3D printed PCL-nHAp composite implants for the treatment of segmental bone defects: in vivo application in a rabbit model.

The management and treatment of long bone defects are challenging clinical problems. In this study, in order to address the need for load bearing segmental defects, 3D printed cylindrical implants of poly(-caprolactone) (PCL) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) composites were prepared and applied as lateral segments to the femurs of New Zealand white rabbits. The results obtained after 6 weeks of implantation were compared with the autografts.

Development of a Tri-Layered Vascular Construct and In Vitro Evaluation of Endothelization.

Advances in the development of vascular substitutes for small-sized arteries are ongoing because the present grafts do not entirely meet the requirements of native equivalents and are suboptimal in clinical performance. This study aims to develop a tri-layered vascular construct mimicking natural tissue using polyester blends and to investigate its endothelization through in vitro studies as a potential small-caliber vascular graft. The innermost layer is obtained by dip coating as a tubular porous film with a lumen diameter of 3 mm and a pore size of ≤8 µm.

Advances in Blood-Air Barrier Models and the Use of Nanoparticles in COVID-19 Research.

Respiratory infections caused by coronaviruses (CoVs) have become a major public health concern in the past two decades as revealed by the emergence of SARS-CoV in 2002, MERS-CoV in 2012, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. The most severe clinical phenotypes commonly arise from exacerbation of immune response following the infection of alveolar epithelial cells localized at the pulmonary blood-air barrier. Preclinical rodent models do not adequately represent the essential genetic properties of the barrier, thus necessitating the use of humanized transgenic models.

Workplace flexibility, work-family interface, and psychological distress: differences by family caregiving obligations and gender.

Drawing on data from the 2008 U.S. National Study of the Changing Workforce, this study (1) examines the associations between access to three types of flexible working arrangements-flextime, flexplace, and culture of flexibility-and psychological distress, (2) tests the mediating roles of work-family conflict and work-family enrichment, and (3) investigates whether these relationships differ by workers' childcare or elder-care obligations as they intersect with gender.

Metronidazole induced cerebellar toxicity after prolonged treatment of large multiloculated pyogenic liver abscess; A case report and literature review.

Metronidazole is a common antibiotic agent for hepatic abscesses, which require both gram-negative and anaerobic coverage. Rarely, this antibiotic has been found to induce encephalopathy. Here, we describe a 65-year-old male who was treated with metronidazole for his hepatic abscess, who presented with syncope and questionable seizure and was found to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain findings consistent with metronidazole toxicity.

A Rare Case of Paraneoplastic Syndrome of Inappropriate Secretion of Antidiuretic Hormone in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma; A Case Report nd Literature Review.

SIADH is more commonly associated with small cell lung cancer but has also been associated with other malignancies such as oropharyngeal, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, endocrine, lymphomas, and sarcomas. There have been few reports of small cell carcinoma of the cervix complicated by SIADH; however, not many cases are associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. We present a case of a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix with a paraneoplastic syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone.

Work-family conflict and depressive symptoms among dual-earner couples in Germany: A dyadic and longitudinal analysis.

This study contributes to the existing literature by testing the longitudinal effects of both types of work-family conflict (i.e., work-to-family conflict [WTFC] and family-to-work conflict [FTWC]) on depressive symptoms, using data from three waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam) survey collected over a four-year period.

Fabrication of a 3D Printed PCL Nerve Guide: In Vitro and In Vivo Testing.

Nerve guides are medical devices designed to guide proximal and distal ends of injured peripheral nerves in order to assist regeneration of the damaged nerves. A 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) nerve guide using an aligned gelatin-poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) electrospun mat, seeded with PC12 and Schwann cells (SCs) is produced. During characterization with microCT and SEM porosity (55%), pore sizes (675 ± 40 µm), and fiber diameters (382 ± 25 µm) are determined.

CD4+ and CD25+ T-cell response to short-time interferon-beta therapy on IL10, IL23A and FOXP3 genes in multiple sclerosis patients.

Aim Of The Study: Interferon-beta (IFN-β), multiple sclerosis (MS) drug for years, does not have therapeutic effects on each patient. Yet, a considerable portion has experienced no therapeutic response to IFN-β. Therefore, it is necessary to determine disease-specific biomarkers that affect drug response.

An in vitro 3D diabetic human skin model from diabetic primary cells.

Diabetes mellitus, a complex metabolic disorder, leads to many health complications like kidney failure, diabetic heart disease, stroke, and foot ulcers. Treatment approaches of diabetes and identification of the mechanisms underlying diabetic complications of the skin have gained importance due to continued rapid increase in the diabetes incidence. A thick and pre-vascularized in vitro 3D type 2 diabetic human skin model (DHSM) was developed in this study.

Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being among German Couples: A Longitudinal and Dyadic Approach.

This study examines dual-earner couples to determine whether changes in work-family conflict predict changes in one's own (i.e., actor effects) or partner's (i.

3D and 4D Printing of Polymers for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) and Four-dimensional (4D) printing emerged as the next generation of fabrication techniques, spanning across various research areas, such as engineering, chemistry, biology, computer science, and materials science. Three-dimensional printing enables the fabrication of complex forms with high precision, through a layer-by-layer addition of different materials. Use of intelligent materials which change shape or color, produce an electrical current, become bioactive, or perform an intended function in response to an external stimulus, paves the way for the production of dynamic 3D structures, which is now called 4D printing.

A novel GelMA-pHEMA hydrogel nerve guide for the treatment of peripheral nerve damages.

Damage to the nervous system due to age, diseases or trauma may inhibit signal transfer along the nervous system. Nerve guides are used to treat these injuries by bridging the proximal and the distal end together. The design of the guide is very important for the reconnection of the severed axons.

3D printed poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds modified with hydroxyapatite and poly(propylene fumarate) and their effects on the healing of rabbit femur defects.

A large variety of approaches have been used to treat large and irregular shaped bone defects with less than optimal success due to material or design issues. In recent years patient specific constructs prepared by additive manufacturing provided a solution to the need for shaping implants to fit irregular defects in the surgery theater. In this study, cylindrical disks of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were printed by fused deposition modeling and modified with nanohydroxyapatite (HAp) and poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) to create a mechanically strong implant with well-defined pore size and porosity, controllable surface hydrophilicity (with PPF) and osteoconductivity (with HAp).

Prediction of acid mine drainage generation potential of various lithologies using static tests: Etili coal mine (NW Turkey) as a case study.

The Etili neighborhood in Can County (northwestern Turkey) has large reserves of coal and has been the site of many small- to medium-scale mining operations since the 1980s. Some of these have ceased working while others continue to operate. Once activities cease, the mining facilities and fields are usually abandoned without rehabilitation.

Laparoscopic anterior resection: new anastomosis technique in a pig model.

Background And Objectives: Bowel anastomosis after anterior resection is one of the most difficult tasks to perform during laparoscopic colorectal surgery. This study aims to evaluate a new feasible and safe intracorporeal anastomosis technique after laparoscopic left-sided colon or rectum resection in a pig model.

Methods: The technique was evaluated in 5 pigs.

Geochemical characterization of acid mine lakes in northwest Turkey and their effect on the environment.

Mining activity generates a large quantity of mine waste. The potential hazard of mine waste depends on the host mineral. The tendency of mine waste to produce acid mine drainage (AMD) containing potentially toxic metals depends on the amounts of sulfide, carbonate minerals, and trace-element concentrations found in ore deposits.

Collagen scaffolds with in situ-grown calcium phosphate for osteogenic differentiation of Wharton's jelly and menstrual blood stem cells.

The aim of this research was to investigate the osteogenic differentiation potential of non-invasively obtained human stem cells on collagen nanocomposite scaffolds with in situ-grown calcium phosphate crystals. The foams had 70% porosity and pore sizes varying in the range 50-200 µm. The elastic modulus and compressive strength of the calcium phosphate containing collagen scaffolds were determined to be 234.

Tissue engineered, guided nerve tube consisting of aligned neural stem cells and astrocytes.

Injury of the nervous system, particularly in the spinal cord, impairs the quality of life of the patient by resulting in permanent loss of neurologic function. The main limitation in spinal cord regeneration is the lack of extracellular matrix to guide nerves for functional recovery of the transected nerve tissue. In the present study, a tissue engineered nerve tube was prepared by wrapping neural stem cells (NSCs) on aligned fibers using a micropatterned film with astrocytes aligned along the microgrooves to support the NSCs.

Polyester based nerve guidance conduit design.

Nerve conduits containing highly aligned architecture that mimics native tissues are essential for efficient regeneration of nerve injuries. In this study, a biodegradable nerve conduit was constructed by converting a porous micropatterned film (PHBV-P(L-D,L)LA-PLGA) into a tube wrapping aligned electrospun fibers (PHBV-PLGA). The polymers were chosen so that the protective tube would erode slower than the fibrous core to achieve complete healing before the tube eroded.

Morphometric study of a horseshoe kidney.

Objective: To describe a horseshoe kidney, a congenital anomaly of the upper urinary tract.

Clinical Presentation: A case study of horseshoe kidney harvested from a 62-year-old cadaver at Gazi University Medical School is presented.

Results: The right and left kidneys were fused at their lower poles by a parenchymal isthmus located ventral to the abdominal aorta and formed a U-shape with two unequal arms.

Numerical variation of the celiac trunk and anatomical variation in origin and course of the dorsal pancreatic artery.

A numerical anomaly of the celiac trunk and anatomical variation in origin, and course of the dorsal pancreatic artery were encountered during a routine upper abdomen dissection of a 62-year-old male cadaver. The aim of this study was to describe a rare celiac trunk and dorsal pancreatic artery variation in detail, which can be a guide and precaution during operative procedures in this region. The abdominal aorta, its branches and the pancreas were cut and removed just above the celiac trunk and below the superior mesenteric artery to investigate the vascular distribution of the pancreas in detail.

Posttraumatic, dissociative and grief symptoms in Turkish children exposed to the 1999 earthquakes.

Grief and dissociation after traumatic exposures are among the most important predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article introduces the Traumatic Dissociation and Grief Scale (TDGS), a 23-item measure easily administered. The TDGS, the Child PTSD-Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and a questionnaire concerning risk factors related to the event (losses, injury, and witnessing death and injuries) were administered to school-aged children who had been directly exposed to the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and to a nonexposed control group.