Diseased Erythrocyte Enrichment Based on I-Shaped Pillar DLD Arrays.

Enrichment of erythrocytes is a necessary step in the diagnosis of blood diseases. Due to the high deformability and viscosity of erythrocytes, they cannot be regarded as stable point-like solids, so the influence of their deformability on fluid dynamics must be considered. Therefore, by using the special effect of an I-shaped pillar (I-pillar) on erythrocytes, erythrocytes with different deformability can be made to produce different provisional distances in the chip, so as to achieve the separation of the two kinds of erythrocytes.

Numerical Studies on the Motions of Magnetically Tagged Cells Driven by a Micromagnetic Matrix.

Precisely controlling magnetically tagged cells in a complex environment is crucial to constructing a magneto-microfluidic platform. We propose a two-dimensional model for capturing magnetic beads from non-magnetic fluids under a micromagnetic matrix. A qualitative description of the relationship between the capture trajectory and the micromagnetic matrix with an alternating polarity configuration was obtained by computing the force curve of the magnetic particles.

Rapid Production of Nanoscale Liposomes Using a 3D-Printed Reactor-In-A-Centrifuge: Formulation, Characterisation, and Super-Resolution Imaging.

Nanoscale liposomes have been extensively researched and employed clinically for the delivery of biologically active compounds, including chemotherapy drugs and vaccines, offering improved pharmacokinetic behaviour and therapeutic outcomes. Traditional laboratory-scale production methods often suffer from limited control over liposome properties (e.g.

Evaporation issues of acoustically levitated fuel droplets.

Fuel droplet evaporation is essential to the generation of flammable mixtures in thermal engines. Generally, liquid fuel is injected directly into the hot, high-pressure atmosphere to form scattered droplets. Many investigations on droplet evaporation have been conducted with techniques involving the influence of boundaries, such as suspended wires.

Photodynamic therapy: a new approach to the treatment of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial skin and soft tissue infections.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial skin and soft tissue infections are rising and are causing social concern due to the growth of cosmetic dermatology and immune-compromised populations. For the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria, several novel strategies have been investigated. One of them, photodynamic therapy, is a recently developed therapeutic strategy that has shown promise in managing nontuberculous mycobacterial skin and soft tissue infections.

Mitophagy associated self-degradation of phosphorylated MAP4 guarantees the migration and proliferation responses of keratinocytes to hypoxia.

Our previous study has announced that phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein 4 (p-MAP4) accelerated keratinocytes migration and proliferation under hypoxia through depolymerizing microtubules. However, p-MAP4 should exhibit inhibitory effects on wound healing, for it also impaired mitochondria. Thus, figuring out the outcome of p-MAP4 after it impaired mitochondria and how the outcome influenced wound healing were far-reaching significance.

Local CRF and oxytocin receptors correlate with female experience-driven avoidance change and hippocampal neuronal plasticity.

Understanding how experiences affect females' behaviors and neuronal plasticity is essential for uncovering the mechanism of neurodevelopmental disorders. The study explored how neonatal maternal deprivation (MD) and post-weaning environmental enrichment (EE) impacted the CA1 and DG's neuronal plasticity in the dorsal hippocampus, and its relationships with passive avoidance, local corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) levels, and oxytocin receptor (OTR) levels in female BALB/c mice. The results showed that MD damaged passive avoidance induced by foot shock and hotness, and EE restored it partially.

Reciprocating Oscillation of a Floating Ferrofluid Marble Triggered by Magnetic Fields.

Liquid marbles have the potential for microfluidic transport, medical diagnostics, and chemical analysis due to their negligible stickiness, environmental independence, and excellent mobility. Here, we report a non-contact manipulation strategy to arouse a reciprocating oscillation of ferrofluid marbles floating on the water surface, which can be used as microreactors. We experimentally investigated the quantitative relationship between the oscillation behavior, the applied magnetic field parameters, and the field regulation mechanism.

biocompatibility study of EDC/NHS cross-linked silk fibroin scaffold with olfactory ensheathing cells.

In this paper, we investigated silk fibroin (SF) cross-linked by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) and its biocompatibility with olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). After cross-linked with different concentrations of EDC/NHS solutions, SF scaffolds were analyzed by different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, x-ray diffraction, tensile machine and water contact angle assay. As to their structures, we found 4.

Eu-Doped Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Hexafluoropropylene/Graphene Oxide Multilayer Composite Nanofiber for the Fabrication of Flexible Pressure Sensors.

The development of flexible materials with higher piezoelectric properties and electrostrictive response is of great significance in many applications such as wearable functional devices, flexible sensors, and actuators. In this study, we report an efficient fabrication strategy to construct a highly sensitive (0.72 kPa), red light-emitting flexible pressure sensor using electrospun Eu-doped polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene/graphene oxide composite nanofibers using a layer-by-layer technology.

Dermal Fibroblast Migration and Proliferation Upon Wounding or Lipopolysaccharide Exposure is Mediated by Stathmin.

The dermal fibroblast is a crucial executor involved in wound healing, and lipopolysaccharide is a key factor in initiating the migration and proliferation of the dermal fibroblasts, followed by wound healing. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that stathmin increased concomitantly with p38/MAPK pathway activation by lipopolysaccharide stimulation of the human dermal fibroblast (HDF), which induced microtubule (MT) depolymerization followed by increased HDF migration and proliferation.

Non-Contact Monitoring on the Flow Status inside a Pulsating Heat Pipe.

The paper presents a concept of thermal-to-electrical energy conversion by using the oscillatory motion of magnetic fluid slugs which has potential to be applied in the field of sensors. A pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is introduced to produce vapor-magnetic fluid plug-slug flow in a snake-shaped capillary tube. As the magnetic fluid is magnetized by the permanent magnet, the slugs of magnetic fluid passing through the copper coils make the magnetic flux vary and produce the electromotive force.

Penetrable Nanoplatform for "Cold" Tumor Immune Microenvironment Reeducation.

Lack of tumor-infiltration lymphocytes (TILs) and resistances by overexpressed immunosuppressive cells (principally, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)) in tumor milieu are two major challenges hindering the effectiveness of immunotherapy for "immune-cold" tumors. In addition, the natural physical barrier existing in solid cancer also limits deeper delivery of drugs. Here, a tumor-targeting and light-responsive-penetrable nanoplatform (Apt/PDGss@pMOF) is developed to elicit intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and reeducate immunosuppressive microenvironment simultaneously.

The RCAN1.4-calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway is essential for hypoxic adaption of intervertebral discs.

Calcipressin-1, also known as regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1), can specifically bind calcineurin at or near the calcineurin A catalytic domain and downregulate calcineurin activity. However, whether RCAN1 affects the hypoxic intervertebral disc (IVD) phenotype through the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway remains unclear. First, we confirmed the characteristics of the degenerative nucleus pulposus (NP) by H&E, safranin O/fast green and Alcian blue staining, and detected increased RCAN1 levels in the degenerative NP by immunohistochemistry.

Magnetically driven microfluidics for isolation of circulating tumor cells.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) largely contribute to cancer metastasis and show potential prognostic significance in cancer isolation and detection. Miniaturization has progressed significantly in the last decade which in turn enabled the development of several microfluidic systems. The microfluidic systems offer a controlled microenvironment for studies of fundamental cell biology, resulting in the rapid development of microfluidic isolation of CTCs.

Reoccurring discogenic low back pain (LBP) after discoblock treated by oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF).

Objective: To determine the efficacy of OLIF in the treatment of reoccurring discogenic low back pain (LBP) after discoblock METHODS: We included 108 patients with LBP that was suspected to be discogenic (such as high intensity zone, Schmorl's nodes, Modic changes Type I, etc.), from August 2015 to August 2017. All patients underwent discography, and patients whose LBP was confirmed to be discogenic received discoblock.

Dandelion-Like Tailorable Nanoparticles for Tumor Microenvironment Modulation.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute over 50% of the number of cells within the tumor, playing a major role in tumor progression and invasion. Remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment by modulating TAM polarization has been emerging as a new and promising therapeutic strategy. However, the high interstitial fluid pressure and dense extracellular matrix lead to insufficient penetration of nanosized therapies.

Two-dimensional Simulation of Motion of Red Blood Cells with Deterministic Lateral Displacement Devices.

Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) technology has great potential for the separation, enrichment, and sorting of red blood cells (RBCs). This paper presents a numerical simulation of the motion of RBCs using DLD devices with different pillar shapes and gap configurations. We studied the effect of the pillar shape, row shift, and pillar diameter on the performance of RBC separation.

[Status of diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis in 2017: a national multi-center retrospective study].

Objective: To analyze the current status of diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis (AA) in China.

Methods: Questionnaire survey was used to retrospectively collect data of hospitalized patients with AA from 43 medical centers nationwide in 2017 (Sort by number of cases provided: Jinling Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Lu'an People's Hospital, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Dalian Central Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Dongying People's Hospital, Jinjiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huangshan Shoukang Hospital, Xuyi People's Hospital, Nanjing Jiangbei People's Hospital, Lanzhou 940th Hospital of PLA, Heze Municipal Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science of China Three Gorges University, Affiliated Jiujiang Hospital of Nanchang University, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Affiliated Central Hospital of Shandong Zaozhuang Mining Group, The Third People's Hospital of Kunshan City, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, The 81st Group Army Hospital of PLA, Linyi Central Hospital, The General Hospital of Huainan Eastern Hospital Group, The 908th Hospital of PLA, Liyang People's Hospital, The 901th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, The Fourth Hospital of Jilin University, Harbin Acheng District People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Nanjing Luhe People's Hospital, Taixing Municipal People's Hospital, Baotou Central Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Linyi People's Hospital, The 72st Group Army Hospital of PLA, Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital, People's Hospital of Dayu County, Taixing City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Beijing Guang'anmen Hospital, Langxi County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanyang Central Hospital, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University).The diagnosis and management of AA were analyzed through unified summary.

Magnetically Induced Flow Focusing of Non-Magnetic Microparticles in Ferrofluids under Inclined Magnetic Fields.

The ability to focus biological particles into a designated position of a microchannel is vital for various biological applications. This paper reports particle focusing under vertical and inclined magnetic fields. We analyzed the effect of the angle of rotation () of the permanent magnets and the critical Reynolds number () on the particle focusing in depth.

[Clinical study of application minimally invasive expandable channel in lumbar discectomy and interbody fusion and internal fixation].

Objective: To explore the advantages of minimally invasive expandable in surgery of lumbar discectomy and interbody fusion and internal fixation.

Methods: The clinical data of 48 patients who underwent lumbar discectomy and interbody fusion and internal fixation from January 2010 to March 2016 was retrospectively analyzed. According to the admission queue, the patients were randomly assigned into channel group (26 cases) or traditional group (22 cases).

[Treatment of intertrochanteric fractures over age of 80 years old patients with proximal femur intramedullary nail].

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of proximal femur intramedullary nail (PFNA) in treating intertrochanteric fracture in elderly patients.

Methods: From January,2008 to December,2010,the data of 86 elderly patients (aged, 80 to 93 years) with intertrochanteric fracture who underwent internal fixation were retrospectively analyzed. Of them, 54 patients (22 males and 32 females) were treated with close reduction and PFNA internal fixation(PFNA group),and 32 patients (12 males and 20 females) were treated with open reduction and nail-plate internal fixation (control group).

[Risk early warning and multimodal prevention of postoperative venous thromboembolism for hip fractures].

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of multimodal prevention of postoperative venous thromboembolism for hip fractures.

Methods: From March 2009 to July 2011, preoperatively, patients were assigned to two groups on the basis of an assessment of their risk factors. One hundred and twelve patients were considered to be low risk, involving 47 males and 65 females,with an average age of (72.