Synthesis of Silanized Bioactive Glass/Gelatin Methacrylate (GelMA/Si-BG) composite hydrogel for Bone Tissue Engineering Application

Bioactive glass (BG) has been widely employed in the field of bone tissue engineering owing to its osteoconductive properties. These properties increase the stiffness and bioactivity of polymeric hydrogels, making them ideal for the repair, replacement, and regeneration of damaged bones. In this study, we investigated the effects of incorporating silanized 45S5 bioactive glass (Si-BG) into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel (GelMA/Si-BG) for potential bone tissue engineering. Our findings revealed that crosslinking GelMA with Si-BG had a striking increase in bioactivity with and without osteogenic induction of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) when compared to GelMA/BG hydrogels. Meanwhile, both GelMA/Si-BG and GelMA/BG hydrogels were able to maintain the cell viability of hMSC for up to 14 days. Additionally, GelMA/Si-BG hydrogels were shown to have a significantly higher compressive modulus than GelMA/BG hydrogels. This study has demonstrated the introduction of silanized 45S5 BG into GelMA hydrogel bioactivity and mechanical properties of GelMA hydrogels, exemplifying the potential application of silanization of BG in bone tissue engineering.

Clinical Significance and Potential Role of LSM4 Overexpression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Integrated Analysis Based on Multiple Databases

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a solid tumor with high recurrence rate and high mortality. It is crucial to discover available biomarkers to achieve early diagnosis and improve the prognosis. The effect of LSM4 in HCC still remains unrevealed. Our study is dedicated to exploring the expression of LSM4 in HCC, demonstrating its clinical significance and potential molecular mechanisms.

Methods: Clinical information and LSM4 expression values of HCC were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were applied to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic significance of LSM4. Calculating pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and performing summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve analysis to further determine its expression status and diagnostic significance. LSM4-related co-expressed genes (CEGs) were obtained and explored their clinical significance in HCC. LSM4-associated pathways were identified through Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).

Results: Up-regulated LSM4 was detected in HCC tissues (SMD = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.29–1.84) and overexpressed LSM4 had excellent distinguishing ability (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88–0.93). LSM4 was associated with clinical stage, tumor grade, and lymph node metastasis status (p < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that high LSM4 expression was related to poor overall survival (OS) of HCC patients. Cox regression analysis suggested that high LSM4 expression may be an independent risk factor for HCC. We obtained nine up-regulated CEGs of LSM4 in HCC tissues, and six CEGs had good prognostic and diagnostic significance. GSEA analysis showed that up-regulated LSM4 was closely related to the cell cycle, cell replication, focal adhesion, and several metabolism-associated pathways, including fatty acid metabolism.

Conclusion: Overexpressed LSM4 may serve as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of HCC. Besides, LSM4 may play a synergistic effect with CEGs in promoting the growth and metastasis of HCC cells via regulating crucial pathways such as cell cycle, focal adhesion, and metabolism-associated pathways.

n-butylidenephthalide protects against dopaminergic neuron degeneration and α-synuclein accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans models of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills and cognitive function. To date, the disease has no effective therapies. The identification of new drugs that provide benefit in arresting the decline seen in PD patients is the focus of much recent study. However, the lengthy time frame for the progression of neurodegeneration in PD increases both the time and cost of examining potential therapeutic compounds in mammalian models. An alternative is to first evaluate the efficacy of compounds in Caenorhabditis elegans models, which reduces examination time from months to days. n-Butylidenephthalide is the naturally-occurring component derived from the chloroform extract of Angelica sinensis. It has been shown to have anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties, but no reports have yet described the effects of n-butylidenephthalide on PD. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for n-butylidenephthalide to improve PD in C. elegans models.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In the current study, we employed a pharmacological strain that expresses green fluorescent protein specifically in dopaminergic neurons (BZ555) and a transgenic strain that expresses human α-synuclein in muscle cells (OW13) to investigate the antiparkinsonian activities of n-butylidenephthalide. Our results demonstrate that in PD animal models, n-butylidenephthalide significantly attenuates dopaminergic neuron degeneration induced by 6-hydroxydopamine; reduces α-synuclein accumulation; recovers lipid content, food-sensing behavior, and dopamine levels; and prolongs life-span of 6-hydroxydopamine treatment, thus revealing its potential as a possible antiparkinsonian drug. n-Butylidenephthalide may exert its effects by blocking egl-1 expression to inhibit apoptosis pathways and by raising rpn-6 expression to enhance the activity of proteasomes.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

n-Butylidenephthalide may be one of the effective neuroprotective agents for PD.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administered in vivo augments neutrophil-mediated activity against opportunistic fungal pathogens

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) not only increases neutrophil (polymorphonuclear leukocyte, PMNL) production but also modulates PMNL biologic function. To assess the ability of G-CSF administered in vivo to enhance PMNL activity against opportunistic fungal pathogens, the antifungal activity of PMNL obtained from normal human volunteers before and after G-CSF administration was compared. In vivo, G-CSF significantly enhanced PMNL-mediated killing of Aspergillus fumigatus and Rhizopus arrhizus by 4-fold and 15-fold, respectively (P < .05). In contrast, PMNL-mediated killing of Candida albicans was unaffected by G-CSF. The ability of aqueous fungal extracts to induce the PMNL respiratory burst was evaluated by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. G-CSF in vivo primed PMNL for sustained chemiluminescence in response to extracts of Candida, Aspergillus, and Rhizopus organisms. These data demonstrate that G-CSF in vivo augments antifungal activities of PMNL, thereby implicating a possible therapeutic role for G-CSF as a biologic response-modifying agent during opportunistic fungal infection.

A comparative trial of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor and dexamethasone, separately and in combination, for the mobilization of neutrophils in the peripheral blood of normal volunteers

BACKGROUND

The clinical utility of polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) transfusion therapy has been compromised, in part, by the inability to obtain sufficient quantities of functional neutrophils from donors. To define the optimal conditions for mobilization of PMNs in granulocyte donors, the effects of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and dexamethasone, separately and in combination, on PMN counts in normal volunteers were compared.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Five normal subjects were randomly assigned to each of the following single-dose regimens in 5 consecutive weeks: 1) G-CSF, 300 micrograms given subcutaneously; 2) G-CSF, 600 micrograms subcutaneously: 3) dexamethasone, 8 mg given orally; 4) G-CSF, 300 micrograms subcutaneously, plus dexamethasone, 8 mg orally; and 5) G-CSF, 600 micrograms subcutaneously, plus dexamethasone 8 mg orally. Venous blood was collected at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours after drug administration for the determination of absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs).

RESULTS

Maximal ANC was achieved at 12 hours after each regimen, except dexamethasone alone (maximum, 24 hours). Dexamethasone significantly increased the maximal ANC induced by either dose of G-CSF alone (p < 0.05). The greatest mobilization of PMNs occurred after the administration of G-CSF (600 micrograms) and dexamethasone (8 mg); the ANC increased from a mean baseline value of 3,594 per microL to 43,017 per microL at 12 hours. All of the drug regimens were well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

Dexamethasone significantly increases the level of neutrophilia induced in normal subjects by G-CSF. The combination of dexamethasone and G-CSF (at the dosages used in this study) is a convenient, well-tolerated regimen for the mobilization of PMNs in the peripheral blood of granulocyte donors. Moreover, the optimal quantitative yield of PMNs is likely to be achieved by leukapheresis 12 hours after drug administration.