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Bone defects in the presence of osteoporosis present a significant clinical challenge. To address this, we sought to engineer a novel artificial bone substitute exhibiting excellent biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, osteoinduction, anti-aging, and anti-osteoporotic capabilities for enhanced bone regeneration. This project introduces an innovative Q-α-CSH/n-HA composite, synthesized by incorporating Quercetin into alpha-calcium sulfate hemihydrate/nano-hydroxyapatite (α-CSH/n-HA). Q-α-CSH/n-HA composites were fabricated via direct mixing, incorporating Quercetin at concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, and 3%. Physicochemical characteristics were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The osteoinductive potential and efficacy in promoting bone defect repair were investigated in a critical tibial defect model using 40 one-year-old osteoporotic female SD rats, randomly allocated to four experimental groups. Outcomes, including bone defect repair, material degradation, new bone morphology, and expression of RunX2, OSX, and OCN, were assessed using X-ray, micro-CT, and comprehensive histopathological staining (H&E, Goldner, Safranin O, and immunofluorescence). As the proportion of quercetin increased within the composite, we observed an enrichment in elemental composition and a pronounced elevation in both in vitro and in vivo biological activity of the Q-α-CSH/n-HA complex, despite comparable morphological features as assessed by SEM. Radiographic (X-ray) and micro-CT analyses consistently demonstrated that quercetin-supplemented composite groups significantly enhanced bone defect repair and neobone formation. Complementary histopathological examinations (H&E, Goldner, and Safranin O staining) corroborated these findings, indicating that quercetin significantly augmented new bone generation and accelerated composite biodegradation. Immunofluorescence confirmed that quercetin markedly increased the abundance of RUNX2-, OSX-, and OCN-positive cells. Moreover, CFU assays revealed that the 3% quercetin group yielded significantly superior results compared to the control. The Q-α-CSH/n-HA composite possesses excellent in vitro biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and osteoinduction. Critically, in vivo studies demonstrated its significant anti-aging, anti-osteoporotic, and overall reparative effects during bone reconstruction. We propose that the mechanism involves a synergistic action between quercetin and calcium ions, which collectively promote the proliferation, migration, recruitment, and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Consequently, the Q-α-CSH/n-HA composite stands as a highly promising artificial bone graft for accelerating bone regeneration, especially pertinent for individuals suffering from osteoporosis.

Germanium telluride (GeTe) is both polar and metallic, an unusual combination of properties in any material system. The large concentration of free-carriers in GeTe precludes the coupling of external electric field with internal polarization, rendering it ineffective for conventional ferroelectric applications and polarization switching. Here we investigate alternate ways of coupling the polar domains in GeTe to external electrical stimuli through optical second harmonic generation polarimetry and in situ TEM electrical testing on single-crystalline GeTe nanowires. We show that anti-phase boundaries, created from current pulses (heat shocks), invert the polarization of selective domains resulting in reorganization of certain 71 o domain boundaries into 109 o boundaries. These boundaries subsequently interact and evolve with the partial dislocations, which migrate from domain to domain with the carrier-wind force (electrical current). This work suggests that current pulses and carrier-wind force could be external stimuli for domain engineering in ferroelectrics with significant current leakage. Polar metals such as GeTe could store information using electric domains but the high conductivity screens electric fields, preventing the use of usual domain control techniques. Here, the authors demonstrate that polar domains in GeTe can be manipulated using electrically generated heat shocks.

Nanowires (NWs) and nanobelts (NBs) have been widely studied and fabricated into a variety of nanoscale devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers and biosensors. These unique materials have attracted sustained attention due to their novel properties, ease of growth, and the ability to fabricate highly engineered devices. However, their widespread application remains hindered due to the difficulty in integrating multiple NWs or NBs together for more complex devices. Integration of multiple NWs and NBs together on the same chip can enable the coupling of different devices to help realize complex on-chip architectures such as photonic integrated circuits or nanoscale diagnostic tools, which currently require outcoupling using larger components. In this letter we report the coupling of on-chip NB LEDs and photodetectors using a single, precisely self-aligned, cadmium sulfide (CdS) NB fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Electroluminescence generated by the CdS NB is waveguided and measured across the self-aligned device and demonstrates an on/off ratio of 102–103. This work describes a new method for fabricating and integrating more complex nanoscale devices that can enable advances in areas such as on-chip optical computational components and nanoscale optical biodiagnostics.

Purpose – The effect of SBF artificial body fluid on microstructure and morphology characteristics of AZ91D alloy was investigated using OM, SEM and XRD. The effect of corrosion on mechanical properties also was researched. Design/methodology/approach – The results show that the corrosion weight loss rate initially increased, then clearly decreased, and finally remained steady. Pits began to appear when the sample was placed in a corrosive environment for five days and pitting gradually increased with longer exposure time. Findings – The pits, which made the grain boundaries indistinct, first appeared near the grain boundary area and then gradually increased in area. Originality/value – The main mode of corrosion is pitting and the primary corrosion product, MgOH2, could be observed after five days of corrosion.

A bioartificial liver bioreactor requires a bifunctional hollow fiber that is hemocompatible on one side and cytocompatible on the other side. In this study, we developed a single-layer skin polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber with smooth inner surface and rough/porous outer surface for an artificial liver bioreactor. The hemocompatibility of the inner surface was evaluated by hemolysis, complement activation and clotting time. The cytocompatibility of the outer surface with HepG2 cells was examined by morphology, proliferation and liver-specific functions. The inner surface of the PES hollow fiber exhibited lower hemolysis and complement activation than cellulose acetate (CA) hollow fiber and a prolonged blood coagulation time. HepG2 cells readily adhered to the outer surfaces of the PES hollow fibers, and proliferated to form multicellular aggregates with time. Furthermore, HepG2 cells cultured on the outer surface of the PES hollow fiber exhibited higher proliferation ability and liver-specific functions than those grown on the CA hollow fiber. These results suggest that the single-layer skin PES hollow fiber is a bifunctional hollow fiber with good hemocompatibility on the inner side and cytocompatibility on the outer side. Thus, porous and single-layer skin PES hollow fibers may have potential as materials for an artificial liver bioreactor.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important biological factors that contribute to the initiation and progression of different types of cancer, including gastric, bladder and colorectal cancer. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) has been implicated in prostate cancer (PCa) progression. However, the expression pattern and function of SNHG3 in PCa remain unclear, impeding the development of novel treatment strategies for this cancer. The present study aimed to investigate a combination of molecular and biochemical approaches to determine the role of SNHG3 in patients at different stages of disease, and elucidate the pathway by which SNHG3 affects PCa progression. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Transwell assays were used to analyze cell migration and invasion. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to evaluate the expression levels of RNAs and proteins, respectively. The results demonstrated that SNHG3 expression was upregulated in PCa tissues downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, which was associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were significantly inhibited following SNHG3 knockdown in vitro, the effects of which were reversed following overexpression of SNHG3 in PCa cells. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that microRNA (miRNA/miR)-1827 was a downstream target of SNHG3. The direct interaction between SNHG3 and miR-1827 was validated via the dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Pearson's correlation analysis demonstrated that SNHG3 expression was negatively correlated with miR-1827 expression at different stages of PCa. Furthermore, rescue assays indicated that cotransfection with small interfering-SNHG3 and miR-1827 inhibitor reversed the effects of SNHG3 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, SNHG3 knockdown in vivo suppressed tumor growth. Notably, lncRNA SNHG3 promoted PCa progression through miR-1827 via the Wnt/AKT/mTOR pathway. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that SNHG3 promotes PCa progression by sponging miR-1827, indicating that SNHG3 may be a promising diagnostic and therapeutic target of PCa.

Mild-to-moderate closed-head injury (mmCHI) is an acute disease induced by high-altitudes. It is general practice to transfer patients to lower altitudes for treatment, but the pathophysiological changes at different altitudes following mmCHI remain unknown. The present study simulated acute high-altitude exposure (6,000 m above sea level) in rats to establish a model of mmCHI and recorded their vital signs. The rats were then randomly assigned into different altitude exposure groups (6,000, 4,500 and 3,000 m) and neurological severity score (NSS), body weight (BW), brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), brain water content (BWC) and the ratio of BW/BWC at 6, 12 and 24 h following mmCHI, and the glial fibrillary acidic protein levels were analysed in all groups. The results revealed that within the first 24 h following acute high-altitude exposure, mmCHI induced dehydration, brain oedema and neuronal damage. Brain injury in rats was significantly reversed following descent to 4,500 m compared with the results from 6,000 or 3,000 m. The results indicated that subjects should be transported as early as possible. Furthermore, avoiding large-span descent altitude was beneficial to reduce neurological impairment. The examination of brain-specific biomarkers and MRI may further be useful in determining the prognosis of high-altitude mmCHI. These results may provide guidance for rescuing high altitude injuries.

The comprehensive investigation of the effect of growth parameters on structural and optical properties of Si-based single layer Ge nanoislands grown via Stranski-Krastanov mechanism employing radio frequency magnetron sputtering due to its high deposition rate, easy procedure, economical cost, and safety is carried out. The estimated width and height of Ge nanoislands produced by this technique are in the range of ∼8 to ∼30 and ∼2 to 8 nm, respectively. Varieties parameters are manipulated to optimize the surface morphology and structural and optical behavior of Ge nanoislands. The resulted nanoislands are analyzed using various analytical techniques including atomic force microscope, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, room temperature photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. The optimum parameters for growing high quality samples having high number density and homogenous and small size distribution are found to be 400°C for substrate temperature, 300 sec for deposition time, 10 sccm for Ar flow, and 100 W for radio frequency power. The excellent features of the results suggest that our systematic investigation on the organized growth factors and their effects on surface parameters and photoluminescence emission energy may constitute a basis for the tunable growth of Ge nanoislands (100) nanoislands suitable in nanophotonics.

A porphyrin derivative, 5-(4-carboxylphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-chlorophenyl) porphyrin (PorCOOH), was synthesized and self-assembled as a monolayer thin solid film on the modified surface of a quartz substrate by an ester bond between –COOH groups of PorCOOH molecules and –OH groups of the hydrophilic pretreated SiO 2 surface. An analysis of the spectral change revealed the J -aggregate nature of PorCOOH molecules in the obtained thin solid film. With this thin solid film of PorCOOH as a template, CdS nanoparticles were deposited on it in situ, which were further characterized by electronic absorption, fluorescence, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The morphology of CdS nanoparticles is disklike, and the diameter is ca. 40–60 nm, determined by scanning electronic microscopy. Furthermore, electron transfer between the organic layer and CdS nanoparticles was deduced through fluorescence quenching and theoretical analysis.