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Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common gynecological disease that adversely affects women's quality of life and mental health. Delivery is considered a significant independent risk factor for pelvic floor dysfunction. Surface electromyography (sEMG) values for the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) have been shown to differ according to different delivery modes. This study aimed to compare sEMG results between intrapartum and antepartum cesarean delivery (CD), 42-60 days after delivery. Data of women who underwent CD at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital were collected from September 2021 to December 2021. Myotrac Infiniti System was used to measure the electromyographic activity of PFM after 42-60 days of parturition. Propensity score matching (1:1) was applied to achieve a balance in baseline data between the two groups (intrapartum and antepartum CD). A total of 200 paired cases were selected for statistical analysis. In the propensity score-matched analysis, there were no statistically significant differences in PFM sEMG between women with antepartum or intrapartum CD (p > 0.05 for all). We observed similar results with postpartum urinary incontinence (24 [12.0] vs. 21 [10.5]; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-2.12]; p = 0.717) and stress urinary incontinence (12 [6.0] vs. 14 [7.0]; aOR, 0.80 [95% CI 0.35-1.80]; p = 0.596) as outcomes. After excluding participants with intrapartum CD when the cervix was dilated <6 cm, all sEMG of PFM had a comparable level of risk in both the antepartum and intrapartum CD groups. There were no significant differences in sEMG of the PFM and the incidence of urinary incontinence between patients undergoing intrapartum or antepartum CD. Excluding women who underwent intrapartum CD when the cervix was dilated to <6 cm produced little change in results. Thus, different opportunities for CD may not impact the sEMG of the PFM and the incidence of urinary incontinence.

Organoids are three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems that simulate the structures and functions of organs, involving applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and cellular developmental biology. The material matrix in organoids can provide a 3D environment for stem cells to differentiate into different cell types and continuously self-renew, thereby realizing the in vitro culture of organs, which has received extensive attention in recent years. However, some challenges still exist in organoids, including low maturity, high heterogeneity, and lack of spatiotemporal regulation. Therefore, in this review, we summarized the culturing protocols and various applications of stem cell-derived organoids and proposed insightful thoughts for engineering stem cells into organoids in view of the current shortcomings, to achieve the further application and clinical translation of stem cells and engineered stem cells in organoid research.

Infertility is a rising global health issue with a far-reaching impact on the socioeconomic livelihoods. As there are highly complex causes of male and female infertility, it is highly desired to promote and maintain reproductive health by the integration of advanced technologies. Biomedical engineering, a mature technology applied in the fields of biology and health care, has emerged as a powerful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. Nowadays, various promising biomedical engineering approaches are under investigation to address human infertility. Biomedical engineering approaches can not only improve our fundamental understanding of sperm and follicle development in bioengineered devices combined with microfabrication, biomaterials, and relevant cells, but also be applied to repair uterine, ovary, and cervicovaginal tissues and restore tissue function. Here, we introduce the infertility in male and female and provide a comprehensive summary of the various promising biomedical engineering technologies and their applications in reproductive medicine. Also, the challenges and prospects of biomedical engineering technologies for clinical transformation are discussed. We believe that this review will promote communications between engineers, biologists, and clinicians and potentially contribute to the clinical transformation of these innovative research works in the immediate future.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that endangers millions of middle-aged and elderly people worldwide. Researchers from different fields have made great efforts and achieved remarkable progress in the pathogenesis and treatment of OA. However, there is still no cure for OA. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of OA and summarize the current clinical therapies. Moreover, we introduce various natural and synthetic biomaterials for drug release, cartilage transplantation, and joint lubricant during the OA treatment. We also present our perspectives and insights on OA treatment in the future. We hope that this review will foster communication and collaboration among biological, clinical, and biomaterial researchers, paving the way for OA therapeutic breakthroughs.