Introduction Following mechanical trauma to spinal cord, a series of pathobiological events ensue leading to the so-called “secondary injury”. Blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) breakdown is an important secondary effect following mechanical trauma to the spinal cord. Traditionally, the BSCB permeability has been assessed ex vivo, using histological techniques [1]. However, noninvasive in vivo te...

A series of high-density polyethylene/Cloisite 20A/graphite nanocomposites were prepared via melt blending for the production of polymeric pipes for natural gas transfer. The microstructural, mechanical, thermal, electrical and barrier properties of prepared nanocomposites were investigated. An intercalated morphology was observed for prepared nanocomposites. Improved mechanical properties ...

BACKGROUND Bioprostheses for cardiovascular surgery have limitations in their use following as calicification. α-galactosidase epitope is known as a stimulant of immune response and then shows a progressing calcification. The objective of this study was to evaluate histologic characteristics and mechanical properties of decellularization and treated with α-galactosidase. MATERIALS AND METHODS...

BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilation augments lung inflammation resulting from exposure to microbial products. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that ventilator-associated immune modulation requires MyD88-dependent signaling. Because MyD88 is a critical adapter protein utilized for pro-inflammatory signaling by all Toll-like receptors (TLRs), with the exception of TLR3, as wel...

Poly(1,8-octanediol-co-citric acid) (POC) is a synthetic biodegradable elastomer that can be processed into three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds for tissue engineering. We investigated the effect of designed porosity on the mechanical properties, permeability, and degradation profiles of the POC scaffolds. For mechanical properties, scaffold compressive data were fitted to a one-dimensional (1D) no...

Stearic acid was incorporated into whey protein through emulsification to produce films. Whey protein films were prepared by dispersing 6.5% protein in distilled water. Glycerol was the plasticizer agent. Stearic acid was added at different levels (0.0 to 1.0%) and the films were analyzed at different pHs (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 9.0). The emulsion films were evaluated for mechanical properties, wate...

To fully utilize the siliceous whiskers and improve the mechanical properties of oil-well cement, the cement composites with different additions of siliceous whiskers were prepared, and analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectrum analysis. The results showed that the addition of 2% siliceous whiskers could slightly ...

The mechanical and water vapor permeability of starch/carrageenan cast films were investigated, the rheological properties of starch/carrageenan blends were also studied. The blends were prepared by different concentrations of starch and carrageenan. Three concentration of starch (0.75%, 1% and 1.25%) and two concentrations of carrageenan (0.5% and 0.75%) were used with adding 0.5% glycerol as ...