Eosinophils Respond to Extracellular Matrix Treated Muscle Injuries but are Not Required for Macrophage Polarization.

The immune response to decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) muscle injury is characterized by Th2 T cells, Tregs, M2-like macrophages, and an abundance of eosinophils. Eosinophils have previously been described as mediators of muscle regeneration but inhibit skin wound healing. In addition to response to wounding, a large number of eosinophils respond to biomaterial-treated muscle injury, specifically in response to decellularized ECM.

Conserved and tissue-specific immune responses to biologic scaffold implantation.

Upon implantation into a patient, any biomaterial induces a cascade of immune responses that influences the outcome of that device. This cascade depends upon several factors, including the composition of the material itself and the location in which the material is implanted. There is still significant uncertainty around the role of different tissue microenvironments in the immune response to biomaterials and how that may alter downstream scaffold remodeling and integration.

Underscoring the effect of swab type, workflow, and positive sample order on swab pooling for COVID-19 surveillance testing.

Sample pooling is a promising strategy to facilitate COVID-19 surveillance testing for a larger population in comparison to individual single testing due to resource and time constraints. Increased surveillance testing capacity will reduce the likelihood of outbreaks as the general population is returning to work, school, and other gatherings. We have analyzed the impact of three variables on the effectiveness of pooling test samples: swab type, workflow, and positive sample order.

Nasal Tissue Model for the Validation of Nasopharyngeal and Midturbinate Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Testing.

Large-scale population testing is a key tool to mitigate the spread of respiratory pathogens, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, where swabs are used to collect samples in the upper airways (e.g., nasopharyngeal and midturbinate nasal cavities) for diagnostics.

Preclinical Validation of a Novel Injection-Molded Swab for the Molecular Assay Detection of SARS-CoV-2.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, many actions have been undertaken to help ensure that patients and health care providers have timely and continued access to high-quality medical devices to respond effectively. The development and validation of new testing supplies and equipment, including collection swabs, has helped to expand the availability and capability for various diagnostic, therapeutic, and protective medical devices in high demand during the COVID-19 emergency. Here, we report the initial validation of a new injection-molded anterior nasal swab, ClearTip™, that was experimentally validated in a laboratory setting as well as in independent clinical studies in comparison to gold standard flocked swabs.

Nasal Tissue Model for the Validation of Nasopharyngeal and Mid-turbinate Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Testing.

Large-scale population testing is a key tool to mitigate the spread of respiratory pathogens, as in the current COVID-19 pandemic, where swabs are used to collect samples in the upper airways (e.g. nasopharyngeal and mid-turbinate nasal cavities) for diagnostics.