Articular cartilage possesses complex mechanical properties that provide healthy joints the ability to bear repeated loads and maintain smooth articulating surfaces over an entire lifetime. In this study, we utilized a fiber-reinforced composite scaffold designed to mimic the anisotropic, nonlinear, and viscoelastic biomechanical characteristics of native cartilage as the basis for developing f...

BACKGROUND Fine needle aspiration biopsy has become a standard approach for diagnosis of peripheral tuberculous lymphadenitis. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF and Ustar EasyNAT TB IAD nucleic acid amplification assays, against acid-fast bacilli microscopy, cytology and mycobacterial culture for the diagnosis of TB lymphadenitis in children from a TB-endemic...

In this work, we report the effect of biopolymers (starch and gelatin) on in vitro biocompatibility property of nano hydroxyapatite (nHAp) composites. Cell culture and MTT assays were performed for in vitro biocompatibility. They show that nHAp can affect the proliferation of cells and the nHAp-starch and nHAP-gelatin biocomposites have no negative effect on the cell morphology, viability and p...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) with a negative amniotic fluid (AF) culture on adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes and inflammatory status in the AF compartment in women with preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of 153 women diagnosed as having a preterm labor or PPROM (20-34 w...

In this study, we have successfully fabricated electrospun bead-free silk fibroin [SF]/chitosan [CS] composite nanofibers [NFs] covering the whole range of CS content (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). SF/CS spinning solutions were prepared in a mixed solvent system of trifluoroacetic acid [TFA] and dichloromethane. The morphology of the NFs was observed by scanning electron microscope, and the ave...

In this work, we report the effect of biopolymers (starch and gelatin) on in vitro biocompatibility property of nano hydroxyapatite (nHAp) composites. Cell culture and MTT assays were performed for in vitro biocompatibility. They show that nHAp can affect the proliferation of cells and the nHAp-starch and nHAP-gelatin biocomposites have no negative effect on the cell morphology, viability and p...

BACKGROUND Maintaining tracheal integrity and restoring normal physiologic function after injury is complex. Some of the critical events in this process are deposition of a provisional extracellular matrix, tissue remodeling, and angiogenesis. These events are coordinated with epithelial migration and proliferation to restore the mucosal barrier. The ability of respiratory epithelial cells (REC...

A novel sponge composed of a poly (lactic acid) composite skeleton covered with bonelike apatite (b-HA) was produced via a particleleaching technique combined with a biomimetic processing. The sponge has a large porosity of w75% with large-sized pores and shows mechanical ductility. After incubation of human osteoblasts for 7 days, numerous cells attached to the surface of the skeleton, which w...

Using an electrospinning technique, we constructed composite nanofibrous membranes containing a copolymer of L-lactide and glycolide (PLGA, ratio 85:15) and 33% wt.% of nanodiamond particles. The number of initially adhering human osteoblast-like MG 63 cells on day 1 after seeding, their spreading and subsequent growth were similar on both types of membranes. However, higher cell numbers on day...

This paper describes some of the issues faced by typical emotion recognition systems and the need to be able to deal with emotions in a natural setting. Studies tend to ignore the dynamic, versatile and personalised nature of affective expression and the influence that social setting, context and culture have on its rules of display. Affective cues can be present in multiple modalities and they...