Biomaterials – Novel Advances in Nasal Medical Implants, 3D Printing Applications

The scope and applications of biomaterials have spread out throughout a broad spectrum. Particularly in pharmacy, biomaterials are an attractive choice because they can be modified to decrease toxicity, increase the targeting ability among many other aspects of drug delivery. Extensive studies have led to the development of many metal-based, ceramic, biocompatible and biodegradable biomaterials for medical purposes among many others. The utilization of 3D printing in this discipline is a very novel research subject with infinite potential. Personalized and customized nasal implants are a great option to increase patient compliance and 3D printed accurate anatomical structures are rendered to be effective tools of learning. One of the disadvantages of biomaterial-based implants is the formation of a thick fibrous capsule formation around the implant, others being breakage, soft tissue loss and so on. Regulatory aspects are less explored for nasal implants. 3D printing is a unique technique that allows for a high degree of customisation in pharmacy, dentistry and in designing of medical devices. Current research in 3D printing indicates towards reproducing an organ in the form of a chip; paving the way for more studies and opportunities to perfecting the existing technique.

Characterization of Magnesium-Polylactic Acid Films Casted on Different Substrates and Doped with Diverse Amounts of CTAB

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a good candidate for the manufacture of polymeric biodegradable biomaterials. The inclusion of metallic particles and surfactants solves its mechanical limitations and improves its wettability, respectively. In this work, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and magnesium particles have been incorporated into PLA films to evaluate the changes produced in the polymeric matrix cast on glass and silicone substrates. For this purpose, the surface of the films has been characterized by means of contact angle measurements and ToF-SIMS. Depth profiles and SEM images of the cross sections of the films have also been obtained to study their morphology. The results show that the CTAB in the polymer matrix with and without magnesium improves the wettability of the films, making them more suitable for cell adhesion. The higher the hydrophilicity, the higher the surfactant concentration. The depth profiles show, for the first time, that, depending on the surfactant concentration and the presence of Mg, there is a layer-like distribution near the surface where, in addition to the CTAB + PLA mixture, a surfactant exclusion zone can be seen. This new structure could be relevant in in vitro/in vivo situations when the degradation processes remove the film components in a sequential form.

Biodegradable calcium carbonate/mesoporous silica/poly(lactic-glycolic acid) microspheres scaffolds with osteogenesis ability for bone regeneration

Sintered microsphere-based scaffolds provide a porous structure and high-resolution spatial organization control, show great potential for bone regeneration, mainly from biodegradable biomaterials including poly(lactic-glycolic acid) (PLGA).

Biocompatible and Biodegradable Functional Polysaccharides for Flexible Humidity Sensors

Using wearable devices to monitor respiration rate is essential for reducing the risk of death or permanent injury in patients. Improving the performance and safety of these devices and reducing their environmental footprint could advance the currently used health monitoring technologies. Here, we report high-performance, flexible bioprotonic devices made entirely of biodegradable biomaterials. This smart sensor satisfies all the requirements for monitoring human breathing states, including noncontact characteristic and the ability to discriminate humidity stimuli with ultrahigh sensitivity, rapid response time, and excellent cycling stability. In addition, the device can completely decompose after its service life, which reduces the risk to the human body. The cytotoxicity test demonstrates that the device shows good biocompatibility based on the viability of human skin fibroblast-HSAS1 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVECs), illustrating the safety of the sensor upon integration with the human skin.

The dual delivery of growth factors and antimicrobial peptide by PLGA/GO composite biofilms to promote skin-wound healing

Biodegradable biomaterials coated with active factors are effective medical devices to promote wound healing.

Morphology and Admittance Spectroscopy of Cellulose Acetate/Graphene Quantum Dots Nanocomposites

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are considered as fascinating materials feasible for biological, optoelectronic devices, energy and environmental applications. Casting nanocomposite films for technological application is a challenging research interest. Cellulose acetate (CA) is one of the most abundant, economic, environmental friendly and biodegradable biomaterials. It has been found that CA is a preferred composite matrix to prepare recasting films, due to its efficient antifouling feature. In the present investigation, we exhibited preparation of CA/GQD nanocomposite by solution blending as a function of GQD loading 0.1–0.5[Formula: see text]wt.%. Morphology and electrical properties were examined as a function of GQD loading. The nanocomposite was characterized by impedance spectroscopy, and the measured admittance ([Formula: see text]) was plotted against temperature across broadband frequency. The magnitude of [Formula: see text] exhibits direct relation under the varying temperature. The morphology of the nanocomposites was observed by atomic force microscope technique in contact mode. Collective observation from our results is that it can be revealed that CA/GQD nanocomposites are suitable for thermal sensing applications.