Toward improved auricle reconstruction: The role of FDM 3D printing with PCL and TPU materials.

Microtia, along with trauma, represents one of the main causes of external ear malformation. Different clinical techniques were developed for the reconstruction of the auricle, but they all have some drawbacks. This work is focused on the development of an innovative 3D porous scaffold, printed by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and based on laser-scanned images of the healthy contralateral ear of the patient.

Design, validation, and implementation of multiplex digital PCR assays for simultaneous quantification of multiple targets.

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) are applied for quantifying molecular targets in disease diagnostics, pathogen detection, and ecological monitoring. Uptake of dPCR is increasing due to its higher quantification accuracy relative to qPCR, which stems from its independence from standard curves and its increased resistance to PCR inhibitors. Throughput can be increased through multiplexing, which allows simultaneous quantification of multiple targets.

In vitro and in vivo optimized reconstruction for low-keV virtual monoenergetic photon-counting detector CT angiography of lower legs.

Background: Lower extremity peripheral artery disease frequently presents with calcifications which reduces the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) angiography, especially below-the-knee. Photon-counting detector (PCD)-CT offers improved spatial resolution and less calcium blooming. We aimed to identify the optimal reconstruction parameters for PCD-CT angiography of the lower legs.

Visible light photo-crosslinking of biomimetic gelatin-hyaluronic acid hydrogels for adipose tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering (TE) of adipose tissue (AT) is a promising strategy that can provide 3D constructs to be used for in vitro modelling, overcoming the limitations of 2D cell cultures by closely replicating the complex breast tissue extracellular matrix (ECM), cell-cell, and cell-ECM interactions. However, the challenge in developing 3D constructs of AT resides in designing artificial matrices that can mimic the structural properties of native AT and support adipocytes biological functions. Herein, we developed photocrosslinkable hydrogels by employing gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) to mimic the collagenous and glycosaminoglycan components of AT microenvironment, respectively.

Minimal invasive aortic arch repair with suture-mediated closure system.

Port implantation can be associated with an array of serious vascular complications, typically involving the subclavian artery. We report a case in which implantation of a port resulted in iatrogenic perforation of the aortic arch at the level of the left subclavian artery, which was sealed off using a percutaneous vascular closure device.