Immunobiology of Facial Nerve Repair and Regeneration

Immunobiological study is a key to revealing the important basis of facial nerve repair and regeneration for both research and development of clinic treatments. The microenvironmental changes around an injuried facial motoneuron, i.e., the aggregation and expression of various types of immune cells and molecules in a dynamic equilibrium, impenetrate from the start to the end of the repair of an injured facial nerve. The concept of 'immune microenvironment for facial nerve repair and regeneration', mainly concerns with the dynamic exchange between expression and regulation networks and a variaty of immune cells and immune molecules in the process of facial nerve repair and regeneration for the maintenance of a immune microenvironment favorable for nerve repair. Investigation on microglial activation and recruitment, T cell behavior, cytokine networks, and immunological cellular and molecular signaling pathways in facial nerve repair and regeneration are the current hot spots in the research on immunobiology of facial nerve injury. The current paper provides a comprehensive review of the above mentioned issues. Research of these issues will eventually make immunological interventions practicable treatments for facial nerve injury in the clinic.

Repair and regeneration properties of Ginkgo biloba after ischemic brain injury

The irretrievable fate of neurons rhetoric for the first half of this dominated the neuroscience century, a position that was fiercely contested and recently debunked by extensive studies carried out in the field of neuroregeneration research. The turning point came in the year 1928, when Ramon Y. Cajal＇s （Lobato, 2008） work suggested that the regenerative capacity of neurons, though limited, could exist beyond their physical be- ing and depended on the environment surrounding them. That the manipulation of the restrictive environment surrounding the neuron could aid the regenerative process was conclusively established by Aguayo and colleagues （Richardson et al., 1980）. Since then, various strategies have been employed to target the different phases of regeneration which include： cell-replacement and augmenting endogenous neurogenesis, the use of trophic factors, reversal of the inhibitory cues, and induction of signal- ing pathways that stimulate axon growth and guidance （Horner and Gage. 2000）.

Telemedicine and digital management in repair and regeneration after nerve injury and in nervous system diseases

To the editor, We read with interest the article, ＂Facilitating transparency in spinal cord injury studies using data standards and ontol- ogles＂ by Professor Vance E Lemmon, University of Miami, USA （Lemmon et al., 2014） and would like to add to the discussion on digital management in spinal cord injury. We have analyzed the advancements in the treatment of spinal cord injury, traumatic brain jury. Encouraging outcomes injury and peripheral nerve in- have been achieved in the area of regulating axon growth in vivo and in vitro. However, such a large amount of information neither provides in-depth insight for other scholars nor provides detailed therapeutic nrotocols for clinical studies.

Regeneration of spent LiFePO4 as a high-performance cathode material by a simultaneous coating and doping strategy

With the number of decommissioned electric vehicles increasing annually,a large amount of discarded power battery cathode material is in urgent need of treatment.However,common leaching methods for recovering metal salts are economically inefficient and polluting.Meanwhile,the recycled material obtained by lithium remediation alone has limited performance in cycling stability.Herein,a short method of solid-phase reduction is developed to recover spent LiFePO4 by simultaneously introducing Mg2+ions for hetero-atom doping.Issues of particle agglomeration,carbon layer breakage,lithium loss,and Fe3+defects in spent LiFePO4 are also addressed.Results show that Mg2+addition during regeneration can remarkably enhance the crystal structure stability and improve the Li+diffusion coefficient.The regenerated LiFePO4 exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance with a specific discharge capacity of 143.2 mAh·g^(−1)at 0.2 C,and its capacity retention is extremely increased from 37.9%to 98.5%over 200 cycles at 1 C.Especially,its discharge capacity can reach 95.5 mAh·g^(−1)at 10 C,which is higher than that of spent LiFePO4(55.9 mAh·g^(−1)).All these results show that the proposed regeneration strategy of simultaneous carbon coating and Mg2+doping is suitable for the efficient treatment of spent LiFePO4.

Role of transforming growth factor-βin peripheral nerve regeneration

Injuries caused by trauma and neurodegenerative diseases can damage the peripheral nervous system and cause functional deficits.Unlike in the central nervous system,damaged axons in peripheral nerves can be induced to regenerate in response to intrinsic cues after reprogramming or in a growth-promoting microenvironment created by Schwann cells.However,axon regeneration and repair do not automatically result in the restoration of function,which is the ultimate therapeutic goal but also a major clinical challenge.Transforming growth factor(TGF)is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates various biological processes including tissue repair,embryo development,and cell growth and differentiation.There is accumulating evidence that TGF-βfamily proteins participate in peripheral nerve repair through various factors and signaling pathways by regulating the growth and transformation of Schwann cells;recruiting specific immune cells;controlling the permeability of the blood-nerve barrier,thereby stimulating axon growth;and inhibiting remyelination of regenerated axons.TGF-βhas been applied to the treatment of peripheral nerve injury in animal models.In this context,we review the functions of TGF-βin peripheral nerve regeneration and potential clinical applications.

Advances in 3D bioprinting technology for cardiac tissue engineering and regeneration

Cardiovascular disease is still one of the leading causes of death in the world,and heart transplantation is the current major treatment for end-stage cardiovascular diseases.However,because of the shortage of heart donors,new sources of cardiac regenerative medicine are greatly needed.The prominent development of tissue engineering using bioactive materials has creatively laid a direct promising foundation.Whereas,how to precisely pattern a cardiac structure with complete biological function still requires technological breakthroughs.Recently,the emerging three-dimensional(3D)bioprinting technology for tissue engineering has shown great advantages in generating micro-scale cardiac tissues,which has established its impressive potential as a novel foundation for cardiovascular regeneration.Whether 3D bioprinted hearts can replace traditional heart transplantation as a novel strategy for treating cardiovascular diseases in the future is a frontier issue.In this review article,we emphasize the current knowledge and future perspectives regarding available bioinks,bioprinting strategies and the latest outcome progress in cardiac 3D bioprinting to move this promising medical approach towards potential clinical implementation.

Strategies and Research Progress of Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy （DPN） seriously affects the quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This paper reviews the role of Chinese medicine in the main treatment goal of DPN, including protecting pancreatic β-cells, in the use of antioxidation therapy to delay disease progression, and in the endpoint of neural repair and regeneration. We propose that protecting the body from injury caused by high glucose and oxidative stress, and promoting repair and regeneration of nerves should be the research direction for the prevention and treatment of DPN.

Progress in Electrospun Fibers for Manipulating Cell Behaviors

The manipulation of cell behaviors is essential to maintaining cell functions,which plays a critical role in repairing and regenerating damaged tissue.To this end,a rich variety of tissue-engineered scaffolds have been designed and fabricated to serve as matrix for supporting cell growth and functionalization.Among others,scaffolds made of electrospun fibers showed great potential in regulating cell behaviors,mainly owing to their capability of replicating the dimension,composition,and function of the natural extracellular matrix.In particular,electrospun fibers provided both topological cues and biofunctions simply by adjusting the electrospinning parameters and/or post-treatment.In this review,we summarized the most recent applications and advances in electrospun nanofibers for manipulating cell behaviors.First,the engineering of the secondary structures of individual fibers and the construction of two-dimensional nanofiber mats and nanofiber-based,three-dimensional scaffolds were introduced.Then,the functionalization strategies,such as endowing the fibers with bioactive,physical,and chemical cues,were explored.Finally,the typical applications of electrospun fibers in controlling cell behaviors(i.e.,cell adhesion and proliferation,infiltration,migration,neurite outgrowth,stem cell differentiation,and cancer cell capture and killing)were demonstrated.Taken together,this review will provide valuable information to the specific design of nanofiber-based scaffolds and extend their use in controlling cell behaviors for the purpose of tissue repair and regeneration.