MPS on 3.6 mL plasma from pregnant mothers could potentially provide the diagnosis of CAH, noninvasively, before the ninth week of gestation. Only affected female fetuses will thus be treated. Our strategy represents a generic approach for noninvasive prenatal testing for an array of autosomal recessive disorders.

The transformation of CO2 into a precipitated mineral carbonate through an ex situ mineral carbonation route is considered a promising option for carbon capture and storage (CCS) since (i) the captured CO2 can be stored permanently and (ii) industrial wastes (i.e., coal fly ash, steel and stainless-steel slags, and cement and lime kiln dusts) can be recycled and converted into value-added carbonate materials by controlling polymorphs and properties of the mineral carbonates. The final products produced by the ex situ mineral carbonation route can be divided into two categories-low-end high-volume and high-end low-volume mineral carbonates-in terms of their market needs as well as their properties (i.e., purity). Therefore, it is expected that this can partially offset the total cost of the CCS processes. Polymorphs and physicochemical properties of CaCO3 strongly rely on the synthesis variables such as temperature, pH of the solution, reaction time, ion concentration and ratio, stirring, and the concentration of additives. Various efforts to control and fabricate polymorphs of CaCO3 have been made to date. In this review, we present a summary of current knowledge and recent investigations entailing mechanistic studies on the formation of the precipitated CaCO3 and the influences of the synthesis factors on the polymorphs.

Electrically conductive biomaterials that can efficiently deliver electrical signals to cells or improve electrical communication among cells have received considerable attention for potential tissue engineering applications. Conductive hydrogels are desirable particularly for neural applications, as they can provide electrical signals and soft microenvironments that can mimic native nerve tissues. In this study, conductive and soft polypyrrole/alginate (PPy/Alg) hydrogels are developed by chemically polymerizing PPy within ionically cross-linked alginate hydrogel networks. The synthesized hydrogels exhibit a Young's modulus of 20-200 kPa. Electrical conductance of the PPy/Alg hydrogels could be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude compared to that of pristine alginate hydrogels. In vitro studies with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) reveal that cell adhesion and growth are promoted on the PPy/Alg hydrogels. Additionally, the PPy/Alg hydrogels support and greatly enhance the expression of neural differentiation markers (i.e., Tuj1 and MAP2) of hMSCs compared to tissue culture plate controls. Subcutaneous implantation of the hydrogels for eight weeks induces mild inflammatory reactions. These soft and conductive hydrogels will serve as a useful platform to study the effects of electrical and mechanical signals on stem cells and/or neural cells and to develop multifunctional neural tissue engineering scaffolds.

Pituitary hormones have long been thought solely to regulate single targets. Challenging this paradigm, we discovered that both anterior and posterior pituitary hormones, including FSH, had other functions in physiology. We have shown that FSH regulates skeletal integrity, and, more recently, find that the inhibition of FSH reduces body fat and induces thermogenic adipose tissue. A polyclonal antibody raised against a short, receptor-binding epitope of FSHβ was found not only to rescue bone loss post-ovariectomy, but also to display marked anti-obesity and pro-beiging actions. Questioning whether a single agent could be used to treat two medical conditions of public health importance -osteoporosis and obesity -we developed two further monoclonal antibodies, Hf2 and Mf4, against computationally defined receptor-binding epitopes of FSHβ. Hf2 has already been shown to reduce body weight, fat mass and cause beiging in mice on a high-fat diet. Here, we show that Hf2, which binds mouse Fsh in immunoprecipitation assays, also increases cortical thickness and trabecular bone volume, and microstructural parameters, in sham-operated and ovariectomized mice, noted on micro-computed tomography.This effect was largely recapitulated with Mf4, which inhibited bone resorption by osteoclasts and stimulated new bone formation by osteoblasts. These effects were exerted in the absence of alterations in serum estrogen in wild type mice. We also re-confirm the existence of Fshrs in bone by documenting the specific binding of fluorescently labeled FSH, FSH-CH, in vivo. Our study provides the framework for the future development of an FSH-based therapeutic that could potentially target both bone and fat. 3 SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTWe have addressed the question whether osteoporosis and obesity, which often occur concurrently in postmenopausal women, can be targeted by a single agent. We have shown previously that the reproductive hormone FSH, the levels of which rise after menopause, regulates both body fat and bone mass. We now show that blocking FSH action using two purposefully designed epitope-specific antibodies protects against bone loss in mice. This positions both FSH antibodies as lead molecules for clinical development towards future use in people.

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Electrode surfaces have been widely modified with electrically conductive polymers, including polypyrrole (PPY), to improve the performance of electrodes. To utilize conductive polymers for electrode modification, strong adhesion between the polymer films and electrode substrates should be ensured with high electrical/electrochemical activities. In this study, PPY films were electrochemically polymerized on electrodes (e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO)) with dopamine as a bio-inspired adhesive molecule. Efficient and fast PPY electrodeposition with dopamine (PDA/PPY) was found; the resultant PDA/PPY films exhibited greatly increased adhesion strengths of up to 3.7 ± 0.8 MPa and the modified electrodes had electrochemical impedances two to three orders of magnitude lower than that of an unmodified electrode. This electrochemical deposition of adhesive and conductive PDA/PPY offers a facile and versatile electrode modification for various applications, such as biosensors and batteries.

The primitive neurohypophyseal nonapeptide oxytocin (OXT) has established functions in parturition, lactation, appetite, and social behavior. We have shown that OXT has direct actions on the mammalian skeleton, stimulating bone formation by osteoblasts and modulating the genesis and function of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. We deleted OXT receptors (OXTRs) selectively in osteoblasts and osteoclasts usingCol2.3CreandAcp5Cremice, respectively. Both male and femaleCol2.3Cre+:Oxtrfl/flmice recapitulate the low-bone mass phenotype ofOxtr+/−mice, suggesting that OXT has a prominent osteoblastic action in vivo. Furthermore, abolishment of the anabolic effect of estrogen inCol2.3Cre+:Oxtrfl/flmice suggests that osteoblastic OXTRs are necessary for estrogen action. In addition, the high bone mass inAcp5Cre+:Oxtrfl/flmice indicates a prominent action of OXT in stimulating osteoclastogenesis. In contrast, we found that in pregnant and lactatingCol2.3Cre+:Oxtrfl/flmice, elevated OXT inhibits bone resorption and rescues the bone loss otherwise noted during pregnancy and lactation. However, OXT does not contribute to ovariectomy-induced bone loss. Finally, we show that OXT acts directly on OXTRs on adipocytes to suppress the white-to-beige transition gene program. Despite this direct antibeiging action, injected OXT reduces total body fat, likely through an action on OXT-ergic neurons. Consistent with an antiobesity action of OXT,Oxt−/−andOxtr−/−mice display increased total body fat. Overall, the actions of OXT on bone mass and body composition provide the framework for future therapies for osteoporosis and obesity.