Liquid crystal biosensors are based on changes in the orientation of liquid crystal molecules induced by specific bonding events of biomolecules. These biosensors are expected to serve as a promising ...system to detect biomolecules, biomolecular activity, and even small chemical molecules because they are inexpensive, sensitive, simple, effective, and portable. Herein, we introduce the principle and fabrication of liquid crystal biosensors and review the research progress in signal-amplified technology for liquid crystal sensing and its application in the detection of viruses, bacteria, proteins, nucleic acids, and small chemical molecules. In addition, the current theoretical and practical issues related to liquid crystal biosensors were investigated.
The excellent properties of metallic glass (MG) films make them perfect candidates for the use in miniature systems and tools. However, their high coefficients of friction (COFs) and poor wear ...resistance considerably limit their long-term performance in nanoscale contact. We report the fabrication of a MG/graphene multilayer by the repeated deposition of Cu
50
Zr
50
MG with alternating layers of graphene. The microstructure of the multilayer was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Its mechanical and nanotribological properties were studied by nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests, respectively. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that the addition of graphene endowed the MG with superelastic recovery, which reduced friction during nanoscratching. In comparison with the monolithic MG film, the multilayer exhibited improved wear resistance and a low COF in repeated nanowear tests owing to the enhanced mechanical properties and lubricating effect caused by the graphene layer. This work is expected to motivate the design of other novel MG films with excellent nanowear properties for engineering applications.
Severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) were considered as relative or even absolute contraindication for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty and these relevant reports are very ...limited. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of vertebroplasty with high-viscosity cement and conventional kyphoplasty in managing severe OVCFs. 37 patients of severe OVCFs experiencing vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty were reviewed and divided into two groups, according to the procedural technique, 18 in high-viscosity cement percutaneous vertebroplasty (hPVP) group and 19 in conventional percutaneous kyphoplasty (cPKP) group. The operative time, and injected bone cement volume were recorded. Anterior vertebral height (AVH), Cobb angle and cement leakage were also evaluated in the radiograph. The rate of cement leakage was lower in hPVP group, compared with cPKP group (16.7% vs 47.4%, P = 0.046). The patients in cPKP group achieved more improvement in AVH and Cobb angle than those in hPVP group postoperatively (37.2 ± 7.9% vs 43.0 ± 8.9% for AVH, P = 0.044; 15.5 ± 4.7 vs 12.7 ± 3.3, for Cobb angle, P = 0.042). At one year postoperatively, there was difference observed in AVH between two groups (34.1 ± 7.4 vs 40.5 ± 8.7 for hPVP and cPKP groups, P = 0.021), but no difference was found in Cobb angle (16.6 ± 5.0 vs 13.8 ± 3.8, P = 0.068). Similar cement volume was injected in two groups (2.9 ± 0.5 ml vs 2.8 ± 0.6 ml, P = 0.511). However, the operative time was 37.8 ± 6.8 min in the hPVP group, which was shorter than that in the cPKP group (43.8 ± 8.2 min, P = 0.021). In conclusion, conventional PKP achieved better in restoring anterior vertebral height and improving kyphotic angle, but PVP with high-viscosity cement had lower rate of cement leakage and shorter operative time with similar volume of injected cement.
Accumulating evidence demonstrates that estrogen receptor α (ERα) and microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, the specific miRNA that related with ...ERα during IDD development remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to explore the role of ERα-related miRNA in the IDD model. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were isolated from IDD patients. ERα-related miRNAs were selected and verified in NP tissues from IDD patients using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Also, the related cytokine mRNA levels were detected by qRT-PCR. Protein levels were determined by Western blot. The concentrations of inflammatory cytokines in culture supernatants were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MiR-203-3p was found to be upregulated in NP tissues of high-grade IDD patients compared with low-grade IDD patients, and negatively associated with ERα expression. MiR-203-3p directly targeted ERα in NP cells of IDD patients. After lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation, miR-203-3p expression increased, while ERα expression decreased in NP cells. MiR-203-3p inhibition suppressed the effect of LPS on ERα expression and IDD related genes, while ERα downregulation rescued the effect of LPS. In conclusion, suppression the expression of miR-203-3p could inhibit LPS-induced human intervertebral disc inflammation and degeneration through upregulating ERα.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR), with increasing incidence, is the major cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide in working-age adults. Diabetic macular edema (DME) remains the main cause of vision ...impairment in diabetic patients, with its pathogenesis still not completely elucidated. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of DR and DME. Currently, intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents remains as the first-line therapy in DME treatment due to the superior anatomic and functional outcomes. However, some patients do not respond satisfactorily to anti-VEGF injections. More than 30% patients still exist with persistent DME even after regular intravitreal injection for at least 4 injections within 24 weeks, suggesting other pathogenic factors, beyond VEGF, might contribute to the pathogenesis of DME. Recent advances showed nearly all the retinal cells are involved in DR and DME, including breakdown of blood-retinal barrier (BRB), drainage dysfunction of Müller glia and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), involvement of inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration, all complicating the pathogenesis of DME. The profound understanding of the changes in proteomics and metabolomics helps improve the elucidation of the pathogenesis of DR and DME and leads to the identification of novel targets, biomarkers and potential therapeutic strategies for DME treatment. The present review aimed to summarize the current understanding of DME, the involved molecular mechanisms, and the changes in proteomics and metabolomics, thus to propose the potential therapeutic recommendations for personalized treatment of DME.
Physiological function and metabolic regulation are the most important outputs of circadian clock controls in mammals. Mitochondrial respiration and ROS production show rhythmic activity. ...Mitochondrial carriers, which are responsible for mitochondrial substance transfer, are vital for mitochondrial metabolism. Clock (Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput) is the first core circadian gene identified in mammalian animals. However, whether CLOCK protein can regulate mitochondrial functions via mitochondrial carriers is unclear. Here, we showed that CLOCK can bind to the mitochondrial carrier SLC25A10. For further analysis, we established a Slc25a10−/−-Hepa1-6 cell line using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Slc25a10−/−-Hepa1-6 cells showed disordered glucose homeostasis, increased oxidative stress levels, and damaged electron transport chains. Next, using an immunoprecipitation assay, we found that amino acids 43–84 and 169–210 in SLC25A10 are key sites that respond to CLOCK binding. Finally, forced expression of wild-type SLC25A10 in Slc25a10−/−-Hepa1-6 cells could compensate for the loss of SLC25A10; the decreased glucose metabolism, severe oxidative stress and damaged electron transport chain were recovered. In addition, a mutant Slc25a10 with changes in two key sites did not show a rescue effect. In conclusion, we identified a new protein-protein interaction mechanism in which CLOCK can directly regulate cell metabolism via the mitochondrial membrane transporter SLC25A10. Our study might provide some new insights into the relationship between circadian clock and mitochondrial metabolism.
•The mitochondrial membrane carrier SLC25A10 can be regulated by circadian protein CLOCK.•Amino acids 43–84 and 169–210 of SLC25A10 are the elements binding to CLOCK.•CLOCK interacts with the MC protein SLC25A10 and hence keeps the glucose homeostasis.•CLOCK is able to acetylate SLC25A10.•Severe oxidative stress and disordered energy metabolism are induced when CLOCK loses control of SLC25A10.
In this work, the thiol-ene click chemistry method was successfully used to synthesize saponite grafted poly (methyl methacrylate), namely g-Sap@PMMA. The optimum reaction parameters of g-Sap@PMMA ...were sifted via orthogonal experiments and range analysis as follows: the mass ratio of g-Sap, 2, 2’-azobis (2-methylpropionitrile), and tetramethylammonium fluoride of 0.5: 0.03: 0.4, the reaction time of 10 h and the reaction temperature of 60 °C. Moreover, poly (L-lactide) (PLA) based nanocomposites were prepared with g-Sap@PMMA as fillers by melt intercalation. Subsequently, the mechanical and rheological properties of PLA/g-Sap@PMMA nanocomposites were investigated, which confirmed that 0.5 wt% g-Sap@PMMA as a critical addition improved the impact strength and elongation at break of PLA/g-Sap@PMMA nanocomposites to 16.0 kJ/m
2
and 64.3%, respectively. In addition, the crystallization behavior of PLA/g-Sap@PMMA nanocomposites were soundly explored with the Rheonaut technology. The analysis of characteristic carbonyl group and corresponding storage modulus demonstrated that g-Sap@PMMA facilitated the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of PLA. Meanwhile, isothermal crystallization showed that half crystallization time of PLA/g-Sap@PMMA (0.5 wt%) nanocomposites were decreased to 28.1 min compared with pure PLA (66.9 min). Finally, the screw shear induces crystallization results showed that the addition of g-Sap@PMMA could actually accelerate the crystallization behavior of PLA in real production environment.
Microglial activation and melatonin protection have been reported in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Whether melatonin could regulate microglia to protect the inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) remains ...unknown. In this study, the role of microglia in iBRB breakdown and the mechanisms of melatonin's regulation on microglia were explored. In diabetic rat retinas, activated microglia proliferated and migrated from the inner retina to the outer retina, accompanied by the obvious morphological changes. Meanwhile, significant leakage of albumin was evidenced at the site of close interaction between activated microglia and the damaged pericytes and endothelial cells.
, inflammation-related cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-1β, and arginase-1 (Arg-1), were increased significantly in CoCl
-treated BV2 cells. The supernatant derived from CoCl
-treated BV2 cells significantly decreased the cell viability and disrupted the junctional proteins in both pericytes and endothelial cells, resulting in severe leakage. Melatonin suppressed the microglial overactivation, i.e., decreasing the cell number and promoting its anti-inflammatory properties in diabetic rat retinas. Moreover, the leakage of iBRB was alleviated and the pericyte coverage was restored after melatonin treatment.
, when treated with melatonin in CoCl
-treated BV2 cells, the inflammatory factors were decreased, while the anti-inflammatory factors were increased, further reducing the pericyte loss and increasing the tight junctions. Melatonin deactivated microglia
inhibition of PI3K/Akt/Stat3/NF-κB signaling pathways, thus maintaining the integrity of iBRB. The present data support a causal role for activated microglia in iBRB breakdown and highlight the therapeutic potential of melatonin in the treatment of DR by regulating microglia.
The use of an ultrasound-guided technique for radial arterial catheterization has not been well established in pediatric patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the ...efficacy of the ultrasound-guided technique for radial artery catheterization in pediatric populations.
A systematic review of PubMed, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane library was performed from their date of inception to December 2019. In this meta-analysis, we conducted online searches using the search terms "ultrasonography," "ultrasonics," "ultrasound-guided," "ultrasound," "radial artery," "radial arterial," "catheter," "cannula," and "catheterization." The rate of the first-attempt and total success, mean attempts to success, mean time to success, and incidence of complications (hematomas) were extracted. Data analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3.5.
From 7 relevant studies, 558 radial artery catheterizations were enrolled, including 274 ultrasound-guided and 284 palpation catheterizations. The ultrasound-guided technique could significantly improve the rate of first-attempt and total success (RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.46 to 2.18, P < 0.00001; RR 1.33; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.48; P < 0.00001). However, there was significant heterogeneity for the total success rate among the included studies (I
= 67%). The ultrasound-guided radial artery catheterization was also associated with less mean attempts and mean time to success (WMD - 1.13, 95% CI - 1.58 to - 0.69; WMD - 72.97 s, 95% CI - 134.41 to - 11.52) and lower incidence of the hematomas (RR 0.17, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.41).
The use of the ultrasound-guided technique could improve the success rate of radial arterial catheterization and reduce the incidence of hematomas in pediatric patients. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously due to the heterogeneity among the studies.
Lung nodule classification is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases. However, selecting appropriate metrics to evaluate classifier performance is challenging, due to the prevalence ...of negative samples over positive ones, resulting in imbalanced datasets. This imbalance often necessitates the augmentation of positive samples to train powerful models effectively. Furthermore, specific medical tasks require tailored augmentation methods, the effectiveness of which merits further exploration based on task objectives. This study conducted a detailed analysis of commonly used metrics in lung nodule detection, examining their characteristics and selecting suitable metrics based on this analysis and our experimental findings. The selected metrics were then applied to assessing different combinations of image augmentation techniques for nodule classification. Ultimately, the most effective metric was identified, leading to the determination of the most advantageous augmentation method combinations.
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