3D Printing for Cartilage Replacement: A Preliminary Study to Explore New Polymers.

The use of additive manufacturing technologies for biomedical applications must begin with the knowledge of the material to be used, by envisaging a very specific application rather than a more general aim. In this work, the preliminary study was focused on considering the cartilaginous tissue. This biological tissue exhibits different characteristics, such as thickness and mechanical properties, depending on its specific function in the body.

Sandwich Multi-Material 3D-Printed Polymers: Influence of Aging on the Impact and Flexure Resistances.

With the advances in new materials, equipment, and processes, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained increased importance for producing the final parts that are used in several industrial areas, such as automotive, aeronautics, and health. The constant development of 3D-printing equipment allows for printing multi-material systems as sandwich specimens using, for example, double-nozzle configurations. The present study aimed to compare the mechanical behavior of multi-material specimens that were produced using a double-nozzle 3D printer.

Electroactive Polymers Obtained by Conventional and Non-Conventional Technologies.

Electroactive polymers (EAPs), materials that present size/shape alteration in response to an electrical stimulus, are currently being explored regarding advanced smart devices, namely robotics, valves, soft actuators, artificial muscles, and electromechanical sensors. They are generally prepared through conventional techniques (e.g.

Influence of Build Orientation, Geometry and Artificial Saliva Aging on the Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Poly(ε-caprolactone).

Additive manufacturing of polymers has evolved from rapid prototyping to the production of functional components/parts with applications in distinct areas, ranging from health to aeronautics. The possibility of producing complex customized geometries with less environmental impact is one of the critical factors that leveraged the exponential growth of this processing technology. Among the several processing parameters that influence the properties of the parts, the geometry (shape factor) is amid less reported.

Evaluation of hemorheological parameters as biomarkers of calcium metabolism and insulin resistance in postmenopausal women.

Background: Calcium, vitamin D and insulin resistance are linked to osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in menopause.

Objective: Determine if hemorheological parameters related to blood viscosity in microcirculation are linked to calcium metabolism and insulin resistance in menopause.

Methods: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)), 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1, 25(OH)2D), parathyroid hormone, ionized calcium, glucose, insulin and hemoglobin A1c were measured in blood from 43 volunteers.

Polymeric Coatings with Antimicrobial Activity: A Short Review.

The actual situation of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics and pandemics caused by a virus makes research in the area of antimicrobial and antiviral materials and surfaces more urgent than ever. Several strategies can be pursued to attain such properties using different classes of materials. This review focuses on polymeric materials that are applied as coatings onto pre-existing components/parts mainly to inhibit microbial activity, but polymer surfaces with biocidal properties can be reported.

Should we use extracorporeal photopheresis more often? Evidence from graft-versus-host disease patients monitored with Treg as a biomarker.

Background: Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) is a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is an immunotherapy treatment for cGvHD, although suitable response biomarkers are lacking.

Materials & Methods: We analyzed data from six cGvHD patients undergoing ECP at a reference center from 826 to 2866 days.

3D printing goes greener: Study of the properties of post-consumer recycled polymers for the manufacturing of engineering components.

This study concerns the evaluation of several properties/characteristics of 3D printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer and acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS) copolymer, recycled from food packages and car dashboards, respectively. The aim is to evaluate the potential of recycled polymers that are recovered from solid polymer waste (SPW) to be reused for functional components/parts for add-value applications. The study compared the performance of the recycled material with the obtained from the 3D printing of virgin polymer.

Present Status in Polymeric Mouthguards. A Future Area for Additive Manufacturing?

Athletes from contact sports are more prone to orofacial injuries because of the exposure to possible shocks and collisions derived from physical proximity. The use of protector polymeric mouthguards proved to be useful in the prevention of the described injuries. There are different types of mouthguards with varying ranges of protection and prices, but they are all made from polymers and share the same propose: to absorb and dissipate the impact energy resulting from the shocks.

Stem cells out of the bag: characterization of expanded mesenchymal stromal cells for possible clinical use.

Aim: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are a promising tool for cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. One major difficulty in establishing a MSC expansion protocol is the large volume of bone marrow (BM) required. We studied whether cells trapped within a collection bag and filter system could be considered as a source of MSC.

Dextran-based tube-guides for the regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve after neurotmesis injury.

In this work, dextran-based nerve tube-guides were prepared, characterized and used in a standardized animal model of neurotmesis injury. Non-porous and porous transparent tube-guides were obtained by photocrosslinking of two co-macromonomers based on dextran and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Swelling capacity of the tube-guides ranged from 40-60% with no visible constriction of their inner diameter.

CONJUNCTIVAL BACTERIAL FLORA, ANTIBIOGRAM, AND LACRIMAL PRODUCTION TESTS OF COLLARED ANTEATER (TAMANDUA TETRADACTYLA).

The collared anteater ( Tamandua tetradactyla ) is adapted to a variety of habitats. It is a solitary species for which no reference values for ophthalmic tests have been established. Eight animals ranging from 1 to 4 yr of age, two males and six females, were manually restrained for assessment.

New perspectives on the conservative management of osteoradionecrosis of the mandible: A literature review.

Over the last decades, several therapeutic options were considered in the treatment of the osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible, including supportive measures, ultrasound therapy, corticosteroids, hyperbaric oxygen, surgical resection with reconstruction, and, more recently, drugs capable of reversing the fibroatrophic process. Once established, the ORN does not spontaneously disappear and a standard treatment has not yet been defined. The clear clinical effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) varies according to the literature and there are some economic/logistic issues to be considered; the triplet tocopherol/pentoxifylline/clodronate demands greater evidence from randomized clinical trials and also resilience from the patient, given the long treatment duration and its possible side effects.

Peripheral Nerve Regeneration: Current Status and New Strategies Using Polymeric Materials.

Experiments concerning peripheral nerve regeneration have been reported since the end of the 19 century. The need to implement an effective surgical procedure in terms of functional recovery has resulted in the appearance of several approaches to solve this problem. Nerve autograft was the first approach studied and is still considered the gold standard.

Are Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Caregivers at Higher Risk for Health Problems?

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons. Patients present with progressive physical impairment, respiratory failure being the main cause of death. A significant portion of patients presents neurobehavioral problems as well.

Zeta potential, contact angles, and AFM imaging of protein conformation adsorbed on hybrid nanocomposite surfaces.

The sputtering deposition of gold (Au) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) was used to prepare a nanocomposite hybrid thin film suitable for protein adsorption while maintaining the native conformation of the biological material. The monolithic PTFE and the nanocomposite PTFE/Au thin films, with Au content up to 1 at %, were co-deposited by r.f.

[Leg ulcer: conservative treatment].

During 16 years 202 patients with leg ulcer have been studied prospectively. Whenever possible, cure has been obtained in ambulatory, which was the main objective. Surgery was preferentially made after the cure of the ulcer.