Infrared absorbing nanoparticle impregnated self-heating fabrics for significantly improved moisture management under ambient conditions.

Propensity of a textile material to evaporate moisture from its surface, commonly referred to as the 'moisture management' ability, is an important characteristic that dictates the applicability of a given textile material in the activewear garment industry. Here, an infrared absorbing nanoparticle impregnated self-heating (IRANISH) fabric is developed by impregnating tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanoparticles into a polyester fabric through a facile high-pressure dyeing approach. It is observed that under simulated solar radiation, the impregnated ITO nanoparticles can absorb IR radiation, which is effectively transferred as thermal energy to any moisture present on the fabric. This transfer of thermal energy facilitates the enhanced evaporation of moisture from the IRANISH fabric surface and as per experimental findings, a 54 ± 9% increase in the intrinsic drying rate is observed for IRANISH fabrics compared with control polyester fabrics that are treated under identical conditions, but in the absence of nanoparticles. Approach developed here for improved moisture management via the incorporation of IR absorbing nanomaterials into a textile material is novel, facile, efficient and applicable at any stage of garment manufacture. Hence, it allows us to effectively overcome the limitations faced by existing yarn-level and structural strategies for improved moisture management

Serum sclerostin levels in renal cell carcinoma patients with bone metastases

Sclerostin has been proposed as a potent inhibitor of bone formation. Sclerostin antibodies are under clinical development to treat osteoporosis and metastatic bone disease. Serum sclerostin level is elevated in multiple myeloma, an osteolytic malignancy, where it might serve as predictive marker for the use of sclerostin-directed antibodies. As renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients often present with osteolytic metastases, we aimed to investigate serum sclerostin levels in RCC patients. Our study included 53 RCC patients (19 with bone metastases, 25 with visceral metastases and 9 with localized disease) and 53 age- and gender-matched non-osteoporotic controls. Frozen serum samples were subjected to sclerostin quantitative sandwich ELISA. The mean serum sclerostin levels of RCC patients and controls were 45.8 pmol/l and 45.1 pmol/l, respectively (p = 0.86). Analysis of variance showed no difference between the subgroups of RCC patients with regard to visceral or bone metastases or localized disease (p = 0.22). There was no significant association between eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) and serum sclerostin levels in RCC patients (r = 0.05; p = 0.74) and controls (r = 0.06; p = 0.68). Our results indicate that serum sclerostin levels appear not to be a valuable biomarker to assess the occurrence of bone metastases in RCC patients

Functional adaptation of bone: The mechanostat and beyond

The conceptual model of the mechanostat proposed by Harold Frost in 1983 is among the most significant contributions to musculoskeletal research today. This model states that bone and other musculoskeletal tissues including cartilage, tendon and muscle respond to habitual exercise/loading and that changes in the loading environment lead to adequate structural adaptation of (bone) tissue architecture. The analogy with a thermostat clearly indicates presence of a physiological feedback system which is able to adjust bone mass and structure according to the engendered loads. In the bioengineering community, the mechanostat has been mathematically formulated as a feedback algorithm using a set point criterion based on a particular mechanical quantity such as strain, strain energy density among others. As pointed out by Lanyon and Skerry, while it is widely thought that in a single individual, there exists a single mechanostat set point, this view is flawed by the fact that different bones throughout the skeleton require a specific strain magnitude to maintain bone mass. Consequently, different bones respond differently to increases or decreases in loading depending on the sensitivity of the mechanostat. Osteocytes, i.e., cells embedded in the bone matrix are believed to be the major bone cells involved in sensing and transduction of mechanical loads. The purpose of this chapter is to review the concept of the mechanostat and its role in bone pathophysiology. To do this we provide examples of why and how the skeleton responds to complex loading stimuli made up of numerous different parameters including strain magnitude, frequency and rest intervals among others. We describe latest in vivo and ex vivo loading models, which allow exploration of various mechanobiological relations in the mechanostat model utilising controlled mechanical environments. A review of the bone cells and signalling transduction cascades involved in mechanosensation and bone adaptation will also be provided. Furthermore, we will discuss the mechanostat in a clinical context, e.g., how factors such as sex, age, genetic constitution, concomitant disease, nutrient availability, and exposure to drugs all affect bone’s response to mechanical loading. Understanding the mechanostat and mechanobiological regulatory factors involved in mechanosensation and desensitisation is essential for our ability to control bone mass based on physiological loading, either directly through different exercise regimens, or by manipulating bone cells in a targeted manner using tailored site and individual specific stimuli including pharmaceuticals