Search

The significance of collagen and vascular in skin augmentation have been recognized in recent years. However, current skin tissue fillers, e.g. hyaluronic acid (HA) or HA-based hydrogel, fail to meet the perfect augmentation requirements due to their inadequate long-term support effect and the lack of tissue-inducing activity. Herein, an injectable skin filler containing hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel and lithium calcium silicate (LCS, Li2Ca4Si4O13) bioceramic microspheres was developed for skin tissue fillers, owing to the excellent biological function of silicate bioceramics. The HA-LCS fillers could be easily injected through a tiny standard medical needle (27 G) with force of less than 36 N, and showed good biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the bioactive ions released from HA-LCS fillers significantly enhanced the expression of vascularization-related genes and collagen-related genes. Importantly, the HA-LCS fillers not only stimulated the regeneration of mature blood vessels, but also promoted collagen secretion in dermal skin and filling area. This study not only presented an injectable filler with enhanced regeneration of blood vessels and collagen, but also provided a new strategy for developing tissue-induced fillers based on bioactive components of silicate bioceramics.

Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 infection could cause persistent lung injury or indicate potential genetic susceptibilities. Although infection-elicited hybrid immunity could protect against severe COVID-19, it remains unknown whether recent infection could reduce pneumonia risk during reinfection due to insufficient viral and chest computed tomography (CT) screening. Methods: A total of 15,598 patients, 96% fully vaccinated and 52% boosted, from Xiangyang, China, who had symptomatic COVID-19 and chest CT scans during the first Omicron BF.7 wave in December 2022 to January 2023, were followed through the second Omicron XBB.1.5 wave between May and August 2023. A total of 17,968 second-wave patients with COVID-19 with chest CT scans but without previous symptomatic COVID-19 were enrolled as first-time infection controls. Results: A total of 19.6% (3,061 of 15,598) first-wave patients were diagnosed with pneumonia. Among second-wave reinfected patients, only 0.2% (four of 2202) developed pneumonia, which was lower than the 1.7% (311 of 17,968) pneumonia prevalence among the second-wave first-time patients, with an adjusted relative risk of 0.11 (95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.29). A total of 1.3% (40 of 3,039) first-wave pneumonia survivors showed residual abnormal patterns in follow-up CT scans within 8 months after pneumonia diagnosis. Conclusions: In a highly vaccinated population, previous symptomatic Omicron infection within 8 months reduced pneumonia risk during reinfection. Uninfected individuals might need up-to-date vaccination to reduce pneumonia risk.

Abstract Background Increased neuroinflammation in brain regions regulating sympathetic nerves is associated with hypertension. Emerging evidence from both human and animal studies suggests a link between hypertension and gut microbiota, as well as microbiota-derived metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). However, the precise mechanisms underlying this gut-brain axis remain unclear. Methods The levels of microbiota-derived SCFAs in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. To observe the effect of acetate on arterial blood pressure (ABP) in rats, sodium acetate was supplemented via drinking water for continuous 7 days. ABP was recorded by radio telemetry. The inflammatory factors, morphology of microglia and astrocytes in rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) were detected. In addition, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, composition and metabolomics of the gut microbiome, and intestinal pathological manifestations were also measured. Results The serum acetate levels in SHRs are lower than in normotensive control rats. Supplementation with acetate reduces ABP, inhibits sympathetic nerve activity in SHRs. Furthermore, acetate suppresses RVLM neuroinflammation in SHRs, increases microglia and astrocyte morphologic complexity, decreases BBB permeability, modulates intestinal flora, increases fecal flora metabolites, and inhibits intestinal fibrosis. Conclusions Microbiota-derived acetate exerts antihypertensive effects by modulating microglia and astrocytes and inhibiting neuroinflammation and sympathetic output.

Introduction: Bone tissue engineering is considered the ideal approach for bone repair. Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) possesses the characteristics of high drug-loading capacity and bioactivity. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound contributes to promoting fracture healing and bone defect repair, and dimethyloxalyl glycine (DMOG) is a small molecular inhibitor that can suppress prolyl hydroxylase, reducing the degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor.Methods: In this study, we proposed to prepare DMOG-loaded MBG/poly(D,L-lactide) composite scaffolds (DMOG-MBG/PDLLA) for promoting bone repair. The effects of ultrasound stimulation and DMOG release on the cell responses of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and bone repair in vivo were investigated.Results and Discussion: The results showed that both ultrasound stimulation and DMOG release could promote the proliferation, adhesion and differentiation of BMSCs and HUVECs, respectively. After the implantation of scaffolds in rat cranial bone defect model for 8 weeks, the results indicated that the combined ultrasound stimulation and DMOG release contributed to the highest ability for promoting bone repair. Hence, the DMOG-MBG/PDLLA scaffolds with ultrasound stimulation are promising for application in bone repair.

Regeneration of severe bone defects remains an enormous challenge in clinic. Developing regenerative scaffolds to directionally guide bone growth is a potential strategy to overcome this hurdle. Conch, an interesting creature widely spreading in ocean, has tough spiral shell that can continuously grow along the spiral direction. Herein, inspired by the physiological features of conches, a conch-like (CL) scaffold based on β-TCP bioceramic material was successfully prepared for guiding directional bone growth via digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D printing. Benefiting from the spiral structure, the CL scaffolds significantly improved cell adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in vitro compared to the conventional 3D scaffolds. Particularly, the spiral structure in the scaffolds could efficiently induce cells to migrate from the bottom to the top of the scaffolds, which was like “cells climbing stairs”. Furthermore, the capability of guiding directional bone growth for the CL scaffolds was demonstrated by a special half-embedded femoral defects model in rabbits. The new bone tissue could consecutively grow into the protruded part of the scaffolds along the spiral cavities. This work provides a promising strategy to construct biomimetic biomaterials for guiding directional bone tissue growth, which offers a new treatment concept for severe bone defects, and even limb regeneration.

Tendon-bone healing is essential for an effective rotator cuff tendon repair surgery, however, this remains a significant challenge due to the lack of biomaterials with high strength and bioactivity. Inspired by the high-performance exoskeleton of natural organisms, we set out to apply natural fish scale (FS) modified by calcium silicate nanoparticles (CS NPs) as a new biomaterial (CS-FS) to overcome the challenge. Benefit from its “Bouligand” microstructure, such FS-based scaffold maintained excellent tensile strength (125.05 MPa) and toughness (14.16 MJ/m3), which are 1.93 and 2.72 times that of natural tendon respectively, allowing it to well meet the requirements for rotator cuff tendon repair. Additionally, CS-FS showed diverse bioactivities by stimulating the differentiation and phenotypic maintenance of multiple types of cells participated into the composition of tendon-bone junction, (e.g. bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), chondrocyte, and tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs)). In both rat and rabbit rotator cuff tear (RCT) models, CS-FS played a key role in the tendon-bone interface regeneration and biomechanical function, which may be achieved by activating BMP-2/Smad/Runx2 pathway in BMSCs. Therefore, natural fish scale -based biomaterials are the promising candidate for clinical tendon repair due to their outstanding strength and bioactivity.

Bone defects caused by trauma, tumor, congenital abnormality and osteoarthritis, etc. have been substantially impacted the lives and health of human. Artificial bone implants, like bioceramic-based scaffolds, provide significant benefits over biological counterparts and are critical for bone repair and regeneration. However, it is highly probable that bacterial infections occur in the surgical procedures or on bioceramic-based scaffolds. Therefore, it is of great significance to obtain bioceramic-based scaffolds with integrative antibacterial and osteogenic functions for treating bone implant-associated infection and promoting bone repair. To fight against infection problems, bioceramic-based scaffolds with various antibacterial strategies are developed for bone repair and regeneration and also have made great progresses. This review summarizes recent progresses in bioceramic-based scaffolds with antibacterial function, which include drug-induced, ion-mediated, physical-activated and their combined antibacterial strategies according to specific antibacterial mechanism. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of antibacterial bioceramic-based scaffolds are discussed.

Bone defects induced by bone trauma, tumors and osteoarthritis greatly affect the life quality and health of patients. The biomaterials with numerous advantages are becoming the most preferred options for repairing bone defects and treating orthopedic diseases. However, their repairing effects remains unsatisfactory, especially in bone defects suffering from tumor, inflammation, and/or bacterial infection. There are several strategies to functionalize biomaterials, but a more general and efficient method is essential for accomplishing the functionalization of biomaterials. Possessing high specific surface, high porosity, controlled degradability and variable composition, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials are inherently advantageous for functionalizing biomaterials, with tremendous improvements having been achieved. This review summarizes recent progresses in MOFs functionalized biomaterials for promoting bone repair and therapeutic effects. In specific, by utilizing various properties of diverse MOFs materials, integrated MOFs functionalized biomaterials achieve enhanced bone regeneration, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor functions. Finally, the summary and prospects of on the development of MOFs-functionalized biomaterials for promoting bone repair were discussed.

IntroductionAnxiety not only harms employees’ work efficiency and satisfaction but also presents as a hazard to their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety among Chinese employees, identify their personality profiles and explore the anxiety-related factors in different personality profiles.MethodsThis national investigation adopted the multistage random sampling method to recruit employees. A total of 3,875 employees were enrolled in this study, and 39.1% (1,515/3,875) of them were experiencing anxiety at the time of the study. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify personality subgroups among Chinese employees based on their BFI-10 scores.ResultsLPA identified a three-profile solution among Chinese employees: average, resilient, and introverted. Employees in the resilient profile had the lowest anxiety rate (16.1%, 132/822), and those in the average profile had the highest rate (46.8%, 1,166/2,494). Multivariate analysis results showed that for all personality profiles, self-efficacy was positively associated with anxiety, and work-family conflict was negatively associated with anxiety. High levels of perceived social support and self-efficacy reduced the risk of anxiety and higher work-family conflict and no partner increased the odds of anxiety in the average profile. For the introverted profile, female gender, and living in a city increased the chances of suffering from anxiety.DiscussionThis study identified that each personality profile of Chinese employees had its own set of factors associated with anxiety, which could facilitate employers to provide targeted interventions to alleviate employees’ anxiety.

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that often causes cartilage lesions and even osteochondral damage. Osteochondral defects induced by OA are accompanied by an inflammatory arthrosis microenvironment with overproduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in the exacerbation of defects and difficulty regenerating osteochondral tissues. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop osteochondral scaffolds that can not only promote the integrated regeneration of cartilage and subchondral bone, but also possess ROS‐scavenging ability to protect tissues from oxidative stress. Herein, zinc‐cobalt bimetallic organic framework (Zn/Co‐MOF) functionalized bioceramic scaffolds are designed for repairing osteochondral defects under OA environment. By functionalizing Zn/Co‐MOF on the 3D‐printed beta‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP) scaffolds, the Zn/Co‐MOF functionalized β‐TCP (MOF‐TCP) scaffolds with broad‐spectrum ROS‐scavenging ability are successfully developed. Benefiting from its catalytic active sites and degradation products, Zn/Co‐MOF endows the scaffolds with excellent antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory properties to protect cells from ROS invasion, as well as dual‐bioactivities of simultaneously inducing osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo results confirm that MOF‐TCP scaffolds accelerate the integrated regeneration of cartilage and subchondral bone in severe osteochondral defects. This study offers a promising strategy for treating defects induced by OA as well as other inflammatory diseases.

To prevent postoperative skin tumor recurrence and repair skin wound, a glucose oxidase (GOx)-loaded manganese silicate hollow nanospheres (MS HNSs)-incorporated alginate hydrogel (G/MS-SA) was constructed for starvation-photothermal therapy and skin tissue regeneration. The MS HNSs showed a photothermal conversion efficiency of 38.5%, and endowed composite hydrogels with satisfactory photothermal effect. Taking advantage of the catalytic activity of Mn ions, the composite hydrogels could decompose hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen (O2), which can alleviate the problem of tumor hypoxia microenvironment and endow GOx with an ability to consume glucose in the presence of O2 for tumor starvation. Meanwhile, hyperthermia triggered by near infrared (NIR) irradiation could not only accelerate the reaction rate of H2O2 decomposition by MS HNSs and glucose consumption by GOx, but also ablate tumor cells. The anti-tumor results showed that synergistic effect of starvation-photothermal therapy led to the highest death rate of tumor cells among all groups, and its anti-tumor effect was obviously improved as compared with that of single photothermal treatment or starvation treatment. Interestingly, the introduction of MS HNSs into hydrogels could distinctly promote the epithelialization of the wound beds by releasing Mn ions as compared with the hydrogels without MS HNSs. It is expected that such a multifunctional platform with starvation-photothermal therapy will be promising for treating tumor-caused skin defects in combination of its regeneration bioactivity in the future.

Abstract Background There is no consensus regarding the clinical target volume (CTV) margins in radiotherapy for glioma. In this study, we aimed to perform a complete macropathologic analysis examining microscopic tumor extension (ME) to more accurately define the CTV in glioma. Methods Thirty-eight supra-total resection specimens of glioma patients were examined on histologic sections. The ME distance, defined as the maximum linear distance from the tumor border to the invasive tumor cells, was measured at each section. We defined the CTV based on the relationships between ME distance and clinicopathologic features. Results Between February 2016 and July 2020, a total of 814 slides were examined, corresponding to 162 slides for low-grade glioma (LGG) and 652 slides for high-grade glioma (HGG). The ME value was 0.69 ± 0.43 cm for LGG and 1.29 ± 0.54 cm for HGG (P < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, tumor grade, O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase promoter methylated status (MGMTm), isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type status (IDHwt), and 1p/19q non-co-deleted status (non-codel) were positively correlated with ME distance (all P < 0.05). We defined the CTV of glioma based on tumor grade. To take into account approximately 95% of the ME, a margin of 1.00 cm, 1.50 cm, and 2.00 cm were chosen for grade II, grade III, and grade IV glioma, respectively. Paired analysis of molecularly defined patients confirmed that tumors that had all three molecular alterations (i.e., MGMTm/IDHwt/non-codel) were the most aggressive subgroups (all P < 0.05). For these patients, the margin could be up to 1.50 cm, 2.00 cm, and 2.50 cm for grade II, grade III, and grade IV glioma, respectively, to cover the subclinical lesions in 95% of cases. Conclusions The ME was different between the grades of gliomas. It may be reasonable to recommend 1.00 cm, 1.50 cm, and 2.00 cm CTV margins for grade II, grade III, and grade IV glioma, respectively. Considering the highly aggressive nature of MGMTm/IDHwt/non-codel tumors, for these patients, the margin could be further expanded by 0.5 cm. These recommendations would encompass microscopic disease extension in 95% of cases. Trial registration The trial was registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( ChiCTR2100049376 ).

Abstract The long-term immunity and functional recovery after SARS-CoV-2 infection have implications in preventive measures and patient quality of life. Here we analyzed a prospective cohort of 121 recovered COVID-19 patients from Xiangyang, China at 1-year after diagnosis. Among them, chemiluminescence immunoassay-based screening showed 99% (95% CI, 98–100%) seroprevalence 10–12 months after infection, comparing to 0.8% (95% CI, 0.7–0.9%) in the general population. Total anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies remained stable since discharge, while anti-RBD IgG and neutralization levels decreased over time. A predictive model estimates 17% (95% CI, 11–24%) and 87% (95% CI, 80–92%) participants were still 50% protected against detectable and severe re-infection of WT SARS-CoV-2, respectively, while neutralization levels against B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants were significantly reduced. All non-severe patients showed normal chest CT and 21% reported COVID-19-related symptoms. In contrast, 53% severe patients had abnormal chest CT, decreased pulmonary function or cardiac involvement and 79% were still symptomatic. Our findings suggest long-lasting immune protection after SARS-CoV-2 infection, while also highlight the risk of immune evasive variants and long-term consequences for COVID-19 survivors.

Abstract Background Although it is known that unbound bilirubin can enter the brain, there is little evidence of its association with the development of acute bilirubin encephalopathy. Here, we investigated this potential relationship in neonates who had undergone exchange transfusion. Methods Data from 46 newborns who underwent exchange transfusion between 2016 and 1-1 to 2018-12-31 at the First People’s Hospital of Changde City in China were analyzed. The unbound bilirubin level was taken as the independent variable and the development of the acute bilirubin encephalopathy as the dependent variable. The covariates were age, birth weight, sex, red blood cell count, blood glucose, hemolytic disease, and whether the infant had received phototherapy. Results The mean age and gestational age of the neonates were 146.5 ± 86.9 h and 38.6 ± 1.3 weeks [38.7(34.6–41.1) weeks] old, respectively; 52.17% were male. Binary logistic regression analysis after adjustment for covariates showed a positive association between the levels of unbound bilirubin and the development of acute bilirubin encephalopathy (odds ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence intervals 1.05–1.91, P =

Abstract Introduction In this study, we performed a consecutive macropathologic analysis to assess microscopic extension (ME) in high-grade glioma (HGG) to determine appropriate clinical target volume (CTV) margins for radiotherapy. Materials and methods The study included HGG patients with tumors located in non-functional areas, and supratotal resection was performed. The ME distance from the edge of the tumor to the microscopic tumor cells surrounding brain tissue was measured. Associations between the extent of ME and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated by multivariate linear regression (MVLR) analysis. An ME predictive model was developed based on the MVLR model. Results Between June 2017 and July 2019, 652 pathologic slides obtained from 30 HGG patients were analyzed. The mean ME distance was 1.70 cm (range, 0.63 to 2.87 cm). The MVLR analysis identified that pathologic grade, subventricular zone (SVZ) contact and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation and 1p/19q co-deletion status were independent variables predicting ME (all P

Single-site metal atoms (SMAs) on supports are attracting extensive interest as new catalytic systems because of maximized atom utilization and superior performance. However, rational design of configuration-optimized SMAs with high activity from the perspectives of fundamental electron spin is highly challenging. Herein, N-coordinated Fe single atoms are successfully distributed over axial carbon micropores to form dangling-FeN4 centers (d-FeN4). This unique d-FeN4 demonstrates much higher intrinsic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in HClO4 than FeN4 without micropore underneath and commercial Pt/C. Both theoretical calculation and electronic structure characterization imply that d-FeN4 endows central Fe with medium spin (t2g4 eg1), which provides a spin channel for electron transition compared with FeN4 with low spin. This leads to the facile formation of the singlet state of oxygen-containing species from triplet oxygen during the ORR, thus showing faster kinetics than FeN4. This work provides an in-depth understanding of spin tuning on SMAs for advanced energy catalysis.

A sensor is a tool used to directly measure the test compound (analyte) in a sample. Ideally, such a device is capable of continuous and reversible response and should not damage the sample. Nanosensor refers to a system in which at least one of the nanostructures is used to detect gases, chemicals, biological agents, electric fields, light, heat, etc. in its construction. The use of nanomaterials significantly increases the sensitivity of the system. In biosensors, the part of the system used to attach to the analyte and specifically detect it is a biological element (such as a DNA strand, antibody, enzyme, whole cell). The “Nano Biosensors” series reviews various types of biosensors and biochips (including an array of biosensors), emphasizing the role of nanostructures, developed for medical and biological applications. Nano Biosensors Electrochemical sensors are sensors that use the biological element as a diagnostic component and the electrode as a transducer. The use of nanostructures in these systems is usually done to fill the gap between the converter and the bioreceptor, which is at the nanoscale. Given the nature of the biomaterial detection process, electrochemical biosensors are divided into catalytic and propulsion. Common electrochemical techniques common in sensors include potentiometric, chronometry, voltammetry, impedance measurement, and field effect transistor (FET). Simultaneous use of the advantages of nanostructures and electrochemical techniques has led to the emergence of sensors with high sensitivity and decomposition power. The use of nanostructures in these sensors is usually done to fill the gap between the converter and the bioreceptor, which is at the nanoscale. Various types of nanostructures including nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanowires, nanopores, self-adhesive monolayers and nanocomposites can be used to improve the performance and efficiency of sensors in their structure. Simultaneous use of the advantages of nanostructures and electrochemical techniques has led to the emergence of sensors with high sensitivity and decomposition power.

The idea of using the compact device with higher heat transfer potential has encouraged researchers to use microchannels. Creating sinusoidal walls is a technique leading to better effectiveness and smaller size. In this study, the effects of discrete heat sources location on heat transfer and pressure drop are investigated, using graphene nanoplatelets/water inside a sinusoidal microchannel. For this, discrete heat sources are installed in a smooth microchannel (layout A) and compared with two sinusoidal-wall microchannels. In layouts B and C, the heating sources are installed above the convergent/diverging sections, respectively. Since the velocity and temperature gradients are higher in the converging region, the heat exchange and pressure drop for layout B are greater than other ones. In other words, installing heating sources in these regions with high-temperature gradient has a more obvious positive efficacy on heat exchange. For the best layout (B), although the heat exchange compared to the base layout (A) is 37.5% higher, the pressure drop and entropy generation are higher by 79% and 35.2%, respectively. By introducing a new figure of merit (FOM), it is found that layout B is in the desirable zone.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a serious complication of diabetes that can lead to heart failure and death, for which there is no effective treatment. Rhynchophylline (Rhy) is the main effective component of the Chinese herbal medicine Uncaria rhynchophylla, which mainly acts on the cardiovascular and nervous systems. However, its role in protecting against DCM remains unexplored. The present study sought to reveal the mechanism of Rhy in improving type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) myocardial lesions from the perspective of regulating calcium homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. We prepared a mouse model of T2DM using a high-fat diet combined with low doses of streptozotocin. The T2DM mice were given 40 mg/kg of Rhy for 8 weeks. The results showed that Rhy can attenuate cardiac pathological changes, slow down the heart rate, decrease serum cardiac enzyme levels, reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis, enhance cardiomyocyte contractility, and raise the calcium transient amplitude in T2DM mice. Further, Rhy downregulated the phosphorylation level of ryanodine receptor 2, upregulated the phosphorylation level of phospholamban, protected mitochondrial structure and function, and increased adenosine triphosphate levels in the cardiac tissue of T2DM mice. Our results demonstrated that Rhy may protect against myocardial damage in T2DM mice and promote cardiomyocyte contraction, and its mechanism of action seems to be related to the regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis.

ABSTRACTSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly worldwide since it was confirmed as the causative agent of COVID-19. Molecular diagnosis of the disease is typically performed via nucleic acid-based detection of the virus from swabs, sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). However, the positive rate from the commonly used specimens (swabs or sputum) was less than 75%. Immunological assays for SARS-CoV-2 are needed to accurately diagnose COVID-19. Sera were collected from patients or healthy people in a local hospital in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, China. The SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM antibodies were then detected using a SARS-CoV-2 IgM colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA). Results were analysed in combination with sera collection date and clinical information. The GICA was found to be positive with the detected 82.2% (37/45) of RT-qPCR confirmed COVID-19 cases, as well as 32.0% (8/25) of clinically confirmed, RT-qPCR negative patients (4–14 days after symptom onset). Investigation of IgM-negative, RT-qPCR-positive COVID-19 patients showed that half of them developed severe disease. The GICA was found to be a useful test to complement existing PCR-based assays for confirmation of COVID-19, and a delayed specific IgM antibody response was observed among COVID-19 patients with severe progression.

Abstract Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) strategy shows a great deal of advantages for the fabrication of advanced ceramics. Organosilicon polymers facilitate the shaping process and different silicon-based ceramics with controllable components can be fabricated by modifying organosilicon polymers or adding fillers. It is worth noting that silicate ceramics can also be fabricated from organosilicon polymers by the introduction of active fillers, which could react with the produced silica during pyrolysis. The organosilicon polymer-derived ceramics show many unique properties, which have attracted many attentions in various fields. This review summarizes the typical organosilicon polymers and the processing of organosilicon polymers to fabricate silicon-based ceramics, especially highlights the three-dimensional (3D) printing technique for shaping the organosilicon polymer- derived ceramics, which makes the possibility to fabricate silicon-based ceramics with complex structure. More importantly, the recent studies on fabricating typical non-oxide and silicate ceramics derived from organosilicon polymers and their biomedical applications are highlighted.

In nanoplatform-based tumor treatment, combining chemotherapy with hyperthermia therapy is an interesting strategy to achieve enhanced therapeutic efficacy with low dose of delivery drugs. Compared to photothermal therapy, magnetic hyperthermia has few restrictions on penetrating tissue by an alternating magnetic field, and thereby could cure various solid tumors, even deep-tissue ones. In this work, we proposed to construct magnetic nanocomposites (Fe3O4@PDA@ZIF-90) by the external growth of metal-organic framework ZIF-90 on polydopamine (PDA)-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles for synergistic magnetic hyperthermia and chemotherapy. In such multifunctional platform, Fe3O4 nanoparticle was utilized as a magnetic heating seed, PDA layer acted as an inducer for the growth of ZIF-90 shell and porous ZIF-90 shell served as drug nanocarrier to load doxorubicin (DOX). The well-defined Fe3O4@PDA@ZIF-90 core-shell nanoparticles were displayed with an average size of ca. 200 nm and possessed the abilities to load high capacity of DOX as well as trigger drug release in a pH-responsive way. Furthermore, the Fe3O4@PDA@ZIF-90 nanoparticles can raise the local temperature to meet hyperthermia condition under an alternating magnetic field owing to the magnetocaloric effect of Fe3O4 cores. In the in vitro experiments, the Fe3O4@PDA@ZIF-90 nanoparticles showed a negligible cytotoxicity to Hela cells. More significantly, after cellular internalization, the DOX-loaded Fe3O4@PDA@ZIF-90 nanoparticles exhibited distinctively synergistic effect to kill tumor cells with higher efficacy compared to chemotherapy or magnetic hyperthermia alone, presenting a great potential for efficient tumor therapy.

Background/objectives: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based artificial ligaments are one of the most commonly used grafts in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. However, the lack of favorable hydrophilicity and cell attachment for PET highly impeded its widespread application in clinical practice. Studies found that surface modification on PET materials could enhance the biocompatibility and bioactivity of PET ligaments. In this study, we immobilized bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) on the surface of PET ligaments mediated by polydopamine (PDA) coating and investigated the bioactivation and graft-to-bone healing effect of the modified grafts in vivo and in vitro.Methods: In this study, we prepared the PDA coating and subsequent BMP-2-immobilized PET artificial ligaments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the morphological changes of the modified grafts. In addition, the surface wettability properties of the modified ligaments, amount of immobilized BMP 2, and the release of BMP-2 during a dynamic period up to 28 days were tested. Then, the attachment and proliferation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) on grafts were examined by SEM and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay, RT-PCR, and Alizarin Red S staining were performed to test the osteoinduction property. For in vivo experiments, an extra-articular graft-to-bone healing model in rabbits was established. At 8 weeks after surgery, biomechanical tests, micro-CT, and histological staining were performed on harvested samples.Results: A surface morphological analysis verified the success of the PDA coating. The wettability of the PET artificial ligaments was improved, and more than 80% of BMP-2 stably remained on the graft surface for 28 days. The modified grafts could significantly enhance the proliferation, attachment, as well as expression of ALP and osteogenic-related genes, which demonstrated the favorable bioactivity of the grafts immobilized with BMP-2 in vitro. Moreover, the grafts immobilized with BMP-2 at a concentration of 138.4 ± 10.6 ng/cm2 could highly improve the biomechanical properties, bone regeneration, and healing between grafts and host bone after the implantation into the rabbits compared with the PDA-PET group or the PET group.Conclusion: The immobilization of BMP-2 mediated by polydopamine coating on PET artificial ligament surface could enhance the compatibility and bioactivity of the scaffolds and the graft-to-bone healing in vivo.

Abstract Biodegradation is a crucial issue for silica‐based mesoporous nanoparticles that is related to the biosafety in tumor therapy. Nowadays, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been intensively developed to construct multifunctional nanosystems for tumor therapy due to their biocompatibility, high drug loading capacity and easy functionalization; however, their biodegradation is relatively slow and still under debate. To improve the biodegradability of silica‐based mesoporous nanoparticles, a simple organic‐inorganic hybridization strategy to synthesize mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (MONs) has been successfully developed. By hybridizing the silica framework (–Si–O–Si–) with stimuli‐sensitive organic moieties to form organic‐inorganic network (–Si–R–Si–, R: organic moiety), when exposed to the stimuli environment, the breakdown of the organic‐inorganic network could accelerate the degradation of MONs, which is great promising for MONs as a multifunctional therapeutic nanoplatform in tumor therapy. This review aims to summarize the degradation strategies for MONs to improve biodegradability in recent years, and highlight the potential applications of MONs in tumor therapy. Finally, we also discuss the challenges of MONs for tumor therapy in future clinical translation.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have become the main method of interventional therapy for coronary heart disease, because their drug coating can effectively reduce the incidence of restenosis after stent implantation. Biodegradable polymers for coatings are the latest development direction for coating polymers, because they can be degraded into small molecules in the human body. In this study, the polymer P34HB(P34HB-1:4HB% = 1 mol%, Mw: 225,000; P34HB-10:4HB% = 10 mol%, Mw: 182,000), the fourth generation of biodegradable Polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHAs), was coated on stents to evaluate the drug release properties of the DES. Both P34HB-1 and P34HB-10 coatings showed increased drug release rates, as the polymer concentrations were gradually increased from 8 mg/mL to 28 mg/mL. Both P34HB-1 and P34HB-10 coatings showed increased drug release rates as the drug polymer ratios were gradually changed from 1:10 to 1:2. The drug release rates of the P34HB-1 coatings became slower than P34HB-10, thus showing sustained drug release effects. The drug release rates of the P34HB-1 coatings decreased when Rates of solution flow increased, decreased when Focusing pressures decreased, and decreased when Mandrel moving speeds increased. P34HB-1 coatings prepared with CHCl3/NPA (10:1) mixed solvents had better controlled drug release rates compared to Firebird2®. The drug release rates of P34HB-1 coatings prepared with CHCl3 solutions decreased as the outer layer weights were increased from 0 to 800 μg. When the outer layer weights reached 800 μg, the drug release rates of P34HB-1 coatings were slower than Firebird2®. P34HB-1 coatings prepared with both CHCl3/NPA (10:1) mixed solvents and double layers had more effectively controlled drug release rates than P34HB-1 coatings prepared with only mixed solvents or double layers and these effects were far greater than Firebird2@; thus, P34HB-1 represents a latent polymer for DES.

Silicate bioceramic scaffolds are of great interest in bone tissue engineering, but the fabrication of silicate bioceramic scaffolds with complex geometries is still challenging. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) porous β-Ca2SiO4 scaffolds have been successfully fabricated from preceramic resin loaded with CaCO3 active filler by 3D printing. The fabricated β-Ca2SiO4 scaffolds had uniform interconnected macropores (ca. 400 μm), high porosity (>78%), enhanced mechanical strength (ca. 5.2 MPa), and excellent apatite mineralization ability. Importantly, the results showed that the increase of sintering temperature significantly enhanced the compressive strength and the scaffolds sintered at higher sintering temperature stimulated the adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and osteogenic-related gene expression of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells. Therefore, the 3D printed β-Ca2SiO4 scaffolds derived from preceramic resin and CaCO3 active fillers would be promising candidates for bone tissue engineering.

Melanoma is a serious malignant skin tumor. Effectively eliminating melanoma and healing after-surgical wounds are always challenges in clinical studies. To address these problems, we propose manganese-doped calcium silicate nanowire-incorporated alginate hydrogels (named MCSA hydrogels) for in situ photothermal ablation of melanoma followed by the wound healing process. The proposed MCSA hydrogel had controllable gelation properties, reasonable strength, and excellent bioactivity due to the incorporated calcium silicate nanowires as the in situ cross-linking agents and bioactive components. The doping of manganese into calcium silicate nanowires gave them excellent photothermal effects for eradicating melanoma effectively under near infrared (NIR) irradiation. Moreover, the synergistic effect of manganese and silicon in the MCSA hydrogel effectively promotes migration and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and promotes angiogenesis. Hence, such bifunctional bioactive hydrogels could achieve combined functions of photothermal therapy and wound healing, showing great promise for melanoma therapy and tissue regeneration.

Abstract The residual of malignant tumor cells and lack of bone‐tissue integration are the two critical concerns of bone‐tumor recurrence and surgical failure. In this work, the rational integration of 2D Ti3C2 MXene is reported with 3D‐printing bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds for achieving concurrent bone‐tumor killing by photonic hyperthermia and bone‐tissue regeneration by bioactive scaffolds. The designed composite scaffolds take the unique feature of high photothermal conversion of integrated 2D Ti3C2 MXene for inducing bone‐tumor ablation by near infrared‐triggered photothermal hyperthermia, which has achieved the complete tumor eradication on in vivo bone‐tumor xenografts. Importantly, the rational integration of 2D Ti3C2 MXene is demonstrated to efficiently accelerate the in vivo growth of newborn bone tissue of the composite BG scaffolds. The dual functionality of bone‐tumor killing and bone‐tissue regeneration makes these Ti3C2 MXene‐integrated composite scaffolds highly promising for the treatment of bone tumors, which also substantially broadens the biomedical applications of 2D MXenes in tissue engineering, especially on the treatment of bone tumors.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) are a main interventional therapeutic instrument to treat coronary diseases. Degradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) for coatings that only degrade into small molecules in human bodies have been developed for coating polymers, but most coatings often lack ductility and can be easily peeled off from the stents after balloon expansion. In this study, biodegradable poly 3-hydroxybutyrate 4-hydroxybutyrate (P34HB) with good ductility was proposed to be a latent polymer for drug-eluting coatings on the stents. Using P34HB-1 (4HB% = 1%wt, Mw: 225,000) and P34HB-10 (4HB% = 10%wt, Mw: 182,000) as two candidates, both P34HB-1 and P34HB-10 exhibited excellent solubility in CHCl3. Their drug solutions remained highly stable and did not become turbid over a period of 48 h, and were conducive to batch preparation of uniform drug coatings. Drug coatings made by both P34HB-1 and P34HB-10 on the stents were almost complete before and after dilation by balloon owing to their excellent adhesion and extrusion resistance properties. Furthermore, both P34HB-1 and P34HB-10 had excellent biocompatibility in cytotoxicity and hemolysis tests. However, P34HB-1 drug coatings showed better drug release control than P34HB-10 drug coatings and Firebird2®, indicating that P34HB-1 is more suitable for a latent coating polymer of coronary stents.

We report the preparation of magnetic mesoporous silica (MMS) nanoparticles with the potential multifunctionality of drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia. Carbon-encapsulated magnetic colloidal nanoparticles (MCN@C) were used to coat mesoporous silica shells for the formation of the core-shell structured MMS nanoparticles (MCN@C/mSiO2), and the rattle-type structured MMS nanoparticles (MCN/mSiO2) were obtained after the removal of the carbon layers from MCN@C/mSiO2 nanoparticles. The morphology, structure, magnetic hyperthermia ability, drug release behavior, in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of MMS nanoparticles were investigated. The results revealed that the MCN@C/mSiO2 and MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles had spherical morphology and average particle sizes of 390 and 320 nm, respectively. The MCN@C/mSiO2 nanoparticles exhibited higher magnetic hyperthermia ability compared to the MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles, but the MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles had higher drug loading capacity. Both MCN@C/mSiO2 and MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles had similar drug release behavior with pH-controlled release and temperature-accelerated release. Furthermore, the MCN@C/mSiO2 and MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles showed low cytotoxicity and could be internalized into HeLa cells. Therefore, the MCN@C/mSiO2 and MCN/mSiO2 nanoparticles would be promising for the combination of drug delivery and magnetic hyperthermia treatment in cancer therapy.

Mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface promoter II (SPII) have not been well studied in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We aimed to investigate SPII mutations in such patients and their biological and clinical impacts. Direct sequencing was used to detect SPII mutations in 106 HBeAg-positive treatment-naïve CHB patients with genotype C (82.1% (87/106) was C2) HBV infection. Results showed that mutation frequency in transcription factor (TF) unbinding region was significantly higher than that in TF binding region of SPII (C1: 3.4% vs. 1.3%; C2: 2.6% vs. 1.3%; p < 0.0001). Luciferase assay revealed distinct promoter activities among SPII mutants; especially SPII of G120A mutant had a 15-fold higher activity than that of wild-type (p < 0.001). In vitro experiments in HepG2 cells showed that G82A, A115C and G120A mutants increased the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels, while C18T had an opposite effect. G82A, A115C and G120A mutants boosted the intracellular HBV total RNA level. G120A mutation resulted in an increased HBV DNA level in vitro, consistent with the serological results in patients. Thus, novel SPII mutations would affect promoter activity, HBsAg, HBV DNA and HBV total RNA levels, suggesting their potential biological and clinical significances.

In this study, we proposed to modify mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (NH2-TES), aminoethylaminopropyltriethoxysilane (2NH2-TES) and 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino] propyl-trimethoxysilane (3NH2-TES) for binding of cytosine-phosphate-guanosine oligodexynucleotides (CpG ODN), and investigated the effect of different amino groups of MSNs on the CpG ODN delivery. Serum stability, in vitro cytotoxicity, and cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) induction by MSN-NH2/CpG, MSN-2NH2/CpG and MSN-3NH2/CpG complexes were investigated in detail. The results showed that three kinds of aminated-MSN-based CpG ODN delivery systems had no cytotoxicity to RAW264.7 cells, and binding of CpG ODN to MSN-NH2, MSN-2NH2 and MSN-3NH2 nanoparticles enhanced the serum stability of CpG ODN due to protection by the nanoparticles. However, three aminated MSN-based CpG ODN delivery systems exhibited different CpG ODN delivery efficiency, and MSN-NH2/CpG complexes had the highest ability to induce IL-6 secretion.

This study applied a multi-level contact oxidation process system in a pilot-scale experiment to treat automobile painting wastewater. The experimental wastewater had been pre-treated through a series of physicochemical methods, but the water still contained a high concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and had poor biodegradability. After the biological treatment, the COD concentration of effluent could stay below 300 mg/L. The study analyzed the effects of hydraulic residence time (HRT) on COD, ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and total nitrogen (TN). The optimal HRT was 8 h; at that time, removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen were 83.8%, 86.3%, and 65%, respectively. The system also greatly reduced excess sludge production; the removal efficiency was 82.8% with a HRT of 8 h. The study applied high-throughput pyrosequencing technology to evaluate the microbial diversity and community structures in distinct stages of the biological reactor. The relevance between process performance and microbial community structure was analyzed at the phylum and class level. The abundant Firmicutes made a large contribution to improving the biodegradability of painting wastewater through hydrolysis acidification and reducing sludge production through fermentation in the biological reactor.

A simple cocasting method has been developed to prepare magnetic mesoporous FePt/C composites with superparamagnetic FePt nanoparticles embedded in carbon walls. Furfuryl alcohol, iron(III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3), and platinum(II) acetylacetonate (Pt(acac)2) were used as the carbon and FePt nanoparticle precursors to be simultaneously incorporated into the channels of mesoporous silica SBA-15 template by the incipient wetness impregnation technique. After the polymerization of furfuryl alcohol, the carbonization in argon, and the removal of silica template, magnetic mesoporous FePt/C composites were finally obtained. Magnetic mesoporous FePt/C composites have high surface area of 1244 m2/g and narrow mesopore size distribution peaked at 4.93 nm. FePt nanoparticles were well embedded in mesoporous carbon walls, and mesoporous FePt/C composites exhibit superparamagnetic behavior. Using cytochrome c (Cyt c), myoglobin (Mb), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model proteins, the adsorption capacities of Cyt c, Mb, and BSA on magnetic mesoporous FePt/C composites can reach ca. 200, 162, and 121 μg/mg, respectively. These results indicated that mesoporous FePt/C composites have potential as magnetically separable adsorbent for biomolecules separation.

The magnetic Fe-MBG/C composite scaffolds with enhanced mechanical strength and multifunctionality have been successfully prepared. The study showed that the Fe-MBG/C composite scaffolds with the porosity of ca. 80% had interconnected macropores (200–500 µm) and mesopores (3.7–4.4 nm) and significantly enhanced the compressive strength compared to the pure MBG scaffolds. Importantly, the Fe-MBG/C composite scaffolds exhibited good bioactivity and sustained drug release property. At the same time, the Fe-MBG/C composite scaffolds could generate heat to raise the temperature of surrounding environment in an alternating magnetic field due to their superparamagnetic behavior. Therefore, the magnetic Fe-MBG/C composite scaffolds could form a multifunctional platform with bone regeneration, magnetic hyperthermia, and local drug delivery and have more potential for use in the regeneration of the critical-sized bone defects caused by bone tumors.

The present research aims to explore the potential impact of mobile phone radiation on bone marrow haematopoietic stem cell in mice. 160 male BALB/C mice aged 3–4 weeks were randomly distributed into 4 groups as blank control, control, TD-SCDMA and LTE-Advanced respectively, with 40 mice in each group. Mice were designed to receive cell phone radiation for 2–8 weeks. 10 mice in each group were taken out for examinations given radiation exposure periods were 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks respectively. Then terminal deoxynuclotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP Nick-end labelling technique was conducted to detect the apoptosis of stem cell, and morphological method was carried out for the examination of micronucleus and subpopulations of bone marrow haematopoietic stem cell, while enzyme immune technique was performed to analyse the subsets of T lymphocyte. As a result, no statistical differences were discovered on issues of apoptosis and micronucleus during the entire experimental period in the 2 sham radiation control groups. Notwithstanding similar results were seen in TD-SCDMA and LTE-Advanced groups after exposed to radiation for 2 or 4 weeks, apoptosis began to be enhanced and micronucleus to be increased given the mice experience longer exposure as 6 or 8 weeks. There were virtually negligible effects on subpopulations of stem cell, as well as on subsets of T lymphocyte of peripheral blood during the entire experimental period in the 4 groups. It could be concluded that long-term radiation from cell phone could induce apoptosis of haematopoietic stem cell in mice; moreover, it seems to stimulate the formation of micronucleus, yet with even negligible effect on the proportions of stem cell subpopulations and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]