Efficacy of recombinant human epidermal growth factor plus sodium hyaluronate eye drops in diabetic dry eye post-cataract surgery

BACKGROUND Dry eye syndrome(DES)after diabetic cataract surgery can seriously affect the patient’s quality of life.Therefore,effective alleviation of symptoms in patients with this disease has important clinical significance.AIM To explore the clinical effect of recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF)plus sodium hyaluronate(SH)eye drops on DES after cataract surgery in patients with diabetes.METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 82 patients with diabetes who experienced DES after cataract surgery at Tianjin Beichen Hospital,Affiliated Hospital of Nankai University between April 2021 and April 2023.They were classified into an observation group(42 cases,rhEGF+SH eye drops)and a control group(40 cases,SH eye drops alone),depending on the different treatment schemes.The therapeutic efficacy,dry eye symptom score,tear film breakup time(TFBUT),basic tear secretion score[assessed using Schirmer I test(SIt)],corneal fluorescein staining(FL)score,tear inflammatory markers,adverse reactions during treat-ment,and treatment satisfaction were compared between the two groups.RESULTS Therapeutic efficacy was higher in the observation group compared with the control group.Both groups showed improved TFBUT and dry eye,as well as improved SIt and FL scores after treatment,with a more pronounced improvement in the observation group.Although no marked differences in adverse reactions were observed between the two groups,treatment satisfaction was higher in the observation group.CONCLUSION rhEGF+SH eye drops rendered clinical benefits to patients by effectively ameliorating dry eye and visual impairment with favorable efficacy,fewer adverse reactions,and high safety levels.Thus,this treatment should be promoted in clinical practice.

Phototheranostic Nanoagents for Imaging-Guided Treatment of Oral Cancer

Phototherapy showed almost a lack of drug resistance and,depending on the therapeutic effects of non-invasive light-stimulating photosensors.The side effects of phototherapy were greatly reduced compared to their traditional equivalents.Phototheranostic nanoagents had new properties in drug delivery,biocompatibility,targeting and response,in which traditional phototheranostic drugs can not possess.Recently,a large number of relevant studies have demonstrated that photodynamic therapy(PDT)in combination with other agents and image-guided multifunctional photothermal therapy(PTT)were well suited for the treatment of oral cancer.Through the design of the nanoagents,researchers have discovered various applications for phototherapy,such as targeted release of co-packaged drugs,multifunctional imaging for diagnosis and treatment combination,accurate targeting caused by nanocarriers,and synergistic chemotherapy with phototherapy.In this paper,we first reviewed the research related to phototheranostic nanoagents for image-guided treatment of oral cancer.We tried to introduce the design concept and the treatment effect by three parts of components of phototheranostic nanoagents,categories of phototheranostic nanoagents and application of phototheranostic nanoagents.It also provided a reference for nanomaterial development and clinical applications in research of oral cancer treatment.

Effects of different aperture-sized type I collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds on the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp cells

This study aimed at evaluate the effects of different aperture-sized type I collagen/silk fibroin(CSF)scaffolds on the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp cells(HDPCs).The CSF scaffolds were designed with 3D mapping software Solidworks.Three different aperture-sized scaffolds(CSF1-CSF3)were prepared by low-temperature deposition 3D printing technology.The morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope(SEM)and optical coherence tomography.The porosity,hydrophilicity and mechanical capacity of the scaffold were detected,respectively.HDPCs(third passage,1105 cells)were seeded into each scaffold and investigated by SEM,CCK-8,alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity and HE staining.The CSF scaffolds had porous structures with macropores and micropores.The macropore size of CSF1 to CSF3 was 421627 lm,579636 lm and 707643 lm,respectively.The porosity was 69.862.2%,80.162.8%and 86.563.3%,respectively.All these scaffolds enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of HDPCs.The ALP activity in the CSF1 group was higher than that in the CSF3 groups(P<0.01).HE staining showed HDPCs grew in multilayer within the scaffolds.CSF scaffolds significantly improved the adhesion and ALP activity of HDPCs.CSF scaffolds were promising candidates in dentine-pulp complex regeneration.

An amelogenin-based peptide hydrogel promoted the odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells

Amelogenin can induce odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells(HDPCs),which has great potential and advantages in dentine-pulp complex regeneration.However,the unstability of amelogenin limits its further application.This study constructed amelogenin self-assembling peptide hydrogels(L-gel or D-gel)by heating-cooling technique,investigated the effects of these hydrogels on the odontogenic differentiation of HDPCs and explored the underneath mechanism.The critical aggregation concentration,conformation,morphology,mechanical property and biological stability of the hydrogels were characterized,respectively.The effects of the hydrogels on the odontogenic differentiation of HDPCs were evaluated via alkaline phosphatase activity measurement,quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,western blot,Alizarin red staining and scanning electron microscope.The mechanism was explored via signaling pathway experiments.Results showed that both the L-gel and D-gel stimulated the odontogenic differentiation of HDPCs on both Day 7 and Day 14,while the D-gel showed the highest enhancement effects.Meanwhile,the D-gel promoted calcium accumulation and mineralized matrix deposition on Day 21.The D-gel activated MAPK-ERK1/2 pathways in HDPCs and induced the odontogenic differentiation via ERK1/2 and transforming growth factor/smad pathways.Overall,our study demonstrated that the amelogenin peptide hydrogel stimulated the odontogenic differentiation and enhanced mineralization,which held big potential in the dentine-pulp complex regeneration.

A bifunctional MXene-modified scaffold for photothermal therapy and maxillofacial tissue regeneration

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumours in the oral and maxillofacial regions and is highly malignant and prone to recur despite the development of various effective treatments,including surgery and chemoradiotherapy.Actually,it is difficult to ensure the complete elimination of tumour cells,and maxillofacial bone defects caused by surgery are hard to heal by themselves.In addition,chemoradiotherapy can bring serious side-effects.Therefore,it is imperative to develop a postoperative therapy to kill residual squamous cancer cells and repair bone defects without any side-effects.Here,we prepared a 3D scaffold by a 3D printing technique and freeze-drying method,which contained collagen,silk and hydroxyapatite(CSH)and was functionalized with MXene nanosheets(M-CSH).The considerable photothermal effect with long-term stability can significantly kill squamous CAL-27 cancer cells in vitro and inhibit tumour growth in vivo,increasing the probability of the M-CSH scaffold being applied in the photothermal therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma.Moreover,the cell proliferation-and osteogenic-related protein expression of mouse embryonic osteogenic precursors(MC3T3-E1)indicated excellent biocompatibility and osteogenic activity of M-CSH scaffolds.The good compression modulus(52.8362.25 kPa)and in vivo bone formation performance made it possible to be used as reconstructive materials for bone defects.This scaffold is likely promising in future tissue engineering,especially for the multifunctional treatment of maxillofacial tumours.

Clinical significance of skip lymph-node metastasis in pN1 gastric-cancer patients after curative surgery

Background:In addition to the stepwise manner of lymph-node metastasis from the primary tumour,the skip lymph-node metastasis(SLNM)was identified as a low-incidence metastasis of gastric cancer(GC).So far,both the mechanism and outcome of SLNM have not been elucidated completely.The purpose of this study was to analyse the clinical significance and the potential mechanism of SLNM in GC patients who had lymph-node metastasis.Methods:Clinicopathological data and follow-up information of 505 GC patients who had lymph-node metastasis were analysed to demonstrate the significance of SLNM in evaluating the prognostic outcome.According to the pathological results,all GC patients who had lymph-node metastasis were categorized into three groups:patients with the perigastric lymphnode metastasis,patients with the perigastric and extragastric lymph-node metastasis and patients with SLNM.Results:Among the 505 GC patients who had lymph-node metastasis,24(4.8%)had pathologically identified SLNM.The location of lymph-node metastasis was not significantly associated with 5-year survival rate and overall survival(OS)(P=0.194).The stratified survival analysis results showed that the status of SLNM was significantly associated with the OS in patients with pN1 GC(P=0.001).The median OS was significantly shorter in 19 pN1 GC patients with SLNM than in 100 patients with perigastric lymph-node metastasis(P<0.001).The case–control matched logistic regression analysis results showed that tumour size(P=0.002)was the only clinicopathological factor that may predict SLNM in pN1 GC patients undergoing curative surgery.Among the 19 pN1 GC patients with SLNM,17(89.5%)had metastatic lymph nodes along the common hepatic artery,around the celiac artery or in the hepatoduodenal ligament.Conclusions:SLNM may be considered a potentially practicable indicator for prognosis among various subgroups of pN1 GC patients.

Characterization and evaluation of a femtosecond laser-induced osseointegration and an anti-inflammatory structure generated on a titanium alloy

Cell–material interactions during early osseointegration of the bone–implant interface are critical and involve crosstalk between osteoblasts and osteoclasts.The surface properties of titanium implants also play a critical role in cell–material interactions.In this study,femtosecond laser treatment and sandblasting were used to alter the surface morphology,roughness and wettability of a titanium alloy.Osteoblasts and osteoclasts were then cultured on the resulting titanium alloy disks.Four disk groups were tested:a polished titanium alloy(pTi)control;a hydrophilic micro-dislocation titanium alloy(sandblasted Ti(STi));a hydrophobic nano-mastoid Ti alloy(femtosecond laser-treated Ti(FTi));and a hydrophilic hierarchical hybrid micro-/nanostructured Ti alloy[femtosecond laser-treated and sandblasted Ti(FSTi)].The titanium surface treated by the femtosecond laser and sandblasting showed higher biomineralization activity and lower cytotoxicity in simulated body fluid and lactate dehydrogenase assays.Compared to the control surface,the multifunctional titanium surface induced a better cellular response in terms of proliferation,differentiation,mineralization and collagen secretion.Further investigation of macrophage polarization revealed that increased anti-inflammatory factor secretion and decreased proinflammatory factor secretion occurred in the early response of macrophages.Based on the above results,the synergistic effect of the surface properties produced an excellent cellular response at the bone–implant interface,which was mainly reflected by the promotion of early ossteointegration andmacrophage polarization.

Autotaxin:An Early Warning Biomarker for Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure

Background and Aims:Recent accumulating evidence indicates the biological actions of autotaxin(ATX)in liver disease.However,the relationship between ATX and liver failure has not been reported.The present study aimed to examine alterations of serum ATX in acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)and evaluate whether serum ATX could be useful as an early warning biomarker of ACLF.Methods:Serum ATX was measured in 50 patients with hepatitis B-related ACLF,14 patients with alcohol-related ACLF,11 patients with hepatitis B-related pre-ACLF,11 patients with alcohol-related Child-Pugh A cirrhosis,39 patients with hepatitis B-related Child-Pugh A cirrhosis,26 patients with chronic hepatitis B,and 38 healthy volunteers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Serum ATX level was significantly higher in the pre-ACLF group than in the Child-Pugh A cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B groups but lower than in the ACLF group;furthermore,patients with pre-ACLF deteriorated to ACLF had significantly higher serum ATX levels than pre-ACLF patients that did not progress to ACLF.Serum ATX levels were significantly higher among male ACLF patients with preclinical infection,spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or pneumonia,as compared to patients with ACLF but no spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or pneumonia.Serum ATX levels were well correlated with serum biochemical parameters of liver function and model for end-stage liver disease score.Serum ATX≥584.1 ng/mL was a poor prognostic factor for ACLF(hazard ratio of 4.750,95%confidence interval of 1.106-20.392,p=0.036).Conclusions:Serum ATX level may be a useful early warning biomarker for ACLF.