Electroacoustic Responsive Cochlea-on-a-Chip.

Organ-on-chips can highly simulate the complex physiological functions of organs, exhibiting broad application prospects in developmental research, disease simulation, as well as new drug research and development. However, there is still less concern about effectively constructing cochlea-on-chips. Here, a novel cochlear organoids-integrated conductive hydrogel biohybrid system with cochlear implant electroacoustic stimulation (EAS) for cochlea-on-a-chip construction and high-throughput drug screening, is presented. Benefiting from the superior biocompatibility and electrical property of conductive hydrogel, together with cochlear implant EAS, the inner ear progenitor cells can proliferate and spontaneously shape into spheres, finally forming cochlear organoids with good cell viability and structurally mature hair cells. By incorporating these progenitor cells-encapsulated hydrogels into a microfluidic-based cochlea-on-a-chip with culture chambers and a concentration gradient generator, a dynamic and high-throughput evaluation of inner ear disease-related drugs is demonstrated. These results indicate that the proposed cochlea-on-a-chip platform has great application potential in organoid cultivation and deafness drug evaluation.

Ultrasonic Treatment of Corn Starch to Improve the Freeze-Thaw Resistance of Frozen Model Dough and Its Application in Steamed Buns.

Modification of corn starch using ultrasonic waves to improve its freeze-thaw resistance in frozen model doughs and buns. Analysis was performed by rheometry, low-field-intensity nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the addition of ultrasonically modified corn starch reduced the migration of water molecules inside the model dough, weakened the decrease of elastic modulus, and enhanced the creep recovery effect; the decrease in α-helical and ß-fold content in the model dough was reduced, the destruction of internal network structure was decreased, the exposed starch granules were reduced, and the internal interaction of the dough was enhanced; the texture of the buns became softer and the moisture content increased. In conclusion, ultrasound as a physical modification means can significantly improve the freeze-thaw properties of corn starch, providing new ideas for the development and quality improvement of corn-starch-based instant frozen pasta products.