evaluation of the response of human tendon-derived stromal cells to a novel electrospun suture for tendon repair.

Recurrent tears after surgical tendon repair remain common. Repair failures can be partly attributed to the use of sutures not designed for the tendon cellular niche nor for the promotion of repair processes. Synthetic electrospun materials can mechanically support the tendon whilst providing topographical cues that regulate cell behaviour.

Early development of a polycaprolactone electrospun augment for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Despite the clinical success of Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in some patients, unsatisfactory clinical outcomes secondary to graft failure are seen, indicating the need to develop new regeneration strategies. The use of degradable and bioactive textiles has the potential to improve the biological repair of soft tissue. Electrospun (ES) filaments are particularly promising as they have the ability to mimic the structure of natural tissues and influence endogenous cell behaviour.

Electrically tunable fluidic lens imaging system for laparoscopic fluorescence-guided surgery.

The addition of fluorescence guidance in laparoscopic procedures has gained significant interest in recent years, particularly through the use of near infrared (NIR) markers. In this work we present a novel laparoscope camera coupler based on an electrically tunable fluidic lens that permits programmable focus control and has desirable achromatic performance from the visible to the NIR. Its use extends the lower working distance limit and improves detection sensitivity, important for work with molecularly targeted fluorescence markers.

CD4(+) T cell surface alpha enolase is lower in older adults.

To identify novel cell ageing markers in order to gain insight into ageing mechanisms, we adopted membrane enrichment and comparison of the CD4(+) T cell membrane proteome (purified by cell surface labelling using Sulfo-NHS-SS-Biotin reagent) between healthy young (n=9, 20-25 years) and older (n=10; 50-70 years) male adults. Following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) to separate pooled membrane proteins in triplicates, the identity of protein spots with age-dependent differences (p<0.05 and >1.

Validation of protein carbonyl measurement: a multi-centre study.

Protein carbonyls are widely analysed as a measure of protein oxidation. Several different methods exist for their determination. A previous study had described orders of magnitude variance that existed when protein carbonyls were analysed in a single laboratory by ELISA using different commercial kits.