Development of Silk Fibroin Scaffolds by Using Indirect 3D-Bioprinting Technology

Due to the excellent biocompatibility of natural polymers, a variety of natural polymers have been widely used as biomaterials for manufacturing tissue engineered scaffolds. Despite the excellent biological activity of natural polymers, there have been obstacles in using them on their own to prepare 3D scaffolds with sufficient mechanical strength. Although multiple 3D-bioprinting technologies have recently emerged as effective manufacturing tools for scaffold preparation, scaffold preparation using only natural polymers with tunable mechanical properties is still difficult. Herein, we introduce novel scaffold fabrication methods using the natural polymer silk fibroin via indirect 3D-bioprinting technology. The developed silk fibroin scaffolds showed biocompatibility and tunable mechanical strength by changing the concentration of the silk fibroin. Furthermore, controlling the flexibility of the silk fibroin scaffolds was made possible by changing the solvent for the silk fibroin solution used to fabricate the scaffold. Consequently, silk fibroin scaffolds fabricated via our method can be considered for various applications in the bioengineering of either soft or musculoskeletal tissues.

PATHOHISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN PIGS WITH MYCOPLASMOSIS

A pathological autopsy was performed on 6 corpses of piglets in the first week of life who died from mycoplasmosis. Examination of the visible mucous membranes revealed hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and thymus. Simultaneous lesions of the pharyngeal, parotid, cervical, mandibular lymph nodes were noted. They were slightly enlarged, from dark pink to dark red. The heart is irregularly shaped due to the expansion of the right ventricle or the diffuse expansion of all departments. Lungs have doughy consistency, uneven color. In some cases, there are diffuse red areas covering the entire lobe of the lungs, in other cases, there is a defeat of small areas. The liver has a smooth surface, soft or pasty consistency, the parenchyma pattern is slightly smoothed in section. The color of the liver is different: dark red areas, without clear boundaries turn into creamy-clay. Flatulence was a characteristic feature of the stomach and intestines. Catarrhal enteritis was registered in animals, which manifested itself in the form of moderate hyperemia of the intestinal mucosa and serous membranes. Microscopically, there is a significant blood supply to the vessels in the lungs. Alveoli are half fall down, in the form of slit-like lumens. In areas of tissue infiltration by inflammatory infiltrate, the alveolar wall is thickened, alveocytes are in a state of turbid swelling and vacuolar dystrophy, they are impregnated with erythrocytes. Peribronchial pneumonia of lymphocytic character is observed. The liver is in a state of acute venous hyperemia. The central and intraparticle capillaries are sharply dilated and filled with blood in some lobes, and the hepatic beams are compressed accordingly. In the center of other lobes, diffuse infiltration of liver tissue by erythrocytes as a consequence of diapedesis is noted. Hepatocytes are in a state of granular dystrophy. Destructive changes are strongly expressed in the mucous membrane of the small intestine: desquamation of the epithelium, necrosis of epitheliocytes and villi, destruction of crypts. In the brain tissue, there is dilation of the lumens of large and small blood vessels, extracellular and perivascular edema, areas of reactive necrosis.

Oral disease burden of dentate older adults living in long-term care facilities: FINORAL study

Background A growing number of older adults have natural teeth and are at high risk of oral diseases, which are induced by oral bacterial accumulation and proceed unnoticed and quietly. Our aim was (1) to examine the association of oral disease burden (ODB) with health and functioning among dentate long-term care residents, and (2) to find easily detectable signs for nurses to identify residents’ poor oral health. Methods In this cross-sectional observational study dentists examined 209 residents’ oral status, and nurses assessed residents for their functioning and nutrition in long-term care facilities in Helsinki, Finland. ODB was defined by asymptotic dental score (ADS). Six clinical signs of residents’ poor oral health were considered as potentially easy for nurses to detect: lesions on lips, teeth with increased mobility, lesions on oral mucosa, eating soft or pureed food, unclear speech, and needing assistance in eating. The association of these was tested with high ODB as outcome. Results Participants were grouped according to their ADS scores: low (n = 39), moderate (n = 96) and high ODB (n = 74). ODB was linearly associated with coronary artery disease and poor cognitive and physical functioning: needing assistance in eating, poor ability to make contact, and unclear speech but not with other diseases including dementia or demographic characteristics. Furthermore, ODB was linearly associated with eating soft or pureed food. Of the six selected, easily detectable signs, having at least two positive signs gave 89% sensitivity to detecting high ODB. Conclusion Poor oral health was common and ODB accumulated among residents with poor functioning. Nurses may use a few easily detectable signs to screen residents’ oral health when considering a resident’s need for consultation with an oral health professional.

Root-To-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants

Plants characterized by a soft or weak steam, such as climbing plants, need to find a potential support (e.g., wooden trunk) to reach greater light exposure. Since Darwin’s research on climbing plants, several studies on their searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process different support features to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability are yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stem, tendril, …) and belowground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influence the kinematics of the approach-to-grasp movement. With three-dimensional (3D) kinematical analysis, we characterized the movement of pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) towards a support with different thicknesses above and belowground (i.e., thin below, thick aboveground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were presented to supports with the same thickness below- and aboveground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest an integration between the information from below- and aboveground for driving the reach-to-grasp behavior of the aerial plant organs. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems particularly important to fulfil the end-goal of the movement.

Taliban Soft or Hard Makes No Difference

This article examines whether a softer Taliban leadership will lead to a new regime similar or different from earlier experience. The application of signaling models of group formation predicts that even if the leadership is more willing to operate within international expectations of governance, the Taliban will lose fighters to more fundamentalist terrorist organizations. The loss will cut into the Taliban ranks because of incentives to invest in hardening militant skills.

Dynamical phenomena connected with stability loss of equilibria and periodic trajectories

This is a study of a dynamical system depending on a parameter . Under the assumption that the system has a family of equilibrium positions or periodic trajectories smoothly depending on , the focus is on details of stability loss through various bifurcations (Poincaré–Andronov– Hopf, period-doubling, and so on). Two basic formulations of the problem are considered. In the first, is constant and the subject of the analysis is the phenomenon of a soft or hard loss of stability. In the second, varies slowly with time (the case of a dynamic bifurcation). In the simplest situation , where is a small parameter. More generally, may be a solution of a slow differential equation. In the case of a dynamic bifurcation the analysis is mainly focused around the phenomenon of stability loss delay. Bibliography: 88 titles.

Fuzzy Transforms for Hesitant, Soft or Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets

Classical F-transform for lattice-valued fuzzy sets can be defined using monadic relation in Zadeh’s monad or, equivalently, as a special semimodule homomorphism. In this paper, we use an analogical approach and by choosing suitable monads and semimodule homomorphisms, we define F-transform for hesitant, intuitionistic or fuzzy soft sets. We prove that these F-transforms naturally extend classical lattice-valued F-transform for lattice-valued fuzzy sets.

The characteristics of knowledge diffusion of library and information science – from the perspective of citation

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the characteristics of knowledge diffusion of library and information science to reveal its development trend and influence on other disciplines.Design/methodology/approachBased on the ESI discipline classification, this paper measures the knowledge diffusion from the library and information science to other disciplines over the last 24 years using indicators in four dimensions: breadth, intensity, speed and theme of knowledge diffusion.FindingsThe results show that the knowledge diffusion breadth of library and information science is wide, spreading to 21 ESI disciplines; the knowledge spread mainly concentrates in four soft or applied disciplines, and yet partially inter-disciplinary, and the knowledge diffusion intensity to each ESI discipline is parabolic whose highest point is mostly in 2004–2005; the speed of spreading to the 21 ESI disciplines is faster and faster, and the articles at the highest speed of knowledge diffusion are basically published after 2005; the knowledge diffusion themes are becoming increasingly diverse, deepening and specialization over time.Originality/valueThis paper modifies the relevant indicators of knowledge diffusion and constructs a measurement framework of knowledge diffusion from four aspects: breadth, intensity, speed and theme. The research method can also be used to explore the characteristics of knowledge absorption of a discipline from other ones.

Post-operative Use of Cervical Orthoses for Subaxial Cervical Spine Injuries – a Survey-based Analysis at German Spine Care Centres

Introduction There are no evidence-based recommendations for the post-operative treatment and application of soft or rigid cervical collars after operative treatment of injuries of the subaxial cervical spine. Cervical collars can restrict peak range of motion and serve as a reminder to the patient. However, they can also cause pressure ulcers. The aim of this online-based survey among German spine centres was to gain an overview of post-operative treatment and the application of soft or rigid cervical collars after surgical treatment of injuries of the subaxial cervical spine. Materials and Methods An online-based survey was conducted among 59 spine centres certified by the German Spine Society. It comprised seven items and the option of adding remarks in the form of open-ended responses. Results The return rate was 63% (37 out of 59). Of the 37 analysed spine centres, 51% routinely apply a cervical collar post-operatively, 27% apply a soft and 16% a rigid cervical collar, 8% sequentially apply first a rigid and later a soft cervical collar. Less than half of the spine centres (43%) routinely use no cervical collar. Rigid collars are applied for more than 6 weeks and soft collars up to 6 weeks at some spine centres. Standardised post-operative treatment plans are common. The selection of the post-operative treatment plan depends primarily on the type of injury and method of operation and partly on patient age and bone quality. The satisfaction of German spine centres with the current handling of post-operative treatment of subaxial cervical spine injuries is high. Discussion The post-operative treatment of injuries of the subaxial cervical spine at German spine centres is heterogeneous, and the evidence on advantages and disadvantages of the post-operative application of cervical collars is insufficient. Planning and implementation of randomised controlled clinical trials in subaxial cervical spine injuries is challenging.