Pre-programmable pneumatic actuator: leveraging mechanical anisotropy of nonwoven fabrics with an integrated tensile sensor.

The emergence of flexible fabric-based pneumatic actuators (FPAs) with pre-programmable motion capabilities, enhanced security and versatile interaction features significantly advances the construction of sophisticated soft robotic systems, owing to their enhanced security and versatile interaction features. Despite these promising attributes, the commercial viability of FPA products faces a considerable amount of challenges, primarily stemming from the scarcity of highly deformable fabric structures and the availability of industrial fabrication approaches. Taking inspiration from the anisotropic nature of lobster antennae, we propose a scalable and economical strategy to fabricate functional FPAs using nonwoven fabric material with superior mechanical anisotropy. This innovative method involves the adoption of tunable inelastic constrained wires sewn onto extensible nonwoven fabrics with regular wrinkles. This nonwoven fabric-based pneumatic actuator (NFPA) demonstrates specific motion profiles with curvature of over 0.6 cm-1 and output forces of over 140 cN under adjustable pressure conditions. Guided by the constrained wire combinations, NFPA enables diverse programmable motions like spiraling, assistance, and grasping. Furthermore, NFPA incorporated with specific sensors exhibits significant potential in wearable devices with real-time environmental detection for rehabilitation applications. Our work contributes a distinctive insight into the design of programmable NFPAs and enlightens an arena toward versatile soft robotic applications.

Long-term Follow-up of Implant Installation Following Multiple Distraction Osteogenesis in Maxillofacial Gunshot Wounds.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a reconstruction technique developed in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery and plastic surgery, addressing both vertical and horizontal bone deficiencies and enhancing soft tissue volume to facilitate subsequent dental implant placement. In this treatment method, devices are placed to stretch the bone gradually to stimulate the formation of new bone, effectively filling the existing defect to treat maxillofacial deformities or repair posttraumatic injuries. This case report presents an almost 20-year long-term follow-up of jaw defect reconstruction resulting from a gunshot injury, using DO with multiple distractors. Details on the frequency, period of DO, and subsequent implant installation in the distracted anterior jaw area are outlined. This case exhibits DO treatments that reconstructed effectively severe bone defects in the jaws. The quality of bone generated during the DO process was both functionally and esthetically satisfactory for subsequent implant rehabilitation.

A 10-year follow-up study on clinical outcomes of dental implant rehabilitation using surgical guide.

Objectives: The surgical guide is a static computer-assisted device used for implant surgery planning and guidance. By taking an impression and referring to the patients' three-dimensional computed tomography scan of the desired implant site, a surgical guide can be created. During surgery, the surgical guide aids in achieving the designed implant placement position and direction. We examined and evaluated the long-term clinical outcomes of implant surgery using surgical guides. Materials and Methods: This study investigated a total of 15 patients with 32 implants that were placed using surgical guides from 2009 to 2011 with a mean follow-up period extended beyond 10 years. Patient demographics and implant survival rates were recorded. We analyzed marginal bone loss (MBL) by assessing the radiographs acquired at installation, three months after installation, and one month, one, two, and five years after prosthesis delivery. Results: The mean patient age was 57.33 years at implant placement. Of the 32 implants, five implants were placed in the anterior region and 27 implants were in the posterior region. Six implants failed and three of them were replaced, resulting in an 81.25% survival rate. The mean follow-up period was 10 years and nine months. Mean MBL compared to post-installation was significantly higher than at three months after installation, and one month, one, two, and five years after prosthesis delivery. Mean MBL at three months after installation, and one month, one year, and two years were significantly higher compared to the previous visit (P<0.05). However, MBL at five years after prosthesis delivery did not differ significantly compared to at two years. Conclusion: In this study, implant rehabilitation assisted by surgical guides exhibited favorable survival rates. With the limitation of the sample amount in this study, further research and more samples are required to evaluate the long-term clinical effectiveness of surgical guides.

Industrially Scalable Textile Sensing Interfaces for Extended Artificial Tactile and Human Motion Monitoring without Compromising Comfort.

Smart wearables with the capability for continuous monitoring, perceiving, and understanding human tactile and motion signals, while ensuring comfort, are highly sought after for intelligent healthcare and smart life systems. However, concurrently achieving high-performance tactile sensing, long-lasting wearing comfort, and industrialized fabrication by a low-cost strategy remains a great challenge. This is primarily due to critical research gaps in novel textile structure design for seamless integration with sensing elements. Here, an all-in-one biaxial insertion knit architecture is reported to topologically integrate sensing units within double-knit loops for the fabrication of a large-scale tactile sensing textile by using low-cost industrial manufacturing routes. High sensitivity, stability, and low hysteresis of arrayed sensing units are achieved through engineering of fractal structures of hierarchically patterned piezoresistive yarns via blistering and twisting processing. The as-prepared tactile sensing textiles show desirable sensing performance and robust mechanical property, while ensuring excellent conformability, tailorability, breathability (288 mm s-1), and moisture permeability (3591 g m-2 per day) for minimizing the effect on wearing comfort. The multifunctional applications of tactile sensing textiles are demonstrated in continuously monitoring human motions, tactile interactions with the environment, and recognizing biometric gait. Moreover, we also demonstrate that machine learning-assisted sensing textiles can accurately predict body postures, which holds great promise in advancing the development of personalized healthcare robotics, prosthetics, and intelligent interaction devices.

Lipocalin-2 promotes adipose-macrophage interactions to shape peripheral and central inflammatory responses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence suggests that dysfunctional adipose tissue (AT) plays a major role in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common immune-mediated and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. However, the contribution of adipose tissue to the etiology and progression of MS is still obscure. This study aimed at deciphering the responses of AT in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the best characterized animal model of MS. RESULTS AND METHODS: We observed a significant AT loss in EAE mice at the onset of disease, with a significant infiltration of M1-like macrophages and fibrosis in the AT, resembling a cachectic phenotype. Through an integrative and multilayered approach, we identified lipocalin2 (LCN2) as the key molecule released by dysfunctional adipocytes through redox-dependent mechanism. Adipose-derived LCN2 shapes the pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype, and the genetic deficiency of LCN2 specifically in AT reduced weight loss as well as inflammatory macrophage infiltration in spinal cord in EAE mice. Mature adipocytes downregulating LCN2 reduced lipolytic response to inflammatory stimuli (e.g. TNFα) through an ATGL-mediated mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: Overall data highlighted a role LCN2 in exacerbating inflammatory phenotype in EAE model, suggesting a pathogenic role of dysfunctional AT in MS.

Sex Differences in Adiposity and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Body fat distribution is a well-established predictor of adverse medical outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. Studying body fat distribution sheds insights into the causes of obesity and provides valuable information about the development of various comorbidities. Compared to total adiposity, body fat distribution is more closely associated with risks of cardiovascular diseases. The present review specifically focuses on the sexual dimorphism in body fat distribution, the biological clues, as well as the genetic traits that are distinct from overall obesity. Understanding the sex determinations on body fat distribution and adiposity will aid in the improvement of the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Lipocalin-2 Variants and Their Relationship With Cardio-Renal Risk Factors.

Objectives: To investigate the serum, plasma and urine levels of lipocalin-2 (LCN2) variants in healthy humans and their associations with risk factors for cardiometabolic (CMD) and chronic kidney (CKD) diseases. Methods: Fifty-nine males and 41 females participated in the study. Blood and urine were collected following an overnight fasting. LCN2 variants were analyzed using validated in-house ELISA kits. Heart rate, blood pressure, lipids profile, glucose, adiponectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), creatinine, cystatin C, and biomarkers for kidney function were assessed. Results: The levels of hLcn2, C87A and R81E in serum and urine, but not plasma, were significantly higher in men than women. Increased levels of LCN2 variants, as well as their relative ratios, in serum and plasma were positively associated with body mass index, blood pressure, triglyceride and hsCRP (P<0.05). No significant correlations were found between these measures and hLcn2, C87A or R81E in urine. However, LCN2 variants in urine, but not plasma or serum, were correlated with biomarkers of kidney function (P<0.05). Conclusions: Both the serum and plasma levels of LCN2 variants, as well as their ratios are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, whereas those in urine are correlated with renal dysfunction. LCN2 variants represent promising biomarkers for CMD and CKD.

Anti-diabetic Role of Adropin in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats via Alteration of PI3K/Akt and Insulin Signaling Pathway.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hyperglycemia-related multifactorial condition with an elevated risk of microvascular and microvascular complications associated with this disease. The current experimental study was to examine the antidiabetic activity of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced adropin against diabetic rats by altering the PI3K/Akt and insulin signaling pathways. STZ (60 mg/kg) was used for the induction of DM and rats were divided into different groups and received the adropin (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) and glibenclamide (10 mg/kg) till 28 days. Body weight, plasma insulin, blood glucose and food intake were estimated, respectively. Biochemical enzymes, carbohydrate enzymes, lipid parameters, AMPK and insulin signalling pathway parameters were estimated. GLUT4 and PPARγ expression were also estimated. Oral administration of adropin significantly (p < 0.001) increased the glycogen, glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase, insulin, hexokinase and belittled the blood glucose level, fructose 1-6-biphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase at dose dependent manner. Adropin significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the level of triglyceride, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein and increased the level of high density lipoprotein at dose dependent manner. Adropin significantly (p < 0.001) activated the Akt, IRS-2, IRS-1, IR, p-AKT and PI3k, which are the key modulator molecules of PI3K/Akt, AMPK and insulin signalling pathway in DM rats. The current experimental study confirms the anti-diabetic effect of adropin on DM rats induced by AMPK and insulin signalling pathway against STZ.

Expansion and inflammation of white adipose tissue - focusing on adipocyte progenitors.

Adipose tissue is an important organ in our body, participating not only in energy metabolism but also immune regulation. It is broadly classified as white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissues. WAT is highly heterogeneous, composed of adipocytes, various immune, progenitor and stem cells, as well as the stromal vascular populations. The expansion and inflammation of WAT are hallmarks of obesity and play a causal role in the development of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The primary event triggering the inflammatory expansion of WAT remains unclear. The present review focuses on the role of adipocyte progenitors (APS), which give rise to specialized adipocytes, in obesity-associated WAT expansion, inflammation and fibrosis.

Five Silkworm 30K Proteins Are Involved in the Cellular Immunity against Fungi.

BACKGROUND: 30K proteins are a major group of nutrient storage proteins in the silkworm hemolymph. Previous studies have shown that 30K proteins are involved in the anti-fungal immunity; however, the molecular mechanism involved in this immunity remains unclear. METHODS: We investigated the transcriptional expression of five 30K proteins, including BmLP1, BmLP2, BmLP3, BmLP4, and BmLP7. The five recombinant 30K proteins were expressed in an Escherichia coli expression system, and used for binding assays with fungal cells and hemocytes. RESULTS: The transcriptional expression showed that the five 30K proteins were significantly upregulated after injection of pathogen-associated molecular patterns to the fifth instar larvae, indicating the possibility of their involvement in immune response. The binding assay showed that only BmLP1 and BmLP4 can bind to both fungal cells and silkworm hemocytes. Furthermore, we found that BmLP1-coated and BmLP4-coated agarose beads promote encapsulation of hemocytes in vitro. The hemocyte encapsulation was blocked when the BmLP1-coated beads were preincubated with BmLP1 specific polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that 30K proteins are involved in the cellular immunity of silkworms by acting as pattern recognition molecules to directly recruit hemocytes to the fungal surface.