The injury to the spinal cord is among the most complex fields of medical development. Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to acute loss of motor and sensory function beneath the injury level and is linked to a dismal prognosis. Currently, while a strategy that could heal the injured spinal cord remains unforeseen, the latest advancements in polymer-mediated approaches demonstrate promising treatment forms to remyelinate or regenerate the axons and to integrate new neural cells in the SCI. Moreover, they possess the capacity to locally deliver synergistic cells, growth factors (GFs) therapies and bioactive substances, which play a critical role in neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. Here, we provide an extensive overview of the SCI characteristics, the pathophysiology of SCI, and strategies and challenges for the treatment of SCI in a review. This review highlights the recent encouraging applications of polymer-based scaffolds in developing the novel SCI therapy.
Sponges with highly absorptive properties
have been widely used
in emergency hemostasis. Graphene oxide (GO) has been extensively
investigated in biomedical applications and is a promising candidate
for hemostatic sponges. However, GO has been demonstrated to have
adverse effects on the human body. To overcome this problem, a hemostatic
sponge based on modified GO and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) is successfully
prepared, which has excellent water absorption ability and mechanical
strength. Importantly, hemostasis assays showed that the composite
sponge exhibited high hemostatic efficiency, and the possible hemostatic
mechanism is also discussed in this study. Moreover, the results of
in vitro antibacterial tests reveal that the composite sponge also
presents strong antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus
aureus and Escherichia coli. Significantly, the composited sponge used as hemostatic dressing
can effectively promote cell proliferation, achieving a wound closure
rate of 95% on day 12. Such a graphene-based sponge with multiple
advantageous features would hold broad prospects in the hemostatic
field.
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