Biofunctionalisation of porous additively manufactured magnesium-based alloys for Orthopaedic applications: A review.

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have gained significant attention as a desirable choice of biodegradable implant for use in bone repair applications, largely owing to their unique material properties. More recently, Mg and Mg-based alloys have been used as load-bearing metallic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications, offering promising opportunities in the field. The mechanical properties and relative density of Mg-based alloys closely approximate those of natural human bone tissue, thereby mitigating the risk of stress-shielding effects.

Strategies for the design of biomimetic cell-penetrating peptides using AI-driven in silico tools for drug delivery.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) have gained rapid attention over the last 25 years; this is attributed to their versatility, customisation, and 'Trojan horse' delivery that evades the immune system. However, the current CPP rational design process is limited, as it requires several rounds of peptide synthesis, prediction and wet-lab validation, which is expensive, time-consuming and requires extensive knowledge in peptide chemistry. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising alternative which can augment the design process, for example by determining physiochemical characteristics, secondary structure, solvent accessibility, disorder and flexibility, as well as predicting in vivo behaviour such as toxicity and peptidase degradation.

Tracked Physical Activity Levels Before and After a Change in Incentive Strategy Among UK Adults Using a Rewards App: Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Financial incentives delivered via apps appear to be effective in encouraging physical activity. However, the literature on different incentive strategies is limited, and the question remains whether financial incentives offer a cost-effective intervention that could be funded at the population level.

Objective: This study aimed to explore patterns of tracked physical activity by users of an incentive-based app before and after a change in incentive strategy.

Evaluation of physical and chemical modifications to drug reservoirs for stimuli-responsive microneedles.

Hydrogel-forming microneedle (MN) arrays are minimally-invasive devices that can penetrate the stratum corneum, the main barrier to topical drug application, without causing pain. However, drug delivery using hydrogel-forming MN arrays tends to be relatively slow compared to rapid drug delivery using conventional needles and syringes. Therefore, in this work, for the first time, different physical and chemical delivery enhancement methods were employed in combination with PVA-based hydrogel-forming MN arrays.

Perspectives of Caregivers on Access to Health Care for Children with CKD.

Introduction: Inequitable access to health care based on demographic factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status and geographical location has been consistently found in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, little is known about the perspectives of caregivers on accessing health care. We described caregivers' perspectives on accessing health care for children with CKD from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or rural or remote areas.

Intra-Articular Injection of Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Reduces Radiographic Osteoarthritis in an Ovine Model.

Objective: To determine if mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cords (hUC) could reduce degeneration developing when injected into the knee of a large animal model of osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: Ten million culture-expanded UC-MSCs (pooled from 3 human donors) were injected in 50 μL of tissue culture medium into the left stifle joints of 7 sheep whose medial meniscus was transected 4 weeks previously. Seven other sheep had only 50 μL of medium injected as the no treatment "control" group.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing "Early" Versus "Late" Periosteal Patch Attachment to Knee Chondral Defects in Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation.

Objective: Traditional autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) involves arthroscopically harvesting a cartilage biopsy (stage 1), followed by arthrotomy 3 to 4 weeks later to apply a periosteal patch and implant culture-expanded chondrocytes underneath (stage 2). This study aimed to determine if patch application during stage 1 rather than stage 2 improved clinical outcome.

Design: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from 1998 to 2001.

Atorvastatin-Loaded Dissolving Microarray Patches for Long-Acting Microdepot Delivery: Comparison of Nanoparticle and Microparticle Drug Formulations.

The increasing popularity of prolonged-release dosage forms, owing to their ability to provide continuous drug release after administration, has significantly improved patient compliance and overall quality of life. However, achieving prolonged release beyond 24 h frequently requires the use of invasive methods, including injections or implants, which may prove challenging for people suffering from needle phobia. This study introduces atorvastatin (ATR) microparticles (MPs) or nanocrystal (NCs) dissolving microarray patches (D-MAPs) as a noninvasive alternative for intradermal drug delivery over a two-week period for the management of hyperlipidemia.

Enhanced long-acting simvastatin delivery via effervescent powder-carrying hollow microneedles and nanocrystal-loaded microneedles.

Hyperlipidemia and its associated cardiovascular complications are the major causes of mortality and disability worldwide. Simvastatin (SIM) is one of the most commonly prescribed lipid-lowering drugs for the treatment of hyperlipidemia by competitive inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. However, the extensive first-pass metabolism leading to low oral bioavailability and frequent daily doses may lead to poor patient compliance and adverse effects caused by plasma fluctuations.

Effect of a High Linoleic Acid Diet on Pregnant Women and Their Offspring.

Nutritional intake during pregnancy can affect gestational length, fetal development, and impact postnatal growth and health in offspring. Perturbations in maternal nutrition with either an excess or deficiency in nutrients during pregnancy may have harmful effects on the offspring's development and increase the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life. In pregnancy, nutrients transfer from the mother to the fetus via the placenta.

Non-viral approaches in CAR-NK cell engineering: connecting natural killer cell biology and gene delivery.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are exciting candidates for cancer immunotherapy with potent innate cytotoxicity and distinct advantages over T cells for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) therapy. Concerns regarding the safety, cost, and scalability of viral vectors has ignited research into non-viral alternatives for gene delivery. This review comprehensively analyses recent advancements and challenges with non-viral genetic modification of NK cells for allogeneic CAR-NK therapies.

Development and Characterization of a Peptide-Bisphosphonate Nanoparticle for the Treatment of Breast Cancer.

In women, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer, and despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment, 20-30% of early stage BC patients develop metastatic disease. Metastatic BC is deemed an incurable disease, which accounts for 90% of BC related deaths, with only 26% of metastatic patients reaching a 5 year survival rate. Therefore, there is an unmet need for the prevention or treatment of metastasis in early stage breast cancer patients.

PembroWM: A phase II trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of rituximab and pembrolizumab in relapsed/refractory Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia.

The optimal therapeutic approach for relapsed/refractory (R/R) Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia (WM) has not been clearly defined, especially after treatment with chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) and covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (cBTKi). The PembroWM trial is a multi-centre, phase II, single-arm study assessing the safety, tolerability and efficacy of rituximab with pembrolizumab in R/R WM patients who had received at least one prior line of treatment, with all having relapsed post-CIT and most also exposed to cBTKi. A total of 17 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 70, and median of three prior lines of therapy with 15 either refractory or intolerant of a cBTKi.

Shaping the future of kidney genetics in Australia: proceedings from the KidGen policy implementation workshop 2023.

The KidGen Collaborative's Policy Implementation Workshop 2023 celebrated the 10th anniversary of Australia's first kidney genetics clinic in Brisbane. This event marked the establishment of a national network now comprising 19 kidney genetics clinics across Australia, all dedicated to providing equitable access to genomic testing for families affected by genetic kidney diseases. The workshop reflected on past progress and outlined future objectives for kidney genetics in Australia, recognising the collaborative efforts of clinical teams, researchers, and patients.

Novel lipid nanovesicle-loaded dissolving microarray patches for fenretinide in breast cancer chemoprevention.

The retinoid fenretinide (FENR) is a promising compound for preventing breast cancer recurrence but faces challenges due to poor solubility and low bioavailability. This study explores the development of dissolving microneedles (MNs) containing FENR-loaded ethosomes for minimally invasive breast cancer chemoprevention, aiming to enhance local drug distribution. Ethosomes were formulated using ethanol, propylene glycol, soya lecithin, water, and polysorbate 80 micelles.

Development of Norelgestromin Dissolving Bilayer Microarray Patches for Sustained Release of Hormonal Contraceptive.

Microarray patches (MAPs) offer a noninvasive and patient-friendly drug delivery method, suitable for self-administration, which is especially promising for low- and middle-income country settings. This study focuses on the development of dissolving bilayer MAPs loaded with norelgestromin (NGMN) as a first step towards developing a future potential drug delivery system for sustained hormonal contraception. The fabricated MAPs were designed with the appropriate needle lengths to penetrate the stratum corneum, while remaining minimally stimulating to dermal nociceptors.