An Alginate/Gelatin Injectable Hydrogel Containing Au Nanoparticles for Transplantation of Embryonic Mouse Cardiomyocytes in Myocardial Repair.

In advancing cardiac tissue engineering (CTE), the development of injectable hydrogels mirroring myocardial properties is pivotal. The designed hydrogels must not only support cardiac cell growth but also have to be conductive to properly promote the functionalities of cardiac cells. Here, a facile approach is developed to incorporate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into an injectable hydrogel composed of Alginate (Alg) and Gelatin (Gel).

dose adjustment of levothyroxine after total thyroidectomy using fuzzy logic methodology: A proof-of-concept study.

Thyroid hormone replacement therapy is used to raise undesirably low concentrations of natural thyroid hormones, commonly by administrating levothyroxine (LT4). Finding the appropriate LT4 dose regime, particularly for patients undergone thyroidectomy, is still demanding more effort, and much research has been conducted. Providing a new fuzzy logic system, a useful control algorithm, we aim to introduce a proper LT4 dosing regimen for every thyroidectomized patient in a computerized environment.

Phenomenological characterization of blood's intermediate shear rate: a new concept for hemorheology.

The phenomena of aggregation, breakdown, and disaggregation of the rouleaux of red blood cells (RBCs) in addition to deformability affect the human blood viscosity at different shear rates. In this study, the intermediate shear rate is introduced and defined when the effect of aggregation on the change of blood viscosity is diminished; and afterwards, the alteration in the blood viscosity is dominantly affected by the deformation of RBCs. With this respect, modeling the effective parameters on the blood shear-thinning behavior including hematocrit and plasma viscosity was performed for the two different shear regions discriminated by the proposed intermediate shear rates.

Elimination of Induced Hypoxic Regions in Depth of 3D Porous Silk Scaffolds by the Introduction of Channel Configuration.

Development of large, clinically sized tissue constructs with efficient mass transport is a tremendous need in tissue engineering. One major challenge in large tissue-engineered constructs is to support homogeneous delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the tissue scaffold while eliminating induced hypoxic regions in depth. To address this goal, we introduced an especial channeled architecture on porous silk-based tissue scaffolds to improve supplying of oxygen to the cells in central regions of the scaffolds.

Cerium functionalized graphene nano-structures and their applications; A review.

Graphene-based nanomaterials with remarkable properties, such as good biocompatibility, strong mechanical strength, and outstanding electrical conductivity, have dramatically shown excellent potential in various applications. Increasing surface area and porosity percentage, improvement of adsorption capacities, reduction of adsorption energy barrier, and also prevention of agglomeration of graphene layers are the main advantages of functionalized graphene nanocomposites. On the other hand, Cerium nanostructures with remarkable properties have received a great deal of attention in a wide range of fields; however, in some cases low conductivity limits their application in different applications.

Development of Hormonal Intravaginal Rings: Technology and Challenges.

Intravaginal rings (IVRs) are minimally invasive polymeric devices specifically designed to be used for the sustained and prolonged release of various type of drugs such as hormones. One of the benefits of using topical drug delivery systems (e.g.

Sustained subconjunctival drug delivery systems: current trends and future perspectives.

Purpose: One of the challenges of ocular drug delivery systems is sustainable delivery of the intended drug to the posterior segment of the eye. Periocular routes of drug delivery are a promising method to bridge this challenge. The purpose of this study is to investigate the recent advances and potentials of subconjunctival route and its pros and cons in comparison with other ocular drug delivery routes.

Starch nanoparticle as a vitamin E-TPGS carrier loaded in silk fibroin-poly(vinyl alcohol)-Aloe vera nanofibrous dressing.

Core-sheath nanofibrous mat as a new vitamin E (VE) delivery system based on silk fibroin (SF)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/aloe vera (AV) was successfully prepared by the electrospinning method. Initially, VE-loaded starch nanoparticles were produced and then incorporated into the best beadless SF-PVA-AV nanofibers. The successful loading of VE in starch nanoparticles was proved by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

A new approach for semiempirical modeling of mechanical blood trauma.

Purpose: Two semi-empirical models were recently published, both making use of existing literature data, but each taking into account different physical phenomena that trigger hemolysis. In the first model, hemoglobin (Hb) release is described as a permeation procedure across the membrane, assuming a shear stress-dependent process (sublethal model). The second model only accounts for hemoglobin release that is caused by cell membrane breakdown, which occurs when red blood cells (RBC) undergo mechanically induced shearing for a period longer than the threshold time (nonuniform threshold model).

Relation of Stroke Risk Factors with Specific Stroke Subtypes and Territories.

Background: Although the risk factors of ischemic strokes are well defined, there is slight information about their relations with the etiologies of ischemic strokes. This study investigated the distribution of ischemic stroke risk factors and their connections to diverse etiologies of cerebrovascular attack (CVA) and specific ischemic regions of brain.

Methods: In this cross sectional study, we analyzed the data of patients with definite diagnosis of CVA, excluding hemorrhagic strokes, registered in Imam Hossein Medical Center in Tehran, Iran.

Simulation of blood oxygenation in capillary membrane oxygenators using modified sulfite solution.

Blood oxygenation is the main performance characteristic of capillary membrane oxygenators (CMOs). Handling of natural blood in in vitro investigations of CMOs is quite complex and time-consuming. Since the conventional blood analog fluids (e.

Engineering parameters in bioreactor's design: a critical aspect in tissue engineering.

Bioreactors are important inevitable part of any tissue engineering (TE) strategy as they aid the construction of three-dimensional functional tissues. Since the ultimate aim of a bioreactor is to create a biological product, the engineering parameters, for example, internal and external mass transfer, fluid velocity, shear stress, electrical current distribution, and so forth, are worth to be thoroughly investigated. The effects of such engineering parameters on biological cultures have been addressed in only a few preceding studies.

Novel concept for pure diffusive capillary membrane oxygenators: silicone hollow sphere (SiHSp) fibers.

The preeminent limitation of silicone membrane oxygenators is the poor gas permeability compared with microporous hollow fiber oxygenators (MHFO). However, the imponderability of plasma leakage, foam formation, and brittleness are all hazards that result in blood trauma formation, hereby limiting the application of MHFO during long-term oxygenation therapies. Here, we introduce a novel type of pure diffusive capillary-form silicone membrane called silicone hollow sphere.

A theoretical model for evaluation of the design of a hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator.

Geometric data are fundamental to the design of a contactor. The efficiency of a membrane contactor is mainly defined by its mass-transfer coefficient. However, design modifications also have significant effects on the performance of membrane contactors.