Publications by authors named "Xiaozhong Zhou"

The dynamic balance between bone resorption and formation is critical for maintaining healthy bone homeostasis. However, the receptor activator of the nuclear factor B ligand (RANKL) primarily stimulates mature osteoclasts to resorb bone, and its upregulation leads to osteoporosis in patients. Here, we designed RANK-expressing extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells to maintain bone homeostasis in mice.

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Background: Kümmell disease (KD)-a rare and relatively complex spinal condition-is a type of posttraumatic osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture manifesting as a delayed collapse of a vertebral body. Although most patients with KD present with pain in the fracture area, some present with pain in the rib region or distal lumbosacral region, without pain in the fracture area, which poses challenges for diagnosing and treating KD.

Objective: We aimed to explore whether percutaneous kyphoplasty can alleviate pain distal to the fracture area caused by either Stage I or Stage II KD.

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Macrophages are rapidly activated and polarized toward the M1 phenotype after spinal cord injury (SCI), and inhibiting M1-like macrophages has emerged as a promising SCI treatment approach. Metalloregulatory proteins, which sense specific metal ions with high affinity and specificity, play a critical role in immune regulation. Here, we screened various bioactive metal ions associated with metalloregulatory proteins and discovered that Zn and Mn effectively suppressed M1 polarization.

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Nucleus pulposus (NP) resides in hypoxic microenvironment and NP cells (NPCs), primarily reply on glycolysis and producing high levels of lactate. Intracellular lactate drives lysine lactylation (Kla) as a newly epigenetic modification. However, the impact of Kla on NPCs remains unknown.

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Silk-based biodegradable materials play an important role in tissue engineering, especially in the field of bone regeneration. However, while optimizing mechanical properties and bone regeneration characteristics, modified silk fibroin (SF)-based materials also increase the complexity of scaffold systems, which is not conducive to clinical translation. In this study, we first added synthetic biomimetic mineralized collagen (MC) particles to SF-based materials to improve the bone regeneration properties of the scaffolds and simultaneously regulated the degradation rate of the scaffolds to match the bone regeneration rate.

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Silicon/carbon (Si/C) nanocomposites are considered as one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to their high capacity and suitable lithiation potential. However, the complex and time-consuming preparation processes of silicon-based nanocomposites and the unexpected silicon carbide generated during high treatment make it difficult to achieve high-performance Si/C nanocomposites for practical applications. Herein, a silicon/carbon nanocomposite is successfully prepared through a facile and eco-friendly molten salt assisted precarbonization-reduction method using palygorskite (PAL) and sodium alginate as raw materials.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Osteomyelitis is a common and serious bacterial infection that is hard to treat, often leading to high mortality and disability rates.
  • - Calcium hydride (CaH) can be used as a novel treatment, working by creating a strong alkaline environment that kills bacteria, while also providing calcium to promote new bone growth.
  • - In studies with infected mice, CaH showed promising results by effectively reducing bacterial presence, decreasing inflammation, and aiding in bone healing, thus offering a potential alternative to traditional treatments, especially for antibiotic-resistant infections.
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Background: The evolution of lower blepharoplasty has shifted from simply removing of orbital septum fat to smoothing of the lid-cheek junction through fat repositioning. This paper adopts a novel technique to transpose and stabilize intraorbital fat during transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty. The tear trough and nasal alar base were filled to correct the pouch while ensuring the blood supply of the fat flap.

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SiO-based anodes are of great promise for lithium-ion batteries due to their low working potential and high specific capacity. However, several issues involving large volume expansion during the lithiation process, low intrinsic conductivity, and unsatisfactory initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) hinder their practical application. Here, an Fe-SiO@C composite with significantly improved lithium-storage performance was successfully synthesized by combining Fe modification with a carbon coating strategy.

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Background: Spinal fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) mainly present as instability, involving all three columns of the spine, and surgical intervention is often considered necessary. However, in AS patients, the significant alterations in bony structure and anatomy result in a lack of identifiable landmarks, which increases the difficulty of pedicle screw implantation. Therefore, we present the clinical outcomes of robotic-assisted percutaneous fixation for thoracolumbar fractures in patients with AS.

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Article Synopsis
  • Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) leads to motor and sensory impairments due to trauma, tumors, or inflammation, and traditional treatments have limited success in promoting recovery.
  • Newer treatment methods are emerging, including gas molecular therapy that uses gasotransmitters to protect neurons and improve the spinal cord environment, though delivery methods are still a challenge.
  • The rise of nanotechnology allows for targeted delivery of these gasotransmitters directly to injury sites, showing potential in preclinical studies and promising new avenues for SCI treatment.
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Objective: To validated a classifier to distinguish the status of rotator cuff tear and predict post-operative re-tear by utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with healthy rotator cuff and patients diagnosed as rotator cuff tear (RCT) by MRI. Radiomics features were identified from the pre-operative shoulder MRI and selected by using maximum relevance minimum redundancy (MRMR) methods.

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Signaling mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is supported by the postsynaptic scaffolding protein PSD-95, has antidepressant effects. Conversely, clinical depression is associated with reduced BDNF signaling. We found that peptidomimetic compounds that bind to PSD-95 promoted signaling by the BDNF receptor TrkB in the hippocampus and reduced depression-like behaviors in mice.

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Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes are considered as alternative to cell therapy in various diseases. This study aimed to understand the effect of bone marrow MSC-derived exosomes (BMMSC-exos) on spinal cord injury (SCI) and to unveil its regulatory mechanism on ferroptosis. Exosomes were isolated from BMMSCs and the uptake of BMMSCs-exos by PC12 cells was determined using PKH67 staining.

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Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is gaining recognition as a highly promising polymer for orthopedic implants, attributed to its exceptional biocompatibility, ease of processing, and radiation resistance. However, its long-term in vivo application faces challenges, primarily due to suboptimal osseointegration from postimplantation inflammation and immune reactions. Consequently, biofunctionalization of PEEK implant surfaces emerges as a strategic approach to enhance osseointegration and increase the overall success rates of these implants.

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Here we explored the potential role of Gαi2 (G protein subunit alpha i2) in endothelial cell function and angiogenesis. Genetic methodologies such as shRNA, CRISPR/Cas9, dominant negative mutation, and overexpression were utilized to modify Gαi2 expression or regulate its function. Their effects on endothelial cell functions were assessed .

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Spinal facet joint osteoarthritis (FJOA) is an OA disease with pathogenesis and progression uncovered. Our present study was performed to elucidate the role of DNM3OS on spinal FJOA. In this study, spine facet joint tissue of patients were collected.

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How to promote wound healing is still a major challenge in the healthcare while macrophages are a critical component of the healing process. Compared to various bioactive drugs, many plants have been reported to facilitate the wound healing process by regulating the immune response of wounds. In this work, a Three-dimensional (3D) printed hydrogel scaffold loaded with natural Centella asiatica extract (CA extract) is developed for wound healing.

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Objectives: To investigate the effect of a three-dimensional (3D) exoscope for decompression of single-segment massive lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods: The study included 56 consecutive patients with single segment massive LDH who underwent decompression assisted by a 3D exoscope from October 2019 to October 2022 at a university hospital. The analysis was based on comparison of perioperative metrics including decompression time, estimated blood loss (EBL) during decompression and postoperative length of stay (PLS); clinical outcomes including assessment using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI); and incidence of reoperation and complications.

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