Delayed wound healing has a profound impact on patients, healthcare, and society. Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) gel, as a preparation for regenerative medicine, has proven to be of clinical value in ...various wound treatments. Nevertheless, its weak mechanical properties and consequent burst release effect have restricted its application and efficacy. Here, an engineered PRP dual‐network hydrogel (named DN gel) based on sodium alginate is constructed through a simple “one‐step” activation process. Its improved gelling property and sustained release of growth factors may be beneficial for clinical use. Evaluations in rats indicate that DN gel promote wound healing in terms of rapid re‐epithelialization, up‐regulated growth factor levels and early transitions in the wound healing and angiogenesis stages. As a proof of concept, DN gel also exhibits superior healing efficiency in a porcine wound model. These results demonstrate the great potential of transforming this hydrogel into the next generation of PRP‐based bioactive wound dressing.
An engineered platelet‐rich plasma dual‐network hydrogel based on sodium alginate is constructed through a simple “one‐step” activation process. The designed hydrogel presents improved mechanical and release properties, thereby supporting clinical practice and satisfying clinical requirements. Experimental results in rat and pig full‐thickness wound models show that this hydrogel exhibits superb healing efficiency in terms of re‐epithelialization, growth factor levels, and angiogenesis.
Development of advanced wound dressing materials with rapid healing rates is in urgent demand for wound cares. A suitable microenvironment will promote cell proliferation and migration, which ...benefits to early wound healing and prevents inflammations and scars. In this work, N‐carboxymethyl chitosan‐ and alginate‐based hydrogels are prepared via both electrostatic interaction and divalent chelation with epidermal growth factor (EGF) payload to promote the cell proliferation and wound healing. The dual‐crosslinked hydrogels are investigated in terms of rheology, water retention ability, and the release rate of EGF. Moreover, such amorphous hydrogel can promote cell proliferation and accelerate wound healing. The present study demonstrates that dual‐crosslinked polysaccharide hydrogels are promising in wound care management.
An N‐carboxymethyl chitosan‐ and alginate‐based dual‐crosslinked amorphous polysaccharide hydrogel with epidermal growth factor payload is prepared through dual electrostatic interaction and divalent chelation. The suitable mechanical properties, good water retention ability and sufficient loading, and release of epidermal growth factor behavior impart the hydrogel with accelerated wound healing efficiency in an animal scald wound model.
During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), consistent and considerable differences in disease severity and mortality rate of patients treated in Hubei province compared to those in ...other parts of China have been observed. We sought to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients being treated inside and outside Hubei province, and explore the factors underlying these differences.
Collaborating with the National Health Commission, we established a retrospective cohort to study hospitalised COVID-19 cases in China. Clinical characteristics, the rate of severe events and deaths, and the time to critical illness (invasive ventilation or intensive care unit admission or death) were compared between patients within and outside Hubei. The impact of Wuhan-related exposure (a presumed key factor that drove the severe situation in Hubei, as Wuhan is the epicentre as well the administrative centre of Hubei province) and the duration between symptom onset and admission on prognosis were also determined.
At the data cut-off (31 January 2020), 1590 cases from 575 hospitals in 31 provincial administrative regions were collected (core cohort). The overall rate of severe cases and mortality was 16.0% and 3.2%, respectively. Patients in Hubei (predominantly with Wuhan-related exposure, 597 (92.3%) out of 647) were older (mean age 49.7
44.9 years), had more cases with comorbidity (32.9%
19.7%), higher symptomatic burden, abnormal radiologic manifestations and, especially, a longer waiting time between symptom onset and admission (5.7
4.5 days) compared with patients outside Hubei. Patients in Hubei (severe event rate 23.0%
11.1%, death rate 7.3%
0.3%, HR (95% CI) for critical illness 1.59 (1.05-2.41)) have a poorer prognosis compared with patients outside Hubei after adjusting for age and comorbidity. However, among patients outside Hubei, the duration from symptom onset to hospitalisation (mean 4.4
4.7 days) and prognosis (HR (95%) 0.84 (0.40-1.80)) were similar between patients with or without Wuhan-related exposure. In the overall population, the waiting time, but neither treated in Hubei nor Wuhan-related exposure, remained an independent prognostic factor (HR (95%) 1.05 (1.01-1.08)).
There were more severe cases and poorer outcomes for COVID-19 patients treated in Hubei, which might be attributed to the prolonged duration of symptom onset to hospitalisation in the epicentre. Future studies to determine the reason for delaying hospitalisation are warranted.
Organic/inorganic nanohybrids have attracted widespread interests due to their favorable properties and promising applications in biomedical areas. Great efforts have been made to design and ...fabricate versatile nanohybrids. Among different organic components, diverse polymers offer unique avenues for multifunctional systems with collective properties. This review focuses on the design, properties, and biomedical applications of organic/inorganic nanohybrids fabricated from inorganic nanoparticles and polymers. We begin with a brief introduction to a variety of strategies for the fabrication of functional organic/inorganic nanohybrids. Then the properties and functions of nanohybrids are discussed, including properties from organic and inorganic parts, synergistic properties, morphology-dependent properties, and self-assembly of nanohybrids. After that, current situations of nanohybrids applied for imaging, therapy, and imaging-guided therapy are demonstrated. Finally, we discuss the prospect of organic/inorganic nanohybrids and highlight the challenges and opportunities for the future investigations.
Cationic photosensitizers have good binding ability with negatively charged bacteria and fungi, exhibiting broad applications potential in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). However, cationic ...photosensitizers often display unsatisfactory transkingdom selectivity between mammalian cells and pathogens, especially for eukaryotic fungi. It is unclear which biomolecular sites are more efficient for photodynamic damage, owing to the lack of systematic research with the same photosensitizer system. Herein, a series of cationic aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) derivatives (CABs) (using berberine (BBR) as the photosensitizers core) with different length alkyl chains are successfully designed and synthesized for flexible modulation of cellular activities. The BBR core can efficiently produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and achieve high‐performance aPDT . Through the precise regulation of alkyl chain length, different bindings, localizations, and photodynamic killing effects of CABs are achieved and investigated systematically among bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. It is found that intracellular active substances, not membranes, are more efficient damage sites of aPDT. Moderate length alkyl chains enable CABs to effectively kill Gram‐negative bacteria and fungi with light, while still maintaining excellent mammalian cell and blood compatibility. This study is expected to provide systematic theoretical and strategic research guidance for the construction of high‐performance cationic photosensitizers with good transkingdom selectivity.
A series of cationic aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) derivatives (CABs) with berberine (BBR) cores with different length alkyl chains are successfully designed for different binding, localization, and photodynamic killing effects among bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. Moderate length alkyl chains enable CABs to effectively kill Gram‐negative bacteria and fungi with light, while still maintaining excellent mammalian cell and blood compatibility.
Because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and unique bioactive properties, polysaccharides have been recognized and directly applied as excellent candidates for various biomedical ...applications. In order to introduce more functionalities onto polysaccharides, various modification methods were applied to improve the physical-chemical and biochemical properties. Grafting polysaccharides with functional polymers with limited reaction sites maximizes the structural integrity. To the best of our knowledge, great efforts have been made by scientists across the world, including our research group, to explore different strategies for the synthesis and design of controllable polymer-grafted polysaccharides. By the application of some reasonable strategies, a series of polymer-grafted polysaccharides with satisfactory biocharacteristics were obtained. The first strategy involves facile modification of polysaccharides with living radical polymerization (LRP). Functionalized polysaccharides with diverse grafts can be flexibly and effectively achieved. The introduced grafts include cationic components for nuclei acid delivery, PEGylated and zwitterionic moieties for shielding effects, and functional species for bioimaging applications as well as bioresponsive drug release applications. The second synthetic model refers to biodegradable polymer-grafted polysaccharides prepared by ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Inspired by pathways to introduce initiation sites onto polysaccharides, the use of amine-functionalized polysaccharides was explored in-depth to trigger ROP of amino acids. A series of poly(amino acid)-grafted polysaccharides with advanced structures (including linear, star-shaped, and comb-shaped copolymers) were developed to study and optimize the structural effects. In addition, biodegradable polyester-grafted polysaccharides were prepared and utilized for drug delivery. Another emerging strategy was to design polysaccharide-based assemblies with supramolecular structures. A variety of assembly techniques using non-covalent interactions were established to construct different types of polysaccharide-based assemblies with various bioapplications. On the basis of these strategies, polymer-grafted polysaccharides with controllable functions were reported to be well-suited for different kinds of biomedical applications. The exciting results were obtained from both in vitro and in vivo models. Viewing the rapid growth of this field, the present Account will update the concepts, trends, perspectives, and applications of functionalized polysaccharides, guiding and inspiring researchers to explore new polysaccharide-based systems for wider applications.
The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in main characteristics, reporting and methodological quality between prospectively registered and nonregistered systematic reviews.
PubMed ...was searched to identify systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials published in 2015 in English. After title and abstract screening, potentially relevant reviews were divided into three groups: registered non-Cochrane reviews, Cochrane reviews, and nonregistered reviews. For each group, random number tables were generated in Microsoft Excel, and the first 50 eligible studies from each group were randomly selected. Data of interest from systematic reviews were extracted. Regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between total Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Review (R-AMSTAR) or Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) scores and the selected characteristics of systematic reviews.
The conducting and reporting of literature search in registered reviews were superior to nonregistered reviews. Differences in 9 of the 11 R-AMSTAR items were statistically significant between registered and nonregistered reviews. The total R-AMSTAR score of registered reviews was higher than nonregistered reviews mean difference (MD) = 4.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.70, 5.94. Sensitivity analysis by excluding the registration-related item presented similar result (MD = 4.34, 95% CI: 3.28, 5.40). Total PRISMA scores of registered reviews were significantly higher than nonregistered reviews (all reviews: MD = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.64-2.30; non-Cochrane reviews: MD = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.56-2.42). However, the difference in the total PRISMA score was no longer statistically significant after excluding the item related to registration (item 5). Regression analyses showed similar results.
Prospective registration may at least indirectly improve the overall methodological quality of systematic reviews, although its impact on the overall reporting quality was not significant.
Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)‐based star‐like polycations with rich hydrophilic hydroxyl groups can efficiently transfer miRNA into primary cardiac fibroblasts for effective applications in cardiac ...diseases, such as inhibition of cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy.
Supramolecular hydrogels confer control over structural properties in a reversible, dynamic, and biomimetic fashion. The design of supramolecular hydrogels with an improved structural and functional ...recapitulation of damaged organs is important for clinical applications. For wound healing management, in particular, an effective healing process, through the modulation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) delivery using supramolecular polysaccharide hydrogels, has yet to be developed. In this study, photo-responsive supramolecular polysaccharide hydrogels were formed through host-guest interactions between azobenzene and β-cyclodextrin groups conjugated to hyaluronic acid chains. By exploiting the photoisomerization properties of azobenzene under different wavelengths, a supramolecular hydrogel featuring a dynamic spatial network crosslink density through the application of a light stimulus was obtained. Under ultra violet (UV) light, the loosened hydrogel can rapidly release EGF, thereby enhancing EGF delivery at the wound site. Based on an in vivo assessment of the healing process through a full-thickness skin defect model, the controlled EGF release from a supramolecular hydrogel exhibited superior wound healing efficiency with respect to granulation tissue formation, growth factor levels, and angiogenesis. Therefore, the proposed supramolecular hydrogels are potentially valuable as controlled delivery systems for future clinical wound healing applications.
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•Supramolecular hydrogel was fabricated using reversible linkages.•The hydrogel possesses dynamic network crosslink density under light stimuli.•The hydrogel exhibited superior healing efficiency in full-thickness skin defects.•Controlled release of EGF was closely related to the healing process.
Inflammation has been assumed to affect the pathology of wound healing and is associated with many nonhealing chronic wounds. Naturally derived herbal medicines with anti-inflammatory properties are ...of interest because of their effectiveness and affordability in clinical treatment. Herein, we report a supramolecular hydrogel comprising self-assembled natural herb rhein and an oxidative responsive cross-linked network based on ferrocene and β-cyclodextrin host-guest recognitions. Rhein can directly self-assemble into fibrils, exerting better anti-inflammation efficiency than its free drug form. The adaption of the supramolecular network can greatly improve the stability and retain the structural integrity of encapsulated self-assembled rhein. In addition, host-guest recognition confers dissolution of the hydrogel under oxidative stress, thereby delivering self-assembled rhein to the wound site and exerting better therapeutic efficiency. Evaluations in diabetic mice indicate that the resultant hydrogel promoted chronic wound healing by suppressing excess reactive oxygen species, facilitating the transition of the wound healing process, and restoring the normal wound-repair process. Therefore, the proposed hydrogel has a potential value as an herbal-based dressing for future clinical chronic wound management.
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