Application of machine learning algorithms for accurate determination of bilirubin level on in vitro engineered tissue phantom images.

Neonatal Jaundice is a common occurrence in neonates. High excess bilirubin would lead to hyperbilirubinemia, leading to irreversible adverse damage such as kernicterus. Therefore, it is necessary and important to monitor neonates' bilirubin levels in real-time for immediate intervention.

The one-step fabrication of porous hASC-laden GelMa constructs using a handheld printing system.

The fabrication of highly porous cell-loaded structures in tissue engineering applications has been a challenging issue because non-porous cell-laden struts can cause severe cell necrosis in the middle region owing to poor transport of nutrients and oxygen. In this study, we propose a versatile handheld 3D printer for the effective fabrication of porous cell-laden methacrylated gelatin (GelMa) with high porosity (≈97%) by air injection and a bubble-making system using mesh filters through which a mixture of air/GelMa bioink is passed. In particular, the pore size and foamability of the cell constructs could be manipulated using various processing parameters (rheological properties of GelMa, filter size and number, and air-bioink volume ratio).

Shape-memory collagen scaffold combined with hyaluronic acid for repairing intervertebral disc.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a common cause of chronic low back pain (LBP) and a socioeconomic burden worldwide. Conservative therapies and surgical treatments provide only symptomatic pain relief without promoting intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration. Therefore, the clinical demand for disc regenerative therapies for disc repair is high.

Trends in neonatal mortality and morbidity in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants over a decade: Singapore national cohort study.

Background: Very preterm infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment because of postnatal morbidities. This study aims to (1) compare the outcomes of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants in Singapore during two time periods over a decade; 2) compare performances among Singaporean neonatal intensive care units (NICUs); and 3) compare a Singapore national cohort with one from the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN).

Methods: Singapore national data on VLBW infants born during two periods, 2007-2008 (SG2007, n = 286) and 2015-2017 (SG2017, n = 905) were extracted from patient medical records.

Birth anthropometry among three Asian racial groups in Singapore: proposed new growth charts.

Objective: We analysed birth anthropometry of babies of Chinese, Malay and Indian ancestry living in Singapore with an aim to develop gestational age (GA) and gender-specific birth anthropometry charts and compare these with the widely used Fenton charts.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: Department of Neonatology, National University Hospital, Singapore.

Mechanically and biologically enhanced 3D-printed HA/PLLA/dECM biocomposites for bone tissue engineering.

Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)-based biocomposites have been used in tissue engineering applications because of their reasonable biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, the imperfect bioactive and mechanical properties of the composite make it difficult to be used in the region of bone defects that require high load-bearing. Therefore, this study introduced two fabricating strategies to induce mechanically and biologically enhanced hydroxyapatite (HA)/PLLA biocomposites.

Wound healing ability of acellular fish skin and bovine collagen grafts for split-thickness donor sites in burn patients: Characterization of acellular grafts and clinical application.

Due to its high polyunsaturated fatty acid content, acellular fish skin has emerged as a dermal substitute for the promotion of wound healing as it decreases scar formation while providing pain relief. However, various systematic studies on acellular fish skin, such as its biophysical analysis, in vitro activities, and clinical application, have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we conducted a comparative study to evaluate the wound-healing ability of acellular fish skin graft (Kerecis®) with that of the widely used bovine collagen skin graft (ProHeal®).

Self-aligned myofibers in 3D bioprinted extracellular matrix-based construct accelerate skeletal muscle function restoration.

To achieve rapid skeletal muscle function restoration, many attempts have been made to bioengineer functional muscle constructs by employing physical, biochemical, or biological cues. Here, we develop a self-aligned skeletal muscle construct by printing a photo-crosslinkable skeletal muscle extracellular matrix-derived bioink together with poly(vinyl alcohol) that contains human muscle progenitor cells. To induce the self-alignment of human muscle progenitor cells, uniaxially aligned micro-topographical structure in the printed constructs is created by a fibrillation/leaching of poly(vinyl alcohol) after the printing process.

Preventing early-onset group B streptococcal sepsis: clinical risk factor-based screening or culture-based screening?

Introduction: Two strategies are available for prevention of early-onset group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis - clinical risk factor-based screening and routine culture-based screening of pregnant women for GBS colonisation. In our hospital, we switched from the former to the latter approach in 2014.

Methods: We compared the incidence of early-onset GBS sepsis during 2001-2015 between infants born to pregnant women who were screened for GBS colonisation and those born to women who were not screened.

Nanostructured Molybdenum Trioxide Layer on the Silver Anode of a Top-Incident Organic Photovoltaic Device.

A nanostructured molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) layer was successfully fabricated utilizing various deposition rates, employed as an anodic buffer layer to separate the active layer from a silver anode and modifying the anodic surface to facilitate hole transportation for top-incident organic photovoltaic (TIOPV) devices. The deposition rate and thickness of the MoO₃ layer were crucial parameters for determining the surface morphology and work function, and the internal optical field distribution, respectively. These factors affected the performance of the devices in terms of their open-circuit voltage (), short-circuit current density (), and fill factor (FF).

Bone-derived dECM/alginate bioink for fabricating a 3D cell-laden mesh structure for bone tissue engineering.

Alginate bioink has been widely employed to fabricate 3D cell-laden structures because of its low toxicity, appropriate biocompatibility, and easy/fast cross-linking ability. However, the low bioactivity of the hydrogel is a main shortcoming, so that physical or chemical modification with bioactive components is a promising strategy to efficiently increase the biological activity of alginate hydrogel. The present study proposes a new method to obtain bioactive alginate-based bioink by supplementing it with methacrylated (Ma)-decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) derived from bone tissues.

New Bioink Derived from Neonatal Chicken Bone Marrow Cells and Its 3D-Bioprinted Niche for Osteogenic Stimulators.

This study examined whether neonatal chicken bone marrow cells (cBMCs) could support the osteogenesis of human stromal cells in a three-dimensional (3D) extracellular bioprinting niche. The majority (>95%) of 4-day-old cBMCs subcultured 5 times were positive for osteochondrogenesis-related genes (, , , aggrecan, , osterix, , osteocalcin, , and osteopontin) and their related proteins (Sox9, collagen type I, and collagen type II). LC-MS/MS analysis demonstrated that cBMC-conditioned medium (c-medium) contained proteins related to bone regeneration, such as periostin and members of the TGF-β family.

Enhanced healing of rat calvarial defects with 3D printed calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite/collagen/bone morphogenetic protein 2 scaffolds.

In this paper, we mainly to evaluate the newly formed bone using the Calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA)/collagen-based bio-ceramic scaffold as Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) carrier in rat calvarial critical-sized bone defect. In the real-time PCR analysis, the CDHA/collagen scaffold loaded rhBMP-2 group showed significantly enhanced results of bone-related gene expression (p < 0.05).

Efficient myotube formation in 3D bioprinted tissue construct by biochemical and topographical cues.

Biochemical and biophysical cues directly affect cell morphology, adhesion, proliferation, and phenotype, as well as differentiation; thus, they have been commonly utilized for designing and developing biomaterial systems for tissue engineering applications. To bioengineer skeletal muscle tissues, the efficient and stable formation of aligned fibrous multinucleated myotubes is essential. To achieve this goal, we employed a decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) as a biochemical component and a modified three-dimensional (3D) cell-printing process to produce an in situ uniaxially aligned/micro-topographical structure.

Nutritional therapies in the neonatal intensive care unit and post-natal growth outcomes of preterm very low birthweight Asian infants.

Aim: A collaborative study was conducted between two Southeast Asian university hospitals to compare the nutritional intervention and growth outcomes and evaluate the extent of post-natal growth faltering (PNGF) among very low birthweight (VLBW) infants.

Methods: Data of all infants admitted during the 2011-2012 period to the two hospitals at Singapore (SG) and Malaysia (MY) were pooled and analysed.

Results: Of the 236 infants, SG infants received lower total protein and energy intake than MY infants (2.

Effect of Hierarchical Scaffold Consisting of Aligned dECM Nanofibers and Poly(lactide--glycolide) Struts on the Orientation and Maturation of Human Muscle Progenitor Cells.

Extracellular matrices (ECMs) derived from tissues and decellularized are widely used as biomaterials in tissue engineering applications because they encompass tissue-specific biological and physical cues. In this study, we utilized a solubilized decellularized tissue (dECM) obtained from skeletal muscle to fabricate a nanofibrous structure using the electrospinning technique. The dECM was chemically modified by methacrylate reaction (dECM-MA) to improve the structural stability before electrospinning.

Skeletal myotube formation enhanced through fibrillated collagen nanofibers coated on a 3D-printed polycaprolactone surface.

This work focused on considering the cellular responses of the growth and differentiation of myoblasts, C2C12, on fibrillated collagen-coated poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) surfaces. Through a fibrillation processing window using NaCl and collagen weight fractions, collagen fibril coating density can be controlled. Three different collagen-fibril densities coated on PCL strut were used to investigate the effects of the collagen fibril on the myoblast activities.

The fabrication of uniaxially aligned micro-textured polycaprolactone struts and application for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration.

One of the most important factors in skeletal muscle tissue regeneration is the alignment of muscle cells to mimic the native tissue. In this study, we developed a PCL-based scaffold with uniaxially aligned surface topography by stretching a 3D-printed scaffold. We examined the formation of aligned patterns by stretching the samples at different temperatures and stretching rates.

Biophysical properties of striae rubra and striae alba in human skin: Comparison with normal skin.

Background: Striae distensae are common dermal lesions that progress through two different stages: the striae rubra, which appears to be erythematous, and striae alba, which is characterized by a hypopigmented feature. The clinical characteristics between striae distensae stages and normal skin remain unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics according to stages of striae distensae in terms of their biophysical properties, using objective noninvasive measurements in comparison with adjacent normal skin.

Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Nanofibrous Collagen Scaffold Fabricated Using Fibrillated Collagen and Pluronic F-127 for Regenerating Bone Tissue.

It is well known that a nanoscale fibrous structure can provide a unique stage for encouraging reasonable cell activities including attachment and proliferation owing to its similar topological structure to the extracellular matrix. Hence, the structure has been widely applied in tissue regeneration. Type-I collagen has been typically used as a typical tissue regenerative material owing to its biocompatibility and abundance, although it has potential for antigenicity.

Calcium-Deficient Hydroxyapatite/Collagen/Platelet-Rich Plasma Scaffold with Controlled Release Function for Hard Tissue Regeneration.

Calcium phosphate cement scaffolds have been extensively used in bone tissue regeneration applications because they are similar to the inorganic components of bones and have outstanding biocompatibility. However, the main shortcomings of ceramic scaffolds are their brittleness and low retention level of various growth factors or drugs. To overcome these shortcomings, we have reinforced ceramic scaffolds using synthetic and natural polymers as composites.

Development of a tannic acid cross-linking process for obtaining 3D porous cell-laden collagen structure.

Cell-printing is an emerging technique that enables to build a customized structure using biomaterials and living cells for various biomedical applications. In many biomaterials, alginate has been widely used for rapid gelation, low cost, and relatively high processability. However, biocompatibilities enhancing cell adhesion and proliferation were limited, so that, to overcome this problem, an outstanding alternative, collagen, has been extensively investigated.