Analysis of anatomic location of burns inpatients in China from 2009 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: Burns cause serious physical and psychological harm to patients, placing a heavy burden on the global healthcare system. Our previous study detailed the epidemiological characteristics of burn injuries in Chinese inpatients from 2009 to 2018. Interestingly, the anatomic locations of burn injuries vary by gender, age, provinces, and outcomes among different causes. Therefore, this current study aims to analyze the characteristics of burn injuries in inpatients with various burn sites by collecting data in China from 2009 to 2018. This analysis will inform future healthcare system decisions and provide effective strategies. METHODS: Burns inpatients from 196 hospitals across 31 provinces in China were included in the study, covering the period from 2009 to 2018. The data collected encompassed information on gender, age, etiology, regions, clinical outcomes, and anatomical locations of the injuries. Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2007. RESULTS: From 2009 to 2018, a total of 333,995 burns inpatients were recorded. The most vulnerable parts to burns were multiple burn sites (230,090, 68.89%). Women were more susceptible to lower limb burns (15,608, 14%), while men were more prone to eye injuries (8,387, 3.37%) and hand burns (6,119, 2.75%). The age group of 0-10 years was the most vulnerable to burns across all body areas, including internal organs. In China, individuals aged 20-50 years were at a higher risk of head and neck burns compared to other age groups. The Han population showed increased vulnerability to eye injuries (2.12 times higher than minorities), respiratory tract issues (2.09 times higher than minorities), and trunk burns (1.83 times higher than minorities), while being less susceptible to internal organ injuries (0.23 times fewer than minorities) and lower limb burns (0.78 times fewer than minorities). The southwest region had the highest proportion of burns inpatients with burns affecting single body parts, whereas the eastern area had the highest rates of respiratory tract burns (0.85%) and multiple burn sites (80.64%). Scalding was identified as the most common cause of burns, while flame burns (769, 55.81%) and chemical burns (438, 47.35%) were the main causes of respiratory tract and internal organ injuries, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an initial description of characteristics of burns inpatients with various anatomic locations of burns in China over the past decade. Our findings will contribute to the most up-to-date clinical evidence database for healthcare planning and prevention initiatives in both China and other countries.

An Investigation Into Whether the Facial Nerve and Auditory Nerve can be Protected by Removal of the Posterior Wall of the Internal Auditory Canal Under 30° Neuroendoscopy During Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical technique of microresection of vestibular schwannoma by removing the posterior wall of the internal auditory canal (IAC) under neuroelectrophysiological monitoring and 30° neuroendoscopy, with respect to the protection of facial and auditory nerve function. Forty-five cases of microscopic resection of auditory neuromas were performed through a posterior approach to the inferior occipital sigmoid sinus using a 30° neuroendoscope to assist in the removal of the posterior wall of the IAC during surgery. Patients underwent cranial enhancement magnetic resonance imaging examination and functional assessment of the facial and auditory nerves before and after surgery, and clinical data were collected for retrospective analysis. All tumors were removed in 41 patients, and most of the tumors were removed in 4 patients. The facial nerve was anatomically preserved in 43 patients (95.6%), and the percentage of facial nerve function preservation (House-Brackmann grade I-II) was 84.4%. Forty patients (88.9%) had anatomical preservation of the auditory nerve, with a 66.7% functional preservation rate. At 3 to 39 months of follow-up, 45 patients were reviewed with 3.0 T-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and no tumor recurrence was observed in any of the patients. Microscopic resection of auditory neuroma through the posterior approach of the inferior occipital sigmoid sinus with intraoperative use of 30° neuroendoscopic assistance to abrade the posterior wall of the IAC can eliminate dead space in certain anatomical areas during surgery and minimize surgical damage to the facial and auditory nerves, which is the basis for preservation of facial and auditory nerve function.

Ginsenoside Rh4 Improves Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation in a Model of NAFLD by Targeting the Gut Liver Axis and Modulating the FXR Signaling Pathway.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a series of disorders of liver metabolism caused by the accumulation of lipids in the liver, which is considered the main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. Our previous study demonstrated the promising efficacy of ginsenoside Rh4 in improving the intestinal tract and its related metabolites. Meanwhile, many studies in the literature have investigated the gut microbiota and its metabolites, such as bile acids (BAs) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which play a key role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Therefore, this study focused on whether Rh4 could achieve therapeutic effects on NAFLD through the gut-liver axis. The results showed that Rh4 exhibited sound therapeutic effects on the NAFLD model induced by the Western diet and CCl4 in mice. In the liver, the degrees of hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation levels, and bile acid in the liver tissue were improved after Rh4 treatment. At the same time, Rh4 treatment significantly increased the levels of intestinal SCFAs and BAs, and these changes were accompanied by the complementary diversity and composition of intestinal flora. In addition, correlation analysis showed that Rh4 affected the expression of proteins involved in the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling pathway in the liver and intestine, which modulates hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation, and proteins related to bile acid regulation. In conclusion, our study provides a valuable insight into how Rh4 targets the gut-liver axis for the development of NAFLD, which indicates that Rh4 may be a promising candidate for the clinical therapy of NAFLD.

Transplantation of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuates Surgical Wound-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Mice.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the most important component of central nervous system (CNS) to keep toxins and pathogens from CNS. Although our studies demonstrated that using interleukin-6 antibodies (IL-6-AB) reversed the increased permeability of BBB, IL-6-AB is limited in their application that only could be used a few hours before surgery and seemed delayed the surgical wounds healing process, which urges us to find another more effective method. In this study, we employed the C57BL/6J female mice to investigate the potential effects of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) transplantation on BBB dysfunction induced by surgical wound. Compared to IL-6-AB, the transplantation of UC-MSCs more effectively decreased the BBB permeability after surgical wound evaluated by dextran tracer (immunofluorescence imaging and luorescence quantification). In addition, UC-MSCs can largely decrease the ratio of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 to the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in both serum and brain tissue after surgical wound. Moreover, UC-MSCs successfully increased the levels of tight junction proteins (TJs) in BBB such as ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5 and extremely decreased the level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Interestingly, UC-MSCs treatment also had positive effects on wound healing while protecting the BBB dysfunction induced by surgical wound compared to IL-6-AB treatment. These findings suggest that UC-MSCs transplantation is a highly efficient and promising approach on protecting the integrity of BBB which caused by peripheral traumatic injuries.

Therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells and their derivatives in common skin inflammatory diseases: Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Chronic skin inflammatory diseases including atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis have been considered uncontrolled inflammatory responses, which have usually troubled patients around the world. Moreover, the recent method to treat AD and psoriasis has been based on the inhibition, not regulation, of the abnormal inflammatory response, which can induce a number of side effects and drug resistance in long-term treatment. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and their derivatives have been widely used in immune diseases based on their regeneration, differentiation, and immunomodulation with few adverse effects, which makes MSCs a promising treatment for chronic skin inflammatory diseases. As a result, in this review, we aim to systematically discuss the therapeutic effects of various resources of MSCs, the application of preconditioning MSCs and engineering extracellular vesicles (EVs) in AD and psoriasis, and the clinical evaluation of the administration of MSCs and their derivatives, which can provide a comprehensive vision for the application of MSCs and their derivatives in future research and clinical treatment.

New insight into neurological degeneration: Inflammatory cytokines and blood-brain barrier.

Neurological degeneration after neuroinflammation, such as that resulting from Alzheimer's disease (AD), stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), and post-traumatic brain injury (TBI), is typically associated with high mortality and morbidity and with permanent cognitive dysfunction, which places a heavy economic burden on families and society. Diagnosing and curing these diseases in their early stages remains a challenge for clinical investigation and treatment. Recent insight into the onset and progression of these diseases highlights the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The primary factor that influences BBB structure and function is inflammation, especially the main cytokines including IL-1ß, TNFα, and IL-6, the mechanism on the disruption of which are critical component of the aforementioned diseases. Surprisingly, the main cytokines from systematic inflammation can also induce as much worse as from neurological diseases or injuries do. In this review, we will therefore discuss the physiological structure of BBB, the main cytokines including IL-1ß, TNFα, IL-6, and their mechanism on the disruption of BBB and recent research about the main cytokines from systematic inflammation inducing the disruption of BBB and cognitive impairment, and we will eventually discuss the need to prevent the disruption of BBB.

Recent advances in bismuth oxyhalides photocatalysts and their applications.

Bismuth oxyhalides photocatalysts exhibit great potential to solve the energy and environmental issues under visible light due to their unique physicochemical and optical properties. However, the photocatalytic activity of pristine bismuth oxyhalides remains unsatisfactory because of their inherent drawbacks. Up to now, many strategies have been used to improve the photocatalytic performance. In this review, the basic mechanism, unique properties and structure of bismuth oxyhalides photocatalysts have been introduced, and the common techniques of synthesis, modification, and main applications have been discussed. Finally, new insights are proposed to meet the future challenges and development of the photocatalysts, which can provide better knowledge for the advancement of the related research areas.

Mechanical engineering of hair follicle regeneration by in situ bioprinting.

Hair loss caused by various factors such as trauma, stress, and diseases hurts patient psychology and seriously affects patients' quality of life, but there is no effective method to control it. In situ bioprinting is a method for printing bioinks directly into defective sites according to the shape and characteristics of the defective tissue or organ to promote tissue or organ repair. In this study, we applied a 3D bioprinting machine in situ bioprinting of epidermal stem cells (Epi-SCs), skin-derived precursors (SKPs), and Matrigel into the wounds of nude mice to promote hair follicle regeneration based on their native microenvironment. The results showed successful regeneration of hair follicles and other skin appendages at 4 weeks after in situ bioprinting. Moreover, we confirmed that bioprinting only slightly decreased stem cell viability and maintained the stemness of the stem cells. These findings demonstrated a mechanical engineering method for hair follicle regeneration by in situ bioprinting which has potential in the clinic.

Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of burns in mainland China from 2009 to 2018.

Background: Burn injuries place a heavy burden on the global healthcare system. However, there is still a lack of nationwide studies on the epidemiological characteristics of burn patients in mainland China. The present study aims to accurately analyze the clinical characteristics of burn patients by collecting data in mainland China from 2009 to 2018, which will provide effective strategies for healthcare systems and the government in mainland China. Methods: Patients admitted for burn injuries to 196 hospitals in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in mainland China from 2009 to 2018 were included. The data collected included sex, age, month distribution, etiology, region, clinical outcome, injury anatomical location, total burn surface area and mortality. SPSS 19.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: From 2009 to 2018, the burn patients were 333,995 (0.76%), which included 222,480 (66.61%) males and 111,515 (33.39%) females. From 2009 to 2018, the number of individuals admitted to hospitals for burns showed a downward trend year by year. The burn patients accounted for the highest proportion of inpatients in 0-10 years (38.10%), followed by 40-50 years (13.14%). The highest cure ratio of burn inpatients was in the 20-30 age group (31 394, 71.53%). Among 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, the province with the highest proportion of total inpatients caused by burns was Inner Mongolia (4.61%), followed by Zhejiang (3.17%), Hainan (2.88%) and Xinjiang (2.64%). Summer (29.16%) was the season with the highest incidence of burn patients admitted to hospitals, followed by spring (25.6%). Scalding (60.19%) was the most frequent kind of burn treated, followed by fire (20.45%). The patients had multiple burn sites (68.89%) most often, followed by burns on the lower limbs (10.91%). From 0% to 10% total body surface area (TBSA) accounted for the highest ratio (37.19%), followed by 90-100% TBSA (21.74%). Conclusions: The present study is the first to describe the associated situation and trends of burn patients in mainland China from 2009 to 2018. Our findings will serve as the latest clinical evidence for healthcare planning and prevention efforts in China and other countries.

The potential application of natural products in cutaneous wound healing: A review of preclinical evidence.

Under normal circumstances, wound healing can be summarized as three processes. These include inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. The vast majority of wounds heal rapidly; however, a large percentage of nonhealing wounds have still not been studied significantly. The factors affecting wound nonhealing are complex and diverse, and identifying an effective solution from nature becomes a key goal of research. This study aimed to highlight and review the mechanisms and targets of natural products (NPs) for treating nonhealing wounds. The results of relevant studies have shown that the effects of NPs are associated with PI3K-AKT, P38MAPK, fibroblast growth factor, MAPK, and ERK signaling pathways and involve tumor growth factor (TNF), vascular endothelial growth factor, TNF-α, interleukin-1ß, and expression of other cytokines and proteins. The 25 NPs that contribute to wound healing were systematically summarized by an inductive collation of the six major classes of compounds, including saponins, polyphenols, flavonoids, anthraquinones, polysaccharides, and others, which will further direct the attention to the active components of NPs and provide research ideas for further development of new products for wound healing.

Retrospective Analysis of the Risk Factors and Drug Resistance of Pathogenic Bacteria in Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome After Ureteroscopic Holmium Laser Lithotripsy for Impacted Ureteral Calculi.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors, pathogen distribution, and drug resistance of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) after holmium laser ureteroscopic lithotripsy for impacted ureteral calculi (HLULIUC). Patients and Methods: The clinical data of 293 patients with HLULIUC in our hospital from October 2017 to February 2021 were retrospectively collected, including age, BMI, stone size, operation time, urine routine, urine culture, basic illness, complete blood count, liver and kidney function, etc. Patients were divided into SIRS and non-SIRS groups according to whether they had SIRS or not. Then the differences in clinical data, blood and urine bacterial culture results, and drug resistance between the two groups were analyzed. Results: The incidence of SIRS after HLULIUC was 17.75%. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors of SIRS after HLULIUC include ureteral calculi≥1cm (OR=2.839, 95% CI=1.341-5.647, P=0.021), long operation time (OR=4.534, 95% CI=2.597-12.751, P=0.017), diabetes mellitus (OR=3.137, 95% CI=1.142-7.319, P=0.012), increased preoperative C-reactive protein (OR=1.864, 95% CI=1.05-4.347, P=0.032), and positive urine leukocytes (OR=3.514, 95% CI=1.7237-9.734, P=0.007) and culture (OR=6.034, 95% CI=3.097-15.751, P<0.001) before operation. The main pathogens causing SIRS after HLULIUC were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pathogenic bacteria are sensitive to drugs including piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, tigecycline, teicoplanin, vancomycin, and imipenem. The resistance rates to quinolones (such as levofloxacin) and to the second- and third-generations of cephalosporins were as high as 52.94%-90.19%. Conclusion: Ureteral calculi≥1cm, long operation time, diabetes, increased C-reactive protein, and preoperative positive urine leukocytes and culture are independent risk factors of SIRS after HLULIUC. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the main pathogenic bacteria for SIRS after HLULIUC. The pathogenic bacteria are sensitive to drugs, including piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, tigecycline, teicoplanin, vancomycin, and imipenem.

Nerve transfer with 3D-printed branch nerve conduits.

Background: Nerve transfer is an important clinical surgical procedure for nerve repair by the coaptation of a healthy donor nerve to an injured nerve. Usually, nerve transfer is performed in an end-to-end manner, which will lead to functional loss of the donor nerve. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 3D-printed branch nerve conduits in nerve transfer. Methods: Customized branch conduits were constructed using gelatine-methacryloyl by 3D printing. The nerve conduits were characterized both in vitro and in vivo. The efficacy of 3D-printed branch nerve conduits in nerve transfer was evaluated in rats through electrophysiology testing and histological evaluation. Results: The results obtained showed that a single nerve stump could form a complex nerve network in the 3D-printed multibranch conduit. A two-branch conduit was 3D printed for transferring the tibial nerve to the peroneal nerve in rats. In this process, the two branches were connected to the distal tibial nerve and peroneal nerve. It was found that the two nerves were successfully repaired with functional recovery. Conclusions: It is implied that the two-branch conduit could not only repair the peroneal nerve but also preserve partial function of the donor tibial nerve. This work demonstrated that 3D-printed branch nerve conduits provide a potential method for nerve transfer.

Resection of Tumors Located in the Anterior Skull Base and Sellar Region Through the Supraorbital Keyhole Approach via a Forehead Wrinkle Incision: Modifications and Deficiencies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of the supraorbital keyhole approach (SKA) via a forehead wrinkle incision in the resection of tumors in the anterior skull base and sellar region. METHODS: Sixty patients with tumors located in the anterior skull base and sellar region treated through the SKA in our hospital from 2017 to 2020. The skin incision and bone flap position were designed individually according to the size and growth of the tumor. The clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Based on the feasibility of this surgical approach, personalized skin incisions and bone flaps were designed for different lesions. Among the 60 patients, gross total resection was achieved in 53 cases (88.3%), for meningiomas 97.8% (46/47) and near-total resection in 7 cases (11.7%). In the survey of the patients' scale scores toward skin incision after operation, the "no pain" level was 90.0% (54/60) and 91.7% (55/60) for the level of "very satisfactory" of the aesthetic of the skin incision (as shown in Supplementary Digital Content, Table 2, http://links.lww.com/ SCS/D742). Three patients whose satisfaction with the aesthetic of the incision excelled scale 3, suggesting that they were not completely satisfied with the wound healing. No permanent skin incision discomfort was noted during follow-up. There were no surgical deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The SKA via forehead wrinkle incision is a flexible and feasible method for tumors near the midline of the anterior skull base and sellar region. However, this approach requires strict preoperative planning, which includes choosing appropriate tumors and applicable forehead wrinkles.

Identification and validation of signature for prognosis and immune microenvironment in gastric cancer based on m6A demethylase ALKBH5.

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA regulators play important roles in cancers, but their functions and mechanism have not been demonstrated clearly in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: In this study, the GC samples with clinical information and RNA transcriptome were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The different expression genes were compared by the absolute value and median ± standard deviation. Samples with complete information were randomly divided into a training dataset and a test dataset. The differential expression genes (DEGs) between ALKBH5-low and ALKBH5-high subgroups were identified in the training dataset and constructed a risk model by Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. The model was testified in test datasets, overall survival (OS) was compared with the Kaplan-Meier method, and immune cell infiltration was calculated by the CIBERSORT algorithm in the low-risk and high-risk subgroups based on the model. The protein levels of ALKBH5 were detected with immunohistochemistry. The relative expression of messenger-ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was detected with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: ALKBH5 was the only regulator whose expression was lower in tumor samples than that in normal samples. The low expression of ALKBH5 led to the poor OS of GC patients and seemed to be an independent protective factor. The model based on ALKBH5-regulated genes was validated in both datasets (training/test) and displayed a potential capacity to predict a clinical prognosis. Gene Ontology analysis implied that the DEGs were involved in the immune response; CIBERSORT results indicated that ALKBH5 and its related genes could alter the immune microenvironment of GC. The protein levels of ALKBH5 were verified as lowly expressed in GC tissues. SLC7A2 and CGB3 were downregulated with ALKBH5 knockdown. Conclusions: In this study, we found that ALKBH5 might be a suppressor of GC; ALKBH5 and its related genes were latent biomarkers and immunotherapy targets.

Effects of Gelatin Methacrylate Hydrogel on Corneal Repair and Regeneration in Rats.

Purpose: This study investigates the repairing process of rat cornea after surgery of lamellar keratoplasty (LKP) and evaluates the effects of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel. Methods: In the LKP group, the lamellar stroma matrixes of Sprague-Dawley rats were transplanted to enhanced green fluorescent protein rats, whereas those in the GelMA group were also embedded with a GelMA hydrogel during the corneal transplantation. Grafted eyes were harvested on days seven, 30, and 90. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunofluorescence staining, scanning electron microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and a slit-lamp microscope were used to study the process of corneal restoration and regeneration. Results: A total of 42 rats were analyzed, including 18 rats in each of the experimental group and six rats in the control group. After three months, the infiltration degree of inflammatory cells differed between the LKP group and the GelMA group (P < 0.001). Moreover, in multiple comparisons in corneal thickness, significant difference was observed between the LKP group and the GelMA group. There was also divergence in the results between the LKP group and the control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). At the same time, the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 varied distinctly between the LKP group and the GelMA group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Significant differences were demonstrated between the LKP group and the GelMA group in inflammatory cell infiltration, corneal thickness, as well as the expression of α-SMA and TGF-ß1. Those differences indicate the ability of GelMA hydrogel to support alleviation in corneal stroma fibrosis and show the influences of fibrosis in the dysfunction of corneal refractive power. Translational Relevance: Our research provides new ideas for the future development of LKP and tissue-engineered corneas.

Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of RNA and DNA methylation.

Previous studies have reported that nucleic acid methylation is a critical element in cardiovascular disease, and most studies mainly focused on sequencing and biochemical research. Here we developed an Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/ MS) method for the quantification analysis of the dissociative epigenetic modified nucleosides (5mdC, 5mrC, m6A) in Myocardial Infarction (MI) SD rats from different periods (1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) after the surgery. The samples for analysis were obtained from heart tissue and blood of the rats. All the quantification results are compared with the sham-operated group. Total RNA and DNA were isolated by enzymatic hydrolytic methods before the UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The statistical analysis demonstrates the dynamic changes of modified nucleosides in MI rats, and it showed good specificity, accuracy, stability and less samples were needed in the method. In this paper, we discovered that the concentration of 5mdC, 5mrC, m6A from heart tissue significantly increased at 8 weeks after the surgery. Furthermore, UPLC-MS/MS helps us observe the similar change of the concentration of those 3 methylated biomarkers in peripheral blood after 8 weeks. The result shows that the dynamic process of those 3 methylated biomarkers in peripheral blood is related to the content of methylated biomarkers from the heart tissue. Based on the scientific evidence available, we proved that the methylation of genetic materials in peripheral blood is similar to myocardial infarction tissue. The relation between them indicates that peripheral blood could be a promising alternative to the heart tissue which monitor the level of methylation and MI diagnosis-aided.

Cellulose fibers-reinforced self-expanding porous composite with multiple hemostatic efficacy and shape adaptability for uncontrollable massive hemorrhage treatment.

Uncontrollable hemorrhage leads to high mortality and thus effective bleeding control becomes increasingly important in the military field and civilian trauma arena. However, current hemostats not only present limitation when treating major bleeding, but also have various side effects. Here we report a self-expanding porous composites (CMCP) based on novel carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) fibers and acetalized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for lethal hemorrhage control. The CMC fibers with uniform fibrous structure, high liquid absorption and procoagulant ability, are evenly interspersed inside the composite matrix. The obtained composites possess unique fiber-porous network, excellent absorption capacity, fast liquid-triggered self-expanding ability and robust fatigue resistance, and their physicochemical performance can be fine-tuned through varying the CMC content. In vitro tests show that the porous composite exhibits strong blood clotting ability, high adhesion to blood cells and protein, and the ability to activate platelet and the coagulation system. In vivo hemostatic evaluation further confirms that the CMCP presents high hemostatic efficacy and multiple hemostatic effects in swine femoral artery major hemorrhage model. Additionally, the CMCP will not fall off from the injury site, and is also easy to surgically remove from the wound cavity after the hemostasis. Importantly, results of CT tomography and 3D reconstruction indicate that CMCP can achieve shape adaptation to the surrounding tissues and the wound cavities with different depths and shapes, to accelerate hemostasis while protecting wound tissue and preventing infection.

PABPC1 Enables Cells with the Suspension Cultivation Feature.

Cell-based vaccine manufacturing is an important strategy for viral disease prevention. Cultivating cells in suspension could maximize the utility of large bioreactors for cost-effective and scaled up vaccine production, where adapting adherent cells to suspension culture is the bottleneck and key. Through whole transcriptome sequencing of suspension and adherent strains of BHK-21 and CHO-K1 cells followed by the identification of differentially expressed genes, mutational analysis, gene ontology, and pathway enrichment analysis, we identified four candidate genes, PABPC1, LARS, GLUL, PFN1, feasible for genetically modulating anchorage-dependent cells toward cell suspension culture, and experimentally validated the functionality of PABPC1 in both BHK-21 and CHO-K1 cells. Our study unveiled a novel role of PABPC1 that could potentially aid in the establishment of a cost-effective vaccine manufacturing platform relying on cell cultivation in suspension.

Bacterial Cellulose: Functional Modification and Wound Healing Applications.

Significance: Wound dressings are frequently used for wound covering and healing. Ideal wound dressings should provide a moist environment for wounds and actively promote wound healing and skin recovery. The materials used as ideal wound dressings should possess specific properties, thus accelerating skin tissue regeneration process. Recent Advances: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural polymer synthesized by some bacteria. As a kind of natural biopolymer, BC shows good biological activity, biodegradability, and biological adaptability. It has many unique physical, chemical, and biological properties, such as ultrafine nanofiber network, high crystallinity, high water absorption and retention capacity, and high tensile strength and elastic modulus. These excellent properties of BC have laid the foundation for its application as dressing in wound healing. Critical Issues: To optimize the biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of BC, different methods including microbial fermentation, physical modification, chemical modification, and compound modification have been adopted to modify BC to ensure a better application in wound healing. BC-based wound dressings have been applied in infected wounds, acute traumatic injuries, burns, and diabetic wounds, showing remarkable therapeutic effects on promoting wound healing. Furthermore, there have been some commercial BC-based dressings and they have been utilized in clinical practice. Future Directions: Because of its excellent physicochemical characteristics and biological properties, BC shows high clinical value to be used as a wound dressing for skin tissue regeneration.

The stiffness of hydrogel-based bioink impacts mesenchymal stem cells differentiation toward sweat glands in 3D-bioprinted matrix.

Mechanical aspects of printable hydrogels can impact cell behavior in 3D-bioprinted constructs, and in this context the stiffness of hydrogel-based bioink can serve as an important physical cue in regulating cell differentiation. Here we bioprinted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by the commonly used bioink alginate-gelatin (Alg-Gel) blends and investigated the influence of stiffness on MSC differentiation toward sweat glands. Mechanical properties were assessed through compression testing and it was found that higher compressive modulus was associated with the higher Alg-Gel concentrations. Using these Alg-Gel blends for bioprinting, we demonstrated that stiffness variance cannot cause differences in cell spreading, adhesion and viability. However, MSCs bioprinted by stiffer hydrogels were found to further upregulate the protein and gene expression of sweat gland cell phenotype, function and development of signaling pathways. Furthermore, we found that the increased Yes-associated protein (YAP) localization of nuclei in MSCs when bioprinted by stiffer hydrogels. These results illustrated that the stiffness of Alg-Gel blends is a potent regulator of MSC differentiation, which was possibly achieved through a YAP-dependent mechanotransduction mechanism.