Examination on the Occurrence of Coinfections in Diagnostic Transmittals in Cases of Stillbirth, Mummification, Embryonic Death, and Infertility (SMEDI) Syndrome in Germany.

The stillbirth, mummification, embryonic death, and infertility (SMEDI) syndrome is most commonly associated with porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) infections. Little is known about the occurrence of coinfections with SMEDI-associated pathogens and the associations among these pathogens. In our study, we included 40 SMEDI-affected litters from 18 different farms. In total, 158 out of 358 available fetuses from diagnostic transmittals were selected by systematic random sampling and examined for PCV2, PCV3, PPV1, and Leptospira spp. by q-PCR. Results from diagnostic materials showed the following results: in eleven farms, PCV2 was present; in nine farms, PPV1 was present; in five farms, PCV3 was present; and in two farms, Leptospira spp. was present. The detection of Leptospira spp. was significantly associated with a PCV2 coinfection (OR: 26.3; p < 0.001). PCV3 positivity resulted in a reduced probability of detecting PCV2 in the corresponding fetus (OR: 0.078; p = 0.008). Fetal maceration was associated with Leptospira spp. detection (OR: 8.6; p = 0.003), whereas mummification (p = 0.047), reduced crown-rump length (p < 0.001), and bodyweight (p = 0.001) of fetuses were significantly associated with PPV1 and PCV2 coinfection and thus, presumably, a shorter time to death after infection, indicating an enhanced negative effect on the development of fetuses with PCV2 + PPV1 coinfection.

Calcium phosphate-based biomaterials trigger human macrophages to release extracellular traps.

As central part of the innate immune response, immune cells fight against invaders through various mechanisms, such as the release of extracellular traps (ETs). While this mechanism is mainly known for neutrophils in biomaterial contact, the release of macrophage extracellular traps (METs) in response to biomaterials has not yet been reported. An important application area for biomaterials is bone, where healing of defects of a critical size requires the implantation of grafts, which are often composed of calcium phosphates (CaPs). In this study, the response of human monocyte-derived macrophages in vitro to two different CaPs (α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) and calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA)) as well as different pore structures was investigated. Scaffolds with anisotropic porosity were prepared by directional freezing, while samples with isotropic pore structure served as reference. It was revealed that ETs are released by human monocyte-derived macrophages in direct or indirect contact with CaP scaffolds. This was caused by mineral nanoparticles formed during incubation of α-TCP samples in culture medium supplemented with human platelet lysate, with an anisotropic pore structure attenuating MET formation. METs were significantly less pronounced or absent in association with CDHA samples. It was furthermore demonstrated that MET formation was accompanied by an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, this study provided the first evidence that macrophages are capable of releasing ETs in response to biomaterials.

Ice Templating Soft Matter: Fundamental Principles and Fabrication Approaches to Tailor Pore Structure and Morphology and Their Biomedical Applications.

Porous scaffolds are widely used in biomedical applications where pore size and morphology influence a range of biological processes, including mass transfer of solutes, cellular interactions and organization, immune responses, and tissue vascularization, as well as drug delivery from biomaterials. Ice templating, one of the most widely utilized techniques for the fabrication of porous materials, allows control over pore morphology by controlling ice formation in a suspension of solutes. By fine-tuning freezing and solute parameters, ice templating can be used to incorporate pores with tunable morphological features into a wide range of materials using a simple, accessible, and scalable process. While soft matter is widely ice templated for biomedical applications and includes commercial and clinical products, the principles underpinning its ice templating are not reviewed as well as their inorganic counterparts. This review describes and critically evaluates fundamental principles, fabrication and characterization approaches, and biomedical applications of ice templating in polymer-based biomaterials. It describes the utility of porous scaffolds in biomedical applications, highlighting biological mechanisms impacted by pore features, outlines the physical and thermodynamic mechanisms underpinning ice templating, describes common fabrication setups, critically evaluates complexities of ice templating specific to polymers, and discusses future directions in this field.