Evaluation of reverse transcription yield of RNA standards and forensic samples based on droplet digital PCR.

RNA analysis has shown great value in forensic science, such as body fluids and tissue identification, postmortem interval estimation, biological age prediction, etc. Currently, most RNA follow-up experiments involve reverse transcription (RT) procedures. It has been shown that the RT step is variable and has a greater impact on subsequent data analysis, especially for forensic trace samples. However, the pattern of variation between different RNA template inputs and complementary DNA (cDNA) yield is unclear. In this study, a series of 2-fold gradient dilutions of RNA standards (1 µg/µL - 0.24 ng/µL) and forensic samples (including blood samples, saliva samples, bloodstains, and saliva stains) were reverse-transcribed using EasyQuick RT MasterMix. The obtained cDNA was quantified by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to assess the RT yield of the ACTB gene. The results showed that the 125 ng RNA template had the highest RT yield in a 10 µL RT reaction system with the selected kit. For all stain samples, the RT yield improved as the amount of RNA template input increased since RNA quantities were below 125 ng. As many commercialized reverse transcription kits using different kinds of enzymes are available for forensic RNA research, we recommend that systematic experiments should be performed in advance to determine the amount of RNA input at the optimum RT yield when using any kit for reverse transcription experiments.

Interfacial Interactions within Amyloid Protein Corona Based on 2D MoS2 Nanosheets.

The interfacial interaction within the amyloid protein corona based on MoS2 nanomaterial is crucial, both for understanding the biological effects of MoS2 nanomaterial and the evolution of amyloid diseases. The specific nano-bio interface phenomenon of human islet amyloid peptide (hIAPP) and MoS2 nanosheet was investigated by using theoretical and experimental methods. The MoS2 nanosheet enables the attraction of hIAPP monomer, dimer, and oligomer on its surface through van der Waals forces. Especially, the means of interaction between two hIAPP peptides might be changed by MoS2 nanosheet. In addition, it is interesting to find that the hIAPP oligomer can stably interact with the MoS2 nanosheet in one unique "standing" binding mode with an entire exposed ß-sheet surface. All the interaction modes on the surface of MoS2 nanosheet can be the essence of amyloid protein corona that may provide the venue to facilitate the fibrillation of hIAPP proteins. Further, it was verified experimentally that MoS2 nanosheets could accelerate the fibrillation of hIAPP at a certain concentration mainly based on the newly formed nano-bio interface. In general, our results provide insight into the molecular interaction mechanism of the nano-bio interface within the amyloid protein corona, and shed light on the pathway of amyloid protein aggregation that is related to the evolution of amyloid diseases.

Intramural injection of pluronic gel loaded with drugs to alleviate arterial injury.

BACKGROUND: Balloon angioplasty, stent implantation, and application of an arterial clamp during surgery can induce artery injury such as elastin breaks and endothelium injury, but there is little research focused on the injury induced by these therapeutic manipulations. We established a simple and reproducible small animal aortic injury model and examined intramural injection as a potential therapeutic method to alleviate injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The abdominal aorta of male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats or C57BL/6 J mice was clamped sequentially throughout its length. Transforming growth factor ß1 (TGFß1), SB431542, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), rapamycin, or MHY1485 contained in Pluronic gel was injected intramurally at day 0 or day 7. Animals were fed with chow containing 0.25% beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) to evaluate the influence of BAPN. All samples were harvested and examined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: The clamped rat aorta showed luminal dilation, elastin fiber breaks, neointimal hyperplasia, and dissection (days 0-90). Intramural injection of TGFß1, rapamycin and Nec-1 showed a protective effect on the injured aorta, whereas SB431542, MHY1485 and LPS showed more severe wall damage. The aortic lumen in rats fed with BAPN was significantly larger than in control rats (day 7). Mouse aorta showed similar injury with neointimal hyperplasia and elastin fiber breaks. CONCLUSIONS: The rodent arterial injury model is reproducible and may mimic early changes of arterial injury. The model accommodates intramural injection of different drugs that may show mechanisms of arterial injury. Although this is a preliminary animal model, the intramural injection method may have potential clinical application in the future.

Biodegraded PCl and gelatin fabricated vascular patch in rat aortic and inferior vena cava angioplasty.

Novel synthetic prosthesis materials for patch angioplasty are continuously under development and optimization. When a nonwoven-based gelatin membrane is coupled with an electrospun layer of polycaprolactone (PCL), these biohybrid polymer membranes (BHMs) possess higher mechanical properties in aqueous environments. We hypothesized that BHMs can also be used as vascular patches, and we tested our hypothesis in a rat IVC venoplasty and aortic arterioplasty model. Patch venoplasty and arterioplasty were performed in SD rats (200 g), the patches were harvested at day 14, and samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The BHM patches were almost degraded, with few parts remaining after 14 days. There was a line of CD34- and nestin-positive cells on the endothelium, with some cells were CD34 and nestin dual-positive, macrophages and leukocytes also participated in the patch healing process. There were PCNA-positive cells in the neointima and peri-patch area, with some cells were also PCNA and α-actin dual-positive. Arterial neointimal endothelial cells were Ephrin-B2- and dll-4-positive, and venous neointimal endothelial cells were Eph-B4- and COUP-TFII-positive. BHM shares a similar healing process like other patch materials, and BHM may have potential applications in vascular surgery.

Effects of Structural and Compositional Changes of Nanochloropsis oceania after Enzyme Treatment on EPA-Rich Lipids Extraction.

Improved methods for the extraction of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an essential and economically important polyunsaturated fatty acid, are urgently required. However, lipid extraction rates using food-grade solvents such as ethanol are usually low. To improve the ethanol-based extraction rate, and to elucidate the relevant mechanisms, we used cellulase and laccase to treat powdered Nannochloropsis, one of the most promising microalgal sources of EPA. Cellulase and laccase synergistically increased lipid yields by 69.31% and lipid EPA content by 42.63%, by degrading the amorphous hemicellulose and cellulose, improving crystallinity, and promoting the release and extraction of lysodiacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine. Scanning electron microscopy showed that cell morphology was substantially altered, with cell-wall rupture, loss of cell boundaries, and the release of intracellular substances. In conclusion, Nannochloropsis lipid yields may be directly linked to cell-wall hemicellulose structure, and enzymatic treatment to alter this may improve lipid yields.

A structural equation modeling approach to determine the correlation between the vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns and posterior basal bones mismatching in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion.

INTRODUCTION: Matching the maxillomandibular basal bone width is essential to the stability of orthodontic treatment. We aimed to determine the relationship between basal bone width mismatching and the vertical and sagittal skeletal pattern in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion through shape analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). METHODS: Cone-beam computed tomography images were collected from 45 men and 51 women. Width mismatching of the basal bone was determined using generalized Procrustes analysis. Twenty-two parameters from the synthesized cephalogram were measured, followed by factor analysis and SEM. RESULTS: Mismatch occurred at the second molar (men, -4.29 ± 4.32 mm; women, -5.55 ± 4.43 mm) and retromolar regions (men, -8.49 ± 5.11 mm; women: -8.93 ± 5.25 mm). The sum of angles had the largest loading for vertical-1 (extracted from 18 vertical cephalometric measurements) (men, 0.9477; women, 0.9489), followed by MP-SN angle (0.9408) in men and N-Me/S-Go (0.9342) in women. Wits appraisal and anteroposterior dysplasia indicator were largest for Sagittal-1. SEM showed a positive effect of male vertical-1 and 2 on width difference in the retromolar region (P <0.001; B >0). Female vertical-1 had a significant positive effect on DW7 (P <0.001; B = 5.535) and DWR (P = 0.016; B = 3.427) as vertical-2. Sagittal-1 showed a negative correlation with DW7 in both genders (P <0.05; B <0) and with DWR in men. CONCLUSIONS: Basal bone width mismatching occurred at the second molar and retromolar regions, especially in low-angle and patients with severe skeletal Class III malocclusion.

Is hydroxychloroquine effective in treating primary Sjogren's syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To systematically review and assess the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for treating primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: Five electronic databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of science, Ovid, Cochrane Library) were searched for randomized controlled trials and retrospective or prospective studies published in English that reported the effect of HCQ on pSS. The subjective symptoms (sicca symptoms, fatigue and pain) and the objective indexes (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and Schirmer test) were assessed as main outcome measures. A meta-analysis and descriptive study on the efficacy and safety of HCQ were conducted. The estimate of the effect of HCQ treatment was expressed as a proportion together with 95% confidence interval, and plotted on a forest plot. RESULTS: Four trials with totals of 215 SS patients, including two randomized controlled trials, one double blind crossover trial and one retrospective open-label study, were analyzed in this review. For dry mouth and dry eyes, the effectiveness of HCQ treatment was essentially the same as placebo treatment. For fatigue, the effectiveness of HCQ was lower than placebo. The efficacy of HCQ in treating pain associated with pSS was superior to that of the placebo. There was no significant difference between HCQ-treated groups and controls in terms of Schirmer test results, but HCQ could reduce the erythrocyte sedimentation rate compare with placebo. A descriptive safety assessment showed that gastrointestinal adverse effects were the most common adverse effects associated with HCQ. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review showed that there is no significant difference between HCQ and placebo in the treatment of dry mouth and dry eye in pSS. Well-designed, randomized, controlled trials are needed to provide higher-quality evidence to confirm our findings, and future studies should focus on some other index or extraglandular measures, such as cutaneous manifestations, to further explore the therapeutic effect of HCQ in pSS.

Body fluids should be identified before estimating the time since deposition (TsD) in microbiome-based stain analyses for forensics.

Identification and the time since deposition (TsD) estimation of body fluid stains from a crime scene could provide valuable information for solving the cases and are always difficult for forensics. Microbial characteristics were considered as a promising biomarker to address the issues. However, changes in the microbiota may damage the specific characteristics of body fluids. Correspondingly, incorrect body fluid identification may result in inaccurate TsD estimation. The mutual influence is not well understood and limited the codetection. In the current study, saliva, semen, vaginal secretion, and menstrual blood samples were exposed to indoor conditions and collected at eight time points (from fresh to 30 days). High-throughput sequencing based on the 16S rRNA gene was performed to characterize the microbial communities. The results showed that a longer TsD could decrease the discrimination of different body fluid stains. However, the accuracies of identification still reached a quite high value even without knowing the TsD. Correspondingly, the mean absolute error (MAE) of TsD estimation significantly increased without distinguishing the types of body fluids. The predictive TsD of menstrual blood reached a quite low MAE (1.54 ± 0.39 d). In comparison, those of saliva (6.57 ± 1.17 d), semen (6.48 ± 1.33 d), and vaginal secretion (5.35 ± 1.11 d) needed to be further improved. The great effect of individual differences on these stains limited the TsD estimation accuracy. Overall, microbial characteristics allow for codetection of body fluid identification and TsD estimation, and body fluids should be identified before estimating TsD in microbiome-based stain analyses.IMPORTANCEEmerged evidences suggest microbial characteristics could be considered a promising tool for identification and time since deposition (TsD) estimation of body fluid stains. However, the two issues should be studied together due to a potential mutual influence. The current study provides the first evidence to understand the mutual influence and determines an optimal process for codetection of identification and TsD estimation for unknown stains for forensics. In addition, we involved aged stains into our study for identification of body fluid stains, rather than only using fresh stains like previous studies. This increased the predictive accuracy. We have preliminary verified that individual differences in microbiotas limited the predictive accuracy of TsD estimation for saliva, semen, and vaginal secretion. Microbial characteristics could provide an accurate TsD estimation for menstrual blood. Our study benefits the comprehensive understanding of microbiome-based stain analyses as an essential addition to previous studies.

Anisotropic gypsum scaling of corrugated polyvinylidene fluoride hydrophobic membrane in direct contact membrane distillation.

Membrane distillation (MD) technology has gained a lot of attention for treatment of geothermal brine, high salinity waste streams. However, mineral scaling remains a major challenge when treating complex high-salt brines. The development of surface-patterned superhydrophobic membranes is one of the core strategies to solve this problem. We prepared flat sheet membranes (F-PVDF) and hydrophobic membranes with micron-scale corrugated pattern (C-PVDF) using a phase separation method. Their scaling behavior was systematically evaluated using calcium sulfate solutions and the impact of the feed flow was innovatively investigated. Although C-PVDF shows higher contact angle and lower sliding angle than F-PVDF, the scaling resistance of C-PVDF in the perpendicular flow direction has worst scaling resistance. Although the nucleation barrier of the corrugated membrane is the same at both parallel and perpendicular flow directions based on the traditional thermodynamic nucleation theory, experimental observations show that the C-PVDF has the best scaling resistance in the parallel flow direction. A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was used and the hydrodynamic state of the pattern membranes was assessed as a determinant of the scaling resistance. The corrugated membrane with parallel flow mode (flow direction in parallel to the corrugation ridge) induces higher fluid velocity within the channel, which mitigated the deposition of crystals. While in the perpendicular flow mode (flow direction in perpendicular to the corrugation ridge), the solutions confined in the corrugated grooves due to vortex shielding, which aggravates the scaling. These results shed light on the mechanism of scaling resistance of corrugated membranes from a hydrodynamic perspective and reveal the mechanism of anisotropy exhibited by corrugated membranes in MD.

A bio-inspired versatile free-standing membrane for oral cavity microenvironmental monitoring and remineralization to prevent dental caries.

The fast monitoring of oral bacterial infection, bacterial clearance and repairing of enamel damage caused by dental caries relies on an effective way of monitoring, killing and repairing in situ, but presents a major challenge in oral healthcare. Herein, we developed a bio-inspired versatile free-standing membrane by filling TiO2 nanotube arrays with ß-sheet-rich silk fibroin and cleaving them from Ti foil, as inspired by nacre or enamel-like structures. The robust transparent membrane exhibited good mechanical properties, and could indicate acid-base microenvironment variation and the infection of S. mutans in a 5 min test by loading cyanidin cations in the membrane. Meanwhile, it can be used for photocatalysis and nanoreservoirs ascribed to TiO2 nanotubes, to kill and remove 99% of S. mutans bacteria under interval UV irradiation with low-power density, and load functional peptide to induce the remineralization on the etched-enamel for long-term treatment, tested in vitro and in vivo. The mechanical property of repaired enamel is improved in comparison. This bio-inspired constructed membrane would be applied in the prevention and treatment of oral cavity related diseases, such as enamel demineralization and dental caries, etc.

Exosomes derived from stem cells of human deciduous exfoliated teeth inhibit angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro via the transfer of miR-100-5p and miR-1246.

BACKGROUND: Anti-angiogenic therapy has been shown to be a promising strategy for anti-tumor treatment. Increasing evidence indicates that tumor angiogenesis is affected by exosomes that are secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but whether exosomes derived from MSCs suppress or promote angiogenesis remain paradoxical. The purpose of this study focused on understanding the potential role of exosomes derived from stem cells of human deciduous exfoliated teeth (SHED-Exos) in regulating angiogenesis and the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: Exosomes were isolated from supernatants of SHED cells using an exosome purification kit and were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blot analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometric assays, western blots, wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed to characterize the roles of SHED-Exos on cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The anti-angiogenic activity of SHED-Exos was assessed via a tube formation assay of endothelial cells and angiogenesis-related factors were analyzed by western blotting. In vivo, we used the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) xenograft transplantation model with nude mice that received multi-point injections at three-day intervals to evaluate the effects on angiogenesis. Furthermore, the sequencing of microRNAs (miRNAs) in SHED-Exos was performed to investigate the underlying anti-angiogenic mechanism. RESULTS: The results showed that SHED-Exos inhibit cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis in HUVECs. SHED-Exos suppress the tube-like structure formation of HUVECs in vitro. SHED-Exos downregulate several angiogenesis-related factors, including VEGFA, MMP-9 and ANGPT1. In vivo, the chick CAM assay verified that treatment with SHED-Exos inhibits micro-vascular formation, and importantly, significantly reduces the micro-vascular formation of tumors generated from xenografted OSCC cells, which was associated with the inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, our data suggested that SHED-Exos are enriched with miR-100-5p and miR-1246 and are transferred to endothelial cells, which results in decreased tube formation via the down-regulation of VEGFA expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that SHED-Exos inhibit angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, which suggests that SHED-Exos could potentially serve as a novel and effective therapeutic approach for anti-angiogenic treatment.

Identification of Pulpitis-Related Potential Biomarkers Using Bioinformatics Approach.

Inflammatory reaction of pulp tissue plays a role in the pathogen elimination and tissue repair. The evaluation of severity of pulpitis can serve an instructive function in therapeutic scheme. However, there are many limitations in the traditional evaluation methods for the severity of pulpitis. Based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, our study discovered 843 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to pulpitis. Afterwards, we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs and used MCODE plugin to determine the key functional subset. Meanwhile, genes in the key functional subset were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. The result showed that genes were mainly enriched in inflammatory reaction-related functions. Next, we screened out intersections of PPI network nodes and pulpitis-related genes. Then, 20 genes were obtained as seed genes. In the PPI network, 50 genes that had the highest correlation with seed genes were screened out using random walk with restart (RWR). Furthermore, 4 pulpitis-related hub genes were obtained from the intersection of the top 50 genes and genes in the key functional subset. Finally, GeneMANIA was utilized to predict genes coexpressed with hub genes, and expression levels of the 4 hub genes in normal and pulpitis groups were analyzed based on GEO data. The result demonstrated that the 4 hub genes were mainly coexpressed with chemokine-related genes and were remarkably upregulated in the pulpitis group. In short, we eventually determined 4 potential biomarkers of pulpitis.

Skeletal width changes after mini-implant-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MARME) in young adults.

OBJECTIVES: To observe skeletal width changes after mini-implant-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MARME) and determine the possible factors that may affect the postexpansion changes using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients (mean age 22.14 ± 4.76 years) who were treated with MARME over 1 year were enrolled. Four mini-implants were inserted in the midpalatal region, and the number of activations ranged from 40 to 60 turns (0.13 per turn). CBCT was performed before MARME (T0), after activation (T1), and after 1 year of retention (T2). The mean period between T1 and T0 was 6 ± 1.9 months and between T2 and T1 was 13 ± 2.18 months. A paired t-test was performed to compare T0, T1, and T2. The correlations between the postexpansion changes and possible contributing factors were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: The widths increased significantly after T1. After T2, the palatal suture width decreased from 2.50 mm to 0.75 mm. From T1 to T2, decreases recorded among skeletal variables varied from 0.13 mm to 0.41 mm. This decrease accounted for 5.75% of the total expansion (2.26 mm) in nasal width (N-N) and 19.75% at the lateral pterygoid plate. A significant correlation was found between postexpansion change and palatal cortical bone thickness and inclination of the palatal plane (ANS-PNS/SN; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Expanded skeletal width was generally stable after MARME. However, some amount of relapse occurred over time. Patients with thicker cortical bone of the palate and/or flatter palatal planes seemed to demonstrate better stability.

Immune checkpoint programmed death-1 mediates abdominal aortic aneurysm and pseudoaneurysm progression.

PURPOSE: The causes and pathogenetic mechanisms underlying abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and pseudoaneurysms are not fully understood. We hypothesized that inhibiting programmed death-1 (PD-1) can decrease AAA and pseudoaneurysm formation in mouse and rat models. METHODS: Human AAA samples were examined in conjunction with an adventitial calcium chloride (CaCl2) application mouse model and an aortic patch angioplasty rat model. Single-dose PD-1 antibody (4 mg/kg) or BMS-1 (PD-1 inhibitor-1) (1 mg/kg) was administered by intraperitoneal (IP) or intraluminal injection. In the intramural injection group, PD-1 antibody was injected after CaCl2 incubation. The rats were divided into three groups: (1) the control group was only decellularized without other special treatment, (2) the PD-1 antibody-coated patch group, and (3) the BMS-1 coated patch group. Patches implanted in the rat abdominal aorta were harvested on day 14 after implantation and analyzed. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis showed PD-1-positive cells, PD-1 and CD3, PD-1 and CD68, and PD-1 and α-actin co-expressed in the human AAA samples. Intraperitoneal (IP) injection or intraluminal injection of PD-1antibody/BMS-1 significantly inhibited AAA progression. PD-1 antibody and BMS-1 were each successfully conjugated to decellularized rat thoracic artery patches, respectively, by hyaluronic acid. Patches coated with either humanized PD-1 antibody or BMS-1 can also inhibit pseudoaneurysm progression and inflammatory cell infiltration. CONCLUSION: PD-1 pathway inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy for inhibiting AAA and pseudoaneurysm progression.

Slide-Ring Structure-Based Double-Network Hydrogel with Enhanced Stretchability and Toughness for 3D-Bio-Printing and Its Potential Application as Artificial Small-Diameter Blood Vessels.

Artificial small-diameter blood vessels (SDBVs) are extremely limited in their thrombosis and still present significant clinical challenges worldwide. In recent years, 3D-bio-printing has offered a powerful technique to fabricate vessel channels in tissue engineering applications. Hydrogels are attractive bio-inks for SDBVs 3D-bio-printing, but they usually present weak mechanical properties. To overcome the weak mechanical properties of hydrogel bio-inks, a printable human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)-laden polyrotaxane-alginate (PR-Alg) double-network (DN) hydrogel was fabricated. The PR-Alg DN hydrogel consists of a Ca2+ cross-linked alginate network to form the first network rapidly, and a photo-cross-linked slide-ring network was designed as the second network. By combining special hydrogel structures of slide-ring (SR) and double network (DN), we significantly improved the mechanical properties of hydrogels. The PR-Alg DN hydrogel provides excellent stress (199 ± 20 kPa) and strain (1239 ± 58%), and the fracture energy reaches 668 ± 80 J/m2. Additionally, due to the presence of biocompatible materials and the gentle 3D-bio-printing process, the 3D-bio-printed channels showed outstanding biocompatibility, particularly in HUVECs' survival and proliferation. We anticipate that this work will expand the application of hydrogels with improved mechanical properties in biomedicine, particularly for artificial SDBVs.

Biodegradable Flexible Electronic Device with Controlled Drug Release for Cancer Treatment.

Nowadays, controllable drug release is a vitally important strategy for cancer treatment and usually realized using implanting biocompatible devices. However, these devices need to be removed by another surgery after the function fails, which brings the risks of inflammation or potential death. In this article, a biodegradable flexible electronic device with controllable drug (paclitaxel) release was proposed for cancer treatment. The device is powered by an external alternating magnetic field to generate internal resistance heat and promote drug release loaded on the substrate. Moreover, the device temperature can even reach to 65 °C, which was sufficient for controllable drug release. This device also has similar mechanical properties to human tissues and can autonomously degrade due to the structure design of the circuit and degradable compositions. Finally, it is confirmed that the device has a good inhibitory effect on the proliferation of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and could be completely degraded in vitro. Thus, its great biodegradability and conformity can relieve patients of second operation, and the device proposed in this paper provides a promising solution to complete conquest of cancer in situ.

Fabrication of an injectable BMSC-laden double network hydrogel based on silk fibroin/PEG for cartilage repair.

An injectable BMSC-encapsulated double network (DN) hydrogel was fabricated via silk fibroin (SF) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which could efficiently support the survival and proliferation of BMSCs in vitro as well as cartilage repair in vivo, and provides a new strategy for cartilage tissue engineering.

Preparation and spectral investigation of inclusion complex of caffeic acid with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin.

The inclusion complexation behavior of caffeic acid (CA) with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) was studied by UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Experimental conditions including the concentration of HP-beta-CD and media acidity were investigated in detail. The result suggested HP-beta-CD was more suitable for including CA in acidity solution. The binding contants (K) of the inclusion complexes were determined by linear regression analysis and the inclusion ratio was found to be 1:1. The water solubility of CA was increased by inclusion with HP-beta-CD according to the phase-solubility diagram. The spatial configuration of complex has been proposed based on (1)H NMR and two-dimensional (2D) NMR, the result suggested that CA was entrapped inside the hydrophobic core of HP-beta-CD with the lipophilic aromatic ring and the portion of ethylene.

Deformation of stable and toxic hIAPP oligomers by liposomes with distinct nanomechanical features and reduced cytotoxicity.

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) oligomers are transient due to rapid aggregation rate in vitro, but play an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here we report an easy and robust method to generate toxic hIAPP oligomers, which are stable for at least 8 hours. The toxic hIAPP oligomers are quickly transformed from α-helix to ß-sheet by membrane phospholipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) liposomes, exhibiting distinct nanomechanical features from the hIAPP oligomers or pristine fibrils. DOPC liposomes significantly block the cytotoxicity induced by the hIAPP oligomers, which has the potential for new treatment.

A Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Five Body Fluids: Plasma, Urine, Cerebrospinal Fluid, Amniotic Fluid, and Saliva.

PURPOSE: Body fluid is considered a rich source of disease biomarkers. Proteins in many body fluids have potential clinical applications for disease diagnostic and prognostic predictions. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To determine differences in the protein components and functional features of body fluids, a proteomic comparison of five body fluids (plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, and amniotic fluid) was conducted by high-resolution mass spectrometry. RESULTS: A total of 4717 nonredundant proteins were identified, and the concentrations of 3433 proteins were estimated by an intensity-based algorithm quantitation method. Among them, 564 proteins were shared among the five body fluids, with common functions in the coagulation/prothrombin system and inflammatory response. A total of 36.7% of the proteins were detected in only one body fluid and were closely related to their adjacent tissues by function. The functional analysis of the remaining 2986 proteins showed that similar functions might be shared among different body fluids, which highlighted intimate connection in the body. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The quantitative comparative functional analysis indicated that body fluids might reflect the diverse functions of the whole body rather than the characteristics of their adjacent tissues. The above data might indicate the potential application of body fluids for biomarker discovery.