Objective:To explore the properties of gelatin-polyethylene glycol hydrogel loaded with silver nanoparticle (AgNP) Chlorella (hereinafter referred to as the composite hydrogel) and its effects on healing of infected full-thickness skin defect wounds in mice. Methods:The research was an experimental research. The simple gelatin-polyethylene glycol hydrogel (hereinafter referred to as the simple hydrogel) and the composite hydrogel were prepared, and the appearance and injectability of the two hydrogels were observed at 55 and 37 ℃, and under the irradiation of 808 nm near-infrared light, respectively. An electronic universal testing machine was employed to assess the tensile and compressive stress-strain properties of both types of hydrogels at room temperature. Additionally, the cyclic compressive stress-strain properties of the composite hydrogel were examined at 80% of the maximum compressive stress. Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli solution was added to phosphate buffer solution (PBS), simple hydrogel, and composite hydrogel, respectively. The part of composite hydrogel containing Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli solution was irradiated with near-infrared light for 5 minutes. After each sample was incubated for 6 h, the dilution plating method was used to detect and calculate the mortality rates of the two bacteria at 24 h of culture ( n=5). The discarded foreskin tissue was taken from a 6-year-old healthy boy admitted to the Department of Urology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University for circumcision. Primary human fibroblasts (HFbs) were isolated using the enzyme extraction method, routinely cultured to the 3 rd to 6 th passages for subsequent cellular experiments. Composite hydrogel extracts with final mass concentrations of 100.0, 50.0, 25.0, 12.5, and 0 mg/mL were respectively prepared and used to culture HFbs, and the cell proliferation after 24 h of culture was detected using a cell counting kit 8 ( n=3). A total of twenty 6-8 weeks old C57BL/6J female mice were utilized, and a full-thickness skin defect was surgically created on the back of each mouse. The wounds were infected with Staphylococcus aureus solution. The infected mice were divided into blank control group, simple hydrogel group, composite hydrogel group, and combined treatment group according to the random number table, and the wounds were treated with PBS, simple hydrogel, composite hydrogel, and composite hydrogel+light irradiation (under the irradiation of 808 nm near-infrared light for 5 min), respectively, with 5 mice in each group. On post injury day (PID) 0 (immediately after the first wound treatment), 3, 7, and 14, an overall assessment of wound exudation and healing were conducted, and the wound healing rates on PID 7 and 14 were calculated ( n=5). On PID 14, hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe histopathological changes in the mouse wound. Results:Both simple hydrogel and composite hydrogel were in a solution state at 55 ℃ and transition to a gel state when cooling to 37 ℃. After the two hydrogels were irradiated by near-infrared light, only the composite hydrogel reheated up and returned to the solution state again with injectability. The maximum tensile stress of the composite hydrogel was up to 301.42 kPa, with a corresponding strain of 87.19%; the maximum compressive stress was up to 413.79 kPa, with a corresponding strain of 91.67%, which was similar to the tensile and compressive properties of the simple hydrogel. After 10 compression cycles, the maximum compressive stress of the composite hydrogel still reached 84.1% of the first compressive stress. After 24 h of culture, the mortality rate of Staphylococcus aureus treated with simple hydrogel was significantly higher than that treated with PBS ( P<0.05); the mortality rates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus treated with composite hydrogel alone were significantly higher than those treated with simple hydrogel ( P<0.05); the mortality rates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus treated with composite hydrogel+light irradiation were significantly higher than those treated with composite hydrogel alone ( P<0.05). After 24 h of culture, compared with that cultured in composite hydrogel immersion solution with final mass concentration of 0 mg/mL, the proliferation activity of HFbs cultured in composite hydrogel immersion solution with final mass concentrations of 25.0 and 50.0 mg/mL was significantly enhanced ( P<0.05), while the proliferation activity of HFbs cultured in composite hydrogel immersion solution with final mass concentration of 100 mg/mL was significantly decreased ( P<0.05). On PID 0 and 3, more purulent secretions were seen in the wounds of mice in blank control group and simple hydrogel group, while only a small amount of exudate was observed in the wounds of mice in composite hydrogel group, and no obvious infection was observed in the wounds of mice in combined treatment group. On PID 7 and 14, the wound healing rates of mice in simple hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in blank control group ( P<0.05); the wound healing rates of mice in composite hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in simple hydrogel group ( P<0.05); the wound healing rates in combined treatment group were significantly higher than those in composite hydrogel group ( P<0.05). On PID 14, the wounds of mice in blank control group exhibited a high infiltration of inflammatory cells with no new epithelial layer observed; the wounds of mice in simple hydrogel group displayed a short length of newly formed epithelium with a small amount of inflammatory cells; the wounds of mice in composite hydrogel group exhibited continuous formation of new epithelium and a large amount of immature granulation tissue; the wounds of mice in combined treatment group showed continuous epithelialization with less immature granulation tissue. Conclusions:The prepared composite hydrogel exhibits excellent thermosensitivity, photothermal properties, and injectability, as well as excellent mechanical properties, antibacterial properties, and biocompatibility, and can promote the healing of infected full-thickness skin defect wounds in mice.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management for patients with thoracic spinal tuberculous spondylitis (STB) by using posterior-only transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion (PTDIF) with preservation of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) and noninferior of PTDIF compared with conventional posterior-only debridement and interbody fusion (CPDIF). Methods: From January 2019 to January 2022, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which patients with thoracic STB were enrolled and assigned to undergo either the PTDIF group (group A) or CPDIF group (group B) in a 1:1 ratio. The clinical efficacy was evaluated on average operation time, blood loss, hospitalization durations, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP), and neurological function recovery using the American Spinal Injury Association’s impairment scale and operative complications. Radiological measurements included kyphosis correction, loss of correction. The outcomes were compared between the groups at preoperation, postoperaion, and final follow-up. Results: All 65 patients were completely cured during the follow-up. The intraoperative blood loss and operation time in group B were more than that in group A. All patients were pain-free at the final follow-up visit. ESR, CRP returned to normal limits in all patients 3 months after surgery. All patients had improved neurological signs. No significant difference was found in kyphosis angle correction, loss of correction between the 2 groups. Conclusion PTDIF, with preservation of PLC, achieved debridement, decompression, and reconstruction of the spine’s stability, similar to CPDIF in the surgical treatment of thoracic STB. PTDIF has less surgical trauma with less intraoperative blood loss and operation time.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management for patients with thoracic spinal tuberculous spondylitis (STB) by using posterior-only transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion (PTDIF) with preservation of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) and noninferior of PTDIF compared with conventional posterior-only debridement and interbody fusion (CPDIF). Methods: From January 2019 to January 2022, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which patients with thoracic STB were enrolled and assigned to undergo either the PTDIF group (group A) or CPDIF group (group B) in a 1:1 ratio. The clinical efficacy was evaluated on average operation time, blood loss, hospitalization durations, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP), and neurological function recovery using the American Spinal Injury Association’s impairment scale and operative complications. Radiological measurements included kyphosis correction, loss of correction. The outcomes were compared between the groups at preoperation, postoperaion, and final follow-up. Results: All 65 patients were completely cured during the follow-up. The intraoperative blood loss and operation time in group B were more than that in group A. All patients were pain-free at the final follow-up visit. ESR, CRP returned to normal limits in all patients 3 months after surgery. All patients had improved neurological signs. No significant difference was found in kyphosis angle correction, loss of correction between the 2 groups. Conclusion PTDIF, with preservation of PLC, achieved debridement, decompression, and reconstruction of the spine’s stability, similar to CPDIF in the surgical treatment of thoracic STB. PTDIF has less surgical trauma with less intraoperative blood loss and operation time.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management for patients with thoracic spinal tuberculous spondylitis (STB) by using posterior-only transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion (PTDIF) with preservation of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) and noninferior of PTDIF compared with conventional posterior-only debridement and interbody fusion (CPDIF). Methods: From January 2019 to January 2022, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which patients with thoracic STB were enrolled and assigned to undergo either the PTDIF group (group A) or CPDIF group (group B) in a 1:1 ratio. The clinical efficacy was evaluated on average operation time, blood loss, hospitalization durations, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP), and neurological function recovery using the American Spinal Injury Association’s impairment scale and operative complications. Radiological measurements included kyphosis correction, loss of correction. The outcomes were compared between the groups at preoperation, postoperaion, and final follow-up. Results: All 65 patients were completely cured during the follow-up. The intraoperative blood loss and operation time in group B were more than that in group A. All patients were pain-free at the final follow-up visit. ESR, CRP returned to normal limits in all patients 3 months after surgery. All patients had improved neurological signs. No significant difference was found in kyphosis angle correction, loss of correction between the 2 groups. Conclusion PTDIF, with preservation of PLC, achieved debridement, decompression, and reconstruction of the spine’s stability, similar to CPDIF in the surgical treatment of thoracic STB. PTDIF has less surgical trauma with less intraoperative blood loss and operation time.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management for patients with thoracic spinal tuberculous spondylitis (STB) by using posterior-only transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion (PTDIF) with preservation of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) and noninferior of PTDIF compared with conventional posterior-only debridement and interbody fusion (CPDIF). Methods: From January 2019 to January 2022, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which patients with thoracic STB were enrolled and assigned to undergo either the PTDIF group (group A) or CPDIF group (group B) in a 1:1 ratio. The clinical efficacy was evaluated on average operation time, blood loss, hospitalization durations, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP), and neurological function recovery using the American Spinal Injury Association’s impairment scale and operative complications. Radiological measurements included kyphosis correction, loss of correction. The outcomes were compared between the groups at preoperation, postoperaion, and final follow-up. Results: All 65 patients were completely cured during the follow-up. The intraoperative blood loss and operation time in group B were more than that in group A. All patients were pain-free at the final follow-up visit. ESR, CRP returned to normal limits in all patients 3 months after surgery. All patients had improved neurological signs. No significant difference was found in kyphosis angle correction, loss of correction between the 2 groups. Conclusion PTDIF, with preservation of PLC, achieved debridement, decompression, and reconstruction of the spine’s stability, similar to CPDIF in the surgical treatment of thoracic STB. PTDIF has less surgical trauma with less intraoperative blood loss and operation time.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management for patients with thoracic spinal tuberculous spondylitis (STB) by using posterior-only transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion (PTDIF) with preservation of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) and noninferior of PTDIF compared with conventional posterior-only debridement and interbody fusion (CPDIF). Methods: From January 2019 to January 2022, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in which patients with thoracic STB were enrolled and assigned to undergo either the PTDIF group (group A) or CPDIF group (group B) in a 1:1 ratio. The clinical efficacy was evaluated on average operation time, blood loss, hospitalization durations, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive protein (CRP), and neurological function recovery using the American Spinal Injury Association’s impairment scale and operative complications. Radiological measurements included kyphosis correction, loss of correction. The outcomes were compared between the groups at preoperation, postoperaion, and final follow-up. Results: All 65 patients were completely cured during the follow-up. The intraoperative blood loss and operation time in group B were more than that in group A. All patients were pain-free at the final follow-up visit. ESR, CRP returned to normal limits in all patients 3 months after surgery. All patients had improved neurological signs. No significant difference was found in kyphosis angle correction, loss of correction between the 2 groups. Conclusion PTDIF, with preservation of PLC, achieved debridement, decompression, and reconstruction of the spine’s stability, similar to CPDIF in the surgical treatment of thoracic STB. PTDIF has less surgical trauma with less intraoperative blood loss and operation time.

BACKGROUND: Osteopenia has been well documented in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) are a crucial regulator of bone homeostasis. Our previous study revealed a decreased osteogenic ability of BMSCs in AIS-related osteopenia, but the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear. METHODS: A total of 22 AIS patients and 18 age-matched controls were recruited for this study. Anthropometry and bone mass were measured in all participants. Bone marrow blood was collected for BMSC isolation and culture. Osteogenic and adipogenic induction were performed to observe the differences in the differentiation of BMSCs between the AIS-related osteopenia group and the control group. Furthermore, a total RNA was extracted from isolated BMSCs to perform RNA sequencing and subsequent analysis. RESULTS: A lower osteogenic capacity and increased adipogenic capacity of BMSCs in AIS-related osteopenia were revealed. Differences in mRNA expression levels between the AIS-related osteopenia group and the control group were identified, including differences in the expression of LRRC17 , DCLK1 , PCDH7 , TSPAN5 , NHSL2 , and CPT1B . Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses revealed several biological processes involved in the regulation of autophagy and mitophagy. The Western blotting results of autophagy markers in BMSCs suggested impaired autophagic activity in BMSCs in the AIS-related osteopenia group. CONCLUSION Our study revealed that BMSCs from AIS-related osteopenia patients have lower autophagic activity, which may be related to the lower osteogenic capacity and higher adipogenic capacity of BMSCs and consequently lead to the lower bone mass in AIS patients.
Humans ; Adolescent ; Scoliosis/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/physiology* ; Osteogenesis/genetics* ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/genetics* ; Kyphosis ; Autophagy/genetics* ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Cells, Cultured ; Doublecortin-Like Kinases

The incidence and recurrence rates of urinary stone diseases have remained high recently, and stone analysis is of great significance for further understanding of the pathophysiological processes of urinary stones and to develop effective prevention strategies and precise treatment. Imaging evaluation is the main method of preoperative stone analysis, and dual-energy CT has shown its potential in identifying common main components of stones. The emergence of photon counting spectral CT is expected to achieve accurate analysis of stone components at the pixel level. The intraoperative stone analysis mainly relies on the automatic recognition of endoscopic images, and using machine learning algorithms can more reliably predict common stone composition. It is of great significance for stone analysis and assessment of metabolic causes by introducing morpho-constitutional classification (MCC)and observing and describing the papillary renal lesions during operation. This article reviews the progress of preoperative and intraoperative stone analysis, in order to improve clinicians' understanding of the importance of stone analysis, and provide a direction for further clinical research.

Objective:To explore the cellular heterogeneity and the differences in branched trajectory of pericytes between keloids and localized scleroderma, and to provide new clues for the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of the two skin fibrotic diseases.Methods:Single cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 3 cases of scleroderma, 4 cases of keloid and their corresponding 4 cases of adjacent normal skin samples were selected from GEO and GSA-Human databases, and the expression matrix of the data was drawn. Seurat 4.3.0 of R (4.2.2) was used to process the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding ( t-SNE) visualization map. Monocle 2.24.0 was used to analyze the pseudo-temporal trajectory of pericytes. Results:The unsupervised clustering of keloid and scleroderma skin tissues revealed 19 different cell populations, among which C7 and C11 cells were pericytes, marked by high expression levels of PDGFRB and RGS5 genes, accounting for 7.53% of the total cells. Pericytes can be further divided into 8 subgroups. Pseudo-temporal analysis revealed a branched trajectory with two major branches, that is, cell fate 1 and cell fate 2, which could be further divided into 5 cellular states of pericytes (S1-S5). S4 constituted the most of the prebranch, which represented the cellular state of the initial pericyte phenotype. S5 constituted the most of the cell fate 1 branch, which represented the early differentiation state of the pericyte phenotype. S1, S2, S3 constituted the most of the cell fate 2 branch. S3 represented the intermediate differentiation state of the pericyte phenotype, while S1 and S2 represented the terminal differentiation states of the pericyte phenotype. Compared with the uniform distribution of various differentiation states of pericytes in normal skin, the keloid pericytes mainly distributed in the prebranch (S4), cell fate 1 (S5) and the first half of cell fate 2 (S3), representing cellular states of the initial, early and intermediate phases of the pericyte phenotype. Branched expression analysis modeling revealed the overexpression of SOX4, COL4A1, COL6A3, AHR, CXCL3 and IL1R1 genes, et cetera. On the other hand, the localized scleroderma pericytes mainly distributed in the bottom half of cell fate 2 (S1, S2), representing the final differentiated phase of pericyte phenotype, which overexpressed ACTA2 and MYH11 genes.Conclusion:Pericytes in keloid and scleroderma are heterogenous and have different differentiation trajectories. Pericytes in keloid have stem-like characteristics, and play an important role in the pathologic characteristics of invasiveness and recurrence through high expression of genes related to cell stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasiveness, and immune microenvironment regulation. However, pericytes in localized scleroderma may mainly transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts, leading to their fibrotic pathological phenotype.

Objective:To explore the cellular heterogeneity and the differences in branched trajectory of pericytes between keloids and localized scleroderma, and to provide new clues for the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of the two skin fibrotic diseases.Methods:Single cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 3 cases of scleroderma, 4 cases of keloid and their corresponding 4 cases of adjacent normal skin samples were selected from GEO and GSA-Human databases, and the expression matrix of the data was drawn. Seurat 4.3.0 of R (4.2.2) was used to process the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding ( t-SNE) visualization map. Monocle 2.24.0 was used to analyze the pseudo-temporal trajectory of pericytes. Results:The unsupervised clustering of keloid and scleroderma skin tissues revealed 19 different cell populations, among which C7 and C11 cells were pericytes, marked by high expression levels of PDGFRB and RGS5 genes, accounting for 7.53% of the total cells. Pericytes can be further divided into 8 subgroups. Pseudo-temporal analysis revealed a branched trajectory with two major branches, that is, cell fate 1 and cell fate 2, which could be further divided into 5 cellular states of pericytes (S1-S5). S4 constituted the most of the prebranch, which represented the cellular state of the initial pericyte phenotype. S5 constituted the most of the cell fate 1 branch, which represented the early differentiation state of the pericyte phenotype. S1, S2, S3 constituted the most of the cell fate 2 branch. S3 represented the intermediate differentiation state of the pericyte phenotype, while S1 and S2 represented the terminal differentiation states of the pericyte phenotype. Compared with the uniform distribution of various differentiation states of pericytes in normal skin, the keloid pericytes mainly distributed in the prebranch (S4), cell fate 1 (S5) and the first half of cell fate 2 (S3), representing cellular states of the initial, early and intermediate phases of the pericyte phenotype. Branched expression analysis modeling revealed the overexpression of SOX4, COL4A1, COL6A3, AHR, CXCL3 and IL1R1 genes, et cetera. On the other hand, the localized scleroderma pericytes mainly distributed in the bottom half of cell fate 2 (S1, S2), representing the final differentiated phase of pericyte phenotype, which overexpressed ACTA2 and MYH11 genes.Conclusion:Pericytes in keloid and scleroderma are heterogenous and have different differentiation trajectories. Pericytes in keloid have stem-like characteristics, and play an important role in the pathologic characteristics of invasiveness and recurrence through high expression of genes related to cell stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasiveness, and immune microenvironment regulation. However, pericytes in localized scleroderma may mainly transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts, leading to their fibrotic pathological phenotype.