Development of a cellulose-based prosthetic mesh for pelvic organ prolapse treatment: In vivo long-term evaluation in an ewe vagina model.

The use of vaginal surgical mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) has been associated with high rates of mesh-related complications. In the present study, we prepared new kinds of meshes based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and collagen-coated BC (BCCOL) using a laser cutting method and perforation technique. The mechanical properties of pre-implanted BC meshes, including breaking strength, suture strength and rigidity, were equal to or exceeded those of available clinically used polypropylene meshes. An in vitro cellular assay revealed that BCCOL meshes exhibited enhanced biocompatibility by increasing collagen secretion and cell adhesion. Both BC and BCCOL meshes only caused weak inflammation and were surrounded by newly formed connective tissue composed of type I collagen after implantation in a rabbit subcutaneous model for one week, demonstrating that the novel mesh is fully biocompatible and can integrate into surrounding tissues. Furthermore, a long-term (ninety days) ewe vaginal implantation model was used to evaluate foreign body reactions and suitability of BC and BCCOL meshes as vaginal meshes. The results showed that the tissue surrounding the BC meshes returned to its original physiology as muscle tissue, indicating the excellent integration of BC meshes into the surrounding tissues without triggering severe local inflammatory response post-implantation. The collagen coating appeared to induce a chronic inflammatory response due to glutaraldehyde remnants. The present exploratory research demonstrated that the developed BC mesh might be a suitable candidate for treating POP.

Nonpharmacological therapies for central poststroke pain: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Central poststroke pain (CPSP) is a neuropathic pain syndrome that can occur after a cerebrovascular accident. It has negative effects on mood, sleep, rehabilitation, and quality of life in stroke patients. This systematic review assessed the efficacy and safety of nonpharmacological therapies for treating CPSP. METHODS: The Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for studies from inception to August 2020. Two authors worked independently and in duplicate to identify suitable studies. RESULTS: Eleven studies were identified. Pain related to CPSP was ameliorated by precentral gyrus stimulation (P = .01), caloric vestibular stimulation (P = 0.004), transcranial direct current stimulation (P < .05), and bee venom acupuncture point injection (P = .009). Acupuncture (P = .72) and electroacupuncture therapies (P > .05) were as effective for thalamic pain as oral carbamazepine treatment. Motor cortex stimulation, but not deep brain stimulation (DBS), was effective for treating refractory CPSP, and appeared to be more effective than thalamic stimulation for controlling bulbar pain secondary to Wallenberg syndrome. However, DBS in the ventral striatum or anterior limb of the internal capsule improved depression (P = .020) and anxiety in patients with refractory CPSP. Some serious adverse events were reported in response to invasive electrical brain stimulation, but most of these effects recovered with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Nonpharmacological therapies appear to be effective in CPSP, but the evidence is relatively weak. Invasive electrical brain stimulation can be accompanied by serious adverse events, but most patients recover from these effects.

Management of delayed encephalopathy after CO poisoning: An evidence-based narrative review.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% to 30% patients develop delayed encephalopathy after acute CO poisoning (DEACMP). No specific treatment is available and poor prognosis is a characteristic of this disease. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of all therapies that have been tried in randomized controlled trial (RCT) for DEACMP. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of the Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. RESULTS: Overall, 4 RCTs were identified in our study. Both hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation were effective in DEACMP, and MSC seemed to be superior to HBO. The addition of dexamethasone, N-butylphthalide, or XingZhi-YiNao granules into HBO, or butylphthalide into MSC could achieve better neurological recovery in DEACMP patients but did not significantly increase the incidence of adverse events. CONCLUSION: Several therapies have shown positive results in treating DEACMP and need to be proven by further studies.

[Correlation of prostate-specific antigen with the progression and metastasis of human prostate cancer].

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a biomarker for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer and involved in the development of prostate cancer and/or its progression from the localized to the metastatic stage. This review presents an overview of the roles of PSA in promoting the progression and metastasis of human prostate cancer and its underlying mechanisms, including its serine protease activity, interaction with the cellular membrane receptor, and suppression of specific immune responsiveness, and also points out some of the key problems to be solved.

Differential circRNA expression profiles during the BMP2-induced osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) might play important roles in various diseases. However, little is known about the functions of circRNAs in the skeletal system, and the role of circRNAs in the mechanism by which bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) promotes bone differentiation remains unknown. Here, we performed RNA-seq to analyze differential expression of circRNA during different osteoblast differentiation stages and investigated the relevant mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and activity were performed to assess osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells. The expression of osteogenic markers in MC3T3-E1 cells and the differential expression levels of circRNAs were measured and validated by qRT-PCR. Osteogenic marker proteins were measured by western blot. RNA-seq was performed to detect differential expression of circRNAs during the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells induced by BMP2. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and PANTHER pathway analyses were performed to predict the functions of differentially expressed circRNAs and potentially co-expressed target genes. The microRNA (miRNA) targets of the circRNAs and circRNA-miRNA interactions were predicted by miRanda. The circRNA-miRNA co-expression network was constructed based on the correlation analysis between the differentially expressed circRNAs and miRNAs. A graph of the circRNA-miRNA network was created using Cytoscape 3.01. RESULTS: The Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay showed that BMP2 promoted the proliferation of osteoblasts in vitro. Both the intracellular ALP content and activity were increased in BMP2-treated MC3T3-E1 cells. In addition, the mRNA and protein levels of the osteoblastic markers ALP, Sp7 transcription factor (SP7) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) were substantially up-regulated. In the present study, 158 circRNAs were differentially expressed by a fold-change ≥2.0, P<0.05 and false discovery rate <0.05. Among these, 74 circRNAs were up-regulated, while 84 circRNAs were down-regulated. In addition, the expression levels of circRNA.5846, circRNA.19142 and circRNA.10042 were significantly increased in the BMP2 group. Furthermore, by analyzing the target mRNAs of miR-7067-5p using GO and PANTHER pathway analyses, circ19142 and circ5846 were found to be not only strongly associated with the biological process of the positive regulation of developmental processes but also related to the fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor and Wnt signaling pathways, which are involved in cell growth and differentiation. CONCLUSION: The present study identified circ19142 and circ5846 as being associated with osteoblast differentiation and BMP2 may induce osteogenic differentiation through a circ19142/circ5846-targeted miRNA-mRNA axis.

Highly sensitive and selective fluorescent chemosensor for Ni(2+) based on a new poly(arylene ether) with terpyridine substituent groups.

A new poly(arylene ether) (PAET) with terpyridine substituent groups has been synthesized which shows a turn-off fluorescent response in the presence of Ni(2+) over other cations and allows discrimination of these cations from each other on the basis of the extent of quenching.

Identification and functional analyses of polymorphism haplotypes of protein phosphatase 2A-Aα gene promoter.

The serine-threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a heterotrimeric enzyme family that plays an essential regulatory role in cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Mutations in the genes encoding PP2A-Aα/ß subunits are associated with tumorigenesis and other human diseases. To explore whether genetic variations in the promoter region of the PP2A-Aα gene (PPP2R1A) and their frequent haplotypes in the Han Chinese population have an impact on transcriptional activity, we collected DNA samples from 63 healthy Chinese donors and searched for genetic variations in the 5'-flanking promoter region of PPP2R1A (PPP2R1Ap). Haplotypes were characterized by Haploview analysis and individual subcloning. A set of molecular and functional experiments was performed using reporter genes and electrophoretic mobility shifting assay (EMSA). Seven genetic variations were identified within the promoter locus (2038bp) of PPP2R1A. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns and haplotype profiles were analyzed using the identified genetic variants. Using serially truncated human PPP2R1A promoter luciferase constructs, we found that a 685bp (-448nt to +237nt) fragment around the transcription start site (TSS) was the core promoter region. Individual subcloning revealed the existence of six haplotypes in this proximal promoter region of PPP2R1Ap. Using luciferase reporter assays, we found that different haplotypes bearing different variant alleles exhibit distinct promoter activities. The EMSA revealed that the -241 -/G variant influences DNA-protein interactions involving the transcription factor NF-κB, which may regulate the activity of the PPP2R1A proximal promoter. Our findings suggest that functional genetic variants in the proximal promoter of the PP2A-Aα gene and their haplotypes are critical in the regulation of transcriptional activation.

[Study on preparation and spectroscopy of silica-alumina hydrogel and silica from kaolin].

In our research, silica-alumina hydrogel was prepared by activation with NaOH and reaction with HCl from kaolin, and silica was obtained from the hydrogel by drying and acidifying with HCl. IR, XRD and XRF were used for testing the results, and better result was obtained. The optimal conditions of processing for kaolin 40 g were 15-20 g of sodium hydroxide and 4-5 mol x L(-1) of hydrochloric acid. Finally, preparation processing to get silica, as well as the structure and purity of the resulting silica were characterized by means of IR, XRD and XRF.

[Preparation of xenogenic corneal stroma and its cytoconsistency].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility that using the bovine corneal stroma to provide a suitable carrier on which the cells can grow for tissue engineering cornea. METHODS: Nine fresh bovine corneas were selected. Each cornea was cut into 2 pieces, and exposed to 0.25% trypsinase for various lengths of time (20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 60 minutes) to get the stroma part with least cells and maintaining the collagen fibers arrangement. Samples obtained from each group were examined with scanning electron microscopy and HE staining. The left ones were freeze-dried and sterilized. The various concentrations of extraction were used to cultivate human fibroblasts, and a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, (MTT)-based colorimetric assay was taken to evaluate the exhistance of 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cytotoxinic effects. Then the proper corneal stroma was used as a carrier to cultivated the rabbit corneal limbal cells which were planted on it in a concentration of 2 x 10(5)/cm2 in vitro. The cell-carrier samples were sent for scanning electron microscopy and HE staining. RESULTS: The corneal stroma had the least cells in the group acted with typsin for 60 minutes, while the collagen fibers arrangement was not so orderly as before. The extractions showed no significant difference in cell culture, and no obviously harmful effect on the cell growth. The rabbit corneal limbal cells presented a stratified growth on the bovine corneal stroma. CONCLUSION: The bovine corneal stroma without cells prepared using the typsin and lyophilization can be a suitable carrier for cell culture in vitro.