Thousands of different nanoparticles (NPs) involve in our daily life with various origins from food, cosmetics, drugs, etc. It is believed that decreasing the size of materials up to nanometer levels can facilitate their unfavorable absorption since they can pass the natural barriers of live tissues and organs even, they can go across the relatively impermeable membranes. The interaction of these NPs with the biological environment disturbs the natural functions of cells and its components and cause health issues. In the lack of the detailed and comprehensive standard protocols about the toxicity of NPs materials, their control, and effects, this review study focuses on the current research literature about the related factors in toxicity of NPs such as size, concentration, etc. with an emphasis on metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. The goal of the study is to highlight their potential hazard and the advancement of green non-cytotoxic nanomaterials with safe threshold dose levels to resolve the toxicity issues. This study supports the NPs design along with minimizing the adverse effects of nanoparticles especially those used in biological treatments.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common spinal disorder in adolescents with a prevalence of 0.5–5.2% worldwide. The traditional methods for scoliosis screening are easily accessible but require unnecessary referrals and radiography exposure due to their low positive predictive values. The application of deep learning algorithms has the potential to reduce unnecessary referrals and costs in scoliosis screening. Here, we developed and validated deep learning algorithms for automated scoliosis screening using unclothed back images. The accuracies of the algorithms were superior to those of human specialists in detecting scoliosis, detecting cases with a curve ≥20°, and severity grading for both binary classifications and the four-class classification. Our approach can be potentially applied in routine scoliosis screening and periodic follow-ups of pretreatment cases without radiation exposure.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is among the most attractive methods to produce implants, the processes are very swift and it can be precisely controlled to meet patient’s requirement since they can be produced in exact shape, dimension, and even texture of different living tissues. Until now, lots of methods have emerged and used in this field with diverse characteristics. This review aims to comprehensively discuss 3D printing (3DP) technologies to manufacture metallic implants, especially on techniques and procedures. Various technologies based on their main properties are categorized, the effecting parameters are introduced, and the history of AM technology is briefly analyzed. Subsequently, the utilization of these AM-manufactured components in medicine along with their effectual variables is discussed, and special attention is paid on to the production of porous scaffolds, taking pore size, density, etc., into consideration. Finally, 3DP of the popular metallic systems in medical applications such as titanium, Ti6Al4V, cobalt-chromium alloys, and shape memory alloys are studied. In general, AM manufactured implants need to comply with important requirements such as biocompatibility, suitable mechanical properties (strength and elastic modulus), surface conditions, custom-built designs, fast production, etc. This review aims to introduce the AM technologies in implant applications and find new ways to design more sophisticated methods and compatible implants that mimic the desired tissue functions.

NiTi alloy has a wide range of applications as a biomaterial due to its high ductility, low corrosion rate, and favorable biocompatibility. Although Young’s modulus of NiTi is relatively low, it still needs to be reduced; one of the promising ways is by introducing porous structure. Traditional manufacturing processes, such as casting, can hardly produce complex porous structures. Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the most advanced manufacturing technologies that can solve impurity issues, and selective laser melting (SLM) is one of the well-known methods. This paper reviews the developments of AM-NiTi with a particular focus on SLM-NiTi utilization in biomedical applications. Correspondingly, this paper aims to describe the three key factors, including powder preparation, processing parameters, and gas atmosphere during the overall process of porous NiTi. The porous structure design is of vital importance, so the unit cell and pore parameters are discussed. The mechanical properties of SLM-NiTi, such as hardness, compressive strength, tensile strength, fatigue behavior, and damping properties and their relationship with design parameters are summarized. In the end, it points out the current challenges. Considering the increasing application of NiTi implants, this review paper may open new frontiers for advanced and modern designs.

Background: Osteosarcoma is a highly aggressive bone tumor that most commonly affects children and adolescents. Treatment and outcomes for osteosarcoma have remained unchanged over the past 30 years. The relationship between osteosarcoma and the immune microenvironment may represent a key to its undoing.Methods: We calculated the immune and stromal scores of osteosarcoma cases from the Target database using the ESTIMATE algorithm. Then we used the CIBERSORT algorithm to explore the tumor microenvironment and analyze immune infiltration of osteosarcoma. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on immune scores and stromal scores. Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes Database (STRING) was utilized to assess protein–protein interaction (PPI) information, and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) plugin was used to screen hub modules of PPI network in Cytoscape. The prognostic value of the gene signature was validated in an independent GSE39058 cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to study the hub genes in signaling pathways.Results: From 83 samples of osteosarcoma obtained from the Target dataset, 137 DEGs were identified, including 134 upregulated genes and three downregulated genes. Functional enrichment analysis and PPI networks demonstrated that these genes were mainly involved in neutrophil degranulation and neutrophil activation involved in immune response, and participated in neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction and staphylococcus aureus infection.Conclusions: Our study established an immune-related gene signature to predict outcomes of osteosarcoma, which may be important targets for individual treatment.

Study Design.: A prospective controlled cohort study. Objective.: The aim of this study was to explore the interventional effect of exercise therapy on idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and identify an optimal intervention window. Summary of Background Data.: Early conservative treatment is helpful for IS. In addition to bracing, current evidence suggests that exercise can play an important role. Methods.: We included 99 patients with IS who were treated at the Guangdong Xinmiao Scoliosis Center from August 2013 to September 2017. The inclusion criteria were: new IS diagnosis, Cobb angle 10° to 25°, Risser 0 to 3 grade, only treated with the Xinmiao treatment system (XTS; >3 days/week, >1 h/day), and follow-up >1 year. Patients were divided into three age groups: A, <10 years (n = 29); B, 10 to 12 years (n = 24); and C, 13 to 15 years (n = 46). The percentages of curve improvement (Cobb angle decrease ≥5°), stability (Cobb angle change × ±5°), and progression (Cobb angle increase ≥5°) were compared. Results.: The groups showed significant differences for major curve correction, Risser sign, first referral, and final follow-up of the main curve (all P < 0.05). The major curve in group A decreased significantly by 6.8° (44% correction), compared to 3.1° (18% correction) and 1.5° (9% correction) in groups B and C, respectively. In group A, 69.0% (20/29) had curve improvement, 27.6% (8/29) stabilized and 3.4% (1/29) progressed. In group B, 45.8% (11/24) improved, 50% (12/24) stabilized, and 4.2% (1/24) progressed. In group C, 26.1% (12/46) improved, 63.0% (29/46) stabilized, and 10.9% (5/46) progressed. There was also a significant difference in final Risser grade among the groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion.: For IS patients with Cobb angles between 10° and 25°, our exercise protocol can effectively control or improve curve progression. Younger patients with a lower Risser grade are most likely to respond. Level of Evidence: 2