This paper aimed to investigate the destructive effect of an atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma (LTP) on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in human blood as well as its impact on the functions of erythrocytes. Dielectric barrier corona discharge was used to generate the atmospheric-pressure LTP to treat the blood samples collected from hepatitis B patients with positive HBsAg, HBeAg, and anti-HBc, but negative HBsAb and HBeAb. The experimental results showed that the antigenicity of HBsAg in blood samples changed from positive to negative after being treated with the LTP for more than 40 s. Furthermore, the investigations demonstrated that after more than 30 s treatment of the LTP, osmotic fragility and malondialdehyde level of erythrocytes increased significantly, and Na + -K + -ATPase activity of erythrocytes decreased remarkably. Our results revealed that the LTP could effectively destruct HBsAg in blood and inhibit erythrocyte functions during the process.
The development of scalable and passive coatings that can adapt to seasonal temperature changes while maintaining superhydrophobic self-cleaning functions is crucial for their practical applications. However, the incorporation of passive cooling and heating functions with conflicting optical properties in a superhydrophobic coating is still challenging. Herein, an all-in-one coating inspired by the hierarchical structure of a lotus leaf that combines surface wettability, optical structure, and temperature self-adaptation is obtained through a simple one-step phase separation process. This coating exhibits an asymmetrical gradient structure with surface-embedded hydrophobic SiO
The reconstruction of neural function and recovery of chronic damage following traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain significant clinical challenges. Exosomes derived from neural stem cells (NSCs) offer various benefits in TBI treatment. Numerous studies confirmed that appropriate preconditioning methods enhanced the targeted efficacy of exosome therapy. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) possesses immunomodulatory capabilities and is widely involved in neurological disorders. In this study, IFN-γ was employed for preconditioning NSCs to enhance the efficacy of exosome (IFN-Exo, IE) for TBI. miRNA sequencing revealed the potential of IFN-Exo in promoting neural differentiation and modulating inflammatory responses. Through low-temperature 3D printing, IFN-Exo was combined with collagen/chitosan (3D-CC-IE) to preserve the biological activity of the exosome. The delivery of exosomes via biomaterial scaffolds benefited the retention and therapeutic potential of exosomes, ensuring that they could exert long-term effects at the injury site. The 3D-CC-IE scaffold exhibited excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Subsequently, 3D-CC-IE scaffold significantly improved impaired motor and cognitive functions after TBI in rat. Histological results showed that 3D-CC-IE scaffold markedly facilitated the reconstruction of damaged neural tissue and promoted endogenous neurogenesis. Further mechanistic validation suggested that IFN-Exo alleviated neuroinflammation by modulating the MAPK/mTOR signaling pathway. In summary, the results of this study indicated that 3D-CC-IE scaffold engaged in long-term pathophysiological processes, fostering neural function recovery after TBI, offering a promising regenerative therapy avenue.
ABSTRACT The temperature of metal‐based facilities rises significantly under high outdoor solar irradiation, leading to serious safety accidents. The application of active cooling technology poses challenges due to its high energy consumption, especially in complex outdoor environments. Passive cooling devices with high solar reflection and thermal emission can continuously cool objects under sunlight. However, the white or silvery passive cooling devices do not meet the need for aesthetics and specific demands. Here, we present a hierarchical metapaint for outdoor facilities that simultaneously achieve vibrant color and passive cooling ability. The top layer selectively absorbs visible wavelengths to display desired colors, while the underlayer boosts the reflection of near‐to‐short wavelength infrared (NSWIR) light to prevent solar heating. The metapaint‐coated metal is resistant to high and low temperatures, acidic and alkaline environments, and simulated seawater. It also has satisfactory anti‐fouling properties. When compared to metal coated without commercial paint, the hierarchical passive cooling paint (metapaint) coated metal can cool up to 9.7°C and 17.1°C. The metapaint has excellent passive cooling performance, attributed to its broad‐spectrum selective regulation function. Our work offers a simple, inexpensive, and scalable approach to reduce cooling energy usage and promote a low‐carbon lifestyle. image
Slow gait speed is a common phenomenon in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), which is deemed to reduce the joint load but leads to a series of related problems. It is still necessary to further study how to maintain or increase walking speed without significantly increasing the knee joint load. In this study, we investigated the effect of increasing cadence to improve walking speed on knee joint load in patients with unilateral medial compartment KOA. Eleven moderate (Kellgren-Lawrence grade=2-3) patients with unilateral medial KOA were recruited. All the participants were indicated to walk along a 5-meter walkway with normal walk (NW) and fast walk (FW). NW: self-select walking speed, FW: mostly increasing cadence to fast walk. Three to five minutes walk training before every kind of walking tests to ensure that they were familiar with the procedure and the difference of walking speed of every trial in each test was less than 10%. Every test was repeated for 5 times. The gait analysis system that composed with 15 optical cameras and 2 AMTI force plates was used to collect the kinematics and kinetics parameters of NW and FW, and observed the effects of improved walking speed mainly by increasing step rate on the affected knee. Compared with NW (58.078±4.588), the knee range of motion(ROM) of FW (57.493±5.120) had no significant change (p=0.684). Ankle ROM of FW (19.371±10.274) was significantly lower than NW (24.556±6.544) (p=0.043). There were significant differences in the first peak of knee adduction moment (peak1_KAM) and the first and second peak of flexion moment (Peak1 &peak2_KFM) between NW and FW (p<0.05), while there was no significant difference in KAM impulse (p=0.306). For patients with medial KOA, rapid walking with increased cadence may significantly increase KAM peaks and the first peak of KFM, but it will not affect the overall KAM impulse.it can be further explored that the effect of increase cadence with different patterns on the lower extremity joint load in patients with medial KOA, and the possibility of increasing cadence as a modified gait program can be developed.
Abstract Background Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide, resulting in severe damage to the central nervous system and disrupting neurological functions. There is no effective therapy for promoting neurological recovery. Growing evidence suggests that the composition of exosomes from different microenvironments may benefit stroke. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that exosomes secreted in response to infarction microenvironment could have further therapeutic effects. Methods In our study, cerebral infarct tissue extracts were used to pretreat umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC). Infarct-preconditioned exosomes were injected into rats via tail vein after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The effect of infarct-preconditioned exosomes on the neurological recovery of rats was examined using Tunel assay, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) assay, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyses, modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS), Morris water maze (MWM), and vascular remodeling analysis. Mi-RNA sequencing and functional enrichment analysis were used to validate the signal pathway involved in the effect of infarct-preconditioned exosomes. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured with the isolated exosomes. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, scratch healing, and Western blot analysis were used to detect the biological behavior of HUVECs. Results The results showed that compared with normal exosomes, infarct-preconditioned exosomes further promoted vascular remodeling and recovery of neurological function after stroke. The function of upregulated miRNAs and their target genes which is beneficial to vascular smooth muscle cells verified the importance of vascular remodeling in improving stroke. Better resistance to oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R), reduced apoptosis, and enhanced migration were observed in infarct-preconditioned exosomes-treated umbilical vein endothelial cells. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that infarct-preconditioned exosomes promoted neurological recovery after stroke by enhancing vascular endothelial remodeling, suggested that infarct-preconditioned exosomes could be a novel way to alleviate brain damage following a stroke.
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