BMEMat最新文献

This article, numbered 10.1002/bmm2.12138, introduces the skeletal interoceptive circuitry. It covers the ascending signals from bone tissues to the brain through sensory nerves (sensors), the central neural circuits that integrate the information and dispatch commands (CPU), and the descending pathways that regulate bone homeostasis (effectors). A better understanding of this circuitry will inform the development of novel therapies and biomaterials for the management of challenging bone-related disorders.

In this article number 10.1002/bmm2.12137, Shanqiang Qu, Guanglong Huang, and co-authors delves into the paradoxical roles of cellular senescence in cancer biology, bridging mechanistic insights to therapeutic innovation. The work systematically unpacks senescence-inducing stimuli, regulatory pathways, and the dual-edged biological consequences of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Furthermore, it recapitulates advances in senescence-associated biomarkers and evaluates the "one-two punch" therapeutic paradigm.

Self-supervised denoising has emerged as a promising approach for enhancing the quality of medical imaging, particularly in modalities such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), and optical microscopy. Traditional supervised methods often require large datasets of paired noisy and clean images, which are challenging to acquire in clinical practice. In contrast, self-supervised strategies exploit the inherent redundancy and structure within the data itself, enabling effective noise reduction without the need for explicitly labeled training pairs. This Perspective synthesizes recent advances in self-supervised denoising techniques, outlining their underlying principles, algorithmic innovations, and practical applications across different imaging modalities. In MRI, these methods have been shown to improve contrast and detail resolution, while in CT, they contribute to reducing radiation dose by allowing lower signal acquisitions without compromising image quality. In optical microscopy, self-supervised denoising facilitates extracting high-fidelity cellular information from inherently low-light environments. Furthermore, these techniques have also proven effective in imaging of biomedical materials, such as tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery systems, and implants, improving the evaluation of their interactions with biological tissues. Collectively, the integration of these advanced denoising frameworks holds significant promise for improving diagnostic accuracy, streamlining clinical workflows, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.

In article 10.1002/bmm2.12122, Yuanchun Chen and colleagues review recent progress in nanomaterials for X-ray-triggered cancer therapy. They emphasize the advantages of these systems, including targeted delivery, reduced side effects, and improved therapeutic efficacy. The article also discusses key challenges such as biosafety, limited clinical translation, and activation precision. By exploring future directions and potential solutions, this review provides valuable guidance for researchers and clinicians aiming to develop effective, X-ray-responsive strategies for precise and minimally invasive cancer treatment.

In this article number 10.1002/bmm2.12129, Ying Shi, Xin Han, and colleagues comprehensively review advances in liver organoid culture techniques, including 3D printing and organ-on-chip systems. They highlight current and future applications while addressing key challenges and future perspectives to drive further progress in this field.

Early diagnosis and accurate staging of liver fibrosis has emerged as a major focus and significant challenge in clinical research, attracting considerable scientific attention. In the review (DOI: 10.1002/bmm2.12123), Jin Cui, Xinya Zhao, and Xiao Sun systematically summarize current applications of various nanomaterials in liver fibrosis imaging, particularly utilization in targeting hepatic stellate cells and extracellular matrix components. Their work provides valuable insights and a robust reference framework for future developments in nanomaterials-based strategies for early detection and timely therapeutic intervention of liver fibrosis.

Owing to the tooth-centered nature of most oral diseases, the tooth-centric radial plane of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) depicts the anatomical and pathological features along the long axis of the tooth, serving as a crucial imaging modality in the diagnosis, treatment planning, and prognosis of multiple oral diseases. However, reconstructing these standard planes from CBCT is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and error-prone due to anatomical variances and multi-center discrepancies. This study proposes an expertise-inspired artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline for the reconstruction of the tooth-centric radial plane. By emulating expert's workflow, this AI pipeline acquires the optimized maxillary and mandibular cross sections, segments the teeth for dental arch curve depiction, and reconstructs dental arch-defined tooth-centric radial planes. A total of 420 CBCT scans from two independent centers, comprising both healthy and diseased subjects, were collected for model development and validation. Teeth on the optimized cross sections were explicitly segmented even in the presence of various complex diseases, resulting in precise dental arch curve depictions. The AI-reconstructed tooth-centric radial planes for all teeth exhibited low angular and distance errors compared with the ground truth planes. In terms of clinical utility, the AI-reconstructed planes demonstrated high image quality, accurately represented anatomical and pathological features, and facilitated precise dental biometrics measurement by both clinicians and downstream AI diagnostic tools. The expertise-inspired AI pipeline showcases outstanding performance in reconstructing tooth-centric radial planes and offers significant clinical utility for intelligent oral health management with high interpretability, robustness and generalization capabilities.

The increasing use of X-ray imaging in the medical field has generated a growing need for efficient shielding materials to protect healthcare personnel, especially those interventional surgeons, from radiation exposure risks. Conventional lead-based materials suffer from a high bio-toxicity and low transparency, which hinders their application in interventional surgeries. Herein, we report a lead-free nanocomposite of LaF₃ particles and poly(vinyl alcohol). Due to the low refractive-index contrast, the monolayer composite exhibits a high optical transparency of up to 86% in the visible light region with a fluoride-ceramic content of up to ∼70 wt%. Importantly, the transparency of the composite remains at 81% after stacking up 23 monolayers in a layer-by-layer manner. Due to the characteristic K-edge absorption of lanthanide element, the heavy-loading nanocomposite has showcased an effective X-ray attenuation ability (μ = 46.1 cm⁻¹ @ 50 kV) in the clinical range, which is 2.3 times that of the reported Pb-based glass. The shielding performance is further tested in a real clinical scenario, showing a 66% blocking efficacy for an 80-keV X-ray source. Our work provides an efficient approach for developing the next generation of biocompatible and transparent radiation shielding materials, which could benefit personal protection in fields involving interventional surgery, space-suit design, and the nuclear industry.

Graphene-mediated niches with excellent electroconductibility, good flexibility and convenient modification play a central role in manipulating the cardiogenesis of stem cells. Herein, the graphene derivative matrix of aminated graphene (G-NH₂) was synthesized as a substrate niche to modulate cardiac differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The conductivity of G-NH₂ matrix was close to that of native myocardium while the surface roughness of G-NH₂ matrix was much low to present a suitable interface for the adhesion of hiPSCs. The G-NH₂ matrix effectively elevated the maturation of hiPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes based on the evaluation of cardiomyocyte contraction, sarcomere patterns and length, and the content of NCAD (N-cadherin). The molecular mechanism of cardiomyocyte maturation was highly associated with the signaling pathway of PDGF-β. The mature cardiomyocytes derived from G-NH₂ were transplanted into the groin of immunodeficient mice to reveal the better survival and rapid angiogenesis. More importantly, in situ injection into rat hearts of differentiated mature cardiomyocytes exhibited the better performance on residence, survival and proliferation. Consequently, we created an instructive stem cell niche of G-NH₂ matrix that can electrically stimulate various cellular behaviors of hiPSCs in vitro, and the enhanced maturation of hiPSCs-cardiomyocytes manifests favorable activity and function in vivo.

In this article number 10.1002/bmm2.12124, Xinxin He, Zhiyuan Li, Xingcan Huang, Qiang Zhang, Yuyang Zeng and their co-workers developed a novel multimodal sweat monitoring device, which operates on a sweat-activated battery, can continuously and real-time monitor sweat for pH values, glucose concentration, and chloride ion levels. It seamlessly integrates colorimetric and electrochemical sensors, storing and transmitting data wirelessly via NFC. This enables users to access and analyze health data through their smartphones, enhancing the precision and convenience of long-term health monitoring. The research also explores advancements in sensor adhesion and stability, crucial for improving accuracy and wearer comfort, and discusses the ongoing challenges and future prospects in the field of personalized health monitoring.