pHEMA: An Overview for Biomedical Applications

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) as a biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility and cytocompatibility elicits a minimal immunological response from host tissue making it desirable for different biomedical applications. This article seeks to provide an in-depth overview of the properties and biomedical applications of pHEMA for bone tissue regeneration, wound healing, cancer therapy (stimuli and non-stimuli responsive systems), and ophthalmic applications (contact lenses and ocular drug delivery). As this polymer has been widely applied in ophthalmic applications, a specific consideration has been devoted to this field. Pure pHEMA does not possess antimicrobial properties and the site where the biomedical device is employed may be susceptible to microbial infections. Therefore, antimicrobial strategies such as the use of silver nanoparticles, antibiotics, and antimicrobial agents can be utilized to protect against infections. Therefore, the antimicrobial strategies besides the drug delivery applications of pHEMA were covered. With continuous research and advancement in science and technology, the outlook of pHEMA is promising as it will most certainly be utilized in more biomedical applications in the near future. The aim of this review was to bring together state-of-the-art research on pHEMA and their applications.     

Synergistic Effect of PVDF-Coated PCL-TCP Scaffolds and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field on Osteogenesis

Bone exhibits piezoelectric properties. Thus, electrical stimulations such as pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) and stimuli-responsive piezoelectric properties of scaffolds have been investigated separately to evaluate their efficacy in supporting osteogenesis. However, current understanding of cells responding under the combined influence of PEMF and piezoelectric properties in scaffolds is still lacking. Therefore, in this study, we fabricated piezoelectric scaffolds by functionalization of polycaprolactone-tricalcium phosphate (PCL-TCP) films with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) coating that is self-polarized by a modified breath-figure technique. The osteoinductive properties of these PVDF-coated PCL-TCP films on MC3T3-E1 cells were studied under the stimulation of PEMF. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric characterization demonstrated that scaffolds with piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = −1.2 pC/N were obtained at a powder dissolution temperature of 100 °C and coating relative humidity (RH) of 56%. DNA quantification showed that cell proliferation was significantly enhanced by PEMF as low as 0.6 mT and 50 Hz. Hydroxyapatite staining showed that cell mineralization was significantly enhanced by incorporation of PVDF coating. Gene expression study showed that the combination of PEMF and PVDF coating promoted late osteogenic gene expression marker most significantly. Collectively, our results suggest that the synergistic effects of PEMF and piezoelectric scaffolds on osteogenesis provide a promising alternative strategy for electrically augmented osteoinduction. The piezoelectric response of PVDF by PEMF, which could provide mechanical strain, is particularly interesting as it could deliver local mechanical stimulation to osteogenic cells using PEMF.     

高比例新能源接入电网光热发电-火电联合调峰优化控制方法

为了解决高比例新能源接入电网调峰能力不足的问题,提出光热发电-火电联合调峰优化控制方法.分析光热发电的可调节特性以及光热发电-火电联合调峰控制的可行性,基于此,提出高比例新能源接入电网光热发电-火电联合调峰优化控制模式;进而提出以系统受阻风光电最小为目标的光热发电-火电联合调峰优化控制方法.算例仿真表明所提优化控制方法可有效提高系统调峰能力以及减少受阻风光电量.     

用于气体保护焊的自动混气设备

介绍了一种用于焊接现场的气体保护焊的自动混气设备，该设备能精确控制气体混合比例。设备主要由气体传输、气体混合、信号检测和电气控制几大部分组成。计算机适时采集、显示混合气体的混合比例、输出压力、气体湿度等信息，超限发出声光报警。混气设备通过气体分析仪、比例阀和计算机形成闭环控制，从而实现气体混合比例的精确控制。     

伪随机流场法在堤坝渗漏探测中的应用与研究

伪随机流场法具有快捷、直接、精确有效等优点,逐步成为堤坝渗漏探测的主流方法。利用该方法,在漏水区域、库区无穷远段进行高压供电,库区内网格状布置测点,可查找渗漏入水点。通过对各异常区域的区域面积、异常区域内各测点的异常平均值以及对于严重渗漏的临界值进行计算,可判断水库渗漏通道和各渗漏点的渗漏量比例。此外,由于该方法快速便捷的特点,可以运用该方法进行实时监测。应用于某混凝土面板堆石坝的探测结果表明,利用堤坝周边已经存在的监测孔或在灌浆帷幕下游进行钻孔,进行伪随机电位差或者电流测试,可在无损条件下判断渗漏来源和通道发育方向,检测防渗处理效果。该方法可为堤坝渗漏监测预警、拟定防渗处理方案提供依据。     

电纺直写制备聚己内酯支架形貌及精度

作为一种新型的微纳制造技术，熔体直写电纺被广泛用于组织工程支架的可控制备,有序的纤维沉积是该领域应用的前提条件。对于支架成型精度的探究，本文使用生物可降解材料聚己内酯（PCL），采用自行设计的熔体电纺三维可控成型设备进行实验，考察了纤维间距对二维并行纤维沉积形貌及成型精度的影响，以及纺丝电压和网格大小对三维网格结构形貌及精度影响。结果表明，随着并行纤维设定距离的增大，纤维的沉积误差减小，并最终趋于平稳。对于三维网格结构，随电压的增加，最大沉积层数量先增大后减小，当纺丝电压为6kV时达到最大沉积层数15层。成型精度误差先减小后增大，当纺丝电压为7kV时，精度最高误差小于5%。随设定网格边长的增大，沉积层数不断增大。成型精度逐渐提高，当网格边长大于等于1.5mm时，沉积误差趋于稳定，并维持在5%左右。     

高产小麦磷钾效应和适宜氮磷钾配比研究

黄泛冲积石灰性土壤在适宜施氮水平下磷钾不同用量及配比对小麦生长的影响表现为:(1)磷肥以中量施用水平(每公顷施用P2O5120kg)增产效果最好,分别比未施磷、低量施用水平(每公顷用P2O548kg)增产30.82%、20.27%,高量施用水平(每公顷施用P2O5192kg),虽然比中量施用水平表现出增产,但增产幅度很小,只有2.85%;(2)钾肥对小麦的增产效应小于磷肥,只有在施用磷肥的基础上配施钾肥,才能使钾的效应得到充分发挥;(3)小麦全生育期氮磷钾施用比例1∶0.5∶0.5为最佳,每公顷施用N240kg、P2O5120kg、K2O120kg效益最高。     

Biomimetic strain hardening in interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels

In this paper, we present the systematic development of mechanically enhanced interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels with Young's moduli rivaling those of natural load-bearing tissues. The IPNs were formed by synthesis of a crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) network within an end-linked poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromonomer network. The strain-hardening behavior of these PEG/PAA IPNs was studied through uniaxial tensile testing and swelling measurements. The interaction between the independently crosslinked networks within the IPN was varied by (1) changing the molecular weight of the PEG macromonomer, (2) controlling the degree of PAA ionization by changing pH, and (3) increasing the polymer content in the PAA network. Young's moduli and the maximum stress-at-break of the swollen hydrogels were normalized on the basis of their polymer content. Strain hardening in the IPNs exhibited a strong dependence on the molecular weight of the first network macromonomer, the pH of the swelling buffer, as well as the polymer content of the second network. The results indicate that the mechanical enhancement of these IPNs is mediated by the strain-induced intensity of physical entanglements between the two networks. The strain can be applied either by mechanical deformation or by changing the pH to modulate the swelling of the PAA network. At pHs below the pK_a of PAA (4.7), entanglements between PEG and PAA are reinforced by interpolymer hydrogen bonds, yielding IPNs with high fracture strength. At pHs above 4.7, a “pre-stressed” IPN with dramatically enhanced modulus is formed due to ionization-induced swelling of the PAA network within a static PEG network. The modulus enhancement ranged from two-fold to over 10-fold depending on the synthesis conditions used. Variation of the network parameters and swelling conditions enabled “tuning” of the hydrogels' physical properties, yielding materials with water content between 58% and 90% water, tensile strength between 2.0 MPa and 12.0 MPa, and initial Young's modulus between 1.0 MPa and 19.0 MPa. Under physiologic pH and salt concentration, these materials attain “biomimetic” values for initial Young's modulus in addition to high tensile strength and water content. As such, they are promising new candidates for artificial replacement of natural tissues such as the cornea, cartilage, and other load-bearing structures.     

Tissue-type plasminogen activator variants with domain duplications and rearrangements

The interactions between tPA domains that are important forcatalysis are poorly understood. We have probed the functionof interdomain interactions by generating tPA variants in whichdomains are duplicated or rearranged. The proteins were expressedin a transient mammalian expression system and tested in vitrofor their ability to activate plasminogen, induce fibrinolysisand bind to a forming fibrin clot. Duplication of the heavychain domains of tPA produced enzymatically active tPA variants,many of which demonstrated similar in vitro amidolytic and fibrinolyticactivity and similar fibrin affinity to the parent molecule.Zymographic analysis of the domain duplication tPA variantsshowed one major active species for each variant. Selectionof the residues duplicated and the interdomain spacing werefound to be critical considerations in the design of tPA variantswith duplicated domains. We also rearranged the domains of tPAsuch that kringle 1 replaced the second kringle domain and viceversa. An analysis of these variants indicates that the firstkringle domain can confer fibrin affinity to a tPA variant andfunction in place of kringle 2. Therefore, in wild-type tPA,the functions of kringle 1 and kringle 2 must be dependent partiallyon their orientation within the heavy chain of the protein.The functional autonomy of the heavy and light chains of tPAis demonstrated by the activity of a tPA variant in which theorder of the heavy and light chains was reversed.     

弓形虫复合黏膜疫苗滴鼻免疫小鼠的黏膜相关淋巴细胞及其亚群的动态变化

目的探讨弓形虫复合黏膜疫苗滴鼻免疫小鼠的黏膜相关淋巴细胞及其亚群的动态变化。方法取BALB/c小鼠96只,随机分为实验组和对照组,实验组以弓形虫复合黏膜疫苗20μl/只滴鼻免疫,对照组以PBS滴鼻。滴鼻2次(间隔2周)后,分别于第1、2、3、4、6、8、10、12周处死小鼠,分离鼻相关淋巴组织(NALT)、Peyer结(PP)和上皮内淋巴细胞(IEL),制备淋巴细胞悬液,计数并涂片。免疫细胞化学法检测CD4+、CD8+T细胞亚群水平。结果实验组NALT、PP和IEL的T淋巴细胞均显著增生,PP和IEL的T淋巴细胞第2周达高峰,之后逐渐降低。与对照组相比,NALT的T淋巴细胞于第1、2、6、8、12周显著增生,PP的T淋巴细胞数于第1、2、3周显著增生,IEL于第1～4周显著增生。NALT和PP中主要以CD4+T细胞增生为主,肠IEL以CD8+T细胞增生为主。结论弓形虫复合黏膜疫苗滴鼻免疫BALB/c小鼠,可诱导鼻相关淋巴组织和肠相关淋巴组织T淋巴细胞明显增生,同时诱导其向不同亚群分化。