Optimising a self-assembling peptide hydrogel as a Matrigel alternative for 3-dimensional mammary epithelial cell culture.

Three-dimensional (3D) organoid models have been instrumental in understanding molecular mechanisms responsible for many cellular processes and diseases. However, established organic biomaterial scaffolds used for 3D hydrogel cultures, such as Matrigel, are biochemically complex and display significant batch variability, limiting reproducibility in experiments. Recently, there has been significant progress in the development of synthetic hydrogels for in vitro cell culture that are reproducible, mechanically tuneable, and biocompatible.

The effect of pain after total knee arthroplasty on the contralateral, nonreplaced knee.

Background: Osteoarthritis is associated with a strong biomechanical component. Persistent pain in the index knee after total knee arthroplasty could lead to pain in the contralateral knee. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether a change in the natural history of pain in the contralateral knee was related to postoperative pain in the index knee.

What advantage is there to be gained using large modular metal-on-metal bearings in routine primary hip replacement? A preliminary report of a prospective randomised controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible benefit of large-head metal-on-metal bearing on a stem for primary hip replacement compared with a 28 mm diameter conventional metal-on-polyethylene bearing in a prospective randomised controlled trial. We investigated cemented stem behaviour between these two different bearings using Einzel-Bild-Röntgen-Analyse, clinical and patient reported measures (Harris hip score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, Short Form-36 and satisfaction) and whole blood metal ion levels at two years. A power study indicated that 50 hips were needed in each group to detect subsidence of > 5 mm at two years with a p-value of < 0.

Metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty.

The effects of elevated levels of metal ions in patients who have undergone metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty are not fully understood. The effects of femoral head size on serum metal-ion levels have been the subject of conflicting reports, and further investigation is needed to evaluate the impact of acetabular and femoral component alignment. The conduct of clinical trials of metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasties has been inadequate as few investigators have used a randomized controlled design to compare metal-on-metal bearings with other bearing surfaces.