Titanium-Based Hip Stems with Drug Delivery Functionality through Additive Manufacturing

Postoperative infections are a major concern in patients that receive implants. These infections generally occur in areas with poor blood flow and pathogens do not always respond to antibiotic treatment. With the latest developments in nanotechnology, the incorporation of antibiotics into prosthetic implants may soon become a standard procedure. The success will, however, depend on the ability to control the release of antibiotics at concentrations high enough to prevent the development of antibiotic-resistant strains. Through additive manufacturing, antibiotics can be incorporated into cementless femoral stems to produce prosthetic devices with antimicrobial properties. With the emerging increase in resistance to antibiotics, the incorporation of antimicrobial compounds other than antibiotics, preferably drugs with a broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity, will have to be explored. This review highlights the microorganisms associated with total hip arthroplasty (THA), discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the latest materials used in hip implants, compares different antimicrobial agents that could be incorporated, and addresses novel ideas for future research.

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Microbiological Assessment of Wheat and Buckwheat Sprouting Process

Food Processing Techniques and Technology ◽

10.21603/2074-9414-2021-4-795-804 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 795-804

Author(s):

Mariya Zenkova ◽

Ludmila Melnikova

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Food Poisoning ◽

Antimicrobial Properties ◽

Medicinal Herbs ◽

Microbial Count ◽

Microbiological Contamination ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Term Storage

Introduction. Sprouted grain can cause food poisoning, since inappropriate conditions can promote the growth of pathogenic microorganisms on the grain surface. As a result, products of long-term storage use thermally-treated sprouted grain, the parameters of which depend on the initial bacteria content. There are different ways to reduce bacterial contamination of sprouted grain, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Natural substances with antimicrobial properties, such as medicinal herbs, can serve as decontaminators. However, no scientific research has been performed so far to determine the exact temperature of grain sprouting to minimize its microbiological contamination. The research objective was to investigate the effect of antimicrobial agents and sprouting conditions on the microflora of wheat and buckwheat grain. Study objects and methods. The study featured wheat grain and green buckwheat grain. A set of experiments was performed to define the effect of antimicrobial agents and sprouting conditions on the quantity of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (QMAFAnM), molds, and yeasts. During sprouting at 10–30°C for 90 h, the grain was irrigated with distilled water, potassium permanganate solution (KMnO4), calendula infusion, and celandine i nfusion. QMAFAnM and the count of molds and yeasts were determined by standard methods; the qualitative analysis of the microflora was based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Results and discussion. Microflora development during sprouting of wheat and buckwheat grains was controlled by selecting appropriate conditions and grain treatment methods. The herbal infusions for sprouting reduced the total microbial insemination of grain during sprouting by 52–68%; the calendula infusion reduced the contamination with molds by 47–51%, yeasts – by 100%. Conclusion. The research revealed the total microbial count and the count of mold and yeast colonies in dry sprouted grain. The optimal temperature of sprouting wheat and buckwheat was 20 ± 2°C in the infusion of medicinal herbs: it minimized the microflora of sprouted grain and reduced the sprouting time to 46 h. Calendula infusion could be recommended for commercial use in order reduce the microbiological contamination of sprouted grain. The initial microbial population of the product was found to affect the mode of heat treatment in long-term storage products.

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Research status and future development of biomass liquid fuels

BioResources ◽

10.15376/biores.16.2.zhang ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 4523-4543

Author(s):

Ji Zhang ◽

Junling Yang ◽

Huafu Zhang ◽

Zhentao Zhang ◽

Yu Zhang

Keyword(s):

Future Development ◽

Liquid Fuel ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Jet Fuel ◽

Liquid Fuels ◽

Research Progress ◽

Future Research ◽

Fuel Production ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Materials Used

Due to the combined pressures of energy shortage and environmental degradation, bio-liquid fuels have been widely studied as a green, environmentally friendly, renewable petroleum alternative. This article summarizes the various technologies of three generations of biomass feedstocks (especially the second-generation, biomass lignin, and the third-generation, algae raw materials) used to convert liquid fuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, and bio-jet fuel) and analyzes their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, this article details the latest research progress in biomass liquid fuel production, summarizes the list of raw materials, products and conversion processes, and provides personal opinions on its future development. The aim is to provide a theoretical basis and reference for the optimization of existing technology and future research and development of biomass liquid fuels.

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Halal antimicrobials in food: A review on prospects and challenges of antimicrobials from animal sources

JOURNAL OF HALAL INDUSTRY & SERVICES ◽

10.36877/jhis.a0000113 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Muhamad Shirwan Abdullah Sani ◽

Mohammad Aizat Jamaludin ◽

Nurhidayu Al-Saari ◽

Azman Azid ◽

Nur Syatirah Noor Azri

Keyword(s):

Microbial Contamination ◽

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Antimicrobial Properties ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Future Research ◽

Processed Food ◽

Taste Changes ◽

Allowable Range ◽

Increasing Risk ◽

Food Safety And Quality

Food antimicrobial agents (FAA) provide the first food defence system against pathogens for processed food products. In addition, they function as an antioxidant in preventing colour and taste changes for food safety and quality. Muslim consumers are concerned about the source of FAA which may contain non-permissible ingredients according to Islam including pig and unslaughtered permissible animal sources. They also raise concerns about the increasing risk of toxicity when the FAA is consumed and the possibility of the FAA rendering organoleptic effect on the food. The application of the FAA protects the food from microbial contamination and indirectly combats emerging devastating diseases. Hence, halal FAA (HFAA) can be introduced so that Muslim consumers can accept FAA usage. Generally, HFAA is categorised according to ingredient sources such as animal, plant, bacteria, or synthetic origins. There are doubts on the halal status of animal-origin FAA as the source might be originating from pig, unslaughtered animal, human, or origins which are filthy. The animal-origin FAA shows strong antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive and negative pathogens, as well as toxicity and organoleptic issues. Thus, the FAA should be used within the allowable range. HFAA has become one of the most studied FAAs due to these issues. Many HFAAs are produced from animals without the full verification of halal status. This review presents an overview of the origins and challenges of HFAA production. Furthermore, this study also highlights how FAA could be verified as halal which is the theme of future research in HFAA development.

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Additive manufacturing of polymer-based structures by extrusion technologies

Oxford Open Materials Science ◽

10.1093/oxfmat/itaa004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alianna Maguire ◽

Neethu Pottackal ◽

M A S R Saadi ◽

Muhammad M Rahman ◽

Pulickel M Ajayan

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

Composite Materials ◽

High Performance ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Future Research ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Structural Applications ◽

Materials Used ◽

Extrusion Printing

Abstract Extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) enables the fabrication of three-dimensional structures with intricate cellular architectures where the material is selectively dispensed through a nozzle or orifice in a layer-by-layer fashion at the macro-, meso-, and micro-scale. Polymers and their composites are one of the most widely used materials and are of great interest in the field of AM due to their vast potential for various applications, especially for the medical, military, aerospace, and automotive industries. Because architected polymer-based structures impart remarkably improved material properties such as low density and high mechanical performance compared to their bulk counterparts, this review focuses particularly on the development of such objects by extrusion-based AM intended for structural applications. This review introduces the extrusion-based AM techniques followed by a discussion on the wide variety of materials used for extrusion printing, various architected structures, and their mechanical properties. Notable advances in newly developed polymer and composite materials and their potential applications are summarized. Finally, perspectives and insights into future research of extrusion-based AM on developing high-performance ultra-light materials using polymers and their composite materials are discussed.

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A Review of Drug Side Effect Identification Methods

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200612163819 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (26) ◽

pp. 3096-3104 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shuai Deng ◽

Yige Sun ◽

Tianyi Zhao ◽

Yang Hu ◽

Tianyi Zang

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Future Research ◽

Drug Side Effects ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Key Points ◽

Network Methods ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

The One ◽

Approved Drugs

Drug side effects have become an important indicator for evaluating the safety of drugs. There are two main factors in the frequent occurrence of drug safety problems; on the one hand, the clinical understanding of drug side effects is insufficient, leading to frequent adverse drug reactions, while on the other hand, due to the long-term period and complexity of clinical trials, side effects of approved drugs on the market cannot be reported in a timely manner. Therefore, many researchers have focused on developing methods to identify drug side effects. In this review, we summarize the methods of identifying drug side effects and common databases in this field. We classified methods of identifying side effects into four categories: biological experimental, machine learning, text mining and network methods. We point out the key points of each kind of method. In addition, we also explain the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Finally, we propose future research directions.

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Antimicrobial properties of actively purified secondary metabolites isolated from different marine organisms

Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology ◽

10.2174/1389201021666200730144536 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

Author(s):

Nilushi Indika Bamunu Arachchige ◽

Fazlurrahman Khan ◽

Young-Mog Kim

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Antimicrobial Agents ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Antimicrobial Properties ◽

Antimicrobial Effect ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Marine Organisms ◽

Antimicrobial Compounds

Background: The treatment of infection caused by pathogenic bacteria becomes one of the serious concerns globally. The failure in the treatment was found due to the exhibition of multiple resistance mechanisms against the antimicrobial agents. Emergence of resistant bacterial species has also been observed due to prolong treatment using conventional antibiotics. To combat these problems, several alternative strategies have been employed using biological and chemically synthesized compounds as antibacterial agents. Marine organisms considered as one of the potential sources for the isolation of bioactive compounds due to the easily available, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. Methods: The online search methodology was adapted for the collection of information related to the antimicrobial properties of marine-derived compounds. These compound has been isolated and purified by different purification techniques, and their structure also characterized. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities have been reported by using broth microdilution as well as disc diffusion assays. Results: The present review paper describes the antimicrobial effect of diverse secondary metabolites which are isolated and purified from the different marine organisms. The structural elucidation of each secondary metabolite has also been done in the present paper, which will help for the in silico designing of the novel and potent antimicrobial compounds. Conclusion: A thorough literature search has been made and summarizes the list of antimicrobial compounds that are isolated from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic marine organisms. The information obtained from the present paper will be helpful for the application of marine compounds as antimicrobial agents against different antibiotic-resistant human pathogenic bacteria.

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A Review of Dynamic Balancing for Robotic Mechanisms

Robotica ◽

10.1017/s0263574720000168 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 55-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bin Wei ◽

Dan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Future Research ◽

Dynamic Balancing ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages

SUMMARYThe authors summarize the main dynamic balancing methods of robotic mechanisms in this paper. The majority of dynamic balancing methods have been presented, and there may be other dynamic balancing methods that are not included in this paper. Each of the balancing methods is reviewed and discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are presented and compared. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of recent research in balancing. The authors hope that this study can provide an informative reference for future research in the direction of dynamic balancing of robotic mechanisms.

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Validity of the Gender Dysphoria diagnosis and incidence trends in Sweden: a nationwide register study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95421-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Malin Indremo ◽

Richard White ◽

Thomas Frisell ◽

Sven Cnattingius ◽

Alkistis Skalkidou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Dysphoria ◽

Age Groups ◽

Medical Intervention ◽

Future Research ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Incidence Trends ◽

Interaction Terms ◽

Definition Of ◽

The Individual ◽

Nationwide Register Study

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Gender Dysphoria (GD) diagnoses in the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR), to discuss different register-based definitions of GD and to investigate incidence trends. We collected data on all individuals with registered GD diagnoses between 2001 and 2016 as well as data on the coverage in the NPR. We regarded gender confirming medical intervention (GCMI) as one proxy for a clinically valid diagnosis and calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) for receiving GCMI for increasing number of registered GD diagnoses. We assessed crude and coverage-adjusted time trends of GD during 2004–2015 with a Poisson regression, using assigned sex and age as interaction terms. The PPV for receiving GCMI was 68% for ≥ 1 and 79% for ≥ 4 GD-diagnoses. The incidence of GD was on average 35% higher with the definition of ≥ 1 compared to the definition of ≥ 4 diagnoses. The incidence of GD, defined as ≥ 4 diagnoses increased significantly during the study period and mostly in the age categories 10–17 and 18–30 years, even after adjusting for register coverage. We concluded that the validity of a single ICD code denoting clinical GD in the Swedish NPR can be questioned. For future research, we propose to carefully weight the advantages and disadvantages of different register-based definitions according to the individual study’s needs, the time periods involved and the age-groups under study.

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Additive Manufacturing Under Lunar Gravity and Microgravity

Microgravity Science and Technology ◽

10.1007/s12217-021-09878-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

Author(s):

B. Reitz ◽

C. Lotz ◽

N. Gerdes ◽

S. Linke ◽

E. Olsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

Spare Parts ◽

Manufacturing Processes ◽

Complex Structures ◽

Lunar Gravity ◽

Limited Extent ◽

Test Environment ◽

Manufacturing Tests ◽

Laser Experiments ◽

Materials Used

AbstractMankind is setting to colonize space, for which the manufacturing of habitats, tools, spare parts and other infrastructure is required. Commercial manufacturing processes are already well engineered under standard conditions on Earth, which means under Earth’s gravity and atmosphere. Based on the literature review, additive manufacturing under lunar and other space gravitational conditions have only been researched to a very limited extent. Especially, additive manufacturing offers many advantages, as it can produce complex structures while saving resources. The materials used do not have to be taken along on the mission, they can even be mined and processed on-site. The Einstein-Elevator offers a unique test environment for experiments under different gravitational conditions. Laser experiments on selectively melting regolith simulant are successfully conducted under lunar gravity and microgravity. The created samples are characterized in terms of their geometry, mass and porosity. These experiments are the first additive manufacturing tests under lunar gravity worldwide.

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Involvement of Probiotics and Postbiotics in the Immune System Modulation

Biologics ◽

10.3390/biologics1020006 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 89-110

Author(s):

Neslihan Yeşilyurt ◽

Birsen Yılmaz ◽

Duygu Ağagündüz ◽

Raffaele Capasso

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Health Benefits ◽

The Body ◽

Future Research ◽

Immune Systems ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Immune System Modulation ◽

Molecular Patterns

Intestinal microbiota interacts with other systems, especially the immune system, which is responsible for protecting the body by recognizing “stranger” (pathogen associated molecular patterns-PAMPs) and “danger” (damage-associated molecular patterns-DAMPs) molecular motifs. In this manner, it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases and health. Despite the use of probiotics that modulate the intestinal microbiota in providing health benefits and in the treatment of diseases, there are some possible concerns about the possibility of developing adverse effects, especially in people with suppressed immune systems. Since probiotics provide health benefits with bioactive compounds, studies are carried out on the use of products containing non-living probiotic microorganisms (paraprobiotics) and/or their metabolites (postbiotics) instead of probiotic products. It is even reported that these microbial compounds have more immunomodulatory activities than living microorganisms via some possible mechanism and eliminates some disadvantages of probiotics. Considering the increasing use of functional foods in health and disease, further studies are needed with respect to the benefits and advantages of parabiotic and/or postbiotic use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as immune system modulation. Although probiotics have been extensive studied for a long time, it seems that postbiotics are promising tools for future research and applications according to the recent literature. This review aimed to evaluate the interaction of probiotics and postbiotics with the immune systems and also their advantages and disadvantages in the area of food-pharmaceutical industry and immune system modulation.

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