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Topic Review
Metal-Oxide FET Biosensor for Point-of-Care Testing
Metal-oxide semiconducting materials are promising for building high-performance field-effect transistor (FET) based biochemical sensors. The existence of well-established top-down scalable manufacturing processes enables the reliable production of cost-effective yet high-performance sensors, two key considerations toward the translation of such devices in real-life applications. Metal-oxide semiconductor FET biochemical sensors are especially well-suited to the development of Point-of-Care testing (PoCT) devices, as illustrated by the rapidly growing body of reports in the field. Yet, metal-oxide semiconductor FET sensors remain confined to date, mainly in academia.
  • 754
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Strengths and Weaknesses of Biomimetic Delivery Systems
Biomimetic delivery systems (BDSs), defined by their ability to mimic biological systems, hold significant promise in the realm of biomedicine and nanomedicine. They leverage the principles of nature, emulating the structural or functional attributes of biological systems to enhance drug delivery capabilities.
  • 751
  • 28 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Polymeric Based Hydrogel Membranes for Biomedical Applications
Hydrogel membranes combine the porous architecture and permeability properties of thin membranes with the dynamic mechanical properties and water absorption characteristics of polymeric hydrogels. The characteristics of hydrogel membranes bear a remarkable resemblance to physiological membranes, although the latter are much more complex than their synthetic counterparts.
  • 750
  • 06 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Nanotechnology-Based Bioactive Antifeedant for Plant Protection
An antifeedant approach for insect control in crop management has been comprehensively studied by many researchers, though it has only been restricted to plant-based compounds and to the laboratory level at least. Nano-delivery formulations of biopesticides offer a wide variety of benefits, including increased effectiveness and efficiency with the improved properties of the antifeedant. An antifeedant nano-delivery system can increase their bioactivities, such as increasing sublethal bioactivity or reducing toxicity levels in both crude extracts/essential oils (EOs) and pure compounds.
  • 749
  • 07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Matrix (ECM)
In tissues and organs, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential extracellular element that surrounds cells, characterised by its sophisticated nanoarchitecture. It is a highly hydrated structure composed of cell-secreted proteins (e.g., collagen, fibronectin, elastin, etc.), macromolecules (e.g., polysaccharides, hyaluronan, glycosaminoglycans—GAGs—and proteoglycans—PGs), and specialised soluble factors (e.g., ions, growth factor, cytokines, and hormones).
  • 748
  • 09 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Silk Fibroin in Human and Veterinary Medicine
The properties of silk make it a promising material for medical applications, both in human and veterinary medicine. Its predominant amino acids, glycine and alanine, exhibit low chemical reactivity, reducing the risk of graft rejection, a notable advantage over most synthetic polymers. Hence, silk is increasingly used as a material for 3D printing in biomedicine. It can be used to build cell scaffolding with the desired cytocompatibility and biodegradability. In combination with gelatine, silk can be used in the treatment of arthritis, and as a hydrogel, to regenerate chondrocytes and mesenchymal cells. When combined with gelatine and collagen, it can also make skin grafts and regenerate the integumentary system. In the treatment of bone tissue, it can be used in combination with polylactic acid and hydroxyapatite to produce bone clips having good mechanical properties and high immunological tolerance.
  • 747
  • 04 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Biomedical Device Related Complications
In 1987, the European Society for Biomaterials coined the term “biomaterial”, defining it as a non-biological material used in medical devices with the specific purpose of interacting with biological systems. Over time, this definition of biomaterial has evolved, adapting to various contexts. Currently, biomaterials are described as materials that actively interact with biological system to assess, treat, promote healing or even replace any tissue or body function.
  • 744
  • 29 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Sources and Isolation Methods for Nanocellulose Materials
Nanocelluloses (NCs) are appealing nanomaterials that have experienced rapid development, with great potential in the biomedical field. This trend aligns with the increasing demand for sustainable materials, which will contribute both to an improvement in wellbeing and an extension of human life, and with the demand to keep up with advances in medical technology. 
  • 743
  • 29 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Organ-on-Chip
Organ-on-chip (OOC) devices are in vitro miniaturized multicellular systems with defined architectures that represent the new frontier in biomedical research to produce micro-organoids and tissues for drug testing and regenerative medicine. Although OOC devices can potentially improve the prediction capability of preclinical studies in comparison to in vitro tests and animal models, the successful transition from conventional 2D cell culture to human OOC implies the development of microfluidically supported 3D architectures to mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM), to induce cell-ECM and multicellular interactions, as well as to modulate many cell functions including polarity, morphology, and motility. In this regard, cell-laden microgels (CLMs) represent a promising tool for 3D cell culturing and on-chip generation of micro-organs. 
  • 739
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Natural Products in Oncology
In recent decades, increasing interest in the use of natural products in anticancer therapy field has been observed, mainly due to unsolved drug-resistance problems. The antitumoral effect of natural compounds involving different signaling pathways and cellular mechanisms has been largely demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo studies. The encapsulation of natural products into different delivery systems may lead to a significant enhancement of their anticancer efficacy by increasing in vivo stability and bioavailability, reducing side adverse effects and improving target-specific activity. More and more studies in the nanomedicine field aim to design nanostructured systems containing natural compounds for new drug delivery tools in anticancer therapies.
  • 738
  • 22 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Bone Repair Strategies
In comparison with the bone tissue engineering (BTE) strategy, the facilitated endogenous tissue engineering (FEBTE) strategy as a novel practical approach tries to eliminate time-consuming and costly tedious process: tissue harvest, cell isolation and ex vivo co-culture with a scaffold. Based on this, the FEBTE strategy as a facile and effective strategy, is booming in bone tissue regeneration. Particularly,  chitosan (CS)-based scaffolds with versatile qualities including good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable physicochemical and biological properties could recruit endogenous stem cells homing and differentiation towards lesion areas during  the process of bone repair.
  • 735
  • 29 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Natural Polymer-Based Hydrogels
Hydrogels prepared from natural polymer have attracted extensive attention in biomedical fields such as drug delivery, wound healing, and regenerative medicine due to their good biocompatibility, degradability, and flexibility.
  • 730
  • 31 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Musaceae Wastes
The Musaceae family has significant potential as a source of lignocellulosic fibres and starch from the plant’s bunches and pseudostems. These materials, which have traditionally been considered waste, can be used to produce fully bio-based composites to replace petroleum-derived synthetic plastics in some sectors such as packaging, the automotive industry, and implants. The fibres extracted from Musaceae have mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties that allow them to compete with other natural fibres such as sisal, henequen, fique, and jute, among others, which are currently used in the preparation of bio-based composites.
  • 729
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Antibacterial-Based Hydrogel Coatings
The antibacterial hydrogel coating interacts with organic and inorganic components as a biocompatible surface modifier, and the coating acts as a buffer between biomaterials and human tissues, making the biphasic interface of the material more stable and flexible and meeting the various needs of human tissue repair. The two key advantages of hydrogel coatings are as follows: Firstly, the coating can be firmly attached to the surface through chemical crosslinking and various anchoring reactions. Secondly, the coatings can attach to almost all kinds of materials, such as precious metals, oxides, polymers, and ceramics. Hydrogel coatings have excellent prospects for application, simple processing, stable performance, and wide application. The current research difficulties include the following: Firstly, the preparation method of antibacterial hydrogel coatings needs to be improved. Although the graft density of surface-initiated graft crosslinking polymerization is high, the initiator needs to be grafted to the surface, and the preparation process is relatively complex. The method of fixing the hydrogel coating to the substrate surface may result in uneven coverage of the hydrogel coating to the substrate surface due to the steric hinderance of the graft chain. Secondly, greater attention should be given to the study of the chemical stability of hydrogel coatings, including swelling, durability, degradability, mechanical properties, etc., which are important for the long-term effect of antibacterial hydrogel coatings on the human body. For example, swelling could be a problem for the coating of tubular medical devices, as the large swelling degree of hydrophilic hydrogels might block the tube. Finally, sterilization has been reported as an issue for most hydrogel coatings.
  • 729
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Squaraine-Based Fluorescent Materials
Squaraine dyes (SQs) are a peculiar class of cyanine dyes. One of the biggest structure differences between SQs and other types of cyanine dyes is that SQs contain an electron-deficient square ring at the center of the polymethine chain, leading to a quadrupolar donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) structure with a unique resonance-stabilized zwitterionic feature, as shown ina. In addition, the central square ring can make the polymethine chain rigid and planar to resist the photoisomerization and oxidation, and thus SQs intrinsically exhibit a greater stability over other cyanines.
  • 728
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Nano-Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering
Numerous surgeries are carried out to replace tissues that have been harmed by an illness or an accident. Due to various surgical interventions and the requirement of bone substitutes, the emerging field of bone tissue engineering attempts to repair damaged tissues with the help of scaffolds. These scaffolds act as template for bone regeneration by controlling the development of new cells. For the creation of functional tissues and organs, there are three elements of bone tissue engineering that play very crucial role: cells, signals and scaffolds. For the achievement of these aims, various types of natural polymers, like chitosan, chitin, cellulose, albumin and silk fibroin, have been used for the preparation of scaffolds. Scaffolds produced from natural polymers have many advantages: they are less immunogenic as well as being biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and cost effective. The hierarchal structure of bone, from microscale to nanoscale, is mostly made up of organic and inorganic components like nanohydroxyapatite and collagen components. 
  • 725
  • 10 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Polyphosphorhydrazone-Based Radical Dendrimers
The search for new biomedical applications of dendrimers has promoted the synthesis of new radical-based molecules. In particular, obtaining radical dendrimers (dendrimers functionalized with organic radicals) has opened the door to their use in various fields such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as antitumor or antioxidant agents, or the possibility of developing new types of devices based on the paramagnetic properties of organic radicals.
  • 721
  • 22 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Applications of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)-Based Materials
Among the various biopolymers derived from the PHA family, the copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), commonly known as PHBV, stands out for its inherent versatility. Unlike many other members of the PHA family that are derived from a single monomer and exhibit consistent physicochemical properties, PHBV offers the unique advantage of tunability. By adjusting the ratio of 3HB to 3HV monomers, the material properties can be tailored to produce products from flexible films to rigid molded objects. This adaptability made PHBV more versatile and expanded its potential applications.
  • 718
  • 22 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Chronic Leg Ulcers' Biomaterials Science
Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) are full thickness wounds that usually occur between the ankle and knee, fail to heal after 3 months of standard treatment, or are not entirely healed at 12 months. CLUs present a considerable burden on patients, subjecting them to severe pain and distress, while healthcare systems suffer immense costs and loss of resources. The poor healing outcome of the standard treatment of CLUs generates an urgent clinical need to find effective solutions for these wounds. Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Science offer exciting prospects for the treatment of CLUs, using a broad range of skin substitutes or scaffolds, and dressings. In this review, we summarize and discuss the various types of scaffolds used clinically in the treatment of CLUs. Their structure and therapeutic effects are described, and for each scaffold type representative examples are discussed, supported by clinical trials. Silver dressings are also reviewed due to their reported benefits in the healing of leg ulcers, as well as recent studies on new dermal scaffolds, reporting on clinical results where available. 
  • 716
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Applications of Antimicrobial Carbon Dots
Frequent bacterial/fungal infections and occurrence of antibiotic resistance pose increasing threats to the public and thus require the development of new antibacterial/antifungal agents and strategies. Carbon dots (CDs) have been well demonstrated to be promising and potent antimicrobial nanomaterials and serve as potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics.
  • 714
  • 27 Oct 2022
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