Diabetes is known as one of the most important widespread diseases in the world. Diabetic ulcer is one of the main complications associated with this disease. The use of the capabilities of modern science such as nanotechnology can be effective in developing new strategies for treating diabetic ulcers. Regulating homeostasis, controlling infections, and the ability to regenerate/ heal are some of the proposed mechanisms of nanomaterials in wound healing. In this regard, cuprorivaite bioceramic, as a bioceramic containing copper nanoparticles with effects on angiogenic factors and infection control, can effectively be used in the healing of diabetic ulcers. In this prospective article, we have presented the potential of this bioceramic in the design of new dressings for diabetic wound healing.
Although myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with pharmacologic stress is the standard method for screening coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB), controversies remain about its correct interpretation. We sought the best interpretation approach in these patients to achieve higher accuracy. Forty-two patients with LBBB underwent MPI with dipyridamole stress and the criteria for positive results with four patterns of interpretation were as follows: Pattern A: any reversible or irreversible perfusion abnormality in the myocardium irrespective of the location or extension was considered positive. Pattern B: any reversible or irreversible perfusion abnormalities except in the septal/anteroseptal region were defined as positive. Pattern C: in the absence of fixed LV cavity dilatation, the scan was interpreted the same as pattern A, while in the presence of fixed LV cavity dilatation, only the abnormalities outside the LAD territory was defined as positive. Pattern D: as in pattern C, except that in the absence of fixed LV cavity dilatation, the scan was read according to pattern B. For all patients, the angiographic results were considered as gold standard of CAD diagnosis. Our results showed that the false positive rate of MPI in patients with fixed LV dilatation was 50%, while in cases with normal LV size or transient dilatation, was 38.5%. This difference was more prominent in the female patients. The accuracy for screening CAD for patterns A, B, C and D were 57%, 62%, 69% and 69%, respectively. Pattern D was the better approach in female cases and patients with fixed septal/anteroseptal defects. In conclusion, a) in the male population without fixed defects in the septal/anteroseptal region, the specificity and accuracy are high in all patterns and the pattern of reading does not significantly influence the diagnostic value of MPI for CAD screening. b) in LBBB patients, fixed defects limited to the septal/anteroseptal region should be considered a significant finding only when LV cavity is not dilated.
This study demonstrates a new degradable 3D-printed carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)/zein bone scaffold loaded with different content of cuprorivaite (Cup) nanoparticles which labeled as CMCS/Z/Cup. Only a few studies have utilized these components to fabricate a three-component porous osteogenic scaffold. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the mechanical and biocompatibility of the nanocomposite which synthesized by 3D printing method. For this purpose, the Cup powder was initially synthesized through sol-gel process and its confirmation was proved using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, three CMC/Z scaffolds were made with different Cup contents: group A (0 wt.% Cup), group B (2.5 wt.% Cup) and group C (5 wt.% Cup). The scaffolds were well-ordered microporous with a high porosity and pore connectivity, as observed by morphological analysis by SEM. Additionally, the pore size of group B was more homogeneous than that of groups A and C. There were no significance differences in physicochemical characterization among the three groups. Mechanical properties analysis showed that values of compression modulus are significantly increased with addition of 2.5% Cup nanoparticles into CMCS/zein matrix, from 1.2 to 9.6 MPa. The incorporation of Cup nanoparticles into CMCS along with zein can provide a suitable substrate for the growth of osteoblast cells after implantation, as indicated by the results of in vitro degradation. The scaffolds were cultured in vitro with MG-63 cells, showing that cell viability increased with the Cup content, 95%, 105%, and 110% for the pure polymeric scaffold, and scaffolds reinforced with 2.5% and 5% Cup, respectively. As a result, the scaffolds designed in this study possess the ability to be used in bone tissue engineering due to having characteristics similar to natural bone.
With the increase in weight and age of the population, the consumption of tobacco, inappropriate foods, and the reduction of sports activities in recent years, bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) have become more common in the world. From the past until now, various treatment strategies (e.g., microfracture treatment, Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI), and Mosaicplasty) have been investigated and studied for the prevention and treatment of this disease. However, these methods face problems such as being invasive, not fully repairing the tissue, and damaging the surrounding tissues. Tissue engineering, including cartilage tissue engineering, is one of the minimally invasive, innovative, and effective methods for the treatment and regeneration of damaged cartilage, which has attracted the attention of scientists in the fields of medicine and biomaterials engineering in the past several years. Hydrogels of different types with diverse properties have become desirable candidates for engineering and treating cartilage tissue. They can cover most of the shortcomings of other treatment methods and cause the least secondary damage to the patient. Besides using hydrogels as an ideal strategy, new drug delivery and treatment methods, such as targeted drug delivery and treatment through mechanical signaling, have been studied as interesting strategies. In this study, we review and discuss various types of hydrogels, biomaterials used for hydrogel manufacturing, cartilage-targeting drug delivery, and mechanosignaling as modern strategies for cartilage treatment.
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