Use of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for resection of a large paratracheal mass causing critical tracheal stenosis: A case report.

Critical airway stenosis is challenging for surgeons and anesthesiologists to secure a reliable airway for ventilation. The use of venovenous (VV)-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been described as a strategy to provide adequate gas exchange in such instances. We present a case of a young female with a complex paratracheal mass significantly compressing the trachea; a planned intraoperative VV-ECMO was instituted to allow safe orotracheal intubation of a double-lumen endotracheal tube for lung isolation and tumor resection.

Plant-Derived Exosomes as Novel Nanotherapeutics Contrive Glycolysis Reprogramming-Mediated Angiogenesis for Diabetic Ulcer Healing.

Reversal of endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction under high-glucose (HG) conditions to achieve angiogenesis has remained a big challenge in diabetic ulcers. Herein, exosomes derived from medicinal plant ginseng (GExos) were shown as excellent nanotherapeutics with biomimetic cell membrane-like structures to be able to efficiently transfer the encapsulated active substances to ECs, resulting in a marked reprogramming of glycolysis by up-regulating anaerobic glycolysis and down-regulating oxidative stress, which further restore the proliferation, migration, and tubule formation abilities of ECs under HG conditions. In vivo, GExos enhance the angiogenesis and nascent vessel network reconstruction in full-thickness diabetic complicated skin ulcer wounds in mice with high biosafety. GExos were shown as promising nanotherapeutics in stimulating glycolysis reprogramming-mediated angiogenesis in diabetic ulcers, possessing wide application potential for reversing hyperglycemic dysangiogenesis and stimulating vascular regeneration.

Challenges and progress of neurodrug: bioactivities, production and delivery strategies of nerve growth factor protein.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a vital cytokine that plays a crucial role in the development and regeneration of the nervous system. It has been extensively studied for its potential therapeutic applications in various neural diseases. However, as a protein drug, limited natural source seriously hinders its translation and clinical applications. Conventional extraction of NGF from mouse submandibular glands has a very high cost and potentially induces immunogenicity; total synthesis and semi-synthesis methods are alternatives, but have difficulty in obtaining correct protein structure; gene engineering of plant cells is thought to be non-immunogenic, bioactive and economical. Meanwhile, large molecular weight, high polarity, and negative electrical charge make it difficult for NGF to cross the blood brain barrier to reach therapeutic targets. Current delivery strategies mainly depend on the adenovirus and cell biodelivery, but the safety and efficacy remain to be improved. New materials are widely investigated for the controllable, safe and precise delivery of NGF. This review illustrates physiological and therapeutic effects of NGF for various diseases. Moreover, new progress in production and delivery technologies for NGF are summarized. Bottlenecks encountered in the development of NGF as therapeutics are also discussed with the countermeasures proposed.

Pharmacological Functions, Synthesis, and Delivery Progress for Collagen as Biodrug and Biomaterial.

Collagen has been widely applied as a functional biomaterial in regulating tissue regeneration and drug delivery by participating in cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, intercellular signal transmission, tissue formation, and blood coagulation. However, traditional extraction of collagen from animals potentially induces immunogenicity and requires complicated material treatment and purification steps. Although semi-synthesis strategies such as utilizing recombinant E. coli or yeast expression systems have been explored as alternative methods, the influence of unwanted by-products, foreign substances, and immature synthetic processes have limited its industrial production and clinical applications. Meanwhile, macromolecule collagen products encounter a bottleneck in delivery and absorption by conventional oral and injection vehicles, which promotes the studies of transdermal and topical delivery strategies and implant methods. This review illustrates the physiological and therapeutic effects, synthesis strategies, and delivery technologies of collagen to provide a reference and outlook for the research and development of collagen as a biodrug and biomaterial.

Progress and challenges of plant-derived nucleic acids as therapeutics in macrophage-mediated RNA therapy.

Plant-derived nucleic acids, especially small RNAs have been proved by increasing evidence in the pharmacological activities and disease treatment values in macrophage meditated anti-tumor performance, immune regulating functions and antiviral activities. But the uptake, application and delivery strategies of RNAs as biodrugs are different from the small molecules and recombinant protein drugs. This article summarizes the reported evidence for cross-kingdom regulation by plant derived functional mRNAs and miRNAs. Based on that, their involvement and potentials in macrophage-mediated anti-tumor/inflammatory therapies are mainly discussed, as well as the load prospect of plant RNAs in viruses and natural exosome vehicles, and their delivery to mammalian cells through macrophage were also summarized. This review is to provide evidence and views for the plant derived RNAs as next generation of drugs with application potential in nucleic acid-based bio-therapy.

Plant polysaccharides as novel biomaterials for microcapsule construction and therapeutics delivery.

Natural polysaccharides derived from medicinal plants, that are Dendrobium (DPS), Lycium barbarum (LBP), Ginseng (GPS), and Poria Cocos (PCP) were firstly combined with sodium alginate (SA) to construct microcapsules and improved the morphology, encapsulation efficiency, Biocompatibility and protective capability in drug loading. Diverse typical therapeutics, including VO2@ZIF67 nanoparticles, small molecule drugs salvianolic acid B (SaB)/ginsenoside (Rg1), probiotic Bacillus bifidus, and biomacromolecules SDF-1 were wrapped into 1.5 % GPS-0.5 % SA model microcapsules, respectively. Better mobility and formability were significantly observed, and showed 75 % survival rate of probiotics in simulated gastric juice and around 99 % encapsulation efficiency which is higher than single 2 % SA microcapsules. The microcapsules also obtained a delayed release and a higher cell index for SDF-1, which indicated better stability, biocompatibility and protective effect than single 2 % SA microcapsules. This study provides a strategy in developing plant derived polysaccharides as novel materials for the construction and improvement of traditional microcapsules.

Kinetic process of upward gas hydrate growth and water migration on the solid surface.

Gas hydrates have gained great interest in the energy and environmental field as a medium for gas storage and transport, gas separation, and carbon dioxide sequestration. The presence of small doses of surfactants in the aqueous phase has been reported to enhance hydrate formation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Thus, in situ high-resolution X-ray computed tomography measurements were performed to monitor the upward water migration and the resulting hydrate nucleation and growth. It was found that the presence of hydrate crystals at the gas-liquid-solid contact line triggered the enhanced growth of hydrates on the reactor wall. A time delay was observed between the disappearance of the bulk water reservoir and its transformation into hydrate. The lower interfacial tension between the hydrate surface and the solution facilitated its adsorption onto the reactor wall once a thin film of hydrate nucleated on the solid wall surface. These hydrate layers present on the reactor wall were found to be porous, wherein the porosity decreased with increased subcooling. These fundamental results will be of value in understanding the mechanism of hydrate growth in the presence of surfactants and its potential application in hydrate-based technologies.

Simulation of Motor Core Gluing Process with Fine Mesh Nets.

The actual process of using a resin to glue can optimize many shortcomings in the basic traditional process of welding a motor core. For example, the use of a resin for gluing can lead to a reduction in iron loss, improve rigidity, reduce processing times, and improve product quality. When using a gluing method, the biggest challenge is the distribution of the resin; therefore, resin distribution is very much important. This experiment used fine mesh nets to eventually improve the unbalanced state of resin distribution. In this research, in order to predict real flow behavior during gluing, computer-aided engineering was used for computer simulation. The results of the simulation showed that the illustrated trend of the filling process was very much similar to the actual experimental results. The simulation results could mostly predict defects and make effective improvements, which can lead to a significant reduction in the money and time spent on experiments. The simulation results of the dipping process also showed that the distribution of resin with fine mesh nets was more even than without fine mesh nets. Fine mesh nets can eventually improve an over-flow problem, which, ultimately, causes bumps. In this research, a simulation analysis of the gluing process of a motor core with fine mesh nets was conducted, and the results show that the resin distribution and the flow front of the runner were more even than those without fine mesh nets.

Mold Flow Analysis of Motor Core Gluing with Viscous Flow Channels and Dipping Module.

A motor core is formed by stacking iron sheets on top of each other. Traditionally, there are two stacking methods, riveting and welding, but these two methods will increase iron loss and reduce usage efficiency. The use of resin is the current developmental trend in the technology used to join iron sheets, which has advantages including lowering iron loss, smoothing magnetic circuits, and generating higher rigidity. The flow behavior of resin in gluing technology is very important because it affects the dipping of iron sheets and the stacking of iron sheets with resin. In this study, a set of analytical processes is proposed to predict the flow behavior of resin through the use of computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools. The research results are compared with the experimental results to verify the accuracy of the CAE tools in predicting resin flow. CAE tools can be used to predict results, modify modules for possible defects, and reduce the time and costs associated with experiments. The obtained simulation results showed that the filling trend was the same as that for the experimental results, where the error between the simulation results for the final dipping process and the target value was 0.6%. In addition, the position of air traps is also simulated in the dipping process.

Composite inclusion complexes containing hyaluronic acid/chitosan nanosystems for dual responsive enrofloxacin release.

In order to overcome treatment difficulty of S. aureus infections, a pH/hyaluronidase dual responsive enrofloxacin-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) inclusion complexes (IC) containing hyaluronic acid/chitosan (HA/CS) self-assemble composite nanosystems covered by poloxamer 188 (F68) was firstly explored for targeted "on-demand" delivery. The FTIR, DSC and PXRD showed that enrofloxacin was embedded into IC and then distributed into F68 coating nanogels formulated by electrostatic interaction between CS and HA. The optimal nanosystems of 118.8 ± 30.7 nm showed excellent stability and responsive release in the acid medium, hyaluronidase containing medium, and LB broth medium where S. aureus present. The nanosystems displayed strong surface adsorption on S. aureus and enhanced activity against S. aureus. It had stronger sustained release than the polymeric nanoparticles formulated by entrapping of IC into F68 and the single HA/CS nanogels. This study provides a promising multi-functionalized nanosystems to overcome the treatment challenge of S. aureus and other bacterial infections.

Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of nanocarriers in vivo and their influences.

As one of the most promising and effective delivery systems for targeted controlled-release drugs, nanocarriers (NCs) have been widely studied. Although the development of nanoparticle preparations is very prosperous, the safety and effectiveness of NCs are not guaranteed and cannot be precisely controlled due to the unclear processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME), as well as the drug release mechanism of NCs in the body. Thus, the approval of NCs for clinical use is extremely rare. This paper reviews the research progress and challenges of using NCs in vivo based on a review of several hundred closely related publications. First, the ADME of NCs under different administration routes is summarized; second, the influences of the physical, chemical, and biosensitive properties, as well as targeted modifications of NCs on their disposal process, are systematically analyzed; third, the tracer technology related to the in vivo study of NCs is elaborated; and finally, the challenges and perspectives of nanoparticle research in vivo are introduced. This review may help readers to understand the current research progress and challenges of nanoparticles in vivo, as well as of tracing technology in nanoparticle research, to help researchers to design safer and more efficient NCs. Furthermore, this review may aid researchers in choosing or exploring more suitable tracing technologies to further advance the development of nanotechnology.

Asymmetric elliptic-cone-shaped microlens for efficient coupling to high-power laser diodes.

A new scheme of asymmetric elliptic-cone-shaped microlens (AECSM) employing a single-step fabrication technique for efficient coupling between the high-power 980-nm laser diodes and the single-mode fibers is proposed. The AECSMs are fabricated by asymmetrically shaping the fiber during the single-step grinding process and elliptically lensing the fiber tip during the fusing process. A maximum coupling efficiency of 85% and a high-average coupling efficiency of 71% have been demonstrated for a 980-nm laser diode with a high aspect ratio of 5. In comparison with the previous works on asymmetric fiber microlenses fabricated by the multi-step processes with complicated fabrication, the advantages of the AECSM structure for achieving high coupling are a single-step fabrication, a reproducible process, and a high-yield output. Therefore, this AECSM can form different aspect ratios of asymmetric elliptical microlenses to match the far field of the high-power diode lasers that is suitable for use in commercial high-power pump laser modules.