With the development of biomedical engineering, the preparation
of hydrogels with combined extreme mechanical properties similar to
those of some biological hydrogels becomes an important research topic
for scientists. In this work, a single-network hydrogel with combined
extreme mechanical properties is prepared through a simple and universal
method, wherein the strength, elongation at break, toughness, and
fracture energy of the hydrogel WPU-3PAAm-6PAN are achieved at 24.7
MPa, 544.0%, 68.9 MJ m–3, and 37.2 kJ m–2, respectively. Herein, a series of photosensitive resins in emulsion
form are synthesized, and due to the water–oil diphasic characteristic,
hydrophobic monomers and high-efficient hydrophobic photo-initiators
are adopted into the resins, which can significantly improve the mechanical
properties of the hydrogels due to the hydrophobic association effect
and solve the biggest barrier of low curing rate in digital light
processing (DLP) fabrication of hydrogels, respectively. Moreover,
the simple and facile method to obtain robust and tough hydrogels
can be universally applied to other polymer systems. Combined with
the excellent mechanical properties and printing ability, the hydrogels
with optimized structures are fabricated through DLP printing technology
and applied as tendon substitutes. The tendon substitutes exhibit
superior performance for mechanical connection and regeneration of
collagen fibers. Although further clinical research is required, the
hydrogels have great potential applications in various biological
areas.
Meniscus damage is a common trauma that often arises from sports injuries or menisci tissue degeneration. Current treatment methods focus on the repair, replacement, and regeneration of the meniscus to restore its original function. The advance of tissue engineering provides a novel approach to restore the unique structure of the meniscus. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells found in tissues including bone marrow, peripheral blood, fat, and articular cavity synovium have shown specific advantages in meniscus repair. Although various studies explore the use of stem cells in repairing meniscal injuries from different sources and demonstrate their potential for chondrogenic differentiation, their meniscal cartilage-forming properties are yet to be systematically compared. Therefore, this review aims to summarize and compare different sources of mesenchymal stem cells for meniscal repair and regeneration.
Background:The combination of navigational system and robotics has the potential to accurately identify and drill bone tunnels in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. This study explores the feasibility and accuracy of bone tunnel positioning using the TiRobot, an orthopaedic surgical robot.
Methods:The experiment was divided into two groups. In group A, the bone tunnels were positioned using the TiRobot surgical robot (n = 8). In group B, handheld locators were used for positioning (n = 8).Results: TiRobot can be used for positioning the ACL bone tunnel. The accuracy of positioning the femoral tunnel in group A and B was 1.00 � 0.20 and 3.10 � 0.59 mm, respectively (t = −9.49, P < 0.001). As for tibial tunnel, the accuracy was 1.02 � 0.20 and 2.64 � 0.14 mm, respectively (t = −18.54, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:The bone tunnel drilling precision using TiRobot for ACL reconstruction surgery was more accurate than traditional surgical techniques.
Column electrodes pretreated through oxidation-reduction cycles were traditionally used in electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). In this study, a disposable screen-printed carbon electrode was introduced into in situ electrochemical SERS through the electrodeposition of dendritic gold/silver nanoparticles (Au/AgNPs) onto the surface of the carbon working electrode to induce the SERS enhancement effect on the electrode. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that dendritic Au/AgNPs nanostructures could be fabricated under appropriate electrodeposition conditions and could present a minimum SERS factor of 4.25 × 10 5 . Furthermore, the absorbed behavior of 4-mercaptopyridine was investigated under different potentials. The adsorption configuration was inferred to transform from 'vertical' to 'lying-flat'. The proposed new electrode combined with a portable Raman spectrometer could be useful in the identifying products or intermediates during electrochemical synthesis or electrochemical catalysis in in situ electrochemical SERS.
Objective:To explore the clinical effects upon gap nonunion of antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer combined with membrane induction on infected bone defects.Methods:The data of 16 patients with infected bone defects admitted in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area Command from January 2009 to January 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 12 males and 4 females aged between 24-63 years age (average 43.1 ± 9.7) who had received antibiotic laiden bone cement spacer treatment. Stage-1, debridement and anti-biotic treatment with intraoperative preparation of customized bone cement spacers (antibiotics and bone cement spacer) with or without internal or external fixation Stage-2, removal of spacer and repair of bone defects using membrane-induced technique and internal fixation at bone defects site.Results:Sixteen patients were followed up for 39-98 months, (67.2 ± 20.4) on average. All patients with infected bone defects were healed. X-ray showed that fractures had healed and the new bone formed at graft site was more radio opaque than that of adjacent bone segments. The healing time was 6 to 10 months, (7.4 ± 1.1) on average. There was no recurrence of infection or deformity.Conclusion:The antibiotic-loaded cement spacer can control the local infection while maintaining the limb length and increasing the stability, reducing the contracture of bone and soft tissue, creating conditions for subsequent repair and reducing the infection rate of bone defects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.