Development of an All-Marine 3D Printed Bioactive Hydrogel Dressing for Treatment of Hard-to-Heal Wounds.

Current standard wound care involves dressings that provide moisture and protection; however, dressings providing active healing are still scarce and expensive. We aimed to develop an ecologically sustainable 3D printed bioactive hydrogel-based topical wound dressing targeting healing of hard-to-heal wounds, such as chronic or burn wounds, which are low on exudate. To this end, we developed a formulation composed of renewable marine components; purified extract from unfertilized salmon roe (heat-treated X, HTX), alginate from brown seaweed, and nanocellulose from tunicates.

Alginate and Nanocellulose Dressings With Extract From Salmon Roe Reduce Inflammation and Accelerate Healing of Porcine Burn Wounds.

Partial-thickness thermal burn wounds are characterized by a prolonged inflammatory response, oxidative stress, tissue damage, and secondary necrosis. An optimal dressing for burn wounds would reduce inflammation and oxidative stress while providing a moist, absorbent, and protective cover. We have developed an extract from unfertilized salmon roe containing components with potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, called HTX.

Biomechanical and histomorphometric evaluation of skin integration on titanium and PEEK implants with different surface treatments.

Percutaneous implants are frequently affected by bacterial growth at the skin-implant interface. Integration between implant and surrounding skin is important to prevent bacteria from spreading to the underlying tissue. The standard method to evaluate skin-implant integration is by histomorphometry on samples which have been placed in tissue grown in vivo or ex vivo.

Influence of Sharklet-Inspired Micropatterned Polymers on Spatio-Temporal Variations of Marine Biofouling.

This article aims to show the influence of surface characteristics (microtopography, chemistry, mechanical properties) and seawater parameters on the settlement of marine micro- and macroorganisms. Polymers with nine microtopographies, three distinct mechanical properties, and wetting characteristics are immersed for one month into two contrasting coastal sites (Toulon and Kristineberg Center) and seasons (Winter and Summer). Influence of microtopography and chemistry on wetting is assessed through static contact angle and captive air bubble measurements over 3-weeks immersion in artificial seawater.

Personalized tissue-engineered arteries as vascular graft transplants: A safety study in sheep.

Patients with cardiovascular disease often need replacement or bypass of a diseased blood vessel. With disadvantages of both autologous blood vessels and synthetic grafts, tissue engineering is emerging as a promising alternative of advanced therapy medicinal products for individualized blood vessels. By reconditioning of a decellularized blood vessel with the recipient's own peripheral blood, we have been able to prevent rejection without using immunosuppressants and prime grafts for efficient recellularization Recently, decellularized veins reconditioned with autologous peripheral blood were shown to be safe and functional in a porcine study as a potential alternative for vein grafting.

3D Printed Nanocellulose Scaffolds as a Cancer Cell Culture Model System.

Current conventional cancer drug screening models based on two-dimensional (2D) cell culture have several flaws and there is a large need of more in vivo mimicking preclinical drug screening platforms. The microenvironment is crucial for the cells to adapt relevant in vivo characteristics and here we introduce a new cell culture system based on three-dimensional (3D) printed scaffolds using cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) pre-treated with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) as the structural material component. Breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 and MDA-MB-231, were cultured in 3D TEMPO-CNF scaffolds and were shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histochemistry to grow in multiple layers as a heterogenous cell population with different morphologies, contrasting 2D cultured mono-layered cells with a morphologically homogenous cell population.

DendroPrime as an adhesion barrier on fracture fixation plates: an experimental study in rabbits.

We tested the anti-adhesional effect of a new thiol-ene-based coating in a rabbit model. In 12 New Zealand white rabbits, the periosteum and cortex of the proximal phalanx of the second toe of both hind paws was scratched. Stainless steel plates were fixated with screws.

Loads on Transhumeral Amputees Using Osseointegrated Prostheses.

The treatment of the upper extremities is not as prevalent as that of the lower limbs, but it is nonetheless equally important. Today, there are no load data relating to upper extremity bone-anchored prosthesis users in the literature, but they are important in order to improve the rehabilitation protocol, design aspects and confidence of the user when it comes to loading the prosthesis in daily life. The aim of the present study was to investigate, in a population of eleven transhumeral amputees with osseointegrated implants, the load levels reached during specific prosthetic movements at maximum voluntary effort and during daily activities.

Three-dimensional modeling of removal torque and fracture progression around implants.

In the present study, a model for simulations of removal torque experiments was developed using finite element method. The interfacial retention and fracturing of the surrounding material caused by the surface features during torque was analyzed. It was hypothesized that the progression of removal torque and the phases identified in the torque response plot represents sequential fractures at the interface.

Direct communication between osteocytes and acid-etched titanium implants with a sub-micron topography.

The osteocyte network, through the numerous dendritic processes of osteocytes, is responsible for sensing mechanical loading and orchestrates adaptive bone remodelling by communicating with both the osteoclasts and the osteoblasts. The osteocyte network in the vicinity of implant surfaces provides insight into the bone healing process around metallic implants. Here, we investigate whether osteocytes are able to make an intimate contact with topologically modified, but micrometre smooth (S  < 0.

Effect of load on the bone around bone-anchored amputation prostheses.

Osseointegrated transfemoral amputation prostheses have proven successful as an alternative method to the conventional socket-type prostheses. The method improves prosthetic use and thus increases the demands imposed on the bone-implant system. The hypothesis of the present study was that the loads applied to the bone-anchored implant system of amputees would result in locations of high stress and strain transfer to the bone tissue and thus contribute to complications such as unfavourable bone remodeling and/or elevated inflammatory response and/or compromised sealing function at the tissue-abutment interface.

Bone response to a novel Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr alloy.

Commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) is regarded as the state-of-the-art material for bone-anchored dental devices, whereas the mechanically stronger alloy (Ti-6Al-4V), made of titanium, aluminum (Al) and vanadium (V), is regarded as the material of choice for high-load applications. There is a call for the development of new alloys, not only to eliminate the potential toxic effect of Al and V but also to meet the challenges imposed on dental and maxillofacial reconstructive devices, for example. The present work evaluates a novel, dual-stage, acid-etched, Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr alloy implant, consisting of elements that create low toxicity, with the potential to promote osseointegration in vivo.

Understanding mechanisms and factors related to implant fixation; a model study of removal torque.

Osseointegration is a prerequisite for achieving a stable long-term fixation and load-bearing capacity of bone anchored implants. Removal torque measurements are often used experimentally to evaluate the fixation of osseointegrated screw-shaped implants. However, a detailed understanding of the way different factors influence the result of removal torque measurements is lacking.

Functional characteristics of the novel, human-derived recombinant FVIII protein product, human-cl rhFVIII.

Introduction: Hemophilia A is routinely treated by administration of exogenous coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). As safety and efficacy of FVIII products have improved over the years, development of FVIII-neutralizing antibodies (FVIII inhibitors) has emerged as the most serious complication. The new human cell line-derived recombinant human FVIII (human-cl rhFVIII) is the first recombinant FVIII product produced in a human cell line without additive animal proteins, with a goal of minimizing the risk of inhibitor development.

Healing of complement activating Ti implants compared with non-activating Ti in rat tibia.

Recent studies have revealed that ozone ultraviolet (UVO) illumination of titanium (Ti) implants improves bone-implant anchorage by altering the physico-chemical and immune activating properties of the titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) layer. In the present rat tibia model, the authors compared the early events of inflammation and bone formation around UVO-treated Ti and complement activating immunoglobin g (IgG)-coated Ti. Machined Ti and machined Ti coated with a physical vapour-deposited Ti layer were used as references.

A simple method for preparation of molecularly imprinted nanofiber materials with signal transduction ability.

A simple electrospinning method is developed to introduce signal transduction ability into molecularly imprinted nanofibers.

The eukaryotic leading and lagging strand DNA polymerases are loaded onto primer-ends via separate mechanisms but have comparable processivity in the presence of PCNA.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase delta (Pol delta) and DNA polymerase epsilon (Pol epsilon) are replicative DNA polymerases at the replication fork. Both enzymes are stimulated by PCNA, although to different levels. To understand why and to explore the interaction with PCNA, we compared Pol delta and Pol epsilon in physical interactions with PCNA and nucleic acids (with or without RPA), and in functional assays measuring activity and processivity.

Studies of small molecule interactions with protein phosphatases using biosensor technology.

Reversible protein phosphorylation of serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues by protein kinases and phosphatases is important for the regulation of cellular signal transduction and controls many cellular functions. Disturbances in this regulation have been implicated in a growing number of diseases, making kinases and phosphatases useful targets for therapeutic intervention. The suitability of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology has been widely demonstrated in many drug discovery applications.

Structure-activity relationships of galabioside derivatives as inhibitors of E. coli and S. suis adhesins: nanomolar inhibitors of S. suis adhesins.

Four collections of Gal alpha1-4Gal derivatives were synthesised and evaluated as inhibitors of the PapG class II adhesin of uropathogenic Escherichia coli and of the P(N) and P(O) adhesins of Streptococcus suis strains. Galabiosides carrying aromatic structures at C1, methoxyphenyl O-galabiosides in particular, were identified as potent inhibitors of the PapG adhesin. Phenylurea derivatisation at C3' and methoxymethylation at O2' of galabiose provided inhibitors of the S.

Capture and reconstitution of G protein-coupled receptors on a biosensor surface.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors offer a unique opportunity to study the binding activity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in real time with minimal sample preparation. Using two chemokine receptors (CXCR4 and CCR5) as model systems, we captured the proteins from crude cell preparations onto the biosensor surface and reconstituted a lipid environment to maintain receptor activity. The conformational states of the receptors were probed using conformationally dependent antibodies, and by characterizing the binding properties of a native chemokine ligand (stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha).

Structural requirements for high-affinity heparin binding: alanine scanning analysis of charged residues in the C-terminal domain of human extracellular superoxide dismutase.

An essential property of human extracellular superoxide dismutase (hEC-SOD) is its affinity for heparin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans located on cell surfaces and in the connective tissue matrix. The C-terminal domain of hEC-SOD plays the major role in this interaction. This domain has an unusually high content of charged amino acids: six arginine, three lysine, and five glutamic acid residues.

A comparison of three doses of sufentanil in combination with bupivacaine-adrenaline in continuous epidural analgesia during labour.

Background: Sufentanil is now frequently added to local anaesthetic in labour epidural analgesia. However, this opioid has some side effects such as pruritus, and in higher doses could harm the neonate. The purpose of this study was to compare three doses of sufentanil combined with low-dose bupivacaine, to determine the lowest appropriate dose.

Characterization of heparin binding of human extracellular superoxide dismutase.

The C-terminal domain of human extracellular superoxide dismutase (hEC-SOD) plays a crucial role in the protein's interaction with heparin. Here we investigated this interaction in more detail by comparing the heparin-binding characteristics of two variants of hEC-SOD: the two fusion proteins containing the hEC-SOD C-terminal domain and a synthetic peptide homologous to the C-terminal. The interaction studies were performed using a surface plasmon resonance based technique on a BIAcore system.

Induction of labor with mifepristone--a randomized, double-blind study versus placebo.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of mifepristone in inducing labor in women with an unripe cervix, its effect on the cervix and on the status of the newborn.

Methods: In a prospective double-blind study, 36 post-term pregnant women with a Bishop score of 5 or less received either 400 mg mifepristone (n=24) or placebo (n=12). If, 48 hours after the treatment was started, labor had not begun or the Bishop score was 5 or less, the women were given 0.