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Concrete is a material that is widely used in the construction market due to its availability and cost, although it is prone to fracture formation. Therefore, there has been a surge in interest in self-healing materials, particularly self-healing capabilities in green and sustainable concrete materials, with a focus on different techniques offered by dozens of researchers worldwide in the last two decades. However, it is difficult to choose the most effective approach because each research institute employs its own test techniques to assess healing efficiency. Self-healing concrete (SHC) has the capacity to heal and lowers the requirement to locate and repair internal damage (e.g., cracks) without the need for external intervention. This limits reinforcement corrosion and concrete deterioration, as well as lowering costs and increasing durability. Given the merits of SHCs, this article presents a thorough review on the subject, considering the strategies, influential factors, mechanisms, and efficiency of self-healing. This literature review also provides critical synopses on the properties, performance, and evaluation of the self-healing efficiency of SHC composites. In addition, we review trends of development in research toward a broad understanding of the potential application of SHC as a superior concrete candidate and a turning point for developing sustainable and durable concrete composites for modern construction today. Further, it can be imagined that SHC will enable builders to construct buildings without fear of damage or extensive maintenance. Based on this comprehensive review, it is evident that SHC is a truly interdisciplinary hotspot research topic integrating chemistry, microbiology, civil engineering, material science, etc. Furthermore, limitations and future prospects of SHC, as well as the hotspot research topics for future investigations, are also successfully highlighted.

Single trauma injuries or isolated fractures are often manageable and generally heal without complications. In contrast, high-energy trauma results in multi/poly-trauma injury patterns presenting imbalanced pro- and anti- inflammatory responses often leading to immune dysfunction. These injuries often exhibit delayed healing, leading to fibrosis of injury sites and delayed healing of fractures depending on the intensity of the compounding traumas. Immune dysfunction is accompanied by a temporal shift in the innate and adaptive immune cells distribution, triggered by the overwhelming release of an arsenal of inflammatory mediators such as complements, cytokines and damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from necrotic cells. Recent studies have implicated this dysregulated inflammation in the poor prognosis of polytraumatic injuries, however, interventions focusing on immunomodulating inflammatory cellular composition and activation, if administered incorrectly, can result in immune suppression and unintended outcomes. Immunomodulation therapy is promising but should be conducted with consideration for the spatial and temporal distribution of the immune cells during impaired healing. This review describes the current state of knowledge in the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of immune cells at various stages during musculoskeletal wound healing, with a focus on recent advances in the field of Osteoimmunology, a study of the interface between the immune and skeletal systems, in long bone fractures. The goals of this review are to (1) discuss wound and fracture healing processes of normal and delayed healing in skeletal muscles and long bones; (2) provide a balanced perspective on temporal distributions of immune cells and skeletal cells during healing; and (3) highlight recent therapeutic interventions used to improve fracture healing. This review is intended to promote an understanding of the importance of inflammation during normal and delayed wound and fracture healing. Knowledge gained will be instrumental in developing novel immunomodulatory approaches for impaired healing.

A novel stainless-steel pin has been engineered with a pure magnesium core that promotes improved fracture healing in rats by inducing local production of a key neuropeptide for osteogenesis. Orthopedic implants containing biodegradable magnesium have been used for fracture repair with considerable efficacy; however, the underlying mechanisms by which these implants improve fracture healing remain elusive. Here we show the formation of abundant new bone at peripheral cortical sites after intramedullary implantation of a pin containing ultrapure magnesium into the intact distal femur in rats. This response was accompanied by substantial increases of neuronal calcitonin gene-related polypeptide-α (CGRP) in both the peripheral cortex of the femur and the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Surgical removal of the periosteum, capsaicin denervation of sensory nerves or knockdown in vivo of the CGRP-receptor-encoding genes Calcrl or Ramp1 substantially reversed the magnesium-induced osteogenesis that we observed in this model. Overexpression of these genes, however, enhanced magnesium-induced osteogenesis. We further found that an elevation of extracellular magnesium induces magnesium transporter 1 (MAGT1)-dependent and transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 7 (TRPM7)-dependent magnesium entry, as well as an increase in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the accumulation of terminal synaptic vesicles in isolated rat DRG neurons. In isolated rat periosteum-derived stem cells, CGRP induces CALCRL- and RAMP1-dependent activation of cAMP-responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1) and SP7 (also known as osterix), and thus enhances osteogenic differentiation of these stem cells. Furthermore, we have developed an innovative, magnesium-containing intramedullary nail that facilitates femur fracture repair in rats with ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis. Taken together, these findings reveal a previously undefined role of magnesium in promoting CGRP-mediated osteogenic differentiation, which suggests the therapeutic potential of this ion in orthopedics.

'Nagaland for Christ' and 'Jesus Saves' are familiar slogans prominently displayed on public transport and celebratory banners in Nagaland, north-east India. They express an idealization of Christian homogeneity that belies the underlying tensions and negotiations between Christian and non-Christian Naga. This religious division is intertwined with that of healing beliefs and practices, both animistic and biomedical. This study focuses on the particular experiences of the Angami Naga, one of the many Naga peoples. Like other Naga, they are citizens of the state of India but extend ethnolinguistically into Tibeto-Burman south-east Asia. This ambiguity and how it affects their Christianity, global involvement, indigenous cultural assertiveness and nationalist struggle is explored. Not simply describing continuity through change, this study reveals the alternating Christian and non-Christian streams of discourse, one masking the other but at different times and in different guises.

This review is devoted to the description of methods for the self-healing of polymers, polymer composites, and coatings. The self-healing of damages that occur during the operation of the corresponding structures makes it possible to extend the service life of the latter, and in this case, the problem of saving non-renewable resources is simultaneously solved. Two strategies are considered: (a) creating reversible crosslinks in the thermoplastic and (b) introducing a healing agent into cracks. Bond exchange reactions in network polymers (a) proceed as a dissociative process, in which crosslinks are split into their constituent reactive fragments with subsequent regeneration, or as an associative process, the limiting stage of which is the interaction of the reactive end group and the crosslink. The latter process is implemented in vitrimers. Strategy (b) is associated with the use of containers (hollow glass fibers, capsules, microvessels) that burst under the action of a crack. Particular attention is paid to self-healing processes in metallopolymer systems.

Electrostimulation has been recognized as a promising nonpharmacological treatment in orthopedics to promote bone fracture healing. However, clinical applications have been largely limited by the complexity of equipment operation and stimulation implementation. Here, we present a self-powered implantable and bioresorbable bone fracture electrostimulation device, which consists of a triboelectric nanogenerator for electricity generation and a pair of dressing electrodes for applying electrostimulations directly toward the fracture. The device can be attached to irregular tissue surfaces and provide biphasic electric pulses in response to nearby body movements. We demonstrated the operation of this device on rats and achieved effective bone fracture healing in as short as 6 wk versus the controls for more than 10 wk to reach the same healing result. The optimized electrical field could activate relevant growth factors to regulate bone microenvironment for promoting bone formation and bone remodeling to accelerate bone regeneration and maturation,with statistically significant 27%and 83%improvement over the control groups in mineral density and flexural strength, respectively. This work provided an effective implantable fracture therapy device that is self-responsive, battery free, and requires no surgical removal after fulfilling the biomedical intervention.

Chitin and its deacetylated derivative chitosan are natural polymers composed of randomly distributed β -(1-4)-linked d -glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N -acetyl- d -glucosamine (acetylated unit). Biopolymers like chitin and chitosan exhibit diverse properties that open up a wide-ranging of applications in various sectors especially in biomedical science. The latest advances in the biomedical research are important emerging trends that hold a great promise in wound-healing management products. Chitin and chitosan are considered as useful biocompatible materials to be used in a medical device to treat, augment or replace any tissue, organ, or function of the body. A body of recent studies suggests that chitosan and its derivatives are promising candidates for supporting materials in tissue engineering applications. This review article is mainly focused on the contemporary research on chitin and chitosan towards their applications in numerous biomedical fields namely tissue engineering, artificial kidney, skin, bone, cartilage, liver, nerve, tendon, wound-healing, burn treatment and some other useful purposes.

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, associated with diabetic foot ulcers and impaired wound healing. There is an ongoing need for interventions effective in treating these two problems. Pre-clinical studies in this field rely on adequate animal models. However, producing such a model is near-impossible given the complex and multifactorial pathogenesis of T2DM. A leptin-deficient murine model was developed in 1959 and relies on either dysfunctional leptin (ob/ob) or a leptin receptor (db/db). Though monogenic, this model has been used in hundreds of studies, including diabetic wound healing research. In this study, we systematically summarize data from over one hundred studies, which described the mechanisms underlying wound healing impairment in this model. We briefly review the wound healing dynamics, growth factors’ dysregulation, angiogenesis, inflammation, the function of leptin and insulin, the role of advanced glycation end-products, extracellular matrix abnormalities, stem cells’ dysregulation, and the role of non-coding RNAs. Some studies investigated novel chronic diabetes wound models, based on a leptin-deficient murine model, which was also described. We also discussed the interventions studied in vivo, which passed into human clinical trials. It is our hope that this review will help plan future research.