Causal relationship between COVID-19 and chronic pain: A mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 is a highly transmissible disease that can result in long-term symptoms, including chronic pain. However, the mechanisms behind the persistence of long-COVID pain are not yet fully elucidated, highlighting the need for further research to establish causality. Mendelian randomization (MR), a statistical technique for determining a causal relationship between exposure and outcome, has been employed in this study to investigate the association between COVID-19 and chronic pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The IVW, MR Egger, and weighted median methods were employed. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q statistic. MR Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO tests were performed to detect pleiotropy. The Bonferroni method was employed for the correction of multiple testing. R software was used for all statistical analyses. RESULT: Based on the IVW method, hospitalized COVID-19 patients exhibit a higher risk of experiencing lower leg joint pain compared to the normal population. Meanwhile, the associations between COVID-19 hospitalization and back pain, headache, and pain all over the body were suggestive. Additionally, COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization were found to have a suggestive higher risk of experiencing neck or shoulder pain and pain all over the body compared to those who did not require hospitalization. Patients with severe respiratory-confirmed COVID-19 showed a suggestive increased risk of experiencing pain all over the body compared to the normal population. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the link between COVID-19 severity and pain in different body regions, with implications for targeted interventions to reduce COVID-19 induced chronic pain burden.

Two-sample mendelian randomization analysis investigates ambient fine particulate matter's impact on cardiovascular disease development.

PM2.5, a key component of air pollution, significantly threatens public health. Cardiovascular disease is increasingly associated with air pollution, necessitating more research. This study used a meticulous two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the potential causal link between elevated PM2.5 levels and 25 types of cardiovascular diseases. Data sourced from the UK Biobank, focusing on individuals of European ancestry, underwent primary analysis using Inverse Variance Weighting. Additional methods such as MR-Egger, weighted median, Simple mode, and Weighted mode provided support. Sensitivity analyses assessed instrument variable heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and potential weak instrument variables. The study revealed a causal link between PM2.5 exposure and higher diagnoses of Atherosclerotic heart disease (primary or secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0307 [1.0103-1.0516], p-value = 0.003 and OR [95% CI] 1.0179 [1.0028-1.0333], p-value = 0.0202) and Angina pectoris (primary or secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0303 [1.0160-1.0449], p-value = 3.04e-05 and OR [95% CI] 1.0339 [1.0081-1.0603], p-value = 0.0096). Additionally, PM2.5 exposure increased the likelihood of diagnoses like Other forms of chronic ischaemic heart disease (secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0193 [1.0042-1.0346], p-value = 0.0121), Essential hypertension (secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0567 [1.0142-1.1010], p-value = 0.0085), Palpitations (OR [95% CI] 1.0163 [1.0071-1.0257], p-value = 5e-04), and Stroke (OR [95% CI] 1.0208 [1.0020-1.0401], p-value = 0.0301). Rigorous sensitivity analyses confirmed these significant findings' robustness and validity. Our study revealed the causal effect between higher PM2.5 concentrations and increased cardiovascular disease risks. This evidence is vital for policymakers and healthcare providers, urging targeted interventions to reduce PM2.5 levels.

Utility of G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor 1 as a biomarker for pan-cancer diagnosis, prognosis and immune infiltration: a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: The G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor (GPER) 1 mediates non-genomic oestrogen-related signalling and plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth and programmed cell death through multiple downstream pathways. Despite the increasing interest in the role of GPER1 in cancer development, no pan-cancer analysis has been available for GPER1. METHODS: In this study we performed a comprehensive analysis of the role of GPER1 in pan-cancer via Human Protein Atlas (HPA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), University of California, Santa Cruz Xena (UCSC XENA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), MethSurv, The University of Alabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN), cBioPortal, STRING and TISIDB detabases, followed by enrichment analysis using R software. RESULTS: GPER1 was widely expressed in tissues and organs and differed in expression from normal tissue in a variety of cancers. In diagnostic assessment, it's Area Under the Curve (AUC) surpassed 0.9 in nine cancer types. Survival analysis showed that GPER1 was correlated with the prognosis of 11 cancer types. Moreover, GPER1 expression was associated with immune infiltration in multiple cancers. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, GPER1 has good diagnostic or prognostic value across various malignancies. Together with its extensive correlation with immune components, the aforementioned results suggests that GPER1 shows promise in tumour diagnosis and prognosis, providing new ideas for precise and personalised anti-tumour strategies.

New insights into molecular features of the genome-wide AOX family and their responses to various stresses in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is an important terminal oxidase involved in the alternative oxidation pathway in plants, which is closely related to various biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, a comprehensive research on AOX gene family of wheat is still lacking. In this study, the members of wheat AOX (TaAOX) family were identified, and their molecular characteristics and gene expression patterns were systematically investigated. Seventeen TaAOX genes were identified from Chinese Spring (CS) genome, which were mapped on 7 chromosomes and mainly clustered on the long arm's distal end of the second homologous groups. Phylogenetic analysis showed that TaAOX genes were classified into four subgroups (Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id), and the Ia subgroup possessed the most members. Tandem duplication and segmental duplication events were found during the evolution of TaAOX genes and they were affected by purifying selection demonstrated by Ka/Ks analysis. The exon numbers of this family gene varied greatly from 1 to 9. Except for Ta3BSAOX14, all the proteins encoded by the other 16 TaAOX genes contained the amino acid residues of the key active sites in the AOX domain (cd01053). The expression patterns of TaAOX genes in various tissues and under abiotic and biotic stresses were analyzed using public transcriptome data, furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis was performed for some selected TaAOX genes, and the results suggested that most members of this gene family play an important role in response to different stresses in common wheat. Our results provide basic information and valuable reference for further exploring the gene function of TaAOX family by using gene editing, RNAi, VIGS, and other technologies.

Research on microstructural-mechanical and shearing properties of castor seed during mechanical extraction.

Castor seed oil, as an important biomass fuel, has attracted extensive attention worldwide due to inclusive applications. Castor seed screw mechanical extraction is in fact seed shear damage and oil output. Seed shearing mechanism has been investigated with a developed tribometer. Influences of pressing load, shearing speed, roller roughness were analyzed. Castor seed structural damage was in-situ observed with optical microscope, and in-depth analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. The results reveal that shear interaction can be divided into three stages: coat damage, transition shearing and endosperm oil output. Seed shear mechanism includes coat peeling, endosperm plowing, tissue transferring and oil lubrication. High pressing load leads to more damage of coat and endosperm, causing more oil to flow out. With shearing speed increasing, coat is easily peeled, obvious endosperm shear plowing and oil lubrication happened in contact area. Coat damage by high roughness leads more oil output. Castor oil enters the contact area and work as lubricant, leading to the decrease of friction resistance.

Causal association between tea intake and risk for gout: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Gout, an increasingly prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis, is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints, resulting in severe pain, swelling and stiffness that adversely affect physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The management of gout requires a combination of medication and lifestyle modifications. Recent studies suggest that tea intake may reduce the risk of developing gout; however, further research is needed to establish a causal relationship. Methods: In this study, we employed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, to investigate the causal association between increased tea intake and gout. We meticulously selected instrumental variables (IVs) based on rigorous criteria and employed five different MR methods. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q statistic, and pleiotropy was evaluated using the MR Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO tests. Weak IVs were identified using F values. The Phenoscanner database was consulted to exclude single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with confounding factors or outcomes. Results: The study included one dataset related to tea intake (ukb-b-6066) and three datasets related to gout (ukb-b-12765, finn-b-M13_GOUT, and finn-b-GOUT_STRICT). Our forward MR analysis suggest a causal relationship between increased tea intake and reduced risk of gout in all three gout-related datasets [OR (95% CI): 0.9966 (0.9938-0.9993), p = 0.0167; 0.4842 (0.2683-0.8737), p-value = 0.0160; and 0.4554 (0.2155-0.9623), p = 0.0393, respectively]. The reveres MR showed increased risk of gout (ukb-b-12765) was significantly associated with low tea intake according to the IVW analysis [OR (95% CI): 0.0062 (0.0002-0.154), p = 0.0020]. However, this association was not observed in the Finn-b-M13_GOUT and Finn-b-GOUT_STRICT [OR (95% CI): 0.9992 (0.9909-1.0075), p = 0.8453 and OR (95% CI): 0.9996 (0.9932-1.0059), p = 0.8896, respectively]. No significant heterogeneity or potential pleiotropy was detected, and the possibility of weak IVs was also excluded. Conclusion: Our MR analysis suggest a causal relationship between genetically predicted tea intake and a decreased risk of gout. These findings underscore the potential advantages of increasing tea intake for preventing gout. However, further research is needed to validate these results and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

The potential of FCRL genes as targets for cancer treatment: insights from bioinformatics and immunology.

Cancer is a prevalent and dangerous disease that requires a multifaceted approach to treatment. The FCRL family gene has been linked to immune function and tumor progression. Bioinformatics may help unravel their role in cancer treatment. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the FCRL family genes in pan-cancer using publicly available databases and online tools. Specifically, we examined gene expression, prognostic significance, mutation profiles, drug resistance, as well as biological and immunomodulatory roles. Our data were sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, cBioPortal, STRING, GSCALite, Cytoscape, and R software. The expression of FCRL genes varies significantly across different tumor types and normal tissues. While high expression of most FCRL genes is associated with a protective effect in many cancers, FCRLB appears to be a risk factor in several types of cancer. Alterations in FCRL family genes, particularly through amplification and mutation, are common in cancers. These genes are closely linked to classical cancer pathways such as apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), estrogen receptor (ER) signaling, and DNA damage response. Enrichment analysis indicates that FCRL family genes are predominantly associated with immune cell activation and differentiation. Immunological assays demonstrate a strong positive correlation between FCRL family genes and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), immunostimulators, and immunoinhibitors. Furthermore, FCRL family genes can enhance the sensitivity of various anticancer drugs. The FCRL family genes are vital in cancer pathogenesis and progression. Targeting these genes in conjunction with immunotherapy could enhance cancer treatment efficacy. Further research is required to determine their potential as therapeutic targets.

Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis reveals a causal effect of interleukin-18 levels on postherpetic neuralgia risk.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a debilitating complication of herpes zoster, characterized by persistent neuropathic pain that significantly impairs patients' quality of life. Identifying factors that determine PHN susceptibility is crucial for its management. Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in chronic pain, may play a critical role in PHN development. Methods: In this study, we conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess genetic relationships and potential causal associations between IL-18 protein levels increasing and PHN risk, utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets on these traits. Two IL-18 datasets obtained from the EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute database which contained 21,758 individuals with 13,102,515 SNPs and Complete GWAS summary data on IL-18 protein levels which contained 3,394 individuals with 5,270,646 SNPs. The PHN dataset obtained from FinnGen biobank had 195,191 individuals with 16,380,406 SNPs. Results: Our findings from two different datasets of IL-18 protein levels suggest a correlation between genetically predicted elevations in IL-18 protein levels and an increased susceptibility to PHN.(IVW, OR and 95% CI: 2.26, 1.07 to 4.78; p = 0.03 and 2.15, 1.10 to 4.19; p =0.03, respectively), potentially indicating a causal effect of IL-18 protein levels increasing on PHN risk. However, we did not detect any causal effect of genetic liability to PHN risk on IL-18 protein levels. Conclusion: These findings suggest new insights into identifying IL-18 protein levels increasing at risk of developing PHN and may aid in the development of novel prevention and treatment approaches for PHN.

A new desorption method of polyurethane foam for the determination of gold and a comparative study on four desorption methods based on meta-analysis.

Accurate determination of gold in geological samples is an important prerequisite and guarantee for studying geological problems. There are many methods for digestion and enrichment of gold among which polyurethane foam (PUF) enrichment after aqua regia digestion is the most commonly used in the experiments. A new method to help the relief of gold from the PUF was put forward in this study, and it was applied to four certified reference materials (CRMs) together with three previously used methods, and the optimal extraction and enrichment conditions were determined through experiments. The four methods were compared by meta-analysis, and the thiourea liberation method was superior to the other three methods because of its simple operation and high accuracy. Out of consideration for the incomplete adsorption of gold in the solution by only one piece of PUF, repetitive adsorption of gold with a second and a third piece of PUF in the solution was proposed in this study. Results show that the gold content obtained by secondary and tertiary adsorption accounts for 11.03% of the total content, and the highest can reach 20.74%. When the third adsorption was carried out, the gold content in several samples was below the detection limit. Therefore, repeated adsorption of gold in the solution is necessary, and three times of adsorption is necessary.

Increased expression of MMP17 predicts poor clinical outcomes in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

Ovarian cancer has the highest fatality rate among female reproductive system cancers, which is due to lack of biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis. We aimed to evaluate the role of matrix metalloproteinase 17 (MMP17) in ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and prognosis. Based on the epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we determined the expression of MMP17 using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The biological functions of MMP17 were evaluated using the Metascape database and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The association between MMP17 and immune cell infiltration was investigated by single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. Logistic analysis was applied to study the correlation between MMP17 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Finally, Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and nomograms were used to determine the predictive value of MMP17 on clinical outcomes in EOC patients. The expression of MMP17 was much higher in EOC patients than in pericarcinomatous tissues (P < .001). MMP17-associated differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in cell extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading and corresponding pathways in the high MMP17 expression phenotype. MMP17 has a high sensitivity and specificity for EOC diagnosis, with an area under the curve of 0.988. MMP17 expression was found to be an independent risk factor for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.488, P < .001), progression-free interval (HR: 1.347, P < .01), and disease-specific survival (HR: 1.548, P < .01). Increased MMP17 expression in EOC may contribute to carcinogenesis by degrading ECM and provide diagnostic and prognostic value for clinical outcomes.

Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies Potential Related Genes in the Pathogenesis of Intrauterine Fetal Growth Retardation.

Background: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) affects approximately 10% to 15% of all pregnancies worldwide. IUGR is not only associated with stillbirth and newborn death, but also the delay of cognition in childhood and the promotion of metabolic and vascular disorders in adulthood. Figuring out the mechanism of IUGR is rather meaningful and valuable. Methods: Datasets related to IUGR were searched in the Gene Expression Omnibus website. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for normalization. Differential expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out using the ggpot2 tool. DEGs were used to conduct Gene Ontology (GO) terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways enrichment analyses, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. IUGR related genes were searched in the OMIM website to look for the intersection with the DEGs. The DEGs were analyzed for tissue-specific expression by the online resource BioGPS. The results were displayed through volcano map, Venn map, box plot, heat map, and GSEA enrichment plots drawn by R language packages. Results: Eleven DEGs were screened out of 2 datasets. One hundred ninety-five genes related to IUGR in OMIM were retrieved. EGR2 was the only intersection gene that was found in both groups. Genes associated with placental tissue expression include COL17A1, HSD11B1, and LGALS14. Molecular functions of the DEGs are related to the oxidoreductase activity. The following 4 signaling pathways, reactome signaling by interleukins, reactome collagen degradation, Naba secreted factors, and PID NFAT tfpathway, were enriched by GSEA. Two critical modules comprising 5 up-regulated genes (LEP, PRL, TAC3, MMP14, and ADAMTS4) and 4 down-regulated genes (TIMP4, FOS, CCK, and KISS1) were identified by PPI analysis. Finally, we identified 6 genes (PRL, LGALS14, EGR2, TAC3, LEP, and KISS1) that are potentially relevant to the pathophysiology of IUGR. Conclusion: The candidate down-regulated genes LGALS14 and KISS1, as well as the up-regulated genes PRL, EGR2, TAC3, and LEP, were found to be closely related to IUGR by bioinformatics analysis. These hub genes are related to hypoxia and oxidoreductase activities in placental development. We provide useful and novel information to explore the potential mechanism of IUGR and make efforts to the prevention of IUGR.

Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Immunological Roles of HELLS in Pan-Cancer: A Bioinformatics Analysis.

Background: Inappropriate repair of DNA damage drives carcinogenesis. Lymphoid-specific helicase (HELLS) is an important component of the chromatin remodeling complex that helps repair DNA through various mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modification, and nucleosome remodeling. Its role in human cancer initiation and progression has garnered recent attention. Our study aims to provide a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of the role of HELLS in the development and progression of multiple malignancies through analysis of HELLS in cancers. Methods: We explored the role of HELLS in cancers using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. Multiple web platforms and software were used for data analysis, including R, Cytoscape, HPA, Archs4, TISIDB, cBioPortal, STRING, GSCALite, and CancerSEA. Results: High HELLS expression was found in a variety of cancers and differentially expressed across molecular and immune subtypes. HELLS was involved in many cancer pathways. Its expression positively correlated with Th2 and Tcm cells in most cancers. It also correlated with genetic markers of immunomodulators in various cancers. Conclusions: Our study elucidates the role HELLS plays in promotion, inhibition, and treatment of different cancers. HELLS is a potential cancer diagnostic and prognostic biomarker with immune, targeted, or cytotoxic therapeutic value. This work is a prerequisite to clinical validation and treatment of HELLS in cancers.

Bioinformatics approach to identify common gene signatures of patients with coronavirus 2019 and lung adenocarcinoma.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues as a global pandemic. Patients with lung cancer infected with COVID-19 may develop severe disease or die. Treating such patients severely burdens overwhelmed healthcare systems. Here, we identified potential pathological mechanisms shared between patients with COVID-19 and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Co-expressed, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in patients with COVID-19 and LUAD were identified and used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and to perform enrichment analysis. We used the NetworkAnalyst platform to establish a co-regulatory of the co-expressed DEGs, and we used Spearman's correlation to evaluate the significance of associations of hub genes with immune infiltration and immune checkpoints. Analysis of three datasets identified 112 shared DEGs, which were used to construct a protein-PPI network. Subsequent enrichment analysis revealed co-expressed genes related to biological process (BP), molecular function (MF), and cellular component (CC) as well as to pathways, specific organs, cells, and diseases. Ten co-expressed hub genes were employed to construct a gene-miRNA, transcription factor (TF)-gene, and TF-miRNA network. Hub genes were significantly associated with immune infiltration and immune checkpoints. Finally, methylation level of hub genes in LUAD was obtained via UALCAN database. The present multi-dimensional study reveals commonality in specific gene expression by patients with COVID-19 and LUAD. These findings provide insights into developing strategies for optimising the management and treatment of patients with LUAD with COVID-19.

Low expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related gene SERP1 is associated with poor prognosis and immune infiltration in skin cutaneous melanoma.

Stress-associated endoplasmic reticulum protein 1 (SERP1) is a gene induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and a major contributor to multiple tumor types. Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a highly aggressive and fatal cancer with poor treatment outcomes after progression. In this study, we evaluated SERP1's role in tumorigenesis, prognosis, and immune infiltration in SKCM. Patients with SKCM had low SERP1 expression. We identified differentially expressed genes between high- and low-SERP1 expression groups and conducted functional, pathway, and gene enrichment analyses. Protein-protein (PPI) and gene-gene interaction (GGI) networks were constructed via STRING and GeneMANIA, respectively. SERP1 mutation information was obtained through cBioPortal; location in the skin was identified through the Human Protein Atlas. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed an association between low SERP1 expression and overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), progress-free interval (PFI) rates, and worse prognosis in patients with multiple clinicopathological features. Cox regression analysis and nomograms further presented SERP1 level as an independent prognostic factor for patients with SKCM. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between SERP1 expression and immune infiltrates; thus, low SERP1 expression is associated with immune cell infiltration and can be considered a poor prognostic biomarker in patients with SKCM. Stress-associated endoplasmic reticulum protein 1 (SERP1) is a gene induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and a major contributor to multiple tumor types. Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a highly aggressive and fatal cancer with poor treatment outcomes after progression. In this study, we evaluated SERP1's role in tumorigenesis, prognosis, and immune infiltration in SKCM. Patients with SKCM had low SERP1 expression. We identified differentially expressed genes between high- and low-SERP1 expression groups and conducted functional, pathway, and gene enrichment analyses. Protein-protein (PPI) and gene-gene interaction (GGI) networks were constructed via STRING and GeneMANIA, respectively. SERP1 mutation information was obtained through cBioPortal; location in the skin were identified through the Human Protein Atlas. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed an association between low SERP1 expression and overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), progress-free interval (PFI) rates, and worse prognosis in patients with multiple clinicopathological features. Cox regression analysis and nomograms further presented SERP1 level as an independent prognostic factor for patients with SKCM. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between SERP1 expression and immune infiltrates; thus, low SERP1 expression is associated with immune cell infiltration and can be considered a poor prognostic biomarker in patients with SKCM.

Self-compensation method for dual-beam roll angle measurement of linear stages.

In this paper, a self-compensation method for improving the accuracy of roll angle measurement of a linear stage caused by the non-parallelism of dual-beam due to time-dependent mechanical deformation of the support is proposed and integrated into a 5-DOF sensor to verify the feasibility. The non-parallelism between two laser beams is online real-time monitored by a pair of small autocollimator units. Through the ray-tracing analysis, the method to separate the roll angle of the moving stage and non-parallelism induced roll error is determined. A series of experiments under different supporting forces and ambient conditions have been carried out. The compensated P-V values of the roll angles are all within ±4 arc-sec, no matter how bad the originally measured value of the linear stage is. The average improvement of about 95% is significant. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed measurement system in the changing environment are verified.

Erector spinae plane block for spinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although the erector spinae plane block has been used in various truncal surgical procedures, its clinical benefits in patients undergoing spinal surgery remain controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical benefits of erector spinae plane block in patients undergoing spinal surgery. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trials comparing the erector spinae plane block with a nonblocked control for spinal surgery. RESULTS: Twelve studies encompassing 696 subjects were included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. We found that the erector spinae plane block decreased postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption in the postoperative and intraoperative periods. Moreover, it prolonged the time to the first rescue analgesic, reduced the number of patients who required rescue analgesia, and lowered the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. However, it did not exhibit efficacy in decreasing the incidence of urinary retention and itching or shortening the length of hospital stays, or the time to first ambulation. CONCLUSIONS: Erector spinae plane block improves analgesic efficacy among patients undergoing spinal surgery compared with nonblocked controls; however, there is insufficient evidence regarding the benefits of erector spinae plane block for rapid recovery.

Catechol functionalized ink system and thrombin-free fibrin gel for fabricating cellular constructs with mechanical support and inner micro channels.

The development of 3D bio printing technology has contributed to protocols for the repair and regeneration of tissues in recent years. However, it is still a great challenge to fabricate structures that mimic the complexity of native tissue, including both the biomechanics and microscale internal structure. In this study, a catechol functionalized ink system was developed to produce tough and elastic scaffolds with built-in micro channels that simulate the vascular structure. And a skin model was designed to evaluate the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds. The mechanical support stemmed from the double network based on catechol-hyaluronic acid (HACA) and alginate, the micro channels were generated using sacrificial gelatin. HACA/alginate and gelatin were firstly printed using a 3D extrusion printer. Thrombin-free fibrinogen were then mixed with human dermal fibroblasts and introduced to the printed scaffolds to induce gelation. An immortal human keratinocyte cell line was introduced on top of the cellular construct to mimic the full thickness skin structure. The printed scaffolds demonstrated high elasticity and supported the formation of a double-layered cell-laden skin like structure. The results suggest the 3D printing platform developed here provides a platform for skin regeneration and could be explored further to engineer functional skin tissue by incorporation of other types of cells.

Volatile anesthetics versus intravenous anesthetics for noncardiac thoracic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: We performed this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate two types of anesthetics for noncardiac thoracic surgery regarding their effects on clinical outcomes and the inflammatory response. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We searched Cochrane Library, PubMed and Embase for RCTs comparing volatile anesthetics to intravenous anesthetics for noncardiac thoracic surgery. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: This study reviewed 16 RCTs with 1467 patients. Volatile anesthetics reduced postoperative complications and the length of intensive care unit stay for lung surgery. They also lowered the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the airways of patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery. However, there was no difference in short-term mortality, postoperative complications after esophagectomy, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 or TNF-α concentrations in the blood, IL-10 level in either the airway or the blood, overall monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. CONCLUSIONS: In lung surgery, but not esophagectomy, volatile anesthetics may be a better choice than intravenous anesthetics, possibly because volatile anesthetics reduce airway inflammation.

Hybrid Printing Using Cellulose Nanocrystals Reinforced GelMA/HAMA Hydrogels for Improved Structural Integration.

3D printing of soft-tissue like cytocompatible single material constructs with appropriate mechanical properties remains a challenge. Hybrid printing technology provides an attractive alternative as it combines a cell-free ink for providing mechanical support with a bioink for housing embedded cells. Several hybrid printed structures have been developed, utilizing thermoplastic polymers such as polycaprolactone as structural support. These thermoplastics demonstrated limited structural integration with the cell-laden components, and this may compromise the overall performance. In this work, a hybrid printing platform is presented using two distinct hydrogel inks that share the same photo-crosslinking chemistry to enable simple fabrication and seamless structural integration. A mechanically reinforced hydrogel ink is developed comprising cellulose nanocrystals and gelatin methacryloyl/hyaluronic acid methacrylate (GelMA/HAMA) as the structural component, and GelMA/HAMA as the cytogel containing a mouse chondrogenic cell line, ATDC5. Hybrid printed constructs with encapsulated cells are fabricated using the two optimized inks, and the structural integration of the constructs is evaluated by cyclic mechanical compression. Finally, the cell viability of encapsulated ATDC5 cells in the hybrid printed structures is evaluated.