A great interest in agarose, with many health-promoting and gel properties, has been registered, especially in the field of bone regeneration and repair. Agarose and its major bioactive compounds are involved in biological activities such as inflammation, cell adhesion and proliferation, and the promotion of tissue repair. Due to its unique physical properties like gelation and solubility, agarose is increasingly utilized in the medical industry. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the applications of agarose hydrogels in bone tissue engineering, introducing agarose and its modified products as innovative solutions for bone regeneration. Additionally, the injectability of agarose hydrogels and their applications in bioprinting are also summarized. Data indicate that agarose will play an increasing role in current and future global medical sectors.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contribute to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanistic link between toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and ER stress in IBD remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which ER stress and TLR4 promote inflammation in IBD. IBD mouse model was established by the induction of TNBS, and Grp78 and TLR4 in intestine tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. THP-1 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), ER stress inducer or inhibitor tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), or p38 MAPK inhibitor. The activation of MAPK signaling was detected by Western blot, and the production and secretion of inflammatory factors were detected by PCR and ELISA. We found that the expression levels of TLR4 and GRP78 were significantly higher in the intestine of IBD model mice compared with control mice but were significantly lower in the intestine of IBD model mice treated with ER stress inhibitor TUDCA. ER stress inducer significantly increased while ER stress inhibitor TUDCA significantly decreased the expression and secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 in THP-1 cells treated by LPS. Only p38 MAPK signaling was activated in THP-1 cells treated by ER stress inducer. Furthermore, p38 inhibitor SB203580 inhibited the production and secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 in THP-1 cells treated with LPS. In conclusion, TLR4 promotes ER stress induced inflammation in IBD, and the effects may be mediated by p38 MAPK signaling. TLR4 and p38 MAPK signaling are novel therapeutic targets for IBD.

1. γ-TiAl alloys are envisioned as primary structural materials for next-generation aero-engine turbines due to their low density and high specific strength [1–4]. However, the intrinsic brittlenes...

This study focuses on structural biomimetics, using bamboo as the biomimetic object. Owing to the porous and lightweight characteristics of bamboo, its macroscopic structure was simplified and simulated to design a pipeline. The changes in pore structure and quantity gradient (number ratio of inner-to-outer pores) parameters were imported into ABAQUS for simulation. The photopolymerization three-dimensional printing technology was used to prepare test specimens for investigating the compression performance of bamboo-like structural pipelines. Under the same pore structure, the simulation and experimental results were consistent. The pipeline structure at a quantity gradient ratio of 11:17 exhibited the most stable compression performance among different quantity gradients. Under the same quantity gradient, the optimal comprehensive compression performance and lightest material structure were achieved when the pore structure became circular. The change in the quantity gradient significantly impacted the compression performance of the pipeline. Therefore, the quantity gradient was the main factor affecting the compression performance of the pipeline.

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) delivers significant advantages for manufacturing medium-/high-entropy alloys (MEAs/HEAs), owing to its near-net-shape manufacturing and the ability to fabricate complex geometries. In this paper, a series of (CoCrNi)_100−xTi_x (x = 0, 1, 2, 4 wt.%) MEAs were successfully fabricated by L-PBF technology, and the effect of Ti addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties was systematically investigated. The results show that L-PBF CoCrNi-4wt.%Ti alloy processed with a laser power of 275 W and the scanning speed of 1000 mm/s delivered a high yield strength of 777.5 MPa and ultimate tensile strength of 1054.5 MPa, along with a ductility of 20.8%. Compared with the L-PBF CoCrNi alloy, the CoCrNi-4 wt.%Ti alloy shows an increase in yield strength from 684.8 to 777.5 MPa and in ultimate tensile strength from 961.1 to 1054.5 MPa, accompanied by a decrease in uniform elongation from 27.8% to 20.8% (a reduction of seven percentage points, approximately 25% relative). The present work offers a promising pathway to improve the performance of additively manufactured medium-entropy alloys.