Exploring the thermally-controlled fentanyl transdermal therapy to provide constant drug delivery by physics-based digital twins.

Transdermal drug delivery is suitable for low-molecular-weight drugs with specific lipophilicity, like fentanyl, which is widely used for cancer-induced pain management. However, fentanyl's transdermal therapy displays high intra-individual variability. Factors like skin characteristics at application sites and ambient temperature contribute to this variation.

Understanding multiscale structure-property correlations in PVDF-HFP electrospun fiber membranes by SAXS and WAXS.

Electrospinning is a versatile technique to produce nanofibrous membranes with applications in filtration, biosensing, biomedical and tissue engineering. The structural and therefore physical properties of electrospun fibers can be finely tuned by changing the electrospinning parameters. The large parameter window makes it challenging to optimize the properties of fibers for a specific application.

Lattice Strain and Defects Analysis in Nanostructured Semiconductor Materials and Devices by High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction: Theoretical and Practical Aspects.

The reliability of semiconductor materials with electrical and optical properties are connected to their structures. The elastic strain field and tilt analysis of the crystal lattice, detectable by the variation in position and shape of the diffraction peaks, is used to quantify defects and investigate their mobility. The exploitation of high-resolution X-ray diffraction-based methods for the evaluation of structural defects in semiconductor materials and devices is reviewed.

Multiscale and multimodal X-ray analysis: Quantifying phase orientation and morphology of mineralized turkey leg tendons.

Fibrous biocomposites like bone and tendons exhibit a hierarchical arrangement of their components ranging from the macroscale down to the molecular level. The multiscale complex morphology, together with the correlated orientation of their constituents, contributes significantly to the outstanding mechanical properties of these biomaterials. In this study, a systematic road map is provided to quantify the hierarchical structure of a mineralized turkey leg tendon (MTLT) in a holistic multiscale evaluation by combining micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD).

It's worth cleaning - The examination of the female taper could identify a particular cause of trunnionosis at revision 16 years after total hip arthroplasty.

Adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD) is an issue in metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip replacements (THR). It mainly affects large-head MoM THR, whereas 28-32 mm MoM pairings are associated with low long-term revision rates. However, the bearing surface is not necessarily the only cause of metal debris.

New Insights into Osteointegration and Delamination from a Multidisciplinary Investigation of a Failed Hydroxyapatite-Coated Hip Joint Replacement.

Unlabelled: Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have become very popular in uncemented total hip arthroplasty (THA). Analysis of retrievals and tissue samples from an HA-coated femoral stem, which failed within 14 months after THA, provides exceptional insights into the failure mechanism, as well as the process of osteointegration of such an implant.

Methods: Retrievals were photo-documented.

Responsive Nanofibers with Embedded Hierarchical Lipid Self-Assemblies.

We introduce the design and study of a hybrid electrospun membrane with a dedicated nanoscale structural hierarchy for controlled functions in the biomedical domain. The hybrid system comprises submicrometer-sized internally self-assembled lipid nanoparticles (ISAsomes or mesosomes) embedded into the electrospun membrane with a nanofibrous polymer network. The internal structure of ISAsomes, studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and electron microscopy, demonstrated a spontaneous response to variations in the environmental conditions as they undergo a bicontinuous inverse cubic phase (cubosomes) in solution to a crystalline lamellar phase in the polymer membrane; nevertheless, this phase reorganization is reversible.

Polarimetric imaging in backscattering for the structural characterization of strongly scattering birefringent fibrous media.

Interpreting the polarimetric data from fiber-like macromolecules constitutive of tissue can be difficult due to strong scattering. In this study, we probed the superficial layers of fibrous tissue models (membranes consisting of nanofibers) displaying varying degrees of alignment. To better understand the manifestation of membranes' degree of alignment in polarimetry, we analyzed the spatial variations of the backscattered light's Stokes vectors as a function of the orientation of the probing beam's linear polarization.

Nylon-6/chitosan core/shell antimicrobial nanofibers for the prevention of mesh-associated surgical site infection.

The state-of-the-art hernia meshes, used in hospitals for hernia repair, are predominantly polymeric textile-based constructs that present high mechanical strength, but lack antimicrobial properties. Consequently, preventing bacterial colonization of implanted prosthetic meshes is of major clinical relevance for patients undergoing hernia repair. In this study, the co-axial electrospinning technique was investigated for the development of a novel mechanically stable structure incorporating dual drug release antimicrobial action.

Bone mineral density, mechanical properties, and trabecular orientation of cancellous bone within humeral heads affected by advanced shoulder arthropathy.

The mechanical properties of cancellous bone in the humeral head are increasingly interesting due to the increased popularity of stemless prosthetic fixation in the cancellous bone of the metaphysis. Age or pathology-related systemic osteoporosis, inactivity, or pathology of the shoulder joint may influence the primary bonding of implants that rely on good cancellous bone quality. We assessed the bone mineral density (BMD) and anisotropy using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) (0.

Polymer Membranes Sonocoated and Electrosprayed with Nano-Hydroxyapatite for Periodontal Tissues Regeneration.

Diseases of periodontal tissues are a considerable clinical problem, connected with inflammatory processes and bone loss. The healing process often requires reconstruction of lost bone in the periodontal area. For that purpose, various membranes are used to prevent ingrowth of epithelium in the tissue defect and enhance bone regeneration.

Nano-analytical characterization of endogenous minerals in healthy placental tissue: mineral distribution, composition and ultrastructure.

Despite its crucial role, the placenta is the least understood human organ. Recent clinical studies indicate a direct association between placental calcification and maternal and offspring health. This study reveals distinct characteristics of minerals formed during gestational ageing using cutting-edge nano-analytical characterization and paves the way for investigations focused on the identification of potential markers for disease risks in a clinical setting based on atypical placental mineral fingerprints.

Structural insights into semicrystalline states of electrospun nanofibers: a multiscale analytical approach.

A dedicated nanofiber design for applications in the biomedical domain is based on the understanding of nanofiber structures. The structure of electrospun nanofibers strongly influences their properties and functionalities. In polymeric nanofibers X-ray scattering and diffraction methods, i.

Surface tension and viscosity of liquid PdCuNiP measured in a levitation device under microgravity.

Here we present measurements of surface tension and viscosity of the bulk glass-forming alloy PdCuNiP performed during containerless processing under reduced gravity. We applied the oscillating drop method in an electromagnetic levitation facility on board of parabolic flights. The measured viscosity exhibits a pronounced temperature dependence following an Arrhenius law over a temperature range from 1100 K to 1450 K.

MEMS testing: correlation of high-resolution X-ray diffraction with mechanical experiments and finite element analysis.

New methods are needed in microsystems technology for evaluating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) because of their reduced size. The assessment and characterization of mechanical and structural relations of MEMS are essential to assure the long-term functioning of devices, and have a significant impact on design and fabrication. Within this study a concept for the investigation of mechanically loaded MEMS materials on an atomic level is introduced, combining high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements with finite element analysis (FEA) and mechanical testing.

Silicon etch with chromium ions generated by a filtered or non-filtered cathodic arc discharge.

The pre-treatment of substrate surfaces prior to deposition is important for the adhesion of physical vapour deposition coatings. This work investigates Si surfaces after the bombardment by energetic Cr ions which are created in cathodic arc discharges. The effect of the pre-treatment is analysed by X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and in-depth X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and compared for Cr vapour produced from a filtered and non-filtered cathodic arc discharge.

Perfect crystals grown from imperfect interfaces.

The fabrication of advanced devices increasingly requires materials with different properties to be combined in the form of monolithic heterostructures. In practice this means growing epitaxial semiconductor layers on substrates often greatly differing in lattice parameters and thermal expansion coefficients. With increasing layer thickness the relaxation of misfit and thermal strains may cause dislocations, substrate bowing and even layer cracking.

Clinical applications of glass-ceramics in dentistry.

Glass-ceramics featuring special properties can be used as a basis to develop biomaterials. It is generally differentiated between highly durable biomaterials for restorative dental applications and bioactive glass-ceramics for medical use, for example, bone replacements. In detail, this paper presents one biomaterial from each of these two groups of materials.