Cage-rearranged and cage-intact syntheses of azido-functionalized larger T10 and T12 POSSs.

Herein, we investigate the product type and distribution during the synthesis of azido-functionalized larger polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs) using 3-chloropropyl- and chloromethyldimethylsilylethyl-functionalized T8, T10, and T12 POSSs as precursors. Our findings indicate that cage rearrangement occurs for the 3-chloropropyl-functionalized POSS cages with a stability order of T12 > T10 > T8, while the chloromethyldimethylsilylethyl-functionalized POSS cages remain structurally intact after the nucleophilic substitution.

Long-term outcome of percutaneous vertebroplasty versus conservative treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a retrospective cohort study with three-year follow-up.

Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) appear to be more common as the population ages. Previous studies have found that percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) can achieve better short-term clinical outcomes than conservative treatment (CT) for OVCF. However, the long-term outcomes of PVP compared with CT for OVCF has been rare explored. This study was designed to explore the clinical outcomes of PVP or CT within 3 years after OVCF. Methods: This study reviewed the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent PVP or CT for OVCF in a single center from January 2015 to December 2019. The back pain visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and satisfaction rate were compared between the two groups at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months and 36 months after treatment. Outcomes: The baseline data including gender, age, bone mineral density, body mass index, back pain VAS, and ODI were not significantly different between the two groups. The back pain VAS and ODI of CT patients were significantly higher than those of PVP group at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after treatment. The satisfaction rate in the PVP group were significantly higher than those in the CT group at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment. Subsequently, the back pain VAS and ODI showed no significant difference between the two groups at 24 and 36 months. In addition, there was no significant difference in treatment satisfaction between the two groups at 36 months. There was no significant difference in the rate of new vertebral compression fractures between the two groups within 36 months after treatment. Conclusion: The clinical outcomes within 12 months after PVP and patient satisfaction rate within 6 months after PVP were significantly higher than CT. However, during 12 months to 36 months, this advantage generated by PVP was gradually diluted over time. Compared with CT, the long-term effect of PVP on OVCF should not be overestimated.

Prediction of new vertebral compression fracture within 3 years after percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture: Establishment and validation of a nomogram prediction model.

New vertebral compression fractures (NVCF) are common in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who have undergone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). We sought to develop a nomogram prediction model for better identification and prevention of NVCF within 3 years after PVP in patients with OVCF. The demographic, clinical, and imaging data of patients who underwent PVP for OVCF between January 2010 and December 2019 were reviewed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen for risk factors for NVCF within 3 years after PVP. A nomogram prediction model was then developed and validated to visually predict NVCF. The samples in the model were randomly divided into training and validation sets at a ratio of 7:3. Twenty-seven percent of patients experienced NVCF in other segments within 3 years after PVP. Older age, lower bone mineral density (BMD), smoking, lack of anti-osteoporosis therapy, and postoperative trauma were risk factors for NVCF. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve suggested good discrimination of this model: training set (0.781, 95% confidence interval: 0.731-0.831) and validation set (0.786, 95% confidence interval: 0.708-0.863). The calibration curve suggested good prediction accuracy between the actual and predicted probabilities in the training and validation sets. The DCA results suggested that, when the probability thresholds were 0.0452-08394 and 0.0336-0.7262 in the training and validation set, respectively, patients can benefit from using this model to predict NVCF within 3 years after PVP. In conclusion, this nomogram prediction model that included five risk factors (older age, lower BMD, smoking, postoperative minor trauma, and lack of anti-osteoporosis treatment can effectively predict NVCF within 3 years after PVP. Postoperative smoking cessation, standard anti-osteoporosis treatment, and reduction in incidental minor trauma are necessary and effective means of reducing the incidence of NVCF.

Engineering the Properties of Transparent Hybrid Coating toward High Hardness, Excellent Flexibility, and Multifunction.

Transparent functional coatings with glass-like hardness and polymer-like flexibility are highly desirable for flexible and foldable displays. Although several coatings have been developed toward this goal, achieving a functional coating with 9H pencil hardness and extremely low bending radius of curvature (rc) remains a great challenge due to the inherent conflict between hardness and flexibility. To overcome this trade-off, a facile strategy is developed herein. The coating is an organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite that is prepared from thiol-acrylate polymerization of acrylo polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and multifunctional thiols. The former provides the desired hardness, while the latter affords high flexibility and the maximum level of chemical bonding for organic-inorganic phases. Because of the good miscibility and varied functionality of monomers, we are able to manipulate the composition and internal structure of coating systematically, endowing it with high transparency (98%, 550 nm), super hardness (9H), excellent low modulus (1.85 GPa, the most flexible one to date), and the ability to withstand steel wool's abrasion and repeated bending (rc = 0.8 mm) 10 000 times on PET film. On the final coating, both antifouling and antibacterial abilities are integrated without sacrificing its other properties after postfunctionalizing a zwitterionic layer. This work balances the hardness-flexibility conflict effectively and provides some useful protective coatings for next-generation displays.

Circ_0114427 promotes LPS-induced septic acute kidney injury by modulating miR-495-3p/TRAF6 through the NF-κB pathway.

BACKGROUNDS: Septic acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe illness in clinics. Enriching researches investigated the regulatory network of AKI during the past decades, evidences showed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) were involved in the molecular mechanism of human AKI. However, the special responses remain largely elusive. Thus, the study aims to investigate the function of circ_0114427 in the progression of AKI. METHODS: The levels of circ_0114427, miR-495-3p and Tumour Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Factor 6 (TRAF6) were both assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to establish AKI cell model, and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was carried out to determine the viability of LPS-induced HK-2 cells. The expression of TRAF6, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl2-associated X (Bax), cleave-caspase 3, caspase 3, total IκBα (t-IκBα), phospho-IκBα (p-IκBα), total p65 (t-p65) and phospho-p65 (p-p65) were all detected via western blot. The levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α were identified by western blot and ELISA. What's more, cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Lastly, dual-luciferase reporter, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays were employed to verify the relationships between miR-495-3p and circ_0114427 or TRAF6 in vitro. RESULTS: The level of miR-495-3p was remarkably restrained while circ_0114427 and TRAF6 levels were specially reinforced in AKI patient serum samples and LPS-induced HK-2 cells. Moreover, IL-1ß and TNF-α were highly expressed in LPS-induced AKI cells. Functionally, circ_0114427 was a sponge of miR-495-3p, and circ_0114427 silence-mediated effects in LPS-induced HK-2 cells were partly ameliorated by the addition of miR-495-3p inhibitor. Moreover, TRAF6 was a target gene of miR-495-3p, and the inhibiting effect of miR-495-3p on cell apoptosis and inflammatory response was mitigated by TRAF6 overexpression. Mechanistically, the circ_0114427/miR-495-3p/TRAF6 axis modulated cell apoptosis and inflammatory response via NF-κB/p65 signalling pathway in AKI. CONCLUSION: Circ_0114427 regulated cell apoptosis and inflammatory response through miR-495-3p/TRAF6 axis via NF-κB/p65 signalling pathway, providing a novel mechanism in clinical treatment of AKI patients.HighlightsCirc_0114427 is upregulated in serum specimens from septic AKI patients and LPS-induced HK-2 cells.LPS treatment suppresses cell viability and promotes apoptosis and inflammation in HK-2 cells.Circ_0114427 knockdown ameliorates the effects of LPS on cell viability, apoptosis and inflammation in HK-2 cells.Circ_0114427 regulates LPS-induced HK-2 cell injury by regulating miR-495-3p/TRAF6/NF-κB/p65 axis.

Recent Advances in Injectable Dual Crosslinking Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications.

Injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels hold great promise to improve therapeutic efficacy in minimally invasive surgery. Compared with prefabricated hydrogels, injectable hydrogels can be implanted more accurately into deeply enclosed sites and repair irregularly shaped lesions, showing great applicable potential. Here, the current fabrication considerations of injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels are reviewed. Besides, the progress of the hydrogels used in corresponding applications and emerging challenges are discussed, with detailed emphasis in the fields of bone and cartilage regeneration, wound dressings, sensors and other less mentioned applications for their more hopeful employments in clinic. It is envisioned that the further development of the injectable dual crosslinking hydrogels will catalyze their innovation and transformation in the biomedical field.