Validation of Faecal Pyruvate Kinase Isoenzyme Type M2 (Faecal M2PK Quick) Test in Detection of Colorectal Adenoma and Adenocarcinoma Among High-Risk Malaysian Population.

Background: Colorectal neoplasia is a multistep process that can lead to the development of colorectal cancer. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis and screening of colorectal cancer, but its uptake is often hindered by unpleasant experiences and logistic obstacles. Therefore, non-invasive biomarker tests such as the M2-pyruvate kinase (M2PK) test have been explored as a potential screening tool.

Cell-derived nanovesicles from mesenchymal stem cells as extracellular vesicle-mimetics in wound healing.

Wound healing is a dynamic process that involves a series of molecular and cellular events aimed at replacing devitalized and missing cellular components and/or tissue layers. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs), naturally cell-secreted lipid membrane-bound vesicles laden with biological cargos including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, have drawn wide attention due to their ability to promote wound healing and tissue regeneration. However, current exploitation of EVs as therapeutic agents is limited by their low isolation yields and tedious isolation processes.

Extracellular Vesicles and Their Mimetics: A Comparative Study of Their Pharmacological Activities and Immunogenicity Profiles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are miniaturised carriers loaded with functional proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid material, are naturally secreted by cells and show intrinsic pharmacological effects in several conditions. As such, they have the potential to be used for the treatment of various human diseases. However, the low isolation yield and laborious purification process are obstacles to their translation for clinical use.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles: Recent advancements and current challenges on their use for biomedical applications.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a diverse class of lipid bilayer membrane vesicles released by both animal and plant cells. These ubiquitous vesicles are involved in intercellular communication and transport of various biological cargos, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In recent years, interest in plant-derived EVs has increased tremendously, as they serve as a scalable and sustainable alternative to EVs derived from mammalian sources.

Investigations on Cellular Uptake Mechanisms and Immunogenicity Profile of Novel Bio-Hybrid Nanovesicles.

In drug delivery, the development of nanovesicles that combine both synthetic and cellular components provides added biocompatibility and targeting specificity in comparison to conventional synthetic carriers such as liposomes. Produced through the fusion of U937 monocytes' membranes and synthetic lipids, our nano-cell vesicle technology systems (nCVTs) showed promising results as targeted cancer treatment. However, no investigation has been conducted yet on the immunogenic profile and the uptake mechanisms of nCVTs.

Enhanced skin penetration of berberine from proniosome gel attenuates pain and inflammation in a mouse model of osteoarthritis.

Dermal delivery of bioactive molecules remains an attractive route of administration in osteoarthritis (OA) due to the local accumulation of drugs while avoiding their systemic side effects. In this study we propose a proniosome gel comprising non-ionic surfactants that self-assemble into de-hydrated vesicles for the delivery of the natural anti-inflammatory compound berberine. By modulating the hydrating ability of the proniosome gel, berberine can be efficiently released with minimal mechanical force.

Comparison of noninvasive screening tools for hepatic fibrosis, association with methotrexate cumulative dose, and risk factors in psoriasis patients.

Methotrexate (MTX) is a first-line systemic psoriasis therapy with risk of liver fibrosis. Noninvasive tools for liver fibrosis screening are Fibroscan®, Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (APRI) index. To compare Fibroscan®, FIB-4, and APRI in detecting fibrosis, determine association of fibrosis with MTX cumulative dose, and explore risk factors for fibrosis.

Extracellular Vesicles in Cardiovascular Diseases: Alternative Biomarker Sources, Therapeutic Agents, and Drug Delivery Carriers.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The emerging role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in intercellular communication has stimulated renewed interest in exploring the potential application of EVs as tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy in CVD. The ubiquitous nature of EVs in biological fluids presents a technological advantage compared to current diagnostic tools by virtue of their notable stability.

Significant Medical and Surgical Morbidity in Perianal Crohn's Disease: Results from a Territory-Wide Study.

Background: The presence of perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease [CD] denotes increased disease aggressiveness. We studied the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of perianal CD [PCD] using the Hong Kong territory-wide IBD Registry [HKIBDR].

Methods: Consecutive patients with PCD were identified from the HKIBDR, and disease characteristics, treatments, and outcomes were analysed.

A Prospective Study to Monitor for Tuberculosis During Anti-tumour Necrosis Factor Therapy in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases.

Background: Biologic therapies have revolutionised the treatment of immune-mediated diseases including inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] and rheumatological disorders. However, biologic treatments are associated with an increased risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis. Data from regular monitoring for latent tuberculosis infection [LTBI] during biologic treatment are lacking.

Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Posterior Pedicle Screw Fixation: Two-Year Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: We prospectively assessed the early radiographic and clinical outcomes (minimum follow-up of 2 years) of robot-assisted pedicle screw fixation (Robot-PSF) and conventional freehand pedicle screw fixation (Conv-PSF).

Materials And Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to Robot-PSF (37 patients) or Conv-PSF (41 patients) for posterior interbody fusion surgery. The Robot-PSF group underwent minimally invasive pedicle screw fixation using a pre-planned robot-guided screw trajectory.

Prevalence of Frailty in Patients with Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture and Its Association with Numbers of Fractures.

Purpose: To assess the association between frailty and osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) and to evaluate the relationship between numbers of OVCFs and frailty.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 760 subjects, including 59 patients (with OVCF) and 701 controls (without OVCF). Successful matching provided 56 patient-control pairs.

EXOPLEXs: Chimeric Drug Delivery Platform from the Fusion of Cell-Derived Nanovesicles and Liposomes.

Cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs) have been recently investigated as novel drug delivery systems (DDSs), due to the preservation of key features from the cell membrane of their precursor cells, which are responsible for an efficient cellular uptake by target cells. However, CDNs suffer from low drug loading efficiencies as well as challenges in functionalization compared to conventional DDS like liposomes. Here, we describe the first study proposing the fusion of CDNs with liposomes to form EXOPLEXs.

ZnO Nano-Rod Devices for Intradermal Delivery and Immunization.

Intradermal delivery of antigens for vaccination is a very attractive approach since the skin provides a rich network of antigen presenting cells, which aid in stimulating an immune response. Numerous intradermal techniques have been developed to enhance penetration across the skin. However, these methods are invasive and/or affect the skin integrity.

Doxorubicin-loaded cell-derived nanovesicles: an alternative targeted approach for anti-tumor therapy.

Cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs) are an emerging class of biological drug delivery systems (DDS) that retain the characteristics of the cells they were derived from, without the need for further surface functionalization. CDNs are also biocompatible, being derived from natural sources and also take advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention effect due to their nanodimensions. Furthermore, CDNs derived from monocytes were shown to have an in vivo targeting effect, accumulating at the tumor site in a previous study conducted in a mouse tumor model.

Validation of the Korean Version of the DN4 Diagnostic Questionnaire for Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Lumbar or Lumbar-Radicular Pain.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the Korean version of the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaire and to validate this questionnaire in terms of psychometric properties in patients with chronic pain due to degenerative spinal disease.

Materials And Methods: The Korean version of the DN4 questionnaire, which was translated and linguistically validated by the MAPI Research Group, was tested on 83 patients with lumbar or lumbar-radicular pain. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a subsample of 40 patients who completed two assessments with an interval of 2 weeks.

Is end-stage lateral osteoarthritic knee always valgus? Mechanical alignment analysis and radiographic severity assessment.

Background: We hypothesized that not all persons with end-stage lateral osteoarthritis (OA) have valgus malalignment and that full extension radiographs may underreport radiographic disease severity. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic and radiographic features of end-stage lateral compartment knee OA.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively studied 133 knees in 113 patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty between June 2008 and August 2010.

Superhydrophobic-oleophobic Ag nanowire platform: an analyte-concentrating and quantitative aqueous and organic toxin surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensor.

The ultratrace detection and quantification of toxins in both water and organic liquids remains a challenge due to the random spreading and dilution of liquids on substrate-based sensors, especially for organic liquids with low surface tension. Herein, we fabricate a superhydrophobic-oleophobic (SHP-OP) 3D Ag nanowire mesh-like surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform to overcome the random spreading issue, demonstrating ultratrace toxin sensing in both water and organic liquid. Our SHP-OP SERS platform is able to concentrate analyte solutions in water and toluene to 100-fold and 8-fold smaller areas, respectively, as compared to its omniphilic counterparts.

Hierarchical 3D SERS substrates fabricated by integrating photolithographic microstructures and self-assembly of silver nanoparticles.

Most of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates are 2D planar systems, which limits the SERS active area to a single Cartesian plane. Here, we fabricate 3D SERS substrates with the aim to break the traditional 2D SERS active area limitation, and to extend the SERS hotspots into the third dimension along the z-axis. Our 3D SERS substrates are tailored with increased SERS hotspots in the z-direction from tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers, increasing the hotspots in the z-direction by at least an order of magnitude larger than the confocal volume (~1 μm) of most Raman spectrometers.

Using the Langmuir-Schaefer technique to fabricate large-area dense SERS-active Au nanoprism monolayer films.

Interfacial self-assembly of nanoparticles is capable of creating large-area close-packed structures for a variety of applications. However, monolayers of hydrophilic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-coated Au nanoparticles are challenging to assemble via interfacial self-assembly. This report presents a facile and scalable process to fabricate large-area monolayer films of ultrathin CTAB-coated Au nanoprisms at the air-water interface using the Langmuir-Schaefer technique.

Antioxidant activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in germinating seeds of transgenic soybean expressing OsHGGT.

Tocochromanols are potent lipid-soluble antioxidants and essential nutrients for human health. Genetic engineering techniques were used to develop soybeans with enhanced vitamin E levels, including tocotrienols, which are not found in soybean. The gene encoding rice homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase (HGGT) was overexpressed in soybeans using seed-specific and constitutive promoters.

Arthroscopic repair of combined Bankart and SLAP lesions: operative techniques and clinical results.

Background: To evaluate the clinical results and operation technique of arthroscopic repair of combined Bankart and superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions, all of which had an anterior-inferior Bankart lesion that continued superiorly to include separation of the biceps anchor in the patients presenting recurrent shoulder dislocations.

Methods: From May 2003 to January 2006, we reviewed 15 cases with combined Bankart and SLAP lesions among 62 patients with recurrent shoulder dislocations who underwent arthroscopic repair. The average age at surgery was 24.

Displaced avulsion fracture of medial meniscus posterior horn through the intercondylar notch in the patient without combined ligamentous injuries.

Avulsion fractures of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus are uncommon and must be differentiated from a loose body. The authors present a displaced avulsion fracture of the medial meniscus posterior horn through the intercondylar notch into the anteromedial compartment of the knee, which was treated by arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation using pull-out suture technique.

Correlation of synovial fluid leptin concentrations with the severity of osteoarthritis.

Leptin is known to play an important role in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA). This study investigated whether synovial fluid (SF) leptin level is related to the radiographic severity of OA and its role as a quantitative marker for the detection of OA. SF was obtained from 42 OA patients who underwent knee surgery and 10 who had no abnormality of articular cartilage during arthroscopic examination.