AGAPIR: A Novel PIWI-Interacting RNA Enhancing Post-Decompression Angiogenesis in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction worldwide. Although surgical decompression can halt disease progression and improve neurological function in most patients, there remains a subset for whom functional improvement is limited. Impaired spinal cord perfusion is a pathological hallmark of DCM, which highlights the importance of restoring blood flow to enhance neurological outcomes.

piENOX2 regulates ALKBH5-mediated Itga4 mA modification to accelerate the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by synovitis and presenting as symmetrical arthritis that primarily affects the small joints of the limbs. PIWI-interacting RNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs, have garnered significant attention due to their critical involvement in various pathological conditions, including reproductive diseases, cancers and other disorders. Here we observe elevated levels of macrophage-derived piENOX2 in the synovial tissues of both patients with RA and mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Activation of LAMP1-mediated lipophagy by sulforaphane inhibits cellular senescence and intervertebral disc degeneration.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major cause of chronic low back pain, involving lipid dysregulation and cellular senescence in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. However, the relationship between lipid accumulation and cellular senescence in IDD remain unclear. This study aims to investigate whether lipid accumulation promotes NP cell senescence and explore the role of LAMP1-mediated lipophagy in mitigating these effects.

Foxk1 and Foxk2 promote cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration.

Promoting endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation is a promising strategy for cardiac repair. Identifying key factors that regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation can advance the development of novel therapies for heart regeneration. Here, we identify Foxk1 and Foxk2 as key regulators of cardiomyocyte proliferation, whose expression declines during postnatal heart development.

Foxk1 promotes bone formation through inducing aerobic glycolysis.

Transcription factor Foxk1 can regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and promote skeletal muscle regeneration and cardiogenesis. However, the roles of Foxk1 in bone formation is unknown. Here, we found that Foxk1 expression decreased in the bone tissue of aged mice and osteoporosis patients.

Inhibition of CSPG-PTPσ Activates Autophagy Flux and Lysosome Fusion, Aids Axon and Synaptic Reorganization in Spinal Cord Injury.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) and proteoglycan receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase σ (PTPσ) play a critical role in the pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI). CSPGs can be induced by autophagy inhibition in astrocyte. However, CSPG's impact on autophagy and its role in SCI is still unknown.

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate Promotes Bone Formation Via CaMKII Signaling.

Dysregulation of bone homeostasis is closely related to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Suppressing bone resorption by osteoclasts to attenuate bone loss has been widely investigated, but far less effort has been poured toward promoting bone formation by osteoblasts. Here, we aimed to explore magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP), a hydrophilic and stable ascorbic acid derivative, as a potential treatment option for bone loss disorder by boosting osteoblastogenesis and bone formation.

The Natural Product Andrographolide Ameliorates Calcific Aortic Valve Disease by Regulating the Proliferation of Valve Interstitial Cells the MAPK-ERK Pathway.

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is an active pathobiological process that involves fibrosis and calcification of aortic valve leaflets, thereby causing cardiac hemodynamic changes and eventually heart failure. Cell proliferation changes at the initial stage of CAVD are an important target for pharmaceutical intervention. This study aimed to investigate whether andrographolide (AGP) could inhibit the proliferation of valve interstitial cells (VICs) and to delay the process of CAVD.

Substrate stiffness regulates differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into heart valve endothelial cells.

Substrate stiffness has been indicated as a primary determinant for stem cell fate, being capable of influencing motility, proliferation, and differentiation. Although the effects of stiffness on cardiac differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (h-iPSCs) have been reported, whether stiffness of polydimethylsiloxane-based substrates could enhance differentiation of h-iPSCs toward heart valve endothelial cells lineage (VECs) or not remains unknown. Herein, we modulated the substrate stiffness to evaluate its effect on the differentiation of h-iPSCs into valve endothelial-like cells (h-iVECs) in vitro and determine the suitable stiffness.

Optimized Langendorff perfusion system for cardiomyocyte isolation in adult mouse heart.

With the rapid development of single-cell sequencing technology, the Langendorff perfusion system has emerged as a common approach to decompose cardiac tissue and obtain living cardiomyocytes to study cardiovascular disease with the mechanism of cardiomyocyte biology. However, the traditional Langendorff perfusion system is difficult to master, and further, the viability and purity of cardiomyocytes are frequently unable to meet sequencing requirements due to complicated devices and manipulate processes. Here, we provide an optimized Langendorff perfusion system with a simplified and standardized operating protocol which utilizes gravity as the perfusion pressure, includes a novel method for bubbles removing and standardizes the criteria for termination of digestion.

A riboflavin-ultraviolet light A-crosslinked decellularized heart valve for improved biomechanical properties, stability, and biocompatibility.

Tissue-engineered heart valves are a promising alternative to current valve substitutes. As the main scaffold of tissue-engineered heart valves, the decellularized heart valve (DHV) has problems such as biomechanical property damage and rapid degradation. In this study, we applied a photo-crosslinking reaction induced by riboflavin and ultraviolet light A (UVA) in the DHV for improving its biomechanical properties and stability.

Untangling the co-effects of oriented nanotopography and sustained anticoagulation in a biomimetic intima on neovessel remodeling.

Constructing a small-diameter artificial blood vessel with biological functions and mechanical compliance comparable to native tissues is still a major challenge in vascular tissue engineering. To address the issues of severe thrombosis and unsatisfactory long-term patency in small-diameter vascular grafts, herein we designed a specifically biomimetic intima with an oriented nanotopographical structure and covalently immobilized anticoagulant molecules. The mixture of heparinized silk fibroin (SF-Hep) and polycaprolactone (PCL) was used to produce oriented inner layer and pure PCL was used to fabricate vertically porous outer layer by a two-step cross-electrospinning.

Remodeling of a Cell-Free Vascular Graft with Nanolamellar Intima into a Neovessel.

Advances in cardiovascular materials have brought us improved artificial vessels with larger diameters for reducing adverse responses that drive acute thrombosis and the associated complications. Nonetheless, the challenge is still considerable when applying these materials in small-diameter blood vessels. Here we report the biomimetic design of an acellular small-diameter vascular graft with specifically lamellar nanotopography on the luminal surface via a modified freeze-cast technique.