Cytocompatibility with osteogenic cells and enhanced in vivo anti-infection potential of quaternized chitosan-loaded titania nanotubes

Infection is one of the major causes of failure of orthopedic implants. Our previous study demonstrated that nanotube modification of the implant surface, together with nanotubes loaded with quaternized chitosan （hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan, HACC）, could effectively inhibit bacterial adherence and biofilm formation in vitro. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further investigate the in vitro cytocompatibility with osteogenic cells and the in vivo anti-infection activity of titanium implants with HACC-loaded nanotubes （NT-H）. The titanium implant （Ti）, nanotubes without polymer loading （NT）, and nanotubes loaded with chitosan （NT-C） were fabricated and served as controls. Firstly, we evaluated the cytocompatibility of these specimens with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. The observation of cell attachment, proliferation, spreading, and viability in vitro showed that NT-H has improved osteogenic activity compared with Ti and NT-C. A prophylaxis rat model with implantation in the femoral medullary cavity and inoculation with methiciUin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was established and evaluated by radiographical, microbiological, and histopathological assessments. Our in vivo study demonstrated that NT-H coatings exhibited significant anti-infection capability compared with the Ti and NT-C groups. In conclusion, HACC-loaded nanotubes fabricated on a titanium substrate show good compatibility with osteogenic cells and enhanced anti-infection ability in vivo, providing a good foundation for clinical application to combat orthopedic implant-associated infections.

Enhanced Efficiency of Metamorphic Triple Junction Solar Cells for Space Applications

Metamorphic In0.55Ga0.45P/In0.06Ga0.94As/Ge triple-junction （3J-MM） solar cells are grown on Ge （100） sub- strates via metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Epi-structural analyses such as high resolution x-ray diffrac- tion, photoluminence, cathodoluminescence and HRTEM are employed and the results show that the high crystal quality of 3J-MM solar cells is obtained with low threading dislocation density of graded buffer （an average value of 6.8× 10^4/cm2）. Benefitting from the optimized bandgap combination, under one sun, AM0 spectrum, 25℃ conditions, the conversion efficiency is achieved about 32%, 5% higher compared with the lattice-matched In0.49Ga0.51P/In0.01Ga0.99As/Ge triple junction （3J-LM） solar cell. Under 1-MeV electron irradiation test, the degradation of the EQE and I-V characteristics of 3J-MM solar cells is at the same level as the 33-LM solar cell. The end-of-life efficiency is -27.1%. Therefore, the metamorphic triple-junction solar cell may be a promising candidate for next-generation space multi-junction solar cells.

A cost-effective method to enhance adenoviral transduction of primary murine osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells

We report here a method for the use of poly-L-lysine （PLL） to markedly improve the adenoviral transduction efficiency of primary murine osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells （BMSCs） in culture and in situ, which are typically difficult to transduce. We show by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry that the addition of PLL to the viral-containing medium significantly increases the number of green fluorescence protein （GFP）-positive osteoblasts and BMSCs transduced with an enhanced GFP-expressing adenovirus. We also demonstrate that PLL can greatly enhance the adenoviral transduction of osteoblasts and osteocytes in situ in ex vivo tibia and calvaria, as well as in long bone fragments. In addition, we validate that PLL can improve routine adenoviral transduction studies by permitting the use of low multiplicities of infection to obtain the desired biologic effect. Ultimately, the use of PLL to facilitate adenoviral gene transfer in osteogenic cells can provide a cost-effective means of performing efficient gene transfer studies in the context of bone research.

Construction of the Eukaryotic Expression Vector with EGFP and hVE GF121 Gene and its Expression in Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Objectives To construct a recombinant plasmid carrying enhanced green fluore- scent protein (EGFP) and human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) 121 gene and detect its expre- ssion in rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Methods Human VEGF121 cDNA was amplified with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from pCD/hVEGF121 and was inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP- C1. After being identified with PCR, double enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The recombinant plasmid pEGFP/hVEGF121 was transferred into rat MSCs with lipofectamine. The expression of EGFP/VEGF121 fusion protein were detected with fluorescence microscope and immunocytochemical staining respectively. Results The recombinant plasmid was confirmed with PCR, double enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The fluoresce- nce microscope and immunocytochemical staining results showed that the EGFP and VEGF121 protein were expressed in MSCs 48 h after transfection. Conclusions The recombinant plasmid carrying EGFP and human VEGF was successfully constructed and expressed positively in rat MSCs. It offers a promise tool for further research on differentiation of MSCs and VEGF gene therapy for ischemial cardiovascular disease.

Role of visfatin in obesity-induced insulin resistance

The growing worldwide burden of insulin resistance(IR) emphasizes the importance of early identification for improved management.Obesity,particularly visceral obesity,has been a key contributing factor in the development of IR.The obesity-associated chronic inflammatory state contributes to the development of obesity-related comorbidities,including IR.Adipocytokines,which are released by adipose tissue,have been investigated as possible indicators of IR.Visfatin was one of the adipocytokines that attracted attention due to its insulinmimetic activity.It is released from a variety of sources,including visceral fat and macrophages,and it influences glucose metabolism and increases inflammation.The relationship between visfatin and IR in obesity is debatable.As a result,the purpose of this review was to better understand the role of visfatin in glucose homeostasis and to review the literature on the association between visfatin levels and IR,cardiovascular diseases,and renal diseases in obesity.

Mesenchymal stem cells transduced by PLEGFP-N1 retroviral vector maintain their biological features and differentiation

Background Enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） has been an important reporter gene for gene therapy. Human mesenchymal stem cells （hMSCs） are ideal target cells in cell transplantation and tissue engineering. We investigated their biological characteristics and differentiation mediated by PLEGFP-N1 retroviral transduction.Methods hMSCs were isolated from human bone marrow by density gradient fractionation and adherence to plastic flasks. Individual colonies were selected and cultured in tissue dishes. Packaging cells PT67 were transfected by PLEGFP-N1 retroviral vector , and hMSCs were transduced by viral supernatant infection. Meanwhile, hMSCs-EGFP were identified by immune phenotypes and whether it could differentiate into osteoblasts or adipocytes under conditioned media was investigated.Results The rate of stably transduced hMSCs-EGFP was up to 96% after being screened by G418. hMSCs-EGFP exhibited fibroblast-like morphological features. Flow cytometric analyses showed that hMSCs-EGFP were positive for CD73, CD105, CD166, CD90 and CD44, but negative for CD34 and CD45. In addition, it could functionally be induced into osteocytes or adipocytes under conditioned media. These biological features of hMSCs-EGFP were consistent with those of hMSCs.Conclusions hMSCs transduced by PLEGFP-N1 retroviral vector can be used in vivo securely because they can maintain their biological characteristics and differentiation. It is a simple and reliable way to trace the changes of hMSCs in vivo by EGFP during cell transplantation and gene therapy.

The labeling of C57BL/6j derived embryonic stem cells with enhanced green fluorescent protein

Objective To labele MESPU35, a embryonic stem (ES) cell line derived from C57BL/6j mouse, with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) for further application.Methods The EGFP gene was controlled by the hybrid CA promoter/enhancer (CMV enhancer/ chicken beta-actin promoter/ beta-actin intron) to construct the vector of the transgene, pCA-EGFP. The vector was transfected into MESPU35 by electroporation.Results We generated EGFP expressing ES cells demonstrating normal properties. The green fluorescence of EGFP expressing cells was maintained in propagation of the ES cells for more than 30 passages as well as in differentiated cells. Cultured in suspension, the 'green' ES cells aggregated, and formed embryoid bodies maintaining the green fluorescence at varying developmental stages. The 'green' embryoid bodies could expand and differentiate into various types of cells, exhibiting ubiquitous green fluorescence. Conclusions The hybrid CA promoter/enhancer used to control the EGFP expressing ES cells, resulted in more intense and ubiquitous activity. The EGFP transfected cells yield bright green fluorescence, which can be visualized in real time and in situ. In addition, the ES cells, MESPU35, are derived from C57BL/6j mice, which are the most widely used in oncology, physiology and genetics. Compared to 129 substrains, C57BL/6j mice avoid a number of potential problems apparent in the other strains.

Poly(L-glutamic acid)-cisplatin nanoformulations with detachable PEGylation for prolonged circulation half-life and enhanced cell internalization

PEGylation has been widely applied to prolong the circulation times of nanomedicines via the steric shielding effect,which consequently improves the intratumoral accumulation.However,cell uptake of PEGylated nanoformulations is always blocked by the steric repulsion of PEG,which limits their therapeutic effect.To this end,we designed and prepared two kinds of poly(L-glutamic acid)-cisplatin(PLG-CDDP)nanoformulations with detachable PEG,which is responsive to specific tumor tissue microenvironments for prolonged circulation time and enhanced cell internalization.The extracellular pH(pHe)-responsive cleavage 2-propionic-3-methylmaleic anhydride(CDM)-derived amide bond and matrix metalloproteinases-2/9(MMP-2/9)-sensitive degradable peptide PLGLAG were utilized to link PLG and PEG,yielding pHe-responsive PEG-pHe-PLG and MMP-sensitive PEG-MMP-PLG.The corresponding smart nanoformulations PEG-pHe-PLG-Pt and PEG-MMP-PLG-Pt were then prepared by the complexation of polypeptides and cisplatin(CDDP).The circulation half-lives of PEG-pHe-PLG-Pt and PEG-MMP-PLG-Pt were about 4.6 and 4.2 times higher than that of the control PLG-Pt,respectively.Upon reaching tumor tissue,PEG on the surface of nanomedicines was detached as triggered by pHe or MMP,which increased intratumoral CDDP retention,enhanced cell uptake,and improved antitumor efficacy toward a fatal high-grade serous ovarian cancer(HGSOC)mouse model,indicating the promising prospects for clinical application of detachable PEGylated nanoformulations.

Enhancement of solar cells parameters by periodic nanocylinders

Optical absorption in thin-film solar cells can be improved by using surface plasmons for guiding and confining the light on the nanoscale.We report theoretical and simulation studies of a-Si thin-film solar cells with silver nanocylinders on the surface.We found that surface plasmons increased the cells＇ spectral response over almost the entire studied solar spectrum.In the ultraviolet range and at wavelengths close to the Si band gap we observed a significant enhancement of the absorption for both thin-film and wafer-based structures.We also performed optimization studies of particle size,inter-particle distance,and dielectric environment,for obtaining maximal absorption within the substrate.A blue-shift of the resonance wavelength with increasing inter-particle distance was observed in the visible range.Cell performance improved at optimal spacing,which strongly depended on the nanoparticle size.Increasing the nanocylinder size was accompanied by the widening of the plasmon resonance band and a red-shift of the plasmon resonance peaks.A weak red-shift and plasmon peak enhancement were observed in the reflectance curve with increasing refractive index of the dielectric spacer.

Dynamic bias setting for range extension in LTE-advanced macro-pico heterogeneous networks

In co-channel deployment of macro cell and pico cells, cell range extension （RE）, a simple and typical cell association scheme, is introduced to achieve better load balancing and improve cell edge performance. In this article, a novel dynamic and distributed bias setting scheme is proposed for RE technique in macro-pico heterogeneous networks. In this strategy, the worst user throughput of each cell during an adjusting time interval T is obtained to change the bias values according to certain procedures, where an introduced indicator is used to freeze the possibility of increasing bias value if needed. Furthermore, silent state and coarse control process are employed to achieve low overheads and computational complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can greatly improve the cell-edge performance compared with the static bias setting strategies, while maintaining the overall cell performance at the same time.

Facile and robust strategy to antireflective photo-curing coating through self-wrinkling

We reported a facile and bio-inspired strategy for obtaining antireflective （AR） coating through polymerization-induced self-wrinkling. Upon irradiation of light, the complex wrinkle micro-patterns with different morphologies were generated spontaneously on the surface of coating during photo-cross- linking, which enables the photo-curing coating can decrease reflection. The resulting photo-curing coating exhibits a high transmittance over 90% and low reflection below 5% ～ 8%, with an efficiency anti- reflection of 4% ～ 7%; compared to the flat blank coating. The successful application of these AR coatings with wrinkles pattern to encapsulate the thin film solar cells results in appreciable photovoltaic performance improvement of more than 4% ～ 8%, which benefits from the decrease of the light reflection and increase of optical paths in the photoactive layer by the introduction of wrinkling pattern. Furthermore, the efficiency improvements of the solar cells are more obvious, with a remarkable increase of 8.5%, at oblique light incident angle than that with vertical light incident angle