In this study, a series of hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS)/soy protein isolate (SPI) composite films (HCSFs) with different SPI contents were developed via crosslinking, solution casting, and evaporation process. Effects of the SPI content on the structure and physical properties of the HCSFs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy, swelling kinetics analysis, and mechanical testing.
Read More
In this study, a series of hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS)/soy protein isolate (SPI) composite films (HCSFs) with different SPI contents were developed via crosslinking, solution casting, and evaporation process. Effects of the SPI content on the structure and physical properties of the HCSFs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy, swelling kinetics analysis, and mechanical testing.
Read More
Experiments using parasitic worms in the mouse gut have revealed a surprising new form of wound repair, a finding that could help scientists develop ways to enhance the body’s natural healing abilities.
Researchers have long believed that adult stem cells contribute to wound healing in tissues like the gut and skin, but a new paper by UC San Francisco scientists — published online June 27th in Nature — found that as parasites dug into mouse intestinal walls, the gut responded by reactivating a type of cell growth previously seen in fetal tissues.
Read More
Silver is precious not only for its beauty and monetary value, but it may also have significant benefits in fighting off bacterial infections. Although silver is not new in the medical world—Hippocrates described its use in wound care as far back as 400 BC—the reason silver is so effective in infection control has only recently been identified.
Read More
Wounds in embryos heal rapidly through contraction of the wound edges. Despite well-recognized significance of the actomyosin purse string for wound closure, roles for other cytoskeletal components are largely unknown. Here, we report that the septin cytoskeleton cooperates with actomyosin and microtubules to coordinate circumferential contraction of the wound margin and concentric elongation of wound-proximal cells in Xenopus laevis embryos.
Read More
A simple scrape or sore might not cause alarm for most people. But for diabetic patients, an untreated scratch can turn into an open wound that could potentially lead to a limb amputation or even death. A Northwestern University team has developed a new device, called a regenerative bandage, that quickly heals these painful, hard-to-treat sores without using drugs.
Read More
Having a healthy baseline HbA1c reading or improving blood glucose levels did not improve wound healing time among patients with diabetic foot ulcers, according to a new observational study. Though chronically high blood glucose levels are known harbingers of wound development, bringing those levels under control didn’t speed up healing among 270 patients seen at the Johns Hopkins Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot and Wound Clinic over a five-year period.
Read More
Biomedical engineers have demonstrated a new approach to making self-assembled biomaterials that relies on protein modifications and temperature. The hybrid approach allows researchers to control self-assembly more precisely, which may prove useful for a variety of biomedical applications, from drug delivery to wound-healing.
Read More
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed new wound dressings that dramatically accelerate healing and improve tissue regeneration. The two different types of nanofiber dressings, described in separate papers, use naturally-occurring proteins in plants and animals to promote healing and regrow tissue.
Read More
Sometimes when you’re invested in a project you fail to notice things that turn out to be significant. Researchers in the Rice lab of chemist and bioengineer Jeffrey Hartgerink had just such an experience with the hydrogels they developed as a synthetic scaffold to deliver drugs and encourage the growth of cells and blood vessels for new tissue.
Read More