Porous Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene/Functionalized Activated Nanocarbon Composites with Improved Biocompatibility

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) materials have been prevalent joint replacement materials for more than 45 years because of their excellent biocompatibility and wear resistance. In this study, functionalized activated nanocarbon (FANC) was prepared by grafting maleic anhydride polyethylene onto acid-treated activated nanocarbon. A novel porous UHMWPE composite was prepared by incorporating the appropriate amount of FANC and pore-forming agents during the hot-pressing process for medical UHMWPE powder. The experimental results showed that the best prepared porous UHMWPE/FANC exhibited appropriate tensile strength, porosity, and excellent hydrophilicity, with a contact angle of 65.9°. In vitro experiments showed that the porous UHMWPE/FANC had excellent biocompatibility, which is due to its porous structure and hydrophilicity caused by FANC. This study demonstrates the potential viability for our porous UHMWPE/FANC to be used as cartilage replacement material for biomedical applications

Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveals Sugar Transport and Starch Accumulation in Two Specific Germplasms of <i>Manihot esculenta</i> Crantz

As a starchy and edible tropical plant, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) has been widely used as an industrial raw material and a dietary source. However, the metabolomic and genetic differences in specific germplasms of cassava storage root were unclear. In this study, two specific germplasms, M. esculenta Crantz cv. sugar cassava GPMS0991L and M. esculenta Crantz cv. pink cassava BRA117315, were used as research materials. Results showed that sugar cassava GPMS0991L was rich in glucose and fructose, whereas pink cassava BRA117315 was rich in starch and sucrose. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis indicated that sucrose and starch metabolism had significantly changing metabolites enrichment and the highest degree of differential expression genes, respectively. Sugar transport in storage roots may contribute to the activities of sugar, which will eventually be exported to transporters (SWEETs), such as (MeSWEET1a, MeSWEET2b, MeSWEET4, MeSWEET5, MeSWEET10b, and MeSWEET17c), which transport hexose to plant cells. The expression level of genes involved in starch biosynthesis and metabolism were altered, which may result in starch accumulation. These results provide a theoretical basis for sugar transport and starch accumulation and may be useful in improving the quality of tuberous crops and increasing yield