Biodegradable materials for bone defect repair

Compared with non-degradable materials,biodegradable biomaterials play an increasingly important role in the repairing of severe bone defects,and have attracted extensive attention from researchers.In the treatment of bone defects,scaffolds made of biodegradable materials can provide a crawling bridge for new bone tissue in the gap and a platform for cells and growth factors to play a physiological role,which will eventually be degraded and absorbed in the body and be replaced by the new bone tissue.Traditional biodegradable materials include polymers,ceramics and metals,which have been used in bone defect repairing for many years.Although these materials have more or fewer shortcomings,they are still the cornerstone of our development of a new generation of degradable materials.With the rapid development of modern science and technology,in the 21 st century,more and more kinds of new biodegradable materials emerge in endlessly,such as new intelligent micro-nano materials and cell-based products.At the same time,there are many new fabrication technologies of improving biodegradable materials,such as modular fabrication,3 D and 4 D printing,interface reinforcement and nanotechnology.This review will introduce various kinds of biodegradable materials commonly used in bone defect repairing,especially the newly emerging materials and their fabrication technology in recent years,and look forward to the future research direction,hoping to provide researchers in the field with some inspiration and reference.

Ultrastructural study on route of gut bacterial translocation in a rat after spinal cord injury

Objective: To observe the ultrastructural change of the route of gut bacterial translocation in a rat with spinal cord injury(SCI).Methods: Forty Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: control group and 3 SCI groups(10 in each group). The rats in the SCI groups were established SCI model at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after SCI. Small intestine mucous membrane tissue was identified and assayed by transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope and immunofluorescence microscopy. Results: Small intestine mucous membrane tissue in control group was not damaged significantly, but those in SCI groups were damaged significantly. Proliferation bacteria in gut lumen attached on microvilli. The extracellular bacteria torn the intestinal barrier and perforated into the small intestinal mucosal epithelial cell. The bacteria and a lot of particles of the seriously damaged region penetrated into the lymphatic system and the blood system directly. Some bacteria were internalized into the goblet cell through the apical granule. Some bacteria and particles perforated into the submucosa of the M cell running the long axis of M cells through the tight junctions. In the microcirculation of mucosa, the bacteria that had already broken through the microvilli into blood circulation swim accompanying with erythrocytes. Conclusion: The routes of bacterial translocation interact and format a vicious circle. At early step, the transcellular pathway of bacterial translocation is major. Following with the destroyed small intestine mucous, the routes of bacterial translocation through the lymphatic system and the blood system become direct pathways. The goblet cell-dendritic cell and M cell pathway also play an important role in the bacterial translocation.

Successful outcomes of unilateral vs bilateral pedicle screw fixation for lumbar interbody fusion:A meta-analysis with evidence grading

BACKGROUND Whether it’s better to adopt unilateral pedicle screw(UPS)fixation or to use bilateral pedicle screw(BPS)one for lumbar degenerative diseases is still controversially undetermined.AIM To make a comparison between UPS and BPS fixation as to how they work efficaciously and safely in patients suffering from lumbar degenerative diseases.METHODS We have searched a lot in the databases through 2020 with index terms such as“unilateral pedicle screw fixation”and“bilateral pedicle screw fixation.”Only randomized controlled trials and some prospective cohort studies could be found,yielding 15 studies.The intervention was unilateral pedicle screw fixation;Primarily We’ve got outcomes of complications and fusion rates.Secondarily,we’ve achieved outcomes regarding total blood loss,operative time,as well as length of stay.Softwares were installed and utilized for subgroup analysis,analyzing forest plots,sensitivity,heterogeneity,forest plots,publication bias,and risk of bias.RESULTS Fifteen previous cases of study including 992 participants have been involved in our meta-analysis.UPS had slightly lower effects on fusion rate[relative risk(RR)=0.949,95%CI:0.910 to 0.990,P=0.015],which contributed mostly to this metaanalysis,and similar complication rates(RR=1.140,95%CI:0.792 to 1.640,P=0.481),Δvisual analog scale[standard mean difference(SMD)=0.178,95%CI:-0.021 to 0.378,P=0.080],andΔOswestry disability index(SMD=-0.254,95%CI:-0.820 to 0.329,P=0.402).In contrast,an obvious difference has been observed inΔJapanese Orthopedic Association(JOA)score(SMD=0.305,95%CI:0.046 to 0.563,P=0.021),total blood loss(SMD=-1.586,95%CI:-2.182 to-0.990,P=0.000),operation time(SMD=-2.831,95%CI:-3.753 to-1.909,P=0.000),and length of hospital stay(SMD=-0.614,95%CI:-1.050 to-0.179,P=0.006).CONCLUSION Bilateral fixation is more effective than unilateral fixation regarding fusion rate after lumbar interbody fusion.However,JOA,operation time,total blood loss,as well as length of stay were improved for unilateral fixation.

Mechanical analysis of the femoral neck dynamic intersection system with different nail angles and clinical applications

BACKGROUND The femoral neck dynamic intersection system(FNS)is mechanically more stable than other internal fixation techniques.Current studies have confirmed that the structural design of FNS has good biomechanical properties in European and American populations.However,whether the suitability of the FNS's 130°main nail angle design for Asian populations has been thoroughly investigated remains unclear.AIM To compare the biomechanical stability differences among different main nail angles of the FNS in the treatment of femoral neck fractures in Asian populations.METHODS Computed tomography data of the femur of healthy adult male volunteers were imported into Mimics software to create a three-dimensional model of the femur.The model was adapted to the curve using Geomagic software and imported into Solidworks software to construct the Pauwels I femoral neck fracture model and design the FNS internal fixation model using different main nail angles.Afterward,the models were assembled with the FNS fracture model and meshed using the preprocessing Hypermesh software.Subsequently,they were imported into Abaqus software to analyze and evaluate the biomechanical effects of different angles of the FNS main nail on the treatment of femoral neck fractures.RESULTS The peak displacement of the proximal femur under different angles of FNS fixation under stress was 7.446 millimeters in the 120°group and 7.416 millimeters in the 125°group;in the 130°,135°,and 140°FNS fixation groups,the peak displacement was 7.324 millimeters,8.138 millimeters,and 8.246 millimeters,respectively.In the 120°and 125°FNS fixation groups,the maximum stresses were concentrated at the main nail and the anti-rotation screw,which intersected the fracture line of the femur neck,resulting in peak stresses of 200.7 MPa and 138.8 MPa,respectively.Peak stresses of 208.8 MPa,219.8 MPa,and 239.3 MPa were observed on the angular locking plate distal to the locking screw in the 130°,135°,and 140°fixation groups.CONCLUSION FNS has significant stress distribution properties,a minimal proximal femoral displacement,and an optimal stability for treating femoral neck fractures in Asian populations when performed with a 130°main nail angle.

Bibliometric analysis of literature review of osteoarthritis in the Cochrane database

A bibliometric analysis was conducted on reviews on osteoarthritis available in the Cochrane database.Using the Bibliometrix software,93 literature reviews with“osteoarthritis”as a keyword were retrieved.The reviews’authors,keywords,and citations were visually analyzed to explore the design process and research hotspots of clinical research on osteoarthritis.To our knowledge,this is the first bibliometric analysis of Cochrane review literature on osteoarthritis.The findings of this analysis may help researchers understand the developmental trends in the discipline and guide them in clinical research in the future.

Robust and High-Wettability Pristine Poly(ether ether ketone) Nanofiber Separator for Heat-Resistant and Safe Lithium-Ion Battery

Separator is a pivotal component of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)and determines the electrochemical performance and safety.However,with the increase in energy density and application scenarios,commercial polyolefin separators are increasingly unable to undertake heavy responsibility of battery safety protection.Herein,a new kind of nanofiber separator based on poly(ether ether ketone)(PEEK)with excellent thermal stability,self-extinguishing,and superior electrochemical properties is reported.Effective inheritance of intrinsic properties from raw PEEK materials and optimized hot-pressing operation endows the separator with high robustness and wettability,showing tensile strength of 15.8 MPa and a contact angle of 17.2°.The high thermal stability of PEEK can ensure the separator to preserve the structural integrity and microstructure at temperatures beyond 300℃,and the excellent self-extinguishing peculiarity of PEEK capacitates the high safety of LIB.Notably,benefitting from high porosity and polar surface,the PEEK separator shows high electrolyte uptake of 245.5%and exhibits a wider electrochemical window and faster lithium-ion transport number than commercial polyolefin separators.Furthermore,cells assembled with PEEK separator display better performance than the ones with PE separator,and the PEEK LIB has been successfully used to light up a lamp at a high temperature of 150℃.