Culture of dental pulp stem cells on nanoporous alumina substrates modified by carbon nanotubes

Emerging Roles of YAP/TAZ in Tooth and Surrounding: from Development to Regeneration

Yes associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are ubiquitous transcriptional co-activators that control organ development, homeostasis, and tissue regeneration. Current in vivo evidence suggests that YAP/TAZ regulates enamel knot formation during murine tooth development, and is indispensable for dental progenitor cell renewal to support constant incisor growth. Being a critical sensor for cellular mechano-transduction, YAP/TAZ lays at the center of the complex molecular network that integrates mechanical cues from the dental pulp chamber and surrounding periodontal tissue into biochemical signals, dictating in vitro cell proliferation, differentiation, stemness maintenance, and migration of dental stem cells. Moreover, YAP/TAZ-mediated cell-microenvironment interactions also display essential regulatory roles during biomaterial-guided dental tissue repair and engineering in some animal models. Here, we review recent advances in YAP/TAZ functions in tooth development, dental pulp, and periodontal physiology, as well as dental tissue regeneration. We also highlight several promising strategies that harness YAP/TAZ activation for promoting dental tissue regeneration.

Biotechnological advancements towards water, food and medical healthcare: A review

The global health status is highly affected by the growing pace of urbanization, new lifestyles, climate changes, and resource exploitation. Modern technologies pave a promising way to deal with severe concerns toward sustainable development. Herein, we provided a comprehensive review of some popular biotechnological advancements regarding the progress achieved in water, food, and medicine, as the most substantial fields related to public health. The emergence of novel organic/inorganic materials has brought about significant improvement in conventional water treatment techniques, anti-fouling approaches, anti-microbial agents, food processing, biosensors, drug delivery systems, and implants. Particularly, a growing interest has been devoted to nanomaterials and their application for developing novel structures or improving the characteristics of standard components. Also, bioinspired materials have been widely used to improve the performance, efficiency, accuracy, stability, safety, and cost-effectiveness of traditional systems. On the other side, the fabrication of innovative devices for precisely monitoring and managing various ecosystem and human health issues is of great importance. Above all, exceptional advancements in designing ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), microelectromechanical systems (MEMs), and implantable medical devices have altered the future landscape of environmental and biomedical research. This review paper aimed to shed light on the wide-ranging materials and devices that have been developed for health applications and mainly focused on the impact of nanotechnology in this field.

Synthetic materials in craniofacial regenerative medicine: A comprehensive overview

The state-of-the-art approach to regenerating different tissues and organs is tissue engineering which includes the three parts of stem cells (SCs), scaffolds, and growth factors. Cellular behaviors such as propagation, differentiation, and assembling the extracellular matrix (ECM) are influenced by the cell's microenvironment. Imitating the cell's natural environment, such as scaffolds, is vital to create appropriate tissue. Craniofacial tissue engineering refers to regenerating tissues found in the brain and the face parts such as bone, muscle, and artery. More biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds are more commensurate with tissue remodeling and more appropriate for cell culture, signaling, and adhesion. Synthetic materials play significant roles and have become more prevalent in medical applications. They have also been used in different forms for producing a microenvironment as ECM for cells. Synthetic scaffolds may be comprised of polymers, bioceramics, or hybrids of natural/synthetic materials. Synthetic scaffolds have produced ECM-like materials that can properly mimic and regulate the tissue microenvironment's physical, mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, manage adherence of biomolecules and adjust the material's degradability. The present review article is focused on synthetic materials used in craniofacial tissue engineering in recent decades.

How microbes read the map: Effects of implant topography on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation

Microbes have remarkable capabilities to attach to the surface of implanted medical devices and form biofilms that adversely impact device function and increase the risk of multidrug-resistant infections. The physicochemical properties of biomaterials have long been known to play an important role in biofilm formation. More recently, a series of discoveries in the natural world have stimulated great interest in the use of 3D surface topography to engineer antifouling materials that resist bacterial colonization. There is also increasing evidence that some medical device surface topographies, such as those designed for tissue integration, may unintentionally promote microbial attachment. Despite a number of reviews on surface topography and biofilm control, there is a missing link between how bacteria sense and respond to 3D surface topographies and the rational design of antifouling materials. Motivated by this gap, we present a review of how bacteria interact with surface topographies, and what can be learned from current laboratory studies of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation on specific topographic features and medical devices. We also address specific biocompatibility considerations and discuss how to improve the assessment of the anti-biofilm performance of topographic surfaces. We conclude that 3D surface topography, whether intended or unintended, is an important consideration in the rational design of safe medical devices. Future research on next-generation smart antifouling materials could benefit from a greater focus on translation to real-world applications.