Bioengineering, Volume 5, Issue 4

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a group of biopolymers produced in various microorganisms as carbon and energy reserve when the main nutrient, necessary for growth, is limited. PHAs are attractive substitutes for conventional petrochemical plastics,...

As expressed “God made the bulk; the surface was invented by the devil” by W. Pauli, the surface has remarkable properties because broken symmetry in surface alters the material properties. In biological systems, the smallest functional a...

Pediatric Neuro-Oncology is a highly specialized field encompassing molecular biology, clinical acumen, evidence based medicine, cancer genetics and neuropsychological care for the diagnosis and treatment of children with central nervous system (CNS)...

The present work evaluates the impact of carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation on the human lung’s exergy behavior by considering different levels of intoxication and amounts of hemoglobin. Its impact is significant because CO is one of the most comm...

Osteoporosis is an asymptomatic bone condition that affects a large proportion of the elderly population around the world, resulting in increased bone fragility and increased risk of fracture. Previous studies had shown that the vibroacoustic respons...

Human adipose tissue-derived stromal/stem cells (hASCs) are a valuable source of cells for clinical applications, especially in the field of regenerative medicine. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the interest in hASCs has greatly increased ov...

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys can degrade gradually up to complete dissolution in the physiological environment. This property makes these biomaterials appealing for different biomedical applications, such as bone implants. In order to qualify Mg and...

Imaging plays a critical role in the management of the highly complex and widely diverse central nervous system (CNS) malignancies in providing an accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, response assessment, prognosis, and surveillance. Contrast-enha...

Above a threshold electric field strength, 600 ns-duration pulsed electric field (nsPEF) exposure substantially porates and permeabilizes cellular plasma membranes in aqueous solution to many small ions. Repetitive exposures increase permeabilization...

Laboratory automation is currently the main organizational challenge for microbiologists. Automating classic workflows is a strenuous process for the laboratory personnel and a huge and long-lasting financial investment. The investments are rewarded...

Treatment of injuries to peripheral nerves after a segmental defect is one of the most challenging surgical problems. Despite advancements in microsurgical techniques, complete recovery of nerve function after repair has not been achieved. The purpos...

Mini-bioreactor systems enabling automatized operation of numerous parallel cultivations are a promising alternative to accelerate and optimize bioprocess development allowing for sophisticated cultivation experiments in high throughput. These includ...

Novel tough hydrogel materials are required for 3D-printing applications. Here, a series of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) based on poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL-b-PEG-b-PCL) triblock copolymers and hexa...

The significance of this study lies in the importance of (1) nondestructive testing in defect studies and (2) securing the reliability of breast cancer prediction through thermal analysis in nondestructive testing. Most nondestructive tests have nega...

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in pediatrics, with rare occurrences of primary and metastatic tumors in the central nervous system (CNS). We previously reported the overexpression of the polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) in em...

Radiation therapy (RT) represents an integral component in the treatment of many pediatric brain tumors. Multiple advances have emerged within pediatric radiation oncology that aim to optimize the therapeutic ratio—improving disease control whi...

Background: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) from Wharton’s Jelly (WJ) tissue express HLA-G, a molecule which exerts several immunological properties. This study aimed at the evaluation of HLA-G expression in MSCs derived from vitrified WJ tiss...

In lateral flow and colorimetric test strip diagnostics, the effects of capillary action and diffusion on speed and sensitivity have been well studied. However, another form of fluid motion can be generated due to stresses and instabilities generated...

Agro-industrial waste is highly nutritious in nature and facilitates microbial growth. Most agricultural wastes are lignocellulosic in nature; a large fraction of it is composed of carbohydrates. Agricultural residues can thus be used for the product...

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is the first line of defense against physical and biological damage. Thus, the skin is equipped to self-repair and regenerates after trauma. Skin regeneration after damage comprises a tightly spatia...

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are typically characterised by their ability to differentiate into skeletal (osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic) lineages. MSCs also appear to have additional non-stem cell functions in coordinating tissue m...

Electrical stimulation devices can be used as adjunct therapy to lumbar spinal fusion to promote bone healing, but their adoption has been hindered by the large battery packs necessary to provide power. Piezoelectric composite materials within a spin...

The production of high yields of soluble recombinant protein is one of the main objectives of protein biotechnology. Several factors, such as expression system, vector, host, media composition and induction conditions can influence recombinant protei...

Pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG) and brainstem gliomas are some of the most challenging cancers to treat in children, with no effective therapies and 5-year survival at ~2% for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) patients. The standard of care...

The formation of hybrid bioactive and inherently conductive constructs of composites formed from polyaniline-polyacrylamidomethylpropane sulfonic acid (PAn-PAAMPSA) nanomaterials (0.00–10.0 wt%) within poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate-co-N-{Tr...

Due to pronounced species differences, hepatotoxicity of new drugs often cannot be detected in animal studies. Alternatively, human hepatocytes could be used, but there are some limitations. The cells are not always available on demand or in sufficie...

Children with central nervous system (CNS) malignancies often suffer from high symptom burden and risk of death. Pediatric palliative care is a medical specialty, provided by an interdisciplinary team, which focuses on enhancing quality of life and m...

Computational elbow joint models, capable of simulating medial collateral ligament deficiency, can be extremely valuable tools for surgical planning and refinement of therapeutic strategies. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects...

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a common primary brain cancer with a poor prognosis and a median survival of less than 14 months. Current modes of treatment are associated with deleterious side effects that reduce the life span of the patients. Nano...

Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) have been shown to differentiate down many lineages including endothelial lineage. We hypothesized that hASCs would more efficiently differentiate toward the endothelial lineage when formed as three-dimensiona...

Approximately five out of 100,000 children from 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with a brain tumor. These children are treated with medication designed for adults that are highly toxic to a developing brain. Those that survive are at high risk for a...

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Raman spectroscopy is a novel tool used in the on-line monitoring and control of bioprocesses, offering both quantitative and qualitative determination of key process variables through spectroscopic analysis. However, the wide-spread application of R...

Embryonal tumors (ET) of the central nervous system (CNS) in children encompass a wide clinical spectrum of aggressive malignancies. Until recently, the overlapping morphological features of these lesions posed a diagnostic challenge and undermined d...

Background: During pregnancy, the maternal-fetal contact may lead to the development of tolerance against the maternal human leukocyte antigen (HLA) that is not inherited by the fetus. These non-inherited maternal antigens (NIMAs) define acceptable H...

Angiogenesis, sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculatures, plays a critical role in regulating tumor growth. Binding interactions between integrin, a heterodimeric transmembrane glycoprotein receptor, and its extracellular matrix (E...