Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2019 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Background: Currently there are no standard models with which to evaluate the biomechanical performance of\ncalcified tissue adhesives, in vivo. We present, herein, a pre-clinical murine distal femoral bone model for evaluating\ntissue adhesives intended for use in both osseous and osteochondral tissue reconstruction.................................
Background: Traditional prosthetic fabrication relies heavily on plaster casting and 3D models for the accurate\nproduction of prosthetics to allow patients to begin rehabilitation and participate in daily activities. Recent\ntechnological advancements allow for the use of 2D photographs to fabricate individualized prosthetics based on\npatient anthropometrics. Additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) enhances the capability of prosthesis manufacturing\nby significantly increasing production speed and decreasing production cost. Existing literature has extensively\ndescribed the validity of using computer-aided design and 3D printing for fabrication of upper limb prostheses. The\npresent investigation provides a detailed description of the development of a patient specific body-powered 3D\nprinted partial finger prosthesis and compares its qualitative and functional characteristics to a commercially available\nfinger prosthesis.\nCase presentation: A 72-year old white male with a partial finger amputation at the proximal interphalangeal joint of\nthe left hand performed a simple gross motor task with two partial finger prostheses and completed two self-reported\nsurveys (QUEST & OPUS). Remote fitting of the 3D printed partial finger began after receipt of 2D photographs of the\npatientâ??s affected and non-affected limbs. Prosthetic fitting when using 3D printable materials permitted the use of\nthermoforming around the patientâ??s residual limb, allowing for a comfortable but tight-fitting socket. Results of the\ninvestigation show improved performance in the Box and Block Test when using both prostheses (22 blocks per\nminute) as compared to when not using a prosthesis (18 blocks per minute). Both body-powered prostheses\ndemonstrated slightly lower task-efficiency when compared to the non-affected limb (30 blocks per minute) for the\ngross motor task. Results of the QUEST and OPUS describe specific aspects of both prostheses that are highly relevant\nto quality of life and functional performance when using partial finger prostheses.\nConclusion: The use of 3D printing exhibits great potential for the fabrication of functional partial finger prostheses\nthat improve function in amputees. In addition, 3D printing provides an alternative means for patients located in\nunderdeveloped or low-income areas to procure a functional finger prosthesis....
Hydrogels are widely used materials for cardiac tissue engineering. However, once the cells\nare encapsulated within hydrogels, mass transfer to the core of the engineered tissue is limited, and\ncell viability is compromised. Here, we report on the development of a channeled ECM-based\nnanofibrous hydrogel for engineering vascularized cardiac tissues. An omentum hydrogel was mixed\nwith cardiac cells, patterned to create channels and closed, and then seeded with endothelial cells to\nform open cellular lumens. A mathematical model was used to evaluate the necessity of the channels\nfor maintaining cell viability and the true potential of the vascularized hydrogel to form a viable\ncardiac patch was studied....
Ti6Al4V titanium alloy has been widely used as medical implant material in orthopedic\nsurgery, and one of the obstacles preventing it from wide use is toxic metal ions release and\nbacterial implant infection. In this paper, in order to improve corrosion resistance and antibacterial\nperformance of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy, ZnO doped tantalum oxide (TaxOy) multilayer composite\ncoating ZnO-TaxOy/TaxOy/TaxOy-TiO2/TiO2/Ti (ZnO-TaxOy) was deposited by magnetron sputtering\nat room temperature. As a comparison, monolayer TaxOy coating was prepared on the surface\nof Ti6Al4V alloy. The morphology and phase composition of the coatings were investigated by\nfield emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the elemental\nchemical states of coating surfaces were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS).\nThe adhesion strength and corrosion resistance of the coatings were examined by micro-scratch\ntester and electrochemical workstations, respectively. The results show that the adhesion strength\nof multilayer ZnO-TaxOy coating is 16.37 times higher than that of single-layer TaxOy coating.\nThe ZnO-TaxOy composite coating has higher corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density\nthan that of TaxOy coating, showing better corrosion inhibition. Furthermore, antibacterial test\nrevealed that multilayer ZnO-TaxOy coating has a much better antibacterial performance by contrast....
The emergence of polylactide composites reinforced with bioresorbable silicate glass\nfibers has allowed for the long-term success of biodegradable polymers in load-bearing orthopedic\napplications. However, few studies have reported on the degradation behavior and bioactivity of\nsuch biocomposites. The aim of this work was to investigate the degradation behavior and in vitro\nbioactivity of a novel biocomposite pin composed of bioresorbable continuous glass fibers and\npoly-L-D-lactide in simulated body fluid for 78 weeks. As the materials degraded, periodic spiral\ndelamination formed microtubes and funnel-shaped structures in the biocomposite pins. It was\nspeculated that the direction of degradation, from both ends towards the middle of the fibers\nand from the surface through to the bulk of the polymer matrix, could facilitate bone healing.\nFollowing immersion in simulated body fluid, a bone-like apatite layer formed on the biocomposite\npins which had a similar composition and structure to natural bone. The sheet- and needle-like\napatite nanostructure was doped with sodium, magnesium, and carbonate ions, which acted to lower\nthe Ca/P atomic ratio to less than the stoichiometric apatite and presented a calcium-deficient apatite\nwith low crystallinity. These findings demonstrated the bioactivity of the new biocomposite pins\nin vitro and their excellent potential for load-bearing applications....
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