Parabrachial nucleus Vglut2 expressing neurons projection to the extended amygdala involved in the regulation of wakefulness during sevoflurane anesthesia in mice.

Aims: The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) promotes wakefulness states under general anesthesia. Recent studies have shown that glutamatergic neurons within the PBN play a crucial role in facilitating emergence from anesthesia. Our previous study indicates that vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vglut2) expression neurons of the PBN extend into the extended amygdala (EA).

Coatless modification of 3D-printed Ti6Al4V implants through tailored Cu ion implantation combined with UV photofunctionalization to enhance cell attachment, osteogenesis and angiogenesis.

The three-dimensional-printed Ti6Al4V implant (3DTi) has been widely accepted for the reconstruction of massive bone defects in orthopedics owing to several advantages, such as its tailored shape design, avoiding bone graft and superior bone-implant interlock. However, the osteoinduction activity of 3DTi is inadequate when applied clinically even though it exhibits osteoconduction. This study developes a comprehensive coatless strategy for the surface improvement of 3DTi through copper (Cu) ion implantation and ultraviolet (UV) photofunctionalization to enhance osteoinductivity.

Erratum: Simvastatin/hydrogel-loaded 3D-printed titanium alloy scaffolds suppress osteosarcoma via TF/NOX2-associated ferroptosis while repairing bone defects.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.

CXCR4, regulated by HIF1A, promotes endometrial breakdown via CD45 leukocyte recruitment in a mouse model of menstruation.

Menstruation is a specific physiological phenomenon in female humans that is regulated by complex molecular mechanisms. However, the molecular network involved in menstruation remains incompletely understood. Previous studies have suggested that C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is involved; however, how CXCR4 participates in endometrial breakdown remains unclear, as do its regulatory mechanisms.

Facile Construction of Hybrid Hydrogels with High Strength and Biocompatibility for Cranial Bone Regeneration.

The significant efforts being made towards the utilization of artificial soft materials holds considerable promise for developing tissue engineering scaffolds for bone-related diseases in clinics. However, most of these biomaterials cannot simultaneously satisfy the multiple requirements of high mechanics, good compatibility, and biological osteogenesis. In this study, an osteogenic hybrid hydrogel between the amine-functionalized bioactive glass (ABG) and 4-armed poly(ethylene glycol) succinimidyl glutarate-gelatin network (SGgel) is introduced to flexibly adhere onto the defective tissue and to subsequently guide bone regeneration.

A sustained release of alendronate from an injectable tetra-PEG hydrogel for efficient bone repair.

Significant efforts on construction of smart drug delivery for developing minimally invasive gelling system to prolong local delivery of bisphosphonates are considered as promising perspectives for the bone-related diseases, which provide the hydrogels with unique bioactivities for bone repair in clinic. Herein, we have constructed an alendronate (ALN)-conjoined injectable tetra-PEG hydrogel with excellent biocompatibility, uniform network, and favorable mechanical properties in one-pot strategy. In views of the quick ammonolysis reaction between N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-ester of tetra-PEG-SG and amine groups of tetra-PEG-NH polymer and ALN molecules, the uniform networks were formed within seconds along with the easy injection, favorable biocompatibility and mechanical properties for hydrogel scaffolds.

CHN1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the Akt/GSK-3β/Snail pathway in cervical carcinoma.

Background: Metastasis and invasion are crucial in determining the mortality of cervical carcinoma (CC) patients. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is now a universal explanation for the mechanisms of tumor metastasis. Α-chimeric protein (α-chimaerin, CHN1) plays an important role in the regulation of signal transduction and development.

Practical strategy to construct anti-osteosarcoma bone substitutes by loading cisplatin into 3D-printed titanium alloy implants using a thermosensitive hydrogel.

Surgical resection and perioperative adjuvant chemotherapy-based therapies have improved the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma; however, intraoperative bone defects, local tumour recurrence, and chemotherapy-induced adverse effects still affect the quality of life of patients. Emerging 3D-printed titanium alloy (TiAlV) implants have advantages over traditional implants in bone repair, including lower elastic modulus, lower stiffness, better bone conduction, more bone in-growth, stronger mechanical interlocking, and lager drug-loading capacity by their inherent porous structure. Here, cisplatin, a clinical first-line anti-osteosarcoma drug, was loaded into TiAlV implants, within a PLGA-PEG-PLGA thermo-sensitive hydrogel, to construct bone substitutes with both anti-osteosarcoma and bone-repair functions.

Upregulation of miR-205 induces CHN1 expression, which is associated with the aggressive behaviour of cervical cancer cells and correlated with lymph node metastasis.

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. However, the mechanisms mediating the development and progression of cervical cancer are unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the roles of microRNAs and a1-chimaerin (CHN1) protein in cervical cancer progression.

Local Delivery of Taxol From FGL-Functionalized Self-Assembling Peptide Nanofiber Scaffold Promotes Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury.

Taxol has been clinically approved as an antitumor drug, and it exerts its antitumor effect through the excessive stabilization of microtubules in cancer cells. Recently, moderate microtubule stabilization by Taxol has been shown to efficiently promote neurite regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the potential for the clinical translation of Taxol in treating SCI is limited by its side effects and low ability to cross the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB).

Inhibition of survivin induces spindle disorganization, chromosome misalignment, and DNA damage during mouse embryo development.

The early embryonic development is important for the subsequent embryo implantation, and any defects in this process can lead to embryonic aneuploidy, which causes miscarriage and birth defects. Survivin is the member of inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, and it is also an essential subunit of chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), which regulates both apoptosis and cell cycle control in many models. However, the roles of survivin in mouse early embryos remain unclear.

Survey of COVID-19 Disease Among Orthopaedic Surgeons in Wuhan, People's Republic of China.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, the People's Republic of China, in December 2019 and now is a pandemic all around the world. Some orthopaedic surgeons in Wuhan were infected with COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a survey to identify the orthopaedic surgeons who were infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan.

Hypoxia: involved but not essential for endometrial breakdown in mouse menstural-like model.

Menstruation is a specific physiological phenomenon that occurs in women. However, molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still unclear. According to the classical theory, tissue hypoxia resulting from vasoconstriction of the spiral arteries after progesterone (P4) withdrawal initiates the breakdown of the endometrium at the earliest stage of menstruation.

Establishment of Neurobehavioral Assessment System in Tree Shrew SCT Model.

Tree shrews, possessing higher developed motor function than rats, were more suitable to study neurological behavior after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we established a feasible behavioral assessment method to detect the degree of ethology recovery in tree shrew subjected to spinal cord transection (SCT). Tree shrews were divided into normal group, sham group, and SCT group.

Human-specific LAIR2 contributes to the high invasiveness of human extravillous trophoblast cells.

The placenta is a temporary vital organ for intra-uterine development and growth. The anatomical structure of the placenta has evolved substantially, resulting in broad inter-species diversity. In particular, human placental extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs) have evolved aggressive features, although the mechanism underlying this aggressiveness remains elusive.

Establishment of brain ischemia model in tree shrew.

Background: Tree shrew, as a kind of small and inexpensive animal between insectivores and primates with the general anatomy being similar to human, could be considered as developed animal model for brain ischemia (BI) study. However, there is no neural behavior scores criterion from tree shrew with BI up to now.

Methods: To produce BI model of tree shrew, a novel systematic neurobehavioral assessment scale, named as neural behavior scores (NBS) including aggressive behavior, seeking behavior, gait, startle reflex, high jump and warped-tail phenomenon was firstly established and used in this study.

Flufenamic acid inhibits secondary hemorrhage and BSCB disruption after spinal cord injury.

Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) induces secondary hemorrhage and initial blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) disruption. The transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (Trpm4) together with sulfonylurea receptor 1 (Sur1) forms the Sur1-Trpm4 channel complex. The up-regulation of Sur1-Trpm4 after injury plays a crucial role in secondary hemorrhage, which is the most destructive mechanism in secondary injuries of the central nervous system (CNS).

Repeated abortion in adulthood induces cognition impairment in aged mice.

Age-related cognitive decline is one of the major aspects that impede successful aging in humans. Repeated abortion in adulthood can accelerate or aggravate cognitive deficiency during aging. Here we used repeated abortion in female mice adulthood and investigated the consequences of this treatment on cognitive performance during aging.

Improved Fecundity in Northern China: A Secular Trend from 1980 to 2003.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the trend of human fecundity over time in China.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Tongliao, China. Couples who were married during the time period between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 2003 were considered eligible for this study.

Endometrial breakdown with sustained progesterone release involves NF-κB-mediated functional progesterone withdrawal in a mouse implant model.

Irregular uterine bleeding is a major side effect of long-acting progestogen-only contraceptives in women, and is the primary reason women discontinue their use. In this study, a mouse model of endometrial breakdown was established using a subcutaneous progesterone implant to understand how irregular bleeding begins. Although progestogens sustained decidualization, endometrial breakdown was still observed in this model.

Tanshinol suppresses inflammatory factors in a rat model of vascular dementia and protects LPS-treated neurons via the MST1-FOXO3 signaling pathway.

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in vascular dementia(VD). Our previous work showed that mammalian Ste20-like kinase 1 (MST1) and the gene for a downstream transcription factor, FOXO3, play major roles in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced apoptosis in hippocampal neurons. The neurotoxic effects of LPS are derived from its ability to cause an inflammatory response.

Identification of novel potent human testis-specific and bromodomain-containing protein (BRDT) inhibitors using crystal structure-based virtual screening.

Human testis-specific and bromodomain-containing protein (hBRDT) is essential for chromatin remodeling during spermatogenesis and is therefore an attractive target for the discovery of male contraceptive drugs. In this study, pharmacophore modeling was carried out based on the crystal structure of hBRDT in complex with the inhibitor, JQ1. The established pharmacophore model was used as a 3D search query to identify potent hBRDT inhibitors from an in-house chemical database.

Spontaneous decidualization in pseudopregnant rats with vitamin E deficiency.

Successful implantation of an embryo requires adequate depth of invasion in the endometrium, which depends upon decidualization. The aim of the present study was to elucidate why humans experience spontaneous decidualization and menstruation while most other mammals do not. We established a spontaneous decidualization model in pseudopregnant rats with vitamin E deficiency (VED) to investigate mechanisms associated with spontaneous decidualization.