Η πρόταση Κανονισμού για την αναγνώριση της γονεϊκότητας μεταξύ των κρατών μελών (Regulation on the recognition of parenthood between Member States) υπό το φως της απόφασης του ΔΕΕ της 14ης.12.2021 (C-490/2020) - Η διασυνοριακή αναγνώριση των οικογενειών ομοφύλων προσώπων μεταξύ των κρατών μελών της ΕΕ.

H πρόταση Κανονισμού για την αναγνώριση της γονεϊκότητας μεταξύ των κρατών μελών έρχεται να ενοποιήσει νομοθετικά τον τρόπο αντιμετώπισης των οικογενειακών των ομοφύλων προσώπων όταν αυτές διασχίζουν τα σύνορα μεταξύ των κρατών μελών και ιδίως να ρυθμίσει την τύχη της συγγένειας των τέκνων με τον μη βιολογικά συνδεόμενο με αυτά γονέα. Η παρούσα εξετάζει τις νομικές προσδοκίες από τον Ευρωπαίο νομοθέτη μετά την έκδοση της από 14.12.2021 απόφασης του ΔΕΕ (C-490/2020) σε συνάρτηση με τις υφιστάμενες νομικές βάσεις για την αναγνώριση των οικογενειών αυτών και την σχετική ευρωπαϊκή νομολογία.The Regulation’s proposal for the recognition of parenthood between member states aims to unify legislatively the treatment of same-sex couples’ families, as they cross the borders between member states, and in particular the relationship of the children with the non-biologically related to them parent. This essay examines the legal expectations from the European legislator after the issuance of the as of 14.12.2021 CJEU’s decision (C-490/2020) in relation to the existing legal basis for the recognition of these families and the relevant european case law

Adding functionality with additive manufacturing : fabrication of titanium-based antibiotic eluting implants

Additive manufacturing technologies have been utilised in healthcare to create patient-specific implants. This study demonstrates the potential to add new implant functionality by further exploiting the design flexibility of these technologies. Selective laser melting was used to manufacture titanium-based (Ti-6Al-4V) implants containing a reservoir. Pore channels, connecting the implant surface to the reservoir, were incorporated to facilitate antibiotic delivery. An injectable brushite, calcium phosphate cement, was formulated as a carrier vehicle for gentamicin. Incorporation of the antibiotic significantly (p=0.01) improved the compressive strength (5.8±0.7MPa) of the cement compared to non-antibiotic samples. The controlled release of gentamicin sulphate from the calcium phosphate cement injected into the implant reservoir was demonstrated in short term elution studies using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Orientation of the implant pore channels were shown, using micro-computed tomography, to impact design reproducibility and the back-pressure generated during cement injection which ultimately altered porosity. The amount of antibiotic released from all implant designs over a 6hour period (<28% of the total amount) were found to exceed the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus (16μg/mL) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (1μg/mL); two bacterial species commonly associated with periprosthetic infections. Antibacterial efficacy was confirmed against both bacterial cultures using an agar diffusion assay. Interestingly, pore channel orientation was shown to influence the directionality of inhibition zones. Promisingly, this work demonstrates the potential to additively manufacture a titanium-based antibiotic eluting implant, which is an attractive alternative to current treatment strategies of periprosthetic infections

Review of in-situ process monitoring and in-situ metrology for metal additive manufacturing

Lack of assurance of quality with additively manufactured (AM) parts is a key technological barrier that prevents manufacturers from adopting AM technologies, especially for high-value applications where component failure cannot be tolerated. Developments in process control have allowed significant enhancement of AM techniques and marked improvements in surface roughness and material properties, along with a reduction in inter-build variation and the occurrence of embedded material discontinuities. As a result, the exploitation of AM processes continues to accelerate. Unlike established subtractive processes, where in-process monitoring is now commonplace, factory-ready AM processes have not yet incorporated monitoring technologies that allow discontinuities to be detected in process. Researchers have investigated new forms of instrumentation and adaptive approaches which, when integrated, will allow further enhancement to the assurance that can be offered when producing AM components. The state-of-the-art with respect to inspection methodologies compatible with AM processes is explored here. Their suitability for the inspection and identification of typical material discontinuities and failure modes is discussed with the intention of identifying new avenues for research and proposing approaches to integration into future generations of AM systems

hospital factory for manufacturing customised patient specific 3d anatomo functional models and prostheses

The fabrication of personalised prostheses tailored on each patient is one of the major needs and key issues for the future of several surgical specialties. Moreover, the production of patient-specific anatomo-functional models for preoperative planning is an important requirement in the presence of tailored prostheses, as also the surgical treatment must be optimised for each patient. The presence of a prototyping service inside the hospital would be a benefit for the clinical activity, as its location would allow a closer interaction with clinicians, leading to significant time and cost reductions. However, at present, these services are extremely rare worldwide. Based on these considerations, we investigate enhanced methods and technologies for implementing such a service. Moreover, we analyse the sustainability of the service and, thanks to the development of two prototypes, we show the feasibility of the production inside the hospital

Challenges of additive manufacturing technologies from an optimisation perspective

Three-dimensional printing offers varied possibilities of design that can be bridged to optimisation tools. In this review paper, a critical opinion on optimal design is delivered to show limits, benefits and ways of improvement in additive manufacturing. This review emphasises on design constrains related to additive manufacturing and differences that may appear between virtual and real design. These differences are explored based on 3D imaging techniques that are intended to show defect related processing. Guidelines of safe use of the term “optimal design” are derived based on 3D structural information