The Influence of Shelter Type and Coverage on Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) Predation by Catfish (Silurus asotus): A Controlled Environment Study.

Procambarus clarkii is adept at using natural shelters and caves to evade attacks from predators. However, the concealment abilities and mechanisms of P. clarkii for different types of shelters under predation pressure have not yet been reported. In this study, laboratory experiments were carried out to determine the effects of different coverages (25%, 50%, and 75%) and different combinations (I-VII) of three types of shelters (PVC pipes, water grass, and stone) on the predation rhythm, behavior, and abilities of Silurus asotus on P. clarkii. The results indicated that the predation of S. asotus on P. clarkii exhibited significant rhythmicity under shelter conditions, excluding PVC pipes, 75% stone, and combination VI. Among the three types of shelters, PVC pipes provided the strongest concealment, followed by stone and water grass. With the increase in shelter coverage, the anti-predation ability of P. clarkii continued to increase, and the optimal shade rate for water grass was 50%. In the different shelter combinations, the environmental complexity had little effect on the predation activity of S. asotus on P. clarkii. These findings demonstrated that the type and abundance of shelters in the wild environment can affect the predation rhythm and activities of S. asotus on P. clarkii.

A novel engineered IL-21 receptor arms T-cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T cells) against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Strategies to improve T cell therapy efficacy in solid tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. The common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc) family cytokines such as IL-2, IL-7, IL-15 and IL-21 play fundamental roles in T cell development, differentiation and effector phases. This study aims to determine the combination effects of IL-21 in T cell therapy against HCC and investigate optimized strategies to utilize the effect of IL-21 signal in T cell therapy. The antitumor function of AFP-specific T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T) was augmented by exogenous IL-21 in vitro and in vivo. IL-21 enhanced proliferation capacity, promoted memory differentiation, downregulated PD-1 expression and alleviated apoptosis in TCR-T after activation. A novel engineered IL-21 receptor was established, and TCR-T armed with the novel engineered IL-21 receptors (IL-21R-TCR-T) showed upregulated phosphorylated STAT3 expression without exogenous IL-21 ligand. IL-21R-TCR-T showed better proliferation upon activation and superior antitumor function in vitro and in vivo. IL-21R-TCR-T exhibited a less differentiated, exhausted and apoptotic phenotype than conventional TCR-T upon repetitive tumor antigen stimulation. The novel IL-21 receptor in our study programs powerful TCR-T and can avoid side effects induced by IL-21 systemic utilization. The novel IL-21 receptor creates new opportunities for next-generation TCR-T against HCC.

Surface micropatterning of 3D printed PCL scaffolds promotes osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and regulates macrophage M2 polarization.

Micropatterned structures on the surface of materials possessing biomimetic properties to mimic the extracellular matrix and induce cellular behaviors have been widely studied. However, it is still a major challenge to obtain internally stable and controllable micropatterned 3D scaffolds for bone repair and regeneration. In this study, 3D scaffolds with regular grating arrays using polycaprolactone (PCL) as a matrix material were prepared by combining 3D printing and soft lithography, and the effects of grating micropatterning on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and M1/M2 polarization of macrophages were investigated. The results showed that compared with the planar group and the 30um grating spacing group, PCL with a grating spacing of 20um significantly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, induced the polarization of RAW264.7 cells toward M2 type, and suppressed the expression of M1-type pro-inflammatory genes and markers. In conclusion, we successfully constructed PCL-based three-dimensional scaffolds with stable and controllable micrographs (grating arrays) inside, which possess excellent osteogenic properties and promote the formation of an immune microenvironment conducive to osteogenesis. This study is a step forward to the exploration of bone-filling materials affecting cell behavior, and makes a new contribution to the provision of high-quality materials.

Atovaquone enhances antitumor efficacy of TCR-T therapy by augmentation of ROS-induced ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T-cell therapy has recently emerged as a promising adoptive immunotherapy approach for tumor treatment, yet hindered by tumor immune evasion resulting in poor therapeutic efficacy. The introduction of ferroptosis-targeted inducers offers a potential solution, as they empower T cells to induce ferroptosis and exert influence over the tumor microenvironment. Atovaquone (ATO) stands as a prospective pharmaceutical candidate with the potential to target ferroptosis, effectively provoking an excessive generation and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a combination therapy comprising ATO and TCR-T cells against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both in vitro and in vivo. The results of lactate dehydrogenase and cytokine assays demonstrated that ATO enhanced cytotoxicity mediated by AFP-specific TCR-T cells and promoted the release of IFN-γ in vitro. Additionally, in an established HCC xenograft mouse model, the combined therapy with low-dose ATO and TCR-T cells exhibited heightened efficacy in suppressing tumor growth, with no apparent adverse effects, comparable to the results achieved through monotherapy. The RNA-seq data unveiled a significant activation of the ferroptosis-related pathway in the combination therapy group in comparison to the TCR-T cells group. Mechanistically, the synergy between ATO and TCR-T cells augmented the release of IFN-γ by TCR-T cells, while concurrently elevating the intracellular and mitochondrial levels of ROS, expanding the labile iron pool, and impairing the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane in HepG2 cells. This multifaceted interaction culminated in the potentiation of ferroptosis within the tumor, primarily induced by an excess of ROS. In summary, the co-administration of ATO and TCR-T cells in HCC exhibited heightened vulnerability to ferroptosis. This heightened susceptibility led to the inhibition of tumor growth and the stimulation of an anti-tumor immune response. These findings suggest that repurposing atovaquone for adoptive cell therapy combination therapy holds the potential to enhance treatment outcomes in HCC.

[Retracted] TRIM16 suppresses the progression of prostate tumors by inhibiting the Snail signaling pathway.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by concerned readers that the western blotting data shown in Figs. 4C and 7B and D, the scratch­wound assay images shown in Figs. 5A and 6A, and certain of the cell migration and invasion assay data shown in Figs. 5B and 6B were strikingly similar to data that had previously appeared in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to International Journal of Molecular Medicine, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they accepted the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Molecular Medicine 38: 1734­1742, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2016.2774].

Preparation of a 3D printable high-performance GelMA hydrogel loading with magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles.

Osteosarcoma remains a worldwide concern due to the poor effectiveness of available therapies in the clinic. Therefore, it is necessary to find a safe and effective therapy to realize the complete resection of osteosarcoma and reconstruction of the bone defect. Magnetic hyperthermia based on magnetic nanoparticles can kill tumor cells by raising the temperature without causing the side effects of conventional cancer treatments. This research aims to design a high-performance magnetic hydrogel composed of gelatin methacrylate and highly magnetic cobalt ferrite (CFO) nanoparticles for osteosarcoma treatment. Specifically, CFO is surface functionalized with methacrylate groups (MeCFO). The surface modified CFO has good biocompatibility and stable solution dispersion ability. Afterward, MeCFO nanoparticles are incorporated into GelMA to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) printable MeCFO/GelMA magnetic hydrogel and then photocross-linked by UV radiation. MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel has high porosity and swelling ability, indicating that the hydrogel possesses more space and good hydrophily for cell survival. The rheological results showed that the hydrogel has shear thinning property, which is suitable as a bioprinting ink to produce desired structures by a 3D printer. Furthermore, 50 µg/mL MeCFO not only decreases the cell activity of osteosarcoma cells but also promotes the osteogenic differentiation of mBMSCs. The results of the CCK-8 assay and live/dead staining showed that MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel had good cytocompatibility. These results indicated that MeCFO/GelMA hydrogel with potential antitumor and bone reconstruction functions is a promising therapeutic strategy after osteosarcoma resection.

Compact on-chip crystalline resonator integration with etching of tapered fiber waveguide.

Whispering-gallery-mode crystalline resonators currently maintain the best quality factor (Q) record; however, compact on-chip packaging is still a challenge, although various coupling architectures have been developed. Here, a chemical etching method is proposed to fabricate a miniaturized tapered fiber waveguide on silicon substrate. The Marangoni effect is implemented to reduce the surface roughness of the cone region. The optical loss of 0.1 dB/mm is obtained, and the Q of the on-chip crystalline resonator exceeds 108. Additionally, thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is implanted in the package to actively customize the temperature, and the temperature response of 18 pm/°C is consistent with the theoretical calculation.

Associated bacteria of a pine sawyer beetle confer resistance to entomopathogenic fungi via fungal growth inhibition.

BACKGROUND: The entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana is a popular fungus used to control the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus Hope, the key vector of pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) that is the causal agent of pine wilt disease, resulting in devastating losses of pines in China and Portugal. However, recent studies have demonstrated that some insect-associated bacteria might decrease fungal toxicity and further undermine its biological control efficacy against M. alternatus. Thus, it is of great significance to uncover whether and how associated bacteria of M. alternatus become involved in the infection process of B. bassiana. RESULTS: Here, we show that axenic M. alternatus larvae died significantly faster than non-axenic larvae infected by four increasing concentrations of B. bassiana spores (Log-rank test, P < 0.001). The infection of B. bassiana significantly changed the richness and structure of the beetle-associated bacterial community both on the cuticle and in the guts of M. alternatus; meanwhile, the abundance of Pseudomonas and Serratia bacteria were significantly enriched as shown by qPCR. Furthermore, these two bacteria genera showed a strong inhibitory activity against B. bassiana (One-way ANOVA, P < 0.001) by reducing the fungal conidial germination and growth rather than regulating host immunity. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the role of insect-associated bacteria in the interaction between pest insects and entomopathogenic fungi, which should be taken into consideration when developing microbial-based pest control strategies.

Catechol-modified chitosan hydrogel containing PLGA microspheres loaded with triclosan and chlorhexidine: a sustained-release antibacterial system for urinary catheters.

Blockage and infection are common in hospitals, especially with long-term indwelling catheters, due to bacterial adhesion, colonization, and other reasons. A drug-sustained-release antibacterial coating for urinary catheters was described in this paper. Chlorhexidine (CHX) and triclosan (TCS) were encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres and mixed with a modified chitosan hydrogel deposited on the surface of silicone rubber. The results showed that drugs can be released continuously more than 35 days. Catechol-modified chitosan (Chi-C) hydrogel was successful synthesized according to FT-IR and UV spectrophotometry, as well as 1H NMR. Furthermore, the coating with CHX and TCS presented stable antibacterial ability compared to the other groups. The results of CCK-8 revealed that the coating was cytotoxic-free and had a wide range of applications. The findings could provide a new drug sustained-release system and hydrogel-microsphere assembly for urinary catheters. HighlightsThe microspheres presented a sustained release more than 40 days with a remarkable initial burst release.The microspheres/catechol-modified chitosan (Chi-C)/silicon rubber system emerged stable binding ability in liquid environment more than 14 days.The Chi-C/chlorhexidine (CHX)+triclosan (TCS) microspheres system presented better antimicrobial property for entire experiment period.The coated samples showed no significant difference for relative growth rate (RGR) compared to different groups.

Analysis of L Antigen Family Member 3 as a Potential Biomarker and Therapeutic Target Associated With the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. L antigen family member 3 (LAGE3) is a prognostic biomarker and associated with progression in a variety of tumors. However, little has been reported about the role and potential mechanism of LAGE3 in HCC. Methods: The clinical value and function of LAGE3 in HCC were obtained from multiple online databases. The potential functions and pathways of LAGE3 in HCC were analysed by R package of "clusterProfiler". LAGE3 knockdown cells were constructed in HepG2, HuH7 and MHCC97H cell lines, respectively. The biological roles of LAGE3 were examined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results: LAGE3 was upregulated in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues, and high expression of LAGE3 was significantly associated with several clinical characteristics and indicated a worse prognosis of HCC. The co-expressed genes of LAGE3 could be enriched in the mTOR signaling pathway in HCC. LAGE3 was upregulated in HCC cell lines. Functionally, knocking down LAGE3 expression not only increased apoptosis and inhibited growth rate, cell death mediated by T cells, colony formation, migration and invasion ability of HCC cell lines in vitro, but also reduced the progression of HCC in the subcutaneous xenotransplanted tumor model. Conclusion: Our results suggested that LAGE3 served as an oncogenic factor of HCC and could be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Developing a novel calcium magnesium silicate/graphene oxide incorporated silk fibroin porous scaffold with enhanced osteogenesis, angiogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis.

Recently, biofunctional ions (Mg2+, Si4+, etc) and graphene derivatives are proved to be promising in stimulating bone formation. In this study, a novel inorganic/organic composite porous scaffold based on silk fibroin (SF), graphene oxide (GO), and calcium magnesium silicate (CMS) was developed for bone repair. The porous scaffolds obtained by lyophilization showed a little difference in pore structure while GO and CMS displayed a good interaction with SF matrix. The addition of CMS with good mineralization potential and sustainedly release ability of biofunctional ions (Ca2+, Mg2+and Si4+) increased the strength of SF scaffolds a little and facilitated the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by upregulating bone formation-related genes (ALP, COL1, OC and Runx2). The further incorporation of GO in SF scaffolds enhanced the compressive strength and water retention, and also remarkably promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Besides, the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was significantly promoted by CMS/GO/SF scaffold extract through the upregulation of angiogenesis genes (eNOs and bFGF). Moreover, the osteoclastic formation ability of RAW264.7 cells was suppressed by the released ions from CMS/GO/SF scaffold through the down-regulation of CAK, MMP9 and TRAP. The promoted osteogenesis, angiogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis functions of CMS/GO/SF composite scaffold may enable it as a novel therapy for bone repair and regeneration.

Storage and release of rare earth elements in microsphere-based scaffolds for enhancing osteogenesis.

In osteoporosis and diabetes, it is essential to accelerate the bone repair and regeneration process. Trace rare earth elements such as lanthanum (La) ions (La3+) with appropriate concentrations are bioactive and can effectively regulate bone tissue performances. However, few well-established bone tissue engineering scaffolds can precisely and stably release La3+ to promote bone regeneration significantly. Based on the advantages of biodegradable microspheres and microsphere-based scaffolds for controlled drug release, we developed poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based microsphere-based scaffolds as both three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds and La3+ storage and release systems for osteogenesis. So far, there is no study about microsphere-based scaffolds to release trace La3+ to induce osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs). PLGA microspheres co-embedded with La-doped mesoporous silica (LMS) with different amounts of doped La were sintered to prepare the LMS/PLGA (LMSP) microsphere-based scaffold. The La3+ release behavior of LMSP can be controlled by adjusting the doping amount of La in mesoporous silica (MS). All these scaffolds possessed a 3D network architecture. With the increase of La doping, LMSP can better compensate for the pH decrease caused by PLGA degradation. The combination of MS and PLGA can avoid the cytotoxicity of MS alone. All prepared LMSP scaffolds were non-cytotoxic. After BMSCs were implanted on scaffolds, LMSP could promote cells adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. Among these microsphere-based scaffolds, LMSP-3 with stable and higher dose La3+ release behavior showed the strongest ability to enhance the osteogenesis of BMSCs. The results showed that microsphere-based scaffolds with the ability to store and stably control the release of La3+ could effectively improve osteogenic performance, which provides a new idea for the construction of bone tissue engineering scaffolds.

Targeting cIAPs attenuates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis by increasing MMP9 expression derived from neutrophils.

AIMS: Liver fibrosis is a growing public health concern without effective medical treatment. Recent reports have indicated that inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) were potential targets for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis therapy. However, their roles have not been well identified in liver fibrosis. METHODS: The expression of IAPs were examined in human liver tissue and experimental mouse models. Liver fibrosis in CCl4-induced mouse models were investigated by Sirius red staining, RT-PCR, Western blotting after hepatocytes-specific cIAP2 knockout or IAPs inhibitor APG-1387 treatment. The underlying molecular mechanism of APG-1387 action was explored by apoptosis analysis, matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP9) inhibition, neutrophils depletion, and CC Motif Chemokine Ligand 5 (CCL5) gene knockout in vitro and in vivo. FINDINGS: Our study showed that increased expression of cIAP2 was associated with liver fibrosis severity in liver tissues. Deletion of cIAP2 from hepatocytes or degrading cIAPs by APG-1387 ameliorated liver fibrosis induced by CCl4. APG-1387 treatment exhibited increased expression of MMP9 and resulted in higher ratio of MMP9 to tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. MMP9 was mainly derived from CCL5 chemotactic neutrophils. Further, MMP9 inhibition by CTT peptide, neutrophil depletion by Ly6G antibody or CCL5 deficiency blocked the anti-fibrotic effects of APG-1387 in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggested that cIAPs, especially cIAP2, might play a novel role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, and targeting cIAPs represented a promising therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis by increasing MMP9 expression induced by CCL5 chemotactic neutrophils.

Advances in Filament Structure of 3D Bioprinted Biodegradable Bone Repair Scaffolds.

Conventional bone repair scaffolds can no longer meet the high standards and requirements of clinical applications in terms of preparation process and service performance. Studies have shown that the diversity of filament structures of implantable scaffolds is closely related to their overall properties (mechanical properties, degradation properties, and biological properties). To better elucidate the characteristics and advantages of different filament structures, this paper retrieves and summarizes the state of the art in the filament structure of the three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted biodegradable bone repair scaffolds, mainly including single-layer structure, double-layer structure, hollow structure, core-shell structure and bionic structures. The eximious performance of the novel scaffolds was discussed from different aspects (material composition, ink configuration, printing parameters, etc.). Besides, the additional functions of the current bone repair scaffold, such as chondrogenesis, angiogenesis, anti-bacteria, and anti-tumor, were also concluded. Finally, the paper prospects the future material selection, structural design, functional development, and performance optimization of bone repair scaffolds.

Identification of PAFAH1B3 as Candidate Prognosis Marker and Potential Therapeutic Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. PAFAH1B3 plays an important role on occurrence and development in a variety tumor. However, the function of PAFAH1B3 in HCC remains unclear. METHODS: The TIMER, ONCOMINE, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), GEPIA, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), HCCDB, UALCAN and LinkedOmics database were used to analyze the prognostic value, co-expression genes and regulator networks of PAFAH1B3 in HCC. siRNA transfections and inhibitor of PAFAH1B3 P11 were used to verify the anti-tumor effect on HCC cell lines. Gene expression was detected by qRT-PCR. The functions of PAFAH1B3 downregulation in HCC cell lines were investigated using cell cycle analysis, apoptosis detection, CCK8 assay and transwell assay. Western blot was used to evaluate the role of PAFAH1B3 on metabolic pathways in HCC cells. RESULTS: Based on the data from databases, the expression of PAFAH1B3 was remarkably increased in HCC patients. High expression of PAFAH1B3 was associated with poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). And PAFAH1B3 was notably linked to age, sex, grade, stage, race, and TP53 mutational status. Then, the functional network analysis showed PAFAH1B3 may be involved in HCC through cell cycle, cell metabolism, spliceosome, and RNA transport. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of PAFAH1B3 was also increased in HCC cell lines. Flow cytometry analysis showed that PAFAH1B3 manipulated apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. CCK8 assay showed that PAFAH1B3 silencing or pharmacologic inhibitor of PAFAH1B3 inhibited the proliferation of HepG2, Huh7 and MHCC-97H cells. Transwell assay results showed that PAFAH1B3 silencing also significantly impaired the invasion and migratory ability of HCC cells. In addition, PAFAH1B3 silencing significantly downregulated the expression of glycolysis and lipid synthesis signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that PAFAH1B3 plays a critical role in progression of HCC. PAFAH1B3 as a prognosis marker and potential target for HCC has prospective clinical significance.

A particle swarm optimization improved BP neural network intelligent model for electrocardiogram classification.

BACKGROUND: As proven to reflect the work state of heart and physiological situation objectively, electrocardiogram (ECG) is widely used in the assessment of human health, especially the diagnosis of heart disease. The accuracy and reliability of abnormal ECG (AECG) decision depend to a large extent on the feature extraction. However, it is often uneasy or even impossible to obtain accurate features, as the detection process of ECG is easily disturbed by the external environment. And AECG got many species and great variation. What's more, the ECG result obtained after a long time past, which can not reach the purpose of early warning or real-time disease diagnosis. Therefore, developing an intelligent classification model with an accurate feature extraction method to identify AECG is of quite significance. This study aimed to explore an accurate feature extraction method of ECG and establish a suitable model for identifying AECG and the diagnosis of heart disease. METHODS: In this research, the wavelet combined with four operations and adaptive threshold methods were applied to filter the ECG and extract its feature waves first. Then, a BP neural network (BPNN) intelligent model and a particle swarm optimization (PSO) improved BPNN (PSO-BPNN) intelligent model based on MIT-BIH open database was established to identify ECG. To reduce the complexity of the model, the principal component analysis (PCA) was used to minimize the feature dimension. RESULTS: Wavelet transforms combined four operations and adaptive threshold methods were capable of ECG filtering and feature extraction. PCA can significantly deduce the modeling feature dimension to minimize the complexity and save classification time. The PSO-BPNN intelligent model was suitable for identifying five types of ECG and showed better effects while comparing it with the BPNN model. CONCLUSION: In summary, it was further concluded that the PSO-BPNN intelligent model would be a suitable way to identify AECG and provide a tool for the diagnosis of heart disease.

Biodegradable calcium carbonate/mesoporous silica/poly(lactic-glycolic acid) microspheres scaffolds with osteogenesis ability for bone regeneration.

Sintered microsphere-based scaffolds provide a porous structure and high-resolution spatial organization control, show great potential for bone regeneration, mainly from biodegradable biomaterials including poly(lactic-glycolic acid) (PLGA). However, acidic monomer regeneration, mainly from biodegradable biomaterials including poly(lactic-glycolic acid) (PLGA). However, acidic monomers generated by PLGA degradation tend to cause tissue inflammation, which is the central issue of PLGA-based bone regeneration scaffolds development. In this work, calcium carbonate (CC)/hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS)/PLGA sintered microsphere-based scaffolds were developed. The scaffolds possessed a three-dimensional (3D) network structure and 30-40% porosity. The degradation results indicated that CC/HMS/PLGA scaffolds could compensate for pH increased caused by PLGA acidic byproducts effectively. Degradation results showed that CC/HMS/PLGA scaffold could effectively compensate for the pH increase caused by PLGA acidic by-products. Composite CC additives can induce the increase of adhesive proteins in the environment, which is conducive to the adhesion of cells to scaffolds. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, ALP staining, and Alizarin Red staining. The results showed that compared with HMS/PLGA scaffolds, the proliferation of MSCs cultured with CC/HMS/PLGA scaffolds was enhanced. When cultured on the CC/HMS/PLGA scaffolds, MSCs also showed significantly enhanced ALP activity and higher calcium secretion compared with the HMS/PLGA scaffolds. CC/HMS/PLGA sintered microsphere-based scaffolds provides an attractive strategy for bone repair and regeneration with better performance.

Improved the biocompatibility of cancellous bone with compound physicochemical decellularization process.

Due to the unique microstructures and components of extracellular matrix (ECM), decellularized scaffolds had been used widely in clinical. The reaction of the host toward decellularized scaffolds depends on their biocompatibility, which should be satisfied before applied in clinical. The aim of this study is to develop a decellularized xenograft material with good biocompatibility for further bone repair, in an effective and gentle method. The existing chemical and physical decellularization techniques including ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) were combined and modified to decellularize bovine cancellous bone (CB). After decellularization, almost 100% of ɑ-Gal epitopes were removed, the combination of collagen, calcium and phosphate was reserved. The direct and indirect contact with macrophages was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity and immunological response of the materials. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were used in the in vitro cells' proliferation assay. The decellularized CB was proved has no cytotoxicity (grade 1) and no immunological response (NO, IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion inhibited), and could support MSCs proliferated continuedly. These results were similar to that of commercial decellularized human bone. This study suggests the potential of using this kind of combine decellularization process to fabricate heterogeneous ECM scaffolds for clinical application.

Alveolar bone repair of rhesus monkeys by using BMP-2 gene and mesenchymal stem cells loaded three-dimensional printed bioglass scaffold.

Over the past years, the study about bone tissue engineering in the field of regenerative medicine has been a main research topic. Using three-dimensional (3D) porous degradable scaffold complexed with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and growth factor gene to improve bone tissue repair and regeneration has raised much interest. This study mainly evaluated the osteogenesis of alveolar bone defects of animal in the following experimental groups: sham-operated (SO), 3D printed bioglass (3D-BG), 3D-BG with BMP-2 gene loaded CS (3D-BG + BMP/CS) and 3D-BG with rhesus marrow bone MSCs and BMP/CS (3D-BG + BMP/CS + rBMSCs). Simulated human bone defect with critical size of 10 × 10 × 5 mm were established in quadrumana - rhesus monkeys, and in vivo osteogenesis was characterized by X-ray, micro-Computed Tomography (mCT) and history. Our results revealed that 3D-BG + rBMSCs + BMP/CS scaffold could improve bone healing best by showing its promote osteogenic properties in vivo. Considering the great bone repair capacity of 3D-BG + BMP/CS + rBMSCs in humanoid primate rhesus monkeys, it could be a promising therapeutic strategy for surgery trauma or accidents, especially for alveolar bones defects.

Identification of Potential Key Genes for Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Bioinformatics Analysis.

Hepatitis B virus-associated (HBV(+)) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for a large proportion of liver cancer with poor clinical outcomes and treatment options. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. To explore potential key genes in the development of HBV(+)HCC, four series of data (GSE14520, GSE94660, GSE25599, and GSE55092) derived from Gene Expression Omnibus database were analyzed. Totally, 84 upregulated and 46 downregulated common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were discovered. Gene ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses showed that these DEGs were mainly enriched in cell division and DNA replication biological processes, nucleoplasm and microtubule cellular components, protein-binding molecular functions, and cell cycle and DNA replication pathways. Through protein-protein interaction analysis, 10 hub DEGs with the highest degree of connectivity were indicated, including TOP2A, CDC20, MAD2L1, BUB1B, RFC4, CCNB1, CDKN3, CCNB2, TPX2, and FEN1. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that high expression of TOP2A and CDC20 was associated with poor overall survival, relapse-free survival, and high serum alpha-fetoprotein level in HBV(+)HCC. In conclusion, TOP2A and CDC20 were two potential key genes for HBV(+)HCC. Their value in the diagnosis and treatment of HBV(+)HCC requires further investigation.