Pilot Evaluation of Silicone Surrogates for Oral Mucosa Simulation in Craniofacial Surgical Training.

Surgical simulators are crucial in early craniofacial and plastic surgical training, necessitating synthetic materials that accurately replicate tissue properties. Recent critiques of our lab's currently deployed silicone surrogate have highlighted numerous areas for improvement. To further refine our models, our group's objective is to find a composition of materials that is closest in fidelity to native oral mucosa during surgical rehearsal by expert craniofacial surgeons.

Raman Spectral Analysis in the CH-Stretching Region as a Guiding Beacon for Non-Targeted, Disruption-Free Monitoring of Germination and Biofilm Formation in the Green Seaweed Ulva.

Raman spectroscopy was used to study the complex interactions and morphogenesis of the green seaweed Ulva (Chlorophyta) and its associated bacteria under controlled conditions in a reductionist model system. Integrating multiple imaging techniques contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of these biological processes. Therefore, Raman spectroscopy was introduced as a non-invasive, label-free tool for examining chemical information of the tripartite community Ulva mutabilis-Roseovarius sp.

Effects of saline submersion at body temperature on airway supportive devices including a novel nasopharyngeal device produced using 3D-printing.

Purpose: This study investigated dimension changes of various nasopharyngeal airways, including a novel self-supporting device, after saline submersion at body temperature to simulate in-vivo use. Dimension changes over time may reduce efficacy during long-term use and require sizing adjustments or limits on duration of use.

Materials And Methods: Cuffless Covidien endotracheal tubes, pediatric Rusch fixed flange polyvinyl chloride nasal airway tubes, pediatric Rusch Robertazzi style Mediprene nasal airway tubes, and novel silicone elastomer self-supporting nasopharyngeal airways were fully submerged in 0.