Hydrogels for Oral Tissue Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities

Oral health is crucial to daily life, yet many people worldwide suffer from oral diseases. With the development of oral tissue engineering, there is a growing demand for dental biomaterials. Addressing oral diseases often requires a two-fold approach: fighting bacterial infections and promoting tissue growth. Hydrogels are promising tissue engineering biomaterials that show great potential for oral tissue regeneration and drug delivery. In this review, we present a classification of hydrogels commonly used in dental research, including natural and synthetic hydrogels. Furthermore, recent applications of these hydrogels in endodontic restorations, periodontal tissues, mandibular and oral soft tissue restorations, and related clinical studies are also discussed, including various antimicrobial and tissue growth promotion strategies used in the dental applications of hydrogels. While hydrogels have been increasingly studied in oral tissue engineering, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed for satisfactory clinical outcomes. This paper summarizes the current issues in the abovementioned application areas and discusses possible future developments

PSR J1926-0652: A Pulsar with Interesting Emission Properties Discovered at FAST

We describe PSR J1926-0652, a pulsar recently discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Using sensitive single-pulse detections from FAST and long-term timing observations from the Parkes 64-m radio telescope, we probed phenomena on both long and short time scales. The FAST observations covered a wide frequency range from 270 to 800 MHz, enabling individual pulses to be studied in detail. The pulsar exhibits at least four profile components, short-term nulling lasting from 4 to 450 pulses, complex subpulse drifting behaviours and intermittency on scales of tens of minutes. While the average band spacing P3 is relatively constant across different bursts and components, significant variations in the separation of adjacent bands are seen, especially near the beginning and end of a burst. Band shapes and slopes are quite variable, especially for the trailing components and for the shorter bursts. We show that for each burst the last detectable pulse prior to emission ceasing has different properties compared to other pulses. These complexities pose challenges for the classic carousel-type models.Comment: 13pages with 12 figure

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Design and Study of Memory Polynomial-based Volterra Hybrid Equalizer

【Objective】The non-linear characteristics of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) contribute to the degradation of Bit Error Rate (BER) performance in Visible Light Communication (VLC) systems, particularly in Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (O-OFDM) systems with high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR). A single-stage equalizer based on the Volterra series can handle the high-order non-linear distortions of LEDs with low latency. However, solving the traditional Volterra series necessitates multiple integration operations, resulting in the high implementation complexity of the Volterra-based equalizer. Additionally, the single-stage equalizer accumulates errors with limited performance improvements.【Methods】Firstly, to address the issue of high computational complexity in the traditional calculations of the Volterra series, a proposition is made to retain only the high-order power series terms of the various nonlinear terms and kernel coefficients within the Volterra series. This approach, known as the Memory Polynomial-based Volterra Series (MPVS), not only reduces the computational complexity compared to the traditional Volterra series but also enhances the accuracy of nonlinear system modeling by considering all input signals at the current moment. Subsequently, the design of channel equalizer considers the Memory Polynomial-based Volterra (MPV) equalizer and the Memory Polynomial-based Volterra Decision Feedback Equalizer (MPV-DFE). For a single-stage MPV-DFE, if an error occurs in the decision part leading to an incorrect symbol decoding, this error tends to manifest as a consecutive series of errors, thereby impacting the entire symbol sequence. To mitigate this, a proposal is made to cascade the two non-linear equalizers, MPV and MPV-DFE, forming a hybrid equalizer called MPV+MPV-DFE. The MPV equalizer performs a primary equalization on the LED's nonlinear distortion signal, effectively suppressing a portion of the non-linear distortions and thereby reducing symbol decoding errors in the MPV-DFE. Subsequently, a secondary equalization is carried out by the MPV-DFE, leading to improved suppression of residual nonlinear distortions.【Results】Finally, the effectiveness of the system design was validated using Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the BER. The results demonstrate that compared to the single-stage MPV equalizer and the linear-cascade nonlinear hybrid equalizer (LMS+MPV-DFE), the proposed hybrid equalizer achieves approximately 7 dB and 2 dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) gains, respectively, in a 4 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) -modulated Asymmetrically Clipped Optical OFDM (ACO-OFDM) system at a BER of 10-4.【Conclusion】In conclusion, the implementation of the MPV equalizer is straightforward, and the cascaded design of the two-stage nonlinear equalizers as a hybrid equalizer enables better mitigation of the LED’s nonlinearity

The Non-Linear Impact of the Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions Based on a Mediated Effects Model

In an increasingly digital age, studying how the digital economy affects carbon emissions is important for China’s dual carbon goals. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces and regions in China from 2012 to 2020, the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions in China and the mechanism of its effect are empirically analyzed. This study reveals that the digital economy has an inverted U-shaped impact on China’s carbon emissions. Initially, it promotes carbon emissions but later inhibits them. The carbon emission reduction effect is more significant after the digital economy reaches the inflection point of the inverted U-shape in the more economically developed regions. Energy structure and energy use efficiency are the two key factors through which the digital economy affects China’s carbon emissions. Among them, the digital economy shows an inverted U-shaped effect on energy structure, which is first positive and then negative, and a positive U-shaped effect on energy use efficiency, which is first negative and then positive. Based on the above findings, this paper suggests that: First, to achieve peak carbon and carbon neutrality, the digital economy needs to be strengthened and the foundations of the digital economy need to be consolidated. Second, the digital transformation of the energy sector should be accelerated, and digitalization should lead to the low-carbon energy transformation. Finally, in the process of developing the digital economy, attention should be paid to the rebound in energy consumption caused by a large number of basic digital facilities, and the low-carbon integration of the digital economy and traditional industries is of great significance in reducing carbon emissions

Synergistic regional emission reductions in China: Network evolution, spatial and temporal characteristics, and driving factor

Synergistic regional emission reduction (SRER) is an important part of the strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, a system efficiency value-added model is proposed to measure the strength of SRER network relationships for 40,186 sets of city pairs and the SRER levels of 284 cities in China from 2011 to 2021. Subsequently, the evolution characteristics of the SRER network, the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban SRER levels, and the driving factors of the SRER network evolution are further analyzed. The results are as follows: SRER network is shifting from a fan-shaped network pattern of “three-region clustering and sporadic coverage” to a shuttle-shaped nested network pattern of “east-west linkage and multi-region support”. Time series analysis found that urban SRER level in China showed fluctuating growth characteristics during the study period. Spatial analysis reveals that the spatial autocorrelation of urban SRER level is decreasing, and the spatial distribution range is expanding towards the southwest. Emission reduction comparative advantages (CAER), green innovation division of labor (GIDL) and urban economic linkages (LCEL) are driver factors of SRER network evolution. This study proposes an evaluation method for the urban SRER level from network relationships perspective. Subsequently, network evolution characterization, spatial and temporal characterization, and driving factor analysis were conducted. The results of the study provide important theoretical guidance and inspiration for grasping the current status and enhancement paths of China's urban SRER level

SOCS1 Regulates Apoptosis and Inflammation by Inhibiting IL-4 Signaling in IL-1β-Stimulated Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes

Recently, Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 (SOCS1) was identified as a potential therapeutic target for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. However, the mechanisms and signaling pathways of SOCS1 in the regulation of OA development are unclear. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether interleukin- (IL-) 4 was involved in regulatory mechanism of SOCS1 in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. First, IL-1β was used to stimulate human osteoarthritic chondrocytes isolated from the articular cartilage of OA patients undergoing total knee replacement. The protein and mRNA expression levels of SOCS1 were upregulated in IL-1β-stimulated human osteoarthritic chondrocytes compared with control cells. The knockdown of SOCS1 increased cell viability and inhibited cell apoptosis. It was also found that IL-4 expression was increased by SOCS1 silencing. Additionally, knockdown of IL-4 reduced cell viability and increased cell apoptosis of osteoarthritic chondrocytes transfected with SOCS1 siRNA. Moreover, the decreased expression of inflammatory factors induced by SOCS1 was enhanced by IL-4 knockdown. In conclusion, IL-4 signaling plays a crucial role in the regulatory functions of SOCS1 in apoptosis and inflammation in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes. These findings provide a potential therapeutic target for the clinical treatment of OA