Apigenin suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition in high glucose-induced retinal pigment epithelial cell by inhibiting CBP/p300-mediated histone acetylation.

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process implicated in the pathogenesis of retinal fibrosis and the exacerbation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) within retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Apigenin (AP), a potential dietary supplement for managing diabetes and its associated complications, has demonstrated inhibitory effects on EMT in various diseases. However, the specific impact and underlying mechanisms of AP on EMT in RPE cells remain poorly understood. In this study, we have successfully validated the inhibitory effects of AP on high glucose-induced EMT in ARPE-19 cells and diabetic db/db mice. Notably, our findings have identified CBP/p300 as a potential therapeutic target for EMT in RPE cells and have further substantiated that AP effectively downregulates the expression of EMT-related genes by attenuating the activity of CBP/p300, consequently reducing histone acetylation alterations within the promoter region of these genes. Taken together, our results provide novel evidence supporting the inhibitory effect of AP on EMT in RPE cells, and highlight the potential of specifically targeting CBP/p300 as a strategy for inhibiting retinal fibrosis in the context of DR.

Prediction of lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer based on radiomics analysis and intraoperative frozen section analysis: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency among the clinical model, the radiomics model and the nomogram that combined radiomics features, frozen section (FS) analysis and clinical characteristics for the prediction of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). METHODS: A total of 208 patients were randomly divided into two groups randomly with a proportion of 7:3 for the training groups (n = 146) and the validation groups (n = 62). The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for the selection of radiomics features extracted from ultrasound (US) images. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to select predictors associated with the status of LN. The clinical model, radiomics model and nomogram were subsequently established by logistic regression machine learning. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the different models. The Delong test was used to compare the AUC of the three models. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis indicated that age, size group, Adler grade, ACR score and the psammoma body group were independent predictors of lymph node metastasis (LNM). The results showed that in both the training and validation groups, the nomogram showed better performance than the clinical model, albeit not statistically significant (p > .05), and significantly outperformed the radiomics model (p < .05). However, the nomogram exhibits a slight improvement in sensitivity that could reduce the incidence of false negatives. CONCLUSION: We propose that the nomogram holds substantial promise as an effective tool for predicting LNM in patients with PTC.

Squamous cell carcinoma arising from chronic osteomyelitis of the femur: A case report.

Although chronic osteomyelitis (COM) affecting the extremities is a frequently occurring disease, the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from COM is rare. Consequently, understanding the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of such a disorder remains limited. In the present study, a case of COM-associated SCC was demonstrated. A 65-year-old woman arrived to the Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital (Guangzhou, China) with multiple sinus tracts and skin ulcers in the distal part of her left thigh, persisting for over 50 years following an open pierce injury by an ox horn. A local biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of COM-related SCC. Although limb amputation was recommended, the female patient declined initially. Instead, the female patient underwent focused debridement and wide resection of the tumor, followed by local implantation of calcium sulfate beads loaded with vancomycin and gentamycin, and application of a rail fixator. A total of 10 months later, the cancer recurred, affecting the osseous tissue. Subsequently, the patient underwent amputation of the thigh. At the one-year follow-up, the patient showed satisfactory recovery without signs of local recurrence. Despite its rarity, the severity of this disorder should not be underestimated. Personalized treatment strategies must be tailored to individual circumstances.

Melatonin, a potentially effective drug for the treatment of infected bone nonunion.

Osteomyelitis (OM), characterized by heterogeneity and complexity in treatment, has a high risk of infection recurrence which may cause limb disability. Management of chronic inactive osteomyelitis (CIOM) without typical inflammatory symptoms is a great challenge for orthopedic surgeons. On the basis of data analysis of 1091 OM cases, we reported that latent osteogenic decline in CIOM patients was the main cause of secondary surgery. Our research shows that impairment of osteoblasts capacity in CIOM patients is associated with ferroptosis of osteoblasts caused by internalization of Staphylococcus aureus. Further studies show that melatonin could alleviate ferroptosis of osteoblasts in infected states through Nox4/ROS/P38 axis and protect the osteogenic ability of CIOM patients. Knockout of NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) in vivo could effectively relieve ferroptosis of osteoblasts in the state of infection and promote osteogenesis. Through a large number of clinical data analyses combined with molecular experiments, this study clarified that occult osteogenic disorders in CIOM patients were related to ferroptosis of osteoblasts. We revealed that melatonin might be a potential therapeutic drug for CIOM patients and provided a new insight for the treatment of OM.

Effects of Dopamine on stem cells and its potential roles in the treatment of inflammatory disorders: a narrative review.

Inflammation is the host's protective response against harmful external stimulation that helps tissue repair and remodeling. However, excessive inflammation seriously threatens the patient's life. Due to anti-inflammatory effects, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and monoclonal antibodies are used to treat various inflammatory diseases, but drug resistance, non-responsiveness, and severe side effect limit their development and application. Therefore, developing other alternative therapies has become essential in anti-inflammatory therapy. In recent years, the in-depth study of stem cells has made them a promising alternative drug for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, and the function of stem cells is regulated by a variety of signals, of which dopamine signaling is one of the main influencing factors. In this review, we review the effects of dopamine on various adult stem cells (neural stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and cancer stem cells) and their signaling pathways, as well as the application of some critical dopamine receptor agonists/antagonists. Besides, we also review the role of various adult stem cells in inflammatory diseases and discuss the potential anti-inflammation function of dopamine receptors, which provides a new therapeutic target for regenerative medicine in inflammatory diseases.

Nitric oxide synthase 2 genetic variation rs2297514 associates with a decreased susceptibility to extremity post-traumatic osteomyelitis in a Chinese Han population.

Background: Previous studies have indicated that nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) genetic variations are involved in delayed fracture healing and fracture non-union. Whether these genetic variants associate with the development of osteomyelitis (OM) remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the potential relationships between NOS2 genetic variations and the risk of developing post-traumatic OM (PTOM) in a Chinese Han population. Methods: Altogether 704 participants, including 336 PTOM patients and 368 healthy controls, were genotyped of rs2297514 and rs2248814 of the NOS2 gene using the SNaPshot genotyping method. Results: Outcomes showed that the frequency of allele C of rs2297514 in the patient group was significantly lower than that in the control group (48.7% vs. 54.5%, P = 0.029, OR = 0.792, 95% CI 0.642 - 0.976). In addition, significant associations were found between rs2297514 and susceptibility to PTOM by the recessive model (P = 0.007, OR = 0.633, 95% CI 0.453 - 0.884), and the homozygous model (P = 0.039, OR = 0.648, 95% CI 0.429 - 0.979). Moreover, patients with the CC genotype of rs2297514 had lower inflammatory biomarkers levels than the TT genotype, especially for the C-reactive protein (CRP) level (median: 4.1 mg/L vs. 8.9 mg/L, P = 0.027). However, no significant relationship was noted between rs2248814 and the risk of developing PTOM. Conclusion: In this Chinese cohort, rs2297514 is correlated with a decreased risk of PTOM development, with genotype CC as a protective factor.

Solute carrier family 11 member 1 genetic polymorphisms rs17235409 and rs3731865 associate with susceptibility to extremity post-traumatic osteomyelitis in a Chinese Han population.

Genetic variations in the solute carrier family 11 member 1 (SLC11A1) gene have been implicated in developing inflammatory disorders. However, it is still unclear whether such polymorphisms contribute to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic osteomyelitis (PTOM). Therefore, this study investigated the roles of genetic variations of the SLC11A1 gene (rs17235409 and rs3731865) in PTOM development in a Chinese Han cohort. The SNaPshot method was used for genotyping 704 participants (336 patients and 368 controls) for rs17235409 and rs3731865. Outcomes revealed that rs17235409 increased the risk of PTOM occurrence by dominant (p = .037, odds ratio [OR] = 1.44) and heterozygous models (p = .035, OR = 1.45), implying AG genotype as a risk factor for PTOM development. In addition, patients with AG genotype had relatively higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers than those with AA and GG genotypes, especially for the white blood cell count and C-reactive protein. Despite no statistically significant differences achieved, rs3731865 may reduce the PTOM susceptibility, suggested by the results of dominant (p = .051, OR = 0.67) and heterozygous (p = .068, OR = 0.69) models. In short, rs17235409 confers an elevated chance of developing PTOM, with AG genotype as a risk factor. Whether rs3731865 involves in the pathogenesis of PTOM requires further investigations.

Seven-layer analysis model of an optical waveguide excitation fluorescence microscopy.

In this paper, an optical waveguide evanescent field fluorescence microscopy is studied. Based on Maxwell's equation, a seven-layer theoretical analysis model is developed for the evaluation of an optical waveguide excitation fluorescence microscopy. The optical waveguide excitation fluorescence microscopy structure is systematically and comprehensively analysed at the wavelengths of 488, 532 and 646 nm for fluorescent dyes. The analysis results provide some useful suggestions, which will be beneficial to the research of an optical waveguide evanescent field fluorescence microscopy.

Revealing the effects of ligands of silver nanoclusters on the interactions between them and ctDNA: Abstraction to visualization.

Silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) have been widely applied in the field of biology, drug therapy and cell imaging in the last decade. In order to study the biosafety of AgNCs, GSH-AgNCs and DHLA-AgNCs were synthesized using glutathione (GSH) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) as ligands, and their interactions with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) from abstraction to visualization were studied. The results of spectroscopy, viscometry and molecular docking demonstrated that GSH-AgNCs mainly bound to ctDNA in a groove mode, while DHLA-AgNCs were both groove and intercalation binding. Fluorescence experiments suggested that the quenching mechanism of both AgNCs to the emission of ctDNA-probe were both in static mode, and thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the main forces between GSH-AgNCs and ctDNA were hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces, while hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces contributed to the binding of DHLA-AgNCs to ctDNA. The binding strength demonstrated that DHLA-AgNCs bound to ctDNA more strongly than that of GSH-AgNCs. The results of circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy reflected small effects of both AgNCs on the structure of ctDNA. This study will support the theoretical foundation for the biosafety of AgNCs and have a guiding significance for the preparation and application of AgNCs.

Affinity binding of COVID-19 drug candidates (chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine) and serum albumin: Based on photochemistry and molecular docking.

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) show good efficacy in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 in the early stage, while they are no longer recommended due to their side effects. As an important drug delivery carrier, serum albumin (SA) is closely related to the efficacy of drugs. Here, the affinity behaviour of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine with two SA were investigated through the multispectral method of biochemistry and computer simulation. The results showed that the intrinsic emission of both SA was quenched by CQ and HCQ in a spontaneous exothermic entropy reduction static process, which relied mainly on hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. The lower binding constants suggested weak binding between the two drugs and SA, which might lead to differences in efficacy and possibly even to varying side effects. Binding site recognition demonstrated that CQ preferred to bind to the two sites of both SA, while HCQ tended to bind to site I of SA. The results of conformational studies demonstrated that CQ and HCQ could affect the structure of both SA by slightly increasing the α-helix content of SA. Finally, we combine the results from experimental start with molecular simulations to suggest drug modifications to guide the design of drugs. This work has important implications for guiding drug design improvements to select CQ derivatives with fewer side effects for the treatment of COVID-19.

Devascularized Bone Surface Culture: A Novel Strategy for Identifying Osteomyelitis-Related Pathogens.

The gold standard for identifying pathogens causing osteomyelitis (OM) is intraoperative tissue sampling culture (TSC). However, its positive rate remains inadequate. Here, we evaluated the efficiency of a novel strategy, known as devitalized bone surface culture (BSC), for detecting OM-related microorganisms and compared it to TSC. Between December 2021 and July 2022, patients diagnosed with OM and received both methods for bacterial identification were screened for analysis. In total, 51 cases were finally recruited for analysis. The mean age was 43.6 years, with the tibia as the top infection site. The positive rate of BSC was relatively higher than that of TSC (74.5% vs. 58.8%, p = 0.093), though no statistical difference was achieved. Both BSC and TSC detected definite pathogens in 29 patients, and their results were in accordance with each other. The most frequent microorganism identified by the BSC method was Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, BSC took a significantly shorter median culture time than TSC (1.0 days vs. 3.0 days, p < 0.001). In summary, BSC may be superior to TSC for identifying OM-associated pathogens, with a higher detectable rate and a shorter culture time.

Single nucleotide variations in the development of diabetic foot ulcer: A narrative review.

Diabetes mellitus has become a global health problem, and the number of patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) is rapidly increasing. Currently, DFU still poses great challenges to physicians, as the treatment is complex, with high risks of infection, recurrence, limb amputation, and even death. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of DFU pathogenesis is of great importance. In this review, we summarized recent findings regarding the DFU development from the perspective of single-nucleotide variations (SNVs). Studies have shown that SNVs located in the genes encoding C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, stromal cell-derived factor-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2, sirtuin 1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, heat shock protein 70, hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha, lysyl oxidase, intelectin 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 14, toll-like receptors, osteoprotegerin, vitamin D receptor, and fibrinogen may be associated with the development of DFU. However, considering the limitations of the present investigations, future multi-center studies with larger sample sizes, as well as in-depth mechanistic research are warranted.

Implant surface culture may be a useful adjunct to standard tissue sampling culture for identification of pathogens accounting for fracture-device-related infection: a within-person randomized agreement study of 42 patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Identification of pathogens causing fracture-device-related infection (FDRI) is always a challenge as the positive rate of standard tissue sampling culture (TSC) remains unsatisfactory. This study evaluates the efficiency of implant surface culture (ISC) as an adjunct to standard TSC for identification of FDRI-associated microorganisms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 2020 and March 2022, patients diagnosed with FDRI defined by the International Fracture-Related Infection (FRI) Consensus Group, and indicated for implant removal, underwent both methods for bacteria detection. The test order of ISC and TSC was randomly selected for each patient included, as a within-person randomized design. For ISC, the recovered implants were gently covered with tryptic soy agar after rinsing with normal saline twice, and then incubated at 37℃ 5% CO2 for up to 14 days. For TSC, 5 specimens were sampled and sent to the Clinical Laboratory of Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, for culture and identification. RESULTS: 42 consecutive patients were included, with a mean age of 46 years. The most frequent infection site and implant type were the tibia (21 cases) and plates with screws (30 cases), respectively. Altogether 21 patients were found with positive outcomes by both methods, and the identified pathogens were consistent. ISC found an additional 15 patients showing positive results, which were negative by TSC. Furthermore, the mean culture time of ISC was shorter than that of TSC (1.5 days vs. 3.2 days). INTERPRETATION: ISC may be a useful adjunct to TSC for detection of bacteria causing FDRI, with a relatively higher positive rate and a shorter culture time.

The therapeutic effect of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on potential biochemical pregnancy in patients with unexplained repeated transplantation failure (RIF): a case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Biochemical pregnancy is a type of embryo transfer failure, patients with unexplained repeated implantation failure (RIF) also have higher biochemical pregnancy rate. Our study intends to evaluate the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients with unexplained RIF with low hCG levels in early pregnancy. METHODS: Unexplained RIF patients with low hCG levels after embryo transfer were allocated. G-CSF were administrated from the ninth days after embryo transfer. Clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and live birth rates were evaluated. RESULTS: The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were 52.5% and 30%. CONCLUSION: G-CSF is an effective treatment for potential biochemical pregnancy in unexplained RIF patients.

Structure-dependent of 3-fluorooxindole derivatives interacting with ctDNA: Binding effects and molecular docking approaches.

3-Fluorooxindole has been shown to be a biologically active structural unit, novel derivative containing 3-fluorooxindole unit has been successfully constructed using 3-fluorooxindole as a substrate in previous work. Here, the interactions between novel 3-fluorooxindole derivatives and ctDNA were explored through molecular docking, multi-spectral and NMR methods, and the dependence of the binding mechanism on the structure was revealed by combined physical chemistry and organic chemistry. Firstly, molecular docking indicated that the planarity of the molecule enhances the binding strength to ctDNA. UV absorption result showed a weak binding effect. Fluorescence spectroscopy suggested the binding mechanism of 3-fluorooxindoles and ctDNA via groove binding. Moreover, the binding mechanism of 3-fluorooxindoles to ctDNA was further confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, viscometry, and CD spectroscopy as groove binding. FT-IR spectroscopy reflected a more obvious disturbance of the phosphate group in the groove region of ctDNA. Electrochemistry was also used to probe the binding strength of 3-fluorooxindoles to ctDNA, and it showed a weak binding strength. From the above study, we concluded that 3-fluorooxindoles bind mainly in the groove region of ctDNA with weak binding strength. This study provides an idea for the activity screening aspect of 3-fluorooxindole derivatives from molecular planarity consideration and relevant information on biophysical and bioorganic aspects for drug development.

Rapid preparation of water-soluble Ag@Au nanoclusters with bright deep-red emission.

Deep-red (λem ∼ 710 nm) thiolated Ag@Au nanoclusters with a quantum yield of ∼18% were rapidly (∼12 min) prepared in aqueous solutions. The effects of pH and silver ions were demonstrated. The surface modification further resulted in nanoclusters with a quantum yield of ∼38%, the highest value ever reported for water-soluble red Au nanoclusters. This will highly facilitate their applications in sensing, bioimaging, etc.

Serum Calcium Level Combined with Platelet Count May Be Useful Indicators for Assisted Diagnosis of Extremity Posttraumatic Osteomyelitis: A Comparative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A previous study had reported that patients with osteomyelitis (OM) appeared to be more likely to develop hypocalcemia before and after surgery. Calcium sulfate (CS) is frequently used as a local antibiotic vehicle in the treatment of OM, which may also affect serum calcium level. However, whether changes of serum calcium level are caused by OM and/or local use of calcium sulfate remains unclear. Also, platelet (PLT) count plays a crucial predictive role in periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs), but its role in assisted diagnosis of OM is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether serum calcium level and PLT count may be helpful in assisted diagnosis of PTOM. METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2018, we analyzed 468 consecutive patients (392 males and 76 females), including 170 patients with posttraumatic OM (PTOM), 130 patients with aseptic bone nonunion (ABN), and 168 patients recovered from fractures with requirement of implant removal set as controls. Preoperative serological levels of calcium, phosphorus, and PLT were detected, and comparisons were conducted among the above three groups. Additionally, correlations and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were displayed to test whether calcium level and PLT can differentiate patients with ABN and PTOM. RESULTS: Outcomes showed that the incidences of asymptomatic hypocalcemia (PTOM vs. ABN vs. controls = 22.94% vs. 6.92% vs. 8.82%, χ 2 = 21.098, P < 0.001) and thrombocytosis (PTOM vs. ABN vs. controls = 35.3% vs. 13.84% vs. 12.35%, χ 2 = 28.512, P < 0.001) were highest in PTOM patients. Besides, the mean serological levels of phosphorus in PTOM and ABN patients were significantly higher than those in the controls (P = 0.007). The Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the ROC curve outcomes revealed that, with the combination of serum calcium level with PLT count, the predictive role was acceptable (AUC 0.730, P < 0.001, 95% CI 0.681-0.780). Also, serological levels of calcium of 2.225 mmol/L and PLT count of 246.5 × 109/L were identified as the optimal cut-off values to distinguish patients with and without PTOM. However, age- and gender-related differences in serum calcium levels (age, P = 0.056; gender, P = 0.978) and PLT count (age, P = 0.363; gender, P = 0.799) were not found to be statistically significant in any groups. In addition, no significant correlations were identified between serum calcium level and PLT count (R = 0.010, P = 0.839). CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic hypocalcemia and thrombocytosis appeared to be more frequent in this cohort with PTOM. Serological levels of calcium and PLT count may be useful biomarkers in screening patients suspected of PTOM.

Interactions between Two Kinds of Gold Nanoclusters and Calf Thymus Deoxyribonucleic Acid: Directions for Preparations to Applications.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have shown promising applications in biotherapy owing to their ultrasmall size and unique molecular-like properties. In order to better guide the preparations and applications of AuNCs, dihydrolipoic acid-protected AuNCs (DHLA-AuNCs) and glutathione-protected AuNCs (GSH-AuNCs) were selected as models and the interactions between them and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were studied in detail. The results showed that there was a small difference in the binding mechanisms and forces between both AuNCs and ctDNA. The quenching mechanisms of both AuNCs to (ctDNA-HO) were completely different. The binding constants indicated that the binding strength between DHLA-AuNCs and ctDNA was greater than those of GSH-AuNCs. The conformation investigations showed that GSH-AuNCs had a greater impact on the conformation of ctDNA, and both AuNCs were more inclined to interact with the A-T base pairs of ctDNA. These results indicate that the surface ligand had a significant effect on the interactions between AuNCs and DNA and might also further affect the applications of AuNCs, and these results could guide the preparations of AuNCs. For DHLA-AuNCs, their good biocompatibility made them a potential candidate for application in imaging, drug treatment, sensing, and so on. The resulting base accumulation of ctDNA and weak interactions made GSH-AuNCs have great potential for application in gene therapy, which was consistent with the current reports on the applications of these two AuNCs. This work has pointed out the directions for the preparations and applications of AuNCs.

Inhibition of SDF-1/CXCR4 Axis to Alleviate Abnormal Bone Formation and Angiogenesis Could Improve the Subchondral Bone Microenvironment in Osteoarthritis.

The pathogenesis of the osteoarthritis (OA) is complex. Abnormal subchondral bone metabolism is an important cause of this disease. Further understanding on the pathology of the subchondral bone in OA may provide a new therapy. This research is about to investigate the role of SDF-1 in the subchondral bone during the pathological process of OA. In vitro, Transwell was used to test the migratory ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Western blot presented the protein level after SDF-1 treatment in BMSCs and HUVESs. Alizarin red was used to assess the ability of osteogenic differentiation. To inhibit SDF-1 signaling pathway in vivo, AMD3100 (SDF-1 receptor blocker) was continuously delivered via miniosmotic pump for 4 weeks in mice after performing anterior cruciate ligament transaction surgery. Micro-CT, histology staining, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and TRAP staining were used to assess the role of SDF-1 on osteogenesis and angiogenesis in the subchondral bone. Our results showed that SDF-1 could recruit BMSCs, activate the p-ERK pathway, and enhance osteogenic differentiation. SDF-1 promoted the ability of proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs by activating the ERK and AKT signaling pathways. In an animal study, inhibition of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis could significantly reduce subchondral osteogenesis differentiation and H-type vessel formation. Furthermore, the AMD3100-treated group showed less cartilage destruction and bone resorption. Our research shows that SDF-1 alters the microenvironment of the subchondral bone by promoting osteoid islet formation and abnormal H-type angiogenesis in the subchondral bone, resulting in articular cartilage degeneration.

Preparation of graphene quantum dots with glycine as nitrogen source and its interaction with human serum albumin.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) could be regarded as graphene with a lateral dimension less than 100 nm. Compared with graphene, GQDs not only possess the excellent properties of graphene but also have been proven to have low toxicity, high fluorescence stability, strong water solubility, as well as better biocompatibility. In this work, an amide bond-based, N-doped graphene quantum dot was synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. When the reaction time was 4 h and the temperature was 180°C, fluorescence excitation and emission peaks of the product were 340 nm and 450 nm, respectively. Its interaction with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated using spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis, and molecular simulation. Gel electrophoresis showed that the product did not cause complete scission of the peptide chain in HSA, indicating good biocompatibility. The results of molecular docking showed that the product tended to bind to site III of HSA. This paper provides a meaningful reference for design and development in nanomedicine.