Lumbar instability remodels cartilage endplate to induce intervertebral disc degeneration by recruiting osteoclasts via Hippo-CCL3 signaling

Degenerated endplate appears with cheese-like morphology and sensory innervation,contributing to low back pain and subsequently inducing intervertebral disc degeneration in the aged population.1 However,the origin and development mechanism of the cheese-like morphology remain unclear.Here in this study,we report lumbar instability induced cartilage endplate remodeling is responsible for this pathological change.

Magnesium promotes vascularization and osseointegration in diabetic states

Diabetes has long been considered a risk factor in implant therapy and impaired wound healing in soft and hard oral tissues.Magnesium has been proved to promote bone healing under normal conditions.Here,we elucidate the mechanism by which Mg^(2+)promotes angiogenesis and osseointegration in diabetic status.We generated a diabetic mice model and demonstrated thealveolar bone healing was compromised,with significantly decreased angiogenesis.We then developed Mg-coating implants with hydrothermal synthesis.These implants successfully improved the vascularization and osseointegration in diabetic status.Mechanically,Mg^(2+)promoted the degradation of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and the nucleation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) by up-regulating the expression of sestrin 2 (SESN2) in endothelial cells,thus reducing theelevated levels of oxidative stress in mitochondria and relieving endothelial cell dysfunction under hyperglycemia.Altogether,our data suggested that Mg^(2+)promoted angiogenesis and osseointegration in diabetic mice by regulating endothelial mitochondria metabolism.

基于无人机携带自主避障功能研究

针对解决心脏病患者和突发事故导致需要做心肺复苏的人的需求,提出了一种无人机携带自主避障功能研究的方法。通过双目摄像头、毫米波雷达、红外测距传感器三者完成无人机的避障功能,通过所设计的一款磁吸装置以及配套的收纳盒装置以完成无人机的携带功能。

Mapping the immune microenvironment for mandibular alveolar bone homeostasis at single-cell resolution

Alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of jaw bone that supports teeth.It is subject to constant occlusal force and pathogens invasion,and is therefore under active bone remodeling and immunomodulation.Alveolar bone holds a distinct niche from long bone considering their different developmental origin and postnatal remodeling pattern.However,a systematic explanation of alveolar bone at single-cell level is still lacking.Here,we construct a single-cell atlas of mouse mandibular alveolar bone through single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq).A more active immune microenvironment is identified in alveolar bone,with a higher proportion of mature immune cells than in long bone.Among all immune cell populations,the monocyte/macrophage subpopulation most actively interacts with mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)subpopulation.Alveolar bone monocytes/macrophages express a higher level of Oncostatin M(Osm)compared to long bone,which promotes osteogenic differentiation and inhibits adipogenic differentiation of MSCs.In summary,our study reveals a unique immune microenvironment of alveolar bone,which may provide a more precise immune-modulatory target for therapeutic treatment of oral diseases.

Genetic manipulations of TaARE1 boost nitrogen utilization and grain yield in wheat

Nitrogen is a key element essential for plant growth and crop production,and the improvement of the nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)of crops largely contributes to yield production.The improvement of NUE is a major challenge in agriculture,not only for reducing the planting cost of crops.

Three-dimensionally ordered, ultrathin graphitic-carbon frameworks with cage-like mesoporosity for highly stable Li-S batteries

Mesoporous carbons have been widely utilized as the sulfur host for lithium-sulfur （Li-S） batteries. The ability to engineer the porosity, wall thickness, and graphitization degree of the carbon host is essential for addressing issues that hamper commercialization of Li-S batteries, such as fast capacity decay and poor high-rate performance. In this work, highly ordered, ultrathin mesoporous graphitic-carbon frameworks （MGFs） having unique cage-like mesoporosity, derived from self-assembled Fe304 nanoparticle superlattices, are demonstrated to be an excellent host for encapsulating sulfur. The resulting S@MGFs exhibit high specific capacity （1,446 mAh.g-1 at 0.15 C）, good rate capability （430 mAh.g-1 at 6 C）, and exceptional cycling stability （-0.049% capacity decay per cycle at 1 C） when used as Li-S cathodes. The superior electrochemical performance of the S@MGFs is attributed to the many unique and advantageous structural features of MGFs. In addition to the interconnected, ultrathin graphitic-carbon framework that ensures rapid electron and lithium-ion transport, the microporous openings between adjacent mesopores efficiently suppress the diffusion of polysulfides, leading to improved capacity retention even at high current densities.

Designed synthesis of ordered mesoporous graphene spheres from colloidal nanocrystals and their application as a platform for high-performance lithium-ion battery composite electrodes

Three-dimensional （3D） graphene has recently attracted enormous attention for electrochemical energy storage applications. However, current methods suffer from an inability to simultaneously control and engineer the porosity and morphology of the graphene frameworks. Here, we report the designed synthesis of ordered mesoporous graphene spheres （OMGSs） by transformation of self-assembled Fe3O4 nanocrystal superlattices. The resultant OMGSs have an ultrathin framework comprising few-layered graphene, with highly ordered and interconnected mesoporosity and a high surface area. These advantageous structural and textural features, in combination with the excellent electrical conductivity of the graphitic frameworks, render the OMGSs an ideal and general platform for creating hybrid materials that are well suited for use as composite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries （LIBs）. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, SnO2 and GeO2 nanoparticles are incorporated into the OMGSs to afford SnO2@OMGSs and GeO2@OMGSs, respectively, both of which exhibit outstanding lithium storage properties when used as LIB anodes.

Vanillin-based functionalization strategy to construct multifunctional microspheres for treating inflammation and regenerating intervertebral disc

Intervertebral disc degeneration(IVDD)is one of the main causes of low back pain.Although local delivery strategies using biomaterial carriers have shown potential for IVDD treatment,it remains challenging for intervention against multiple adverse contributors by a single delivery platform.In the present work,we propose a new functionalization strategy using vanillin,a natural molecule with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,to develop multifunctional gelatin methacrylate(GelMA)microspheres for local delivery of transforming growth factorβ3(TGFβ3)toward IVDD treatment.In vitro,functionalized microspheres not only improved the release kinetics of TGFβ3 but also effectively inhibited inflammatory responses and promoted the secretion of extracellular matrix(ECM)in lipopolysaccharide-induced nucleus pulposus(NP)cells.In vivo,functionalized platform plays roles in alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress,preserving the water content of NP and disc height,and maintaining intact structure and biomechanical functions,thereby promoting the regeneration of IVD.High-throughput sequencing suggests that inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-Akt signaling might be associated with their therapeutic effects.In summary,the vanillin-based functionalization strategy provides a novel and simple way for packaging multiple functions into a single delivery platform and holds promise for tissue regeneration beyond the IVD.

A Survey of Edge Caching:Key Issues and Challenges

With the rapid development of mobile communication technology and intelligent applications,the quantity of mobile devices and data traffic in networks have been growing exponentially,which poses a great burden to networks and brings huge challenge to servicing user demand.Edge caching,which utilizes the storage and computation resources of the edge to bring resources closer to end users,is a promising way to relieve network burden and enhance user experience.In this paper,we aim to survey the edge caching techniques from a comprehensive and systematic perspective.We first present an overview of edge caching,summarizing the three key issues regarding edge caching,i.e.,where,what,and how to cache,and then introducing several significant caching metrics.We then carry out a detailed and in-depth elaboration on these three issues,which correspond to caching locations,caching objects,and caching strategies,respectively.In particular,we innovate on the issue“what to cache”,interpreting it as the classification of the“caching objects”,which can be further classified into content cache,data cache,and service cache.Finally,we discuss several open issues and challenges of edge caching to inspire future investigations in this research area.

Regulation of nitrogen starvation responses by the alarmone(p)ppGpp in rice

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient for all living organisms and is critical for crop productivity and quality.In higher plants,inorganic nitrogen is absorbed through roots and then assimilated into amino acids by the highly conserved glutamine synthetase/glutamine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase(GS/GOGAT)cycle.How nitrogen metabolism and nitrogen starvation responses of plants are regulated remains largely unknown.Previous studies revealed that mutations in the rice ABNORMAL CYTOKININ RESPONSE1(ABC1)gene encoding Fd-GOGAT cause a typical nitrogen deficiency syndrome.Here,we show that ARE2(for ABC1 REPRESSOR2)is a key regulator of nitrogen starvation responses in rice.The are2 mutations partially rescue the nitrogen-deficient phenotype of abc1 and the are2 mutants show enhanced tolerance to nitrogen deficiency,suggesting that ARE2 genetically interacts with ABC1/Fd-GOGAT.ARE2 encodes a chloroplast-localized Rel A/Spo T homolog protein that catalyzes the hydrolysis of guanosine pentaphosphate or tetraphosphate(p)pp Gpp,an alarmone regulating the stringent response in bacteria under nutritional stress conditions.The are2 mutants accumulate excessive amounts of(p)pp Gpp,which correlate with lower levels of photosynthetic proteins and higher amino acid levels.Collectively,these observations suggest that the alarmone(p)pp Gpp mediates nitrogen stress responses and may constitute a highly conserved mechanism from bacteria to plants.