Cartilage defects (CDs) and the most common joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA), are characterized by degeneration of the articular cartilage that ultimately leads to joint destruction. Current treatment strategies are inadequate: none results in restoration of fully functional hyaline cartilage, for uncertain long-term prognosis. Tissue engineering of cartilage with auto-cartilage cells or appropriate mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived cartilage cells is currently being investigated to search for new therapies. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an autologous source of factors obtained by centrifugation, possesses various functions. For culture of MSCs and cartilage cells, it might be substituted for fetal bovine serum (FBS) with high efficiency and safety. It enhances the regeneration of cartilage cells when added to cartilage tissue engineering constructs for repairing CDs and as regenerative injection therapy for OA. But challenges also remain. Some of the growth factors (GFs) present in PRP have negative effects on the OA joint. It is therefore unlikely that a mix of GFs some of which have negative effects in the OA joint, as present in PRP, will be of benefit in OA. Future directions of PRP application may concentrate on seeking an appropriate and innocuous agent like anti-VEGF antibody that can modulate and control the effect of PRP.

Through layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of a graphene oxide (GO) suspension on a semicontinuous ZIF-8 layer, we have developed a novel bicontinuous ZIF-8@GO membrane. Since only the gaps between the ZIF-8 crystals are sealed by the GO layer due to capillary forces and covalent bonds, the gas molecules can only permeate through the ZIF-8 micropore system (0.34 nm). Therefore, the ZIF-8@GO membranes show high hydrogen selectivity. At 250 °C and 1 bar, the mixture separation factors of H2/CO2, H2/N2, H2/CH4, and H2/C3H8 are 14.9, 90.5, 139.1, and 3816.6, with H2 permeances of about 1.3 × 10(-7) mol·m(-2)·s(-1)·Pa(-1), which is promising for hydrogen separation and purification by molecular sieving.

Peripheral nerve regeneration remains one of the greatest challenges in regenerative medicine. Deprivation of sensory and/or motor functions often occurs with severe injuries even treated by the most advanced microsurgical intervention. Although electrical stimulation represents an essential nonpharmacological therapy that proved to be beneficial for nerve regeneration, the postoperative delivery at surgical sites remains daunting. Here, a fully biodegradable, self-electrified, and miniaturized device composed of dissolvable galvanic cells on a biodegradable scaffold is achieved, which can offer both structural guidance and electrical cues for peripheral nerve regeneration. The electroactive device can provide sustained electrical stimuli beyond intraoperative window, which can promote calcium activity, repopulation of Schwann cells, and neurotrophic factors. Successful motor functional recovery is accomplished with the electroactive device in behaving rodent models. The presented materials options and device schemes provide important insights into self-powered electronic medicine that can be critical for various types of tissue regeneration and functional restoration.

This study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi (TC) and whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise in sarcopenic men in advanced old age. Ninety sarcopenic men (mean age 88.6 years; age range 85-101 years) were divided into three groups: TC group, WBV group, and control (CON) group. Patients in the two treatment groups received 8 weeks of training in either TC or WBV, while the control group received reminders not to change their level of physical exercise or lifestyle. Patients in all groups also received health information related to sarcopenia. Muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance [balance, gait speed, timed-up-and-go test (TUGT), and five-times-sit-to-stand test (FTSST)] were analyzed and compared among the three groups. Finally, seventy-nine subjects completed the study (TC n = 24; WBV n = 28; and CON 27). Muscle strength was significantly increased in the TC and WBV groups compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Following 8 weeks of exercise, improvements were observed in all physical performance tests for the TC and WBV groups (P < 0.05). The improvement in balance was greater in the TC group than the WBV group. Time × Group effects revealed significant improvements in muscle strength in the lower extremities (P < 0.05) and physical performance (P < 0.01) in both the TC and WBV groups. Changes in muscle mass, as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, did not significantly differ between groups. These findings indicate that TC and WBV are effective treatments for improving muscle strength and physical performance in sarcopenic men in advanced old age.