Biocompatibility of biomimetic multilayered alginate-chitosan/β-TCP scaffold for osteochondral tissue.

Biomimetic three-layered monolithic scaffold (TLS) intended for treatment of osteochondral defects was fabricated by using freeze drying method. The multilayered material was prepared with chitosan (C) and alginate (A) polyelectrolyte complex (CA/PEC) as a cartilaginous layer, a combination of CA/PEC (60 wt%) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) (40 wt%) as an intermediate layer and a combination of CA/PEC (30 wt%) and β-TCP (70 wt%) as a subchondral layer in order to mimic the inherent gradient structure of healthy osteochondral tissue. Characterization of the scaffolds was performed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis, swelling and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests.

Knowledge and attitudes of university students toward pandemic influenza: a cross-sectional study from Turkey.

Background: During an influenza pandemic, higher education institutions with large populations of young adults can become serious outbreak centers. Since outbreak management is essential to disease control, we aimed to examine university students' knowledge of and attitudes toward the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and vaccination and other preventive measures.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 first year university students at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey between 1st and 30th of November 2009.