Central nervous system (CNS) regeneration with central neuronal connections and restoration of synaptic connections has been a long-standing worldwide problem and, to date, no effective clinical therapies are widely accepted for CNS injuries. The limited regenerative capacity of the CNS results from the growth-inhibitory environment that impedes the regrowth of axons. Central neural tissue engineering has attracted extensive attention from multi-disciplinary scientists in recent years, and many studies have been carried out to develop cell-and regenerationactivating biomaterial scaffolds that create an artificial micro-environment suitable for axonal regeneration. Among all the biomaterials, hyaluronic acid (HA) is a promising candidate for central neural tissue engineering because of its unique physico-chemical and biological properties. This review attempts to outline current biomaterials-based strategies for CNS regeneration from a tissue engineering point of view and discusses the main progresses in research of HA-based scaffolds for central neural tissue engineering in detail.

This review systematically summarizes recent studies on Fe-based biodegradable metallic materials and discusses these findings in terms of their processing methods, mechanical properties, degradability and biocompatibility.

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Cross-linked protein crystal technology, as either a protein stabilisation or enzyme immobilisation method, has garnered more attention recently. This method not only can retain the original activity of the protein molecule but can also significantly enhance the crystals' mechanical and chemical stability. This review presents the preparation and mechanism of cross-linked protein crystals using glutaraldehyde. The mechanical, chemical and thermal properties of the cross-linked protein crystals are also reviewed in detail. In addition, this paper summarises the applications of cross-linked protein crystals in the fields of materials science, biosensors, chromatographic analysis, oral delivery and protein crystal quality improvement. Finally, the limitations and perspectives on cross-linked protein crystals are presented.Crystallisation is a well-known approach to obtain highly puri-ed proteins. During crystallisation, protein molecules can be Fig. 2 A schematic diagram of the polymerisation of glutaraldehyde. 21This journal is

Growth factor (GF) therapy has shown promise in treating a variety of refractory wounds. However, evidence supporting its routine use in burn injury remains uncertain. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis assessing randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate efficacy and safety of GFs in the management of partial-thickness burns. Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed and the Cochrane databases. Endpoint results analysed included wound healing and scar formation. Thirteen studies comprising a total of 1924 participants with 2130 wounds (1131 GF receiving patients versus 999 controls) were identified and included, evaluating the effect of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on partial-thickness burns. Topical application of these agents significantly reduced healing time by 5·02 (95% confidence interval, 2·62 to 7·42), 3·12 (95% CI, 1·11 to 5·13) and 5·1 (95% CI, 4·02 to 6·18) days, respectively, compared with standard wound care alone. In addition, scar improvement following therapy with FGF and EGF was evident in terms of pigmentation, pliability, height and vascularity. No significant increase in adverse events was observed in patients receiving GFs. These results suggested that GF therapy could be an effective and safe add-on to standard wound care for partial-thickness burns. High-quality, adequately powered trials are needed to further confirm the conclusion.