Scaffolds Vasculares Descelularizados Provenientes de Vasos Sanguíneos de Placenta Bovina / Decellularized Vascular Scaffolds Derived from Bovine Placenta Blood Vessels

Resumo Fundamento As doenças associadas ao aparelho circulatório são as principais causas de morbidade e mortalidade em todo o mundo, implicando a necessidade de implantes vasculares. Assim, a produção de biomateriais vasculares tem se mostrado uma alternativa promissora às terapias utilizadas em estudos e pesquisas relacionados à fisiologia vascular. Objetivos O presente projeto visa ao desenvolvimento artificial de vasos sanguíneos pela recelularização de scaffolds vasculares derivados de vasos placentários bovinos. Métodos A superfície corioalantoide da placenta bovina foi utilizada para produzir biomateriais descelularizados. Para a recelularização, 2,5 x 104 células endoteliais foram semeadas acima de cada fragmento de vaso descelularizado durante três ou sete dias, quando a cultura foi interrompida e os fragmentos foram fixados para análise de adesão celular. Biomateriais descelularizados e recelularizados foram avaliados por histologia básica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e imuno-histoquímica. Resultados o processo de descelularização produziu vasos que mantiveram a estrutura natural e o conteúdo de elastina, e não foram observadas células e gDNA remanescentes. Além disso, células precursoras endoteliais se ligaram ao lúmen e à superfície externa do vaso descelularizado. Conclusão nossos resultados mostram a possibilidade de usos futuros desse biomaterial na medicina cardiovascular, como, por exemplo, no desenvolvimento de vasos artificiais.

Background Diseases associated with the circulatory system are the main causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality, implying the need for vascular implants. Thus, the production of vascular biomaterials has proven to be a promising alternative to therapies used in studies and research related to vascular physiology. Objectives The present project aims to achieve the artificial development of blood vessels through the recellularization of vascular scaffolds derived from bovine placental vessels. Methods The chorioallantoic surface of the bovine placenta was used to produce decellularized biomaterials. For recellularization, 2.5 x 104 endothelial cells were seeded above each decellularized vessel fragment during three or seven days, when culture were interrupted, and the fragments were fixed for cell attachment analysis. Decellularized and recellularized biomaterials were evaluated by basic histology, scanning electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. Results The decellularization process produced vessels that maintained natural structure and elastin content, and no cells or gDNA remains were observed. Endothelial precursor cells were also attached to lumen and external surface of the decellularized vessel.Conclusion: Our results show a possibility of future uses of this biomaterial in cardiovascular medicine, as in the development of engineered vessels.

The Use of Bio-Inks and the Era of Bioengineering and Tooth Regeneration

Abstract Objective: To review existing literature and provide an update on the current use of Bio-Inks and potential future use. Material and Methods: A MeSH keyword search was conducted to find out relevant articles for this short review. Results: Bio inks used in 3D printing grafting require various properties essential for the selection. Combining multiple methods and improved properties is essential for developing successful bio-inks for 3D grafting of functional tissues and tooth pulp regeneration from stem cells. To date, researchers have made many efforts to grow teeth based on stem cells and inculcate regeneration of teeth along with surrounding tissues like alveolar bones and periodontal ligaments. Conclusion: 3D printing with Bio-Inks requires strict adherence to safety protocols for successful outcomes, making it difficult to employ this routinely.

Research progress of therapeutic exosomes / 药学学报

Exosomes are a kind of endosomal vesicles that are secreted by most if not all living cells. Due to their capability of delivering a variety of cargos, such as tissue- or cell-specific proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, and their broad biological activities, exosomes have gained substantial attention as emerging therapeutics. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and dendritic cells (DCs) are two types of exosomes that are widely studied. Many preclinical and clinical studies have shown that they have a satisfactory treatment effect in lung diseases, liver diseases, nervous system diseases, tumors, and other diseases. In addition, exosomes from macrophages, tumor cells, plant cells, and many other cells are getting more attention due to their therapeutic potential. Besides natural exosomes, research on engineered exosomes has also made plenty of progress. There have been several engineering methods of exosomes, such as targeting modification and loading of active ingredients. In this review, we summarize the research progress of therapeutic exosomes from different sources, and further discusses the application prospects of exosomes and possible challenges in the future.

Teaching reform and practice of bioengineering comprehensive experiment based on virtual simulation technology / 生物工程学报

Bioengineering majors require students to acquire excellent abilities of thinking and analyzing complex problems and have high requirements for students' comprehensive practical skills. Because of the professional characteristics, it is necessary to develop students' abilities to solve complex problems via the teaching of a series of experiments. Therefore, it is particularly important to reform the traditional experiment teaching for students majoring in bioengineering to improve the teaching quality, which have great significance for the cultivation of comprehensive talents. In this study, with the advantages of geographical location and resources to cultivate application-oriented innovative talents, the course group of Comprehensive Experiment of Bioengineering has designed the course based on virtual simulation technology in Binzhou University. Taking the experiment of extraction and bioactivity analysis of Suaeda salsa (growing in the Yellow River Delta) polysaccharide in fermentation as a case, we studied the course design idea, experimental process, teaching method and result analysis, and have improved the teaching performance. This case analysis provides new ideas and content reference for the teaching reform of similar courses.

Bioinspired membrane-based nanomodulators for immunotherapy of autoimmune and infectious diseases

Autoimmune or infectious diseases often instigate the undesirable damages to tissues or organs to trigger immune-related diseases, which involve plenty of immune cells, pathogens and autoantibodies. Nanomedicine has a great potential in modulating immune system. Particularly, biomimetic nanomodulators can be designed for prevention, diagnosis and therapy to achieve a better targeted immunotherapy. With the development of materials science and bioengineering, a wide range of membrane-coated nanomodulators are available. Herein, we summarize recent advancements of bioinspired membrane-coated nanoplatform for systemic protection against immune-related diseases including autoimmune and infectious diseases. We also rethink the challenges or limitations in the progress of the therapeutic nanoplatform, and discuss the further application of the nanomodulators in the view of translational medicine for combating immune-related diseases.

Construction of the curriculum for developing the ability to solving complex engineering problems in the field of biotechnology industry / 生物工程学报

Accurately understanding the features and connotations of complex engineering problems is an important prerequisite for setting graduation requirements, constructing curriculum and designing teaching contents. By discussing the characteristics of complex engineering problems in the biological industry, this paper explored the demands for undergraduates in Yangtze river delta region, summarized the typical jobs and their requirements, and expounded the connotation of complex engineering problems contained in various typical tasks. On this basis, a gradual curriculum system was constructed, which included multiple stages of conceiving, formation and application, to cultivate the ability to solve complex engineering problems in the major of bioengineering. The curriculum coordinated the implementation of deep integration of industry and education, research feed back course construction, course team and advanced courses building up, professional associations covered all crews and students, supporting the ability training of solving complex engineering problems.

Interdisciplinary education of fermentation engineering graduates / 生物工程学报

Fermentation engineering is an industrial process that uses the transformation of microorganisms or other cells to produce a specific product in a specific bioreactor. Fermentation engineering has developed from an ancient food fermentation relying solely on experience accumulation to an important production mode of food, agriculture, medicine, chemical industry and other means of production and life. It has become a key technology to support the sustainable development of human beings, and is inseparable from the continuous progress of interdisciplinary technology. The interdisciplinary integration and the continuous upward movement of China's global industrial chain will inevitably put forward higher requirements for the cultivation of fermentation engineering composite talents in the new situation. In order to constantly improve the interdisciplinary fermentation engineering compound talent training system, in recent years, the research lab has been refining and improving the concept of talent training, and actively deepening the reform of talent training system. Systematic research and practice have been carried out around the aspects of training program, enrollment system, teacher background, subject setting, scientific research practice, evaluation system, etc., which has promoted the technological progress of fermentation engineering and related supporting industries, and contributed an important force to the transformation of China from a big fermentation country to a powerful fermentation country.

Adult mesenchymal stem cells and their possibilities for Dentistry: what to expect?

ABSTRACT Introduction: Stem cells obtained from the pulp of human deciduous teeth are highly proliferative and plastic multipotent cells, which makes them a relevant model of stem cells, applied in several biomedical areas, with different purposes. Objective: Based on a brief review of the literature, the present work intends to present from conceptual aspects about stem cells, classifications, potential (in vitro and in vivo) applications in dental practice, cell culture, cryopreservation and its importance, ethical and regulatory aspects, as well as the role of the dental surgeon as the endorser responsible for the entire clinical stage that involves the process of collecting stem cells obtained from dental pulps for cryopreservation, with a view to using them under appropriate conditions, in accordance with scientifically proven and justified good laboratory and clinical practices.

RESUMO Introdução: As células-tronco obtidas a partir da polpa de dentes decíduos humanos são células multipotentes altamente proliferativas e plásticas, o que as torna um modelo relevante de células-tronco, aplicado em diversas áreas biomédicas, com diferentes propósitos. Objetivo: A partir de uma breve revisão da literatura, o presente trabalho pretende apresentar desde aspectos conceituais acerca das células-tronco, classificações, potenciais aplicações (in vitro e in vivo) na prática odontológica, cultivo celular, criopreservação e sua importância, aspectos éticos e regulatórios, bem como o papel do cirurgião-dentista como homologador responsável por toda a etapa clínica que envolve o processo de coleta das células-tronco obtidas a partir de polpas dentais para criopreservação, com vistas ao uso em condições adequadas, em acordo com as boas práticas laboratoriais e clínicas cientificamente comprovadas e justificadas.

Bio-engineering cornea versus human donor cornea in the treatment of fungal corneal ulcer / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Searching for a substitute donor corneal is a hotspot for treating fungal corneal ulcer. OBJECTIVE: To Investigate the clinical effect of bio-engineering cornea and donor cornea on treating fungal corneal ulcer. METHODS: Forty-four cases (44 eyes) of fungal corneal in General Hospital of Northern Theater Command were enrolled, and were randomized into two groups, followed by underwent lamellar keratoplasty using acellular porcine corneal matrix (bio-engineering group, n=22) and human donor cornea (donor group, n=22). The patients were followed up for 12 months. The control rate of infection, visual acuity, graft transparency, epithelizatlon time and complications were observed In both groups. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, approval No. K(2018)05. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The control rate of Infection showed no significant difference between two groups (91%, 91%, P > 0.05). (2) The visual acuity in both groups was improved with time. The visual acuity in the donor group was significantly better than that in the bio-engineering group at 12 months after surgery (P 0.05). (4) The epithelization time showed no significant difference [(6.6±2.0) days, (6.7±1.9) days, P > 0.05]. (5) There was no significant difference In the Incidence of delayed healing of corneal epithelium, rejection reaction of graft, neovascularization, or recurrence between two group (P > 0.05). The rate of graft dissolved In the bio-engineering group was significantly higher than that In the donor group (32%, 8%, P < 0.05). (6) In summary, bio-engineering cornea used for lamellar keratoplasty holds significant efficacy, high safety and good prognosis in the treatment of fungal cornea ulcer, which may as substitute when donor cornea is deficient.

Construction of five-level practical teaching system for bioengineering under Emerging Engineering Education background / 生物工程学报

Strengthening practical teaching, together with improving innovation ability is one of the key tasks of Emerging Engineering Education. This paper is based on the revision of the training program of bioengineering in School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, improved the practical teaching system and curriculum content, built a five-level teaching system for basic experiment, comprehensive experiment, course design, scientific research and practical training. In order to cultivate outstanding innovative talents with practical ability and innovative spirit, innovative teaching reform mode is proposed. Furthermore the new thought and new schemes for Emerging Engineering Education are put forward.

Chinese herbal medicine resources: Where we stand / 中草药·英文版

In recent years, the development of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been challenged by shortages of CHM resources and drug safety concerns related to end products. There have been significant efforts by Chinese scholars to tackle these challenges, which are revealed by analyzing the research trend of CHM resources via surveying Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs (Zhong Cao Yao), a representative journal in CHM. Our study focused on 781 articles in CHM resources from 2013 to 2018 and included four subject areas: germplasm resources, quality analysis and evaluation, cultivation, and bioengineering of CHM. Discussion and prospective for future investigations were also presented, including: construct the core germplasm of medicinal plants and expand germplasms; combine molecular research with field experiments and promote the deeper study of cultivation of CHM plants; improve the quality evaluation method of CHM and strengthen the identification of Chinese patented medicines; promote the sustainable development of CHM resources by utilizing bioengineering and synthetic biology. This study helps international scholars understand the status quo of CHM research and provides theoretical support for the healthy, modern, and international development of CHM, and it will facilitate the sustainable development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry.

State-of-the-Art Strategies for the Vascularization of Three-Dimensional Engineered Organs

Engineering three-dimensional (3D) implantable tissue constructs is a promising strategy for replacing damaged or diseased tissues and organs with functional replacements. However, the efficient vascularization of new 3D organs is a major scientific and technical challenge since large tissue constructs or organs require a constant blood supply to survive in vivo. Current approaches to solving this problem generally fall into the following three major categories: (a) cell-based, (b) angiogenic factor-based, and (c) scaffold-based. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art technologies that are used to develop complex, stable, and functional vasculature for engineered 3D tissue constructs and organs; additionally, we have suggested directions for future research.

Preface for special issue on bioengineering and human health (2019) / 生物工程学报

Human health is the foundation of human survival and development. It is an important objective of sustainable development to enhance human health level. With the development of science and technology, bioengineering, as an interdisciplinary biological technology, is becoming the key driver of these goals. This special issue reviewed and discussed the recent progress and future perspectives of bioengineering technologies in the biomedical applications from the aspects of engineering design, disease diagnosis, gene- and cell-based therapies. We hope this special issue could provide valuable references for promoting bioengineering technologies used for the healthcare applications.

Research progress in the application of bioengineering cornea / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#Corneal disease is one of the main ophthalmopathy that may lead to blindness in China. Infectious keratitis is the main cause of corneal blindness. For corneal infections that are difficult to control by drugs, corneal transplantation is the only hope to control the infection and restore the sight. However, the demand for suitable donor corneas is increasing much faster than the number of donors, leaving thousands of curable patients untreated and even lose their eyeballs. Thus, it's urgent to seeking new biomaterials for corneal donor. In recent years, there have come forward great progress in bioengineering cornea. Here, we reviews its application present in clinic and prospects for the future, exploring the feasibility of bioengineering cornea being the replacement of human corneal donor in corneal transplantation.

Current and Future Perspectives for Dentin-pulp Tissue Engineering – An update

The ball has been set rolling with the isolation of dental pulp stem cells in 2000 for tissue engineering to generate dental pulp. The rationale lies in the possibility of further root development and reinforcement of dentinal walls by deposition of hard tissues which are usually a clinical problem of interest for dentists. In such scenarios, mechanical preparation of the root canal may further weaken the thin dentinal walls and increase the risk of tooth fracture. On the other hand, regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) could be a better solution. Many exciting areas of endodontic research are emerging and contributing to an increasing momentum of activity in this discipline including regenerative procedures in permanent teeth. This review is an attempt to update on the current trends.

Elaboración de un biodiente: enfoque actual y desafíos / Making a Bio-tooth: Current Approaches and Challenges

Antecedentes: El edentulismo es uno de los mayores problemas de salud oral que cause alteraciones fisiológicas, sociales, estéticas, fonéticas y nutricionales. Las terapias actuales para el remplazo dental son artificiales y no satisfacen los requisitos básicos de un diente natural. La bioingeniería de tejidos constituye una alternativa para la sustitución de dientes perdidos. Objetivo: Identificar los enfoques/técnicas disponibles actualmente para obtener un diente completo por bioingeniería (biodiente), así como puntualizar sus desafíos y perspectivas futuras. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión integrativa de la literatura, por medio de las siguientes palabras clave: biodiente, bioingeniería de tejidos, diente entero y células madre. Los años de la búsqueda fueron 2000-2018, en las bases de datos: PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, Lilacs y Google Académico/Scholar, en inglés y español. Se seleccionaron únicamente artículos y libros de mayor relevancia y pertinencia. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 53 artículos y 10 libros. Para la elaboración de un biodiente se emplean los siguientes métodos: andamios, sin andamios, células madre pluripotentes inducidas, germen de órganos, diente quimérico y estimulación de la formación de la tercera dentición. El tamaño y forma normales del diente, así como la obtención de células epiteliales, son los principales desafíos. Conclusiones: La posibilidad de crear y desarrollar un biodiente en un ambiente oral adulto es cada vez más real gracias a los avances biotecnológicos que ocurren diariamente. Es posible que estos conceptos sean la base de la odontología restauradora en un futuro próximo.

Background: Edentulism is one of the major oral health problems that cause physiological, social, aesthetic, phonetic, and nutritional issues. Current therapies for dental replacement are artificial and do not satisfy the basic requirements of a natural tooth. Tissue bioengineering could be a viable alternative to substitute lost teeth. Objective: To identify current available approaches/techniques to obtain a complete bioengineered tooth (bio-tooth) and to point out future challenges and perspectives. Methods: This was an integrative literature review. Search keywords used were: bio-tooth, tissue bioengineering, whole tooth, stem cells. The search included the years 2000 through 2018, using the databases PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, Lilacs and Google Scholar, both in English and Spanish. Only relevant and pertinent articles and books were selected. Results: 53 articles and 10 books were obtained. Methods for bio-tooth generation found were: scaffolds, scaffold-free, induced pluripotent stem cells, tooth organ germ, chimeric tooth, and stimulation of third dentition formation. Achieving normal tooth size and shape and obtaining epithelial cells are the main challenges. Conclusions: The possibility of creating and developing a whole bioengineered tooth (bio-tooth) in an adult oral environment is becoming more realistic, considering the daily biotechnological advances. It is possible that these concepts will be the basis of restorative dentistry in a near future.

Establishment and significance of a three-dimension finite element model of the whole cervical spine (C0-T1) in normal human / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: The spine structural unit of the cervical spine is a common site of degeneration and trauma. Establishing a good cervical spine model is of great practical significance for studying the biomechanical changes of cervical vertebrae under various conditions, preventing and treating cervical injuries, and improving the treatment methods of neck and effects. OBJECTIVE: To establish a three-dimension finite element model of the whole cervical spine (C0-T1) in normal human and provide a good experimental application basis for further biomechanical research. METHODS: A healthy adult volunteer was selected as the object for data collection. The original data obtained by 256-row CT thin layer scanning, which then has been extracted and edited by software to implement reverse reconstruction. The three-dimensional finite element model of whole cervical spine (C0-T1) was established by the numerical simulation. The range of motion at various directions and mechanical characteristics were verified. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The model had 208 631 nodes and 660 876 solid elements. The range of motion in all directions was good. In addition to the larger C0-C1mobility, all the rest of the segmental motions were consistent with previous literatures. The geometric and biomechanics characters of three-dimensional finite element model of the whole cervical spine (C0-T1) were highly similar to the intact one. The validation of the model was positive.

Clinical Evaluation of QMAC-dRAST for Direct and Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test with Gram-Positive Cocci from Positive Blood Culture Bottles / 대한임상미생물학회지

BACKGROUND: Timely intervention in the treatment of bloodstream infection is important for prescription of appropriate antimicrobials. With prompt determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of a causative agent, rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) can help select the appropriate antimicrobial therapy. This clinical study is for evaluation of the clinical performance of the QMAC-dRAST for rapid AST directly from positive blood culture (PBC)s with Gram-positive cocci. METHODS: A total of 115 PBC samples with Gram-positive organisms (76 Staphylococcus spp. and 39 Enterococcus spp.) were evaluated by the QMAC-dRAST system, and their pure culture isolates were evaluated by the MicroScan WalkAway (Beckman Coulter, USA) as the comparative AST system. Thirteen antimicrobial agents were included, and the agreement and discrepancy rates of the QMAC-dRAST system (Quantamatrix Inc., Republic of Korea) compared to the MicroScan WalkAway were calculated. To resolve discrepancies, the broth microdilution method was performed. RESULTS: The QMAC-dRAST system exhibited a categorical agreement rate of 94.9% (1,126/1,187) and an essential agreement rate of 98.3% (1,167/1,187). The QMAC-dRAST system yielded very major (false-susceptible) errors at 1.0% (5/485), major (false-resistant) errors at 1.3% (9/693), and minor errors at 4.0% (47/1,187) compared to the MicroScan WalkAway. The QMAC-dRAST system significantly eliminated 30 hours of total turnaround time by combination of direct inoculation of PBC and an image-based approach. CONCLUSION: The results of the QMAC-dRAST system were highly accurate. Thereby, the QMAC-dRAST may provide essential information to accelerate therapeutic decisions for earlier and adequate antibiotic treatment and patient management in clinical settings.

Advancements in craniofacial prosthesis fabrication: A narrative review of holistic treatment

The treatment of craniofacial anomalies has been challenging as a result of technological shortcomings that could not provide a consistent protocol to perfectly restore patient-specific anatomy. In the past, wax-up and impression-based maneuvers were implemented to achieve this clinical end. However, with the advent of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology, a rapid and cost-effective workflow in prosthetic rehabilitation has taken the place of the outdated procedures. Because the use of implants is so profound in different facets of restorative dentistry, their placement for craniofacial prosthesis retention has also been widely popular and advantageous in a variety of clinical settings. This review aims to effectively describe the well-rounded and interdisciplinary practice of craniofacial prosthesis fabrication and retention by outlining fabrication, osseointegrated implant placement for prosthesis retention, a myriad of clinical examples in the craniofacial complex, and a glimpse of the future of bioengineering principles to restore bioactivity and physiology to the previously defected tissue.