Biodegradation Study of Biomaterials Composed of Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil: An In Vitro Study.

In the field of regenerative medicine, acrylated epoxidized vegetable oils are emerging as a promising avenue of exploration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the degradability of two formulations of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO): pure AESO and AESO diluted with soybean oil (SO) for potential bioprintability applications. The comprehensive investigation of these two polymeric formulations included optimization of polymerization conditions, confirmation of cytocompatibility, and, most importantly, the study of their degradability.

Nanomaterials and security in occupational and forensic medicine: insights from nanotoxicology.

Nanoenergetics are defined as a class of nanomaterials that possess the ability to release energy in certain situations. These properties have been studied and deepened in recent years, so much so that nanoenergetics have been introduced into the use of the weapons industry, among others. It is therefore an emerging reality that deserves attention with regard to potential harmful effects on human and environmental health.

Investigation into the Influence of the Process Parameters on the Stability of a Poly(Vinyl)-Alcohol-Based Coating System.

Most tablets put on the market are coated with polymers soluble in water. The Opadry II 85 series from Colorcon Inc., is a family of PVA-based products marketed since the 1990s.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of SLS and mFFF Additive Manufacturing Techniques for the Production of a Metal Specimen.

This work is part of a research project aimed at developing a bio-based binder, composed mainly of polylactic acid (PLA), to produce Ti6Al4V feedstock suitable for use in MAM (Metal Additive Manufacturing) via mFFF (metal Fused Filament Fabrication), in order to manufacture a titanium alloy specimen. While in Bragaglia et al. the mechanical characteristics of this sample were analyzed, the aim used of this study is to compare the mentioned mFFF process with one of the most used MAM processes in aerospace applications, known as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method.

Soybean Oil-Based 3D Printed Mesh Designed for Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) in Oral Surgery.

This study aims to obtain a cyto-compatible 3D printable bio-resin for the manufacturing of meshes designed from acquired real patients' bone defect to be used in future for guided bone regeneration (GBR), achieving the goal of personalized medicine, decreasing surgical, recovery time, and patient discomfort. To this purpose, a biobased, biocompatible, and photo-curable resin made of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) diluted with soybean oil (SO) is developed and 3D printed using a commercial digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer. 3D printed samples show good thermal properties, allowing for thermally-based sterilization process and mechanical properties typical of crosslinked natural oils (i.

Self-Monitoring Performance of 3D-Printed Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone Carbon Nanotube Composites.

In this paper, poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) carbon-nanotube (CNT) self-monitoring composites at different levels of filler loading (i.e., 3, 5 and 10% by weight) have been extruded as 3D-printable filaments, showing gauge factor values of 14.

New vegetable-waste biomaterials by Lupin albus L. as cellular scaffolds for applications in biomedicine and food.

The reprocessing of vegetal-waste represents a new research field in order to design novel biomaterials for potential biomedical applications and in food industry. Here we obtained a biomaterial from Lupinus albus L. hull (LH) that was characterized micro-structurally by scanning electron microscopy and for its antimicrobial and scaffolding properties.

Influence of Binder Composition and Material Extrusion (MEX) Parameters on the 3D Printing of Highly Filled Copper Feedstocks.

This work aims to better understand the type of thermoplastic binders required to produce highly loaded copper filaments that can be successfully printed via low-cost filament-based material extrusion (MEX). Compounding feedstock material with 55 vol.% of copper and three multi-component binder systems has been performed.

Fused Filament Fabrication of Alumina/Polymer Filaments for Obtaining Ceramic Parts after Debinding and Sintering Processes.

In this paper, a hybrid commercially available alumina/polymer filament was 3D printed and thermally treated (debinding and sintering) to obtain ceramic parts. Microscopic and spectroscopic analysis was used to thoroughly characterize the green and sintered parts in terms of their mesostructured, as well as their flexural properties. The sintered samples show an α alumina crystalline phase with a mean density of 3.

Simplified urethral score system for predicting complex anterior urethroplasty.

Objective: To assess U-score individual values as urethral complex surgery predictors.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including patients who received anterior urethroplasty from 2011 to 2019. U-score (etiology (1-2 points), number of strictures (1-2 points), anatomic location (1-2 points) and length (1-3 points)) was measured individually and globally.

Tracking changes between preprint posting and journal publication during a pandemic.

Amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, preprints in the biomedical sciences are being posted and accessed at unprecedented rates, drawing widespread attention from the general public, press, and policymakers for the first time. This phenomenon has sharpened long-standing questions about the reliability of information shared prior to journal peer review. Does the information shared in preprints typically withstand the scrutiny of peer review, or are conclusions likely to change in the version of record? We assessed preprints from bioRxiv and medRxiv that had been posted and subsequently published in a journal through April 30, 2020, representing the initial phase of the pandemic response.

Structural Monitoring of Glass Fiber/Epoxy Laminates by Means of Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Black Self-Monitoring Plies.

The health monitoring of structures is of great interest in order to check components' structural life and monitor damages during operation. Self-monitoring materials can provide both the structural and monitoring functionality in one component and exploit their piezoresistive behavior, namely, the variation of electrical resistivity with an applied mechanical strain. In this work, self-monitoring plies were developed to be inserted into glass-fiber reinforced epoxy-based laminates in order to achieve structural monitoring.

A rare case of bilateral occipital condyle fractures associated with inferior clivus separation fracture resulting in craniocervical dislocation: a case report and modification of the Anderson and Montesano classification is proposed.

The authors report a very rare case of bilateral occipital condyle fractures (OCF) that was associated with complete separation fracture of the inferior clivus resulting in craniocervical dislocation alongside dissociation of C1-C2 joint complex. Also, a new type of the Anderson and Montesano classification system is presented with two subtypes of injuries. Type IVA occurs when the OCF is associated a clivus avulsion fracture, while Type IVB occurs when the OCF is associated with complete "en piece" separation fracture of the inferior clivus.

The evolving role of preprints in the dissemination of COVID-19 research and their impact on the science communication landscape.

The world continues to face a life-threatening viral pandemic. The virus underlying the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 98 million confirmed cases and 2.2 million deaths since January 2020.

Additive Manufacturing of Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) for Space Applications: A Nanosat Polymeric Structure.

Recent improvements in additive layer manufacturing (ALM) have provided new designs of geometrically complex structures with lighter materials and low processing costs. The use of additive manufacturing in spacecraft production is opening up many new possibilities in both design and fabrication, allowing for the reduction of the weight of the structure subsystems. In this aim, polymeric ALM structures can become a choice, in terms of lightweight and demisability, as far as good thermomechanical properties.

A Technique for the Reconstruction of the Limbs of Osteomuscular Tissue Donors.

The donation of bone and tendon tissues is an important source of biological material used in several surgical techniques. The removal of such tissues generates an important aesthetic sequel in the donor that requires limb reconstruction before returning the corpse to the relatives. The technique used by the Banco de Ossos do Paraná (Bone Bank from Paraná), Brazil, employs metal rebar, silicone tubes and nylon clamps to rebuild the limbs, it is easy to perform and has satisfactory aesthetic results.

Development of a Patient-specific Guide for High Cervical Spine Fixation.

Objective: High cervical spine fixation represents a challenge for spine surgeons due to the complex anatomy and the risks of vascular and medullar injury. The recent advances in 3-D printing have unfolded a whole new range of options for these surgeons.

Methods: In the present study, a guide for the placement of the lateral mass screw in the C1 vertebra was developed using 3-D printing.

Visualizing cell-laden fibrin-based hydrogels using cryogenic scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy.

The present investigation explores the microscopic aspects of cell-laden hydrogels at high resolutions, using three-dimensional cell cultures in semi-synthetic constructs that are of very high water content (>98% water). The study aims to provide an imaging strategy for these constructs, while minimizing artefacts. Constructs of poly(ethylene glycol)-fibrinogen and fibrin hydrogels containing embedded mesenchymal cells (human dermal fibroblasts) were first imaged by confocal microscopy.

DOE analysis of the rheological data of shear-thickening fluids for puncture-resistant composite shells.

The dilatancy (Shear-thickening) is a time-independent rheological behaviour exhibited by some non-Newtonian fluids. These fluids manifest a surge in the apparent viscosity with an increase in the shear rate. If these fluids are encapsulated, they can be used to manufacture high-end stab resistance inserts (Cecchini et al.

Hydrogen Sulfide-Releasing Fibrous Membranes: Potential Patches for Stimulating Human Stem Cells Proliferation and Viability under Oxidative Stress.

The design of biomaterial platforms able to release bioactive molecules is mandatory in tissue repair and regenerative medicine. In this context, electrospinning is a user-friendly, versatile and low-cost technique, able to process different kinds of materials in micro- and nano-fibers with a large surface area-to-volume ratio for an optimal release of gaseous signaling molecules. Recently, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), as well as its ability to stimulate relevant biochemical processes on the growth of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), have been investigated.

Eco-sustainable systems based on poly(lactic acid), diatomite and coffee grounds extract for food packaging.

In the food packaging sector many efforts have been (and are) devoted to the development of new materials in order to reply to an urgent market demand for green and eco-sustainable products. Particularly a lot of attention is currently devoted both to the use of compostable and biobased polymers as innovative and promising alternative to the currently used petrochemical derived polymers, and to the re-use of waste materials coming from agriculture and food industry. In this work, multifunctional eco-sustainable systems, based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as biopolymeric matrix, diatomaceous earth as reinforcing filler and spent coffee grounds extract as oxygen scavenger, were produced for the first time, in order to provide a simultaneous improvement of mechanical and gas barrier properties.

Open-Access Electronic Diary for Motor Fluctuation and Dyskinesia Evaluation in Parkinson Disease: Comparison With Paper Diary.

Objective: To determine the utility of an electronic diary for registering motor fluctuations and dyskinesia in Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: Free, open-access touch screen software suitable for Android 4.4 or higher, with medication alarms, adjustable intervals, and medication dose settings was developed to evaluate ON-OFF periods and dyskinesia.

Internal Carotid Artery Dissection in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Carotid artery dissection is a significant cause of stroke in young patients. It may be asymptomatic and go undiagnosed, or minimal transient manifestations may follow, commanding a higher index of suspicion than ordinarily exists to avoid misdiagnosis. Reported herein is a 27-year-old man who suffered extracranial internal carotid artery dissection while practicing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submission maneuver.

Structure Function Revisited: A Simple Tool for Complex Analysis of Neuronal Activity.

Neural systems are characterized by their complex dynamics, reflected on signals produced by neurons and neuronal ensembles. This complexity exhibits specific features in health, disease and in different states of consciousness, and can be considered a hallmark of certain neurologic and neuropsychiatric conditions. To measure complexity from neurophysiologic signals, a number of different nonlinear tools of analysis are available.