Objective: We aimed to assess the impact of unbalanced occlusal loading on the TMJ and the expression of the Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathway using a unilateral occlusal loss rat model.
Methods: We established a unilateral occlusal defect animal model. At three different times, all female Wistar rats were randomized into three groups (4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks): (1) unilateral occlusal loss experiment group (extraction of the left mandibular molars and trimming of the left mandibular incisors every other day), (2) restoring incisal occlusion experiment group (extraction of the left mandibular molars and trimming of the left mandibular incisors every other day for 4 weeks, and then the incisor trimming was stopped until 10 weeks), (3) control group (normal loading).
Despite advancements in engineered heart tissue (EHT), challenges persist in achieving accurate dimensional accuracy of scaffolds and maturing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), a primary source of functional cardiac cells. Drawing inspiration from cardiac muscle fiber arrangement, a three-dimensional (3D)-printed multi-layered microporous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold is created with interlayer angles set at 45° to replicate the precise structure of native cardiac tissue. Compared with the control group and 90° PCL scaffolds, the 45° PCL scaffolds exhibited superior biocompatibility for cell culture and improved hiPSC-CM maturation in calcium handling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSirtuin-3 (SIRT3) in mitochondria has nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent protein deacetylase activity. As such, SIRT3 is crucial in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Advanced proteomics and transcriptomics studies have revealed that SIRT3 expression becomes altered when the heart or brain is affected by external stimuli or disease, such as diabetic cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: It is complicated and time-consuming to care for tracheostomised patients, and many informal caregivers are said to feel a variety of burdens, although we are unsure of the specifics of this burden. This scoping review aims to identify and examine the caregiver burden encountered by informal caregivers of patients with tracheostomy.
Methods And Analysis: This scoping review will be carried out in accordance with Arksey and O'Malley and its extended framework, along with adherence to the guidelines provided by the Joanna Briggs Institute.
Type I collagen, a crucial component maintaining the structural integrity and physiological function of various tissues, is widely regarded as one of the most suitable biomaterials for healthcare applications. In this study, shad scales, used for treating ulcers, scalds, and burns in traditional Chinese medicine, were exploited for type I collagen extraction. After self-assembly into hydrogels, the extracted collagen was subsequently freeze-dried to form collagen sponges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE), obtained by the paste extrusion-stretching method, is a commonly used stent membrane material for the treatment of arterial stenosis or aneurysm in clinical practice. However, the structure of ePTFE is nonfibrous, which is not friendly to cells, and the equipment consumes a lot of energy and often requires the use of flammable and toxic lubricants. In this study, electrospinning was used to prepare PTFE vascular stent membranes, following plasma treatment, dopamine, and heparin grafting to obtain an anticoagulant surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrsolic acid (UA), a triterpenoid found in plants, has many health benefits for liver function. However, understanding how UA intervenes in alcohol-induced ferroptosis remains unclear because of the lack of research. This study explored the protective effects of UA on alcohol-induced liver injury and further elucidated its mechanism of action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is a common strategy for viruses to block the host cell cycle to favour their DNA replication. Baculovirus, being a double-stranded DNA virus, can arrest the cell cycle in the G2/M phase to facilitate its replication. However, the key viral genes and mechanisms crucial for inducing cell cycle arrest remain poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect the quality of life or are fatal in the worst cases, resulting in a significant economic and social burden. Therefore, there is an urgent need to invent functional products or drugs for improving patient health and alleviating and controlling these diseases. Marine bioactive peptides reduce and control CVDs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Volatile oil is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine owing to its unique hydrophobic and lipophilic properties and rapid skin absorption. Artemisia annua L. (A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSolar-driven interfacial evaporation is a very promising choice for producing clean water. Despite the considerable investigation of pure NaCl brine purification, solar-driven complex water purification, such as real-world seawater desalination as well as domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, has rarely been investigated, mainly due to its compositions being much more complicated than NaCl brine. Herein, we developed a graphene oxide/aramid nanofiber (GO/ANFs) aerogel by a freeze-drying process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To develop Antarctic krill oil emulsions with casein and whey protein concentrate (WPC) and study their physicochemical properties and storage stability.
Methods: Emulsions were prepared by homogenisation and ultrasonication. The properties of the emulsions were investigated via ultraviolet ray spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, confocal laser scanning microscope, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Fourier transform infra-red spectrometer, and fluorescence spectrum.
Nano-sized microplastic pollution is distributed worldwide. Nano-sized microplastics can enter the blood through the digestive tract, and then transported to various tissues and organs of the body, resulting in a series of toxicological effects. In addition, nano-sized microplastics can penetrate the skin barrier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHematite is one of the most promising photoanode materials for the study of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting because of its ideal bandgap with sufficient visible light absorption and stability in alkaline electrolytes. However, owing to the intrinsically high electron-hole recombination, the PEC performance of hematite is still far below that expected. The efficient charge separation can be achieved via growth of FeOOH on hematite photoanode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent development of new immune checkpoint inhibitors has been particularly successfully in cancer treatment, but still the majority patients fail to benefit. Converting resistant tumors to immunotherapy sensitive will provide a significant improvement in patient outcome. Here we identify Mi-2β as a key melanoma-intrinsic effector regulating the adaptive anti-tumor immune response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdhesive hydrogels are considered to be promising interfacial adhesive materials for various applications; however, their adhesive strength is significantly reduced when immersed in liquid environments (water and oil) due to obstruction of the liquid layer or swelling in liquid, and they could not always be reused when the failure of the adhesive performance occurred. Herein, a graphite oxide/poly(vinyl alcohol) (GO/PVA) hydrogel with strong adhesion in air and under liquid environments was developed by rationally regulating the interactions of water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the binary liquid system. The strong interaction between water and DMSO allowed the water layer of the GO/PVA hydrogel on the hydrogel surface to act as a shield to repel oil in air, under water, and even when immersed in oil, and it also endowed the obtained hydrogel with antiswelling property when immersed in water and oil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine generated by healthy constituents of the skin, but is also up-regulated by a wide range of skin lesions and inflammatory conditions to trigger cytopathy of skin cells. TRIM27 was identified to contribute to the functional effects of IL-6 on skin cells. However, the underlying mechanism was not clear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells Tissues Organs
August 2024
Introduction: An early substantial loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) is a common property of Alzheimer's disease and the degeneration of functional BFCNs is related to learning and memory deficits. As a biocompatible and conductive scaffold for growth of neural stem cells, three-dimensional graphene foam (3D-GF) supports applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Although its effects on differentiation have been demonstrated, the effect of 3D-GF scaffold on the generation of BFCNs still remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the role of Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (TGW) in the treatment of psoriatic dermatitis from a cellular immunological perspective.
Methods: Mouse models of psoriatic dermatitis were established by imiquimod (IMQ). Twelve male BALB/c mice were assigned to IMQ or IMQTGW groups according to a random number table.
Conductive hydrogels have gained increasing attention in the field of wearable smart devices. However, it remains a big challenge to develop a multifunctionally conductive hydrogel in a rapid and facile way. Herein, a conductive tannic acid-iron/poly (acrylic acid) hydrogel was synthesized within 30 s at ambient temperature by the tannic acid-iron (TA@Fe)-mediated dynamic catalytic system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Psoriasis, an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin condition, is treatable with Qinzhu Liangxue (QZLX), a therapeutic medicinal plant formula used in clinical practice. However, further investigation is needed to clarify its molecular mechanisms of action.
Aim Of The Study: The potential biological mechanisms of QZLX to alleviate psoriasis involving IL-6-induced hyperproliferation and inflammation by regulating METTL14/SOCS3/STAT3 axis.
Solar-powered water purification is one of the promising choices for clean water production. However, it remains challenging to develop aerogel solar evaporators that simultaneously possess enhanced light-to-heat conversion, optimal thermal management, and salt crystal deposition inhibition. Herein, to address this challenge, we have developed a 3D chitosan-reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole (CS-RGO/PPy) aerogel vaporizer with a vertical and radially aligned structure through a directional freezing process, inspired by the featured structure of conifers.
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