeneration is limited due to its lack of osteoconductive properties. Strontium substituted hydroxyapatite (SrHA) particles, on the other hand, are known to exhibit a positive effect on bone formation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to (i) develop porous polyurethane scaffolds containing strontium SrHA nanoparticles (PU/SrHA) and (ii) compare their in vitro biological performance for applications in bone regeneration to PU scaffolds. SrHA and HA was synthesized using a conventional wet-chemical neutralization reaction at temperatures of 25, 50, and 80°C. Chemical analysis was performed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Synthesizing temperatures at 25 and at 50°C were selected for the composite preparation (abbreviated as HA-25, SrHA-25, HA-50, and SrHA-50, respectively). PU was synthesized from isophorone diisocyanate, polytetramethylene ether glycol, and 1,4-butanediol. Composite scaffolds were prepared by addition of HA or SrHA nanoparticles into PU scaffolds during polymer preparation. The results showed that the Sr content in HA nanoparticles increased with increasing synthesis temperature. The addition of nanoparticles decreased the elongation-at-break and tensile strength, but significantly increased the surface wettability of the PU scaffolds. In vitro degradation tests demonstrated that release of cations was significantly higher from PU/SrHA-50 composite scaffolds. Cell culture tests indicated that PU composites containing either HA or SrHA nanoparticles increased proliferation of bone marrow stem cells as compared to plain PU scaffolds, whereas osteogenic differentiation was not affected by the incorporation of HA nanoparticles irrespective of the incorporation of Sr., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A series of acceptor-donor-acceptor simple oligomer-like small molecules based on oligothiophenes, namely, DRCN4T-DRCN9T, were designed and synthesized. Their optical, electrical, and thermal properties and photovoltaic performances were systematically investigated. Except for DRCN4T, excellent performances were obtained for DRCN5T-DRCN9T. The devices based on DRCN5T, DRCN7T, and DRCN9T with axisymmetric chemical structures exhibit much higher short-circuit current densities than those based on DRCN6T and DRCN8T with centrosymmetric chemical structures, which is attributed to their well-developed fibrillar network with a feature size less than 20 nm. The devices based on DRCN5T/PC71BM showed a notable certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.10% under AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW cm(-2)) using a simple solution spin-coating fabrication process. This is the highest PCE for single-junction small-molecule-based organic photovoltaics (OPVs) reported to date. DRCN5T is a rather simpler molecule compared with all of the other high-performance molecules in OPVs to date, and this might highlight its advantage in the future possible commercialization of OPVs. These results demonstrate that a fine and balanced modification/design of chemical structure can make significant performance differences and that the performance of solution-processed small-molecule-based solar cells can be comparable to or even surpass that of their polymer counterparts.

The study was to develop and evaluate the rifapentine-loaded poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres (RPMs) for the treatment of osteoarticular tuberculosis to avoid critical side effects caused by oral regimens of antibiotics or intravenous antibiotics. The RPMs were spherical with rough surfaces, and elevated amounts of rifapentine in the formulation markedly increased the particle size and drug loading, while decreased the size distribution and entrapment efficiency. The highest drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of RPMs were 23.93%±3.93% and 88.49%±8.49%, respectively. After the initial rapid drug release, the release rate gradually decreased, and approximately 80% of the encapsulated rifapentine was released after 30 days of incubation. Moreover, RPMs could effectively inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. With increasing rifapentine content, the inhibition zones were continuously enlarged while the minimal inhibitory concentration values decreased. These results suggested that RPMs were bioactive and controlled release delivery systems for the treatment of osteoarticular tuberculosis.

A root canal sealer with antibacterial activity can be efficacious in preventing reinfection that results from residual microorganisms and/or the leakage of microorganisms. In the present study, a series of injectable, self-curing polyurethane (PU)-based antibacterial sealers with different concentrations of silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) were fabricated. Subsequently, their physicochemical properties, antibacterial abilities, and preliminary cytocompatibilities were evaluated. The results indicated that the fabricated PU-based sealers can achieve a high conversion rate in a short amount of time. More than 95% of the isocyanate group of PU sealers with 3 wt% (PU3) and 5 wt% (PU5) concentrations of Ag3PO4 were included in the curing reaction after 7 hours. With the exception of those for film thickness for PU5, the results of setting time, film thickness, and solubility were able to meet the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization. The antibacterial tests showed that PU3 and PU5 exhibit stronger antimicrobial effects than that achieved with 1 wt% Ag3PO4 (PU1) and AH Plus (positive control) against Streptococcus mutans. The cytocompatibility evaluation revealed that the PU1 and PU3 sealers possess good cytocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. These results demonstrate that the PU3 sealer offers good physicochemical and antimicrobial properties along with cytocompatibility, which may hold great application potential in the field of root canal fillings.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD). Here, we report the complete genome sequence of PCV2 strain HB-MC1, which belongs to PCV2d., (Copyright © 2014 Yuan et al.)

The poor control of the adhesion of TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) layers to a non-anodized titanium (Ti) substrate has limited their widespread application, because the stripping mechanism has not yet been revealed. Here, we report a novel method to control the detachment of TNTs by post-treatment of the as-fabricated samples in protic and aprotic solvents with different polarities. Post-treatment using an organic solvent of lower polarity increases the adhesion of the tube layer, in contrast to the spontaneous detachment of the TNT layer after treatment using a solvent of higher polarity. The structure and the composition at the rupture interface were studied to explore the mechanism of the stripping behavior. Based on our experimental results and previous studies, a hypothesis of a hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) mechanism was proposed to explain the mechanism of TNTs' natural detachment and the control over of TNTs' stripping behaviors by post-treatment, in which the presence of protons at the interface between the TNT layer and the Ti substrate play an important role in controlling the two layers' cohesion. In summary, this method and mechanism hold promise to be used as a tool for the design and fabrication of TNT-related materials in future.

Fabrication of bioactive and mechanical matched bone substitutes is crucial for clinical application in bone defects repair. In this study, nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide (nHA/PA) composite was coated on injection-moulded PA by a chemical corrosion and phase-inversion technique. The shear strength, gradient composition and pore structure of the bioactive coating were characterized. Osteoblast-like MG63 cells were cultured on pure PA and composite-coated PA samples. The cells' adhesion, spread and proliferation were determined using MTT assay and microscopy. The results confirm that the samples with the nHA/PA composite coating have better cytocompatibility and have no negative effects on cells. To investigate the in vivo biocompatibility, both pure PA and composite-coated PA cylinders were implanted in the trochlea of rabbit femurs and studied histologically, and the bonding ability with bone were determined using push-out tests. The results show that composite-coated implants exhibit better biocompatibility and the shear strength of the composite-coated implants with host bone at 12 weeks can reach 3.49±0.42 MPa, which is significantly higher than that of pure PA implants. These results indicate that composite-coated PA implants have excellent biocompatibility and bonding abilities with host bone and they have the potential to be applied in repair of bone defects., (© 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.)

The membrane protein Nogo-A is known as an inhibitor of axonal outgrowth and regeneration in the CNS. However, its physiological functions in the normal adult CNS remain incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the role of Nogo-A in cortical synaptic plasticity and motor learning in the uninjured adult rodent motor cortex. Nogo-A and its receptor NgR1 are present at cortical synapses. Acute treatment of slices with function-blocking antibodies (Abs) against Nogo-A or against NgR1 increased long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by stimulation of layer 2/3 horizontal fibers. Furthermore, anti-Nogo-A Ab treatment increased LTP saturation levels, whereas long-term depression remained unchanged, thus leading to an enlarged synaptic modification range. In vivo, intrathecal application of Nogo-A-blocking Abs resulted in a higher dendritic spine density at cortical pyramidal neurons due to an increase in spine formation as revealed by in vivo two-photon microscopy. To investigate whether these changes in synaptic plasticity correlate with motor learning, we trained rats to learn a skilled forelimb-reaching task while receiving anti-Nogo-A Abs. Learning of this cortically controlled precision movement was improved upon anti-Nogo-A Ab treatment. Our results identify Nogo-A as an influential molecular modulator of synaptic plasticity and as a regulator for learning of skilled movements in the motor cortex., (Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/348685-14$15.00/0.)

Two column-type bioelectrochemical system (BES) modules were installed into a 50-L pilot scale reactor packed with diesel-contaminated soils to investigate the enhancement of passive biodegradation of petroleum compounds. By using low cost electrodes such as biochar and graphite granule as non-exhaustible solid-state electron acceptors, the results show that 82.1-89.7% of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was degraded after 120 days across 1-34 cm radius of influence (ROI) from the modules. This represents a maximum of 241% increase of biodegradation compared to a baseline control reactor. The current production in the BESs correlated with the TPH removal, reaching the maximum output of 70.4 ± 0.2 mA/m(2). The maximum ROI of the BES, deducting influence from the baseline natural attenuation, was estimated to be more than 90 cm beyond the edge of the reactor (34 cm), and exceed 300 cm should a non-degradation baseline be used. The ratio of the projected ROI to the radius of BES (ROB) module was 11-12. The results suggest that this BES can serve as an innovative and sustainable technology for enhanced in situ bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in large field scale, with additional benefits of electricity production and being integrated into existing field infrastructures., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the mammalian cortex, neurons form extremely complicated networks and exchange information at synapses. Changes in synaptic strength, as well as addition/removal of synapses, occur in an experience-dependent manner, providing the structural foundation of neuronal plasticity. As postsynaptic components of the most excitatory synapses in the cortex, dendritic spines are considered to be a good proxy of synapses. Taking advantages of mouse genetics and fluorescent labeling techniques, individual neurons and their synaptic structures can be labeled in the intact brain. Here we introduce a transcranial imaging protocol using two-photon laser scanning microscopy to follow fluorescently labeled postsynaptic dendritic spines over time in vivo. This protocol utilizes a thinned-skull preparation, which keeps the skull intact and avoids inflammatory effects caused by exposure of the meninges and the cortex. Therefore, images can be acquired immediately after surgery is performed. The experimental procedure can be performed repetitively over various time intervals ranging from hours to years. The application of this preparation can also be expanded to investigate different cortical regions and layers, as well as other cell types, under physiological and pathological conditions.

Dendritic spines are ubiquitous postsynaptic sites of most excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain, and thus may serve as structural indicators of functional synapses. Recent works have suggested that neuronal coding of memories may be associated with rapid alterations in spine formation and elimination. Technological advances have enabled researchers to study spine dynamics in vivo during development as well as under various physiological and pathological conditions. We believe that better understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of spine dynamics will help elucidate the principles of experience-dependent circuit modification and information processing in the living brain.