Automatic positioning of cutting planes for bone tumor resection surgery.

In bone tumor resection surgery, patient-specific cutting guides aid the surgeon in the resection of a precise part of the bone. Despite the use of automation methodologies in surgical guide modeling, to date, the placement of cutting planes is a manual task. This work presents an algorithm for the automatic positioning of cutting planes to reduce healthy bone resected and thus improve post-operative outcomes.

In Vitro Investigation of Biological and Toxic Effects of 4-Octylphenol on Human Cells.

Alkylphenols are byproducts of anthropogenic activities that widely contaminate waters, soils and air; among them, the most represented are 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and 4-octylphenol (4-OP). These compounds tend to bioaccumulate in animal and plant tissues and also represent a risk to human health. Indeed, humans are constantly exposed to alkylphenols through ingestion of contaminated water and food, inhalation and dermal absorption.

Morphology and Applications of Self-Assembled Peptide Nucleic Acids.

Obtaining new materials by exploiting the self-assembly of biomolecules is a very challenging field. In recent years, short peptides and nucleic acids have been used as scaffolds to produce supramolecular structures for different applications in the biomedical and technological fields. In this review, we will focus on the self-assembly of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), their conjugates with peptides, or other molecules.

Trends in Asbestos Exposure and Malignant Mesothelioma Incidence in Emilia-Romagna Italy: A Retrospective Study 1996-2023.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare but lethal cancer strongly associated with asbestos exposure. This retrospective study examines trends in asbestos exposure in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy. Between 1996 and 2023, 3,513 cases of MM were recorded, predominantly in males (72%) and in older than 65 years (79%).

Mn vs Co substitution into β-TCP: Structural details and bone cells response.

This work investigated the range of substitution of two biologically relevant ions, namely Mn and Co, into the structure of β-tricalcium phosphate, as well as their influence on bone cells response. To this aim, β-TCP was synthesized by solid state reaction in the presence of increasing amount of the substituent ions. The results of the X-ray diffraction analysis reveal that just limited amounts of these ions can enter into the β-TCP structure: 15 at% and 20 at% for cobalt and manganese, respectively.