Objective To explore the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts from 2 sources co-cultured with SD rat Schwann cells(SCs) . Methods Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were obtained by washing the femoral and tibial bone marrow cavities in SD rats. Osteoblast differentiation of the third passage of BMSCs was induced by incubation in osteogenic medium. Primary rat calvarial osteoblasts were obtained by digestion of the calvarial bone in one day old SD rats. The cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum(FBS) . SCs of passage 2 were obtained by digestion of sciatic nerve. The SCs were identified by S-100. The proliferation of 2 kinds of osteoblasts co-cultured with SCs was tested using 96 co-culture plate by methyl thiazdyl tetrazolium(MTF). Real-time PCR was used to test the osteoblast differentiation through co-culturing with SCs in 3 d and 7 d. The osteoblasts were implanted in the subtus chamber. The SCs were implanted in the superior chamber. Results SCs enhanced significantly the proliferation of calvarial osteoblasts at 7 time points. The expression levels of OPN mRNA, OCN mRNA, ALP mRNA, and BMP-2 mRNA of the osteoblasts were significantly lower in the experiment group than in the control group in 3 d and 7 d. SCs also enhanced significantly the proliferation of the induced osteoblasts in 5 d, 7 d and 9 d. The expression levels of OPN mRNA, OCN mRNA, ALP mRNA, and BMP-2 mRNA of the induced osteoblasts were significantly higher in the experiment group than in the control group in 3 d and 7 d, except the level of ALP mRNA in 7 d.Conclusions The BMSCs-induced osteoblasts cocultured with SCs may be used as seed cells to construct neurotized tissue engineered bone.

Objective To investigate whether tissue engineered bone with implanted vascular bun-dles can up-regulate release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in models of femoral defect in rabbits.Methods Thirty-two rabbits were randomized into 2 even groups.In both groups, a segmental bone defect of 15 mm in length was made at the left femur before a tissue engineered bone was inserted into the defect.In the experimental group, a femoral vascular bundle was implanted into the tissue engineered bone.In the control group, there was no vascular implantation.At 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after implantation, samples were taken to determine new bone formation by histology and expression level of VEGF by immuno-histochemistry.Results The new bone formation was significantly higher in the experimental group at the end of 4, 8, and 12 weeks(P < 0.05) .The expression level of VEGF in the experimental group was also significantly higher than in the control group at all time points after operation, and the expression of VEGF peaked at 4 weeks.Conclusion Tissue engineered bone with vascular bundle implanted can up-regulate VEGF release in models of femoral defect in rabbits.

Objective To investigate the effect of moderate treadmill exercise together with modified hydroxyapatite chitosan composite hydrogel (CS/HA-g-CS) implantation on repair of full-thickness defects of articular cartilage in rats.Methods Full-thickness cartilage defects were drilled in the patellar groove of bilateral femoral condyles in a total of 24 male SD rats before they were randomly assigned into 4 groups.The control group (BC group) was subjected to no exercise or CS/HA-g-CS implantation;the chitosan group (CHI group) to CS/HA-g-CS implantation without exercise;the moderate treadmill exercise group (MIR group) to exercise 4 weeks after modeling without CS/HA-g-CS implantation;the CHI + MIR group to moderate treadmill exercise plus CS/HA-g-CS implantation 4 weeks after modeling.Half of the animals were sacrificed at week 8 and half at week 16 after operation.Femoral condyles were harvested for gross observation and histochemical measurement by O' Driscoll scoring system.mRNA expressions of glycosaminoglycan,collagen type Ⅱ and BMP-2 were detected by RT-PCR.Results Gross observation revealed:at 8 weeks after modeling,the CHI + MIR group was significantly better than the other 3 groups,with the BC group in the poorest (P ＜ 0.05);at 16 weeks after modeling,the BC group was significantly poorer than the other 3 groups (P ＜0.05) among which there were no significant differences (P ＞ 0.05).O 'Driscoll scoring revealed:at both 8 and 16 weeks after modeling,the CHI + MIR group was significantly better than the other 2 groups and the BC group significantly poorer than the other 3 groups (P ＜ 0.05) but there was no significant difference between the MIR and CHI + MIR groups(P ＞ 0.05).The expressions of collagen type Ⅱ,glycosaminoglycan and BMP-2 were significantly higher in the CHI + MIR group than in the other 3 groups (P ＜ 0.05) and significantly lower in the BC group than in the other 3 groups (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Moderate treadmill exercise together with CS/HA-g-CS implantation has significant positive effects on repair of full-thickness defects of articular cartilage in rats than merely moderate treadmill exercise or CS/HA-g-CS implantation alone.The defective cartilage repaired by moderate treadmill exercise together with CS/HA-g-CS implantation contains more collagen type Ⅱ and glycosaminoglycan and shows morphology of nearly normal cartilage.

Objective To explore whether the respective implantation of vascular bundles and sensory nerve tracts into a tissue-engineered bone will affect the expression of CGRP (Calcitonin gene related peptide) and its receptor. Methods Fifty-four New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 3 even groups for implantation of sensory nerve tracts (group A),implantation of vascular bundles (group B),and a control group of simple tissue-engineered bone (group C) . Animals were sacrificed 4,8,12 weeks after implantation,respectively. Masson staining was conducted to observe the process of bone formation and re-molding. CGRP and CGRPR-1 expressions in the new bone were measured by immunohistochemistry and Real-time PCR at 4,8 and 12 weeks after implantation. Results At all time points,the CGRP and CGRPR-1 expressions in groups A and B were significantly higher than in group C (P<0.05),and those in group A were higher than in group B too (P<0.05) . Over time,the expressions of CGRP and CGRPR-1 mRNA in each group in the new bone tissue were gradually reduced after an initial increase. The neuropeptide expression at the 8th week was higher than those at the 4th and 12th weeks. The neuropeptide expression at the 4th week was the lowest. The expression of CGRP was mainly localized in the periphery of newly generated bone,periosteum and the blood vessels. The expression of CGRPR-1 was mainly localized in the periphery of osteoblasts. Conclusions Implantation of either vascular bundles or sensory nerve tracts can promote neuropeptide secretion. The vascular bundle implantation may result in higher expressions of CGRP and CGRPR-1 than sensory nerve tract implantation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of ozonated water on physical and chemical properties of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) materials.

METHODSVSD materials (foam and sealing membrane) were immersed in 10 µg/ml ozonated water for 1 h twice daily for 8 days. The foam appearance and microscopic structure of the materials were observed, and tensile tests and Raman spectrum scan were performed assess the effect of ozonated water. Simulated VSD devices were prepared and tested for leakproofness under negative pressure after ozonated water treatment.

RESULTSzonated water treatment for 8 days caused no obvious abnormal changes in the foam appearance or microscopic structure of the materials. The maximum tensile load of foam before and after ozonated water treatment was 4.25∓0.73 kgf and 2.44∓0.19 kgf (P=0.000), the momentary distance when the foam torn before and after intervention was 92.54∓12.83 mm and 64.44∓4.60 mm, respectively (P=0.000). The corresponding results for VSD sealing membrane were 0.70∓0.58 kgf and 0.71∓0.08 kgf (P=0.698), and 99.30∓10.27 mm and 100.95∓18.22 mm (P=0.966), respectively. Raman spectroscopy revealed changes in only several wave intensities and no new chemical groups appeared within the scan range of 400-4000 cm(-1). The VSD device was well hermetic after treatment with ozonated water.

CONCLUSIONExcept for a decreased stretch resistance property of the foam, VSD materials display no obvious changes in physical and chemical characteristics after treatment with ozonated water for 8 days.

Different from neurons in the peripheral nervous system, mature neurons in the mammalian central nervous system often fail to regenerate after injury. Recent studies have found that calcium transduction, injury signaling, mitochondrial transportation, cytoskeletal remodeling and protein synthesis play essential roles in axon regeneration. Firstly, axon injury increases the intracellular concentration of calcium, and initiates the injury signaling pathways including cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-protein kinase A (PKA) and dual leucine kinase (DLK), which are found to promote axon regeneration in multiple animal injury models. The second step for axonal regrowth is to rebuild growth cones. Overexpressing proteins that promote dynamics of microtubules and actin filaments is beneficial for the reassembly of cytoskeletons and initiation of new growth cones. Thirdly, mitochondria, the power factory for cells, also play important roles in growth cone formation and axonal extension. The last but not the least important step is the regulation of gene transcription and protein translation to sustain the regrowth of axons. This review summarizes important findings revealing the functions and mechanisms of these biological progresses.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and risk of functional dependence in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).Methods:It was a cross-sectional survey study. The clinical data of MHD patients in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from June to December 2023 were collected. The Katz and Lawton-Brody questionnaires were used to assess the functional status. The patients were divided into normal functional status group and functional dependence group, and the differences of the clinical data between the two groups were compared. Serum albumin and lymphocytes were used to determine PNI, and the patients were divided into four subgroups: Q1 group (PNI≤44.3), Q2 group (44.349.8) according to the quartile of PNI. Logistic regression analysis method was used to analyze the relationship between PNI and risk of functional dependence in MHD patients, and subgroup analysis was conducted. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the efficacy of PNI, serum albumin, and lymphocytes in predicting the risk of functional dependence in MHD patients.Results:A total of 206 MHD patients were included in this study, with age of (58.35±0.98) years old, and 132 (64.1%) males. There were 58 (28.2%) patients with diabetes, 179 (86.9%) patients with hypertension, and 36 (17.5%) patients with cardiovascular diseases. There were 95 (46.1%) patients developing functional dependence. Compared with normal functional status group, functional dependence group had higher age ( t=-6.87, P<0.001), proportion of diabetes ( χ2=6.58, P=0.010), and pulse pressure ( t=-3.17, P=0.002), and lower diastolic pressure ( t=3.88, P<0.001), serum creatinine ( t=3.44, P=0.001), serum albumin ( t=4.09, P<0.001) and PNI ( t=3.92, P<0.001). The incidence of functional dependence in PNI Q1 group (69.2%, 36/52) was significantly higher than those in Q2 group (49.0%, 25/51), Q3 group (34.0%, 18/53) and Q4 group (32.0%, 16/50), and the differences among groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors: age, diabetes, pulse pressure, and serum creatinine, the risk of functional dependence of PNI Q1 group was 3.217 folds higher than that in Q4 group ( OR=3.217, 95% CI 1.229-8.422, P=0.017). The risk probability model of PNI predicting the occurrence of functional dependence in MHD patients: logit (odds)=5.854-0.128 3×PNI. The area under the ROC curve ( AUC) for PNI predicting the risk of functional dependence in MHD patients was 0.66 (95% CI 0.58-0.73, P<0.001), slightly higher than that of serum albumin ( AUC=0.64, 95% CI 0.54-0.73, P<0.001). The optimal cutoff value of PNI predicting the occurrence of functional dependence was 46.15, with sensitivity of 72.07% and specificity of 57.89%. Conclusion:Low PNI is associated with high risk of functional dependence in MHD patients.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in peritoneal dialysis patients and analyze the related risk factors.Methods This study was a cross-sectional study.The patients receiving maintenance peritoneal dialysis from January 2017 to December 2017 in the Peritoneal Dialysis Center of the Second Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University were selected as the study subjects.RLS was screened for peritoneal dialysis patients by epidemiological field investigation based on the RLS diagnostic criteria of the International Restless Leg Syndrome Research Group in 2014.Clinical data and laboratory examinations of selected patients were collected and the differences of clinical indicators between RLS and non-RLS patients were compared.The risk factors related to RLS were analyzed by logistic regression.Results Seventy-six cases of RLS were screened out from 396 PD patients.The prevalence of RLS was 19.2％.Compared with non-RLS group,RLS group patients had longer dialysis age,less 24 hours urine volume,and elevated blood intact Parathormone (iPTH) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) (all P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in primary disease ratio,sex,age,body mass index,blood pressure,hemoglobin,creatinine,urea nitrogen,uric acid,ferritin,serum iron,transferrin saturation,blood calcium,blood phosphorus,total cholesterol,triglyceride,low density lipoprotein,high density lipoprotein,eGFR,Kt/V,Ccr between RLS and non-RLS group patients (all P ＞ 0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that long dialysis age (OR=1.010,95％CI 1.001-1.018,P=0.022) and high blood AKP (OR=1.005,95％CI 1.001-1.010,P=0.021) were independent risk factors for RLS in peritoneal dialysis patients (both P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The prevalence of RLS is high in peritoneal dialysis patients.Long dialysis age and high blood AKP are independent risk factors for RLS.

As an important protein acylation modification, lysine succinylation (Ksucc) is involved in diverse biological processes, and participates in human tumorigenesis. Here, we collected 26,243 non-redundant known Ksucc sites from 13 species as the benchmark data set, combined 10 types of informative features, and implemented a hybrid-learning architecture by integrating deep-learning and conventional machine-learning algorithms into a single framework. We constructed a new tool named HybridSucc, which achieved area under curve (AUC) values of 0.885 and 0.952 for general and human-specific prediction of Ksucc sites, respectively. In comparison, the accuracy of Hybrid-Succ was 17.84％–50.62％better than that of other existing tools. Using HybridSucc, we conducted a proteome-wide prediction and prioritized 370 cancer mutations that change Ksucc states of 218 important proteins, including PKM2, SHMT2, and IDH2. We not only developed a high-profile tool for predicting Ksucc sites, but also generated useful candidates for further experimental con-sideration. The online service of HybridSucc can be freely accessed for academic research at http://hybridsucc.biocuckoo.org/.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a complex pulmonary vascular disease characterized by pro-gressive elevation of mean pulmonary artery pressure resulted from the pathological feature of pulmonary vascular re-modeling.Without medical intervention,PAH can eventually lead to right heart failure and death of patients.Up to the present,there are few treatment options for PAH are still mainly function through pulmonary vasodilation.Although these treatments can alleviate symptoms,the prognosis remains poor.In recent years,breakthroughs have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of PAH,thus support the development of new treatment strategies tar-geting at dysregulation of signaling pathways in PAH.This review focuses on five critical pathways and the relevant drugs those entered phase Ⅱ clinical trials and discusses their therapeutic potential,so to provide a basis for future research on targeting therapies for PAH patients.