Emergent collective organization of bone cells in complex curvature fields.

Individual cells and multicellular systems respond to cell-scale curvatures in their environments, guiding migration, orientation, and tissue formation. However, it remains largely unclear how cells collectively explore and pattern complex landscapes with curvature gradients across the Euclidean and non-Euclidean spectra. Here, we show that mathematically designed substrates with controlled curvature variations induce multicellular spatiotemporal organization of preosteoblasts.

Career perspectives for young cardiologists in the Netherlands: a steady increase in temporary positions.

Unlabelled: In the Netherlands, concerns have been raised regarding the high unemployment rates and the lack of permanent positions for young medical specialists. In the current study, we present data on contemporary early career perspectives in the field of cardiology. We conducted a survey among 304 young cardiologists who completed their training between 2015 and 2020; the response rate was 91%.

Career perspectives for young cardiologists in the Netherlands: a steady increase in temporary positions.

In the Netherlands, concerns have been raised regarding the high unemployment rates and the lack of permanent positions for young medical specialists. In the current study, we present data on contemporary early career perspectives in the field of cardiology. We conducted a survey among 304 young cardiologists who completed their training between 2015 and 2020; the response rate was 91%.

Fluidic Force Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy Unveil New Insights into the Interactions of Preosteoblasts with 3D-Printed Submicron Patterns.

Physical patterns represent potential surface cues for promoting osteogenic differentiation of stem cells and improving osseointegration of orthopedic implants. Understanding the early cell-surface interactions and their effects on late cellular functions is essential for a rational design of such topographies, yet still elusive. In this work, fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with optical and electron microscopy are used to quantitatively investigate the interaction of preosteoblasts with 3D-printed patterns after 4 and 24 h of culture.

Fighting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections by Surface Biofunctionalization of 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Implants with Reduced Graphene Oxide and Silver Nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have high multifunctional potential to simultaneously enhance implant osseointegration and prevent infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here, we present the first report on using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) to incorporate different combinations of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and silver (Ag) NPs on additively manufactured geometrically ordered volume-porous titanium implants. The rGO nanosheets were mainly embedded parallel with the PEO surfaces.

Osteoimmunomodulatory potential of 3D printed submicron patterns assessed in a direct co-culture model.

Modulation of the immune response following the implantation of biomaterials can have beneficial effects on bone regeneration. This involves complex interactions between the inflammatory and osteogenic cells. Therefore, the study of cell-cell interactions using direct co-culture models integrated with biomaterials is of great interest.

Six-lead device superior to single-lead smartwatch ECG in atrial fibrillation detection.

This was a head-to-head comparative study on different electrocardiogram (ECG)-based smartwatches and devices for atrial fibrillation detection. We prospectively included 220 patients scheduled for electrical cardioversion and recorded ECGs with 3 different devices (Withings Move ECG, Apple Watch 5, Kardia Mobile 6-leads) as well as the standard 12-lead ECG (gold standard), both before and after cardioversion. All atrial fibrillation detection algorithms had high accuracy (sensitivity and specificity: 91-99%) but were hampered by uninterpretable recordings (20-24%).

3D-Printed Submicron Patterns Reveal the Interrelation between Cell Adhesion, Cell Mechanics, and Osteogenesis.

The surface topography of implantable devices is of crucial importance for guiding the cascade of events that starts from the initial contact of the cells with the surface and continues until the complete integration of the device in its immediate environment. There is, however, limited quantitative information available regarding the relationships between the different stages of such cascade(s) and how the design of surface topography influences them. We, therefore, used direct laser writing to 3D-print submicron pillars with precisely controlled dimensions and spatial arrangements to perform a systematic study of such relationships.

3D printed submicron patterns orchestrate the response of macrophages.

The surface topography of engineered extracellular matrices is one of the most important physical cues regulating the phenotypic polarization of macrophages. However, not much is known about the ways through which submicron (, 100-1000 nm) topographies modulate the polarization of macrophages. In the context of bone tissue regeneration, it is well established that this range of topographies stimulates the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.

On the Use of Black Ti as a Bone Substituting Biomaterial: Behind the Scenes of Dual-Functionality.

Despite the potential of small-scale pillars of black titanium (bTi) for killing the bacteria and directing the fate of stem cells, not much is known about the effects of the pillars' design parameters on their biological properties. Here, three distinct bTi surfaces are designed and fabricated through dry etching of the titanium, each featuring different pillar designs. The interactions of the surfaces with MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are then investigated.

The effects of plasma electrolytically oxidized layers containing Sr and Ca on the osteogenic behavior of selective laser melted Ti6Al4V porous implants.

Surface biofunctionalization is frequently applied to enhance the functionality and longevity of orthopedic implants. Here, we investigated the osteogenic effects of additively manufactured porous Ti6Al4V implants whose surfaces were biofunctionalized using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in Ca/P-based electrolytes with or without strontium. Various levels of Sr and Ca were incorporated in the oxide layers by using different current densities and oxidation times.

The influence of partners on successful lifestyle modification in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Marital status is associated with prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the influence of partners on successful modification of lifestyle-related risk factors (LRFs) in secondary CVD prevention is unclear. Therefore, we studied the association between the presence of a partner, partner participation in lifestyle interventions and LRF modification in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Osteogenic and antibacterial surfaces on additively manufactured porous Ti-6Al-4V implants: Combining silver nanoparticles with hydrothermally synthesized HA nanocrystals.

The recently developed additively manufacturing techniques have enabled the fabrication of porous biomaterials that mimic the characteristics of the native bone, thereby avoiding stress shielding and facilitating bony ingrowth. However, aseptic loosening and bacterial infection, as the leading causes of implant failure, need to be further addressed through surface biofunctionalization. Here, we used a combination of (1) plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) using Ca-, P-, and silver nanoparticle-rich electrolytes and (2) post-PEO hydrothermal treatments (HT) to furnish additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V porous implants with a multi-functional surface.

Extrusion-based 3D printed biodegradable porous iron.

Extrusion-based 3D printing followed by debinding and sintering is a powerful approach that allows for the fabrication of porous scaffolds from materials (or material combinations) that are otherwise very challenging to process using other additive manufacturing techniques. Iron is one of the materials that have been recently shown to be amenable to processing using this approach. Indeed, a fully interconnected porous design has the potential of resolving the fundamental issue regarding bulk iron, namely a very low rate of biodegradation.

Functionality-packed additively manufactured porous titanium implants.

The holy grail of orthopedic implant design is to ward off both aseptic and septic loosening for long enough that the implant outlives the patient. Questing this holy grail is feasible only if orthopedic biomaterials possess a long list of functionalities that enable them to discharge the onerous task of permanently replacing the native bone tissue. Here, we present a rationally designed and additive manufacturing (AM) topologically ordered porous metallic biomaterial that is made from Ti-6Al-4V using selective laser melting and packs most (if not all) of the required functionalities into a single implant.

Lifestyle modification in older versus younger patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: To compare the treatment effect on lifestyle-related risk factors (LRFs) in older (≥65 years) versus younger (<65 years) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in The Randomised Evaluation of Secondary Prevention by Outpatient Nurse SpEcialists 2 (RESPONSE-2) trial.

Methods: The RESPONSE-2 trial was a community-based lifestyle intervention trial (n=824) comparing nurse-coordinated referral with a comprehensive set of three lifestyle interventions (physical activity, weight reduction and/or smoking cessation) to usual care. In the current analysis, our primary outcome was the proportion of patients with improvement at 12 months follow-up (n=711) in ≥1 LRF stratified by age.

Biofunctionalization of selective laser melted porous titanium using silver and zinc nanoparticles to prevent infections by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are frequently involved in implant-associated infections (IAIs), making the treatment of these infections even more challenging. Therefore, multifunctional implant surfaces that simultaneously possess antibacterial activity and induce osseointegration are highly desired in order to prevent IAIs. The incorporation of multiple inorganic antibacterial agents onto the implant surface may aid in generating synergistic antibacterial behavior against a wide microbial spectrum while reducing the occurrence of bacterial resistance.

Self-defending additively manufactured bone implants bearing silver and copper nanoparticles.

Effective preventive measures against implant-associated infection (IAI) are desperately needed. Therefore, the development of self-defending implants with intrinsic antibacterial properties has gained significant momentum. Biomaterials biofunctionalized with silver (Ag) have resulted in effective antibacterial biomaterials, yet regularly induce cytotoxicity.

3D Printing of Large Areas of Highly Ordered Submicron Patterns for Modulating Cell Behavior.

Fabricating large areas of geometrically complex and precisely controlled topographies is required for the studies of cell behavior on patterned surfaces. Direct laser writing (DLW) is an advanced 3D-fabrication technique, which facilitates the manufacturing of structures within various scales (from a few hundred nanometers to millimeters). However, this method requires improvements in the accuracy and reproducibility of the submicron and nanoscale features that are printed over a large area.

Smoking cessation after nurse-coordinated referral to a comprehensive lifestyle programme in patients with coronary artery disease: a substudy of the RESPONSE-2 trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of successful quitters, their use of a smoking cessation programme and the use of other lifestyle interventions to improve lifestyle-related risk factors, within a nurse-coordinated care programme.

Methods: We used data from the multicentre randomised controlled RESPONSE-2 trial ( n=824, The Netherlands). The trial was designed to assess the efficacy of nurse-coordinated referral to a comprehensive set of up to three community-based interventions, based on smoking cessation, healthy food choices and physical activity to improve lifestyle-related risk factors in coronary artery disease patients, compared to usual care.

LRP10 genetic variants in familial Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies: a genome-wide linkage and sequencing study.

Background: Most patients with Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies do not carry mutations in known disease-causing genes. The aim of this study was to identify a novel gene implicated in the development of these disorders.

Methods: Our study was done in three stages.