BACKGROUND:Portable blood glucose meters are the main method for detecting the blood glucose status of clinical patients. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the accuracy of detecting blood glucose in haemodialysis patients by sampling two blood glucose meters through the haemodialysis line. METHODS:Convenient sampling was used to select 80 patients with maintenance haemodialysis. The patients were sampled through

BACKGROUND:During the masticatory cycle, loads of different intensities and directions are received by the dental structures and/or implants, which can cause micromovements at the junction between the abutment and implant. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the behaviorof three different implant connections subjected to different load values using a digital radiography system

BACKGROUND:Impaired fracture healing results in extensive and prolonged disability and long-term pain. Previous studies reported that nerve growth factor (NGF) was expressed during fracture healing and that anti-NGF antibody improves physical activity associate with facture pain. However, NGF expression levels in delayed or non-union are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE:We compared chronological changes

BACKGROUND:Understanding the fracture mechanics of bone is very important in both the medical and bioengineering field. Bone is a hierarchical natural composite material of nanoscale collagen fibers and inorganic material. OBJECTIVE:This study investigates and presents the fracture toughness of bovine cortical bone by using elastic plastic fracture mechanics. METHODS:The J-integral was used as a parameter

BACKGROUND:Cartilage tissue lacks the ability to heal. Cartilage tissue engineering using cell-free scaffolds has been increasingly used in recent years. OBJECTIVE:This study describes the use of a type I collagen scaffold combined with WNT5A plasmid to promote chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation in a rabbit osteochondral defect model. METHODS:Type I collagen was extracted and fabricated

BACKGROUND:The blood flow in the human artery has been a subject of sincere interest due to its prime importance linked with human health. The hemodynamic study has revealed an essential aspect of blood flow that eventually proved to be paramount to make a correct decision to treat patients suffering from cardiac disease. OBJECTIVE:The current study aims to elucidate the two-way fluid-structure interaction

BACKGROUND:Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays an important role in chondrocyte growth and the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM). Due to the rapid metabolism, controlled release systems for TGF-β1 have attracted increasing interest recently. OBJECTIVE:In this study, a silk fibroin (SF)/chitosan (CS) scaffold incorporated with TGF-β1-loaded microspheres (MSs) was created for cartilage

BACKGROUND:The association between the toe angle and bony rotational factors is critical to explain issues related to the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). OBJECTIVE:The study aimed to clarify the association between the toe angle and each of the femoral and tibial transvers direction relative to gait direction, rotational knee alignment, and bony torsional deformity for the subjects

BACKGROUND:Although trunk muscles are involved in many important functions, evaluating trunk muscle strength is not an easy task. If trunk muscle mass and thickness could be used as indicators of trunk muscle strength, the burden of measurement would be reduced, but the relationship between trunk muscle strength and trunk muscle mass and thickness has not been clarified. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this

BACKGROUND:Craniofacial soft-tissue defects mostly have an impact on the treatment of various oral diseases. Tissue expander is an important technique for tissue reconstruction, especially for soft tissues in reconstructive surgery. OBJECTIVE:This research aimed to develop a new self-swelling tissue expander, namely hydrogel, for soft tissue reconstruction in craniofacial region. METHODS:In vitro,

BACKGROUND:Periprosthetic joint infection is a major complication of total joint arthroplasty, with treatment requiring a two-stage exchange procedure and 6 weeks of systemic antibiotics. However, depending on the infection site, intravenous delivery of antibiotics like vancomycin (VCM) can have poor tissue transferability, thus reducing their therapeutic effect. OBJECTIVE:This study demonstrates the

BACKGROUND:Embolization degree acts as an important factor affecting recurrence of aneurysm. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the role of hemodynamics parameters of different degrees of embolization in the occurrence, development and post-treatment of aneurysms, and to determine the specific factors causing the occurrence and recurrence of aneurysms after hemodynamics treatment. Our study provides a theoretical

BACKGROUND:Several finite element (FE) models have been developed to study the effects of vibration on human lumbar spine. However, the authors know of no published results so far that have proposed computed tomography-based FE models of whole lumbar spine including the pelvis to conduct dynamic analysis. OBJECTIVE:To create and validate a three-dimensional ligamentous FE model of the human lower thorax

Abstract BACKGROUND: The patellar and quadriceps tendons are responsible for the extension mechanism of the knee joint and frequently become inflamed during sports. Diagnosis and determination of when an athlete can return to sports following these injuries are usually performed by assessing morphological features and functional outcomes. Nevertheless, mechanical properties are not being assessed.

BACKGROUND:Coronary artery disease (CAD) is reported as one of the most common sources of death all over the world. The presence of stenosis (plaque) in the coronary arteries results in the restriction of blood supply, which leads to myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of multi stenosis on hemodynamics parameters in idealized coronary artery models with

BACKGROUND:Assessment of three-dimensional (3D) femorotibial alignment is essential for successful knee osteoarthritis treatment in the elderly. The complex morphology of the posterior tibial slope (PTS) might have an influence on sagittal and rotational alignment and the positional relationship between the femur and tibia in the anterior–posterior (AP) direction under weight-bearing conditions. OBJECTIVE:This

BACKGROUND:Thoracic CO2 insufflation with positive intrathoracic pressure is usually effective during thoracoscopic surgery, however, lung collapse is sometimes insufficient. We hypothesized that inappropriate bronchial collapse might cause this unsuccessful lung collapse. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to construct a computational mechanical model of bronchi for practical simulation to

BACKGROUND:With inherent flexibility, high electroconductivity, excellent thermal conductivity, easy printability and biosafety, Ga-based functional liquid metals (LMs) have been extensively evaluated for biomedical applications. When implanted in the biological environment, the safety of the LMs is a major concern for future application. METHODS:In this study, we conducted several biocompatibility

BACKGROUND:The post-cam mechanism in the posterior-stabilized (PS) implant plays an important role, such as durability and kinematic performances, in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference in the kinematics and contact stress of five post-cam designs, which are flat-and-flat, curve-and-curve (concave), curve-and-curve (concave and convex),

BACKGROUND:Bovine bone matrix is a natural material that has been used in the treatment of bone lesions. In this study, bovine bone matrix Nukbone® (NKB) was investigated due its osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties. This biomaterial induces CBFA-1 activation and osteogenic differentiation, although the cytokines involved in these processes is still unknown. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this work

BACKGROUND:Collagen receptors are characterized by binding to and being activated by collagens. We know little about the molecular mechanism by which the integrins and discoidin domains (DDRs) recognize collagen. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of two main collagenreceptor subfamilies, integrins and DDRs, during osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of human

BACKGROUND:Implantable medical devices and hardware are prolific in medicine, but hardware associated infections remain a major issue. OBJECTIVE:To develop and evaluate a novel, biologic antimicrobial coating for medical implants. METHODS:Electrochemically compacted collagen sheets with and withoutcrosslinked heparin were synthesized per protocol developed by our group. Sheets were incubated in antibiotic

BACKGROUND:An enzymatic crosslinking strategy using hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase is receiving increasing attention for application with in situ-formed hydrogels (IFHGs). IFHGs may also be ideal carrier materials for bone repair, although their ability to carry bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) has yet to be examined. OBJECTIVE:We examined the effectiveness of an IFHG made of hyaluronan

BACKGROUND:The intricate structure of natural materials is in correspondence with its highly complex functional behaviour. The health of teeth depends, in a complex way, on a heterogeneous arrangement of soft and hard porous tissues that allow for an adequate flow of minerals and oxygen to providecontinuous restoration. Although restorative materials, used in clinics, have been evolving from the silver

BACKGROUND:Bone volume augmentation is a routine technique used in oral implantology and periodontology. Advances in the surgical techniques and the biomaterials field have allowed a greater accessibility to these treatments. Nevertheless, dehiscence and fenestrations incidence during dental implant procedures are still common in patients with bone loss. OBJECTIVE:The main objective is to evaluate

BACKGROUND:We previously demonstrated that a bioabsorbable nerve conduit coated with mouse induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurospheres accelerated peripheral nerve regeneration in mice. OBJECTIVE:We examined the fate and utility of iPSC-derived neurospheres transplanted with nerve conduits for the treatment of sciatic nerve gaps in mice. METHODS:Complete 5 mm defects were created in sciatic

BACKGROUND:Warfarin potassium (Wf) commercial tablets originally formulated for adults are ground before administration to pediatric patients and elderly patients with dysphagia. OBJECTIVE:The present study investigated the effect of tablet grinding on the photostability of four types of commercialWf tablets and predicted the photostability of the tablet powders by chemometric analysis. METHODS:The

Abstract BACKGROUND: Endoscopic transpapillary stenting is commonly performed in patients with obstructive jaundice caused by a biliary stricture. Although the plastic stent (PS) is widely used for biliary drainage because of the low-cost and easy procedure, patency is short after placement in the bile duct because of the small diameter. Dysfunction of PS is primarily caused by biliary sludge that

BACKGROUND:The main objective of tissue engineering is to fabricate a tissue construct that mimics native tissue both biologically and mechanically. A recurring problem for tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBV) is deficient elastogenesis from seeded smooth muscle cells. Elastin is an integral mechanical component in blood vessels, allowing elastic deformation and retraction in response to the shear

BACKGROUND:The heart is surrounded by a membrane called pericardium or pericardial cavity. OBJECTIVE:In this study, we investigated the pericardial fluid (PF) for coating polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. PFS, which is a PF component, was used for coating material. In addition to using PFS for surface coating, MED and fetal bovine serum (FBS) were also used for comparison. METHODS:Pericardial fluid

BACKGROUND:Mechanical simulations for biological tissues are effective technology for development of medical equipment, because it can be used to evaluate mechanical influences on the tissues. For such simulations, mechanical properties of biological tissues are required. For most biological soft tissues, stress tends to increase monotonically as strain increases. OBJECTIVE:Proposal of a strain-energy

BACKGROUND:Microbeads for bone repair have been widely studied because they can be conveniently used in clinical applications. OBJECTIVE:This study concerns the preparation, physical properties and in vitro characterisation of different types of alginate/calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramic microbeads,which were designed for use as drug delivery systems and bone-regeneration matrices. METHODS:Hybrid microbeads

BACKGROUND:Increasing reports on new cement formulations that address the shortcomings of PMMA bone cements and various active components have been introduced to improve the biological activity of PMMA cement. OBJECTIVE:Evaluating the biological properties of PMMA cements-reinforced with Bio-Gene allogeneic bone. METHODS:The MC3T3-E1 mouse osteoblast-like cells were utilized to determine the effects

BACKGROUND:Titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC) and titanium carbonitride (TiNC) thin films show promising practical applications due to their photoelectric properties and corrosion behaviour. OBJECTIVE:In this work, we investigated the factors which may affect the optical properties andthe corrosion behaviour of these coatings. METHODS:The titanium coatings were carried out by sputtering

BACKGROUND:The adsorption of salivary pellicle proteins onto the material surface is key for denture plaque formation. OBJECTIVE:We aimed to investigate the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and mucin (MCN) onto denture base metal materials using a 27-MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. METHODS:A gold (Au), titanium (Ti), and cobalt chromium alloy (Co–Cr) sensors were employed for

BACKGROUND:Identifying the time course of rotational knee alignment is crucial for elucidating the etiology in knee osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to propose new rotational indices for calculating the change in relative rotational angles between the femur and tibia in standinganteroposterior (AP) radiographs. METHODS:Forty healthy elderly volunteers (20 women and 20 men; mean age

BACKGROUND:To overcome the unfavorable issues associated with conventional anti-adhesive HA/CMC film, we developed an anti-adhesive thermally cross-linked gelatin film. OBJECTIVE:We tried to clarify the re-attachability of the film and the required properties concerning the film thickness, stiffness and anti-adhesion effect. METHODS:To determine the optimal thickness, 5 kinds of the thickness of gelatin

BACKGROUND:The braided stent is a widely accepted endovascular treatment device consisting of woven metal wires. One of the unsolved issues for the braided stent is the stent flattening phenomena when deployed into highly curved arteries. Although a recent computational study highlighted that the mechanical state of the stent inside the catheter before the deployment plays an essential role in causing

BACKGROUND:The use of helmets was considered to be one of the important prevention strategies employed on construction sites. The shock absorption performance of a construction (or industrial) helmet is its most important performance parameter. Industrial helmets will experience cumulative structural damage when being impacted repeatedly with impact magnitudes greater than its endurance limit. OBJECTIVE:The

BACKGROUND:Lip closing functions have never been evaluated from the viewpoint of elastic properties. OBJECTIVES:The purpose of the present study was to investigate the behavior of the lower orbicularis oris muscle during a button-pull exercise to measure lip closing force and quantitatively evaluate its elastic properties using sonographic elastography. METHODS:Appropriate compression loads for elastography

BACKGROUND:The effectiveness of bone repair is determined by the balance of proliferative and destructive factors in the fracture union site. It can be enhanced by using various nanostructured materials possessing osteoinductive properties, in particular titanium implants with biodegradable calciumphosphate coatings. The effects of these coatings on the state of stem cells, their differentiation and

BACKGROUND:The left coronary artery commonly known as LCA gets divided into two branches, such as the left circumflex (LCX) and left anterior descending (LAD) at a particular angle. This angle is varies from person to person. The present computational study contributes remarkable expertise about the influence of this angle variation on the hemodynamic parameters in the presence of 80% area stenosis

BACKGROUND:Merging stem cells with biomimetic materials represent an attractive approach to tissue engineering. The development of an alternative scaffold with the ability to mimic the extracellular matrix, and the 3D gradient preventing any alteration in cell metabolism or in their gene expressionpatterns, would have many medical applications. OBJECTIVE:In this study, we introduced the use of RGD

BACKGROUND:Gait analysis, such as portable gait rhythmogram (PGR), provides objective information that helps in the quantitative evaluation of human locomotion. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of PGR in post-stroke patients. METHODS:Two raters (A and B) examined 48post-stroke patients. To assess intra-rater reliability, rater A tested subjects on three separate occasions

BACKGROUND:The stability of the implant-abutment interface is an important factor that influences load distribution on the marginal bone. OBJECTIVE:In this study, three dental implants with the same connection were subjected to different dynamic loading cycles. The fracture strengths and the horizontal compatibility of implants were assessed. METHODS:Eighty four implant specimens were embedded in a

BACKGROUND:Removal of radioactive substances, such as cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr), has become an emerging issue after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. It has been reported that hydroxyapatite (HA) and aluminosilicate composite powders can be used to remove Cs and Sr. However,the film type of these materials for the removal of Cs and Sr has not been reported. OBJECTIVE:The aim

BACKGROUND:Drilling is a well-known mechanical operation performed for fixing fracture at required locations in bone. The process may produce mechanical and thermal alterations in the structure of the bone and surrounding tissues leading to irreversible damage known as osteonecrosis. OBJECTIVE:Themain purpose of this study was to measure the level of biological damage in bone when a drill assisted

BACKGROUND:Surface replication is a nondestructive evaluation technique applied in examining surface wear by recording surface irregularities, especially in conditions when surfaces of interest cannot be further manipulated to fit directly under a microscope to be examined. Enamel is the outermostprotective layer of the human teeth and is constantly stressed by mastication forces which results in enamel

BACKGROUND:Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are one of the main components of arterial walls and actively remodel the arterial walls in which they reside through biomechanical signals applied to themselves. Contractile or differentiated VSMCs have been observed in normal blood vessels. In pathological vascular conditions, they become dedifferentiated from contractile to non-contractile or synthetic

BACKGROUND:Thrombus formation and hemolysis are important factors in developing blood pumps and mechanical heart valve prostheses. These phenomena are induced by flow properties. High shear stress induces platelet and red cell damage. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis calculates shear stress of fluid and particle pathlines of blood cells. OBJECTIVE:We studied blood cell damage in a blood

BACKGROUND:Pulmonary micronodules account for 80% of all lung nodules. Generally, pulmonary micronodules in the early stages can be detected on thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving the patient’s survival rate. OBJECTIVE:This paper aims to estimate the malignancy risk of pulmonary micronodules and potentially improve the survival rate. METHODS:We extract

BACKGROUND:Laminectomy may cause kyphotic postoperative deformity in the cervical region leading to segmental instability over time. Laminoplasty may be an alternative procedure to laminectomy, as it protects the spine against post-laminectomy kyphosis; however, similar to laminectomy, laminoplastymay cause sagittal plane deformities by destructing or weakening the dorsal tension band. OBJECTIVE:Using

BACKGROUND:To ensure quality and stability, monitoring systems are recommended to analyze pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. OBJECTIVE:This study was performed to predict powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns of formulation powders through attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-infrared (IR) spectroscopy in a nondestructive manner along with chemometrics. RESULTS:Caffeine anhydrate, acetaminophen

BACKGROUND:The design and fabrication of hemocompatible and low-toxicity formulations remains a challenging task. Hydrogels are of considerable importance for biomedical applications since they are highly compatible with living tissue, both in vivo and in vitro. OBJECTIVE:The present study aimed todevelop and evaluate the characterizations and in vitro hemocompatibility of a hydrogel using polyvinyl

BACKGROUND:Adipose tissue engineering has been studied as an alternative to current options for breast reconstruction, such as lipofilling, flap reconstruction, and silicone implants. Previously, we demonstrated that a poly(L-lactic acid) mesh containing a collagen sponge, containing neither cellsnor growth factors, could be filled with the regenerated adipose tissues when implanted in rodent models

BACKGROUND:Interfaces of transtibial prosthesis have an important role in the transmission of ground reaction forces, damping gait loads and tissue protection. OBJECTIVE:This work aims to study the influence of prosthesis interfaces on amputees’ gait and perception on pain, comfort and the overallinterface/prosthesis system. METHODS:Commercial samples of three different interface materials were selected:

BACKGROUND:It is well known that there is a relationship between bone strength and the forces that are daily applied to the bone. However, bone is a highly heterogeneous material and it is still not clear how mechanical variables regulate the distribution of bone mass in a femur. METHODS:We studiedthe role of four mechanical variables, i.e. principal tensile/compressive stress, von Mises stress, and

Objective:The main goal of this study was to examine the influence of hydroxyapatite (HAp) macroaggreate concentrations on thermal and mechanical properties of radioactive bone cement and to study the relation of glass transition Tg with its mechanical properties. Methods:The bone cement as (1-x)PMMA-xHAp binary system was prepared in six [x] distinct concentration parameters of 0.0 up to 0.5. The

BACKGROUND:Snoring source analysis is essential for an appropriate surgical decision for both simple snorers and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients. OBJECTIVE:As snoring sounds carry significant information about tissue vibrations within the upper airway, a new feature entitled compressed histogram of oriented gradients (CHOG) is proposed to recognize vibration patterns of the

BACKGROUND:A neurological disorder is one of the significant problems of the nervous system that affects the essential functions of the human brain and spinal cord. Monitoring brain activity through electroencephalography (EEG) has become an important tool in the diagnosis of brain disorders. The robust automatic classification of EEG signals is an important step towards detecting a brain disorder