Effects of individual shock wave therapy vs celecoxib on hip pain caused by femoral head necrosis

BACKGROUND Celecoxib has been used to treat hip discomfort and functional difficulties associated with osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH),although significant adverse reactions often follow long-term use.Extracorporeal shock wave therapy(ESWT)can delay the progression of ONFH,alleviate the pain and functional limitations it causes,and avoid the adverse effects of celecoxib.AIM To investigate the effects of individual ESWT,a treatment alternative to the use of celecoxib,in alleviating pain and dysfunction caused by ONFH.METHODS This was a randomized,controlled,double-blinded,non-inferiority trial.We examined 80 patients for eligibility in this study;8 patients were excluded based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.A total of 72 subjects with ONFH were randomly assigned to group A(n=36;celecoxib+alendronate+sham-placebo shock wave)or group B(n=36;individual focused shock wave[ESWT based on magnetic resonance imaging three-dimensional(MRI-3D)reconstruction]+alendronate).The outcomes were assessed at baseline,at the end of treatment,and at an 8-wk follow-up.The primary outcome measure was treatment efficiency after 2 wk of intervention using the Harris hip score(HHS)(improvement of 10 points or more from the baseline was deemed sufficient).Secondary outcome measures were post-treatment HHS,visual analog scale(VAS),and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)scores.RESULTS After treatment,the pain treatment efficiency of group B was greater than that of group A(69%vs 51%;95%CI:4.56%to 40.56%),with non-inferiority thresholds of-4.56%and-10%,respectively.Furthermore,the HHS,WOMAC,and VAS scores in group B dramatically improved during the follow-up period as compared to those in group A(P<0.001).After therapy,the VAS and WOMAC in group A were significantly improved from the 2nd to 8th wk(P<0.001),although HHS was only significantly altered at the 2 wk point(P<0.001).On the 1st d and 2nd wk after treatment,HHS and VAS scores were different between groups,with the difference in HHS lasting until week 4.Neither group had severe complications such as skin ulcer infection or lower limb motorsensory disturbance.CONCLUSION Individual shock wave therapy(ESWT)based on MRI-3D reconstruction was not inferior to celecoxib in managing hip pain and restrictions associated with ONFH.

Elastic Behavior of Polymer Chains

The elastic behavior of the polymer chain was investigated in a three-dimensional off-lattice model. We sample more than 109 conformations of each kind of polymer chain by using a Monte Carlo algorithm, then analyze them with the non-Gaussian theory of rubberlike elasticity, and end with a statistical study. Through observing the effect of the chain flexibility and the stretching ratio on the mean-square end-to-end distance, the average energy, the average Helmholtz free energy, the elastic force, the contribution of energy to the elastic force, and the entropy contribution to elastic force of the polymer chain, we find that a rigid polymer chain is much easier to stretch than a flexible polymer chain. Also, a rigid polymer chain will become difficult to stretch only at a quite high stretching ratio because of the effect of the entropy contribution. These results of our simulation calculation may explain some of the macroscopic phenomena of polymer and biomacromolecular elasticity.

Which is More Efficient as Compatibilizer： Di-block or Multiblock Copolymer？

Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the compatibilizing behaviors of multi-block copolymers with different architectures in A/B/（block copolymer） ternary blends. The volume fraction of homopolymer A, employed as the dispersed phase, was 19%. The simulations illustrate how a di- or multi-block copolymer aggregates at the interfaces and influences the phase behaviour of such incompatible polymer blends. The di-block copolymer chains tend to ＂stand＂ on the interface whereas the multi-block chains lie on the interface. In comparison with the di-block copolymer, the block copolymers with 4, or 10 blocks can occupy more areas on the interface, and thus the multi-block copolymers have higher efficiency for the retardation of the phase separation.

An Effective Platform for SARS-CoV-2 Prevention by Combining Neutralization and RNAi Technology

At present,the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic is a global health crisis.Scientists all over the globe are urgently looking forward to an effective solution to prevent the spread of the epidemic and avoid more casualties at an early date.In this study,we establish an effective platform for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 by combining the neutralization strategy and RNAi technology.To protect normal cells from infection,the customized cells are constructed to stably express viral antigenic receptor ACE2 on the cell membrane.These modified cells are used as bait for inducing the viral entry.The transcription and replication activities of viral genome are intercepted subsequently by the intracellular sh RNAs,which are complementary to the viral gene fragments.A pseudotyped virus reconstructed from the HIV lentivirus is utilized as a virus model,by which we validate the feasibility and effectiveness of our strategy in vitro.Our work establishes an initial model and lays the foundation for future prevention and treatment of various RNA viruses.

Effect of Chain Configuration on Thermal Conductivity of Polyethylene-A Molecular Dynamic Simulation Study

Stretched polyethylene(PE)fibers are found to have super high thermal conductivity,while the bulk of polyethylene is usually thermal insulating even for those with high crystalline degree.A molecular dynamic simulation is deliberately carried out to examine the relationship between chain configuration and thermal conductivity of polyethylene.In this simulation study,independent and interacting PE chains being stretched are compared with the aim to find out the effect of stretching on thermal conductivity of PE.Various crystallization conditions for PE bulk are considered.It is found that heat transports predominately along the covalent chain rather than across chains in PE crystals.Our simulation study helps to understand experimental findings on thermal conductivity of PE at different states.W e also predict that amorphous PE may be super thermally conductive if chains are strictly stretched along heat flux.

CAPABILITY OF DNA-FUELED MOLECULAR MACHINE IN TUNING ASSOCIATION RATE OF DNA-FUNCTIONALIZED GOLD NANOPARTICLES

The capability of our newly developed DNA-machine-driven strategy in tuning the association rate of DNA- AuNPs was compared with that of linker-addition strategy which has potential practical applications in different fields. The new established strategy shows its superiority to the linker-addition strategy in tuning the association rate of DNA-AuNPs in both pre-incubation treatment and non-incubation treatment conditions since its two components （a complex and a catalyst- oligonucleotide） can be individually optimized to make the machine run at an optimal rate. This strategy will provide a more convenient and flexible option in designing an oligonucleotide detection system and building a complex and versatile device.

Doxorubicin-loaded PLGA Microparticles with Internal Pores for Longacting Release in Pulmonary Tumor Inhalation Treatment

Doxorubicin（DOX） loaded poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid）（PLGA） microparticles with internal pores（MP-D） were developed for long-acting release in pulmonary inhalation treatment. The PLGA microparticles exhibited favorable aerodynamic properties for pulmonary delivery. In vitro drug release profile suggested that MP-D have the advantage of long-term maintenance of drug concentrations. MTT assay demonstrated the in vitro anti-tumor efficiency of the DOX loaded PLGA microparticles. Furthermore, melanoma lung metastasis model was established to determine the in vivo antitumor efficiency. The mice treated with MP-D showed significantly fewer lesions than the untreated ones. The survival analysis indicated that MP-D prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. These results suggested that DOX loaded PLGA microparticles with internal pores have the potential to be used as long-acting release carriers in clinical lung cancer treatment.