Polydopamine-functionalized calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite 3D-printed scaffold with sustained doxorubicin release for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy of osteosarcoma and accelerated bone regeneration.

Interior bone-tissue regeneration and rapid tumor recurrence post-resection are critical challenges in osteosarcoma and other bone cancers. Conventional bone tissue engineering scaffolds lack inhibitory effects on bone tumor recurrence. Herein, multifunctional scaffolds (named DOX/PDA@CDHA) were designed through the spontaneous polymerization of Dopamine (PDA) on the surface of Calcium Deficient Hydroxyapatite (CDHA) scaffolds, followed by in situ loading of the chemotherapeutic drug Doxorubicin (DOX). The PDA coating endowed the scaffolds with significant photothermal properties, while the gradual release of DOX provided an effective chemotherapeutic effect. The on-demand release of DOX at tumor sites, triggered by dual stimulation (near-infrared (NIR) light and the acidic pH typical of tumor microenvironments), specifically targets cancer cells, thereby mitigating systemic side effects. These unique characteristics facilitated effective osteosarcoma eradication both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the scaffold's composition, which mimics the mineral phase of natural bone and is enhanced by PDA's biocompatibility, promotes critical osteogenic and angiogenic processes. This facilitates not only tumor eradication but also the regeneration of healthy bone tissue. Collectively, this study presents a potent candidate for the regeneration of bone defects induced by osteosarcoma.

Study on the correlation between shear wave elastography and MRI grading of meniscal degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) offers quantitative insights into the hardness and elasticity characteristics of tissues. The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between SWE of the menisci and MRI-assessed degenerative changes in the menisci, with the aim of providing novel reference source for improving non-invasive evaluation of meniscal degenerative alterations. METHODS: The participants in this study were selected from patients who underwent knee joint MRI scans at our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024. The anterior horns of both the medial and lateral menisci were evaluated using SWE technique. The differences in elastic values of meniscus among different MRI grades were compared. The correlation between elastic values and MRI grades, as well as various parameters, was analyzed. Using MRI Grade 3 as the gold standard, the optimal cutoff value for meniscal tear was determined. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to evaluate the reliability of repeated measurements performed by the same observer. RESULTS: A total of 104 female participants were enrolled in this study, with 152 lateral menisci (LM) and 144 medial menisci (MM) assessed. For the male group, 83 individuals were included, with 147 LM and 145 MM evaluated. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences in the elasticity values of the menisci at the same anatomical sites across different MRI grades (P < 0.001). Within the same grade, the MM had higher elasticity values than the LM, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The elasticity values of the menisci were higher in males compared to females. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the elasticity values of the menisci and age, BMI, and MRI grade. The ICC for repeated measurements within the observer demonstrated good reliability (> 0.79). CONCLUSIONS: The meniscal elasticity values measured by SWE exhibit a significant positive correlation with the grades of degeneration assessed by MRI. Furthermore, the elasticity values of the meniscus are found to increase with advancing age and elevated BMI.

The Impact of Different Regions of Interest on Shear Wave Elastography Assessment of the Meniscus in the Knee Joint.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of different regions of interest (ROI) on the assessment of shear wave elastography (SWE) in evaluating the meniscus of the knee joint. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After ethical approval, a total of 141 participants were enrolled in this prospective study from February to October 2023. SWE was utilized to evaluate the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus (LM) and medial meniscus (MM), using two different ROIs (ROI-Small and ROI-Trace) to measure the elastic mean value (Emean) and elastic maximum value (Emax). The differences in elasticity values between the normal menisci and torn menisci were compared, and the impact of different ROI selection methods on the diagnostic performance of elastic parameters in the torn menisci was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: In Emean comparison, only MM in the tear group showed higher ROI-S than ROI-T. When comparing Emax, all ROI-T values were higher than the ROI-S values, and this difference was statistically significant. Different sizes of ROI did not significantly impact the diagnostic performance of Emean in LM and MM, nor the diagnostic effectiveness of Emax in LM. However, only the area under the curve (AUC) of MM for Emax in both ROI-S and ROI-T showed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: The shear wave elasticity values and diagnostic performance may vary depending on the ROI settings. Therefore, it is recommended to use a 2 mm diameter ROI placed at the central position of the meniscus, with Emean as the elasticity index.

Epigenetic regulations of cellular senescence in osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a prevalent age-related disease that is characterized by a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and systemic bone microarchitectural disorders. With age, senescent cells accumulate and exhibit the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in bone tissue, leading to the imbalance of bone homeostasis, osteopenia, changes in trabecular bone structure, and increased bone fragility. Cellular senescence in the bone microenvironment involves osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), whose effects on bone homeostasis are regulated by epigenetics. Therefore, the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of cellular senescence have received considerable attention as potential targets for preventing and treating osteoporosis. In this paper, we systematically review the mechanisms of aging-associated epigenetic regulation in osteoporosis, emphasizing the impact of epigenetics on cellular senescence, and summarize three current methods of targeting cellular senescence, which is helpful better to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of cellular senescence in osteoporosis and provides strategies for the development of epigenetic drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Comprehensively assessing priority odorants emitted from swine slurry combining nontarget screening with olfactory threshold prediction.

The lack of one-to-one olfactory thresholds (OTs) poses an obstacle to the comprehensive assessment of priority odorants emitted from swine slurry using mass spectrometric nontarget screening. This study screened out highly performing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models of OT prediction to complement nontarget screening in olfactory perception evaluation. A total of 27 compounds emitted at different slurry removal frequencies were identified and quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), including thiirane, dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), and dimethyl tetrasulfide (DMQS) without OT records. Ridge regression (RR, R2 = 0.77, RMSE = 0.93, MAE = 0.73) and random forest regression (RFR, R2 = 0.76, RMSE = 0.97, MAE = 0.69) rather than the commonly used principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were used to assign OTs and assess the contributions of emerging volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) to the sum of odor activity value (SOAV). Priority odorants were p-cresol (25.0-58.9 %) > valeric acid (8.3-31.7 %) > isovaleric acid (6.7-19.0 %) > dimethyl disulfide (4.7-15.7 %) > methanethiol (0-13.6 %) > isobutyric acid (0-8.6 %), whereas the contributions of three emerging VSCs were below 10 %. Vital olfactory active structures were identified by QSAR models as having high molecular polarity, high hydrophilicity, high charge quantity, flexible structure, high reactivity, and a high number of sulfur atoms. This protocol can be further extended to evaluate odor pollution levels for distinct odor sources and guide the development of pertinent deodorization technologies.

Environmental impacts of cement kiln co-incineration sewage sludge biodried products in a scale-up trial.

The biodrying technology as a pretreatment technology can overcome the limitations of cement kilns co-incineration sewage sludge (SS) on energy consumption. But the impact of SS biodried products on cement kilns and the route carbon reduction potential of biodrying + cement kilns have not been studied. In this study, SS biodrying and cement kiln co-incineration biodried product trials were conducted to highlight the matrix combustion characteristics, and the impact of biodried products on cement kilns (clinker capacity, coal consumption, and pollutant discharge). The carbon emissions of the four scenarios were assessed based on these results. The results showed that water removal rate reached 65.5 % after 11-day biodrying, and the wet-based lower heating value of the biodried product increased by 76.0 % compared with the initial matrix. Comprehensive combustibility index of the biodried product (0.745 × 10-7 %2℃-3min-2) was better than that of SS (0.433 × 10-7 %2℃-3min-2) although a portion of the organic matter was degraded. Cement kiln co-incineration of biodried products (150 t/d) resulted in per tonne of clinker saved 5.61 kg of coal due to the heat utilization efficiency of biodried products reached to 93.7 %. However, it led to an increase in the emission concentrations of NOX and SO2. Assessment results indicated that the biodrying + cement kiln pathway reduced CO2 emissions by 385.7 kg/t SS. Biodried products have greater potential to reduce emissions as alternative fuels than as fertilizers. This study indicated the advantages of SS biodrying + cement kiln co-incineration route.

Expansion and contraction of lake basin shape the genetic structure of Sinocyclocheilus (Osteichthyes: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) populations in Central Yunnan, China.

Geological events can strongly affect the genetic structures and differentiation of fish populations. Especially, as an endemic fish of the genus Sinocyclocheilus in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the effects of key geological events on the distributions and genetic structures remain poorly understood. Examining the phylogeographic patterns of Sinocyclocheilus fishes can be useful for elucidating the spatio-temporal dynamics of their population size, dispersal history and extent of geographical isolation, thereby providing a theoretical basis for their protection. Here, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) method to investigate the phylogeographic patterns of Sinocyclocheilus fishes. Our analysis supports the endemicity of Sinocyclocheilus, but the samples of different regions of Sinocyclocheilus contain multiple ancestral components, which displayed more admixed and diversified genetic components, this may be due to the polymorphism of the ancestors themselves, or gene infiltration caused by hybridization between adjacent species of Sinocyclocheilus. We estimate that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of Sinocyclocheilus fish in the Central Yunnan Basin at approximately 3.75~3.11 Ma, and infer that the evolution of Sinocyclocheilus in the central Yunnan Basin is closely related to the formation of plateau lakes (around 4.0~0.02 Ma), and identifies the formation of Dianchi Lake and Fuxian Lake as key geological events shaping Sinocyclocheilus population structure. It is also the first time to prove that the altitude change has a great influence on the genetic variation among the populations of Sinocyclocheilus.

Is Lymphadenectomy Reasonable for Elderly Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patients?

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of lymphadenectomy (LND) on clinical outcomes in ICC patients aged ≥ 70 years. METHODS: Four hundred and three eligible patients diagnosed with ICC who underwent hepatectomy between 2004 and 2019 were enrolled in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The impact of LND on perioperative mortality and overall survival (OS) as well as the optimal total number of lymph nodes examined (TNLE) was estimated. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine pairs of patients were matched by propensity score matching. Perioperative mortality was comparable between the LND and non-LND (nLND) groups (0.7% vs. 2.9%, P = 0.367). The median OS in the LND group was significantly longer (44 vs. 32 months, P = 0.045) and LND was identified as an independent protective factor for OS by multivariate analysis (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46-0.92, P = 0.014). Patients with the following characteristics were potential beneficiaries of LND: white, female, no/moderate fibrosis, tumor size > 5 cm, solitary tumor, and localized invasion (all P < 0.05). TNLE ≥ 6 had the greatest discriminatory power for identifying lymph node metastasis (area under the curve, 0.704, Youden index, 0.365, P = 0.002). Patients with pathologically confirmed lymph node metastasis are likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy (40 months vs. 4 months, P = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age (≥ 70 years) was not a contraindication for LND, which facilitates accurate nodal staging and guides postoperative management. Appropriately selected elderly populations could benefit from LND.

Assessment of Knee Menisci in Healthy Adults Using Shear Wave Elastography.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the application value of shear wave elastography in healthy adults with knee meniscus. METHODS: One hundred adult subjects who underwent health checkups at our hospital from December 2022 to February 2023 were selected as research participants. Shear wave elastography was used to evaluate the periphery of the lateral and medial meniscus in both knees. To assess the mean differences in Young's modulus values between male and female groups, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent samples t-test were conducted. In addition, a Pearson correlation coefficient test was used to analyze the correlation between the elastic values of the meniscus and age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in elastic values between the lateral meniscus of the left and right sides or between the medial meniscus of the left and right sides within the same gender group (P > .05). Stiffness values of the medial meniscus were higher in each gender group than those of the lateral meniscus (P < .01). Additionally, males demonstrated higher stiffness values than females (P < .01). As age increased, the Young's modulus of the meniscus increased significantly (r > .75, P < .01). CONCLUSION: Shear wave elastography can serve as an adjunctive tool to aid in the assessment of knee meniscal elasticity.

Muscle transcriptome analysis provides new insights into the growth gap between fast- and slow-growing Sinocyclocheilus grahami.

Sinocyclocheilus grahami is an economically valuable and famous fish in Yunnan Province, China. However, given its slow growth (40 g/2 years) and large growth differences among individuals, its growth performance needs to be improved for sustainable future use, in which molecular breeding technology can play an important role. In the current study, we conducted muscle transcriptomic analysis to investigate the growth gaps among individuals and the mechanism underlying growth within 14 fast- and 14 slow-growth S. grahami. In total, 1,647 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, including 947 up-regulated and 700 down-regulated DEGs in fast-growth group. Most DEGs were significantly enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, amino acids biosynthesis and metabolism, peroxisome, and PPAR signaling pathway. Some genes related to glycogen degradation, glucose transport, and glycolysis (e.g., adipoq, prkag1, slc2a1, agl, pygm, pgm1, pfkm, gapdh, aldoa, pgk1, pgam2, bpgm, and eno3) were up-regulated, while some genes related to fatty acid degradation and transport (e.g., acox1, acaa1, fabp1b.1, slc27a1, and slc27a2) and amino acid metabolism (e.g., agxt, shmt1, glula, and cth) were down-regulated in the fast-growth group. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified col1a1, col1a2, col5a1, col6a2, col10a1, col26a1, bglap, and krt15 as crucial genes for S. grahami growth. Several genes related to bone and muscle growth (e.g., bmp2, bmp3, tgfb1, tgfb2, gdf10, and myog) were also up-regulated in the fast-growth group. These results suggest that fast-growth fish may uptake adequate energy (e.g., glucose, fatty acid, and amino acids) from fodder, with excess energy substances used to synthesize collagen to accelerate bone and muscle growth after normal life activities are maintained. Moreover, energy uptake may be the root cause, while collagen synthesis may be the direct reason for the growth gap between fast- and slow-growth fish. Hence, improving food intake and collagen synthesis may be crucial for accelerating S. grahami growth, and further research is required to fully understand and confirm these associations.

Surfactant-enhanced anoxic degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aged subsurface soil at high temperature (60 °C).

Thermally enhanced anoxic biodegradation is emerging as a promising method for removing PAHs from subsurface soil. However, some PAHs still remain in soil following remediation with thermally enhanced anoxic degradation due to low bioavailability of these residual PAHs. The effects of five surfactants (Tween 80, TX 100, Brij 30, SDS, and SDBS) on the desorption of PAHs, anoxic degradation of PAHs, and native bacteria in soil at high temperature (60 °C) were evaluated in this study. The desorption of PAHs in soil increased as surfactant concentration increased. Low doses of surfactants (0.08%, w/w) enhanced the growth of potential PAHs degrading bacteria and promoted the anoxic degradation of PAHs, whereas high doses of surfactants (0.3%-0.8%, w/w) displayed the opposite effect, and the degree of inhibition increased with increasing surfactant concentration. The results also indicated that the inhibitory effect of anionic surfactants (SDS and SDBS) on microbial growth and PAHs degradation is stronger than that of nonionic surfactants (Tween 80, TX 100 and Brij 30) at the same concentration. These results suggest a feasible way of enhancing the anoxic degradation of PAHs in soil where heat cannot be effectively utilized when in situ thermal desorption (ISTD) technology is used.

Mechanisms of lead uptake and accumulation in wheat grains based on atmospheric deposition-soil sources.

Lead (Pb) accumulation in wheat grains depends on two aspects: i) Pb uptake by the roots and shoots, and ii) the translocation of organ Pb into the grain. However, the underlying mechanism of the uptake and transport of Pb in wheat remains unclear. This study explored this mechanism by establishing field leaf-cutting comparison treatments. Interestingly, as the organ with the highest Pb concentration, only 20.40 % of the root's relative contribution to grain Pb. The relative contributions of the spike, flag leaf, second leaf, and third leaf to grain Pb were 33.13 %, 23.57 %, 13.21 %, and 9.69 %, respectively, which was opposite to their Pb concentration distribution trends. According to Pb isotope analysis, it was found leaf-cutting treatments reduced the proportion of atmospheric Pb in grain, and grain Pb predominantly comes from atmospheric deposition (79.60 %). Furthermore, from the bottom to the top, the concentration of Pb in internodes decreased gradually, and the proportions of Pb originating from soil in the nodes also decreased, revealing that wheat nodes hindered the translocation of Pb from roots and leaves to the grain. Therefore, the hindering effect of nodes on the migration of soil Pb in wheat resulted in atmospheric Pb having a more convenient pathway to the grain than soil Pb, and further leading grain Pb accumulation primarily depended on the contribution of the flag leaf and spike.

Intercropped Amygdalus persica and Pteris vittata applied with additives presents a safe utilization and remediation mode for arsenic-contaminated orchard soil.

Intercropping the arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata with fruit trees can safely yield peaches in As-polluted orchards in South China. However, the soil As remediation effects and the related mechanisms of P. vittata intercropped with peach trees with additives in the north temperate zone have rarely been reported. A field experiment was conducted to systematically study the intercropping of peach (Amygdalus persica) with P. vittata with three additives [calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), and Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni residue (SR)] in a typical As-contaminated peach orchard surrounding a historical gold mine in Pinggu County, Beijing City. The results showed that compared with monoculture (PM) and intercropping without addition (LP), the remediation efficiency of P. vittata intercropping was significantly increased by 100.9 % (CMP) to 293.5 % (ADP). CMP and ADP mainly compete with available As (A-As) adsorbed to the surface of Fe-Al oxide through PO43-, while SR might activate A-As by enhancing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in P. vittata rhizospheres. The photosynthetic rates (Gs) of intercropped P. vittata were significantly positively correlated with pinna As. The intercropping mode applied with the three additives did not obviously affect fruit quality, and the net profit of the intercropping mode (ADP) reached 415,800 yuan·ha-1·a-1. The As content in peaches was lower than the national standard in the intercropping systems. Comprehensive analysis showed that A. persica intercropped with P. vittata applied with ADP is better than other treatments in improving risk reduction and agricultural sustainability. In this study, a theoretical and practical basis is provided for the safe utilization and remediation of As-contaminated orchard soil in the north temperate zone.

Competition and Neutralization: Thermally Induced Crystallization and Phase Evolution of Amorphous Calcium Phosphate with Cosubstitution of Larger and Smaller Divalent Cations.

The presented study evaluated the effect of cosubstitution of larger and smaller divalent cations on the thermally induced crystallization of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP). The predesigned combinations of larger (Sr2+ and Ba2+) and smaller (Mg2+, Cu2+, and Co2+) divalent cations were carried out and their effects on the thermodynamic equilibrium between α/ß-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) were outlined. The coexistence of larger and smaller divalent cations shielded the formation of α-TCP and shifted the thermodynamic equilibrium toward the ß-TCP, which implied that the smaller cations dominated the crystalline phase. However, the retarded crystallization induced by the larger cations still remained and allowed ACP to maintain its amorphous nature partly or completely until a higher temperature.

Cadmium accumulation responses in Hylotelephium spectabile: The role of photosynthetic characteristics under different nitrogen, moisture, and light conditions.

The influence of environmental factors on Cd accumulation by Hylotelephium spectabile and its physiological mechanisms are unclear. A field trial was conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen, soil moisture, and light regulation on plant growth, Cd absorption and translocation, and the photosynthetic characteristics of two H. spectabile populations (LN with high Cd accumulation capacity and HB1 with relatively low Cd accumulation capacity). The results showed that Cd accumulation in LN was 59.6% higher than that in HB1 which may partly be explained by the inherent high transpiration rate of LN, especially at the terminal stage. In addition, the photosynthetic rate of LN responded more positively to nitrogen than HB1, which further amplified its advantages on plant growth and Cd accumulation. Moderate drought significantly stimulated root growth of LN, indicating that LN possesses stronger resistance to drought. Shade inhibited Cd distribution, rather than directly affecting Cd concentrations in H. spectabile. The combined stress of shade and drought had a synergistic effect on Cd translocation in H. spectabile. Moreover, LN achieved 17.3%∼444.5% higher transpiration levels than HB1 under environmental stress, which ensured a more efficient Cd transport capacity of LN. Therefore, the investigation of photosynthetic characteristics further revealed the physiological mechanism by which LN accumulated Cd superior to HB1 under environmental stress and responded more positively to nitrogen nutrition.

Direct absorption of atmospheric lead by rapeseed siliques is the leading cause of seed lead pollution.

Rapeseed cultivation is a novel approach to safely utilizing lead (Pb) contaminated farmland. However, the mechanism of Pb absorption in seeds remains uncertain. A field experiment was conducted to explore this mechanism with two contrasting treatments: rapeseed exposed to atmospheric deposition and non-exposed treatment. Non-exposed treatment ultimately decreased Pb content in leaf, silique, and seed by 46.7%, 53.7%, and 53.6%, respectively. Sub-microstructure analysis further confirmed that rapeseed leaves and siliques could directly absorb atmospheric Pb. In addition, Pb isotope analysis indicates that atmospheric deposition is the primary source of silique and seed Pb. The root and silique organs had relative Pb contributions of 28.0% and 72.0%, respectively, to seed. Thus, the direct absorption of atmospheric Pb by siliques during the filling stage was found to be the leading cause of seed Pb pollution.

Effects of water-soluble chitosan on Hylotelephium spectabile and soybean growth, as well as Cd uptake and phytoextraction efficiency in a co-planting cultivation system.

Intercropping a Cd-accumulator with economically valuable crops is common in slightly or moderately Cd-polluted farmland soils. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of water-soluble chitosan (WSC) on the growth and Cd uptake of the Cd-accumulator Hylotelephium spectabile and soybean (Glycine max) during a co-cultivation in Cd-contaminated agricultural soil (WSC, 0 and 10 g·m-2). The results indicated that soybean yields were highest in response to the intercropping and WSC treatment. The results from the field trials generally showed that intercropping and WSC treatments significantly decreased Cd concentrations in inedible parts of soybean by 42.9-72.1% (except for stems), in the meantime, increased 95.8%-334.6% in shoot and root tissues of H. spectabile compared with the control (p < 0.05). The data revealed that Cd uptake was highest for H. spectabile during the intercropping and WSC treatment. The application of WSC in the intercropping system significantly increased the uptake of Cd by H. spectabile, but not by soybean. The findings of this study suggest that combining an intercropping system with a WSC treatment may be better for remediating Cd-contaminated soils than other methods involving the growth of a single hyperaccumulator.

This paper clearly focused on the accumulation and uptake of Cd in the system of intercropping of Cd-accumulator (Hylotelephium spectable) and soybean (Glycine max) grown in Cd-polluted farmland soils supplied with water-soluble chitosan (WSC) under field conditions. Some studies mainly focused on active agent to promote remediation efficiency of (hyper) accumulators. This study indicated that combining the intercropping system with WSC may be better for remediating Cd-contaminated soils than the methods involving a single hyperaccumulator.