Proteinaceous microstructure in a capillary: a study of non-linear bending dynamics.

The flap of bendable structures under continuous flow impacts a variety of fields, ranging from energy harvesting to active mixing in microfluidic devices. Similar physical principles determine the flapping dynamics in a variety of systems with different sizes, but a thorough investigation of the bending dynamics at the microscale is still lacking. We employ here two-photon laser polymerization to fabricate elongated proteinaceous flexible microstructures directly within a micro-capillary and we characterize their bending dynamics.

Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials.

The possibility to shape stimulus-responsive optical polymers, especially hydrogels, by means of laser 3D printing and ablation is fostering a new concept of "smart" micro-devices that can be used for imaging, thermal stimulation, energy transducing and sensing. The composition of these polymeric blends is an essential parameter to tune their properties as actuators and/or sensing platforms and to determine the elasto-mechanical characteristics of the printed hydrogel. In light of the increasing demand for micro-devices for nanomedicine and personalized medicine, interest is growing in the combination of composite and hybrid photo-responsive materials and digital micro-/nano-manufacturing.

Psychological stress effects on myelin degradation in the cuprizone-induced model of demyelination.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is known as the most common demyelinating disease worldwide in which previous studies have shown that stress is a risk factor for the disease's onset and progression. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to investigate the consequences of stress in MS pathology. In this study, after 5 days of exposure to psychological and physical stress as a repetitive distress modality, rats were treated with cuprizone.