Structurally sophisticated 3D-printed PCL-fibrin hydrogel meniscal scaffold promotes in situ regeneration in the rabbit knee meniscus.

A meniscus injury is a common cartilage disease of the knee joint. Despite the availability of various methods for the treatment of meniscal injuries, the poor regenerative capacity of the meniscus often necessitates resection, leading to the accelerated progression of osteoarthritis. Advances in tissue engineering have introduced meniscal tissue engineering as a potential treatment option.

Direct Mapping of Cytomechanical Homeostasis Destruction in Osteoarthritis Based on Silicon Nanopillar Array.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint degenerative disease characterized by chronic joint inflammation. The pathogenesis of OA has not been fully elucidated yet. Cartilage erosion is the most significant pathological feature in OA, which is considered the result of cytomechanical homeostasis destruction.

Hierarchical hydrogel scaffolds with a clustered and oriented structure.

Hydrogel scaffolds play a critical role in tissue engineering due to their hydrophilic network structure and good biocompatibility. Constructing anisotropic scaffolds geometrically similar to injured tissues is conducive to promoting the generation of tissue and organ equivalents, or to guiding and enhancing the regeneration of injured tissues. In this study, we developed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/alginate hierarchical hydrogel scaffolds with a clustered and oriented structure using a method that combines directional freezing and drying under stretching.

Combination of external fixation using digital six-axis fixator and internal fixation to treat severe complex knee deformity.

Background: Severe knee valgus/varus or complex multiplanar deformities are common in clinic. If not corrected in time, cartilage wear will be aggravated and initiate the osteoarthritis due to lower limb malalignment. Internal fixation is unable to correct severe complex deformities, especially when combined with lower limb discrepancy (LLD).

A Retrospective Study of the Perioperative Period Management of Joint Arthroplasty in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Objective: With the rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the increasing demand for joint arthroplasty, the management of CKD patients in the perioperative period of joint arthroplasty has become an issue worthy of attention for orthopedic surgeons. This study aimed to explore comprehensive perioperative period management strategies for CKD patients.

Methods: From March 2017 to August 2022, 62 patients who underwent joint arthroplasty in our hospital were included in a retrospective study, including 31 CKD patients (mean age 69.

OPN inhibits autophagy through CD44, integrin and the MAPK pathway in osteoarthritic chondrocytes.

Background: To investigate whether osteopontin (OPN) affects autophagy in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes and determine the roles of CD44, αvβ3 integrin and the Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in this progress.

Methods: First, we compared the autophagy levels in the human osteoarthritis (OA) and normal cartilage, then, we cultured human OA chondrocytes and treated cells with recombinant human OPN (rhOPN) to determine autophagy changes. Next, the anti-CD44 and anti-CD51/61 monoclonal antibodies (Abs) or isotype IgG were used to determine the possible role of CD44 and αvβ3 integrin; subsequently, an inhibitor of the ERK MAPK pathway was used to investigate the role of ERK MAPK.

Macrophage Polarization Modulated by NF-κB in Polylactide Membranes-Treated Peritendinous Adhesion.

Foreign body reactions (FBR) to implants seriously impair tissue-implant integration and postoperative adhesion. The macrophage, owing to its phenotypic plasticity, is a major regulator in the formation of the inflammatory microenvironment; NF-κB signaling also plays a vital role in the process. It is hypothesized that NF-κB phosphorylation exerts a proinflammatory regulator in FBR to polylactide membranes (PLA-M) and adhesion.

Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Meniscal Repair in the White-White Zone of the Meniscus.

Objective: To investigate the role of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the repair of meniscal white-white zone injury through promoting the proliferation of canine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).

Methods: A total of 24 beagle dogs were selected to construct meniscal white-white zone injury models in both lateral knee joints. All subjects were divided into four groups: control, BMSCs, PRP, and PRP + BMSCs.

Simulated operation combined with patient-specific instrumentation technology is superior to conventional technology for supramalleolar osteotomy: a retrospective comparative study.

Objective: Over the past seven years, our team has designed a simulated operation combined with patient-specific instrumentation (SO-PSI) assisted supramalleolar osteotomy (SMOT) method and applied it in the clinic. This study aimed to evaluate the differences between SO-PSI technology and conventional operation (CO) technology for SMOT in preoperative planning, intraoperative application, and postoperative curative effect.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed SMOT data collected from our hospital between October 2014 and December 2018.

The effects of posterior cruciate ligament rupture on the biomechanical and histological characteristics of the medial collateral ligament: an animal study.

Background: To investigate the effect of complete rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) on the biomechanics and histology of the medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Materials And Methods: Seventy-two male rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: the ruptured group was treated with complete PCL amputation, while the intact group was only subjected to PCL exposure without amputation. Eighteen rabbits were randomly sacrificed at 8, 16, 24, and 40 weeks after the operation, and their specimens were processed for mechanical tensile testing, nano-indentation experiments, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and picrosirius-polarization staining.

Mouse models of sarcopenia: classification and evaluation.

Sarcopenia is a progressive and widespread skeletal muscle disease that is related to an increased possibility of adverse consequences such as falls, fractures, physical disabilities and death, and its risk increases with age. With the deepening of the understanding of sarcopenia, the disease has become a major clinical disease of the elderly and a key challenge of healthy ageing. However, the exact molecular mechanism of this disease is still unclear, and the selection of treatment strategies and the evaluation of its effect are not the same.

The role of melatonin in sarcopenia: Advances and application prospects.

Sarcopenia is an age-related disease that has gradually become a serious health problem for elderly individuals. It not only greatly increases the risk of falls, weakness, and disability but also reduces the ability of patients to take care of themselves. Sarcopenia can directly affect the quality of life and disease prognosis of elderly individuals.

Effects of earthworm extract on the lipid profile and fatty liver induced by a high-fat diet in guinea pigs.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver in people who consume little or no alcohol, is becoming increasingly common around the world, especially in developed countries. Extracts from earthworms have been used as alternative therapies for a variety of diseases but not in NAFLD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of earthworm extract (EE) on diet-induced fatty liver disease in guinea pigs.

The therapeutic effects of earthworm extract on deep second-degree burn wound healing.

Background: To investigated the effect of earthworm extract (EE) on deep second-degree burn wound healing process.

Methods: A burn wound model was created on the mice's skin and was subject to different treatments: the control group received no treatment; the Jingwanhong (JWH: a well-established, widely used external ointment for treating burn wounds) group was treated with 0.1 g of JWH cream and spray it on the wound surface; the EE group was treated with 0.

Myogenic Differentiation of Stem Cells for Skeletal Muscle Regeneration.

Stem cells have become a hot research topic in the field of regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. Skeletal muscle tissue is one of the most important tissues in the human body, and it is difficult to recover when severely damaged. However, conventional treatment methods can cause great pain to patients.

Characterization of the Subchondral Bone and Pain Behavior Changes in a Novel Bipedal Standing Mouse Model of Facet Joint Osteoarthritis.

Background: The subchondral bone parallels with the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, the biomechanical properties and histopathological changes of subchondral bone changes in the lumbar facet joint (LFJ) after long-term axial loading on the spine have not been explored. In this study, we aimed to investigate the subchondral bone histopathological changes that occur in the LFJ and pain behaviors in a novel bipedal standing mouse model.