From Solvent-Free Microspheres to Bioactive Gradient Scaffolds

A solvent-free microsphere sintering technique was developed to fabricate scaffolds with pore size gradient for tissue engineering applications. Poly(D,L-Lactide) microspheres were fabricated through an emulsification method where TiO2 nanoparticles were employed both as particulate emulsifier in the preparation procedure and as surface modification agent to improve bioactivity of the scaffolds. A fine-tunable pore size gradient was achieved with a pore volume of 30±2.6%. SEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR analyses all confirmed the formation of bone-like apatite at the 14th day of immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) implying the ability of our scaffolds to bond to living bone tissue. In vitro examination of the scaffolds showed progressive activity of the osteoblasts on the scaffold with evidence of increase in its mineral content. The bioactive scaffold developed in this study has the potential to be used as a suitable biomaterial for bone tissue engineering and hard tissue regeneration

Impacts of soil conditions and light availability on natural regeneration of Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. in low-elevation mountain forests

& Key message Natural regeneration of P. abies (L.) H. Karst. may reach high densities in lower mountain elevations. The highest densities were found in sites with moderate light availability, with low pH, and not near the riverbank. However, age-height classes differed in the predicted magnitude of response, but were consistent in response directions. Mosses and understory species typical of coniferous forests were positively correlated with regeneration density. & Context Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. in Central Europe is at risk under climate change scenarios, particularly in mountain regions. Little is known about the impact of environmental factors on the natural regeneration of P. abies in lowelevation mountain forests. & Aims We aimed to assess impacts of distance from the riverbank, soil pH, and light availability on natural P. abies regeneration. We hypothesized that (1) natural P. abiesregeneration would depend on light availability and soil pH and (2) there are understory plant species which may indicate the microsites suitable for natural regeneration of P. abies. & Methods The study was conducted in the Stołowe Mountains National Park (SW Poland, 600–800 m a.s.l.). We established 160 study plots (25 m2 ) for natural regeneration, light availability, soil pH, and understory vegetation assessment

Numerical analysis of bypass model geometrical parameters influence on pulsatile blood flow

The present study is focused on the analysis of pulsatile blood flow in complete idealized 3D bypass models in dependence on three main geometrical parameters (stenosis degree, junction angle and diameter ratio). Assuming the blood to be an incompressible Newtonian fluid, the non-linear system of Navier-Stokes equations is integrated in time by a fully implicit second-order accurate fractional-step method. The space discretization is performed with the help of the cell-centred finite volume method formulated for unstructured tetrahedral grids. In order to model a realistic coronary blood flow, a time-dependent flow rate taken from corresponding literature is considered. For the analysis of obtained numerical results, special emphasis is placed on their comparison in the form of velocity isolines at several selected cross-sections during systolic and diastolic phases. The remainder of this paper is devoted to discussion of walls shear stress distribution and its oscillatory character described by the oscillatory shear index with regard to areas prone to development of intimal hyperplasia or to thrombus formation

A comparative study of 1D and 3D hemodynamics in patient-specific hepatic portal vein networks

The development of software for use in clinical practice is often associated with many requirements and restrictions set not only by the medical doctors, but also by the hospital’s budget. To meet the requirement of reliable software, which is able to provide results within a short time period and with minimal computational demand, a certain measure of modelling simplification is usually inevitable. In case of blood flow simulations carried out in large vascular networks such as the one created by the hepatic portal vein, simplifications are made by necessity. The most often employed simplification includes the approach in the form of dimensional reduction, when the 3D model of a large vascular network is substituted with its 1D counterpart. In this context, a question naturally arises, how this reduction can affect the simulation accuracy and its outcome. In this paper, we try to answer this question by performing a quantitative comparison of 3D and 1D flow models in two patient-specific hepatic portal vein networks. The numerical simulations are carried out under average flow conditions and with the application of the three-element Windkessel model, which is able to approximate the downstream flow resistance of real hepatic tissue. The obtained results show that, although the 1D model can never truly substitute the 3D model, its easy implementation, time-saving model preparation and almost no demands on computer technology dominate as advantages over obvious but moderate modelling errors arising from the performed dimensional reduction

The role of boundary conditions and viscosity models in thrombosis modelling

The study was supported by the project SGS-2022-008. Computational resources were provided by the e-INFRA CZ project (ID:90254), supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic

In-silico study of flow-mediated thrombosis in portal vein reconstructions

No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17 048/0007280, e-INFRA CZ ID:9014