During the past two decades, tissue engineering and the regenerative medicine field have invested in the regeneration and reconstruction of pathologically altered tissues, such as cartilage, bone, ...skin, heart valves, nerves and tendons, and many others. The 3D structured scaffolds and hydrogels alone or combined with bioactive molecules or genes and cells are able to guide the development of functional engineered tissues, and provide mechanical support during in vivo implantation. Naturally derived and synthetic polymers, bioresorbable inorganic materials, and respective hybrids, and decellularized tissue have been considered as scaffolding biomaterials, owing to their boosted structural, mechanical, and biological properties. A diversity of biomaterials, current treatment strategies, and emergent technologies used for 3D scaffolds and hydrogel processing, and the tissue-specific considerations for scaffolding for Tissue engineering (TE) purposes are herein highlighted and discussed in depth. The newest procedures focusing on the 3D behavior and multi-cellular interactions of native tissues for further use for in vitro model processing are also outlined. Completed and ongoing preclinical research trials for TE applications using scaffolds and hydrogels, challenges, and future prospects of research in the regenerative medicine field are also presented.
Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a rapidly growing field aiming to create a biofunctional tissue that can integrate and degrade in vivo to treat diseased or damaged tissue. It has become evident that ...scaffold fabrication techniques are very important in dictating the final structural, mechanical properties, and biological response of the implanted biomaterials. A comprehensive review of the current accomplishments on scaffold fabrication techniques, their structure, and function properties for BTE is provided herein. Different types of biomaterials ranging from inorganic biomaterials to natural and synthetic polymers and related composites for scaffold processing are presented. Emergent scaffolding techniques such as electrospinning, freeze‐drying, bioprinting, and decellularization are also discussed. Strategies to improve vascularization potential and immunomodulation, which is considered a grand challenge in BTE scaffolding, are also presented.
Bone tissue engineering aims to create biofunctional tissue, while scaffold fabrication techniques are rapidly evolving with higher spatial resolutions and hierarchical structural capabilities, enabling the possibility of tailoring the mechanical and biological response of implanted biomaterials. Herein, commentary on current structure/property/function relationships of biomaterials in bone tissue engineering and how these are influenced by the latest scaffold fabrication technologies are offered.
Constraint-based reconstruction and analysis (COBRA) provides a molecular mechanistic framework for integrative analysis of experimental molecular systems biology data and quantitative prediction of ...physicochemically and biochemically feasible phenotypic states. The COBRA Toolbox is a comprehensive desktop software suite of interoperable COBRA methods. It has found widespread application in biology, biomedicine, and biotechnology because its functions can be flexibly combined to implement tailored COBRA protocols for any biochemical network. This protocol is an update to the COBRA Toolbox v.1.0 and v.2.0. Version 3.0 includes new methods for quality-controlled reconstruction, modeling, topological analysis, strain and experimental design, and network visualization, as well as network integration of chemoinformatic, metabolomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and thermochemical data. New multi-lingual code integration also enables an expansion in COBRA application scope via high-precision, high-performance, and nonlinear numerical optimization solvers for multi-scale, multi-cellular, and reaction kinetic modeling, respectively. This protocol provides an overview of all these new features and can be adapted to generate and analyze constraint-based models in a wide variety of scenarios. The COBRA Toolbox v.3.0 provides an unparalleled depth of COBRA methods.
Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by dysfunction and death of selectively vulnerable midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the development of human in ...vitro cellular models of the disease is a major challenge in Parkinson's disease research. We constructed an automated cell culture platform optimised for long-term maintenance and monitoring of different cells in three dimensional microfluidic cell culture devices. The system can be flexibly adapted to various experimental protocols and features time-lapse imaging microscopy for quality control and electrophysiology monitoring to assess cellular activity. Using this system, we continuously monitored the differentiation of Parkinson's disease patient derived human neuroepithelial stem cells into midbrain specific dopaminergic neurons. Calcium imaging confirmed the electrophysiological activity of differentiated neurons and immunostaining confirmed the efficiency of the differentiation protocol. This system is the first example of an automated Organ-on-a-Chip culture and has the potential to enable a versatile array of in vitro experiments for patient-specific disease modelling.
Tomato producing and processing industries present undoubted potential for industrial discarded products valorization whether due to the overproduction of fresh tomatoes or to the loss during ...processing. Although tomato by-products are not yet considered a raw material, several studies have suggested innovative and profitable applications. It is often referred to as "tomato pomace" and is quite rich in a variety of bioactive compounds. Lycopene, vitamin C, β-carotene, phenolic compounds, and tocopherol are some of the bioactives herein discussed. Tomato by-products are also rich in minerals. Many of these compounds are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties besides modulating the immune system. Several researchers have focused on the possible application of natural ingredients, especially those extracted from foods, and their physiological and pharmacological effects. Herein, the effects of processing and further applications of the bioactive compounds present in tomato by-products were carefully reviewed, especially regarding the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. The aim of this review was thus to highlight the existing opportunities to create profitable and innovative applications for tomato by-products in health context.
The effects of microplastics (MP) on aquatic organisms are currently the subject of intense research. Here, we provide a critical perspective on published studies of MP ingestion by aquatic biota. We ...summarize the available research on MP presence, behaviour and effects on aquatic organisms monitored in the field and on laboratory studies of the ecotoxicological consequences of MP ingestion. We consider MP polymer type, shape, size as well as group of organisms studied and type of effect reported. Specifically, we evaluate whether or not the available laboratory studies of MP are representative of the types of MPs found in the environment and whether or not they have reported on relevant groups or organisms. Analysis of the available data revealed that 1) despite their widespread detection in field-based studies, polypropylene, polyester and polyamide particles were under-represented in laboratory studies; 2) fibres and fragments (800–1600 μm) are the most common form of MPs reported in animals collected from the field; 3) to date, most studies have been conducted on fish; knowledge is needed about the effects of MPs on other groups of organisms, especially invertebrates. Furthermore, there are significant mismatches between the types of MP most commonly found in the environment or reported in field studies and those used in laboratory experiments. Finally, there is an overarching need to understand the mechanism of action and ecotoxicological effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of MPs on aquatic organism health.
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•Mismatch between microplastics (MP) in the environment and in ecotoxicology studies•Fish and small crustaceans are over-represented in studies of MP effects•Most lab studies are conducted at unrealistically high MP concentrations•Mechanisms of MP action on organism health still poorly understood
•A staged-mixing procedure was optimized to regulate the ITZ water flow.•It is an economical approach to improve RAC, which can be industrially used.•It allows good workability levels, of RAC, during ...3h.•A shrinkage test showed that it reduces the sensibility of early age cracking.•RA properties are inferior to NA properties, reducing the concrete performance.
The widespread use of natural aggregates in construction activities, together with the global population increase, gave rise to a depletion of this natural resource and to progressive increase of its transport distances. On the other hand, the construction and demolition wastes (C&DW) resulting from the construction activities are often deposited in landfills and city outskirts, causing environmental and social problems, such as erosion, deforestation, water contamination and human conflicts. The reuse of C&DW in concrete preparation would be a good solution for both problems. Recycled aggregates show, however, high water absorption due to porosity. At saturation, water flows from the inside to the engaging cement paste matrix and at dryness the opposite process occurs. This water flow breaks the aggregate-cement paste bonds and increases the W/C ratio in the interfacial transition zone, this degrades the fresh and hardened concrete properties.
In this work a staged mixing method based on the aggregate water absorption over time was developed. A staged mixing procedure was optimized to regulate the water flow and manufacture concrete, using recycled aggregates, with levels of workability, strength and shrinkage equivalent to those of conventional concrete. The physical, mechanical and geometrical properties of the aggregates were related to the properties of concrete in its fresh and hardened state. Three types of commercial recycled aggregates were evaluated. Two types of natural aggregates were also studied for comparison purposes.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan that is found in extracellular tissue in many parts of the body. It is a material of increasing importance to biomaterials science and is finding ...applications in diverse areas ranging from tissue culture scaffolds to cosmetic materials. This paper reviews the recent research on the role of HA as a immunoprotective and immunomodulatory biomaterial and the importance of HA in combating immune related diseases such as type 1 diabetes, cancer, and autoimmunity. The chemical modifications and processing methods employed to produce HA-modified materials are discussed, thus giving a better understanding of the structure-function-property relationships that influence immunomodulation, immunoprotection and stability. The article concludes with a discussion on the latest progress in HA materials science which is enabling the realisation of new therapies such as vaccine delivery, immunotherapy, cell encapsulation and transplantation.
Purpose
To compare the clinical and laboratory outcomes of intra-articular injections of culture-expanded bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with or without platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to ...intra-articular corticosteroid injections for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods
Forty-seven patients with radiographic and symptomatic knee OA were randomized into three groups for intra-articular injections: autologous bone marrow-derived culture-expanded MSCs (
n
= 16); autologous bone marrow-derived culture-expanded MSCs + PRP (
n
= 14); and corticosteroid (
n
= 17). The outcomes were assessed by the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and range of motion (ROM) at baseline, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months and intra-articular cytokines analysis at baseline, 6 and 12 months postoperatively.
Results
The three groups showed significant improvement in most KOOS domains and global score at 1st month and all domains and global score at 12-month follow-up (
p
< 0.05). At the 1st month, only the MSCs group showed significant differences in KOOS symptoms domain (
p
= 0.003). The MSCs and MSCs + PRP groups showed the highest percentage of improvement in most KOOS domains and global score compared to the corticosteroid group. All three groups showed a significant reduction in intra-articular levels of human interleukin-10 cytokine, from baseline to 12 months (
p
< 0.05).
Conclusion
An intra-articular injection of bone marrow-derived culture-expanded MSCs with or without the addiction of PRP is effective in improving the function and decreasing symptoms caused by knee OA at 12-month follow-up.
Level of evidence
II.
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