Methods and Protocols

The Transdermal Drug Delivery System (TDDS) offers several benefits, such as enhanced patient adherence, controlled release, reduced gastric irritation, and the bypassing of the first-pass metabolism. However, not all drugs can be delivered through this route in effective doses. Biodegradable microneedles (BMn) are designed to improve TDDS. This review outlines various types of BMn and their fabrication methods. BMn are produced in different forms, including hollow, solid, dissolve, and hydrogel-forming versions, which have garnered significant attention. These innovative BMn do not contain drugs themselves but instead absorb interstitial fluid to create continuous channels between the dermal microcirculation and a drug-containing patch. Several types of BMn have been tested and approved by regulatory bodies. The use of BMn technology is rapidly growing in point-of-care applications, attracting significant interest from both researchers and healthcare providers. BMn-based Point-of-care (POC) devices have high efficacy for finding various analytes of clinical interests and transdermal drug administration in a minimally invasive manner owing to BMn’ micro-size sharp tips and ease of use. Porous BMn technology may have a very rising future in the case of a vaccine delivery system.

Background: Shoulder soft tissue disorders, such as rotator cuff tears and subacromial impingement, are among the most common causes of musculoskeletal disability. Both physical examination tests and imaging techniques are routinely used in clinical settings; however, their respective contributions to patient outcomes and their potential complementarity remain underexplored. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Controlled clinical studies comparing pre- and post-intervention outcomes in adults with suspected or confirmed shoulder soft tissue pathology were included. Two groups were analyzed: studies using musculoskeletal imaging (ultrasound or MRI) and studies applying orthopedic physical examination tests (e.g., Neer, Hawkins, and Jobe). Functional outcomes were converted into standardized mean differences (SMDs) and synthesized using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was quantified using the I² statistic. Results: In total, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria (n = 6 imaging, n = 5 orthopedic tests). Imaging-based studies showed a pooled SMD of 4.85 (95% CI: 2.77–6.93), indicating substantial clinical improvement. Orthopedic test-based studies yielded a pooled SMD of 2.34 (95% CI: 1.27–3.41). Heterogeneity was high across both groups (I² > 90%). Conclusions: Imaging was associated with a larger overall clinical effect, while orthopedic tests provided functional insight valuable for screening and monitoring. These findings support the complementary use of both strategies to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning in shoulder care.

Background: Developing clinically relevant experimental models of the human airway can significantly advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying airway diseases and aid in translating potential therapies to clinical settings. The aim of this study is to establish an ex vivo human airway tissue culture model. Methods: Human donor airway tissues were obtained from clinical cases of lung transplantation. Our established method is based on the concept of scavenging metabolic activity and controlling bacterial growth and includes increased media volume, frequent media exchange, and antifungal additives to efficiently maintain the homeostatic culture environment. After a 3-day culture period, the airway was investigated, and its viability and function were compared with a standard cell culture method. Results: Control tissue exhibited significant acidosis after 3 days, suggesting high metabolic activity of airway tissue and bacterial contamination. The airway epithelial viability—after culturing in our established method for 3 days—was better than that of the controls. We only performed an acute but early investigation of the cultures as airway complications have been known to start early at the proximal bronchus after transplantation. H&E and alcian blue staining showed intact morphology of the epithelium of airway tissue and mucus layers after 3 days in our model, while controls showed remarkable damage to the epithelial layer. Newly synthesized glycoproteins were detected in the epithelial layer using metabolic labeling and the click chemistry technique, suggesting cellular protein synthesis of the airway tissue in our established ex vivo model. Conclusions: We successfully established a reproducible model of human ex vivo airway tissue culture (n = 3 independent biological samples) that may be useful for investigating airway complications and developing their therapies.