Search results for "Biomedical engineering"
showing 10 items of 2020 documents
Silica as a morphogenetically active inorganic polymer.
2013
At present the scaffolds used for bioprinting of cells do not elicit morphogenetic responses in the cells. In the present study we approached a solution by studying the effect of an inorganic silica supplement added to an Na-alginate matrix. Bone- and osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cells were embedded into this organic polymeric matrix which was additionally enriched with 400 μM prehydrolyzed TEOS [tetra-ethoxy-silane], a source of ortho-silicate. In this silica-based matrix the cells synthesized hydroxyapatite crystallites after exposure to a mineralization activation cocktail composed of β-glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid and dexamethasone. The degree of hydroxyapatite synthesis, determined by sta…
Combination of an allogenic and a xenogenic bone substitute material with injectable platelet-rich fibrin – A comparative in vitro study
2020
The aim of the in vitro study was a comparison of an allogenic (ABSM) and a xenogenic bone substitute material (XBSM) with and without injectable platelet-rich fibrin (ABSM-i-PRF & XBSM-i-PRF) on cell characteristics of human osteoblasts (HOB). Here, ABSM and XBSM (+ i-PRF = test; - i-PRF = control) were incubated with HOB for 3, 7 and 10 days. HOB viability, migration, proliferation and differentiation (RT-PCR on alkaline phosphatase (AP), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and osteonectin (OCN)) were measured and compared between groups. At day 3, an increased viability, migration and proliferation was seen for ABSM-i-PRF. For viability and proliferation (days 7 and 10) and for mig…
A Promising Family of Fluorescent Water-Soluble aza-BODIPY Dyes for in Vivo Molecular Imaging.
2019
A new family of water-soluble and bioconjugatable aza-BODIPY fluorophores was designed and synthesized using a boron- functionalization strategy. These dissymmetric bis-ammonium aza-BODIPY dyes present optimal properties for a fluorescent probe; i.e., they are highly water-soluble, very stable in physiological medium; they do not aggregate in PBS, possess high quantum yield; and finally, they can be easily bioconjugated to antibodies. Preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies were performed for one of these fluorophores to image PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand 1), highlighting the high potential of these new probes for future in vivo optical imaging studies.
3-D image analysis of fluorescent drug binding
2004
Fluorescent ligands provide the means of studying receptors in whole tissues using confocal laser scanning microscopy and have advantages over antibody- or non-fluorescence-based method. Confocal microscopy provides large volumes of images to be measured. Histogram analysis of 3-D image volumes is proposed as a method of graphically displaying large amounts of volumetric image data to be quickly analyzed and compared. The fluorescent ligand BODIPY FL-prazosin (QAPB) was used in mouse aorta. Histogram analysis reports the amount of ligand-receptor binding under different conditions and the technique is sensitive enough to detect changes in receptor availability after antagonist incubation or…
Microwave effects on isolated chick embryo hearts.
1986
This study was designed to examine the effects of microwaves on the electric activity of hearts as a means of elucidating interactive mechanisms of nonionizing radiation with cardiac tissue. Experiments were performed on isolated hearts of 9-12-day-old chick embryos placed in small petri dishes. Oxygenated isotonic Ringer's solution at 37 degrees C permitted heart survival. Samples were irradiated at 2.45 GHz with a power density of 3 mW/cm2. The heart signal was detected with a glass micropipet inserted into the sinoatrial node and examined by means of a Berg-Fourier analyzer. Pulsed microwaves caused the locking of the heartbeat to the modulation frequency, whereas continuous wave irradia…
Dynamic Community Detection for Brain Functional Networks during Music Listening with Block Component Analysis
2023
Publisher Copyright: Author The human brain can be described as a complex network of functional connections between distinct regions, referred to as the brain functional network. Recent studies show that the functional network is a dynamic process and its community structure evolves with time during continuous task performance. Consequently, it is important for the understanding of the human brain to develop dynamic community detection techniques for such time-varying functional networks. Here, we propose a temporal clustering framework based on a set of network generative models and surprisingly it can be linked to Block Component Analysis to detect and track the latent community structure…
Mutual information-based feature selection for low-cost BCIs based on motor imagery
2016
In the present study a feature selection algorithm based on mutual information (MI) was applied to electro-encephalographic (EEG) data acquired during three different motor imagery tasks from two dataset: Dataset I from BCI Competition IV including full scalp recordings from four subjects, and new data recorded from three subjects using the popular low-cost Emotiv EPOC EEG headset. The aim was to evaluate optimal channels and band-power (BP) features for motor imagery tasks discrimination, in order to assess the feasibility of a portable low-cost motor imagery based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system. The minimal sub set of features most relevant to task description and less redundant to…
Systematic study of SYBR green chromophore reveals major improvement with one heteroatom difference
2021
Five nucleic acid binding cyanine dyes were synthesized and their photophysical properties were evaluated. Changing a single heteroatom in the chromophore causes major differences both in brightness and photostability between the dyes. With such alteration, the brightness of the chromophore increased two-fold compared to the one found in SYBR Green I.
Vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles mimic vanadium haloperoxidases and thwart biofilm formation
2012
Marine biofouling—the colonization of small marine microorganisms on surfaces that are directly exposed to seawater, such as ships' hulls—is an expensive problem that is currently without an environmentally compatible solution1. Biofouling leads to increased hydrodynamic drag, which, in turn, causes increased fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Tributyltin-free antifouling coatings and paints1, 2, 3, 4 based on metal complexes or biocides have been shown to efficiently prevent marine biofouling. However, these materials can damage5 the environment through metal leaching (for example, of copper and zinc)6 and bacteria resistance7. Here, we show that vanadium pentoxide nanowires ac…
Noise reduction in magnetic resonance images by Wavelet transforms: an application to the study of capillary water absorption in sedimentary rocks
2007
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique to study capillary water absorption kinetics in sedimentary rocks. However, the noise in the images can limit the correct identification and the quantitative measurement of the average height reached by the wetting front inside the porous material where imbibition occurs. Therefore, denoising methods can be applied to improve the image quality for a more accurate analysis, without the disadvantages of longer acquisition times. This study attempts to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images acquired by MRI on a sedimentary rock (Pietra di Lecce) using a waveletbased thresholding technique. The idea is to average some slightly di…