Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies for Hemostatic Management of Bleeding

Bleeding complications arising from trauma, surgery, and as congenital, disease‐associated, or drug‐induced blood disorders can cause significant morbidities and mortalities in civilian and military populations. Therefore, stoppage of bleeding (hemostasis) is of paramount clinical significance in prophylactic, surgical, and emergency scenarios. For externally accessible injuries, a variety of natural and synthetic biomaterials have undergone robust research, leading to hemostatic technologies including glues, bandages, tamponades, tourniquets, dressings, and procoagulant powders. In contrast, treatment of internal noncompressible hemorrhage still heavily depends on transfusion of whole blood or blood's hemostatic components (platelets, fibrinogen, and coagulation factors). Transfusion of platelets poses significant challenges of limited availability, high cost, contamination risks, short shelf‐life, low portability, performance variability, and immunological side effects, while use of fibrinogen or coagulation factors provides only partial mechanisms for hemostasis. With such considerations, significant interdisciplinary research endeavors have been focused on developing materials and technologies that can be manufactured conveniently, sterilized to minimize contamination and enhance shelf‐life, and administered intravenously to mimic, leverage, and amplify physiological hemostatic mechanisms. Here, a comprehensive review regarding the various topical, intracavitary, and intravenous hemostatic technologies in terms of materials, mechanisms, and state‐of‐art is provided, and challenges and opportunities to help advancement of the field are discussed.     

Advances in Biomaterials and Technologies for Vascular Embolization

Minimally invasive transcatheter embolization is a common nonsurgical procedure in interventional radiology used for the deliberate occlusion of blood vessels for the treatment of diseased or injured vasculature. A wide variety of embolic agents including metallic coils, calibrated microspheres, and liquids are available for clinical practice. Additionally, advances in biomaterials, such as shape‐memory foams, biodegradable polymers, and in situ gelling solutions have led to the development of novel preclinical embolic agents. The aim here is to provide a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies in endovascular embolization with respect to devices, materials, mechanisms, and design guidelines. Limitations and challenges in embolic materials are also discussed to promote advancement in the field.     

Regenerative Engineering for Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment: Biomaterials and Cell-Based Technologies

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis worldwide. The incidence of this disease is rising and its treatment poses an economic burden. Two early targets of knee OA treatment include the predominant symptom of pain, and cartilage damage in the knee joint. Current treatments have been beneficial in treating the disease but none is as effective as total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, while TKA is an end-stage solution of the disease, it is an invasive and expensive procedure. Therefore, innovative regenerative engineering strategies should be established as these could defer or annul the need for a TKA. Several biomaterial and cell-based therapies are currently in development and have shown early promise in both preclinical and clinical studies. The use of advanced biomaterials and stem cells independently or in conjunction to treat knee OA could potentially reduce pain and regenerate focal articular cartilage damage. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of pain and cartilage damage in knee OA and explore novel treatment options currently being studied, along with some of their limitations.     

硬组织修复材料的骨再生机理研究

传统硬组织修复材料由于在组成及结构上与人体骨组织存在较大差异,植入体内后的骨组织修复过程基本上是一种被动的"充填"过程,且材料的降解速度与新骨形成速度不匹配,难以达到真正的"生物性融合",严重制约了该类材料在骨科临床的推广应用。因此,设计与制备具有"主动修复功能"和"可调控生物响应特性"的第3代新型硬组织修复材料已成为当前骨科临床的新需求和未来的发展方向。介绍了硬组织修复材料的骨再生机理研究方法,综述了硬组织修复材料与宿主防御和骨再生及宿主微环境对材料与宿主细胞相互作用的研究现状。指出硬组织修复材料植入体内后所发生的序列事件可能通过表观遗传修饰使得基因表达受材料本身和宿主微环境等因素的调控,提出新型硬组织修复材料研究中存在的问题和发展趋势。     

生物材料的离子束表面改性

随着表面处理技术的发展,国内我对如何改善现有的生物材料表面的各种性能,如耐蚀性,耐磨性,生物相容性等进行了研究。各种表面处理的方法受到高度重视,其中离子束表面改性技术,由于其对材料本体无负效应,已被证明是最为成功的一种。本文在综述离子束改性技术在生物材料及器械方面应用的同时,提出将梯度功能材料的新概念与离子束改性技术相结合,用以制备表面性能优异的仿生生物材料。     

基因/蛋白质组学技术在生物材料生物相容性研究中的应用

生物材料的生物相容性是生物材料研究领域的关键科学问题。分子生物学技术的发展使生物材料的生物相容性评价从动物水平和细胞水平深入到分子水平。生物组学技术的发展为高通量进行生物材料分子生物相容性评价、阐明生物材料与生物体的相互作用机理提供了有效的手段。本文综述了生物材料生物相容性研究现状及基因组学、蛋白质组学技术在生物材料生物相容性研究中的应用。     

中小制造企业发展先进制造技术现状及对策研究

制造技术创新是制造企业生存和发展的前提和保障，结合中国国情，具体分析中国中小制造企业运用先进制造技术的现状，从宏观和微观层面提出了促进中小制造企业技术创新，发展运用先进制造技术的方法和措施。     

Biomaterials for ocular reconstruction

Synthetic materials have played a significant role in ophthalmic applications to improve vision for many years. This has been in four main areas in ophthalmology: ocular surface reconstruction, lens replacement, vitreous replacement and structural support and cell transplantation in the retina. Corneal replacement therapies have been developed using both synthetic acrylic-based materials and more recently naturally derived materials such as amniotic membrane. Intraocular lenses as a replacement for the natural lens post cataract surgery has been used for many years. Newer developments include the opportunity to use gels so that the lenses can accommodate but these need improving in terms of the cross-linking chemistry. Silicone oils have been used as long-term tamponade agents as vitreous replacements but recent developments in their properties has enhanced the clinical outcomes and further research into their use as drug delivery vehicles will be a major advancement. Regenerative medicine therapies to repopulate the retina to repair and replace specific cell layers require the optimisation of synthetic scaffolds and this is a major area for development. Recent developments in biomaterials have emphasised the importance of the physical, chemical and mechanical properties specific to a particular ophthalmic application. Materials science has a critical role in developing strategies to overcome vision loss.     

Piezoelectric Biomaterials for Sensors and Actuators

Recent advances in materials, manufacturing, biotechnology, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have fostered many exciting biosensors and bioactuators that are based on biocompatible piezoelectric materials. These biodevices can be safely integrated with biological systems for applications such as sensing biological forces, stimulating tissue growth and healing, as well as diagnosing medical problems. Herein, the principles, applications, future opportunities, and challenges of piezoelectric biomaterials for medical uses are reviewed thoroughly. Modern piezoelectric biosensors/bioactuators are developed with new materials and advanced methods in microfabrication/encapsulation to avoid the toxicity of conventional lead‐based piezoelectric materials. Intriguingly, some piezoelectric materials are biodegradable in nature, which eliminates the need for invasive implant extraction. Together, these advancements in the field of piezoelectric materials and microsystems can spark a new age in the field of medicine.     

组织工程用生物材料与系统

当今以工程科学、生命科学原理开发修复、维持或改善组织功能的生物取代物为目标的组织工程正引起先进国家官、产、学各方面的关注，此高新技术不仅能显著提高对疾患的诊治水平，更能形成组织工程产品市场。本文结合１９９６年在加拿大多伦多举行的第５届世界生物材料大会期间举办的组织工程科学展示会为经纬，介绍相关的研究与开发进展。