Bio-Orchestration of Cellular Organization and Human-Preferred Sensory Texture in Cultured Meat.

For cultured meat to effectively replace traditional meat, it is essential to develop scaffolds that replicate key attributes of real meat, such as taste, nutrition, flavor, and texture. However, one of the significant challenges in replicating meat characteristics with scaffolds lies in the considerable gap between the stiffness preferred by cells and the textural properties desired by humans. To address this issue, we focused on the microscale environment conducive to cell growth and the macro-scale properties favored by humans.

Viscoelastic and antimicrobial dental care bioplastic with recyclable life cycle.

Medical plastic-appliance-based healthcare services, especially in dentistry, generate tremendous amounts of plastic waste. Given the physiological features of our mouth, it is desirable to substitute dental care plastics with viscoelastic and antimicrobial bioplastics. Herein, we develop a medical-grade and sustainable bioplastic that is viscoelastic enough to align the tooth positions, resists microbial contamination, and exhibits recyclable life cycles.

Preparation of fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics using a focused ultrasonic system and assessment of their cytotoxic effects on human cells.

With the growing prevalence of plastic use, the environmental release of plastic waste is escalating, and fragmented nanoscale plastic particles are emerging as significant environmental threats. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics (PE NPs) manufactured using a focused ultrasonic system. The ultrasonic irradiation process generated fragmented PE NPs with a geometric mean diameter of 85.

Conductive Bio-Harvesting Tonic (CBT) with an Anti-Dandruff Effect Enhances Hair Growth by Utilizing Naturally Generated Electric Energy during Human Activities.

Alopecia, while not life-threatening, significantly impacts mental health, identity, and self-esteem of those afflicted. Current pharmacological and surgical treatments often have side effects and are limited in their ability to regenerate hair follicles (HF). Therefore, effective solutions for alopecia remain elusive.

A novel transdermal drug delivery system: drug-loaded ROS-responsive ferrocene fibers for effective photoprotective and wound healing activity.

The present study proposes an innovative transdermal drug delivery system using ferrocene-incorporated fibers to enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate. Using electrospinning technology, the authors created ferrocene polymer fibers capable of highly efficient drug encapsulation and controlled release in response to reactive oxygen species commonly found in wound sites. The approach improves upon previous methods significantly by offering higher drug loading capacities and sustained release, directly targeting diseased cells.

Bacterial-Infection-Triggered Release of Antibacterial Aldehyde from Triblock Copolyether Hydrogels.

Bacterial infections pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. Hydrogel-based biomaterials have proven to be particularly useful in addressing persistent bacterial infections due to their stimuli-responsive degradability, high biocompatibility, ability to release antibacterial agents on demand, and long-lasting antibacterial activity. Herein, we fabricated ABA-type triblock copolyether hydrogels, wherein, hexanal, a bioactive aldehyde with antibacterial activity, was affixed to the hydrophobic micellar core via acetal linkage.

Flavor-switchable scaffold for cultured meat with enhanced aromatic properties.

Cultured meat is emerging as a new type of food that can provide animal protein in a sustainable way. Many previous studies employed various types of scaffolds to develop cultured meat with similar properties to slaughtered meat. However, important properties such as flavor were not discussed, even though they determine the quality of food.

Anisotropic Liesegang pattern for the nonlinear elastic biomineral-hydrogel complex.

The Liesegang pattern is a beautiful natural anisotropic patterning phenomenon observed in rocks and sandstones. This study reveals that the Liesegang pattern can induce nonlinear elasticity. Here, a Liesegang-patterned complex with biomineral-hydrogel repetitive layers is prepared.

Multimodal Golden DNA Superstructures (GDSs) for Highly Efficient Photothermal Immunotherapy.

DNA-templated metallization has emerged as an efficient strategy for creating nanoscale-metal DNA hybrid structures with a desirable conformation and function. Despite the potential of DNA-metal hybrids, their use as combinatory therapeutic agents has rarely been examined. Herein, we present a simple approach for fabricating a multipurpose DNA superstructure that serves as an efficient photoimmunotherapy agent.

Cultured meat with enriched organoleptic properties by regulating cell differentiation.

Research on cultured meat has primarily focused on the mass proliferation or differentiation of muscle cells; thus, the food characteristics of cultured meat remain relatively underexplored. As the quality of meat is determined by its organoleptic properties, cultured meat with similar sensory characteristics to animal-derived meat is highly desirable. In this study, we control the organoleptic and nutritional properties of cultured meat by tailoring the 2D differentiation of primary bovine myoblasts and primary bovine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on gelatin/alginate scaffolds with varying stiffness.

Inhalable Nitric Oxide Delivery Systems for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Treatment.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe medical condition characterized by elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signaling molecule with potent vasodilator effects; however, inhaled NO is limited in clinical practice because of the need for tracheal intubation and the toxicity of high NO concentrations. In this study, inhalable NO-releasing microspheres (NO inhalers) are fabricated to deliver nanomolar NO through a nebulizer.

Occlusive membranes for guided regeneration of inflamed tissue defects.

Guided bone regeneration aided by the application of occlusive membranes is a promising therapy for diverse inflammatory periodontal diseases. Symbiosis, homeostasis between the host microbiome and cells, occurs in the oral environment under normal, but not pathologic, conditions. Here, we develop a symbiotically integrating occlusive membrane by mimicking the tooth enamel growth or multiple nucleation biomineralization processes.

Recycled, Contaminated, Crumpled Aluminum Foil-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

With rapid urbanization and global population growth, the amount of wasted aluminum foil is significantly increasing. Most deformed and contaminated foil is difficult to recycle; hence, it is landfilled or incinerated, causing environmental pollution. Therefore, using aluminum foil waste for electricity may be conducive to addressing environmental problems.

Zwitterionic Inhaler with Synergistic Therapeutics for Reprogramming of M2 Macrophage to Pro-Inflammatory Phenotype.

Myriad lung diseases are life threatening and macrophages play a key role in both physiological and pathological processes. Macrophages have each pro-/anti-inflammatory phenotype, and each lung disease can be aggravated by over-polarized macrophage. Therefore, development of a method capable of mediating the macrophage phenotype is one of the solutions for lung disease treatment.

Potential lifetime effects caused by cellular uptake of nanoplastics: A review.

Plastics have been used for about 100 years, and daily-use products composed of plastics are now prevalent. As a result, humans are very easily exposed to the plastic particles generated from the daily-use plastics. However, studies on cellular uptake of nanoplastics in "human cells" have only recently begun to attract attention.

Ultrahigh Performance, Serially Stackable, Breeze Driven Triboelectric Generator via Ambient Air Ionizing Channel.

Currently, wind energy harvesting is in the limelight. However, with the existing electromagnetic wind generators, it is difficult to harvest multifariously-wasted breezes. To harvest energy from winds at a wide range of speeds, wind-driven triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are studied.

Regulation of the Inevitable Water-Responsivity of Silk Fibroin Biopolymer by Polar Amino Acid Activation.

In nature, water is vital for maintaining homeostasis. Particularly, organisms (e.g.

Tailoring a Gelatin/Agar Matrix for the Synergistic Effect with Cells to Produce High-Quality Cultured Meat.

Edible scaffolds are needed in cultured meat to mimic meat's three-dimensional structure by organizing cells and replenishing the insufficient meat mass of cells alone. However, there is still a large gap between slaughtered meat and cells developed into tissues using scaffolds. This is mainly due to the difference in size, texture, flavor, and taste.

Ultralight and Ultrathin Electrospun Membranes with Enhanced Air Permeability for Chemical and Biological Protection.

With the growing interest in chemical and biological warfare agents (CWAs/BWAs), the focus has shifted toward aerosol protection using protective clothing. However, compared to air-permeable membranes, those with water vapor permeability have been investigated more extensively. Filtering membranes without air permeability have limited practical usage in personal protective suits and masks.

Generation of zinc ion-rich surface via in situ growth of ZIF-8 particle: Microorganism immobilization onto fabric surface for prohibit hospital-acquired infection.

Viruses/bacteria outbreaks have motivated us to develop a fabric that will inhibit their transmission with high potency and long-term stability. By creating a metal-ion-rich surface onto polyester (PET) fabric, a method is found to inhibit hospital-acquired infections by immobilizing microorganisms on its surface. ZIF-8 and APTES are utilized to overcome the limitations associated with non-uniform distribution, weak biomolecule interaction, and ion leaching on surfaces.

Bioactive hydrogel microcapsules for guiding stem cell fate decisions by release and reloading of growth factors.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) hold considerable promise as a source of adult cells for treatment of diseases ranging from diabetes to liver failure. Some of the challenges that limit the clinical/translational impact of hPSCs are high cost and difficulty in scaling-up of existing differentiation protocols. In this paper, we sought to address these challenges through the development of bioactive microcapsules.

Multivalent network modifier upregulates bioactivity of multispecies biofilm-resistant polyalkenoate cement.

Polyalkenoate cement (PAC) is a promising material for regenerative hard tissue therapy. The ionically rich glass component of PAC encourages bioactive interaction . the release of essential ions.