Biomedical Technology最新文献

In recent years, the incidence of cosmetic injection-induced botulism has remarkably increased due to the frequent usage of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A). To mimic and investigate this new clinical type of botulism, we established a novel animal model and evaluated the therapeutic potential of a new drug. Firstly, we injected BoNT/A into the gastrocnemius of rats to induce partial paralysis of the remaining limbs. Then, the intoxicated rats were treated with 3,4-diaminopyridine (3,4-DAP) at different stages of the disease and the forelimbs grasping strength (FGS) was evaluated. We showed that, at the sublethal dose, the FGS began to decrease at 6.00 ​± ​1.86 ​h after injection in rats, from 2.28 ​± ​0.19 ​N to 1.51 ​± ​0.18 ​N, while the FGS declined appeared earlier (4.29 ​± ​0.42 ​h) at the lethal dose, from 2.30 ​± ​0.20 ​N to 1.20 ​± ​0.16 ​N. Treatment with 3,4-DAP respectively at the time of the symptoms onset or 7 days after injection both can temporarily reverse the symptoms of muscle paralysis, indicating that 3,4-DAP may be an effective approach to relieve botulism. Overall, this study provides an available rat model and a promising therapeutic strategy for cosmetic injection-induced botulism.

This study aims to explore the changes in the vitreous proteomics of form deprivation myopia (FDM) in guinea pigs, in order to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in the onset and development of myopia. The myopia model in guinea pigs was successfully established by covering one eye of the guinea pigs with a latex bead sac for 4 weeks. This study used 4D data-independent acquisition proteomics technology to analyze vitreous body samples from both the FDM group and the control group. The goal of the proteomics analysis was to identify differences in protein expression within the vitreous body of FDM guinea pigs. Myopia was successfully induced in the FDM group after 4 weeks of modeling. A total of 6298 proteins were identified, among which 348 were differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), with 81 upregulated and 267 downregulated. These DEPs were subjected to in-depth bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Ontology, the Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. These analyses revealed significant involvement in cellular processes, metabolic pathways, biological regulation, cytoskeletal organization, and cell movement. Our results indicate that calcium signaling plays a critical role in mediating eye changes associated with form deprivation, which may bear similarities to mechanisms observed in neurodegenerative diseases. A total of 348 DEPs related to the development and progression of myopia were identified. These changes involve key biological processes, including protein degradation, cell adhesion, and transport, especially alterations in calcium signaling pathways. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is an important biological marker of FDM, which was confirmed by Western blot, immunohistochemistry and ELISA. Our study found clear differences in the expression of proteins in the vitreous during the development of myopic guinea pigs, especially those related to calcium signaling pathway. Our study offers new insights into the pathogenesis of myopia, particularly changes related to protein metabolism pathways.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, claiming countless lives and posing a formidable health challenge. Extensive efforts have been dedicated to combating this disease, including the development of innovative biomaterials for blood vessel stents, drug delivery and imaging diagnosis. These advancements have substantially addressed issues such as patient rejection and blood contamination. In this review, we begin by outlining the prevalence and various forms of CVD. Subsequently, we delve into advanced biomaterials—including synthetic biomaterials, natural biomaterials, and hybrid biomaterials—and medical instruments used in the treatment or alleviation of CVD, discussing their advantages and limitations. Finally, we offer insights into future prospects and strategies for refining these technologies and instruments moving forward.

Polyaryletherketones (PAEKs) are a family of durable, multifunctional, thermoplastic biopolymers. This article first provides necessary context and thorough information regarding the mechanical, physical, chemical, crystalline, and shape memory properties of PAEKs as well as critical details regarding manufacturing. Additionally, it provides an update on the clinical and biomedical uses of PAEKs by summarizing the most recent and groundbreaking applications of these thermopolymers. PAEKs have been used clinically in fields including orthopedics, craniofacial and cardiothoracic surgery, as well as cardiovascular and dental medicine. Other applications include tissue engineering, post-surgical antibiotic delivery, antimicrobial applications, anti-cancer drug delivery, and 3D printing. Of importance, PAEKs have comparable mechanical strength and elastic modulus to human bone, which enable PAEKs to serve as a viable alternative to metal-based implants. Given their remarkable properties, and ability to be specifically and rapidly manufactured through 3D printing, PAEKs will continue to be a subject of biomedical research and serve a vital role in medical applications.

Nanotechnology has enormous promise for a wide range of applications in biology. Nanoparticles (NPs) have the benefit of improving bioactivity, decreasing toxicity, allowing for precision targeting, and modulating the release profile of encapsulated compounds. Nanomaterials' unique qualities, such as their tiny size, biocompatibility, and ability to cross cell membranes for drug administration, make them useful in a variety of biological applications. Selenium (Se), a critical trace element, stands out among these nanoparticles due to its specific bioactivities in nano forms. Selenium is incorporated into Selenoproteins such as selenocysteine (Sec), which play an important role in maintaining physiological redox balance via oxidoreductase activity, a critical enzymatic process. In the field of medication delivery, selenium-based devices have been designed to transport pharmaceuticals to specific locations. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) appear to be a suitable platform for delivering medications to their desired sites. Selenium's medicinal potential has been thoroughly investigated, including its efficacy against various cancer cells, microbial pathogens, viral infections, neuroprotective properties, diabetic control, oxidative stress, and inflammation-mediated illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis. Notably, due to selenium's extraordinary involvement in immune system regulation, SeNPs have an edge over other nanoparticles. SeNPs phytosynthesis offers an appealing alternative to standard physical and chemical processes, featuring biocompatibility and environmental friendliness. This paper gives an overview of SeNPs' biological uses and emphasizes recent advances in the field.

Gas therapy is currently popular in cancer treatment because of its controllability, effectiveness, and biosafety, as well as the fast development of carriers for gas delivery. Here, we introduce the various gas molecules with exact anticancer effects, including nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen (O₂), hydrogen (H₂), etc., and their anticancer mechanisms. Besides, recent advances in stimuli-responsive delivery systems for gas therapy are summarized. In terms of the various stimulation methods, the design of delivery systems for gases is introduced. In addition, the strategies of gas therapy combined with other therapeutic modalities, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy (RT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), etc., are described. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of delivery platforms for gases, and the future development and clinical translational value of gas therapy are also discussed.

Bioassay technology has been proved important in the field of environmental monitoring, disease diagnosis and clinical treatment. At present, diverse bioassay technologies have achieved reliability, rapid responsiveness, convenient operation, along with high sensitivity, and specificity. Among them, micro-nano structure particles-based bioassay will inevitably play an important role for future development. Especially, compared with typical solid, porous or hollow particles, hierarchical particles are featured with hierarchical configurations and considerable surface area, and thus have gained extensive research interest as ideal scaffolds for biological, medical and catalytic applications in biomedicine. In this review, we present the recent advances in bio-inspired hierarchical particles. After introducing a variety of hierarchical particles and their synthesis methods, we focus on their applications in multiple biological detections of different targets such as proteins, DNA, RNA, exosomes and cells. In addition, the highlighted applications of hierarchical particles in bioassays for clinical diagnosis are also summarized and prospected.

The study focuses on developing a new way to deliver the narcolepsy medication pitolisant. Electrospinning was used to make polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) polymers into pitolisant nanofibers (PT-NF). A design expert created the best formulation to optimise the process variables like applied voltage, distance, and feed rate. The nanofibers were characterised using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, entrapment efficiency, and in-vitro drug release studies. Results showed that the optimal PT-NF formulation had an average diameter of 172 ​nm with an entrapment efficacy of 95 ​% and 92 ​% drug release within 45 ​min. HPG polymer was included in the optimised formulation, whose average fibre diameter was 118 ​nm with 98 ​% entrapment efficacy and 98 ​± ​2 ​% drug release within 30 ​min. These findings strongly suggest that PT nanofibers hold substantial promise as a viable alternative to conventional solid dosage forms for brain-targeted administration, especially when administered via a transdermal patch to a patient during sleep.