A Review of Conventional and Novel Treatments for Osteoporotic Hip Replacements.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease that severely affects the mechanical properties of bone. It increases the porosity of cancellous bone and reduces the resistance to fractures. It has been reported in 2009 that there are approximately 500 million osteoporotic patients worldwide.

Aromatic Stacking Facilitated Self-Assembly of Ultrashort Ionic Complementary Peptide Sequence: β-Sheet Nanofibers with Remarkable Gelation and Interfacial Properties.

Understanding peptide self-assembly mechanisms and stability of the formed assemblies is crucial for the development of functional nanomaterials. Herein, we have adopted a rational design approach to demonstrate how a minimal structural modification to a nonassembling ultrashort ionic self-complementary tetrapeptide EK (Phe4) remarkably enhanced the stability of self-assembly into β-sheet nanofibers and induced hydrogelation. This was achieved by replacing flexible phenylalanine residue () by the rigid phenylglycine (), resulting in a constrained analogue EK (Phg4), which positioned aromatic rings in an orientation favorable for aromatic stacking.

Polylysine Enriched Matrices: A Promising Approach for Vascular Grafts.

Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death in developed countries. Modern surgical methods show poor efficiency in the substitution of small-diameter arteries (<6 mm). Due to the difference in mechanical properties between the native artery and the substitute, the behavior of the vessel wall is a major cause of inefficient substitutions.

Methylcellulose Hydrogel with Essential Oil as a Potential Treatment for Oral Candidiasis.

spp. are the most prevalent fungi of the human microbiota and are opportunistic pathogens that can cause oral candidiasis. Management of such infections is limited due to the low number of antifungal drugs available, their relatively high toxicity and the emergence of antifungal resistance.

Bioinspired Materials 2018: Conference Report.

The Bioinspired Materials conference 2018 was organized for the third time by a team of researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University. This international conference aims to bring together the scientific committee in the fields of biomimetic sensors, bioinspired materials, materials chemistry, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and tissue engineering. The 2018 edition was held at the John Dalton Building of Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK, and took place on the 10th of October 2018.

Small diameter helical vascular scaffolds support endothelial cell survival.

There is an acute clinical need for small-diameter vascular grafts as a treatment option for cardiovascular disease. Here, we used an intelligent design system to recreate the natural structure and hemodynamics of small arteries. Nano-fibrous tubular scaffolds were fabricated from blends of polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin with inner helices to allow a near physiological spiral flow profile, using the electrospinning technique.

Three-dimensional visualisation of soft biological structures by X-ray computed micro-tomography.

Whereas the two-dimensional (2D) visualisation of biological samples is routine, three-dimensional (3D) imaging remains a time-consuming and relatively specialised pursuit. Current commonly adopted techniques for characterising the 3D structure of non-calcified tissues and biomaterials include optical and electron microscopy of serial sections and sectioned block faces, and the visualisation of intact samples by confocal microscopy or electron tomography. As an alternative to these approaches, X-ray computed micro-tomography (microCT) can both rapidly image the internal 3D structure of macroscopic volumes at sub-micron resolutions and visualise dynamic changes in living tissues at a microsecond scale.

Modeling and design of optimal flow perfusion bioreactors for tissue engineering applications.

Perfusion bioreactors have been used in different tissue engineering applications because of their consistent distribution of nutrients and flow-induced shear stress within the tissue-engineering scaffold. A widely used configuration uses a scaffold with a circular cross-section enclosed within a cylindrical chamber and inlet and outlet pipes which are connected to the chamber on either side through which media is continuously circulated. However, fluid-flow experiments and simulations have shown that the majority of the flow perfuses through the center.

3D sample preparation for orthopaedic tissue engineering bioreactors.

There are several types of bioreactors currently available for the culture of orthopaedic tissue engineered constructs. These vary from the simple to the complex in design and culture. Preparation of samples for bioreactors varies depending on the system being used.