A Novel Conductive Polypyrrole-Chitosan Hydrogel Containing Human Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Facilitated Sustained Release for Cardiac Repair.

Myocardial infarction (MI) results in cardiomyocyte necrosis and conductive system damage, leading to sudden cardiac death and heart failure. Studies have shown that conductive biomaterials can restore cardiac conduction, but cannot facilitate tissue regeneration. This study aims to add regenerative capabilities to the conductive biomaterial by incorporating human endometrial mesenchymal stem cell (hEMSC)-derived exosomes (hEMSC-Exo) into poly-pyrrole-chitosan (PPY-CHI), to yield an injectable hydrogel that can effectively treat MI. In vitro, PPY-CHI/hEMSC-Exo, compared to untreated controls, PPY-CHI, or hEMSC-Exo alone, alleviates H2O2-induced apoptosis and promotes tubule formation, while in vivo, PPY-CHI/hEMSC-Exo improves post-MI cardiac functioning, along with counteracting against ventricular remodeling and fibrosis. All these activities are facilitated via increased epidermal growth factor (EGF)/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling. Furthermore, the conductive properties of PPY-CHI/hEMSC-Exo are able to resynchronize cardiac electrical transmission to alleviate arrythmia. Overall, PPY-CHI/hEMSC-Exo synergistically combines the cardiac regenerative capabilities of hEMSC-Exo with the conductive properties of PPY-CHI to improve cardiac functioning, via promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting apoptosis, as well as resynchronizing electrical conduction, to ultimately enable more effective MI treatment. Therefore, incorporating exosomes into a conductive hydrogel provides dual benefits in terms of maintaining conductivity, along with facilitating long-term exosome release and sustained application of their beneficial effects.

Extraction methods and compositions of polyphenols in Shanxi aged vinegar.

The extraction, purification, qualification, and quantification of polyphenols (PPs) in vinegar are challenging owing to the complex matrix of vinegar and the specific physicochemical and structural properties of PPs. This study aimed to develop a simple, efficient, low-cost method for enriching and purifying vinegar PPs. The enrichment and purification effects of five solid phase extraction (SPE) columns and five macroporous adsorption resins (MARs) for PPs were compared. The results show that SPE columns were more effective in purifying vinegar PPs than MARs. Among them, the Strata-XA column showed a higher recovery (78.469 ± 0.949%), yield (80.808 ± 2.146%), and purity (86.629 ± 0.978%) than other columns. In total, 48 PPs were identified and quantified using SPE and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from the SPE column extracts; phenolic acids, such as 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, vanillic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and 3-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) propionic acid, occupy a major position in SAV. Furthermore, considering the potential applications of PPs, the concentrates were characterized based on their bioactive properties. They exhibited high total PP, flavonoid, and melanoidin contents and excellent anti-glycosylation and antioxidant activities. These results indicate that the established methodology is a high-efficiency, rapid-extraction, and environment-friendly method for separating and purifying PPs, with broad application prospects in the food, chemical, and cosmetic industries.

[In Vitro Fatigue Test of Lung Volume Reduction Loop].

Lung volume reduction loop uses bronchoscopic lung volume reduction(BLVR) technology to compress and collapse the necrotic emphysema tissue and exhaust the internal gas to achieve the purpose of lung volume reduction to treat emphysema. After the lung volume reduction loop is implanted into the human body, the compressed part of the lung tissue tends to expand with breathing, which makes the lung volume reduction loop expand into a linear trend periodically. Fatigue resistance is one of the most important performance indexes of the lung volume reduction loop. In the paper, Z-direction vibration fatigue machine was used to simulate the changes of human respiratory cycle movement to test the fatigue performance of lung volume reduction loop, which can provide some reference for the test method of in vitro fatigue performance of lung volume reduction related products in the future.

SLAMF6 is associated with the susceptibility and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in the Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES: A recently published genome-wide association study identified six novel loci associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Korean population. We aimed to investigate whether these newly reported RA-risk loci are associated with RA in the Chinese population and to further characterize the functional role of the susceptible gene. METHODS: The susceptible variants of RA were genotyped in 600 RA patients and 800 healthy controls, including rs148363003 of SLAMF6, rs117605225 of CXCL13, rs360136 of SWAP70, rs111597524 of NFKBIA, rs194757 of ZFP36L1 and rs1547233 of LINC00158. Synovial tissues were collected from the knee joint of 50 RA patients and 40 controls without osteoarthritis for the gene expression analysis. Inter-group comparisons were performed with the Chi-square test for genotyping data or with Student's t-test for gene expression analysis. RESULT: For rs148363003 of SLAMF6, RA patients were observed to have a significantly lower frequency of genotype CC (4.5% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.004) as compared with the controls. The frequency of allele C was remarkably higher in the patients than in the controls (11.5% vs. 8.0%, p = 0.002), with an odds ratio of 1.49 (95% CI = 1.16-1.92). There was no significant difference between the patients and the controls regarding genotype or allele frequency of the other 5 variants. The mRNA expression of SLAMF6 was 1.6 folds higher in the RA patients than in the controls. Moreover, SLAMF6 expression was 1.5 folds higher in patients with genotype CC than in the patients with genotype TT. CONCLUSIONS: SLAMF6 was associated with both the susceptibility and severity of RA in the Chinese population. Moreover, rs148363003 could be a functional variant regulating the tissue expression of SLAMF6 in RA patients. It is advisable to conduct further functional analysis for a comprehensive knowledge on the contribution of this variant to the development of RA.

LncRNA MIAT promotes hypoxia-induced H9C2 cell pyroptosis via binding to SF1 to inhibit CGRP transcription.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? How does long non-coding RNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript (lncRNA MIAT) function in hypoxia-induced H9C2 cells? What is the main finding and its importance? LncRNA MIAT inhibited transcription of calcitonin gene-related peptide by binding to splicing factor 1, thereby promoting hypoxia-induced H9C2 cell pyroptosis. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction by using lncRNA MIAT as a molecular target to mediate cardiomyocyte pyrodeath. ABSTRACT: Hypoxia induces severe cardiomyocyte pyroptosis, contributing to acute myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to analyse the molecular mechanism of long non-coding RNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript (lncRNA MIAT) in hypoxia-induced H9C2 cell pyroptosis. A hypoxic H9C2 cell model was established. Cell viability was detected via the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. Levels of lactate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase and expressions of pyroptotic markers, lncRNA MIAT, splicing factor 1 (SF1) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were detected via qRT-PCR. The subcellular localization of lncRNA MIAT was predicted and confirmed via LncATLAS and nuclear/cytosol fractionation assay. The binding relationships between lncRNA MIAT and SF1 and between SF1 and the CGRP promotor were verified via RNA immunoprecipitation. Rescue experiments were designed to confirm the role of lncRNA MIAT/SF1/CGRP in H9C2 cell pyroptosis. LncRNA MIAT was overexpressed in hypoxia-induced H9C2 cells. Hypoxia induced pyroptosis in H9C2 cells. Silencing of lncRNA MIAT enhanced cell viability and alleviated pyroptosis. LncRNA MIAT inhibited CGRP transcription via binding to SF1. Overexpression of SF1 promoted CGRP transcription and relieved H9C2 cell pyroptosis. Downregulation of CGRP reversed the role of silencing lncRNA MIAT in H9C2 cell pyroptosis. Overall, lncRNA MIAT inhibited CGRP transcription via binding to SF1, thereby promoting hypoxia-induced H9C2 cell pyroptosis.

The Effect of Enamel Matrix Derivative Alone Versus in Combination with Alloplastic Materials to Treat Intrabony Defects: A Meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis aims to compare the effect of the application of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) used alone with that of its use in combination with alloplastic materials in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase through November 2015. The main clinical outcomes were pocket probing depth (PPD) reduction, clinical attachment level (CAL) gain, gingival recession (REC) increase, and defect fill gain. Two separate meta-analyses were performed according to the length of follow-up. Nine articles were included. The results demonstrated that in the short-term follow-up group (≤ 1 year), in terms of PPD reduction (P < .05) and REC increase (P < .05), the application of an EMD combined with alloplastic materials provided advantages compared to EMD used alone. For CAL gain (P = .17) and gain of defect fill (P = .07), no significant differences were observed. In the long-term follow-up group (> 1 year), no significant differences in terms of REC increase (P = .05) were found between the groups, but combined therapy exhibited an advantage in terms of PPD reduction (P < .05), CAL gain (P < .05), and gain in defect fill (P < .05). Within its limitations, this meta-analysis indicated that the additional benefit of combined therapy in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects compared with EMD used alone cannot be proven.

Strategies to Optimize Adult Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration.

Stem cell therapy aims to replace damaged or aged cells with healthy functioning cells in congenital defects, tissue injuries, autoimmune disorders, and neurogenic degenerative diseases. Among various types of stem cells, adult stem cells (i.e., tissue-specific stem cells) commit to becoming the functional cells from their tissue of origin. These cells are the most commonly used in cell-based therapy since they do not confer risk of teratomas, do not require fetal stem cell maneuvers and thus are free of ethical concerns, and they confer low immunogenicity (even if allogenous). The goal of this review is to summarize the current state of the art and advances in using stem cell therapy for tissue repair in solid organs. Here we address key factors in cell preparation, such as the source of adult stem cells, optimal cell types for implantation (universal mesenchymal stem cells vs. tissue-specific stem cells, or induced vs. non-induced stem cells), early or late passages of stem cells, stem cells with endogenous or exogenous growth factors, preconditioning of stem cells (hypoxia, growth factors, or conditioned medium), using various controlled release systems to deliver growth factors with hydrogels or microspheres to provide apposite interactions of stem cells and their niche. We also review several approaches of cell delivery that affect the outcomes of cell therapy, including the appropriate routes of cell administration (systemic, intravenous, or intraperitoneal vs. local administration), timing for cell therapy (immediate vs. a few days after injury), single injection of a large number of cells vs. multiple smaller injections, a single site for injection vs. multiple sites and use of rodents vs. larger animal models. Future directions of stem cell-based therapies are also discussed to guide potential clinical applications.

Inhaled sevoflurane may promote progression of amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a prospective, randomized parallel-group study.

BACKGROUND: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is thought to be a transitional stage between normal aging and the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies have suggested that the inhalational anesthetic isoflurane can induce caspase activation and apoptosis, increase aggregates of ß-amyloid (Aß) levels, and enhance Aß aggregation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether previous exposure to different anesthetics induced progression of aMCI. METHODS: A prospective, randomized parallel-group study was completed with 180 patients with aMCI who were randomly assigned to a sevoflurane, propofol or lidocaine epidural anesthesia group (n = 60 per group) during an L3 to L4 or an L4 to L5 spinal surgery. Sixty additional outpatients with aMCI served as a control group. Before surgery, all subjects underwent a neuropsychological assessment. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained by lumbar puncture, and neuropsychological assessments were completed in the clinic. CSF Aß42, total tau and phosphorylated tau181 were quantitatively assayed. The neuropsychological assessments were repeated after 2 years. RESULTS: Two years after anesthesia, the number of AD cases that emerged did not differ significantly between the groups. However, the number of cases of progressive MCI was greater in the sevoflurane group than in the control group. Age correlated linearly with aMCI progression, whereas sex did not. Both patients with AD and progressive MCI had decreased CSF Aß42, increased total tau and increased phosphorylated tau levels compared with those with stable MCI and the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled sevoflurane accelerated the progression of aMCI to progressive MCI in this selected Chinese population.

Fabrication of a pure polarization grating in a cross-linked azopolymer by polarization-modulated holography.

A cross-linked azopolymer with high optical and thermal stability was prepared. A pure polarization grating without surface topology was fabricated from cross-linked azopolymer by polarization holography by use of orthogonal linearly polarized beams from a He-Cd laser with a power density of 60 mW/cm(-2). The surface relief structure was investigated by atomic-force microscopy, and the polarization grating was observed by polarization optical microscopy. The grating spacing is 1.5 microm. The grating is stable at room temperature and can endure repeated writing-erasing.

Sm(DBM)3Phen-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) for three-dimensional multilayered optical memory.

We report on the formation of submicrometer voids within Sm(DBM)3Phen-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under multiphoton absorption excited by an infrared laser beam. An ultrashort-pulsed laser beam with a pulse width of 200 fs at a wavelength of 800 nm is focused into doped PMMA. The large changes in refractive index and the fluorescence associated with a void allow conventional optical microscopy and reflection-type confocal microscopy to be used as detection methods. Voids can be arranged in a three-dimensional multilayered structure for high-density optical data storage.