Research on the Development of Fibroin and Nano-Fiber from Silk Cocoons for Regenerated Tissue Engineering Applications by Electro-Spinning

In this paper, the main goal is to prepare silk fibroin nano-fiber, which is used for regenerated tissue applications. Silk scaffold nano-fibers made by electro-spinning technology can be used in regenerated tissue applications. The purpose of the research is to prepare a silk-fibroin nano-fiber solution for potential applications in tissue engineering. Using a degumming process, pure silk fibroin protein is extracted from silk cocoons. The protein solution for fibroin is purified, and the protein content is determined. The precise chemical composition, exact temperature, time, voltage, distance, ratio, and humidity all have a huge impact on degumming, solubility, and electro-spinning nano-fibers. The SEM investigates the morphology of silk fibroin nano-fibres at different magnifications. It also reveals the surface condition, fiber orientation, and fiber thickness of the silk fibroin nano-fiber. The results show that regenerated silk fibroin and nano-fiber can be used in silk fibroin scaffolds for various tissue engineering applications.

Preparation and Performance Study of PVA-Based Flexible Sensors

Flexible sensors have great potential for monitoring human body motion signals. This paper presents a flexible sensor that uses zinc oxide (ZnO) to improve the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of PVA hydrogel. The composite hydrogel has excellent conductive properties and high strain sensitivity, making it suitable for motion monitoring. The PVA/ZnO conductive hydrogel is tested on various body parts, showing effective feedback on movement changes and good electrical signal output effects for different motion degrees, confirming its feasibility in flexible sensors. The sensor exhibits good mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and tensile strain sensing performance, making it a promising sensor material. It can accurately monitor wrist bending, finger deformation, bending, and large-scale joint movements due to its wide monitoring range and recoverable strain. The results show that the PVA/ZnO conductive hydrogel can provide effective feedback in flexible sensors, which is suitable for use in motion monitoring.

An Experimental Investigation to Examine the Wicking Properties of Silk Fabrics

In this research, the wicking characteristics of fabrics were used as an essential and effective indicator to investigate the satisfaction of heat and moisture. Due to the popularization of silk fabrics recently it has become an interesting topic to know about the wicking behavior of silk fabrics in water. The absorptive capability of the silk textile makes clothing comfortable even for a hotter environment. Silk fabrics are comfortable in the summer, and warm in the winter. Silk fabric can usually contain about 11 percent of its weight in moisture but the range varies from 10% to as much as 30%. In this paper, the wicking behavior of silk fabric in both warp and weft directions was investigated in terms of wicking height, wicking rate, mass increase distribution per centimeter of wicking height, the velocity of wicking height, and durability of wicking height after removal of the wicking liquid reservoir. The experimental results show that the wicking height in both the warp and weft directions had a good correlation with the time. The wicking rate was comparable in both weft and warp directions, but at the start of the wicking phase, weft direction wicking was quicker than warp direction. The mass increase in fabric per centimeter of wicking height was inversely proportional to wicking height. The mass of moisture carried in the fabric did not significantly differ in the direction of the weft and warp.

N-Myc Inhibition: Advances in Neuroblastoma Treatment

Neuroblastoma (NBL) is one of the most common solid tumors and around 15% of cancer mortality in children. Amplification of the N-Myc proto-oncogene is strongly correlated with advanced disease and poor clinical outcome in NBL. Recent studies described that ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7;also known as HAUSP) interacts with N-Myc, induces deubiquitination and subsequent stabilization of N-Myc that in-turn potentiates N-Myc function, and treatment with the HAUSP inhibitor (P22077) blocked such effects.