Photo-Controlled Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles: A Promising Strategy for Development of Novel Structures.

Photo-controlled self-assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) is an advanced and promising approach to address a series of material issues from the molecular level to the nano/micro scale, owing to the fact that light stimulus is typically precise and rapid, and can provide contactless spatial and temporal control. The traditional photo-controlled assembly of NPs is based on photochemical processes through NPs modified by photo-responsive molecules, which are realized through the change in chemical structure under irradiation. Moreover, photoexcitation-induced assembly of NPs is another promising physical strategy, and such a strategy aims to employ molecular conformational change in the excited state (rather than the chemical structure) to drive molecular motion and assembly. The exploration and control of NP assembly through such a photo-controlled strategy can open a new paradigm for scientists to deal with "bottom-up" behaviors and develop unprecedented optoelectronic functional materials.

Construction and validation of an oxidative-stress-related risk model for predicting the prognosis of osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone malignancy in teenagers, and warrants effective measures for diagnosis and prognosis. Oxidative stress (OS) is the key driver of several cancers and other diseases. METHODS: The TARGET-osteosarcoma database was employed as the training cohort and GSE21257 and GSE39055 was applied for external validation. The patients were classified into the high- and low-risk groups based on the median risk score of each sample. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT were applied for the evaluation of tumor microenvironment immune infiltration. GSE162454 of single-cell sequencing was employed for analyzing OS-related genes. RESULTS: Based on the gene expression and clinical data of 86 osteosarcoma patients in the TARGET database, we identified eight OS-related genes, including MAP3K5, G6PD, HMOX1, ATF4, ACADVL, MAPK1, MAPK10, and INS. In both the training and validation sets, the overall survival of patients in the high-risk group was significantly worse than that in the low-risk group. The ESTIMATE algorithm revealed that patients in the high-risk group had higher tumor purity but lower immune score and stromal score. In addition, the CIBERSORT algorithm showed that the M0 and M2 macrophages were the predominant infiltrating cells in osteosarcoma. Based on the expression analysis of immune checkpoint, CD274(PDL1), CXCL12, BTN3A1, LAG3, and IL10 were identified as potential immune therapy targets. Analysis of the single cell sequencing data also revealed the expression patterns of OS-related genes in different cell types. CONCLUSIONS: An OS-related prognostic model can accurately provide the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients, and may help identify suitable candidates for immunotherapy.

Primary repair for concurrent bilateral intertrochanteric fracture and femoral head necrosis with prolonged shank biologic total hip replacement: A case report and surgical techniques.

For the treatment of an intertrochanteric fracture combined with femoral head necrosis in middle-age patients, it has been controversial whether to perform fracture reduction and fixation first then total hip replacement, or direct total hip replacement. We present a rare case of 53-year-old male patient suffered from bilateral intertrochanteric fracture caused by a road traffic injury. The patient had a history of femoral head necrosis for eight years, and the Harris score was 30. We performed total hip replacement with prolonged biologic shank prostheses for primary repair. One year after the surgery, nearly full range of motion was achieved without instability (active flexion angle of 110°, extension angle of 20°, adduction angle of 40°, abduction angle of 40°, internal rotation angle of 25°, and external rotation angle of 40°). The Harris score was 85. For the middle-aged patient with unstable intertrochanteric fractures and osteonecrosis of the femoral head, we can choose primary repair for concurrent bilateral intertrochanteric fracture and femoral head necrosis with prolonged shank biologic total hip replacement.

Accelerometer-based navigation vs. conventional techniques for total knee arthroplasty (TKA): a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine whether accelerometer-based navigation (ABN) can improve radiological and functional outcomes during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) compared with conventional techniques (CONV). METHOD: We comprehensively searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Clinical Trials databases. Only randomized controlled trials were selected for meta-analysis and, ultimately, 10 studies were included. RESULTS: The 10 studies involved 1,125 knees, of which 573 were in the ABN group and 552 in the CONV group. The results demonstrated that ABN significantly reduced the number of outliers for mechanical alignment (MA) (RR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.54, P < 0.00001, I2 = 45%), achieving more accurate MA (RR: -0.78, 95% CI: -0.93 to -0.62, P < 0.00001, I2 = 76%). The results revealed that there was no significant difference in duration of surgery between the ABN and CONV groups (MD: -0.2, 95% CI: -1.45 to 1.05, P = 0.75, I2 = 48%). There was less blood loss through the use of ABN (SMD: -0.49, 95% CI: -0.93 to -0.06, P = 0.03, I2 = 75%). However, ABN group didn't show better knee function (SMD: 0.13, 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.33, P = 0.20, I2 = 0%), though the incidence of overall complications was significantly lower (RR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.95, P = 0.02, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that ABN was superior to CONV in restoring MA of the lower limb. In addition, ABN reduced the loss of blood and the duration of surgery was not prolonged. However, patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) were not improved.

Mechanical stimuli-induced multiple photophysical responsive AIEgens with high contrast properties.

A new cyano-distyrylbenzene derivative with a mechano-force induced high contrast transition in color and emission was demonstrated here. Under mechanical stimuli, the emission peak can undergo a large wavelength shift from 440 nm to 650 nm, while the appearance color can switch from white to pink.

Integrative Analysis of the Expression of microRNA, Long Noncoding RNA, and mRNA in Osteoarthritis and Construction of a Competing Endogenous Network.

This study aimed to identify potential core microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and mRNAs in osteoarthritis (OA) to construct a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and co-expression network. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMis) in the dataset GSE143514 comprising five OA and three normal tissues were identified using the DEseq package. Core miRNAs were identified as DEMis overlapping with those reported by the human microRNA disease database. LncRNAs were predicted by the miRNA-lncRNA interactions network from the encyclopedia of RNA interactomes (ENCORI). MiRNet and ENCORI were employed to predict the mRNAs which overlapped with the differentially expressed mRNAs from the dataset GSE114007 to obtain overlapping mRNAs. MiRNA-lncRNA and miRNA-mRNA interactions were integrated to construct the ceRNA network. A total of 143 DEMis were identified in OA and normal tissues, from which hsa-miR-451a, hsa-miR-370-5p, hsa-miR-34a-5p, hsa-miR-210-3p, and hsa-miR-101-3p were assessed as core miRNAs using overlapping analyses. These RNAs may represent potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of OA.

Expression of FLRT2 in Postnatal Central Nervous System Development and After Spinal Cord Injury.

Fibronectin and leucine-rich transmembrane (FLRT) proteins are necessary for various developmental processes and in pathological conditions. FLRT2 acts as a homophilic cell adhesion molecule, a heterophilic repulsive ligand of Unc5/Netrin receptors, and a synaptogenic molecule; the last feature is mediated by binding to latrophilins. Although the function of FLRT2 in regulating cortical migration at the late gestation stage has been analyzed, little is known about the expression pattern of FLRT2 during postnatal central nervous system (CNS) development. In this study, we used Flrt2-LacZ knock-in (KI) mice to analyze FLRT2 expression during CNS development. At the early postnatal stage, FLRT2 expression was largely restricted to several regions of the striatum and deep layers of the cerebral cortex. In adulthood, FLRT2 expression was more prominent in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, piriform cortex (PIR), nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract (NLOT), and ventral medial nucleus (VM) of the thalamus, but lower in the striatum. Notably, in the hippocampus, FLRT2 expression was confined to the CA1 region and partly localized on pre- and postsynapses whereas only few expression was observed in CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG). Finally, we observed temporally limited FLRT2 upregulation in reactive astrocytes around lesion sites 7 days after thoracic spinal cord injury. These dynamic changes in FLRT2 expression may enable multiple FLRT2 functions, including cell adhesion, repulsion, and synapse formation in different regions during CNS development and after spinal cord injury.

Enhancement of acellular cartilage matrix scaffold by Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes to promote osteochondral regeneration.

Articular cartilage defect repair is a problem that has long plagued clinicians. Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to regenerate articular cartilage, they also have many limitations. Recent studies have found that MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) play an important role in tissue regeneration. The purpose of this study was to verify whether MSC-Exos can enhance the reparative effect of the acellular cartilage extracellular matrix (ACECM) scaffold and to explore the underlying mechanism. The results of in vitro experiments show that human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly MSC-Exos (hWJMSC-Exos) can promote the migration and proliferation of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) and the proliferation of chondrocytes. We also found that hWJMSC-Exos can promote the polarization of macrophages toward the M2 phenotype. The results of a rabbit knee osteochondral defect repair model confirmed that hWJMSC-Exos can enhance the effect of the ACECM scaffold and promote osteochondral regeneration. We demonstrated that hWJMSC-Exos can regulate the microenvironment of the articular cavity using a rat knee joint osteochondral defect model. This effect was mainly manifested in promoting the polarization of macrophages toward the M2 phenotype and inhibiting the inflammatory response, which may be a promoting factor for osteochondral regeneration. In addition, microRNA (miRNA) sequencing confirmed that hWJMSC-Exos contain many miRNAs that can promote the regeneration of hyaline cartilage. We further clarified the role of hWJMSC-Exos in osteochondral regeneration through target gene prediction and pathway enrichment analysis. In summary, this study confirms that hWJMSC-Exos can enhance the effect of the ACECM scaffold and promote osteochondral regeneration.

Comparison of Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy to Physical Therapy following Degenerative Meniscus Tears: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) and physical therapy (PT) for degenerative meniscus tears. METHOD: We conducted a literature search through PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Randomized controlled trials in adults with degenerative meniscal tears without symptoms of locking were considered for inclusion. Two researchers independently performed the literature search, assessed the risk of bias, and selected eligible studies. The primary outcome was function at different follow-up time points and the secondary outcome was pain at different follow-up time points. RESULTS: We included 6 randomized controlled trials, with a total of 1006 participants, among which 495 were in the APM group and 511 were in the PT group. We found a small benefit in functional outcomes in the APM group until the 12 months follow-up time point (SMD = 0.20; 95%CI = 0.0-0.33; p = 0.002; I 2 = 34%), but no significant differences in function between groups at the 24-month follow-up time point (SMD = 0.12; 95%CI = -0.04 - 0.28; p = 0.002; I 2 = 34%), but no significant differences in function between groups at the 24-month follow-up time point (SMD = 0.12; 95%CI = -0.04 - 0.28; p = 0.002; I 2 = 34%), but no significant differences in function between groups at the 24-month follow-up time point (SMD = 0.12; 95%CI = -0.04 - 0.28; p = 0.002; I 2 = 34%), but no significant differences in function between groups at the 24-month follow-up time point (SMD = 0.12; 95%CI = -0.04 - 0.28. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of degenerative meniscus tears, APM yielded better functional and pain outcomes compared with physical therapy in the short term until 12 months, but there were comparable results for pain and functional outcomes between the groups at the 24 months follow-up time point.

Comparison of iASSIST Navigation System with Conventional Techniques in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes.

The iASSIST navigation system is a handheld accelerometer-based navigation system that has been applied in clinical practice in recent five years. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of iASSIST navigation with conventional surgical techniques for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to compare the surgery time between an iASSIST group and a conventional treatment group. This systematic review and meta-analysis included all comparative prospective and retrospective studies published in Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Web of Science and the CNKI databases over the past 20 years. Inclusion criteria were studies that compared the iASSIST navigation system with conventional TKA. The primary outcomes were mechanical axis (MA) and outliers, which means postoperative MA varus or valgus of more than 3°. Secondary outcomes were coronal femoral angle (CFA) and coronal tibial angle (CTA). Knee Society Score (KSS) was used to evaluate functional outcome. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Eight studies involving 558 knees were included in this meta-analysis. Of these, 275 patients used the iASSIST navigation system and 283 used conventional surgical techniques. A total of 5 studies were considered high quality and the other 3 were considered to be of moderate quality. The occurrence of malalignment of >3° in the iASSIST group was 13.3%, compared with 29.04% in the conventional group. Postoperative MA of the iASSIST group was significantly better than that of the conventional group (I2 = 19%, OR = -0.92, 95% CI = -1.09 to -0.75, P < 0.00001). The iASSIST navigation system provided significantly increased accuracy in the coronal femoral angle (I2 = 79%, OR = -0.88, 95% CI = -1.21 to -0.54, P < 0.00001) and the coronal tibial angle (I2 = 34%, OR = 0.39, 95% CI = -0.48 to -0.30, P < 0.00001) compared with conventional techniques. However, the duration of surgery using the iASSIST procedure was longer and there was no significant difference in the short-term KSS in the iASSIST group compared with the conventional group. We found that when pooling the data of included studies, the number of outliers was fewer in the iASSIST group, and compared with conventional TKA techniques, the iASSIST system significantly improved the accuracy of lower limb alignment but the duration of surgery was prolonged in addition to there being no apparent advantage in terms of short-term functional score.