Polylactic acid electrospun membranes coated with chiral hierarchical-structured hydroxyapatite nanoplates promote tendon healing based on a macrophage-homeostatic modulation strategy.

Tendon injury is a common and challenging problem in the motor system that lacks an effective treatment, affecting daily activities and lowering the quality of life. Limited tendon regenerative capability and immune microenvironment dyshomeostasis are considered the leading causes hindering tendon repair. The chirality of biomaterials was proved to dictate immune microenvironment and dramatically affect tissue repair.

Chirality Regulates Bone Regeneration through Mechanoresponse and Immunoregulation.

As an omnipresent occurrence in the natural world, chirality plays a crucial role in numerous biological and physiological processes. Therefore, incorporation of chirality into biointerface materials has been emerging as a research hotspot in the development of regenerative biomaterials. Nevertheless, how chiral biointerface materials interact with biological organisms remains poorly understood.

Chirality-Induced Hydroxyapatite Manipulates Enantioselective Bone-Implant Interactions Toward Ameliorative Osteoporotic Osseointegration.

Inspired by the fundamental attribute of chirality in nature, chiral-engineered biomaterials now represent a groundbreaking frontier in biomedical fields. However, the integration of chirality within inorganic materials remains a critical challenge and developments of chirality-induced bionic bone implants are still in infancy. In this view, novel chiral hydroxyapatite (CHA) coated Ti alloys are successfully synthesized by a sophisticated chiral molecule-induced self-assembly method for the first time.

Decoding the regulatory role of ATP synthase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1) in Wallerian degeneration and peripheral nerve regeneration.

ATP synthase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1), a key modulator of ATP synthase complex activity, has been implicated in various physiological and pathological processes. While its role is established in conditions such as hypoxia, ischemia-reperfusion injury, apoptosis, and cancer, its involvement remains elusive in peripheral nerve regeneration. Leveraging ATPIF1 knockout transgenic mice, this study reveals that the absence of ATPIF1 impedes neural structural reconstruction, leading to delayed sensory and functional recovery.

Multilevel neurium-mimetic individualized graft via additive manufacturing for efficient tissue repair.

Complicated peripheral nerve injuries or defects, especially at branching sites, remain a prominent clinical challenge after the application of different treatment strategies. Current nerve grafts fail to match the expected shape and size for delicate and precise branched nerve repair on a case-by-case basis, and there is a lack of geometrical and microscale regenerative navigation. In this study, we develop a sugar painting-inspired individualized multilevel epi-/peri-/endoneurium-mimetic device (SpinMed) to customize natural cues, featuring a selectively protective outer sheath and an instructive core, to support rapid vascular reconstruction and consequent efficient neurite extension along the defect area.

Advances in graphene-based 2D materials for tendon, nerve, bone/cartilage regeneration and biomedicine.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, especially graphene-based materials, have important implications for tissue regeneration and biomedicine due to their large surface area, transport properties, ease of functionalization, biocompatibility, and adsorption capacity. Despite remarkable progress in the field of tissue regeneration and biomedicine, there are still problems such as unclear long-term stability, lack of experimental data, and detection accuracy. This paper reviews recent applications of graphene-based materials in tissue regeneration and biomedicine and discusses current issues and prospects for the development of graphene-based materials with respect to promoting the regeneration of tendons, neuronal cells, bone, chondrocytes, blood vessels, and skin, as well as applications in sensing, detection, anti-microbial activity, and targeted drug delivery.

Tissue/Organ Adaptable Bioelectronic Silk-Based Implants.

Implantable bioelectronic devices, designed for both monitoring and modulating living organisms, require functional and biological adaptability. Pure silk is innovatively employed, which is known for its excellent biocompatibility, to engineer water-triggered, geometrically reconfigurable membranes, on which functions can be integrated by Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) techniques and specially functionalized silk. These devices can undergo programmed shape deformations within 10 min once triggered by water, and thus establishing stable bioelectronic interfaces with natively fitted geometries.

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide accelerated trauma-induced heterotopic ossification through the Ca/ERK pathway-enhanced aberrant osteogenic activity.

Unveiling of the mechanism involved in the occurrence and development of trauma-induced heterotopic ossification (tHO) is highly demanding due to current ineffective clinical treatment for it. Previous studies proposed that hydrogen sulfide (HS) was vital for fate determination of stem cells, suggesting a potential role in the regulation of tHO development. In the current study, We found that expression of metabolic enzyme within sulfur conversion pathway was enhanced after tendon injury, leading to HS accumulation within the tHO region.

Hierarchical Chiral Calcium Silicate Hydrate Films Promote Vascularization for Tendon-to-Bone Healing.

Revascularization after rotator cuff repair is crucial for tendon-to-bone healing. The chirality of materials has been reported to influence their performance in tissue repair. However, data on the use of chiral structures to optimize biomaterials as a revascularization strategy remain scarce.

Tranexamic acid in patients with post-traumatic elbow stiffness: protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of tranexamic acid at reducing the recurrence of heterotopic ossification after open elbow arthrolysis.

Introduction: Exaggerated inflammatory response is one of the main mechanisms underlying heterotopic ossification (HO). It has been suggested that the antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid (TXA) can exert a significant anti-inflammatory effect during orthopaedic surgery. However, no prospective studies have yet investigated the effects of TXA on HO recurrence in patients following open elbow arthrolysis (OEA).

Development and Validation of a Deep-Learning Model to Predict Total Hip Replacement on Radiographs: The Total Hip Replacement Prediction (THREP) Model.

Background: There are few methods for accurately assessing the risk of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with osteoarthritis. A novel and reliable method that could play a substantial role in research and clinical routine should be investigated. The purpose of the present study was to develop a deep-learning model that can reliably predict the risk of THA with use of radiographic images and clinical symptom data.

Hypoxia and Matrix Metalloproteinase 13-Responsive Hydrogel Microspheres Alleviate Osteoarthritis Progression In Vivo.

The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) is highly associated with the inflammatory hypoxic microenvironment. Yet currently no attention has been paid to fabricating hypoxia-responsive platforms for OA treatment. Herein, an injectable hydrogel microsphere system (HAM-SA@HCQ) focusing on the hypoxic inflamed joint is prepared with methacrylate-modified sulfonated azocalix[4]arene (SAC4A-MA), methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HA-MA), and dithiol-terminated matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) sensitive peptide via a microfluidic device and photo crosslinking technique, followed by encapsulation of the anti-inflammatory drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) through host-guest interaction.

An extracellular matrix mimicking alginate hydrogel scaffold manipulates an inflammatory microenvironment and improves peripheral nerve regeneration by controlled melatonin release.

Low efficiency of nerve growth and unstable release of loaded drugs have become a major problem in repairing peripheral nerve injury. Many intervention strategies were focused on simple drug loading, but have still been less effective. The key challenge is to establish a controlled release microenvironment to enable adequate nerve regeneration.

Preclinical assessment of IL-1β primed human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for tendon functional repair through TGF-β/IL-10 signaling.

Background: Inadequate repair capacity and disturbed immune compartments are the main pathological causes of tendinopathy. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) become an effective clinic option to alleviate tendinopathy. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) could confer on MSCs enhanced immunoregulatory capability to remodel the repair microenvironment favoring tissue repair.

Microfabrication and lab-on-a-chip devices promotemodeling of neural interfaces for neuroscience researches and preclinical applications.

Neural tissues react to injuries through the orchestration of cellular reprogramming, generating specialized cells and activating gene expression that helps with tissue remodeling and homeostasis. Simplified biomimetic models are encouraged to amplify the physiological and morphological changes during neural regeneration at cellular and molecular levels. Recent years have witnessed growing interest in lab-on-a-chip technologies for the fabrication of neural interfaces.

Resection Outcomes of Posttraumatic Elbow Heterotopic Ossification: Multicenter Case Series at a Minimum 5-Year Follow-Up.

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO), a common complication after elbow trauma, causes severe limb disability. Resection is usually performed for posttraumatic elbow HO (PTEHO) to regain mobility, and although heavily reported, there has been no long-term (minimum, 5-year) follow-up.

Methods: A total of 173 patients who underwent PTEHO resection were followed up for a minimum of 5 years in 4 hospitals between January of 2015 and August of 2016.

Cell metabolism pathways involved in the pathophysiological changes of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Elucidating the pathophysiological metabolic mechanism impels the generation of ideal therapies. However, existing limited treatments for diabetic peripheral neuropathy expose the urgent need for cell metabolism research.

Dual-engineered cartilage-targeting extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance osteoarthritis treatment via miR-223/NLRP3/pyroptosis axis: Toward a precision therapy.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common disabling joint disease with no effective disease modifying drugs. Extracellular vesicles released by several types of mesenchymal stem cells could promote cartilage repair and ameliorate OA pathology in animal models, representing a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, we demonstrated that extracellular vesicles derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-EVs) could maintain chondrocyte homeostasis and alleviate OA, and further revealed a novel molecular mechanism of this therapeutic effect.

Glycolipotoxicity conferred tendinopathy through ferroptosis dictation of tendon-derived stem cells by YAP activation.

Tendinopathy is a condition characterized by chronic, complex, and multidimensional pathological changes in the tendons. The etiology of tendinopathy is the combination of several factors, and diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor. Increasing evidence has shown that the diabetic microenvironment plays an important role in tendinopathy.

Verteporfin attenuates trauma-induced heterotopic ossification of Achilles tendon by inhibiting osteogenesis and angiogenesis involving YAP/β-catenin signaling.

Heterotopic ossification occurs as a pathological ossification condition characterized by ectopic bone formation within soft tissues following trauma. Vascularization has long been established to fuel skeletal ossification during tissue development and regeneration. However, the feasibility of vascularization as a target of heterotopic ossification prevention remained to be further clarified.

KLF2/PPARγ axis contributes to trauma-induced heterotopic ossification by regulating mitochondrial dysfunction.

Trauma-induced heterotopic ossification (HO) is a complex disorder after musculoskeletal injury and characterized by aberrant extraskeletal bone formation. Recent studies shed light on critical role of dysregulated osteogenic differentiation in aberrant bone formation. Krupel-like factor 2 (KLF2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) are master adapter proteins that link cellular responses to osteogenesis; however, their roles and relationships in HO remain elusive.

Association Between Tranexamic Acid Use and Heterotopic Ossification Prevalence After Elbow Trauma Surgery: A Propensity-Score-Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common complication of elbow trauma that can affect limb mobility. Inflammation is an initiating factor for HO formation. Tranexamic acid (TXA) can reduce the inflammatory response after orthopaedic surgery.

lncRNA MEG3 Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation of Tendon Stem Cells Via the miR-129-5p/TCF4/β-Catenin Axis and thus Contributes to Trauma-Induced Heterotopic Ossification.

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is one of the most intractable conditions following injury to the musculoskeletal system. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the role of lncRNA in musculoskeletal disorders, but its role in HO was still unclear. Therefore, this study attempted to determine the role of lncRNA MEG3 in the formation of post-traumatic HO and further explore the underlying mechanisms.