Ecoflex is a commercial designation for elastomers developed based on the principles of environmental sustainability and flexibility. Various manufacturers offer different types of Ecoflex products with distinct compositions and functions. Among these, the platinum-catalyzed silicone rubber Ecoflex series has demonstrated considerable applicability in various fields of oral medicine due to its excellent flexibility, biocompatibility, stability across a wide temperature range, and tunable mechanical properties. In tissue engineering, it can simulate the mechanical behavior of oral mucosa, and is used in cleft lip surgical training models and preoperative evaluation for temporal bone defect reconstruction. In the field of wearable devices, leveraging its encapsulation protection and flexible characteristics, highly sensitive sensors constructed from Ecoflex can monitor signals such as oral bite force and masticatory muscle activity, thereby aiding in the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorders and postoperative evaluation of cleft lip and palate. Moreover, when combined with bio-waste materials, it promotes the functionalization and sustainability of oral wearable devices.In drug delivery systems, its conformability and controlled-release capability address challenges in localized oral drug administration. Designs such as flexible microneedles and temperature-responsive composite systems provide precise solutions for treating periodontitis and oral ulcers. In minimally invasive surgical instruments, its softness enables the development of soft robots and magnetically controlled microfluidic valves, enhancing surgical safety and precision. In the field of oral rehabilitation, Ecoflex soft liner materials, inspired by the suction cup structure of octopus tentacles, improve denture retention. Their low modulus reduces mucosal irritation, ensuring both comfort and durability. Although Ecoflex shows great potential in biomedical applications, it still faces certain challenges, particularly regarding long-term stability after implantation, mechanical fatigue resistance, and microbial colonization, which require further investigation. In the future, with advancements in 3D printing technology, Ecoflex is expected to achieve more precise clinical translation across multiple fields and drive innovation in intelligent biomaterials.

Lymphatic metastasis is the main metastatic route for colorectal cancer, which increases the risk of cancer recurrence and distant metastasis. The properties of the lymph node metastatic colorectal cancer (LNM-CRC) cells are poorly understood, and effective therapies are still lacking. Here, we found that hypoxia-induced fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα) expression in LNM-CRC cells. Gain- or loss-function experiments demonstrated that FAPα enhanced tumor cell migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, and lymphangiogenesis via activation of the STAT3 pathway. In addition, FAPα in tumor cells induced extracellular matrix remodeling and established an immunosuppressive environment via recruiting regulatory T cells, to promote colorectal cancer lymph node metastasis (CRCLNM). Z-GP-DAVLBH, a FAPα-activated prodrug, inhibited CRCLNM by targeting FAPα-positive LNM-CRC cells. Our study highlights the role of FAPα in tumor cells in CRCLNM and provides a potential therapeutic target and promising strategy for CRCLNM.

Objective:To explore the effects of different concentrations of ropivacaine ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block on postoperative pain and stress response in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 120 obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at the Puren Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology from July 2020 to July 2022. According to the random number table method, all patients were divided into a control group, a low concentration group, and a high concentration group, with 40 cases in each group. All three groups underwent ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block after general anesthesia induction. The control group was injected with physiological saline, while the low concentration group and high concentration group were injected with 0.25% and 0.50% ropivacaine, respectively. Stress response indicators before and after surgery in three groups [adrenaline (E), cortisol (Cor), free thyroxine (FT4), and C-reactive protein (CRP)], hemodynamic indicators [mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR)], glucose and lipid metabolism indicators [fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2-hour PBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG)] and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score were compared before and after surgery. Results:On the 1st day after surgery, the levels of E, Cor, FT4, CRP, FBG, 2-hour PBG, HbA 1c, TC, and TG in the high concentration group were lower than those in the control group and low concentration group (all P<0.05); 15 minutes after anesthesia and 2 hours after surgery, the MAP and HR of the high concentration group were higher than those of the control group and the low concentration group (all P<0.05); At 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, the VAS score of the high concentration group was lower than that of the control group and the low concentration group (all P<0.05); There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of airway reactions during anesthesia induction among the three groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, administering 0.50% concentration of ropivacaine ultrasound-guided plane block of the transverse abdominis muscle has a strong postoperative analgesic effect, which can improve E, Cor, FT4, and CRP levels, and is worthy of clinical application.

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) seriously affect human health, and genetic mutation is closely related to the occurrence of CHDs. In the process of assisted reproduction, the use of methods such as polar body biopsy, blastomere biopsy and blastocyst biopsy, combined with single-cell DNA amplification and high-throughput sequencing technology, can accurately detect pathogenic mutations associated with single-gene genetic diseases in pre-implantation embryos. T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5) is an important transcription factor for heart and upper limb development. It is reported 227 TBX5 mutations are related to CHDs. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disease (PGT-M) to detect CHD-related TBX5 mutations in embryos is of great significance for preventing the occurrence of CHDs. In this review, we systematically summarized the TBX5 mutation information, and analyzed the deleterious effects of TBX5 missense mutations based on familial genetic data, animal models, induced pluripotent stem cell disease models and prediction software to provide references for the detection of CHD-related TBX5 mutations using PGT-M.

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) seriously affect human health, and genetic mutation is closely related to the occurrence of CHDs. In the process of assisted reproduction, the use of methods such as polar body biopsy, blastomere biopsy and blastocyst biopsy, combined with single-cell DNA amplification and high-throughput sequencing technology, can accurately detect pathogenic mutations associated with single-gene genetic diseases in pre-implantation embryos. T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5) is an important transcription factor for heart and upper limb development. It is reported 227 TBX5 mutations are related to CHDs. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disease (PGT-M) to detect CHD-related TBX5 mutations in embryos is of great significance for preventing the occurrence of CHDs. In this review, we systematically summarized the TBX5 mutation information, and analyzed the deleterious effects of TBX5 missense mutations based on familial genetic data, animal models, induced pluripotent stem cell disease models and prediction software to provide references for the detection of CHD-related TBX5 mutations using PGT-M.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.08.015.].

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system assisted pylorus and vagus preserving partial gastrectomy (RaPPG) for early gastric cancer.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 40 patients with early gastric cancer who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from December 2020 to November 2022 were collected. There were 26 males and 14 females, aged (64±8)years. Of the 40 patients, 19 patients undergoing da Vinci Xi RaPPG were divided into the robotic assisted group, and 21 patients undergoing laparoscopic assisted pylorus and vagus preserving partial gastrectomy (PPG) were divided into the laparoscopic control group. Observation indicators: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative complications; (3) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3) or M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the rank sum test. Results:(1) Surgical situations. All patients in the two groups underwent surgery successfully, without conversion to laparotomy. The operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative first liquid food intake, time to post-operative drainage tube removal, duration of postoperative hospital stay, tumor diameter, distance from distal resection margin to tumor were (298±52)minutes, 10(10, 10)mL, 3.0(3.0, 3.0)days, 3.0(3.0,4.0)days, 6.0(6.0,8.0)days, 7.0(6.0,8.0)days, (2.3±0.7)cm, 3.0(2.0,3.0)cm in patients of the robotic assisted group, versus (236±37)minutes, 25(15,50)mL, 5.0(4.0,5.0)days, 6.0(5.5,7.0)days, 8.0(8.0,9.5)days, 8.0(7.5,9.5)days, (2.9±1.1)cm ,2.0(1.5,2.0)cm in patients of the laparoscopic control group, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( t=4.41, Z=-3.38, -4.75, -4.38, -2.98, -2.58, t=-2.10, Z=-3.03, P<0.05). (2) Postoperative complications. Cases with postoperative complications, cases with delayed gastric emptying, cases with acid regurgita-tion, cases with atelectasis, cases with infection of incision, cases with hyperamylasemia, cases with uroschesis were 6, 1, 1, 0, 1, 3, 0 in patients of the robotic assisted group. The above indicators were 20, 4, 3, 2, 1, 9, 1 in patients of the laparoscopic control group. There was a significant difference in the postoperative complications between the two groups ( χ2=17.77, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up. Of the 40 patients, 34 patients were followed up. There were 16 patients in the robotic assisted group who were followed up for 9(range, 6-18)months, and there were 18 patients in the laparoscopic control group who were followed up for 16(range, 9-23)months. During the follow-up period, all patients had good anastomosis healing, pyloric contraction function, and gastric emptying function. Conclusions:da Vinci Xi RaPPG is safe and feasible for the treatment of early gastric cancer. Compared with laparoscopic assisted PPG, treatment of gastric cancer with da Vinci Xi RaPPG can significantly reduce the volume of intraoperative blood loss, shorten the time to postoperative first flatus, time to postoperative first liquid food intake, time to postoperative drainage tube removal, duration of postoperative hospital stay, benefit the distance from distal resection margin to tumor, and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications.

Brain Injuries, Traumatic ; China ; Critical Care ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Renal Insufficiency

Osteosarcoma is a kind of bone tumor with highly proliferative and invasive properties, a high incidence of pulmonary metastasis and a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for osteosarcoma. Currently, there are no molecular targeted drugs approved for osteosarcoma treatment, particularly effective drugs for osteosarcoma with pulmonary metastases. It has been reported that fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα) is upregulated in osteosarcoma and critically associated with osteosarcoma progression and metastasis, demonstrating that FAPα-targeted agents might be a promising therapeutic strategy for osteosarcoma. In the present study, we reported that the FAPα-activated vinblastine prodrug Z-GP-DAVLBH exhibited potent antitumor activities against FAPα-positive osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Z-GP-DAVLBH inhibited the growth and induced the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. Importantly, it also decreased the migration and invasion capacities and reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of osteosarcoma cells in vitro and suppressed pulmonary metastasis of osteosarcoma xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, Z-GP-DAVLBH suppressed the AXL/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway, leading to inhibition of the growth and metastatic spread of osteosarcoma cells. These findings demonstrate that Z-GP-DAVLBH is a promising agent for the treatment of FAPα-positive osteosarcoma, particularly osteosarcoma with pulmonary metastases.

The fovea avascular area (FAZ) is an area of the retina surrounded by a continuous capillary plexus that does not have any capillary structure of its own. FAZ is an important region for the formation of fine vision function. The changes of its morphology and surrounding capillary density reflect the degree of macular ischemia, and are closely related to retinal vascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, Coats disease, idiopathic macular telangiectasia, and retinopathy of prematurity. Early observation of FAZ region changes in patients with retinal vascular disease by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can evaluate the severity and prognosis of the disease. However, the measurement error of FAZ-related data is still a problem that cannot be ignored. At present, OCTA devices of various manufacturers have different methods and algorithms for measuring and analyzing FAZ, which makes it impossible to compare the measured data between different devices. It is believed that with the continuous progress of OCTA related technology, more accurate data of FAZ regional changes can be obtained, which will bring more help to clinical work.