Enhanced piezoelectric sensor to distinguish real-time arrhythmia for predicting heart failure.

Monitoring cardiac rhythm is crucial for diagnosis of heart failure. However, the deficient sensitivity of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors impede their application in monitoring of cardiac rhythm due to the limited piezoelectricity. Here, doping of CoFeO and aligning fibers were jointly adopted to enhance the piezoelectricity of PVDF, attributed to the transformation of α-PVDF to β-PVDF from 51.

Construction of electrochemical immunosensor from MXene/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/gold nanoparticles for specific detection of carcinoembryonic antigen.

With the advancement of nanotechnology, various types of nanomaterials have been integrated into electrochemical immunoelectrodes to enhance their performance. Among these, MXene stands out as a promising candidate due to its high electron transfer capacity and abundant surface chemical groups. However, the improvement in electrode performance is often hindered by the self-restacking and agglomeration of MXene.

Enhanced mechanic properties of calcium phosphate cements via mussel-inspired adhesive as bone substitute: Highlights of their interactions.

Background: Inspired by natural bones, many organic components were added to Calcium Phosphate Cements (CPCs) to improve their mechanical strength. However, the strength of these composite CPCs is limited by the low strength of organic components itself and the weak interaction between organic components and CPCs.

Objective: Firstly, a composite CPC containing mussel-inspired adhesive, Poly-(Dopamine Methacrylamide-co-2-methoxy Ethylacrylate) (pDM) was developed.

Natural polymer derived hydrogel bioink with enhanced thixotropy improves printability and cellular preservation in 3D bioprinting.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is evolving into a promising technology by spatially controlling the distribution of living cells for the biomedical field. However, maintaining high printability while protecting cells from damage due to shear stress remains the key challenge for extrusion-based 3D bioprinting. Herein, we developed a novel "protein-polyphenol-polysaccharide" extrusion-based bioink named Gel-TA-Alg@Ca using gelatin (Gel), tannic acid (TA) and sodium alginate (Alg) with quantitative thixotropy by pre-crosslinking with a series of low concentrations of CaCl at 0.

Insight into the Molecule Impact of Critical-Sized UHMWPE-ALN Wear Particles on Cells by the Alginate-Encapsulated Cell Reactor.

Wear particles of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) are inevitable during service as joint prosthesis, and particles ≤ 10 μm with critical size could cause serious osteolysis and aseptic loosening of joint prosthesis. The aim of this study is to adopt the alginate-encapsulated cell reactor to investigate the molecular impact of critical-sized wear particles of UHMWPE loaded with alendronate sodium (UHMWPE-ALN) on cells. Results showed that compared with UHMWPE wear particles, UHMWPE-ALN wear particles inhibited the proliferation of macrophages significantly after being co-cultured for 1, 4, 7, and 14 d.

GTKO rabbit: A novel animal model for preclinical assessment of decellularized xenogeneic grafts via in situ implantation.

Wild type (WT) animals cannot be used to objectively assess the immunogenicity of animal tissue-derived biomaterials when used as recipients due to difference with human in α-Gal expression. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences of immunological responses between the GGTA1 gene-knockout (GTKO) rabbits and WT rabbits after implantation with animal tissue-derived biomaterials. The porcine-derived decellularized bone matrix (natural bone material, NBM) and fresh porcine cancellous bone (PCB) were implanted in GTKO rabbits and WT rabbits, respectively, and sham operation was used as control (Con).

Macropore Regulation of Hydroxyapatite Osteoinduction via Microfluidic Pathway.

Macroporous characteristics have been shown to play a key role in the osteoinductivity of hydroxyapatite ceramics, but the physics underlying the new bone formation and distribution in such scaffolds still remain elusive. The work here has emphasized the osteoinductive capacity of porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds containing different macroporous sizes (200-400 μm, 1200-1500 μm) and geometries (star shape, spherical shape). The assumption is that both the size and shape of a macropore structure may affect the microfluidic pathways in the scaffolds, which results in the different bone formations and distribution.

α-Gal antigen-deficient rabbits with GGTA1 gene disruption via CRISPR/Cas9.

Background: Previous studies have identified the carbohydrate epitope Galα1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-R (termed the α-galactosyl epitope), known as the α-Gal antigen as the primary xenoantigen recognized by the human immune system. The α-Gal antigen is regulated by galactosyltransferase (GGTA1), and α-Gal antigen-deficient mice have been widely used in xenoimmunological studies, as well as for the immunogenic risk evaluation of animal-derived medical devices. The objective of this study was to develop α-Gal antigen-deficient rabbits by GGTA1 gene editing with the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

Hybridizing gellan/alginate and thixotropic magnesium phosphate-based hydrogel scaffolds for enhanced osteochondral repair.

Osteochondral defects include the damage of cartilage and subchondral bone, which are still clinical challenges. The general replacements are difficult to simultaneously repair cartilage and subchondral bone due to their various requirements. Moreover, appropriate printable bioactive materials were needed for 3D bioprinting personalized scaffolds for osteochondral repairing.

Immunological Risk Assessment of Xenogeneic Dural Patch by Comparing with Raw Material via GTKO Mice.

Objective: In this study, -Gal epitope-deficient (GGTA1 knockout (GTKO)) mice were used to assess the immunological risks of xenogeneic dural patch by comparing with raw material.

Methods: The xenogeneic dural patch (T2) was prepared from bovine pericardium (T1, raw material) through decellularization and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) coating. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the collagen fibers and surface microstructural changes in the T1 and T2 samples.

Hydrogel-By-Design: Smart Delivery System for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment, in which durable immune responses were generated in patients with malignant tumors. In the past decade, biomaterials have played vital roles as smart drug delivery systems for cancer immunotherapy to achieve both enhanced therapeutic benefits and reduced side effects. Hydrogels as one of the most biocompatible and versatile biomaterials have been widely applied in localized drug delivery systems due to their unique properties, such as loadable, implantable, injectable, degradable and stimulus responsible.

Enhanced proliferation and angiogenic phenotype of endothelial cells via negatively-charged alginate and chondroitin sulfate microsphere hydrogels.

Sodium alginate-based hydrogel was the one of the most used polymers for cell delivery. However, the adsorption of extracellular matrix and proteins was inhibited due to the formation of a hydrated surface layer of these hydrogels. In this study, a novel cell delivery system, negatively-charged alginate and chondroitin sulfate microsphere hydrogel (nCACSMH), was fabricated with excellent permeability and biocompatibility in the action of a high voltage direct-current electric field.

The Coronavirus PEDV Evades Type III Interferon Response Through the miR-30c-5p/SOCS1 Axis.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an economically important pathogen that has evolved several mechanisms to evade type I IFN responses. Type III interferon (IFN-λ), an innate cytokine that primarily targets the mucosal epithelia, is critical in fighting mucosal infection in the host and has been reported to potently inhibit PEDV infection . However, how PEDV escapes IFN-λ antiviral response remains unclear.

3D Bioprinting of shear-thinning hybrid bioinks with excellent bioactivity derived from gellan/alginate and thixotropic magnesium phosphate-based gels.

3D Bioprinting is expected to become a strong tool for regenerative medicine, but satisfactory bioinks for the printing of constructs containing living cells are lacking due to the rigorous requirement of high printability and biocompatibility, which are often contradictory. Here, we have reported the development of a novel hybrid bioink by combining rigid gellan gum (GG), flexible sodium alginate (SA), and a bioactive substance thixotropic magnesium phosphate-based gel (TMP-BG). The ratio of these components was first optimized to obtain satisfactory gelating, mechanical, rheological, and printing properties.

Joint construction of micro-vibration stimulation and BCP scaffolds for enhanced bioactivity and self-adaptability tissue engineered bone grafts.

The bone defects caused by trauma and disease have become a major difficulty in the treatment of clinical bone defects, and bone tissue engineering has become a promising treatment strategy. It was found that mechanical stimulation regulated the development of bone constructs by affecting the distribution and differentiation of cells on them. In this study, tissue-engineered bone grafts with enhanced bioactivity and self-adaptability were constructed by BMSCs and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds under periodic micro-vibration stimulation (MVS) with a frequency of 40 Hz and a magnitude of 0.

Development of a revised ICC-qPCR method used for Pseudorabies virus inactivation validation study of biologically sourced materials.

To develop a precise and convenient method to evaluate the virus transmission risk of biologically sourced materials, an integrated cell culture-qPCR (ICC-qPCR) method for Pseudorabies virus (PRV) was established and revised for applications to this new field. The optimized post-infection period was found at 12-hr to achieve a reasonable detection limit (-0.25 LogTCID/100 μL, Logs) and a quantitative range (0.

Progress in the study of virus detection methods: The possibility of alternative methods to validate virus inactivation.

Virus inactivation validation studies have been widely applied in the risk assessment of biogenic material-based medical products, such as biological products, animal tissue-derived biomaterials, and allogeneic biomaterials, to decrease the risk of virus transmission. Traditional virus detection methods in an inactivation validation study utilize cell culture as a tool to quantify the infectious virus by observing cytopathic effects (CPEs) after virus inactivation. However, this is susceptible to subjective factors because CPEs must be observed by experts under a microscope during virus titration.

A novel thixotropic magnesium phosphate-based bioink with excellent printability for application in 3D printing.

The emergence of 3D bioprinting is expected to solve the present puzzle in the field of regenerative medicine. However, the appropriate bioink was lacking due to the rigorous requirement of high printability and biocompatibility, which was often contradictory. In this study, a novel thixotropic magnesium phosphate-based gel (TMP-BG) was prepared and its application in 3D printing was explored.

[Mechanical Reinforcement Strategy of Calcium Phosphate Cements by Loading Polymers].

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is well known for the excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility, however, CPC has been used only for the repair of non-load bearing bone defects due to its brittle nature and low flexural strength. Polymer reinforced CPC has been considered as one of the most effective strategies for mechanical reinforcement. This paper summarizes various kinds of polymers loaded CPC:fiber reinforcement, microsphere reinforcement and dual setting cements.

Enhanced Repairing of Critical-Sized Calvarial Bone Defects by Mussel-Inspired Calcium Phosphate Cement.

The goal of this study is to investigate the biological response of mussel-inspired calcium phosphate cement (CPC) in vivo. Polydopamine (PDA), which is analogous to that of mussel adhesive proteins, was added in CPC. PDA-CPC was implanted into the femur, muscle, and critical-sized calvarial bone defects of rabbits.

A Tiered Experimental Approach for Characterization and Silver Release of Silver-Containing Wound Dressings.

Silver-containing dressings are widely used for wound care owing to their broad-spectrum microbicidal activity. However, the potential adverse effects on human health emerging from exposure to their active ingredients (silver ions or nanoparticles) have resulted in widespread concerns about their use. The release profiles of various chemical forms of silver (Ag) from silver-containing dressing are closely related to their bioavailability and potential adverse effects on the body.

A novel alginate-encapsulated system to study biological response to critical-sized wear particles of UHMWPE loaded with alendronate sodium.

The aim of this study was to develop a novel alginate-encapsulated system (Alg beads) to investigate the cell response to critical-sized wear particles of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene loaded with alendronate sodium (UHMWPE-ALN), one of the most effective drugs to treat bone resorption in clinic. The extrusion method was used to prepare Alg beads encapsulating rat calvarial osteoblasts (RCOs) and critical-sized UHMWPE-ALN wear particles with spherical morphology and uniform size. The morphology, permeability and stability of Alg beads were characterized.

Biological responses to M13 bacteriophage modified titanium surfaces in vitro.

Unlabelled: Phage-based materials have showed great potential in tissue engineering application. However, it is unknown what inflammation response will happen to this kind of materials. This work is to explore the biological responses to M13 bacteriophage (phage) modified titanium surfaces in vitro from the aspects of their interaction with macrophages, osteoblasts and mineralization behavior.

The synergistic effect of micro/nano-structured and Cu-doped hydroxyapatite particles to promote osteoblast viability and antibacterial activity.

Microstructure and chemical constitution are important factors affecting the biological activity of biomaterials. This study aimed to fabricate hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles with both micro/nanohybrid structure and Cu doping to promote osteogenic differentiation and antibacterial property. In the presence of inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6), micro/nano-structured and Cu-doped HAp (HAp-IP6-Cu) microspheres were successfully fabricated via hydrothermal method.

High-scale yield of nano hydroxyapatite through combination of mechanical activation and chemical dispersion.

The aim of this study is to develop a simple, convenient and effective approach to synthesize nano-sized hydroxyapatite (nano-HA) at high-scale yield. Nano-HA was wet synthesized in the presence or absence of alendronate sodium (ALN), one of bisphosphonates for anti-osteoporotic. Then aged and washed nano-HA precipitate was directly treated by mechanical activation combined with the chemical dispersion of ALN to prevent the agglomeration of nano-HA.