Engineering interfacial tissues: The myotendinous junction.

The myotendinous junction (MTJ) is the interface connecting skeletal muscle and tendon tissues. This specialized region represents the bridge that facilitates the transmission of contractile forces from muscle to tendon, and ultimately the skeletal system for the creation of movement. MTJs are, therefore, subject to high stress concentrations, rendering them susceptible to severe, life-altering injuries.

[Optimization of phacoemulsification technique for Morgagnian cataract].

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop a new optimized phacoemulsification technique for Morgagnian cataract taking into account the anatomical and topographic parameters of the lens nucleus.

Material And Methods: A working classification of Morgagnian cataract was developed based on the size of the nucleus: if the edge of the nucleus is visualized at the upper edge of the pupil or between the upper edge and the middle of the pupil, it was classified as an initial stage of Morgagnian cataract with a large nucleus; if the upper edge of the nucleus is visualized in the middle of the pupil and below, it was classified as an advanced stage of Morgagnian cataract with a small nucleus. The first group included six patients who underwent surgery using the scaffold technique with removal of the whole small nucleus into the anterior chamber.

Negative Printing for the Reinforcement of Tissue-Engineered Cartilage.

In the realm of cartilage engineering, the targeted delivery of both cells and hydrogel materials to the site of a defect serves to directly stimulate chondral repair. Although the application of stem cell-laden soft hydrogels to tissue defects holds great promise for cartilage regeneration, a significant challenge lies in overcoming the inherent limitation of these soft hydrogels, which must attain mechanical properties akin to the native tissue to withstand physiological loading. We therefore developed a system where a gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel laden with human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells is combined with a secondary structure to provide bulk mechanical reinforcement.

Advanced flexible transvaginal mesh with high visibility under computerized tomography (CT) scan.

Pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI), are serious and very common. Surgery is commonly undertaken to restore the strength of the vaginal wall using transvaginal surgical mesh (TVM). However, up to 15% of TVM implants result in long-term complications, including pain, recurrent symptoms, and infection.

Layer-by-Layer Analysis of Skin Models.

human skin models are evolving into versatile platforms for the study of skin biology and disorders. These models have many potential applications in the fields of drug testing and safety assessment, as well as cosmetic and new treatment development. The development of skin models that accurately mimic native human skin can reduce reliance on animal models and also allow for more precise, clinically relevant testing.

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Articulatory Synthesis in a Vowel-to-Vowel Imitation Task.

Articulatory synthesis is one of the approaches used for modeling human speech production. In this study, we propose a model-based algorithm for learning the policy to control the vocal tract of the articulatory synthesizer in a vowel-to-vowel imitation task. Our method does not require external training data, since the policy is learned through interactions with the vocal tract model.

Dynamic Vortex Generation, Pulsed Injection, and Rapid Mixing of Blood Samples in Microfluidics Using the Tube Oscillation Mechanism.

Here, we describe the generation of dynamic vortices in micro-scale cavities at low flow rates. The system utilizes a computer-controlled audio speaker to axially oscillate the inlet tube of the microfluidic system at desired frequencies and amplitudes. The oscillation of the tube induces transiently high flow rates in the system, which facilitates the generation of dynamic vortices inside the cavity.

Studying the Synergistic Effect of Substrate Stiffness and Cyclic Stretch Level on Endothelial Cells Using an Elastomeric Cell Culture Chamber.

Endothelial cells lining blood vessels are continuously exposed to biophysical cues that regulate their function in health and disease. As we age, blood vessels lose their elasticity and become stiffer. Vessel stiffness alters the mechanical forces that endothelial cells experience.

Within or Without You? A Perspective Comparing In Situ and Ex Situ Tissue Engineering Strategies for Articular Cartilage Repair.

Human articular cartilage has a poor ability to self-repair, meaning small injuries often lead to osteoarthritis, a painful and debilitating condition which is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Existing clinical strategies generally do not regenerate hyaline type cartilage, motivating research toward tissue engineering solutions. Prospective cartilage tissue engineering therapies can be placed into two broad categories: i) Ex situ strategies, where cartilage tissue constructs are engineered in the lab prior to implantation and ii) in situ strategies, where cells and/or a bioscaffold are delivered to the defect site to stimulate chondral repair directly.

Investigating the effects of low intensity visible light on human keratinocytes using a customized LED exposure system.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) refers to the use of light to modulate cellular processes, and has demonstrated utility in improving wound healing outcomes, and reducing pain and inflammation. Despite the potential benefits of PBM, the precise molecular mechanisms through which it influences cell behavior are not yet well understood. Inconsistent reporting of key light parameters has created uncertainty around optimal exposure profiles.

Generation of dynamic vortices in a microfluidic system incorporating stenosis barrier by tube oscillation.

Microfluidic systems incorporating sudden expansions are widely used for generation of vortex flow patterns. However, the formation of vortices requires high flow rates to induce inertial effects. Here, we introduce a new method for generating dynamic vortices in microfluidics at low static flow rates.

Virtual Reality Assisted Motor Imagery for Early Post-Stroke Recovery: A Review.

Stroke is a serious neurological disease that may lead to long-term disabilities and even death for stroke patients worldwide. The acute period, ( ≤ 1 mo post-stroke), is crucial for rehabilitation but the current standard clinical practice may be ineffective for patients with severe motor impairment, since most rehabilitation programs involve physical movement. Imagined movement - the so-called motor imagery (MI) - has been shown to activate motor areas of the brain without physical movement.

[Femtolaser-assisted phacoemulsification of intumescent cataract].

Purpose: To optimize the technique of intumescent cataract phacoemulsification by involving the use of femtosecond lasers.

Material And Methods: Group 1 included 29 patients (30 eyes) with mature intumescent cataract, who underwent femtolaser-assisted phacoemulsification using a new, optimized technique. Group 2 included 20 patients (20 eyes), in whom the femtolaser stage was performed using the standard technique.

Studying the Mechanobiology of Aortic Endothelial Cells Under Cyclic Stretch Using a Modular 3D Printed System.

Here, we describe a motorized cam-driven system for the cyclic stretch of aortic endothelial cells. Our modular design allows for generating customized spatiotemporal stretch profiles by varying the profile and size of 3D printed cam and follower elements. The system is controllable, compact, inexpensive, and amenable for parallelization and long-term experiments.

Investigating the mechanotransduction of transient shear stress mediated by Piezo1 ion channel using a 3D printed dynamic gravity pump.

Microfluidic systems are widely used for studying the mechanotransduction of flow-induced shear stress in mechanosensitive cells. However, these studies are generally performed under constant flow rates, mainly, due to the deficiency of existing pumps for generating transient flows. To address this limitation, we have developed a unique dynamic gravity pump to generate transient flows in microfluidics.

Microfluidic models of the human circulatory system: versatile platforms for exploring mechanobiology and disease modeling.

The human circulatory system is a marvelous fluidic system, which is very sensitive to biophysical and biochemical cues. The current animal and cell culture models do not recapitulate the functional properties of the human circulatory system, limiting our ability to fully understand the complex biological processes underlying the dysfunction of this multifaceted system. In this review, we discuss the unique ability of microfluidic systems to recapitulate the biophysical, biochemical, and functional properties of the human circulatory system.

Generation of programmable dynamic flow patterns in microfluidics using audio signals.

Customised audio signals, such as musical notes, can be readily generated by audio software on smartphones and played over audio speakers. Audio speakers translate electrical signals into the mechanical motion of the speaker cone. Coupling the inlet tube to the speaker cone causes the harmonic oscillation of the tube, which in turn changes the velocity profile and flow rate.

[Optimization of phacoemulsification in complicated cataract with lens subluxation].

Unlabelled: Purpose - to optimize the process of phacoemulsification in patients with cataract complicated by degree I-II lens subluxation by using the scaffold technique, and to determine the indications for its application.

Material And Methods: The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 - the main group - included 29 patients (29 eyes; 47.54%) who underwent cataract phacoemulsification with implantation of iris retractors and capsular ring using the scaffold technique.

Enhancing Peptide Biomaterials for Biofabrication.

Biofabrication using well-matched cell/materials systems provides unprecedented opportunities for dealing with human health issues where disease or injury overtake the body's native regenerative abilities. Such opportunities can be enhanced through the development of biomaterials with cues that appropriately influence embedded cells into forming functional tissues and organs. In this context, biomaterials' reliance on rigid biofabrication techniques needs to support the incorporation of a hierarchical mimicry of local and bulk biological cues that mimic the key functional components of native extracellular matrix.

Classification of error-related potentials evoked during stroke rehabilitation training.

Error-related potentials (ErrPs) are elicited in the human brain following an error's perception. Recently, ErrPs have been observed in a novel task situation, i.e.

Towards bioengineered skeletal muscle: recent developments in vitro and in vivo.

Skeletal muscle is a functional tissue that accounts for approximately 40% of the human body mass. It has remarkable regenerative potential, however, trauma and volumetric muscle loss, progressive disease and aging can lead to significant muscle loss that the body cannot recover from. Clinical approaches to address this range from free-flap transfer for traumatic events involving volumetric muscle loss, to myoblast transplantation and gene therapy to replace muscle loss due to sarcopenia and hereditary neuromuscular disorders, however, these interventions are often inadequate.

Tuneable Hybrid Hydrogels via Complementary Self-Assembly of a Bioactive Peptide with a Robust Polysaccharide.

Synthetic materials designed for improved biomimicry of the extracellular matrix must contain fibrous, bioactive, and mechanical cues. Self-assembly of low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) peptides Fmoc-DIKVAV (Fmoc-aspartic acid-isoleucine-lysine-valine-alanine-valine) and Fmoc-FRGDF (Fmoc-phenylalanine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-phenylalanine) creates fibrous and bioactive hydrogels. Polysaccharides such as agarose are biocompatible, degradable, and non-toxic.

The influence of psychological and cognitive states on error-related negativity evoked during post-stroke rehabilitation movements.

Background: Recently, error-related negativity (ERN) signals are proposed to develop an assist-as-needed robotic stroke rehabilitation program. Stroke patients' state-of-mind, such as motivation to participate and active involvement in the rehabilitation program, affects their rate of recovery from motor disability. If the characteristics of the robotic stroke rehabilitation program can be altered based on the state-of-mind of the patients, such that the patients remain engaged in the program, the rate of recovery from their motor disability can be improved.