The Construction of Biologically Relevant Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogel Geometries Using Air-Assisted Dual-Polarity Electrospinning.

Fiber-reinforced hydrogels are a class of soft composite materials that have seen increased use across a wide variety of biomedical applications. However, existing fabrication techniques for these hydrogels are unable to realize biologically relevant macro/mesoscale geometries. To address this limitation, this paper presents a novel air-assisted, dual-polarity electrospinning printhead that converges high-strength electric fields, with low velocity air flow to remove the collector dependency seen with traditional far-field electrospinning setups.

Assessing the combination of magnetic field stimulation, iron oxide nanoparticles, and aligned electrospun fibers for promoting neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia in vitro.

Magnetic fiber composites combining superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and electrospun fibers have shown promise in tissue engineering fields. Controlled grafting of SPIONs to the fibers post-electrospinning generates biocompatible magnetic composites without altering desired fiber morphology. Here, for the first time, we assess the potential of SPION-grafted scaffolds combined with magnetic fields to promote neurite outgrowth by providing contact guidance from the aligned fibers and mechanical stimulation from the SPIONs in the magnetic field.

Effect of Atomized Delivery of Nutrients on the Growth Characteristics and Microstructure Morphology of Bacterial Cellulose.

This work demonstrates a general strategy for introducing remarkable changes in matrix organization and, consequently, functional properties of bacterial cellulose (BC). BC-producing cells were induced, using a well-defined atomized droplet nutrient delivery (ADND) system, to form pellicles with a regular layered morphology that persists throughout the mat depth. In contrast, the morphology of mats formed by conventional static medium nutrient delivery (SMND) is irregular with no distinguishable pattern.

Quantifying machining outputs of pristine human teeth relevant to dental preparation procedures.

Minimally-assisted tooth repair (MaTR) systems are envisioned to be capable of substituting for the skill of a dentist. If successfully developed, MaTR systems could enable lower-skilled dental technicians to provide dental care at a fraction of the overall medical cost. This paper explores a key initial step towards the development of such systems by quantifying the machining responses of pristine human teeth relevant to dental preparation procedures.

Toward Morphologically Relevant Extracellular Matrix Models: 3D Fiber Reinforced Hydrogels.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is known to play an important role in the health of cells and tissues. Not only are chemical signals transmitted via bonds and tightly controlled diffusion, but the structure of the ECM also provides important physical signaling for the cells attached to it. The structure is composed of a mesh of fibrous proteins, such as collagen, embedded in a hydrated gel matrix of glycosaminoglycans.