Cells and exosomes derived from them are extensively used as biological carrier systems. Cells demonstrate superior targeting specificity and prolonged circulation facilitated by their rich array of surface proteins, while exosomes, due to their small size, cross barriers and penetrate tumors efficiently. However, challenges remain, cells' large size restricts tissue penetration, and exosomes have limited targeting accuracy and short circulation times. To address these challenges, we developed a novel concept termed exosomal spheres. This approach involved incorporating platelet-derived exosomes shielded with phosphatidylserine (PS) and linked via pH-sensitive bonds for drug delivery applications. The study demonstrated that, compared with exosomes, the exosomal spheres improved blood circulation through the upregulation of CD47 expression and shielding of phosphatidylserine, thereby minimizing immune clearance. Moreover, the increased expression of P-selectin promoted adhesion to circulating tumor cells, thereby enhancing targeting efficiency. Upon reaching the tumor site, the hydrazone bonds of exosome spheres were protonated in the acidic tumor microenvironment, leading to disintegration into uniform-sized exosomes capable of deeper tumor penetration compared to platelets. These findings suggested that exosome spheres addressed the challenges and offered significant potential for efficient and precise drug delivery.

Periodontal bone defects, primarily caused by periodontitis, are highly prevalent in clinical settings and manifest as bone fenestration, dehiscence, or attachment loss, presenting a significant challenge to oral health. In regenerative medicine, harnessing developmental principles for tissue repair offers promising therapeutic potential. Of particular interest is the condensation of progenitor cells, an essential event in organogenesis that has inspired clinically effective cell aggregation approaches in dental regeneration. However, the precise cellular coordination mechanisms during condensation and regeneration remain elusive. Here, taking the tooth as a model organ, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to dissect the cellular composition and heterogeneity of human dental follicle and dental papilla, revealing a distinct Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) population with remarkable odontogenic potential. Interestingly, a reciprocal paracrine interaction between PDGFRA⁺ dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs) and CD31⁺ Endomucin⁺ endothelial cells (ECs) was mediated by Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and Platelet-derived growth factor subunit BB (PDGFBB). This crosstalk not only maintains the functionality of PDGFRA⁺ DFSCs but also drives specialized angiogenesis. In vivo periodontal bone regeneration experiments further reveal that communication between PDGFRA⁺ DFSC aggregates and recipient ECs is essential for effective angiogenic-osteogenic coupling and rapid tissue repair. Collectively, our results unravel the importance of MSC-EC crosstalk mediated by the VEGFA and PDGFBB-PDGFRA reciprocal signaling in orchestrating angiogenesis and osteogenesis. These findings not only establish a framework for deciphering and promoting periodontal bone regeneration in potential clinical applications but also offer insights for future therapeutic strategies in dental or broader regenerative medicine.
Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha/metabolism* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology* ; Dental Sac/cytology* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Bone Regeneration ; Animals ; Dental Papilla/cytology* ; Periodontium/physiology* ; Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Regeneration ; Angiogenesis

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of 101 patients with Strongyloides stercoralis infection in Xingbin District, Laibin City from 2017 to 2023, providing data for the prevention and control of strongyloidiasis. 　　Methods Clinical data of 101 patients diagnosed with Strongyloides stercoralis infection at Xingbin District People's Hospital from 2017 to 2023 were collected. Statistical analysis was performed on patients' symptoms, anemia status, age, gender, occupation, education level, and other relevant factors. Results Among the 101 cases of Strongyloides stercoralis infection, there were 79 males and 22 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 3.6∶1. The majority of patients were from rural areas, primarily engaged in agriculture, and had a lower level of education. The average age was (65.32±12.48) years, with 67 elderly patients over 60 years old (accounting for 66.64%). Only about one-third of the patients showed gastrointestinal symptoms, but most patients had other comorbid conditions such as lung infection (28.7%), hypertension (24.6%), gouty and rheumatoid arthritis (18%), diabetes (13%), and malignant tumors (12%). Laboratory tests revealed that most patients (>40%) had anemia, positive fecal occult blood, and eosinophilia. Conclusions Strongyloides stercoralis infection in Xingbin District, Laibin City, predominantly affects elderly individuals with low levels of education from rural areas, with more males than females. Only some patients present with gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, but most exhibit comorbid conditions including pulmonary infection, hypertension, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, malignant tumors, etc. Coinfection poses a risk of accelerating and exacerbating disease progression, underscoring the need to strengthen the prevention and control of local Strongyloides stercoralis infection.

ObjectiveObserving and analyzing the delivery behaviour of cynomolgus macaques, to establish the criteria for determining the occurrence of delivery in cynomolgus macaques, and then combining with veterinary assistance in order to improve the live birth rate of cynomolgus macaques. MethodsBy backtracking and analyzing the surveillance videos of 112 perinatal cynomolgus macaques with a gestation period of 140 d or more from 2017 to 2021, we observed and recorded the main behavioural manifestations of the cynomolgus macaques during labour, including Valsalva's maneuver, touching and licking the birth canal, lying on their backs or stomachs, and rolling and tumbling of the body. On this basis, we established the weights of delivery-related behavioural indicators and exhaustively analysed the perinatal behavioural performances of 30 cynomolgus macaques for delivery determination. ResultsThe perinatal behavioural validation results of the 30 cynomolgus macaques showed that the behavioural indicators of Valsalva's maneuver, touching and licking the birth canal, lying on the stomach or on the floor, body rolling and tumbling occurred with different frequencies, among which Valsalva's maneuver and lying on the stomach or on the back were the most important, with weight values of 35.5% and 27.2%, respectively. These two behaviours can be used to accurately determine the onset of parturition in cynomolgus macaques. The average live birth rate of the monkeys that were accurately determined to have given birth and were assisted by veterinarians reached 87.1%, which was significantly higher than that of the monkeys that had unassisted spontaneous deliveries, which was 63.5%, and there was a significant difference between these two rates (P<0.05). ConclusionThe combination of accurate birth determination and veterinary assisted delivery can significantly increase the live birth rate of experimental cynomolgus macaques.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/metabolism* ; Humans ; Microfilament Proteins/metabolism* ; Models, Cardiovascular ; Mutation ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Troponin T/metabolism*

Objective:To explore the feasibility and prognosis of prenatal ultrasonic diagnosis of fetal isolated vascular ring at 11-13 + 6 weeks. Methods:A total of 36 996 fetuses were selected to compare the results of ultrasound screening at 11-13 + 6 weeks and 20-24 weeks of pregnancy in Guangxi Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital from January 2016 to January 2020, the reasons for missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of fetal isolated vascular ring by ultrasonography in the first trimester were summarized. Results:Thirty-five cases were diagnosed as isolated vascular ring in the first trimester, including 19 cases right aortic arch combined with aberrant left subclavian artery with "U-shaped" vascular ring, 7 cases double aortic arch with "O-shaped" vascular ring, and 9 cases aberrant right subclavian artery with "C-shaped" vascular ring. While 155 cases were diagnosed as isolated vascular ring at 20-24 weeks of pregnancy, consisting of 18 cases of combined with aberrant left subclavian artery, 9 cases of double aortic arch, 126 cases of aberrant right subclavian artery and 2 cases of pulmonary artery sling, the diagnosis coincidence rates were 94.74%, 77.78%, 7.14%, 0(Kappa value were 0.97, 0.88, 0.13, 0). For the diagnosis of right aortic arch combined with aberrant left subclavian artery, double aortic arch and aberrant right subclavian artery in the first trimester, the specificities were 99.99%, 100%, 100%, the sensitivities were 100%, 77.78%, 7.14%, the false-positive rates were 0.01%, 0, 0, the false-negative rates were 0, 22.22%, 92.86%, and the Youden′s indices were 0.99, 0.78, 0.07.Conclusions:Right aortic arch combined with aberrant left subclavian artery and double aortic arch have high coincidence rate by ultrasonography in the first trimester, while the diagnostic coincidence rate of isolated aberrant right subclavian artery was low. Ultrasound screening for isolated vascular ring in the first trimester still needs ultrasound examination in the second trimester to exclude the minor cardiac malformations that are difficult to diagnose in the first trimester.

Objective:To investigate the present situation of anticipatory grief of main caregivers of elderly patients with acetabular fractures and to explore its influencing factors.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 168 main caregivers of elderly patients with acetabular fractures who underwent surgical treatment in the First People's Hospital of Fuyang District in Hangzhou and were discharged from the hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as research objects. General information questionnaire, Family Disease Burden Scale and Anticipatory Grief Scale were used to investigate.Results:The score of Anticipatory Grief Scale of primary caregivers for elderly patients with acetabular fractures was (69.61±6.35) . The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the age of the main caregivers of elderly patients with acetabular fractures, the relationship with the patients, the time of care and the degree of family disease burden were the main influencing factors of anticipatory grief ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The main caregivers of elderly patients with acetabular fractures have a moderate level of anticipatory grief. While paying attention to the psychological problems of patients, medical staff should also include caregivers in the object category of psychological care and actively explore effective nursing measures to promote the physical and mental health of caregivers.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of Crohn′s disease (CD)-related gastrointestinal stenosis, and to summarize and analyze the corresponding treatments.Methods:From January 2010 to December 2018, 122 patients diagnosed with CD and hospitalized in the Seventh Medical Center, PLA General Hospital were selected including 72 patients in gastrointestinal stenosis group and 50 patients in non-gastrointestinal stenosis group. The gender, age of onset, course of disease, location of lesions involved (Montreal classification), disease activity, extraintestinal manifestations, application of therapeutic drugs, and complications were compared between the two groups. The treatment of CD patients with gastrointestinal stenosis was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of CD patients with gastrointestinal stenosis. The independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The age of onset of patients in gastrointestinal stenosis group was older than that in non-gastrointestinal stenosis group ((37.6±15.1) years old vs. (30.8±14.7) years old), and course of disease was longer than that of non-gastrointestinal stenosis group (72 months, 11 to 492 months vs. 45 months, 3 to 240 months); and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-2.044, Z=-2.770; P=0.018, 0.006). The proportion of patients with ileum involvement of the gastrointestinal stenosis group was lower than that of the non-gastrointestinal stenosis group (69.4%, 50/72 vs. 86.0%, 43/50), and the proportion of severe patients was higher than that of the non-gastrointestinal stenosis group (15.3%, 11/72 vs. 4.0%, 2/50); and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=4.463 and 3.942, P=0.035 and 0.047). There were no significant differences in gender, use of therapeutic drugs, extraintestinal manifestations, application of therapeutic drugs or the incidence of complications between the patients of two groups (all P>0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that the age of onset and course of disease were risk factors of CD-related gastrointestinal stenosis ( β=0.028, odds ratio ( OR)=1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.000 to 1.056, P=0.046; β=0.008, OR=1.008, 95% CI 1.002 to 1.015, P=0.013). Further stratified analysis revealed that the incidence rates of CD-related gastrointestinal stenosis in patients with age of onset over 40 years old and course of disease more than five years were higher than those of patients with age of onset less than 40 years old and course of disease less than five years (76.3%, 29/38 vs. 51.2%, 43/84; 68.4%, 39/57 vs. 50.8%, 33/65), and the differences were statistically significant ( OR=3.072, 95% CI 1.298 to 7.272, P=0.009; OR=2.101, 95% CI 1.002 to 4.406, P=0.048). Among the 72 CD patients with gastrointestinal stenosis, 15 cases (20.8%) were treated with medicine and nutrition, without endoscopic or surgical treatment. Fifty-two patients (72.2%) underwent surgical treatment, among them six patients (11.5%) received twice surgery, the interval between the two operations was 46 months (1 to 204 months), and eight patients (15.4%) had postoperative complications. Twenty-one patients (29.2%) were treated with endoscopic dilatation, and no complications occurred after surgery. Five patients (23.8%) underwent surgical treatment during the follow-up period. Conclusions:The age of onset over 40 years old and the course of disease more than five years are the risk factors of CD-related gastrointestinal stenosis. Individualized medical treatment is the basis for the treatment of CD-related gastrointestinal stenosis. Surgery is still the main treatment. The endoscopic treatment is safety and can delay or avoid surgery to a certain extent.

Objective:To explore the values of Z-scores of fetal heart circumference (HC) and heart area (HA) in prediction of homozygous α-thalassemia.Methods:From February 2014 to March 2019, 233 fetuses of 15 to 23 gestation weeks with risk of homozygous α-thalassemia were examined by prenatal ultrasound in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. HC, HA and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) were measured. HC and HA were converted into Z-scores, respectively. The ROC curves were established and analyzed based on HC Z-score, HA Z-score or CTR respectively to compare their predicting efficacies for fetal homozygous α-thalassemia. Finally, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were obtained by the best cutoff values.Results:①Sixty-five fetuses were diagnosed as homozygous α-thalassemia and classified as α-thalassemia group. One hundred and sixty-eight fetuses were mild and normal and were classified as control group. ②HC Z-score, HA Z-score and CTR in the α-thalassemia group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( P<0.001). ③The area under ROC curve of HA Z-score was the largest compared with HC Z-score and CTR, and the prediction efficacy was the highest ( Z test=2.144 and 2.517 respectively, P<0.05). ④The best cutoff values were HC Z-score>1.67, HA Z-score>2.06 and CTR>0.53. Sensitivities of predicting homozygous α-thalassemia in 15 to 23 gestation weeks were 92.31%, 100% and 89.23%, respectively. Specificities were 94.05%, 95.83% and 93.45%, respectively. Positive predictive values were 84.43%, 89.00% and 84.05%, respectively. Negative predictive values were 96.91%, 100% and 95.57%, respectively. Conclusions:Fetal heart HC Z-score and HA Z-score are safe and effective novel ultrasonic indexes for predicting homozygous α-thalassemia. Especially compared with traditional CTR, HA Z-score has a significantly higher predicting efficacy, which can improve the detection rate of homozygous α-thalassemia and reduce the need for invasive examination.

Objective: To investigate the echocardiographic characteristics, pathological anatomy and genetic abnormality of congenital absent semilunar valves in first trimester. Methods: Eleven cases of congenital absent semilunar valve fetus diagnosed at 11-13^{+ 6} weeks of gestation in Guangxi Magernity & Child Healthcare Hospital from December 2014 to December 2018 were analyzed. The characteristics of echocardiography and the abnormal microanatomy of cardiac tissue after labor induction was compared. Results: The crown-lump length of the 11 fetus was 46-74(62.0±9.2)mm, and nuchal translucency thickness(NT) was 2.4-10.4 (6.4±2.6)mm. The NT of 10 cases were greater than 3.0 mm. Color Doppler flow imaging revealed that biphasic bidirectional flow in the aortic arch and/or pulmonary artery at the 3VT view( "to-and-fro" ) in those 11 cases, and pansystolic turbulence and pandiastolic reflux spectrum were showed on spectral Doppler. Among them, there were 10 cases of " stealing type" , including 2 cases of isolate absent aortic valves, 3 cases of absent pulmonary valves and 5 cases of absent both aortic and pulmonary valves; and all the 10 cases had secondary ultrasonic manifestations of fetal heart failure. Chromosome analysis and detection of genes showed that 4 cases with Trisomy 13 syndrome, 3 cases with Trisomy 18 syndrome, 1 case with 22q11.2 deletion, 1 case with 12q24.32q24.33 deletion and 1 case was normal. Pathological anatomy revealed enlarged heart in 8 cases, isolate absent aortic valves in 2 cases (1 case complicated with pulmonary atresia, absence of ductus arteriosus and thymus), absent pulmonary valves in 3 cases, absent both aortic and pulmonary valves in 3 cases, relics of semilunar valves in 3 cases. And 2 cases of absent pulmonary valves and 3 cases of absent both aortic and pulmonary valves with short and thick ductus arteriosus. Only 1 case was congenital absent semilunar valve in " non-stealing type" without secondary ultrasonic manifestations of fetal heart failure. Chromosome analysis and detection of genes showed 22q11.2 deletion, and there were relics of semilunar valves in the pathological anatomy. It also combined with tetralogy of Fallot and absence of ductus arteriosus. Conclusions In first trimester, congenital absent semilunar valves are more common as " stealing type" . The echocardiographic features of congenital absent semilunar valves are the " in-out sign" of aorta arch and/or pulmonary artery and biphasic spectrum in spectral Doppler. Trisomy 13 syndrome and trisomy 18 syndrome significantly increased the risk of congenital absent semilunar valves in " stealing type" in first trimester.