AgNPs-Modified Polylactic Acid Microneedles: Preparation and In Vivo/In Vitro Antimicrobial Studies.

OBJECTIVE: To prepare polylactic acid microneedles (PLAMNs) with sustained antibacterial effect to avoid skin infection caused by traditional MNs-based biosensors. METHODS: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using an in-situ reduction process with polydopamine (PDA). PLAMNs were fabricated using the hot-melt method. A series of pressure tests and puncture experiments were conducted to confirm the physicochemical properties of PLAMNs. Then AgNPs were modified on the surface of PLAMNs through in-situ reduction of PDA, resulting in the formation of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs. The in vitro antibacterial efficacy of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs was evaluated using agar diffusion assays and bacterial liquid co-culture approach. Wound healing and simulated long-term application were performed to assess the in vivo antibacterial effectiveness of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs. RESULTS: The MNs array comprised 169 tiny needle tips in pyramidal rows. Strength and puncture tests confirmed a 100% puncture success rate for PLAMNs on isolated rat skin and tin foil. SEM analysis revealed the integrity of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs with the formation of new surface substances. EDS analysis indicated the presence of silver elements on the surface of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs, with a content of 14.44%. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) testing demonstrated the rapid healing of micro-pores created by PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs, indicating their safety. Both in vitro and in vivo tests confirmed antibacterial efficacy of PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the sustained antibacterial activity exhibited by PLAMNs@PDA-AgNPs offers a promising solution for addressing skin infections associated with MN applications, especially when compared to traditional MN-based biosensors. This advancement offers significant potential for the field of MN technology.

A multi-objective optimization framework with rule-based initialization for multi-stage missile target allocation.

This paper investigates a novel multi-objective optimization framework for the multi-stage missile target allocation (M-MTA) problem, which also widely exists in other real-world complex systems. Specifically, a constrained model of M-MTA is built with the trade-off between minimizing the survivability of targets and minimizing the cost consumption of missiles. Moreover, a multi-objective optimization algorithm (NSGA-MTA) is proposed for M-MTA, where the hybrid encoding mechanism establishes the expression of the model and algorithm. Furthermore, rule-based initialization is developed to enhance the quality and searchability of feasible solutions. An efficient non-dominated sorting method is introduced into the framework as an effective search strategy. Besides, the genetic operators with the greedy mechanism and random repair strategy are involved in handling the constraints with maintaining diversity. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that NSGA-MTA performs better in diversity and convergence than the excellent current algorithms in metrics and Pareto front obtained in 15 scenarios. Taguchi method is also adopted to verify the contribution of proposed strategies, and the results show that these strategies are practical and promotive to performance improvement.

Identification of volatile and nonvolatile compounds in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride using GC-MS, UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS, and HPLC-PDA.

Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph-Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) were used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the chemical component of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride "Geqingpi" (GQP). First of all, the volatile components of GQP are identified by GC-MS. Totally 56 volatile components were determined, and γ-Terpinene (33.39%) and D-Limonene (22.95%) were the main terpenes. Secondly, UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS was used for identifying nonvolatile compositions and 42 compositions were identified totally, including 23 flavonoids, nine organic acids, three coumarins, two alkaloids compounds, and five other compounds, among which nine of the determined constituents were detected for the first time in GQP. Thirdly, the content of seven main constituents in GQP was quantitatively analyzed via HPLC-PDA, which were synephrine, hesperidin, limonin, nobiletin, HMF, tangeretin, and 5-HPMF. Further investigation for quantitative analysis of seven bioactive compounds suggested that the concentration of hesperidin in GQP approximately was 16.0% (160.78 ± 0.95 mg·g-1), which was far higher than the standard for identification and quality control of CRPV in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition) that "the content of hesperidin shall not be less than 5.0%." The phytochemicals of GQP were elucidated in this study, which might be supporting information for identification between GQP and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride "Sihuaqingpi" (SHQP) and provided a scientific basis for the further active ingredient for pharmacological research and development prospects of GQP.

Paeoniflorin drives the immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells by regulating Th1/Th2 cytokines in oral lichen planus.

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Oral lichen planus (OLP) mainly appears as oral mucosal reticular or ulcerative lesions with an unknown etiology. We aimed to explore the immunomodulatory effect of paeoniflorin (PF) in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and the potential involvement of Th1/Th2 cytokines in OLP. The effects of paeoniflorin on the proliferation and migration of MSCs were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and Transwell assays. MSCs were subjected to osteogenic, adipogenic and neurogenic induction followed by Alizarin red, oil red O, real-time PCR and immunofluorescence assays. We found that paeoniflorin promoted the proliferation, migration and multilineage differentiation of MSCs from OLP lesions (OLP-MSCs) in vitro. Paeoniflorin pretreatment increased the inhibitory effect of OLP-MSCs on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, paeoniflorin-pretreated OLP-MSCs simultaneously decreased Th1 cytokine levels and increased Th2 cytokine levels in T lymphocyte cocultures. Finally, paeoniflorin-pretreated OLP-MSCs also promoted the Th1/Th2 balance both in vitro and in the serum of mice that received skin allografts. In conclusion, paeoniflorin enhanced MSC immunomodulation and changed the inflammatory microenvironment via T lymphocytes, suggesting that the improvement of OLP-MSCs is a promising therapeutic approach for OLP.

[Clinicopathologic study on reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes in maxillofacial regions].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathologic features of reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes in maxillofacial regions. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with lymph node reactive hyperplasia (LRH) were analyzed clinicopathologically including pathomorphologic manifestation and immunohistochemical expression. RESULTS: Histopathology of 32 patients showed significant hyperplasia in folliculus lymphaticus, marginal zone lymph, paracortical area lymph, and seldom mixed hyperplasia. Immunohistochemical study showed that the hyperplastic lymphocytes were mainly composed of CD20 positive B cells positive in 23 cases(72%), CD3 positive T cell in 7 cases (22%), CD20 positive T cell and CD3 positive B cell partially as well as histiocytes in 2 cases (6%). Atypical hyperplasia was found in 10 cases. CONCLUSION: Hyperplastic lymphocytes in LRH of maxillofacial regions are mainly composed of B cells. Malignant transformation may occur in these patients with atypical hyperplasia. Regularity follow up is necessary for these patients.

[Calcifying epithelioma in the neck: report of one case].

Calcifying epithelioma is one kind of benign tumour,which rarely happens in the neck. The clinical diagnosis of calcifying epithelioma is difficult and misdiagnosis is common. This paper reported one case of calcifying epithelioma in the neck, and discussed its clinical features and therapy based on literature review.

[Relationship between extracapsular spread of cervical metastatic lymph node and cervical recurrence in oral cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between extracapsular spread (ECS) of cervical metastatic lymph node and the recurrence in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: The medical records of 74 OSCC patients with histologically confirmed cervical lymph node metastasis were reviewed. They were divided into 2 groups, ECS positive (ECS+) and ECS negative (ECS-). The treatment results were followed up. Statistical analysis, with chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression was conducted. RESULTS: The overall recurrence rates for pN+/ECS- and pN+/ECS+ patients were 47.6% and 75.0%, respectively, and the cervical recurrence rates for pN+/ECS- and pN+/ECS+ patients were 9.5% and 46.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that ECS was one of the independent prognosis factors for cervical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Extracapsular spread significantly increased both overall and cervical recurrence rates, and ESC may be a prognosis factor for OSCC patients.