Autologous fibroblasts induce fibrosis of the nucleus pulposus to maintain the stability of degenerative intervertebral discs

Lumbar degenerative disc diseases cause low back pain(LBP). The maintenance of the height and stability of the intervertebral disc(IVD) space is an effective treatment for LBP. The following study evaluated the effects of fibroblast injection on intervertebral disc degeneration(IDD) in a preclinical setting. Compared with the IDD group, the fibroblast treatment group demonstrated effective maintenance of IVD height, reduced endplate degeneration, and improved nuclear magnetic resonance signals and overall histological structure. In doing so, fibrotic IVDs maintained the stability and biomechanics of the vertebra. This finding is in agreement with clinical findings that human nucleus pulposus(NP) fibrosis is essential for the maintenance of IVD height and mechanical properties in patients following percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy(PELD). Mechanistically, we demonstrated that injected fibroblasts not only proliferated but also induced NP cells to adopt a fibrotic phenotype via the secretion of TGF-β.Finally, to better mimic human conditions, the efficacy of autologous fibroblast injection in the treatment of IDD was further examined in a nonhuman primate cynomolgus monkey model due to their capacity for upright posture. We showed that the injection of fibroblasts could maintain the IVD height and rescue IVD signals in cynomolgus monkeys. Taken together, the results of our study reveal that autologous fibroblast injection can enhance the natural process of fibrosis during acute and subacute stages of stress-induced IDD. Fibrotic IVDs can maintain the stability, biological activity, and mechanical properties of the intervertebral space, thus providing a new direction for the treatment of intervertebral space-derived lumbar degenerative diseases.

LiBH4 for hydrogen storage-New perspectives

Hydrogen energy has been recognized as“Ultimate Power Source”in the 21st century.It is a boon in these days of energy crunches and concerns about climate change because of the characterized advantages,such as high energy density,large calorific value,abundant resource,zero pollution,zero carbon emission,storable and renewable.State-of-the-art perspectives on tuning the stable thermodynamics and sluggish kinetics of dehydrogenation and re-hydrogenation of LiBH4,which has been regarded as a promising hydrogen storage alternative for onboard energy carrier applications have been discussed.Five major technological approaches are involved,including nanoengineering,catalyst modification,ions substitution,reactant destabilization and a novel process termed as high-energy ball milling with in-situ aerosol spraying(BMAS).It is worth noting that BMAS has the potential to help overcome the kinetic barriers for thermodynamically favorable systems like LiBH4 t MgH2 mixture and provide thermodynamic driving force to enhance hydrogen release at a lower temperature.

The Properties of Elasticity, Thermology, and Anisotropy in Pd-Based Alloys

This work is devoted to investigate the elasticity, anisotropy, plastic properties, and thermal conductivity of PdSnYb, PdSn2Yb and Heusler alloy Pd2SnYb via employing the first-principles. The magnetic properties of Pd2SnYb, PdSnYb and PdSn2Yb are obtained by the geometry optimization combining with spin polarization. And the stability of these three kinds of materials is ensured by comparing with the enthalpy of formation and binding energy. The Fermi energy has same trend with stability. The details of bulk and Young’s modulus are demonstrated in 3D plots, embodied the elastic anisotropies of PdSnYb, PdSn2Yb, and Pd2SnYb. The calculations of plastic properties are also anisotropic. And the minimum thermal conductivities are small enough for these three materials to be used as thermal barrier coatings.

Polyphenol based hybrid nano-aggregates modified collagen fibers of biological valve leaflets to achieve enhanced mechanical,anticoagulation and anti-calcification properties

Glutaraldehyde(Glut)-crosslinked porcine pericardium and bovine pericardium are mainly consisted of collagen and widely used for the preparation of heterogenous bioprosthetic heart valves(BHV),which play an important role in the replacement therapy of severe valvular heart disease,while their durability is limited by degeneration due to calcification,thrombus,endothelialization difficulty and prosthetic valve endocarditis.Herein,we develop a novel BHV,namely,TPly-BP,based on natural tannic acid and polylysine to improve the durability of Glut crosslinked bovine pericardium(Glut-BP).Impressively,tannic acid and polylysine could form nanoaggregates via multiple hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds,and the introduction of nanoaggregates not only improved the mechanical properties and collagen stability but also endowed TPly-BP with good biocompatibility and hemocompatibility.Compared to Glut-BP,TPly-BP showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity,improved endothelial cell adhesion,a low hemolysis ratio and obviously reduced platelet adhesion.Importantly,TPly-BP exhibited great antibacterial and in vivo anti-calcification ability,which was expected to improve the in vivo durability of BHVs.These results suggested that TPly-BP would be a potential candidate for BHV.