Researchers are using 4D printing technology to create biomimetic microchannel scaffolds made of collagen and hydroxyapatite.

Spinal fusion is often used to restore spinal stability in patients with spinal diseases, such as spinal stenosis, vertebral fractures, progressive deformities, and instability. Over the past 20 years, the number of people over 65 who need spinal fusion surgery has increased significantly.

Although autologous bone transplantation has long been regarded as the reference standard for spinal fusion, painful false joints are still the main reason for poor clinical results. Therefore, many researchers have focused on trying to create a bionic scaffold that can induce vascularization, thereby achieving bone tissue regeneration and spinal fusion.

In Applied Physics Reviews of AIP Publishing, researchers from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea proposed a solution to the challenge of manufacturing bionic scaffolds. The team designed a microchannel scaffold made of a combination of collagen and hydroxyapatite, and each scaffold is composed of micrometer-sized microchannels. Microchannels have induced blood vessel growth in mouse models.

"Since the manufacture of biomimetic scaffolds is a challenging problem, the innovation of this research is to add additional hierarchical structure to the structure in the form of microchannels," said author Geun Hyung Kim. "This is achieved through a 4D printing strategy, which uses unidirectional shape deformation."

The researchers printed the immiscible polymer mixture as a double negative template to create a biomimetic collagen/hydroxyapatite layered scaffold. Subsequently, they used unidirectional shape deformation (4D printing) and coating processes.

Collagen is considered a hydrophilic material, and many in vivo studies have shown that it has excellent cell activity. In the case of microchannel collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffolds, the researchers noticed that compared with traditional collagen scaffolds, due to the capillary pressure provided by the microchannels, its water absorption capacity is significantly higher. Therefore, in vivo studies have shown that cells penetrate extremely well into the microchannels.

Looking to the future, researchers will study the mechanical properties of enhanced stents. In addition, controlling the mechanical properties of the scaffold will enable the multi-functional application of the microchannel collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffold.

"I believe that the designed stent can have multiple applications, with tubular structures such as muscles, tendons, and nerves," Kim said.

Skeletal muscle is a layered tissue in which muscle fibers are wrapped in microchannels called endomysium. Therefore, the designed stent can be used as an endomuscular membrane to allow muscle fibers to penetrate into the channel.

The injection molding machine adds robots, experience and training to improve efficiency and better serve high-performance plastic customers.

Ensinger Precision Components (EPC), a custom injection molder located in Connecticut, a division of Ensinger Inc., has purchased several Wittman Battenfeld electric molding presses with integrated Cartesian robots in the past few years and has begun investing in the future . The main function of these robots is to reduce labor, integrate operations, and provide more consistent cycle times to improve quality. This investment kicks off the journey of making EPC a stronger competitor in the high-performance plastics sector.

However, simply purchasing equipment is not enough. Knowledge capital is also needed to come up with creative ways to use automation to replace and integrate operations. This is why EPC recently invested in its intellectual capital, hiring an equipment engineer with many years of experience in providing automation solutions for the injection molding industry. EPC also invests in training its technicians to ensure they can support the equipment. Now EPC can evaluate new business opportunities while considering automation and provide customers with the best possible solutions.

In the coming months, EPC will further invest in automation and collaborative robots to maximize operations through joint investments in personnel and equipment.

About EPC EPC can process high-performance materials such as PEEK, Aurum, Ultem, Torlon and thermoplastic polyimide. Many of the major customers of mold manufacturers are in the aerospace/defense, life sciences, automotive, and industrial market segments. EPC has passed AS9100D and ISO9001:2015 certification.

The success of this method in manufacturing functional tissues largely depends on the degree to which the manufactured structure imitates natural tissues.

Professor Arda Gozen looks forward to one day when doctors can press a button to print a stent on their 3D printer and create customized replacement skin, cartilage or other tissues for their patients.

Associate Professors Gozen, George, and Joan Berry of Washington State University's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and a team of researchers have developed a unique scaffold material for engineering tissues that can be fine-tuned for the tricky business of growing natural tissues. They reported their research in the journal Bioprinting. The team also includes researchers from WSU's Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, as well as researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Morehouse College, and the University of Rochester. The first author is Mahmoud Amr, who received his PhD from UTSA.

In recent decades, researchers have been working to use biomaterials in 3D printing to create tissues or organs for patients who have recovered from injuries or illnesses. Using 3D printing or additive manufacturing, complex, porous, and personalized structures can be printed, and one day doctors can print tissues that meet the specific body and needs of patients. In order to create biological structures, biological materials called biological inks are ejected from nozzles and deposited layer by layer, creating complex scaffolds for real biological materials and providing a good place for cell growth.

However, so far, nature is far more complicated than researchers can keep up. Real biological cells like to grow on scaffolds that are close to their own characteristics. So, for example, skin cells want to grow on a scaffold that feels like skin, while muscle cells will only grow on a scaffold that feels like muscle.

"The success of this method in manufacturing functional tissues depends to a large extent on the degree to which the manufactured structure imitates natural tissues," Gozen said. "If you want to grow cells and turn them into functional tissues, you need to match the mechanical environment of natural tissues."

The traditional way for researchers to change the scaffolds is to simply remove the trusses to make them softer or stiffer-this method is too simple to solve all the required complexity in tissue engineering.

"We don't have many knobs to turn," Gozen said. "You need more freedom-to create something softer or harder without changing the structure."

The team of researchers has developed a new bio-ink material that can be customized with characteristics to be closer to what the cell may need. The components of the scaffold include gelatin, gum arabic and sodium alginate, which are all commonly used thickeners in many processed foods.

Similar to the way the thick rope is made of braided thread, the researchers used three separate chemical processes to tie their three components together to form a stent material for printing.

Then, the use of a separate chemical process provides a way to fine-tune the mechanical properties of the materials, enabling them to make the final scaffold that is softer or harder.

"This allows you to adjust the properties without changing the scaffolding design and gives you the extra freedom we are looking for," Gozen said.

By adjusting the chemical bonds between the strands, they will not significantly change the material and are suitable for the growth of chondrocytes.

This work is still in its early stages, and the researchers want to figure out how to adjust the process and final materials more precisely. For example, they might consider changing the composition of the three materials or printing at different temperatures.

Trying to imitate the immense complexity of natural tissue remains a challenge. For example, even a simple millimeter-sized piece of cartilage on the knee has three independent and different layers, each with different mechanical properties and functions.

"You are not here to assemble Lego bricks. It is always about copying the nature of working with the body," Gozen said. "You can make living structures, but they look completely different from natural tissues. Accuracy is the key because there is no single mechanical performance target for monolithic tissues."

Sugar needles provide a pudding-like brain implant that reduces foreign body reactions.

Brain implants are used to treat neurological dysfunction, and their use to enhance cognitive abilities is a promising area of ​​research. Implants can be used to monitor brain activity or use electrical impulses to stimulate certain parts of the brain. For example, in epilepsy, brain implants can determine the location of epileptic seizures in the brain.

Over time, the implant can trigger a foreign body reaction, creating inflammation and scar tissue around the implant, reducing its effectiveness.

The problem is that traditional implants are much harder than brain tissue, and the softness of brain tissue is comparable to that of pudding. The pressure between the implant and the tissue caused by the continuous movement of the brain relative to the implant signals the body to treat the implant as a foreign body. This interaction between the implant and the brain is similar to cutting a piece of pudding with a knife. An implant that is as soft as brain tissue would be ideal, but such a soft implant is difficult to manufacture and implant in microscale.

A team of researchers from The Neuro (Montreal Neurology Institute-Hospital) and McGill University's Department of Biomedical Engineering found a solution using silica gel and sugar.

By using silicone polymers that are widely known for their medical applications, scientists were able to create the softest brain implants to date, with a thickness of only a thin sewing thread (about 0.2 mm) and a soft pudding-and The brain is as soft as itself. Then they can use the techniques in the recipe to implant it in the brain.

They used traditional sugar melting, caramelization, and shaping cooking techniques to make implants and encapsulated them in needles made of hardened sugar.

When surgically inserted into the brain of an anesthetized rat, the sugar needle brings the implant to the correct position and dissolves within a few seconds, leaving a delicate implant. Sugar is non-toxic and is naturally metabolized by the brain. Examining brain tissue three and nine weeks after implantation, the team found that compared with traditional implants, the density of neurons was higher and the foreign body response was lower.

Although more research is needed to develop electroactive soft implants and prove the safety and effectiveness of the technology in humans, one day it can be used to release brain implants in the treatment of neurological diseases and dysfunctions. potential.

Edward Zhang, the first author of the study, said: "The implants we make are so soft that the body does not see them as a big threat. This allows them to interact with the brain with less interference." I am excited about entering the future of technology and believe that our work will help pave the way for a new generation of soft implants and make brain implants a more viable medical treatment."

"By reducing the inflammatory response in the brain, our new, very flexible implant is a good thing for the brain and a good thing for the long-term function of the implant," The Neuro researcher and the research collaboration Said Tim Kennedy. Senior author. "The micro-sugar needle designed by Zhang is a sweet solution for putting super soft implants into the same soft brain tissue."

"Biomedical engineering research is about making the impossible possible," said David Juncker, a professor of biomedical engineering at McGill University and co-senior author of the study. “Here, we set out to make implants that are as soft as the brain and implant them in the brain. This is a major challenge. We are excited about the results, and it opens up for long-lasting, well-tolerated brain implants. Possibility."

A new cardiovascular index based on pulse wave velocity is released on the Withings Body Cardio scale, which provides daily heart health monitoring at home.

In addition to measuring heart rate and body composition, Withings' Body Cardio performance will use a new cardiovascular index-vascular age-to provide a daily, easy-to-understand assessment of arterial health. It does this by showing people how their cardiovascular health compares to expected standards in their age range, and estimates their inner age, and indicates whether it is best, normal or not for their actual age optimal.

With the help of vascular age, Withings has created an immediately identifiable index to help users better understand their health and maintain or change their behavior to lead a healthy lifestyle. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 655,000 Americans every year. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, affecting approximately 17.9 million lives each year. Since cardiovascular diseases claim so many lives every year, it is necessary to be able to monitor heart health at home through medical-grade insight.

Determining the age of blood vessels The age of blood vessels is based on pulse wave velocity (PWV), which is a measure of arterial stiffness and a key indicator of heart health. It is widely used in clinical settings to provide early warning of risks related to heart and health events such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, organ failure, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and heart attack. It is the speed at which blood pressure pulses travel through the circulatory system.

To determine PWV, Body Cardio uses ballistic cardiography and impedance plethysmography to measure the time difference between the ejection of blood from the heart in the aorta and the arrival of blood flow in the foot. When the heart beats, it exerts a force that causes the weight of Body Cardio to change. When the blood flow reaches the foot, the scale can detect the change in body current, so that the PWV can be calculated.

Withings was launched in 2016 and has more than 80 million views. It has one of the largest PWV databases in the world. Compared with many scientific papers, this database has proven to be highly representative of the general population. In order to determine the vascular age, Withings' algorithm analyzes the PWV measurement value of a person according to a person's age and physical characteristics, and expresses it as the actual age (± range and time range) and whether a person is the best, normal, or sub-optimal. The algorithm was developed by the leading cardiologist, Professor Stéphane Laurent of Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou with reference to the latest clinical literature.

The importance of blood vessel age Generally, arteries age more slowly than other parts of the body. However, when cigarette smoke and foods rich in saturated fat and trans fat continue to intensify, they will age faster. If it is determined that the vascular age is significantly greater than a person's actual age, they may be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. Vascular age is an indicator recognized by the scientific community and is usually used as a health tool.

Withings vascular age function can provide cardiovascular examination in less than 30 seconds with easy-to-understand, fluoroscopy and time-tracked indicators. The weight scale will conveniently show on the screen whether a person is in an optimal, normal or non-optimal condition, while the Withings Health Mate app will display other information, including estimates of their vascular age as well as exercise and nutrition recommendations to improve the cardiovascular system healthy.

"Body Cardio redefines how people use connected weight scales by providing them with tools to manage weight and cardiovascular health," said Mathieu Letombe, CEO of Withings. “By simply stepping on their scales every morning, Body Cardio will provide the type of cardiovascular assessment that people usually only receive in a doctor’s office. By linking information with age (an index that everyone can understand), we let It’s easier for people to understand the situation and actively make healthy choices."

Smartest of Smart Scales Body Cardio has multiple functions to help people achieve weight loss and maintenance goals. In addition to weight and BMI readings, Body Cardio also provides a comprehensive assessment of body composition. It uses a scientific technique called bioelectrical impedance to calculate the percentage of body fat, muscle, water, and bone mass. It can also record the user's heart rate.

In order to encourage daily use, which is an effective weight loss strategy, Body Cardio is full of functions that promote participation. These fully customizable features include a trend graph showing the user's weight over time, their steps the previous day, and even the morning weather report so that they can choose the day's clothing.

Withings Body Cardio can be synchronized via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Its additional advanced features include a rechargeable battery with a battery life of up to 1 year and the ability to automatically identify up to 8 users in the family.