Designing Body-Part Templates for Regeneration

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter X. Ma
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Regeneration ◽  
Surface Engineering ◽  
Bone Matrix ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Fibrous Materials ◽  
Fibrous Scaffolds

Tissue losses and organ failures result in more than 8 million surgical procedures each year in the United States. Current therapies for these disorders are seriously limited. Our laboratory takes a biomimetic approach to design polymers into body-part templates (scaffolds) to engineer tissues/organs. The scaffolds are designed to take the form of the missing/damaged body parts, to mimic certain advantageous aspects of natural extracellular matrix, and to contain certain designed structural features to enhance tissue regeneration. To mimic bone matrix, biodegradable polymer/nano-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds have been developed. To mimic the nano-fibrous architecture of collagen, synthetic nano-fibrous scaffolds have been developed. To optimize scaffolding function, a variety of macropore networks have been designed in the nano-fibrous materials. These novel nano-structured scaffolds enhance cell adhesion and function. Surface engineering and biological delivery in the nano-fibrous scaffolds are shown to improve cellular interactions and tissue formation. These experimental results demonstrate that the biomimetic template design is a powerful approach for tissue regeneration.

Determination and transdetermination in imaginal disks of Drosophila (Summary only)

1970 ◽  
Vol 176 (1044) ◽  
pp. 291-293
Keyword(s):  
Single Cells ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Body Cavity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Region ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Imaginal Disks

It is generally assumed that in multicellular organisms the diversity of the different cell types is the result of different gene activity which becomes manifest in the course of development. This theoretical concept of cell differentiation was developed on the basis of results obtained from a relatively small number of suitable experimental systems. One of them comprises the imaginal disks of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster . Imaginal disks are larval primordia in holometabolic insects such as flies and mosquitoes, and consist of densely packed populations of morphologically uniform cells. They give rise to defined structures of the adult body (mainly integument), thus replacing parts of the larva which are almost completely histolysed during metamorphosis. The prospective fate of the various imaginal disks can be tested, for example, by transplantation experiments. Individual disks are removed from larvae of a genetically marked strain and transplanted into the body cavity of another larva with which the transplants undergo metamorphosis. The metamorphosed derivatives of the disks are then found in the abdomen of the fly and can be microscopically identified on the basis of the morphology of bristles, hairs and other structural features of the integument. The same method is applied for examination of the developmental performance of disk fragments. From the results of such experiments the following conclusions are drawn: (1) Individual disks of fully grown larvae, that is larvae which are ready to pupate, are determined (programmed) for exactly defined body parts of the adult organism. (2) The individual subregions of such a body part can be localized precisely within a disk. Based on these facts fate maps (anlage plans) can be worked out. (3) From experiments in which different genetically marked disks are intermingled and then transplanted into larvae it is concluded that even single cells are determined for structures of a specific body region.

Nanostructured biofunctionalized polyurethanes for applications in regenerative medicine

2012 ◽  
Vol 1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Kruss ◽  
Tobias Wolfram
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Surface Engineering ◽  
Au Nanoparticles ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Cellular Adhesion ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Adsorption Processes

ABSTRACTPolyurethane (PU) materials are used in a wide variety of implantable devices and technologies, e.g. stents, breast augmentation, nose surgery and bladder reconstruction. Despite the excellent chemical control for manufacturing bulk materials and the good biocompatibility, a major challenge remains interfacing of PU with biological environments. A chemically controlled surface engineering approach could improve desired protein adsorption processes and cellular interactions within different tissues, preventing uncontrolled events of the implant especially in early stages shortly after surgical procedures.To gain better control over the PU surfaces we polymerized different bulk PU materials and developed a transfer-nanolithography technique to deposit inorganic Au-nanoparticles with defined structural features on the PU surface. Different nanoparticle patterns were transferred and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Topographical features of PU substrates were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Transferred Au-nanoparticles showed high stability on PU substrates even under extreme sonication conditions. In a final step, those nanoparticles were functionalized with peptides to facilitate cellular adhesion under physiologically relevant conditions. As proof of concept, rat embryonic fibroblast cells were cultured on a peptide functionalized PU interface and investigated by SEM.In conclusion, we developed a versatile method to prepare nanostructured and biofunctionalized PUs. These PUs showed good stability characteristics and in vitro biocompatibility in cell culture assays.

Body Integrity Identity Disorder

2016 ◽  
pp. 328-344
Author(s):  
Anna Sedda
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Body Integrity Identity Disorder ◽  
The Media ◽  
Healthy Body

Body integrity identity disorder involves a patient’s desire to amputate a healthy body part or obtain an unnecessary body modification (e.g., paraplegia, blindness). Dramatic cases of surgical amputation of otherwise functional body parts have come to the attention of the media and medical professionals. Most known cases of body integrity identity disorder appear to have originated in the United States, Germany, and Switzerland. At present, the field knows very little about this condition, but the neurosciences have explored various possibilities for etiology and assessment. After discussing these topics, the chapter reviews treatment options and outcomes , including the results of self-amputations and illegal medical procedures.

606 Is Social Media Contributing to a New Trend of Burns in Youth?

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S155-S156
Author(s):  
Margarita Ramos ◽  
Oluwatobi Yerokun ◽  
Sheera F Lerman ◽  
Julie Caffrey ◽  
Charles S Hultman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Risky Behavior ◽  
Burn Injury ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The United States ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Word Search ◽  
The Many

Abstract Introduction Burn injuries in adolescents in the United States continue to occur at significant rates despite the many different programs focused on burn education and prevention. With the introduction of social media earlier in life and more social media targeting younger populations, our burn center has experienced a new class of burn injury: risky behavior promoted or encouraged as part of gaining social media popularity. Adolescents are likely the most vulnerable population in this type of risky behavior because of their access to social media and their willingness and ability to attempt the challenges, but younger children can also be burnt as bystanders or recruited participants by older minors. This study seeks to understand the content in social media which may lead to this risky behavior in minors. Methods We performed a term search in a popular social media application (TikTok) which included “burn”, “fire”, and “fire challenge””. We screened the top 50 most popular videos for each word search. Only videos which included footage of a person or body part being set on fire whether real or through a hologram or filters. We excluded videos showing professionals use fire (i.e. cooks, entertainers, welders, artisans), video game characters, videos with no body parts on fire. Metrics included in the social media were number of likes and number of views, as well as date posted. Results Six hundred and twelve videos were screened (153 videos in each search term category). A total of 20 (3.2%) of videos contained a demonstration of a risky behavior with fire. The most common content was four videos (20%) were the subject was setting one hand on fire. Two videos were pranks involving burning the pranked. Sixteen videos (80%) involved real fire and 4 (20%) involved a hologram of fire. The “likes” on the videos ranged from 1.9 million to 189. The comments ranged from 0 to 11,200. All of the authors were young adolescents or young adults. The videos had been there from 6 weeks to 21 months. Conclusions TikTok is a fast way to disseminate videos a large number of viewers. The majority of videos with content of risky behavior around fire are of individuals which are playing with fire or simulating playing with fire and often have no other overt agenda but to want attention and popularity. A minority of these videos are purposefully spreading risky behavior around fire as a “challenge” or “trend” to be copied by other TikTok viewers.

The Potential of Fucose-Containing Sulfated Polysaccharides As Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (35) ◽  
pp. 6399-6411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia Nunes ◽  
Manuel A. Coimbra
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Regeneration ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Sulfated Polysaccharides ◽  
Clinical Use ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Pathogen Inhibition ◽  
Health Applications

Marine environments have a high quantity and diversity of sulfated polysaccharides. In coastal regions brown algae are the most abundant biomass producers and their cell walls have fucosecontaining sulfated polysaccharides (FCSP), known as fucans and/or fucoidans. These sulfated compounds have been widely researched for their biomedical properties, namely the immunomodulatory, haemostasis, pathogen inhibition, anti-inflammatory capacity, and antitumoral. These activities are probably due to their ability to mimic the carbohydrate moieties of mammalian glycosaminoglycans. Therefore, the FCSP are interesting compounds for application in health-related subjects, mainly for developing scaffolds for delivery systems or tissue regeneration. FCSP showed potential for these applications also due to their ability to form stable 3D structures with other polymers able to entrap therapeutic agents or cell and growth factors, besides their biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, for the clinical use of these biopolymers well-defined reproducible molecules are required in order to accurately establish relationships between structural features and human health applications.

Some key body parts and polysemy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Priestley
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Cultural Bias ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Visible Body

This chapter discusses body part nouns, a part of language that is central to human life, and the polysemy that arises in connection with them. Examples from everyday speech and narrative in various contexts are examined in a Papuan language called Koromu and semantic characteristics of body part nouns in other studies are also considered. Semantic templates are developed for nouns that represent highly visible body parts: for example, wapi ‘hands/arms’, ehi ‘feet/legs’, and their related parts. Culture-specific explications are expressed in a natural metalanguage that can be translated into Koromu to avoid the cultural bias inherent in using other languages and to reveal both distinctive semantic components and similarities to cross-linguistic examples.

scholarly journals Descriptors of Cytochrome Inhibitors and Useful Machine Learning Based Methods for the Design of Safer Drugs

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 472
Author(s):  
Tyler C. Beck ◽  
Kyle R. Beck ◽  
Jordan Morningstar ◽  
Menny M. Benjamin ◽  
Russell A. Norris
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Physiochemical Properties ◽  
Drug Dosing ◽  
Therapeutic Outcomes ◽  
Cyp Inhibition ◽  
Cyp Inhibitors

Roughly 2.8% of annual hospitalizations are a result of adverse drug interactions in the United States, representing more than 245,000 hospitalizations. Drug–drug interactions commonly arise from major cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition. Various approaches are routinely employed in order to reduce the incidence of adverse interactions, such as altering drug dosing schemes and/or minimizing the number of drugs prescribed; however, often, a reduction in the number of medications cannot be achieved without impacting therapeutic outcomes. Nearly 80% of drugs fail in development due to pharmacokinetic issues, outlining the importance of examining cytochrome interactions during preclinical drug design. In this review, we examined the physiochemical and structural properties of small molecule inhibitors of CYPs 3A4, 2D6, 2C19, 2C9, and 1A2. Although CYP inhibitors tend to have distinct physiochemical properties and structural features, these descriptors alone are insufficient to predict major cytochrome inhibition probability and affinity. Machine learning based in silico approaches may be employed as a more robust and accurate way of predicting CYP inhibition. These various approaches are highlighted in the review.

scholarly journals Osteopathic empirical research: a bibliometric analysis from 1966 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Morin ◽  
Isabelle Gaboury
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Body Part ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
System Body

Abstract Background Despite the increasing use of osteopathy, a manipulative complementary and alternative medicine therapy, in the general population, its efficacy continues to be debated. In this era of evidence-based practice, no studies have previously reviewed the scientific literature in the field to identify published knowledge, trends and gaps in empirical research. The aims of this bibliometric analysis are to describe characteristics of articles published on the efficacy of osteopathic interventions and to provide an overall portrait of their impacts in the scientific literature. Methods A bibliometric analysis approach was used. Articles were identified with searches using a combination of relevant MeSH terms and indexing keywords about osteopathy and research designs in MEDLINE and CINAHL databases. The following indicators were extracted: country of primary author, year of publication, journals, impact factor of the journal, number of citations, research design, participants’ age group, system/body part addressed, primary outcome, indexing keywords and types of techniques. Results A total of 389 articles met the inclusion criteria. The number of empirical studies doubled every 5 years, with the United States, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom being the most productive countries. Twenty-three articles were cited over 100 times. Articles were published in 103 different indexed journals, but more than half (53.7%) of articles were published in one of three osteopathy-focused readership journals. Randomized control trials (n = 145; 37.3%) and case reports (n = 142; 36.5%) were the most common research designs. A total of 187 (48.1%) studies examined the effects of osteopathic interventions using a combination of techniques that belonged to two or all of the classic fields of osteopathic interventions (musculoskeletal, cranial, and visceral). Conclusion The number of osteopathy empirical studies increased significantly from 1980 to 2014. The productivity appears to be very much in sync with practice development and innovations; however, the articles were mainly published in osteopathic journals targeting a limited, disciplinary-focused readership.

scholarly journals The signing body: extensive sign language practice shapes the size of hands and face

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mora ◽  
Anna Sedda ◽  
Teresa Esteban ◽  
Gianna Cocchini
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Space Condition ◽  
Hand Size ◽  
Stable Representation ◽  
The Face

AbstractThe representation of the metrics of the hands is distorted, but is susceptible to malleability due to expert dexterity (magicians) and long-term tool use (baseball players). However, it remains unclear whether modulation leads to a stable representation of the hand that is adopted in every circumstance, or whether the modulation is closely linked to the spatial context where the expertise occurs. To this aim, a group of 10 experienced Sign Language (SL) interpreters were recruited to study the selective influence of expertise and space localisation in the metric representation of hands. Experiment 1 explored differences in hands’ size representation between the SL interpreters and 10 age-matched controls in near-reaching (Condition 1) and far-reaching space (Condition 2), using the localisation task. SL interpreters presented reduced hand size in near-reaching condition, with characteristic underestimation of finger lengths, and reduced overestimation of hands and wrists widths in comparison with controls. This difference was lost in far-reaching space, confirming the effect of expertise on hand representations is closely linked to the spatial context where an action is performed. As SL interpreters are also experts in the use of their face with communication purposes, the effects of expertise in the metrics of the face were also studied (Experiment 2). SL interpreters were more accurate than controls, with overall reduction of width overestimation. Overall, expertise modifies the representation of relevant body parts in a specific and context-dependent manner. Hence, different representations of the same body part can coexist simultaneously.

scholarly journals Agent-Based Modeling Demonstrates How Local Chemotactic Behavior Can Shape Biofilm Architecture

mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily G. Sweeney ◽  
Andrew Nishida ◽  
Alexandra Weston ◽  
Maria S. Bañuelos ◽  
Kristin Potter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACTBacteria are often found living in aggregated multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms are three-dimensional structures that confer distinct physical and biological properties to the collective of cells living within them. We used agent-based modeling to explore whether local cellular interactions were sufficient to give rise to global structural features of biofilms. Specifically, we asked whether chemorepulsion from a self-produced quorum-sensing molecule, autoinducer-2 (AI-2), was sufficient to recapitulate biofilm growth and cellular organization observed for biofilms ofHelicobacter pylori, a common bacterial resident of human stomachs. To carry out this modeling, we modified an existing platform, Individual-based Dynamics of Microbial Communities Simulator (iDynoMiCS), to incorporate three-dimensional chemotaxis, planktonic cells that could join or leave the biofilm structure, and cellular production of AI-2. We simulated biofilm growth of previously characterizedH. pyloristrains with various AI-2 production and sensing capacities. Using biologically plausible parameters, we were able to recapitulate both the variation in biofilm mass and cellular distributions observed with these strains. Specifically, the strains that were competent to chemotax away from AI-2 produced smaller and more heterogeneously spaced biofilms, whereas the AI-2 chemotaxis-defective strains produced larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. The model also provided new insights into the cellular demographics contributing to the biofilm patterning of each strain. Our analysis supports the idea that cellular interactions at small spatial and temporal scales are sufficient to give rise to larger-scale emergent properties of biofilms.IMPORTANCEMost bacteria exist in aggregated, three-dimensional structures called biofilms. Although biofilms play important ecological roles in natural and engineered settings, they can also pose societal problems, for example, when they grow in plumbing systems or on medical implants. Understanding the processes that promote the growth and disassembly of biofilms could lead to better strategies to manage these structures. We had previously shown thatHelicobacter pyloribacteria are repulsed by high concentrations of a self-produced molecule, AI-2, and thatH. pylorimutants deficient in AI-2 sensing form larger and more homogeneously spaced biofilms. Here, we used computer simulations of biofilm formation to show that localH. pyloribehavior of repulsion from high AI-2 could explain the overall architecture ofH. pyloribiofilms. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to change global biofilm organization by manipulating local cell behaviors, which suggests that simple strategies targeting cells at local scales could be useful for controlling biofilms in industrial and medical settings.

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