Rapid prototyping for biomedical engineering: current capabilities and Challenges

A new set of manufacturing technologies has emerged in the past decades to address market requirements in a customized way and to provide support for research tasks that require prototypes. These new techniques and technologies are usually referred to as rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies, and they allow prototypes to be produced in a wide range of materials with remarkable precision in a couple of hours. Although they have been rapidly incorporated into product development methodologies, they are still under development, and their applications in bioengineering are continuously evolving. Rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies can be of assistance in every stage of the development process of novel biodevices, to address various problems that can arise in the devices' interactions with biological systems and the fact that the design decisions must be tested carefully. This review focuses on the main fields of application for rapid prototyping in biomedical engineering and health sciences, as well as on the most remarkable challenges and research trends

Skin Lesions on Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Three Sites in the Northwest Atlantic, USA

Skin disease occurs frequently in many cetacean species across the globe; methods to categorize lesions have relied on photo-identification (photo-id), stranding, and by-catch data. The current study used photo-id data from four sampling months during 2009 to estimate skin lesion prevalence and type occurring on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from three sites along the southeast United States coast [Sarasota Bay, FL (SSB); near Brunswick and Sapelo Island, GA (BSG); and near Charleston, SC (CHS)]. The prevalence of lesions was highest among BSG dolphins (P = 0.587) and lowest in SSB (P = 0.380), and the overall prevalence was significantly different among all sites (p<0.0167). Logistic regression modeling revealed a significant reduction in the odds of lesion occurrence for increasing water temperatures (OR = 0.92; 95%CI:0.906–0.938) and a significantly increased odds of lesion occurrence for BSG dolphins (OR = 1.39; 95%CI:1.203–1.614). Approximately one-third of the lesioned dolphins from each site presented with multiple types, and population differences in lesion type occurrence were observed (p<0.05). Lesions on stranded dolphins were sampled to determine the etiology of different lesion types, which included three visually distinct samples positive for herpesvirus. Although generally considered non-fatal, skin disease may be indicative of animal health or exposure to anthropogenic or environmental threats, and photo-id data provide an efficient and cost-effective approach to document the occurrence of skin lesions in free-ranging populations

Product Lifecycle Management Strategy for the Definition and Design Process of Face Implants Oriented to Specific Patients

Part 2: Collaborative Environments and New Product DevelopmentInternational audienceThe main purpose of this research was oriented to generate a structured model from an organizational vision to the definition and development of precise osteosynthesis prosthesis. Implants were adapted to the Colombian population anthropometry allowing fracture reductions and craniofacial defects corrections based on technologies for specific patients. This research was developed taking into account the first three PLM stages: Imagination, definition, and realization. Procedures, stages, roles, and activities that take part in the design and pre-surgical planning were identified for the patient-specific implants PSI, carried out through a study case. It was established as a definition model for design and fabrication process of patient-specific implants (PSI). It was possible that technology included in a collaborative workflow wherein the roles which intervene in the design process and the pre-surgical planning were related. The ability to design implants for specific patients and surgical guides was obtained different pathology situations including face trauma. According to the PLM strategy for designing custom implant, it would be possible to build innovation capabilities. With those, an organization could generate a collaborative workflow integrating stages, roles, activities, applying technology and local human resource. Further work related to the subject is necessary to enhance the process by iteration and improve the clinical cases management