Sniffing Like a Wine Taster: Multiple Overlapping Sniffs (MOSS) Strategy Enhances Electronic Nose Odor Recognition Capability.

As highly promising devices for odor recognition, current electronic noses are still not comparable to human olfaction due to the significant disparity in the number of gas sensors versus human olfactory receptors. Inspired by the sniffing skills of wine tasters to achieve better odor perception, a multiple overlapping sniffs (MOSS) strategy is proposed in this study. The MOSS strategy involves rapid and continuous inhalation of odorants to stimulate the sensor array to generate feature-rich temporal signals. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed to reveal the mechanism of complex dynamic flows affecting transient responses. The proposed strategy shows over 95% accuracy in the recognition experiments of three gaseous alkanes and six liquors. Results demonstrate that the MOSS strategy can accurately and easily recognize odors with a limited sensor number. The proposed strategy has potential applications in various odor recognition scenarios, such as medical diagnosis, food quality assessment, and environmental surveillance.

RNA-seq and Single-Cell Transcriptome Analyses of TRAIL Receptors Gene Expression in Human Osteosarcoma Cells and Tissues.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary cancer in the skeletal system, characterized by a high incidence of lung metastasis, local recurrence and death. Systemic treatment of this aggressive cancer has not improved significantly since the introduction of chemotherapy regimens, underscoring a critical need for new treatment strategies. TRAIL receptors have long been proposed to be therapeutic targets for cancer treatment, but their role in osteosarcoma remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression profile of four TRAIL receptors in human OS cells using total RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq). The results revealed that TNFRSF10B and TNFRSF10D but not TNFRSF10A and TNFRSF10C are differentially expressed in human OS cells as compared to normal cells. At the single cell level by scRNA-seq analyses, TNFRSF10B, TNFRSF10D, TNFRSF10A and TNFRSF10C are most abundantly expressed in endothelial cells of OS tissues among nine distinct cell clusters. Notably, in osteoblastic OS cells, TNFRSF10B is most abundantly expressed, followed by TNFRSF10D, TNFRSF10A and TNFRSF10C. Similarly, in an OS cell line U2-OS using RNA-seq, TNFRSF10B is most abundantly expressed, followed by TNFRSF10D, TNFRSF10A and TNFRSF10C. According to the TARGET online database, poor patient outcomes were associated with low expression of TNFRSF10C. These results could provide a new perspective to design novel therapeutic targets of TRAIL receptors for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of OS and other cancers.

Effect of Cutting Fluid on Milled Surface Quality and Tool Life of Aluminum Alloy.

The machining process of aluminum alloy usually produces built-up edge and tool sticking problems due to their low hardness and large plastic deformation, which may further affect the machined surface quality and tool life. This paper aims to investigate the influence of different cutting fluids on the machined surface quality and tool life during the milling process of 7050 aluminum alloy. A novel cutting fluid (QC-2803) was considered in the study, which is synthesized by addition of alkyl alcohol amide and chlorinated polyolefin, and the traditional cutting fluid (CCF-10) was used as the control group. The physical and chemical properties of two cutting fluids were characterized. The milling process of 7050 aluminum alloy was carried out under two different cutting fluid conditions. The machined surface morphology, cutting force and tool wear morphology were observed during the process. Results show that the surface tension of the novel cutting fluid is significantly lower than that of the traditional cutting fluid, which makes it easier to produce a lubricating film between the aluminum alloy and tool, and further benefits the machined surface quality and tool life. As a result, the surface roughness and cutting force are reduced by ~20.0% and ~42.9%, respectively, and the tool life is increased by 25.6% in the case of the novel cutting fluid (QC-2803). The results in this paper revealed the important laws of cutting fluid with metal surface quality, cutting performance and tool wear, which helps to control the machined surface quality and tool life by the selection of cutting fluid during metal milling.

In vivo bioprinting: Broadening the therapeutic horizon for tissue injuries.

Tissue injury is a collective term for various disorders associated with organs and tissues induced by extrinsic or intrinsic factors, which significantly concerns human health. In vivo bioprinting, an emerging tissue engineering approach, allows for the direct deposition of bioink into the defect sites inside the patient's body, effectively addressing the challenges associated with the fabrication and implantation of irregularly shaped scaffolds and enabling the rapid on-site management of tissue injuries. This strategy complements operative therapy as well as pharmacotherapy, and broadens the therapeutic horizon for tissue injuries. The implementation of in vivo bioprinting requires targeted investigations in printing modalities, bioinks, and devices to accommodate the unique intracorporal microenvironment, as well as effective integrations with intraoperative procedures to facilitate its clinical application. In this review, we summarize the developments of in vivo bioprinting from three perspectives: modalities and bioinks, devices, and clinical integrations, and further discuss the current challenges and potential improvements in the future.

Effect of Cutting Fluid on Machined Surface Integrity and Corrosion Property of Nickel Based Superalloy.

Superalloy parts place high demands on machined surface integrity and serviceability. In the machining process of superalloys, the cutting fluid is usually used to improve the machining performance. Cutting fluids with cooling and lubrication functions have a relatively large effect on the surface microstructure and residual stress as well. The corrosion damage caused by cutting fluid to the machined surface, during machining and residual, are also worth considering. In this paper, the machining performance of typical binary Ni Cr solid solution, age-hardened, nickel-based superalloy NiCr20TiAl T6, under two commonly used cutting fluids, Blasocut and E709, was analyzed, including cutting performance, surface quality, machining surface corrosion characteristics, and so on. The results showed that the surface residual stress could be improved by adding both cutting fluids compared with the deionized water. Blasocut had better lubrication properties, which could reduce friction and heat production. Pitting holes were found on the polished surface after 45 days with E709 cutting fluid, which was more corrosive than Blasocut. According to this research, a reasonable cutting fluid can be selected to reduce the surface corrosion and improve the service life and performance of parts.

Robot-assisted in situ bioprinting of gelatin methacrylate hydrogels with stem cells induces hair follicle-inclusive skin regeneration.

Large skin defects caused by accidents or disease can cause fluid loss, water and electrolyte disorders, hypoproteinemia and serious infection and remain a difficult problem in clinical practice. In situ bioprinting is a promising, recently developed technology that involves timely, customized, and morphologically adapted bioprinting of bioink into tissue defects to promote the recovery of human tissues or organs. During this process, bioink is a key factor. In this study, we synthesized a biocompatible, photosensitive hydrogel material comprising gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) for robot-assisted in situ bioprinting of skin wounds. The results showed that GelMA demonstrated good printability of that supported the proliferation of skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and maintained their properties. Furthermore, in situ bioprinting of GelMA hydrogels with epidermal stem cells (Epi-SCs) and SKPs onto skin wounds showed complete wound healing and functional tissue skin regeneration. The regenerated skin contains epidermis, dermis, blood vessels, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands and resembling native skin. These results provide an effective strategy for skin repair through the combined application of GelMA hydrogels, Epi-SCs, SKPs and in situ bioprinting and its promising clinical translational potential for further applications.

Study of diffractive fringes caused by tool marks for fast axis collimators fabricated by precision glass molding.

Aspheric cylindrical lenses, including fast axis collimators (FACs), are commonly used to collimate laser beams in the fast axis direction. Precision glass molding (PGM) is applied in the production of these optical lenses due to its high accuracy and efficiency. However, the profile errors and surface topography transferred from the mold reduce the optical performance of aspheric cylindrical lenses. In this paper, the surface errors of a FAC fabricated by combining ultraprecision diamond cutting and precision glass molding are analyzed. An optical simulation model is then established to qualitatively analyze the effects of tool marks on the optical defects, and the numerical calculations are carried out to determine the relative intensity distribution of light spots. Experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical results, which prove that the tool marks cause diffractive fringes and that the geometric parameters of the tool marks that are caused by cutting conditions affect the distribution of the fringe line defects. Finally, the critical conditions to eliminate diffractive fringes and improve the optical performance of the FAC are determined based on the experimental results.

Adaptive multi-degree-of-freedom in situ bioprinting robot for hair-follicle-inclusive skin repair: A preliminary study conducted in mice.

Skin acts as an essential barrier, protecting organisms from their environment. For skin trauma caused by accidental injuries, rapid healing, personalization, and functionality are vital requirements in clinical, which are the bottlenecks hindering the translation of skin repair from benchside to bedside. Herein, we described a novel design and a proof-of-concept demonstration of an adaptive bioprinting robot to proceed rapid in situ bioprinting on a full-thickness excisional wound in mice. The three-dimensional (3D) scanning and closed-loop visual system integrated in the robot and the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanism provide immediate, precise, and complete wound coverage through stereotactic bioprinting, which hits the key requirements of rapid-healing and personalization in skin repair. Combined with the robot, epidermal stem cells and skin-derived precursors isolated from neonatal mice mixed with Matrigel were directly printed into the injured area to replicate the skin structure. Excisional wounds after bioprinting showed complete wound healing and functional skin tissue regeneration that closely resembling native skin, including epidermis, dermis, blood vessels, hair follicles and sebaceous glands etc. This study provides an effective strategy for skin repair through the combination of the novel robot and a bioactive bioink, and has a promising clinical translational potential for further applications.

Effect of Corrosive Medium and Surface Defect-Energy on Corrosion Behavior of Rolled ZK61M Alloy.

Magnesium alloys have been widely used as lightweight engineering structural materials, but their service performances are severely restricted by corrosion failure. In this paper, the influence of corrosive medium and surface defect energy on the corrosion behavior of rolled ZK61M alloy was investigated. The corrosion tests were conducted in different concentrations of sodium chloride solution for different durations, and the polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were reported. The surface morphology of rolled ZK61M alloy before and after corrosion tests were analyzed. The results showed that the corrosion tendency became stronger with the increase of the concentration of corrosive medium and the number of surface defects of ZK61M alloy. Moreover, the initial corrosion pattern was the pitting caused by micro galvanic corrosion at the surface defect, which gradually developed into uniform corrosion. Furthermore, the main damage occurred at the grain boundary, resulting in the destruction of grain bonding force and the removal of material along the rheological layer. The oxidation corrosion mechanism was mainly the anodic dissolution mechanism.

Three-level nanogrooves by vibration-assisted fly-cutting for diffraction regulation and array output.

Integrating geometric and diffractive optics functions is urgently needed to develop compact equipment for integrating diffraction manipulation and arrayed outputs. In this Letter, a superimposed three-level-grooved surface is proposed to manipulate the diffraction of visible light and provide an array output. Structure design, vibration-assisted fly-cutting, finite-difference time-domain calculations, and diffraction tests are conducted to fabricate the three-level grooves and explore the diffraction mechanism. Nanogrooves with a period close to the middle wavelength of the spectrum primarily enhances the diffraction at low diffraction orders and angles because of resonance. Optical tests prove that these superimposed three-level nanogrooves have a large bandwidth when providing the array output and serving to control and transmit diffracted light. They also show stronger performance for manipulating low diffraction orders.

A Review on Manufacturing and Post-Processing Technology of Vascular Stents.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation is one of the most effective treatments for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, there are still many complications after stent implantation. As a medical device with a complex structure and small size, the manufacture and post-processing technology greatly impact the mechanical and medical performances of stents. In this paper, the development history, material, manufacturing method, and post-processing technology of vascular stents are introduced. In particular, this paper focuses on the existing manufacturing technology and post-processing technology of vascular stents and the impact of these technologies on stent performance is described and discussed. Moreover, the future development of vascular stent manufacturing technology will be prospected and proposed.

Effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) have an increased risk of suffering thromboembolic events. Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are recommended as therapy but there is still limited data regarding the efficacy of prescribing non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). This retrospective study investigates the effectiveness and safety of NOAC administration in patients with HCM and AF. A total of 124 patients with HCM and AF on an oral anticoagulant therapy were recruited between January 2015 and December 2019; these patients were followed up until March 31, 2020. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the clinical outcomes in patients treated with NOACs versus warfarin. The Cox model was used to estimate the risk of clinically relevant bleeding. Our study included 124 patients, of which 48 (38.7%) received warfarin and 76 (61.3%) received NOACs. Survival analysis showed the patients undergoing NOACs had a lower risk of clinically relevant bleeding (log-rank P = 0.039) over a period of 53.6 months. The median time in therapeutic range (TTR) score was 50% (interquartile range: 40.43 to 57.08%). A total of nine patients (18.75%) had a good TTR with a median score of 66.35% (interquartile range: 64.58 to 77.75%). The incidence of death by all causes, cardiovascular death and thromboembolism were similar between NOAC and warfarin-treated patients (log-rank P = 0.239, log-rank P = 0.386, and log-rank P = 0.257, respectively). Patients treated with NOACs showed a significant reduction in the risk of clinical (P = 0.011) and gastrointestinal bleeding (P = 0.032). Cox multiple regression analysis showed age (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.24; P = 0.013) and warfarin therapy (HR 7.37, 95% CI 1.63-33.36; P = 0.010) were independent predictors of clinically relevant bleeding. Compared to warfarin, NOACs were associated with a lower incidence of clinically relevant bleeding in HCM patients with AF, as demonstrated by the similar incidence of death by all causes, cardiovascular death and thromboembolic events.

Inflammatory macrophages exacerbate neutrophil-driven joint damage through ADP/P2Y1 signaling in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints and is associated with excessive immune cell infiltration. However, the complex interactions between the immune cell populations in the RA synovium remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that inflammatory macrophages in the synovium exacerbate neutrophil-driven joint damage in RA through ADP/P2Y1 signaling. We show that extracellular ADP (eADP) and its receptors are obviously increased in synovial tissues of RA patients as well as collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice, and eADP enhances neutrophil infiltration into joints through macrophages producing the chemokine CXCL2, aggravating disease development. Accordingly, the arthritis mouse model had more neutrophils in inflamed joints following ADP injection, whereas P2Y1 deficiency and pharmacologic inhibition restored arthritis severity to basal levels, suggesting a dominant role of ADP/P2Y1 signaling in RA pathology. Moreover, cellular activity of ADP/P2Y1-mediated CXCL2 production was dependent on the Gαq/Ca2+-NF-κB/NFAT pathway in macrophages. Overall, this study reveals a non-redundant role of eADP as a trigger in the pathogenesis of RA through neutrophil recruitment and disrupted tissue homeostasis and function.

Cross-neutralization of RBD mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2 by convalescent patient derived antibodies.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an urgent need for the development of therapeutic interventions. Of which, neutralizing antibodies play a crucial role in the prevention and resolution of viral infection. METHODS: We generated antibody libraries from 18 different COVID-19 recovered patients and screened neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants. After 3 rounds of panning, 456 positive phage clones were obtained with high affinity to RBD (receptor binding domain). Clones were then reconstituted into whole human IgG for epitope binning assay and all 19 IgG were classified into 6 different epitope groups or Bins. RESULTS: Although all antibodies were found to bind RBD, the antibodies in Bin2 had superior inhibitory ability of the interaction between spike protein and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2). Most importantly, the antibodies from Bin2 showed stronger binding affinity or ability to mutant RBDs (N501Y, W463R, R408I, N354D, V367F, and N354D/D364Y) derived from different SARS-CoV-2 strains as well, suggesting the great potential of these antibodies in preventing infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its mutations. Furthermore, such neutralizing antibodies strongly restricted the binding of RBD to hACE2 overexpressed 293T cells. Consistently, these antibodies effectively neutralized wildtype and more transmissible mutant pseudovirus entry into hACE2 overexpressed 293T cells. In Vero-E6 cells, one of these antibodies can even block the entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells at 12.5 nM. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the neutralizing human antibodies from the patient-derived antibody libraries have the potential to fight SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants in this global pandemic.

Establishment and assessment of a nomogram model for predicting the risk of fulminant myocarditis: A STROBE compliant cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: We aimed to identify potential clinical predictors associated with the risk of fulminant myocarditis, and further to establish and assess a nomogram model based on significant attributes for clinical practicability.This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study, involving 28 patients with fulminant myocarditis and 35 age-, and sex-matched patients with non-fulminant myocarditis. Effect-size estimates are expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).Fifteen factors were primarily identified to be associated with the significant risk of fulminant myocarditis after adjusting for confounders. Due to strong correlation, 6 factors were retained, including mean arterial pressure (OR, 95% CI, P: .82, .72-.94, .005), creatinine (2.15, 1.13-4.10, 0.020), blood urea nitrogen (1.45, 1.04-2.02, 0.028), aspartate aminotransferase (2.62, 1.16-5.91, 0.021), troponin I (1.43, 1.07-1.90, 0.015), and ventricular wall motion abnormality (25.81, 2.52-264.69, 0.006). The contribution of the 6 significant factors to predicting fulminant myocarditis risk was significant from multi-angle analyses, and regressing these factors in a nomogram model exhibited good predictive accuracy, as reflected by both C-index (>90%, P < .001).We have identified 6 clinical factors in significant association with fulminant myocarditis, and their prediction capability was more obvious in a nomogram model. Further investigations with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up intervals are warranted.

Diffraction manipulation of visible light with submicron structures for structural coloration fabrication.

The structural coloration of glass induced by submicron structures is eco-friendly, ink-free, and has profound scientific significance. However, it is difficult to manufacture the submicron structures for glass optics due to the high hardness of glass and the miniature size of the microstructures. In this paper, the diffraction manipulation mechanism of groove shape to structural coloration and optimization theory are studied by establishing the theoretical and simulation mode. Moreover, a newly-developed axial-feed fly-cutting (AFC) technology and the PGM technology are introduced to precisely create the designed submicron V-shape grooves and structural color pattern on a Ni-P mold and then replicating them on a glass surface. Between these two kinds of typical submicron grooves that can be machined by mechanical cutting technology, it is found that the diffraction intensity and efficiency of V-shape grooves are higher than these of jagged-shape grooves, which indicates that V-shape grooves is more suitable to be used for structural coloration with high brightness. The structural color resolution is dramatically increased with the reduction of groove spacing and can be flexibly regulated by AFC, which significantly contributes to the structural coloration manufacturing. Structural pixel segments composed of submicron grooves are arranged row-by-row to form color patterns, and the letters of different colors are fabricated on the mold and transferred to the glass surface. Methods of optical diffraction manipulation, flexible manufacturing of submicron structures, and structural color image construction proposed in this paper for the production of a structural color pattern are beneficial to a wide range of fields.

T-2 Toxin Induces Epiphyseal Plate Lesions via Decreased SECISBP2-Mediated Selenoprotein Expression in DA Rats, Exacerbated by Selenium Deficiency.

OBJECTIVE: Both selenium (Se) deficiency and mycotoxin T2 lead to epiphyseal plate lesions, similar to Kashin-Beck disease (KBD). However, regulation of selenoproteins synthesis mediated by SECISBP2, in response to these 2 environmental factors, remained unclear. The present study proposed to explore the mechanism behind the cartilage degradation resulting from Se deficiency and mycotoxin T2 exposure. DESIGN: Deep chondrocyte necrosis and epiphyseal plate lesions were replicated in Dark Agouti (DA) rats by feeding them T2 toxin/Se deficiency artificial synthetic diet for 2 months. RESULTS: Se deficiency led to decreased expression of COL2α1, while T2 treatment reduced the heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase 2 (HS6ST2) expression, both of which affected the cartilage extracellular matrix metabolism in the rat models. The expression of Col2α1, Acan, Hs6st2, Secisbp2, Gpx1, and Gpx4 were all significantly decreased in cartilage tissues from DA rats, fed a Se-deficient diet or exposed to T2 toxin, contrary to Adamts4, whose expression was increased in both conditions. In addition, T2 treatment led to the decreased expression of SBP2, GPX1, GPX4, and total GPXs activity in C28/I2 cells. CONCLUSION: DA rats exposed to T2 toxin and/or Se-deficient conditions serve as the perfect model of KBD. The 2 environmental risk factors of KBD, which serve as a "double whammy," can intensify the extracellular matrix metabolic imbalance and the antioxidant activity of chondrocytes, leading to articular cartilage degradation and epiphyseal plate abnormalities similar to those observed in KBD.

Preliminary engineering for in situ in vivo bioprinting: a novel micro bioprinting platform for in situ in vivo bioprinting at a gastric wound site.

We first proposed the concept of in situ in vivo bioprinting in order to address the existing deficiencies in conventional bioprinting. Herein we verified this concept taking the case of the treatment for gastric wall injury and presented this work as a preliminary step towards a new method in the field of bioprinting. In this study, a micro bioprinting platform which can be installed to an endoscope was developed to enter the human body and process bioprinting. Printed circuit micro-electro-mechanical-system techniques were used in the design and fabrication of the platform. Control system with high accuracy was developed and performance tests were carried out to verify the feasibility of the platform. The 2-layer tissue scaffolds were printed in a stomach model. Gelatin-alginate hydrogels with human gastric epithelial cells and human gastric smooth muscle cells were used as bioinks to mimic the anatomical structure of a stomach. A 10 d cell culture showed that printed cells remained a high viability and a steady proliferation, which indicated good biological function of cells in printed tissue scaffolds. This work presents an innovative advance not only in the field of bioprinting but also in the clinical sciences.

Biomaterials Based on Marine Resources for 3D Bioprinting Applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become a flexible tool in regenerative medicine with potential for various applications. Further development of the new 3D bioprinting field lies in suitable bioink materials with satisfied printability, mechanical integrity, and biocompatibility. Natural polymers from marine resources have been attracting increasing attention in recent years, as they are biologically active and abundant when comparing to polymers from other resources. This review focuses on research and applications of marine biomaterials for 3D bioprinting. Special attention is paid to the mechanisms, material requirements, and applications of commonly used 3D bioprinting technologies based on marine-derived resources. Commonly used marine materials for 3D bioprinting including alginate, carrageenan, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and gelatin are also discussed, especially in regards to their advantages and applications.

N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers with Interweaved Nanochannels for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Storage.

Although graphite materials have been applied as commercial anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), there still remain abundant spaces in the development of carbon-based anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, an electrospinning route is reported to fabricate nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers with interweaved nanochannels (NCNFs-IWNC) that contain robust interconnected 1D porous channels, produced by removal of a Te nanowire template that is coelectrospun within carbon nanofibers during the electrospinning process. The NCNFs-IWNC features favorable properties, including a conductive 1D interconnected porous structure, a large specific surface area, expanded interlayer graphite-like spacing, enriched N-doped defects and active sites, toward rapid access and transport of electrolyte and electron/sodium ions. Systematic electrochemical studies indicate that the NCNFs-IWNC exhibits an impressively high rate capability, delivering a capacity of 148 mA h g-1 at current density of as high as 10 A g-1 , and has an attractively stable performance over 5000 cycles. The practical application of the as-designed NCNFs-IWNC for a full SIBs cell is further verified by coupling the NCNFs-IWNC anode with a FeFe(CN)6 cathode, which displays a desirable cycle performance, maintaining acapacity of 97 mA h g-1 over 100 cycles.