Cytoskeleton network participates in the anti-infection responses of macrophage.

During immune responses against invading pathogenic bacteria, the cytoskeleton network enables macrophages to implement multiple essential functions. To protect the host from infection, macrophages initially polarize to adopt different phenotypes in response to distinct signals from the microenvironment. The extracellular stimulus regulates the rearrangement of the cytoskeleton, thereby altering the morphology and migratory properties of macrophages. Subsequently, macrophages degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and migrate toward the sites of infection to directly contact invading pathogens, during which the involvement of cytoskeleton-based structures such as podosomes and lamellipodia is indispensable. Ultimately, macrophages execute the function of phagocytosis to engulf and eliminate the invading pathogens. Phagocytosis is a complex process that requires the cooperation of cytoskeleton-enriched super-structures, such as filopodia, lamellipodia, and phagocytic cup. This review presents an overview of cytoskeletal regulations in macrophage polarization, ECM degradation, migration, and phagocytosis, highlighting the pivotal role of the cytoskeleton in host defense against infection.

Unidirectional Regulation of Vimentin Intermediate Filaments to Caveolin-1.

Both the mechanosensitive vimentin cytoskeleton and endocytic caveolae contribute to various active processes such as cell migration, morphogenesis, and stress response. However, the crosstalk between these two systems has remained elusive. Here, we find that the subcellular expression between vimentin and caveolin-1 is mutual exclusive, and vimentin filaments physically arrest the cytoplasmic motility of caveolin-1 vesicles. Importantly, vimentin depletion increases the phosphorylation of caveolin-1 on site Tyr14, and restores the compromised cell migration rate and directionality caused by caveolin-1 deprivation. Moreover, upon hypo-osmotic shock, vimentin-knockout recovers the reduced intracellular motility of caveolin-1 vesicles. In contrary, caveolin-1 depletion shows no effect on the expression, phosphorylation (on sites Ser39, Ser56, and Ser83), distribution, solubility, and cellular dynamics of vimentin filaments. Taken together, our data reveals a unidirectional regulation of vimentin to caveolin-1, at least on the cellular level.

Biomechanical analysis of different types of pedicle screw augmentation: a cadaveric and synthetic bone sample study of instrumented vertebral specimens.

This study aims to determine the pull-out strength, stiffness and failure pull-out energy of cement-augmented, cannulated-fenestrated pedicle screws in an osteoporotic cadaveric thoracolumbar model, and to determine, using synthetic bone samples, the extraction torques of screws pre-filled with cement and those with cement injected through perforations. Radiographs and bone mineral density measurements from 32 fresh thoracolumbar vertebrae were used to define specimen quality. Axial pull-out strength of screws was determined through mechanical testing. Mechanical pull-out strength, stiffness and energy-to-failure ratio were recorded for cement-augmented and non-cement-augmented screws. Synthetic bone simulating a human spinal bone with severe osteoporosis was used to measure the maximum extraction torque. The pull-out strength and stiffness-to-failure ratio of cement pre-filled and cement-injected screws were significantly higher than the non-cement-augmented control group. However, the cement pre-filled and cement-injected groups did not differ significantly across these values (p=0.07). The cement pre-filled group had the highest failure pull-out energy, approximately 2.8 times greater than that of the cement-injected (p<0.001), and approximately 11.5 times greater than that of the control groups (p<0.001). In the axial pull-out test, the cement-injected group had a greater maximum extraction torque than the cement pre-filled group, but was statistically insignificant (p=0.17). The initial fixation strength of cannulated screws pre-filled with cement is similar to that of cannulated screws injected with cement through perforations. This comparable strength, along with the heightened pull-out energy and reduced extraction torque, indicates that pedicle screws pre-filled with cement are superior for bone fixation over pedicle screws injected with cement.

Biomechanical comparisons of different posterior instrumentation constructs after two-level ALIF: a finite element study.

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with cylindrical cages and supplemental posterior fixation has been widely used for internal disc derangement. However, most researchers have focused on single-level ALIF. Therefore, the biomechanical performance of various fixation constructs after two-level ALIF is not well characterized. This research used three-dimensional finite element models (FEM) with a nonlinear contact analysis to evaluate the initial biomechanical behavior of five types of fixation devices after two-level ALIF (L3/L4, L4/L5) under six loading conditions. These fixation constructs included a three-level pedicle screw and rod, a two-level translaminar facet screw, a two-level transfacet pedicle screw, a bisegmental pedicle screw and rod, and a bisegmental pedicle screw and rod with cross-linking. The FEM's developed in this study demonstrate that, compared to the other four types of posterior fixation constructs analyzed, the three-level pedicle screw and rod provide the best biomechanical stability. Both two-level facet screw fixation constructs showed unfavorable loading in lateral bending. For the construct of the three-level pedicle screw and rod, the middle-segment pedicle screw should not be omitted even though a cross-link is used. The two-level ALIF models with cages and posterior fixation constructs that we developed can be used to evaluate the initial biomechanical performance of a wide variety of posterior fixation devices prior to surgery.