Dual-bionic regenerative microenvironment for peripheral nerve repair.

Autologous nerve grafting serves is considered the gold standard treatment for peripheral nerve defects; however, limited availability and donor area destruction restrict its widespread clinical application. Although the performance of allogeneic decellularized nerve implants has been explored, challenges such as insufficient human donors have been a major drawback to its clinical use. Tissue-engineered neural regeneration materials have been developed over the years, and researchers have explored strategies to mimic the peripheral neural microenvironment during the design of nerve catheter grafts, namely the extracellular matrix (ECM), which includes mechanical, physical, and biochemical signals that support nerve regeneration. In this study, polycaprolactone/silk fibroin (PCL/SF)-aligned electrospun material was modified with ECM derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs), and a dual-bionic nerve regeneration material was successfully fabricated. The results indicated that the developed biomimetic material had excellent biological properties, providing sufficient anchorage for Schwann cells and subsequent axon regeneration and angiogenesis processes. Moreover, the dual-bionic material exerted a similar effect to that of autologous nerve transplantation in bridging peripheral nerve defects in rats. In conclusion, this study provides a new concept for designing neural regeneration materials, and the prepared dual-bionic repair materials have excellent auxiliary regenerative ability and further preclinical testing is warranted to evaluate its clinical application potential.

Research Progress on Exosomes in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a progressive disease that often necessitates hip replacement if hip preservation therapy fails. ONFH places a heavy economic burden and severe psychological pressure on patients. At present, ONFH is treated by either surgical or non-surgical methods. In clinical practice, stem cells combined with surgery has achieved some positive results, but many problems remain to be resolved. Exosomes are small vesicles of 30-150 nm, which are rich in various nucleic acids, proteins, and small molecules depending on the cells from which they are derived. A growing number of studies have found that exosomes play an important role in tissue damage repair. In comparison with stem cells, exosomes have lower immunogenicity. Also, exosomes can promote cell proliferation and inhibit tumor growth. In addition, exosomes can also be used as natural carriers of drugs. Many studies have shown that exosomes have therapeutic effects in hormone-induced ONFH. Exosomes have the effect of promoting vascular regeneration and show good application prospects in ONFH. Here, we present a review of studies on the application of exosomes in ONFH to provide a reference for future research.

Injectable adipose-derived stem cells-embedded alginate-gelatin microspheres prepared by electrospray for cartilage tissue regeneration.

Objective: To prepare adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)-embedded alginate-gelatinemicrospheres (Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs) by electrospray and evaluate their feasibility for cartilage tissue engineering. To observe the efficacy of Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs in repairing articular cartilage defects in SD rats. Methods: ADSCs were isolated and characterized by performing induced differentiation and flow cytometry assays. Alginate-gelatine microspheres with different gelatine concentrations were manufactured by electrospraying, and the appropriate alginate-gelatine concentration and ratio were determined by evaluating microsphere formation. Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs were compared with Alg-ADSCs MSs through the induction of chondrogenic differentiation and culture. Their feasibility for cartilage tissue engineering was analysed by performing Live/Dead staining, cell proliferation analysis, toluidine blue staining and a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content analysis. Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs were implanted in the cartilage defects of SD rats, and the cartilage repair effect was evaluated at different time points. The evaluation included gross observations and histological evaluations, fluorescence imaging tracking, immunohistochemical staining, microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and a CatWalk evaluation. Results: The isolated ADSCs showed multidirectional differentiation and were used for cartilage tissue engineering. Using 1.5 w:v% alginate and 0.5 w:v% gelatine (Type B), we successfully prepared nearly spherical microspheres. Compared with alginate microspheres, alginate gel increased the viability of ADSCs and promoted the proliferation and chondrogenesis of ADSCs. In our experiments on knee cartilage defects in SD rats in vivo, the Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs showed superior cartilage repair in cell resides, histology evaluation, micro-CT imaging and gait analysis. Conclusions: Microspheres composed of 1.5 w:v% alginate-0.5 w:v% gelatine increase the viability of ADSCs and supported their proliferation and deposition of cartilage matrix components. ADSCs embedded in 1.5 w:v% alginate-0.5 w:v% gelatine microspheres show superior repair efficacy and prospective applications in cartilage tissue repair. The translational potential of this article: In this study, injectable adipose-derived stem cells-embedded alginate-gelatin microspheres (Alg-Gel-ADSCs MSs) were prepared by the electrospray . Compared with the traditional alginate microspheres, its support ability for ADSCs is better and shows a better repair effect. This study provides a promising strategy for cartilage tissue regeneration.

Functional tissue-engineered microtissue formed by self-aggregation of cells for peripheral nerve regeneration.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is one of the essential causes of physical disability with a high incidence rate. The traditional tissue engineering strategy, Top-Down strategy, has some limitations. A new tissue-engineered strategy, Bottom-Up strategy (tissue-engineered microtissue strategy), has emerged and made significant research progress in recent years. However, to the best of our knowledge, microtissues are rarely used in neural tissue engineering; thus, we intended to use microtissues to repair PNI. METHODS: We used a low-adhesion cell culture plate to construct adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) into microtissues in vitro, explored the physicochemical properties and microtissues components, compared the expression of cytokines related to nerve regeneration between microtissues and the same amount of two-dimension (2D)-cultured cells, co-cultured directly microtissues with dorsal root ganglion (DRG) or Schwann cells (SCs) to observe the interaction between them using immunocytochemistry, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We used grafts constructed by microtissues and polycaprolactone (PCL) nerve conduit to repair sciatic nerve defects in rats. RESULTS: The present study results indicated that compared with the same number of 2D-cultured cells, microtissue could secrete more nerve regeneration related cytokines to promote SCs proliferation and axons growth. Moreover, in the direct co-culture system of microtissue and DRG or SCs, axons of DRG grown in the direction of microtissue, and there seems to be a cytoplasmic exchange between SCs and ASCs around microtissue. Furthermore, microtissues could repair sciatic nerve defects in rat models more effectively than traditional 2D-cultured ASCs. CONCLUSION: Tissue-engineered microtissue is an effective strategy for stem cell culture and therapy in nerve tissue engineering.

Tissue Engineering Microtissue: Construction, Optimization, and Application.

Until now, there is no clear definition of microtissue; it usually refers to the microtissue formed by the aggregation of seed cells under the action of cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix (ECM). Compared with traditional cell monolayer culture, cells are cultivated into a three-dimensional microstructure in a specific way. The microstructure characteristics of microtissue are similar to natural tissues and can promote cell proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, it has a broader range of biomedical applications in tissue engineering. The traditional tissue engineering strategy is to add high-density seed cells and biomolecules on a preformed scaffold to construct a tissue engineering graft. However, due to the destruction of the ECM of the cells cultured in a monolayer during the digestion process with trypsin, the uneven distribution of the cells in the scaffold, and the damage of various adverse factors after the cells are implanted in the scaffold, this strategy is often ineffective, and the subsequent applications still face challenges. This article reviews the latest researches of a new strategy-tissue engineering microtissue strategy; discuss several traditional construction methods, structure, and function optimization; and practical application of microtissue. The review aims to provide a reference for future research on tissue engineering microtissue. Impact statement The traditional tissue engineering strategies have several disadvantages, researchers have conducted extensive research on tissue engineering microtissues in recent years, and they make significant progress. Microtissue is a kind of microtissue with three-dimensional structure, its microstructure is similar to that of natural tissue. In addition, microtissue implantation can protect cells from mechanical interference, inflammation, and other adverse factors. Furthermore, it improves the survival rate of cells and the therapeutic effect of tissue-engineered grafts. However, the practical conditions, advantages, and disadvantages of tissue engineering microtissue have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this review is to discuss the latest research progress of microtissue and provide a reference for future research.

Cell-Derived Extracellular Matrix Materials for Tissue Engineering.

The involvement of cell-derived extracellular matrix (CDM) in assembling tissue engineering scaffolds has yielded significant results. CDM possesses excellent characteristics, such as ideal cellular microenvironment mimicry and good biocompatibility, which make it a popular research direction in the field of bionanomaterials. CDM has significant advantages as an expansion culture substrate for stem cells, including stabilization of phenotype, reversal of senescence, and guidance of specific differentiation. In addition, the applications of CDM-assembled tissue engineering scaffolds for disease simulation and tissue organ repair are comprehensively summarized; the focus is mainly on bone and cartilage repair, skin defect or wound healing, engineered blood vessels, peripheral nerves, and periodontal tissue repair. We consider CDM as a highly promising bionic biomaterial for tissue engineering applications and propose a vision for its comprehensive development. Impact statement Cell-derived extracellular matrix (CDM) has received continued attention on the field of tissue engineering because of its promising biological characteristics. CDM deposited in vitro is rich in protein fractions and contains a wealth of biological information that provides a suitable niche for the survival and activity of isolated cells. More importantly, the free-assembling feature of CDM allows it to participate in the assembly of tissue-engineered scaffolds, imparting bionic properties to regenerative scaffolds, and thus CDM-modified scaffolds are widely used in the reconstruction of bone and cartilage tissue, peripheral nerves, skin, and blood vessels. This article is dedicated to summarizing the important results achieved by CDM-modified tissue engineering scaffolds in tissue organ reconstruction, helping readers to understand the developments in this field in recent years.

Spider-web-inspired cellulose nanofibrils networking polyaniline-encapsulated silica nanoparticles as anode material of lithium-ion batteries.

As the promising anode material of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), SiO2 has high theoretical capacity, but the volume expansion severely hinders its application. To address the challenge, inspired by the highly flexible spider-web architecture, the SiO2@carbonized polyaniline/carbonized 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (SiO2@cPANI/cTOCNFs) composite was designed, and fabricated via carbonizing the freeze-dried SiO2@PANI/TOCNFs. The resultant SiO2@cPANI/cTOCNFs composite exhibited unique spider-web-like nanostructures, providing a double-layer carbon network to protect SiO2 anode material. The results showed that, the SiO2@cPANI/cTOCNFs composite as anode material of LIBs offered a reversible capacity of 1103 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1 after 200 cycles, and gave a capacity of 302 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g-1, exhibiting excellent cycling stability. This study provides a strategy of spider-web-inspired cellulose nanofibrils networking polyaniline-encapsulated silica nanoparticles as anode material of LIBs.

The effect of the humanistic care teaching model on nurse patient conflict and nurse turnover intention in a pediatric outpatient department: results of a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out based on the background that sharp nurse-patient conflicts in the pediatric outpatient department lead to a high turnover rate of nurses. METHODS: A total of 68 nurses working in the pediatric outpatient department of Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital were selected as the study subjects, and randomly divided into an experimental group (n=34) and a control group (n=34). Nurses in the control group received a traditional pediatric nursing teaching model, while those in the experimental group received a traditional pediatric nursing teaching model combined with the humanistic care teaching model. The effect of these two nursing teaching models on nurse-patient conflicts in the pediatric outpatient department and the turnover intention of nurses was then compared and analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in personal information between the two groups (P>0.05). The strain capacity, operational capacity, nurse-patient communication skills, autonomous learning ability, and teamwork ability of the nurses in the experimental group after training were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Both groups after training had significantly higher scores on a professional identity scale than before training, and nurses in the experimental group had significantly higher scores of professional identity than those in the control group (P<0.001). The turnover intention of the nurses in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.001). The problem solving ability of nurses in the experimental group was significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.001). Scores in the domains of waiting to see the doctor, the health knowledge education, the ward environment, and nursing quality of nurses in `the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The humanistic care teaching model can significantly improve the professional identity and problem solving ability of nurses in facing different nurse-patient conflicts with significant effect and is worthy of application and popularization in clinical nursing teaching. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100048751.

Novel three-dimensional polyaniline nanothorns vertically grown on buckypaper as high-performance supercapacitor electrode.

Combining polyaniline (PANI) with different dimensional carbon materials is an effective way to solve the disadvantages of poor rate performance and cycling stability induced by the structure destruction of conductive polymer materials over long-term charge/discharge cycles. In this work, novel three-dimensional (3D) conical PANI nanothorns are synthesized on a buckypaper substrate via a controlled electropolymerization process. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the vertical growth of PANI nanothorns and the excellent mechanical elasticity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes, it can effectively alleviate the volume change during the charging and discharging process of the electrode material and ensure the rapid transmission of electrons. The morphology and structure of the composite have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 742 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 in 1 M of H2SO4 electrolyte and a capacitance retention of 76% after 2000 cycles. The novel 3D PANI nanothorn/buckypaper composite has significant potential as practical for use as electrode materials of supercapacitors due to its easy synthesis, low cost, and high specific capacitance.

Chromium-Containing Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianmai Xiaoke Tablet, for Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

OBJECTIVE: Chromium-containing traditional Chinese medicine Tianmai Xiaoke tablet (TMXKT) is approved for treating newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. This review aimed to compile the evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and quantify the effects of TMXKT on newly diagnosed T2DM. METHODS: Seven online databases were investigated up to March 20, 2017. The meta-analysis included RCTs investigating the treatment of newly diagnosed T2DM, in which TMXKT combined with conventional therapy was compared with placebo or conventional therapy. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The estimated mean difference (MD) and the standardized mean difference were within 95% confidence intervals (CI) with respect to the interstudy heterogeneity. The outcomes were measured using fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and body mass index (BMI) levels. RESULTS: TMXKT combined with conventional therapy lowered FBG level (MD = -0.68, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.45, P < 0.00001), 2hPG (MD = -1.33, 95% CI -1.86 to -0.79, P < 0.00001), HbA1c (MD = -0.46, 95% CI -0.57 to -0.36, P < 0.00001), and BMI (MD = -0.77, 95% CI -1.12 to -0.41, P < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: TMXKT combined with conventional therapy is beneficial for patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. However, the effectiveness and safety of TMXKT are uncertain because of the limited number of trials and low methodological quality. Therefore, practitioners should be cautious when applying TMXKT in daily practice. Also, well-designed clinical trials are needed in the future.

A wheat salinity-induced WRKY transcription factor TaWRKY93 confers multiple abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Wheat is an important crop in the world. But most of the cultivars are salt sensitive, and often adversely affected by salt stress. WRKY transcription factors play a major role in plant responses to salt stress, but the effective salinity regulatory WRKYs identified in bread wheat are limited and the mechanism of salt stress tolerance is also not well explored. Here, we identified a salt (NaCl) induced class II WRKY transcription factor TaWRKY93. Its transcript level was strongly induced by salt (NaCl) and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). Over-expression of TaWRKY93 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced salt (NaCl), drought, low temperature and osmotic (mannitol) stress tolerance, mainly demonstrated by transgenic plants forming longer primary roots or more lateral roots on MS plates supplemented with NaCl and mannitol individually, higher survival rate under drought and low temperature stress. Further, transgenic plants maintained a more proline content, higher relative water content and less electrolyte leakage than the wild type plants. The transcript abundance of a series of abiotic stress-related genes was up-regulated in the TaWRKY93 transgenic plants. In summary, TaWRKY93 is a new positive regulator of abiotic stress, it may increase salinity, drought and low temperature stress tolerance through enhancing osmotic adjustment, maintaining membrane stability and increasing transcription of stress related genes, and contribute to the superior agricultural traits of SR3 through promoting root development. It can be used as a candidate gene for wheat transgenic engineering breeding against abiotic stress.

Tanshinone IIA therapeutically reduces LPS-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis in mice.

AIM: To study the effects of tanshinone IIA (TIIA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in mice and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Mice were injected with LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.), then treated with TIIA (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Seven hours after LPS injection, the lungs were collected for histological study. Protein, LDH, TNF-α and IL-1ß levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lungs were measured. Cell apoptosis and Bcl-2, caspase-3, NF-κB and HIF-1α expression in lungs were assayed. RESULTS: LPS caused marked histological changes in lungs, accompanied by significantly increased lung W/D ratio, protein content and LDH level in BALF, and Evans blue leakage. LPS markedly increased neutrophil infiltration in lungs and inflammatory cytokines in BALF. Furthermore, LPS induced cell apoptosis in lungs, as evidenced by increased TUNEL-positive cells, decreased Bcl-2 content and increased cleaved caspase-3 content. Moreover, LPS significantly increased the expression of NF-κB and HIF-1α in lungs. Treatment of LPS-injected mice with TIIA significantly alleviated these pathological changes in lungs. CONCLUSION: TIIA alleviates LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice by suppressing inflammatory responses and apoptosis, which is mediated via inhibition of the NF-κB and HIF-1α pathways.

Expression of IL-1alpha, IL-6, TGF-beta, FasL and ZNF265 during sertoli cell infection by ureaplasma urealyticum.

To investigate immunoregulatory mechanisms of Sertoli cells in the testis in vitro and in vivo, we utilized our well-characterized Ureaplasma Urealyticum (UU)-induced model. We investigated the expressions of IL-1alpha, IL-6, TGF-beta, FasL and ZNF265 at the first, second and third weeks post-infection. During recovery from inflammation and with the help of negative regulators TGF-beta and FasL, the high levels of IL-1alpha and IL-6 expressions were observed in the early stages of the infection, and decreased gradually in the later weeks both in vitro and in vivo. The trend of varied expression of ZNF265 was similar to those of TGF-beta and FasL in vitro and in vivo for Sertoli cells infected with UU.