Effects of Different Running Intensity on Serum Levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in Patients with Early Knee Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different running intensities on interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with early knee osteoarthritis (KOA). STUDY DESIGN: Clinical comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Orthopedics, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China, from January 2019 to January 2021. METHODOLOGY: A total of 131 patients with early KOA admitted to Longyan First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from January 2019 to January 2021 were selected and randomly divided into four groups using the random number table method: Group A (static control group, 34 cases), Group B (walking group, 32 cases), Group C (brisk walking group, 32 cases), and Group D (jogging group, 33 cases), and the training duration of the four groups was 6 months. Moreover, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, the activity of daily living (ADL), Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA) scores, and adverse events before and after training were compared between the four groups. RESULTS: No statistical significance was observed in the differences of TNF-α, IL-6, ADL-advanced ability, ADL-basic ability, FMA-upper limb, and FMA-lower limb among the four groups before training (p>0.05). After training, the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 of the four groups were decreased, while the scores of FMA and ADL were increased. Group C had the highest FMA-upper limb and FMA-lower limb scores, ADL- advanced ability and ADL-basic ability after training, which were higher than those in groups A, B, and D (p<0.05). No statistical significance could be observed in the difference in the adverse event rate among the four groups during training (X2=3.339, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Exercise training of different intensities, such as slow walking, brisk walking, and jogging, is touted to enhance the overall recovery of patients with early KOA. The exercise intensity of brisk walking training is moderate, and the activity of daily living and exercise ability of patients are significantly improved after training, while the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 are obviously decreased. KEY WORDS: Knee osteoarthritis, Interleukin-6, Exercise training, Exercise intensity, Tumor necrosis factor α.

Temperature-programmable and enzymatically solidifiable gelatin-based bioinks enable facile extrusion bioprinting.

The development of exceptional bioinks with excellent printability, high fidelity, and excellent cell viability maintenance for extrusion bioprinting remains a major challenge. Gelatin is an ideal candidate bioink due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-immunogenicity. However, its inherently low viscosity and unstable physical gelation under physiological conditions make it unsuitable for direct extrusion bioprinting of tissue-like gelatin constructs with high fidelity. Herein, sequential chemical modification using reversible quadruple-hydrogen-bonded ureido-pyrimidinone (UPy) and enzyme-responsive tyramine moieties (Tyr) were devloped to endow the gelatin with a temperature-programmable viscosity and enzyme-controlled solidification, thus realizing enhanced printability and superior fidelity. As demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study, various cell-laden constructs were built based on our modified gelatin, including two-dimensional human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (hBMSC)-laden patterns, three-dimensional interconnected hBMSC-laden scaffolds, a reversible twisting-tension human-scale hBMSC-laden ear, a bicellular tibia-like construct containing hBMSCs and endothelial cells and a hexagonal prism-shaped hepatocyte-laden scaffold. The loaded cells in the construct have high viability of over 90% at 24 h, and show proliferation and protein secretion over one week, suggesting that Gel-UPy-Tyr-based constructs under physiological temperature not only can keep high fidelity, but also can support the growth and functions of the loaded cells.

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel-Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Invited for the cover of this issue is Liqiang Mai and co-workers at Wuhan University of Technology. The image depicts Ni3 Fe alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped graphene as an efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst toward rechargeable Zn-air batteries, which is expected to drive the electric vehicle. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201904722.

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel-Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

It is extremely desirable to explore high-efficient, affordable and robust oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). A 3D porous nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated metallic Ni3 Fe alloy nanoparticles aerogel (Ni3 Fe-GA1 ) was constructed through a facile hydrothermal assembly and calcination process. Benefiting from 3D porous configuration with great accessibility, high electrical conductivity, abundant active sites, optimal nitrogen content and strong electronic interactions at the Ni3 Fe/N-doped graphene heterointerface, the obtained aerogel showed outstanding catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, it exhibited an overpotential of 239 mV to attain 10 mA cm-2 for OER, simultaneously providing a positive onset potential of 0.93 V within a half-wave potential of 0.8 V for ORR. Accordingly, when employed in the aqueous ZABs, Ni3 Fe-GA1 achieved higher power density and superior reversibility than Pt/C-IrO2 catalyst, making it a potential candidate for rechargeable ZABs.