BDNF-loaded chitosan-based mimetic mussel polymer conduits for repair of peripheral nerve injury.

Care for patients with peripheral nerve injury is multifaceted, as traditional methods are not devoid of limitations. Although the utilization of neural conduits shows promise as a therapeutic modality for peripheral nerve injury, its efficacy as a standalone intervention is limited. Hence, there is a pressing need to investigate a composite multifunctional neural conduit as an alternative treatment for peripheral nerve injury. In this study, a BDNF-loaded chitosan-based mimetic mussel polymer conduit was prepared. Its unique adhesion characteristics allow it to be suture-free, improve the microenvironment of the injury site, and have good antibacterial properties. Researchers utilized a rat sciatic nerve injury model to evaluate the progression of nerve regeneration at the 12-week postoperative stage. The findings of this study indicate that the chitosan-based mimetic mussel polymer conduit loaded with BDNF had a substantial positive effect on myelination and axon outgrowth. The observed impact demonstrated a favorable outcome in terms of sciatic nerve regeneration and subsequent functional restoration in rats with a 15-mm gap. Hence, this approach is promising for nerve tissue regeneration during peripheral nerve injury.

Portable electrochemical aptasensor for highly sensitive detection of 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl.

Aptamer-based electrochemical sensors are frequently used as independent, surface-functionalized, passive electrodes. However, their sensitivity and detection limits become limited, particularly when the electrode area is reduced to facilitate miniaturization. A mobile phone-based microfluidic electrochemical aptamer sensing platform for 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77) detection was developed in this work. This aptamer sensor utilized Exonuclease I (Exo I) and DNA/AuNPs/horseradish peroxidase (DNA/AuNPs/HRP) nanoprobes as a merged signal amplification method, which resulted in an increase in the electrochemical sensing performance. Sensitive detection of PCB77 was accomplished by functionalizing the hierarchically structured Au@MoS2/CNTs/GO modified working/sensing electrode with the specific aptamer. The aptamer sensor was tested with different concentrations of PCB77 within the microfluidic platform. Afterward, the differential pulse voltammograms were recorded using a wireless integrated circuit device. Subsequently, the collected data was transmitted to a smartphone using Bluetooth communication. A detection limit of 0.0085 ng/L was obtained for PCB77 detection, with a detection range from 0.1 to 1000 ng/L. In addition, the detection of PCB77 in spiked water samples validated the possibility of using this aptamer sensor in a real environment, and the aptamer sensor demonstrated high selectivity in distinguishing PCB77 from other potential interfering species. The merging of electrochemical aptamer sensors with purposefully engineered microfluidic and integrated devices in this study is a novel and promising method that provides a dependable platform for on-site applications.

Dynamic Enhancement for Dual Active Bridge Converter with a Deadbeat Current Controller.

This paper investigates the deadbeat current controllers for isolated bidirectional dual-active-bridge dc-dc converter (IBDC), including the peak current mode (PCM) and middle current mode (MCM). The controller uses an enhanced single phase shift (ESPS) modulation method by exploiting pulse width as an extra control variable in addition to phase shift ratio. The control variables for PCM controllers are derived in detail and the two different current controllers are compared. A double-closed-loop control method is then employed, which could directly control the high-frequency inductor current and eliminate the transient DC current bias of the transformer. Furthermore, load feedforward was introduced to further enhance the dynamic of the converter. With the proposed control method, the settling time could be reduced within several PWM cycles during load disturbance without transient DC current bias. A 5 kW IBDC converter prototype was built and the settling time of 6 PWM cycles during load change with voltage regulation mode was achieved, which verifies the superior dynamic performance of the control method.

Antenna Current Calculation Based on Equivalent Transmission Line Model.

This paper provides a new way for spatial current/field profiles for frequency-selective surface analytical approximation. It confirms that the per unit length radiation resistance of an equivalent transmission line model for line antenna has little influence on the normalized current distribution. The two-wire equivalent transmission line model (typically used for transmitting line antenna) is applied to the receiving line antenna. In this case, the corresponding incident field is decomposed into odd and even mode for asymmetric distribution. A one-wire equivalent transmission line model is then introduced for any antenna composed of relative narrow strips. The incident field does not need to be decomposed. According to the simulation, the transmission line loss has little influence on the current distribution.

Kinetics of Th17-related cytokine expression in experimentally induced rat periapical lesions.

Th17-related cytokines are essential factors in various pathological states, including inflammatory bone destruction. This study investigated the contribution of Th17-related cytokines to the progress of experimentally induced rat periapical lesions. Periapical pathoses were induced by unsealed exposure of the pulp chamber of the lower first molars. A variety of immunocompetent cells, including CD68(+) macrophages, Ia antigen(+) cells and TCRαß(+) T cells, were observed in the lesions. The expression levels of Th17-related cytokines, IL-17 and IL-23, and of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1ß and IL-6, were significantly increased at 14 days (expansion stage) compared with normal periapical tissues. The expression levels of Foxp3, a regulatory T cell (Treg)-related gene, and of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, were higher at 28 days (chronic stage) than at 14 days. These findings suggest that Th17-related cytokines may be primary contributors to the initiation of periapical bone destruction, and that lesion expansion may be regulated by anti-inflammatory mediators.

[Expression of bone sialoprotein and osteopontin in developing dental tissues of rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the timing and location of the expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteopontin (OPN) in developing dental tissues of rats. METHODS: Every three neonatal rats were sacrificed at day 1, weeks 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8. The mandibles were dissected and the first molar and the surrounding tissue were fixed, then demineralized with 15% EDTA. Immunohistochemical technique was used to determine the expression of BSP and OPN in dental tissues and the surrounding bone at different time points. RESULTS: Immunoreactivitis of BSP and OPN were present in matured ameloblasts, dentinoblasts, cementoblasts, osteoblasts, and the matrix. The expression of BSP and OPN in cementum and alveolar bone was stronger than that in enamel and dentine. In cementum and alveolar bone, BSP appeared to be concentrated in unmineralized and mineralized tissues, but OPN was concentrated in the mineralizing frontier and reversal line. CONCLUSIONS: BSP and OPN play an important role in the development and mineralization of rat mineralized tissues. The expression of BSP was different from OPN, indicating their different functions.