Fabrication of Microtube-Embedded Chip to Mimic Blood-Brain Barrier Capillary Vessels.

Capillary vessels of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulate the transportation of solutes into the brain and provide defense against the disease-causing pathogens and neurotoxins present in the blood. Paradoxically, this regulation also prevents drug transportation into the brain. These unique characteristics of the BBB cause impediment in the treatment of neurological diseases.

Effects of Viscosities and Solution Composition on Core-Sheath Electrospun Polycaprolactone(PCL) Nanoporous Microtubes.

Vascularization for tissue engineering applications has been challenging over the past decades. Numerous efforts have been made to fabricate artificial arteries and veins, while few focused on capillary vascularization. In this paper, core-sheath electrospinning was adopted to fabricate nanoporous microtubes that mimic the native capillaries.

Near-field electrospinning polycaprolactone microfibers to mimic arteriole-capillary-venule structure.

The ability to create three-dimensional (3D) cell-incorporated constructs for tissue engineering has progressed tremendously. One of the major challenges that limit the clinical applications of tissue engineering is the inability to form sufficient vascularization of capillary vessels in the 3D constructs. The lack of a functional capillary network for supplying nutrients and oxygen leads to poor cell viability.

Fabrication of Nanopores Polylactic Acid Microtubes by Core-Sheath Electrospinning for Capillary Vascularization.

There has been substantial progress in tissue engineering of biological substitutes for medical applications. One of the major challenges in development of complex tissues is the difficulty of creating vascular networks for engineered constructs. The diameter of current artificial vascular channels is usually at millimeter or submillimeter level, while human capillaries are about 5 to 10 µm in diameter.

ZnO Nanowire-Anchored Microfluidic Device With Herringbone Structure Fabricated by Maskless Photolithography.

The integration of nanomaterials in microfluidic devices has emerged as a new research paradigm. Microfluidic devices composed of ZnO nanowires have been developed for the collection of urine extracellular vesicles (EVs) at high efficiency and in situ extraction of various microRNAs (miRNAs). The devices can be used for diagnosing various diseases, including kidney diseases and cancers.

Laser engineered net shaping of antimicrobial and biocompatible titanium-silver alloys.

Post-surgery infection is one of the main causes of orthopedic implant failure. This paper presents a powder-feed 3D printing strategy for fabrication of silver (Ag) incorporated titanium (Ti) alloys as an antimicrobial solution for orthopedic implants. Alloys with various Ag concentration, ranging from 0.

Environmental Benefits of Engine Remanufacture in China's Circular Economy Development.

China has recently implemented broad strategies aimed at achieving a circular economy by providing subsidies for the remanufacture industry and setting a target of 15% increase in energy efficiency in industrial production across sectors, among other strategies. Here, we examine the environmental implications of these policies in the context of engine remanufacture, using an environmental computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. Results indicate that both the subsidy policy and energy efficiency improvement target can contribute to economic growth and emission reductions, but the subsidy policy is estimated to have far greater impacts.

Hybrid Additive Microfabrication Scaffold Incorporated with Highly Aligned Nanofibers for Musculoskeletal Tissues.

Background: Latest tissue engineering strategies for musculoskeletal tissues regeneration focus on creating a biomimetic microenvironment closely resembling the natural topology of extracellular matrix. This paper presents a novel musculoskeletal tissue scaffold fabricated by hybrid additive manufacturing method.

Methods: The skeleton of the scaffold was 3D printed by fused deposition modeling, and a layer of random or aligned polycaprolactone nanofibers were embedded between two frames.

Tunable 3D Nanofiber Architecture of Polycaprolactone by Divergence Electrospinning for Potential Tissue Engineering Applications.

The creation of biomimetic cell environments with micro and nanoscale topographical features resembling native tissues is critical for tissue engineering. To address this challenge, this study focuses on an innovative electrospinning strategy that adopts a symmetrically divergent electric field to induce rapid self-assembly of aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers into a centimeter-scale architecture between separately grounded bevels. The 3D microstructures of the nanofiber scaffolds were characterized through a series of sectioning in both vertical and horizontal directions.

Engineering the hard-soft tissue interface with random-to-aligned nanofiber scaffolds.

Tendon injuries can be difficult to heal and have high rates of relapse due to stress concentrations caused by scar formation and the sutures used in surgical repair. Regeneration of the tendon/ligament-to-bone interface is critical to provide functional graft integration after injury. The objective of this study is to recreate the tendon-to-bone interface using a gradient scaffold which is fabricated by a one-station electrospinning process.