Microindentation of fresh soft biological tissue: A rapid tissue sectioning and mounting protocol.

Microindentation of fresh biological tissues is necessary for the creation of 3D biomimetic models that accurately represent the native extracellular matrix microenvironment. However, tissue must first be precisely sectioned into slices. Challenges exist in the preparation of fresh tissue slices, as they can tear easily and must be processed rapidly in order to mitigate tissue degradation.

Exclusive Human Milk Diet for Extremely Premature Infants: A Novel Fortification Strategy That Enhances the Bioactive Properties of Fresh, Frozen, and Pasteurized Milk Specimens.

Human milk (HM) fortification has been recommended for the nutritional optimization of very low-birthweight infants. This study analyzed the bioactive components of HM and evaluated fortification choices that could accentuate or attenuate the concentration of such components, with special reference to human milk-derived fortifier (HMDF) offered to extremely premature infants as an exclusive human milk diet. An observational feasibility study analyzed the biochemical and immunochemical characteristics of mothers' own milk (MOM), both fresh and frozen, and pasteurized banked donor human milk (DHM), each supplemented with either HMDF or cow's milk-derived fortifier (CMDF).

Comparison of macroscale and microscale mechanical properties of fresh and fixed-frozen porcine colonic tissue.

Mechanical changes to the microenvironment of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissue have been hypothesised to elicit a pathogenic response in the surrounding cells. Hence, 3D scaffolds are a popular method of studying cellular behaviour under conditions that mimic in vivo microenvironment. To create a 3D biomimetic scaffold that captures the in vivo ECM microenvironment a robust mechanical characterisation of the whole ECM at the microscale is necessary.

A blood biomarker and clinical correlation cohort study protocol to diagnose sports-related concussion and monitor recovery in elite rugby.

Introduction: In professional rugby, sports-related concussion (SRC) remains the most frequent time loss injury. Therefore, accurately diagnosing SRC and monitoring player recovery, through a multi-modal assessment process, is critical to SRC management. In this protocol study, we aim to assess SRC over multiple time points post-injury to determine the value of multi-modal assessments to monitor player recovery.

Citric acid functionalized nitinol stent surface promotes endothelial cell healing.

While drug-eluting stents containing anti-proliferative agents inhibit proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), they also delay the regrowth of the endothelial cells which can result in subsequent development of restenosis. Acidic extracellular environments promote cell anchorage and migration by inducing conformational change in integrins, the main cell adhesion proteins. This study addresses the feasibility of a citric acid (CA) functionalized nitinol stent for improving vascular biocompatibility, specifically enhancing endothelialization.

Enzymatic Biofuel Cells for Self-Powered, Controlled Drug Release.

Self-powered drug-delivery systems based on conductive polymers (CPs) that eliminate the need for external power sources are of significant interest for use in clinical applications. Osmium redox polymer-mediated glucose/O enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) were prepared with an additional CP-drug layer on the cathode. On discharging the EBFCs in the presence of glucose and dioxygen, model drug compounds incorporated in the CP layer were rapidly released with negligible amounts released when the EBFCs were held at open circuit.

Regional mechanical and biochemical properties of the porcine cortical meninges.

The meninges are pivotal in protecting the brain against traumatic brain injury (TBI), an ongoing issue in most mainstream sports. Improved understanding of TBI biomechanics and pathophysiology is desirable to improve preventative measures, such as protective helmets, and advance our TBI diagnostic/prognostic capabilities. This study mechanically characterised the porcine meninges by performing uniaxial tensile testing on the dura mater (DM) tissue adjacent to the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes of the cerebellum and superior sagittal sinus region of the DM.