Electrospun nanofibers-based thin film microextraction for enrichment of phthalate esters in biodegradable plastics.

In this work, a novel electrospun nanofiber (PAN/TpBD; 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol [Tp] and benzidine [BD]; polyacrylonitrile [PAN]) was fabricated via a facile electrospinning method and utilized as adsorbent in thin film microextraction (TFME) of phthalate esters (PAEs) (dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, diallyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and dioctyl phthalate) in biodegradable plastics. The prepared PAN/TpBD combines the strong stability of nanofibers with increased exposure sites for covalent organic frameworks and enhanced interactions with the target, thus improving the enrichment effect on the target. The extraction efficiency of PAN/TpBD reached above 80%. Based on PAN/TpBD, a TFME-high-performance liquid chromatography method was established, and the experimental parameters were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the PAEs of this method varied linearly in the range of 10-10 000 µg/L with low detection limits (0.69-2.72 µg/L). The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation values of the PAEs were less than 8.04% and 8.73%, respectively. The adsorbent can achieve more than 80% recovery of the five targets after six times reuse. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of trace PAEs in biodegradable plastics with recoveries ranging from 80.1% to 113.4% and relative standard deviations were less than 9.45%. The as-synthesized PAN/TpBD adsorbent exhibited great potential in PAE analysis.

Urinary concentrations of mineral elements and their predictors in pregnant women in Jinan, China.

BACKGROUND: The essential mineral elements play important roles in proper growth, development and maintenance of physiological homeostasis of an organism. Women are at greater risk of mineral deficiency during pregnancy. However, the predictors of mineral element levels in pregnant women remain unclear. This study was conducted to determine the urinary levels of calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) in women during early pregnancy and to explore the predictors of urinary exposure to each mineral element and high co-exposure to mineral element mixture. METHODS: 298 pregnant women in first trimester were recruited when they attended antenatal care in a hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. We collected their spot urine samples and questionnaire data on their sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, food and dietary supplement intake, and residential environment. The concentrations of Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Se in all urine samples were measured. LASSO regression, multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the predictors affecting mineral element levels. RESULTS: The geometric means of creatinine-corrected Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Se concentrations were 99.37 mg/g, 1.75 µg/g, 8.97 µg/g, 0.16 µg/g and 16.83 µg/g creatinine, respectively. Factors that influenced the concentrations of individual mineral element were as follows: (1) Se and Ca concentrations increased with maternal age; (2) women taking tap water as family drinking water had higher Ca levels and those taking polyunsaturated fatty acids intermittently had higher Cu levels; (3) Fe was adversely related to consumption frequency of barbecued foods; (4) Pregnant women with more frequent consumption of shellfish/shrimp/crab and living near green spaces or parks had higher Mn exposure, and those with higher frequency of meat consumption had lower Mn exposure. In addition, maternal age and the frequency of egg consumption were associated with odds of exposure to a mixture of high Ca, Fe, Cu and Se. CONCLUSIONS: The pregnant women in this study had comparable concentrations of urinary Cu and Se but lower concentrations of Ca, Fe and Mn compared with those in other areas. Predictors of urinary mineral elements included maternal age (Se and Ca), type of domestic drinking water (Ca), consumption frequency of barbecued food (Fe), polyunsaturated fatty acid use (Cu), the presence of urban green spaces or parks near the home and frequency of meat and shellfish/shrimp/crab intake (Mn). Moreover, maternal age and egg consumption frequency were significant predictors of high-level co-exposure to urinary Ca, Fe, Cu and Se.

Exposure to a mixture of metal(loid)s and sleep quality in pregnant women during early pregnancy: A cross-sectional study.

Biological characteristics of pregnant women during early pregnancy make them susceptible to both poor sleep quality and metal/metalloid exposure. However, the effects of metal(loid) exposure on sleep quality in pregnant women remain unknown and unexplored. We aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to a mixture of metal(loid)s and pregnant women's sleep quality during early pregnancy. We recruited 493 pregnant women in the first trimester from prenatal clinics in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and collected their spot urine samples. All urine specimens were assessed for eight metal(loid)s: arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and mercury (Hg). We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality. Linear regression, logistic regression, generalized additive models (GAMs), quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were applied to investigate the relationships between metal(loid) exposure and sleep quality. The results from single metal(loid) models, quantile g-computation models, and BKMR models consistently suggested that Fe was positively related to women's sleep quality. Moreover, in the quantile g-computation models, As was the most critical contributor to the negative effects of the metal(loid) mixture on sleep quality. In addition, we found significant As by Fe interaction for scores of PSQI and habitual sleep efficiency, Pb by Fe interaction for PSQI and sleep latency, and Hg by Fe interaction for PSQI, suggesting the interactive effects of As and Fe, Pb and Fe, Hg and Fe on sleep quality and specific sleep components. Our study provided the first-hand evidence of the effects of metal(loid) exposure on pregnant women's sleep quality. The underlying mechanisms need to be explored in the future.

Increased expression of SLC25A18 is associated with Alzheimer's disease and is involved in Aß42-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in neuronal cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently one of the most serious public health concerns in the world. However, the best approach to treat AD has yet to be discovered, implying that we must continue to work hard to find new AD target genes. In this study, we further analysed Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data and discovered that the expression of the Mitochondria glutamate carrier SLC25A18 is associated with AD by screening the differentially expressed genes in different regions of the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. To verify the expression of SLC25A18 during Alzheimer's disease development, we analysed animal models (5×FAD transgenic AD animal model, chemically induced AD animal model, natural ageing animal model), and the results showed that the expression of SLC25A18 was increased in animal models of AD. Further investigation of the different regions found that SLC25A18 expression was elevated in the EC, TeA, and CA3, and expressed in neurons. Next, We found that Aß42 treatment elevated SLC25A18 expression in Neuro 2A cells. Reducing SLC25A18 expression attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal apoptosis caused by Aß42. Overexpression of SLC25A18 increased ATP and intracellular superoxide anions but decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. The results indicate that SLC25A18 affects mitochondrial function and neuronal apoptosis, and is related to AD, which makes it a potential target for treating brain dysfunction.

Aggregation-Induced Emission Photosensitizer with Ag(I)-π Interaction-Enhanced Reactive Oxygen Species for Eliminating Multidrug Resistant Bacteria.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria pose serious threats to public health due to the lack of effective and biocompatible drugs to kill MDR bacteria. Photodynamic antibacterial therapy has been widely studied due to its low induction of resistance. However, photosensitizers that can efficiently generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through both type I and type II mechanisms and that have the capability of multiple modes of action are rarely reported. Addressing this issue, we developed a near-infrared-emitting triphenylamine indole iodoethane (TTII) and its silver(I) self-assembled (TTIIS) aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer for multimode bacterial infection therapy. TTII can efficiently produce both Type I ROS •OH and Type II ROS 1O2. Interestingly, the Ag(I)-π interaction contributed in TTIIS efficiency promotion of the generation of 1O2. Moreover, by releasing Ag+, TTIIS enabled photodynamic-Ag(I) dual-mode sterilization. As a result, TTIIS achieved an effective enhancement of antibacterial activity, with a 1-2-fold boost against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (MDR E. coli). Both TTII and TTIIS at a concentration as low as 0.55 µg mL-1 can kill more than 98% of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on MRSA-infected full-thickness defect wounds of a mouse, and both TTII and TTIIS were effective in eliminating the bacteria and promoting wound healing.

Hollow Cu/CoS2 Nanozyme with Defect-Induced Enzymatic Catalytic Sites and Binding Pockets for Highly Sensitive Fluorescence Detection of Alkaline Phosphatase.

Along with an ever-deepening understanding of the catalytic principle of natural enzymes, the rational design of high-activity biomimetic nanozymes has become a hot topic in current research. Inspired by the active centers of natural enzymes consisting of catalytic sites and binding pockets, a Cu-doped CoS2 hollow nanocube (Cu/CoS2 HNCs) nanozyme integrating substitution defects and vacancies is developed through a defect engineering strategy. It is shown that the vacancies and substitution defects in the developed Cu/CoS2 HNC nanozymes serve as binding pockets and catalytic sites, respectively. The construction of this key active center and the accelerated electron transfer from the Co/Cu redox cycle significantly improve the substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency of the Cu/CoS2 HNCs nanozymes, which results in the excellent catalytic performance of the Cu/CoS2 HNC nanozymes. Using the superior enzymatic activity of Cu/CoS2 HNCs, a fluorescence detection platform for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is established, which is a wider detection range and lower limit of detection (LOD) than previous work. This work broadens the family of nanozymes and provide a new idea for the development of novel nanozymes with high enzyme activity, as well as a guideline for the construction of highly sensitive fluorescent sensors.

Strategies for the Enhancement of Secondary Metabolite Production via Biosynthesis Gene Cluster Regulation in Aspergillus oryzae.

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) has been extensively used for the biosynthesis of numerous secondary metabolites with significant applications in agriculture and food and medical industries, among others. However, the identification and functional prediction of metabolites through genome mining in A. oryzae are hindered by the complex regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the inactivity of most of the biosynthetic gene clusters involved. The global regulatory factors, pathway-specific regulatory factors, epigenetics, and environmental signals significantly impact the production of secondary metabolites, indicating that appropriate gene-level modulations are expected to promote the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in A. oryzae. This review mainly focuses on illuminating the molecular regulatory mechanisms for the activation of potentially unexpressed pathways, possibly revealing the effects of transcriptional, epigenetic, and environmental signal regulation. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, strategies can be developed to enhance the production and utilization of these metabolites, and potential functions can be fully exploited.

Trypsin Encapsulation in the Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework for Low-Molecular Weight Protein Analysis with High Selectivity and Efficiency.

Low-molecular weight proteins (LWPs) are important sources of biological information in biomarkers, signaling molecules, and pathology. However, the separation and analysis of LWPs in complex biological samples are challenging, mainly due to their low abundance and the complex sample pretreatment procedure. Herein, trypsin modified by poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was encapsulated by a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-L). Mesopores were formed on the ZIF-L with the introduction of PAA. An alternative strategy for separation and pretreatment of LWPs was developed based on the prepared ZIF-L-encapsulated trypsin with adjustable pore size. The mesoporous structure of the prepared materials selectively excluded high-molecular weight proteins from the reaction system, allowing LWPs to enter the pores and react with the internal trypsin, resulting in an improved separation efficiency. The hydrophobicity of the ZIF-L simplified the digestion process by inducing significant structural changes in substrate proteins. In addition, the enzymatic activity was significantly enhanced by the developed encapsulation method that maintained the enzyme conformation, allowed low mass transfer resistance, and possessed a high enzyme-to-substrate ratio. As a result, the ZIF-L-encapsulated trypsin can achieve highly selective separation, valid denaturation, and efficient digestion of LWPs in a short time by simply mixing with substrate proteins, greatly simplifying the separation and pretreatment process of the traditional hydrolysis method. The prepared materials and the developed strategy demonstrated an excellent size-selective assay performance in model protein mixtures, showing great potential in the application of proteomics analysis.

Two-Photon Absorption Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogen/Paclitaxel Nanoparticles for Cancer Theranostics.

Multifaceted nanoplatforms integrating fluorescence imaging and chemotherapy have garnered acknowledgment for their potential potency in cancer diagnosis and simultaneous in situ therapy. However, some drawbacks remain for traditional organic photosensitizers, such as poor photostability, short excitation wavelength, and shallow penetration depth, which will greatly lower the chemotherapy treatment efficiency. Herein, we present lipid-encapsulated two-photon active aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen and paclitaxel (PTX) nanoparticles (AIE@PTX NPs) with bright red fluorescence emission, excellent photostability, and good biocompatibility. The AIE@PTX NPs exhibit dual functionality as two-photon probes for visualizing blood vessels and tumor structures, achieving penetration depth up to 186 and 120 µm, respectively. Furthermore, the tumor growth of the HeLa-xenograft model can be effectively prohibited after the fluorescence imaging-guided and PTX-induced chemotherapy, which shows great potential in the clinical application of two-photon cell and tumor fluorescence imaging and cancer treatment.

Enhancing Chymotrypsin Activity and Stability of Capillary Immobilized Enzyme Microreactors Using Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks as Encapsulation Materials.

Open-tubular immobilized enzyme microreactors (OT-IMERs) are some of the most widely used enzyme reaction devices due to the advantages of simple preparation and fast sample processing. However, the traditional approaches for OT-IMERs preparation had some defects such as limited enzyme loading amount, susceptibility to complex sample interference, and less stability. Here, we report a strategy for the preparation of highly active and stable OT-IMERs, in which the single-stranded DNA-enzyme composites were immobilized in capillaries and then encapsulated in situ in the capillaries via zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-L). The phosphate groups of the DNA adjusted the surface potential of the enzyme to negative values, which could attract cations, such as Zn2+, to promote the formation of ZIF-L for enzyme encapsulation. Using chymotrypsin (ChT) as a model enzyme, the prepared ChT@ZIF-L-IMER has higher activity and better affinity than the free enzyme and ChT-IMER. Moreover, the thermal stability, pH stability, and organic solvent stability of ChT@ZIF-L-IMER were much higher than those of free enzyme and ChT-IMER. Furthermore, the activity of ChT@ZIF-L-IMER was much higher than that of ChT-IMER after ten consecutive reactions. To demonstrate the versatility of this preparation method, we replaced ChT with glucose oxidase (GOx). The stability of GOx@ZIF-L-IMER was also experimentally demonstrated to be superior to that of GOx and GOx-IMER. Finally, ChT@ZIF-L-IMER was used for proteolytic digestion analysis. The results showed that ChT@ZIF-L-IMER had a short digestion time and high digestive efficiency compared with the free enzyme. The present study broadened the synthesis method of OT-IMERs, effectively integrating the advantages of metal-organic frameworks and IMER, and the prepared OT-IMERs significantly improved enzyme stability. All of the results indicated that the IMER prepared by this method had a broad application prospect in capillary electrophoresis-based high-performance enzyme analysis.

Photosensitive AIEgens sensitize bacteria to oxidative damage and modulate the inflammatory responses of macrophages to salvage the photodynamic therapy against MRSA.

The urgent need for antimicrobial agents to combat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria facilitates the exploration of alternative strategies such as photosensitizer (PS)-mediated photoinactivation. However, increasing studies have discovered uncorrelated bactericidal activities among PSs possessing similar photodynamic and pathogen-targeted properties. To optimize the photodynamic therapy (PDT) against infections, we investigated three type-I PSs of D-π-A AIEgens TI, TBI, and TTI. The capacities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of TI, TBI, and TTI did not align with their bactericidal activities. Despite exhibiting the lowest photodynamic efficiency, TI exhibited the highest activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by impairing the anti-oxidative responses of bacteria. By comparison, TTI, characterized by the strongest ROS production, inactivated intracellular MRSA by potentiating the inflammatory response of macrophages. Unlike TI and TTI, TBI, despite possessing moderate photodynamic activities and inducing ROS accumulation in both MRSA and macrophages, did not exhibit any antibacterial activity. Therefore, relying on the disturbed anti-oxidative metabolism of pathogens or potentiated host immune responses, transient ROS bursts can effectively control bacterial infections. Our study reevaluates the contribution of photodynamic activities of PSs to bacterial elimination and provides new insights into discovering novel antibacterial targets and agents.

Recent progress of UCNPs-MoS2 nanocomposites as a platform for biological applications.

Composite materials can take advantages of the functional benefits of multiple pure nanomaterials to a greater degree than single nanomaterials alone. The UCNPs-MoS2 composite is a nano-application platform that combines upconversion luminescence and photothermal properties. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are inorganic nanomaterials with long-wavelength excitation and short-wavelength tunable emission capabilities, and are able to effectively convert near-infrared (NIR) light into visible light for increased photostability. However, UCNPs have a low capacity for absorbing visible light, whereas MoS2 shows better absorption in the ultraviolet and visible regions. By integrating the benefits of UCNPs and MoS2, UCNPs-MoS2 nanocomposites can convert NIR light with a higher depth of detection into visible light for application with MoS2 through fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), which compensates for the issues of MoS2's low tissue penetration light-absorbing wavelengths and expands its potential biological applications. Therefore, starting from the construction of UCNPs-MoS2 nanoplatforms, herein, we review the research progress in biological applications, including biosensing, phototherapy, bioimaging, and targeted drug delivery. Additionally, the current challenges and future development trends of UCNPs-MoS2 nanocomposites for biological applications are also discussed.

Predictors of urinary heavy metal concentrations among pregnant women in Jinan, China.

BACKGROUND: Toxic heavy metal exposure and insufficiency or excess of essential heavy metals may have negative effects on pregnant women's health and fetal growth. To date, the predictors of pregnant women's heavy metal exposure levels remain unclear and vary with different regions. The study intended to explore potential predictors of exposure to heavy metals individually and high co-exposure to heavy metal mixtures. METHODS: We recruited 298 pregnant women in first trimester from prenatal clinics in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and collected spot urine samples and questionnaire data on their demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, consumption of food and dietary supplement, and residential environment. All urine samples were analyzed for seven heavy metals: cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), strontium (Sr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). RESULTS: Factors associated with single heavy metal concentration were as follows: a) urinary As, Sr and Cd increased with women's age respectively; b) pregnant women with higher monthly household income per capita had lower Sr and Mo levels; c) pregnant women with intermittent folic acid supplementation and those not taking tap water as domestic drinking water had lower Sr concentrations; d) Cd was positively linked with consumption frequency of rice; e) Hg was adversely related to consumption frequency of egg and the women who took purified water as domestic drinking water had lower Hg exposure. In addition, pregnant women's age was positively associated with odds of high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb; while those with an educational level of college had lower odds of high exposure to such a metal mixture compared with those whose educational levels were lower than high school. CONCLUSION: Predictors of single urinary heavy metal concentration included pregnant women's age (As, Sr and Cd), monthly household income per capita (Sr and Mo), folic acid supplementation (Sr), rice consumption frequency (Cd), egg consumption frequency (Hg) and the type of domestic drinking water (Sr and Hg). Pregnant women with older age, lower educational level tended to have high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb.

Comprehensive Analysis of Penicillium Sclerotiorum: Biology, Secondary Metabolites, and Bioactive Compound Potential─A Review.

The filamentous fungus Penicillium sclerotiorum is significant in ecological and industrial domains due to its vast supply of secondary metabolites that have a diverse array of biological functions. We have gathered the metabolic potential and biological activities associated with P. sclerotiorum metabolites of various structures, based on extensive research of the latest literature. The review incorporated literature spanning from 2000 to 2023, drawing from reputable databases including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed, among others. Ranging from azaphilones, meroterpenoids, polyketides, and peptides group exhibits fascinating potential pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects, holding promise in pharmaceutical and industrial sectors. Additionally, P. sclerotiorum showcases biotechnological potential through the production of enzymes like ß-xylosidases, ß-d-glucosidase, and xylanases, pivotal in various industrial processes. This review underscores the need for further exploration into its genetic foundations and cultivation conditions to optimize the yield of valuable compounds and enzymes, highlighting the unexplored potential of P. sclerotiorum in diverse applications across industries.

Fast and Stable Antibacterial Coating of Photosensitive Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Disinfection on Medical Devices.

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) are promising photosensitizers that have exhibited excellent antibacterial ability with abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. TTCPy-PF6 and TTCPy-Br are deposited on the surface of diverse solid substrates through plasma-assistant electrostatic self-assembly. The AIEgens-covered coating can effectively eliminate different pathogenic Gram-positive (G+) bacteria and even their multidrug-resistant (MDR) mutants with negligible side effects such as cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and inflammation. Moreover, the AIEgen-coated surface can maintain high stability for long-time antibacterial usage, which is dependent on the ROS-mediated disruption of the attached bacteria. The AIEgen-based coatings with broad surface applicability have many advantages in high antibacterial ability, great biocompatibility, and low possibility of antibiotic pollution. The robust antibacterial ability and excellent biological safety of the AIEgen-based coatings would be helpful for the disinfection of medical devices.

Freestanding Crystalline ß-Ga2O3 Flexible Membrane Obtained via Lattice Epitaxy Engineering for High-Performance Optoelectronic Device.

Wearable and flexible ß-Ga2O3-based semiconductor devices have attracted considerable attention, due to their outstanding performance and potential application in real-time optoelectronic monitoring and sensing. However, the unavailability of high-quality crystalline and flexible ß-Ga2O3 membranes limits the fabrication of relevant devices. Here, through lattice epitaxy engineering together with the freestanding method, we demonstrate the preparation of a robust bending-resistant and crystalline ß-Ga2O3 (-201) membrane. Based on this, we fabricate a flexible ß-Ga2O3 photodetector device that shows comparable performance in photocurrent responsivity and spectral selectivity to conventional rigid ß-Ga2O3 film-based devices. Moreover, based on the transferred ß-Ga2O3 membrane on a silicon wafer, the PEDOT:PSS/ß-Ga2O3 p-n heterojunction device with self-powered characteristic was constructed, further demonstrating its superior heterogeneous integration ability with other functional materials. Our results not only demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining a high-quality crystalline and flexible ß-Ga2O3 membrane for an integrated device but also provide a pathway to realize flexible optical and electronic applications for other semiconducting materials.

Determination of [Glu1]-fibrinopeptide B purity by gas chromatography - isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

The present work assessed the purity of [Glu1]-fibrinopeptide B (GFB) as a model peptide using gas chromatography - isotope dilution mass spectrometry. GFB and various isotope-labeled amino acids were hydrolyzed in HCl and then derivatized using optimized procedures. The primary impurity in GFB was also identified and used to correct the final result. A method repeatability of 0.5% was achieved and linear calibrations were obtained for five amino acids. The LOD and LOQ were 0.041 to 0.096 µg g-1, and 0.16 to 0.56 µg g-1, respectively. The purity of GFB was found to be (0.715 ± 0.012) g g-1. This technique exhibited comparable accuracy to that obtainable from liquid chromatography - isotope dilution mass spectrometry but at lower cost. This method could be employed as a reference technique or in fields such as clinical diagnostics or bio-pharmaceutical peptide purity analysis.

Research progress of targeted therapy regulating Th17/Treg balance in bone immune diseases.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) are common bone-immune diseases. The imbalance between helper (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) produced during differentiation of CD4+ T cells plays a key regulatory role in bone remodelling disorders in RA and PMOP. However, the specific regulatory mechanism of this imbalance in bone remodelling in RA and PMOP has not been clarified. Identifying the regulatory mechanism underlying the Th17/Treg imbalance in RA and PMOP during bone remodelling represents a key factor in the research and development of new drugs for bone immune diseases. In this review, the potential roles of Th17, Treg, and Th17/Treg imbalance in regulating bone remodelling in RA and PMOP have been summarised, and the potential mechanisms by which probiotics, traditional Chinese medicine compounds, and monomers maintain bone remodelling by regulating the Th17/Treg balance are expounded. The maintenance of Th17/Treg balance could be considered as an therapeutic alternative for the treatment of RA and PMOP. This study also summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of conventional treatments and the quality of life and rehabilitation of patients with RA and PMOP. The findings presented her will provide a better understanding of the close relationship between bone immunity and bone remodelling in chronic bone diseases and new ideas for future research, prevention, and treatment of bone immune diseases.

Research Progress on the Mechanism of the SFRP-Mediated Wnt Signalling Pathway Involved in Bone Metabolism in Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a metabolic bone disease linked to an elevated fracture risk, primarily stemming from disruptions in bone metabolism. Present clinical treatments for OP merely alleviate symptoms. Hence, there exists a pressing need to identify novel targets for the clinical treatment of OP. Research indicates that the Wnt signalling pathway is modulated by serum-secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5), potentially serving as a pivotal regulator in bone metabolism disorders. Moreover, studies confirm elevated SFRP5 expression in OP, with SFRP5 overexpression leading to the downregulation of Wnt and ß-catenin proteins in the Wnt signalling pathway, as well as the expression of osteogenesis-related marker molecules such as RUNX2, ALP, and OPN. Conversely, the opposite has been reported when SFRP5 is knocked out, suggesting that SFRP5 may be a key factor involved in the regulation of bone metabolism via the Wnt signalling axis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the action of SFRP5-induced OP have yet to be comprehensively elucidated. This review focusses on the molecular structure and function of SFRP5 and the potential molecular mechanisms of the SFRP5-mediated Wnt signalling pathway involved in bone metabolism in OP, providing reasonable evidence for the targeted therapy of SFRP5 for the prevention and treatment of OP.

Reprogramming of glucose metabolism: Metabolic alterations in the progression of osteosarcoma.

Metabolic reprogramming is an adaptive response of tumour cells under hypoxia and low nutrition conditions. There is increasing evidence that glucose metabolism reprogramming can regulate the growth and metastasis of osteosarcoma (OS). Reprogramming in the progress of OS can bring opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment of OS. Previous research mainly focused on the glycolytic pathway of glucose metabolism, often neglecting the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway. However, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway of glucose metabolism are also involved in the progression of OS and are closely related to this disease. The research on glucose metabolism in OS has not yet been summarized. In this review, we discuss the abnormal expression of key molecules related to glucose metabolism in OS and summarize the glucose metabolism related signaling pathways involved in the occurrence and development of OS. In addition, we discuss some of the targeted drugs that regulate glucose metabolism pathways, which can lead to effective strategies for targeted treatment of OS.