The increasing number of patients with chronic wounds caused by diseases, such as diabetes, malignant tumors, infections, and vasculopathy, has caused severe economic and social burdens. The main clinical treatments for chronic wounds include the systemic use of antibiotics, changing dressings frequently, operative debridement, and flap repair. These routine therapeutic strategies are characterized by a long course of treatment, substantial trauma, and high costs, and fail to produce satisfactory results. Biomaterial dressings targeting the different stages of the pathophysiology of chronic wounds have become an active research topic in recent years. In this review, after providing an overview of the epidemiology of chronic wounds, and the pathophysiological characteristics of chronic wounds, we highlight the functional biomaterials that can enhance chronic wound healing through debridement, anti-infection and antioxidant effects, immunoregulation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling. It is hoped that functional biomaterials will resolve the treatment dilemma for chronic wounds and improve patient quality of life.
Locomotor function, mediated by lumbar neural circuitry, is modulated by descending spinal pathways. Spinal cord injury (SCI) interrupts descending projections and denervates lumbar motor neurons (MNs). We previously reported that retrogradely transported neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) to lumbar MNs attenuated SCI-induced lumbar MN dendritic atrophy and enabled functional recovery after a rostral thoracic contusion. Here we functionally dissected the role of descending neural pathways in response to NT-3-mediated recovery after a T9 contusive SCI in mice. We find that residual projections to lumbar MNs are required to produce leg movements after SCI. Next, we show that the spared descending propriospinal pathway, rather than other pathways (including the corticospinal, rubrospinal, serotonergic, and dopaminergic pathways), accounts for NT-3-enhanced recovery. Lastly, we show that NT-3 induced propriospino-MN circuit reorganization after the T9 contusion via promotion of dendritic regrowth rather than prevention of dendritic atrophy.
It is well established that GluA1 mediated synaptic plasticity plays a central role in the early development of AD. The complex cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable GluA1‐related synaptic regulation remain to fully understood. Particularly, understanding the mechanisms that disrupt GluA1 related synaptic plasticity is central to the development of disease‐modifying therapies which are sorely needed as the incidence of AD rises. We surmise that the published evidence establishes deficits in synaptic plasticity as a central factor of AD aetiology. We additionally highlight potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AD, and we delve into the roles of GluA1 in learning and memory. Particularly, we review the current understanding of the molecular interactions that confer the actions of this ubiquitous excitatory receptor subunit including post‐translational modification and accessory protein recruitment of the GluA1 subunit. These are proposed to regulate receptor trafficking, recycling, channel conductance and synaptic transmission and plasticity.
Although the past decade has witnessed unprecedented medical advances, achieving rapid and effective hemostasis remains challenging. Uncontrolled bleeding and wound infections continue to plague healthcare providers, increasing the risk of death. Various types of hemostatic materials are nowadays used during clinical practice but have many limitations, including poor biocompatibility, toxicity and biodegradability. Recently, there has been a burgeoning interest in organisms that stick to objects or produce sticky substances. Indeed, applying biological adhesion properties to hemostatic materials remains an interesting approach. This paper reviews the biological behavior, bionics, and mechanisms related to hemostasis. Furthermore, this paper covers the benefits, challenges and prospects of biomimetic hemostatic materials.