Novel Tissue-Engineered Multimodular Hyaluronic Acid-Polylactic Acid Conduits for the Regeneration of Sciatic Nerve Defect.

The gold standard for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries, the autograft, presents several drawbacks, and engineered constructs are currently suitable only for short gaps or small diameter nerves. Here, we study a novel tissue-engineered multimodular nerve guidance conduit for the treatment of large nerve damages based in a polylactic acid (PLA) microfibrillar structure inserted inside several co-linear hyaluronic acid (HA) conduits. The highly aligned PLA microfibers provide a topographical cue that guides axonal growth, and the HA conduits play the role of an epineurium and retain the pre-seeded auxiliary cells.

New bioreactor for mechanical stimulation of cultured tendon-like constructs: design and validation.

Objective: Although several different types of bioreactors are currently available with mechanical stimulation of constructs or prostheses for tendon regeneration, they are in many cases expensive and difficult to operate. This paper proposes a simple bioreactor to mechanically stimulate up to three constructs for tendon and ligament repair, composed of a stainless-steel frame and an electric motor.

Methods: The deformation is produced by a cam wheel, whose eccentricity defines the maximum deformation.

A study of reproducibility of kinesiology tape applications: review, reliability and validity.

Background: Literature addressing the mechanical properties of kinesiology tape is quite scarce. There are no studies which focus on the mechanical characteristics of kinesiology tape, its mechanical properties, nor its adherence following the ISO international standard test methods for tape elongation.

Methods: This study quantified the mechanical characteristics of 380 samples of kinesiology tape from 19 different brands and in 4 different colors using a dynamometer.

New concept for a regenerative and resorbable prosthesis for tendon and ligament: physicochemical and biological characterization of PLA-braided biomaterial.

We present a concept for a new regenerative and resorbable prosthesis for tendon and ligament and characterize the physicomechanical and biological behavior of one of its components, a hollow braid made of poly-lactide acid (PLA) which is the load-bearing part of the prosthesis concept. The prosthesis consists of a braid, microparticles in its interior serving as cell carriers, and a surface non-adherent coating, all these parts being made of biodegradable materials. The PLA braid has a nonlinear convex stress-strain behavior with a Young modulus of 1370 ± 90 MPa in the linear, stretched state, and after 12 months of hydrolytic degradation the modulus shows a reduction by a factor of four.

[Mechanical behaviour of three types of surgical knots using 4/0 monofilament].

Objective: To experimentally study the behaviour of 4 types of monofilament with 3 knotting techniques, very often used in surgery, employing mechanical tests.

Material And Methods: Four 4/0 monofilaments were chosen, two of nylon, and the other two of polypropylene. Three types of knot designs were made with each thread.