Xianlin Zeng’s research while affiliated with Huazhong University of Science and Technology and other places

Peptide self-assembling scaffolds have been widely used in tissue engineering. Much work has been focused on modifying the self-assembling scaffolds with functional motifs for desired biological activities. We report here the development of a biological material designed specifically for neural tissue engineering (NTE). Using RADA-16 (AcN-RADARADARADARADA-CONH2) as a base scaffold, we synthesized a 31 amino acid peptide RADA-FRM (AcN-RADARADARADARADAGGSIDRVEPYSSTAQ-CONH2) containing the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)-derived mimetic peptide FRM (SIDRVEPYSSTAQ), which could undergo self-assembly into a nanofiber scaffold. We tested the characterization of the nanofiber scaffold using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and accessed the rheological properties of FRM-containing nanofiber scaffold (FRM-NS). Then we examined its biocompatibility on neural stem cells (NSCs) from neonatal rats. Regrettably, we found that FRM-NS had no effect on differentiation of NSCs. However, we tested that FRM-NS was non-cytotoxic. Furthermore, compared to pure RADA-16 scaffold, we found that the designer self-assembling peptide scaffold containing FRM motif could significantly promote NSCs proliferation and stimulate NSCs migration into the 3-D scaffold. Our results indicate that the novel designer peptide scaffold containing FRM had excellent biocompatibility with NSCs and may be useful for central nervous tissue repair.

Objective: To provide a basis for the choice of anterior surgery procedures in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) through long-term follow-up. Methods: A consecutive series of 89 patients with CSM having complete follow-up data were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) from July 2000 to June 2007. The lesions were located in one segment (n = 25), two segments (n = 56), and three segments (n = 8). Preoperative and postoperative, the C2-C7 angle, cervical intervertebral height, radiographic fusion status, result of the adjacent segment degeneration, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), and the Short Form 36-item (SF36) questionnaire scores were used to evaluate the efficacy of the surgery. Results: According to the different compression conditions of the 89 cases, different anterior operation procedures were chosen and satisfactory results were achieved, indicating that direct anterior decompressions were thorough and effective. The follow-up period was 60-108 months, and the average was 79.6 months. The 5-year average symptom improvement rate, effectiveness rate, and fineness rate were 78.36 %, 100 % (89/89), and 86.52 % (77/89), respectively. Conclusions: For CSM with compression coming from the front side, proper anterior decompression based on the specific conditions could directly eliminate the compression. Through long-term follow-up, the effect of decompression became observable.

An ideal, biological-type, artificial femoral stem prosthesis has good stability and improved bone-prosthesis bonding capacity. In the current study, pure hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated, cementless, artificial femoral stems were prepared by adopting different plasma spray powers and distances and were tested in terms of shear strength. The pure titanium (Ti) substrates, HA coatings, and composite Ti–HA ladder-type coatings prepared under vacuum and atmospheric conditions were examined to compare the shear strengths, microscopic constitutions, and structures of the coatings. The coating was fabricated and the bond strength was improved by adopting 35 kW of spray power and an 80 mm spray distance. The comparisons show that the shear strength of the Ti coating prepared under vacuum conditions was higher than that of the coating prepared under atmospheric conditions (P < 0.05). Moreover, the pressure–shear strength of the Ti + HAG + Ti + V group coating was statistically significantly different from those of the HA + Ti + V and HA + Ti + A groups (P < 0.05). The coatings were compared using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectrum analysis. The composite HA–Ti ladder-type coating group, where pure Ti substrate was sprayed onto the Ti alloy under vacuum conditions, had a successive laminate structure. In addition, the intergranular bond in the HA surface layer on the gradient coating was compact and highly crystallized. Under vacuum conditions, the plasma-sprayed layer was characterized by higher tightness, moderate porosity, higher bonding strength to HA, and higher HA crystallinity. The proposed coating can be used in new, cementless, artificial femoral stems with improved bone–prosthesis bonding capacity and stability.