Viscoelastic properties of the equine hoof wall.

The equine hoof wall has outstanding impact resistance, which enables high-velocity gallop over hard terrain with minimum damage. To better understand its viscoelastic behavior, complex moduli were determined using two complementary techniques: conventional (∼5 mm length scale) and nano (∼1 µm length scale) dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The evolution of their magnitudes was measured for two hydration conditions: fully hydrated and ambient. The storage modulus of the ambient hoof wall was approximately 400 MPa in macro-scale experiments, decreasing to ∼250 MPa with hydration. In contrast, the loss tangent decreased for both hydrated (∼0.1-0.07) and ambient (∼0.04-0.01) conditions, over the frequency range of 1-10 Hz. Nano-DMA indentation tests conducted up to 200 Hz showed little frequency dependence beyond 10 Hz. The loss tangent of tubular regions showed more hydration sensitivity than in intertubular regions, but no significant difference in storage modulus was observed. Loss tangent and effective stiffness were higher in indentations for both hydration levels. This behavior is attributed to the hoof wall's hierarchical structure, which has porosity, functionally graded aspects, and material interfaces that are not captured at the scale of indentation. The hoof wall's viscoelasticity characterized in this work has implications for the design of bioinspired impact-resistant materials and structures. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The outer wall of horse hooves evolved to withstand heavy impacts during gallop. While previous studies have measured the properties of the hoof wall in slowly changing conditions, we wanted to quantify its behavior using experiments that replicate the quickly changing forces of impact. Since the hoof wall's structure is complex and contributes to its overall performance, smaller scale experiments were also performed. The behavior of the hoof wall was within the range of other biological materials and polymers. When hydrated, it becomes softer and can dissipate more energy. This work improves our understanding of the hoof's function and allows for more accurate simulations that can account for different impact speeds.

Genetic tests as the strongest motivator of cooperation between participants and biobanks-Findings from cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The development of the scientific potential linked with biobanking and research on human biological material is highly dependent on the willingness of potential donors to cooperate with entities that collect the material. For this reason, it is crucial to identify the circumstances and factors that may encourage potential participants to donate their biological material. In particular, knowledge of the motivational factors that can be modified by the persons managing a biobank may prove notably important for shaping the organizational and communication policy of the biobank and other scientific institutions. Material and methods: The research was carried out on a group of 1,100 people over 18 years of age representing the adult population of Poland in 2021. Results: More than half of the respondents declared their willingness to donate a blood sample for research purposes to a biobank (57.8%). The most often indicated incentives among the factors supporting the donation of biological material were offers of: obtaining the results of genetic tests predicting the risk of diseases (77.1%), blood tests (71.3%), the possibility of obtaining a small remuneration (64.6%) and the carrying out of genetic ancestry tests (60.4%). Conclusion: Offering the possibility of performing additional diagnostic tests, especially genetic tests, may significantly increase the willingness of potential donors to cooperate with biobanks and other entities collecting human biological material for the purpose of scientific research. However, attention should also be paid to the challenges and risks linked with respecting the privacy and autonomy of research participants.

Attitudes of oncology patients' towards biospecimen donation for biobank research.

BACKGROUND: Since the biological material that remains after diagnostic and therapeutic procedures plays crucial role in biobank research, this study aims to explore cancer patients' views on the donation of biospecimens for research purposes. METHODS: 548 oncology patients from two hospitals with oncology treatment units in Poznan, Poland, completed an anonymous, self-administered pen-and-paper questionnaire. RESULTS: Although only 43.4% of patients had heard of biobanks, 93.1% declared themselves willing to donate. 71.1% of patients believed that doctors should ask patients to donate, and 60.9% that this should be done before the medical procedure. While 65% of patients were willing to donate any type of tissue that remained after a medical procedure, blood, saliva and hair were indicated most frequently. 40.5% of patients would donate their entire body after death and 21% would refuse. Patients' support for biobanks was mainly driven by the desire to support science, help advance cancer research and altruism. Some respondents expected health information or medical treatment. The most common barriers for donation were physical distance, repeated examinations, concerns over the privacy and confidentiality of data and the commercial or unethical use of samples. Patients' attitudes toward biobank donation seemed to be associated with age, education level, declared religiousness, a family history of genetically determined diseases and whether they were a blood donor. CONCLUSIONS: Although cancer patients' lack of biobank awareness had no effect on their affirmative attitudes towards biobank research, there is a need to further increase patients' support and overcome possible barriers that might hinder their willingness to donate.

Support for Research Biobanks Among Medical Students in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Background: Over the past few years, several biobanks have been organized in the Republic of Kazakhstan (RoK). As research biobanks are becoming an increasingly important tool for precision medicine, they require competent biobankers who will help disseminate the idea of biobanking throughout the society and support donation for research purposes. This study aimed to assess the support for research biobanks among medical students (MSs) in Kazakhstan. Methods: This research includes data from an anonymous, self-administered online questionnaire regarding MSs' support for research biobanks in the RoK. Results: Only 212 (31.3%) MSs have heard of biobanks and 466 (68.7%) have not. Students who were biobank-aware held more positive views regarding biobanks, were more likely to support the idea of establishing a research biobank in Kazakhstan, and expressed a greater willingness to donate their biological material for research purposes. Students' awareness of biobanks was also associated with the respondents' motivations to donate. Students who were familiar with biobanks tended to be motivated by altruistic reasons more often, and those unfamiliar with biobanks tended to indicate selfish motives. Students' attitudes toward donation to various types of research and biobanks were influenced by their awareness of biobanks, any family history of genetic disease, experience of chronic disease, declared religiousness, hospitalization history, blood donor status, and year of study. Conclusion: Since MSs' awareness of research biobanks is low, there is an urgent need for biobank education in Kazakhstan.

Developing Chinese herbal-based functional biomaterials for tissue engineering.

The role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in treating diseases is receiving increasing attention. Chinese herbal medicine is an important part of TCM with various applications and the active ingredients extracted from Chinese herbal medicines have physiological and pathological effects. Tissue engineering combines cell biology and materials science to construct tissues or organs in vitro or in vivo. TCM has been proposed by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment modality. In recent years, the potential use of TCM in tissue engineering has been demonstrated. In this review, the classification and efficacy of TCM active ingredients and delivery systems are discussed based on the TCM theory. We also summarized the current application status and broad prospects of Chinese herbal active ingredients in different specialized biomaterials in the field of tissue engineering. This review provides novel insights into the integration of TCM and modern Western medicine through the application of Chinese medicine in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Forcing a square into a circle: why South Africa's draft revised material transfer agreement is not fit for purpose.

The South African National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) recently released a final draft revision of the standard material transfer agreement (MTA) that was promulgated into law in 2018. This new draft MTA raises pertinent questions about the NHREC's mandate, the way in which the draft MTA deals with data and with human biological material, and its avoidance of the concept of ownership. After South Africa's data protection legislation, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), became operational in mid 2021, the legal landscape changed and it is doubtful that the NHREC has a residual mandate to govern personal information in health research. Furthermore, data is dealt with in a superficial, throw-away fashion in the draft MTA. The position with human biological material is not substantially better, as the draft MTA fails to recognise that human biological material can contain pathogens, which has important legal and ethical ramifications that are not sufficiently addressed. A central problem with the draft MTA is its use of the term 'steward', and avoidance of the legal concept of 'ownership'. This is not only misaligned with the South African legal framework, but also fails to consider the ethical case for recognising ownership. Finally, a call to embrace decolonial thinking in health research underscores the importance of recognising ownership in order to foster the growth of the local bio-economy. Key recommendations to reshape the draft MTA include: Making use of the eventual revised MTA optional, and allowing it to evolve with input from scientific and legal communities; regulating the transfer of associated data in a separate data transfer agreement that can be incorporated by reference in the MTA; enhancing guidance on liability and risk management in respect of human biological material that contains pathogens; and, finally, adopting a decolonial approach in health research governance, which requires recognising the ownership rights of South African research institutions.

[Determination of 2,4-dimethylhydroxybenzene by chromatographic methods in forensic toxicological research of biological material]. / Opredelenie 2,4-dimetilgidroksibenzola khromatograficheskimi metodami pri khimiko-toksikologicheskom issledovanii biologicheskogo materiala.

OBJECTIVE: Is to develop a method for determining 2.4-dimethylhydroxybenzene (2.4-DMHOB) in biological material. The analytical methods used in the experiments were extraction, column chromatography of normal pressure, TLC, GC-MS and HPLC. To extract the analyte from the bioactive matrix, maceration with the binary insulating agent acetone-ethyl acetate (3:7) was used, observing the 2:1 mass ratio of the «insulating agent-matrix¼. Optimal conditions of semi-preparative analyte chromatography were achieved in column (150×10 mm) of «Silasbor¼ S-18 sorbent in elution with a mixture of acetonitrile-water (7:3), which was used in the proposed cleaning scheme, combining extraction and reversed-phase column chromatography. The application of the mobile phase of tetrachloromethane-dioxane (9.5:0.5) has been substantiated for the selective determination of 2.4-DMHOB by TLC («Sorbfil¼ plates). The expediency of confirming identification of the analyte in the form of 2.4-dimethyltrymethylsilylphenol using GC-MS (DB-5MS EVIDEX column (25.000×0.2 mm), stationary phase (5%-phenyl)-methylpolysiloxane, carrier gas - helium) has been shown. The group of characteristic particles in the mass spectrum of trimethylsilyl analyte derivative was represented by 45; 59; 73; 82; 91; 105; 119; 135; 149; 163; 179; 194 m/z ions. HPLC (Discovery C18 250×4.6 mm column, eluting liquid - acetate buffer solution with pH 5.5 - acetonitrile, 50:50) was used to confirm the identification and quantification of 2.4-DMHOB. A method for determining 2.4-DMHOB by the HPLC method in biological material (liver tissue) is proposed, which corresponds to the criteria of linearity, selectivity, accuracy, precision and stability. The minimum detectable quantity of 2.4-DMHOB in the bioactive matrix is 0.5 µg/g, the minimum determined quantity is 1.2 ug/g.

An overview of preconcentration techniques combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for trace element determination in biological studies.

In the last decades, the determination of trace elements in biological materials has emerged as an important area of study because of its relevance to human health and the environment. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has proven to be a powerful tool for trace element analysis, owing to its high sensitivity and ability to determine several elements in a single measurement. However, given the complex nature of biological matrices and the presence of elements, most of them at ultratrace levels, it becomes crucial to complement ICP-MS with preconcentration techniques to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of analytical methods. This article presents an exhaustive overview of liquid- and solid-phase preconcentration techniques used in combination with ICP-MS for trace element determination in different biological samples from 2000 to the present. An in-depth discussion of the advances on the application of state-of-the-art solvents and materials in trace element extraction and preconcentration is presented. Special attention is given to different strategies for elemental speciation analysis, employing both chromatographic and non-chromatographic techniques. The role of automation in these methodologies is also described. Finally, future trends and challenges related to this topic are discussed.

When Biobanks Meet Religion: Association Between Religiosity and Attitudes of Polish Medical Students Toward Biobanking of Human Biological Material for Research Purposes.

While biobanking is expanding globally, the empirical evidence concerning the impact of religion on future healthcare professionals' awareness and willingness to donate biospecimens for biobank research is lacking. To understand how medical students' religious beliefs can fuel their questions regarding how biospecimens would be stored, cared for, and used, we conducted a survey among 1500 medical students at Poznan University of Medical Sciences. Our findings suggest that, while both religious and nonreligious students supported the idea of biobanking of human biological material and were willing to donate for research purposes, nonreligious students felt more positive toward biobanking, supported the idea of establishing biobanks in Poland more often, and were more eager to donate most types of tissues and to participate in biobank research. Religious beliefs were also associated with medical students' perception of benefits and risks resulting from biobanking, perceived trust toward various biobank institutions, and preferred type of consent.

Are we ready for translational research based on material and data from the Danish CancerBiobank and can we gain new knowledge from biobank registration?

Bio-and GenomeBank, Denmark (RBGB) is a nationwide infra-structure. Danish CancerBiobank (DCB) is a biobank in RBGB. The aim is to describe the degree of biological material collected and stored in DCB for patients diagnosed with primary ovarian cancer registered in The Danish Gynecologic Cancer Database (DGCD). Furthermore, to investigate the concordance between predicted organ of disease registered in RBGB at time of sampling (presumed diagnosis) with final diagnosis for patient. Data extraction from DGCD and DCB. Biological materials are present for 1.347 (62%) of 2.172 patients with primary ovarian cancer (OC). The median age of OC patients were 68 years (range: 18-90 years). Median age of patients with biological material in DCB was 67 years and for patients without biological material in DCB 69 years (p ≤ 0.0001). The histological subtypes for the 1347 OC patients with biological material were 911 (68%) serous adenocarcinoma, 97 (7%) endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 80 (6%) mucinous adenocarcinoma, 58 (4%) clear cell carcinoma, and for 201 (15%) no information were registered. For 327 patients (24%), the presumed diagnosis was hematological with a final diagnosis of OC. Using clinical data and biological material including pre-analytical data regarding the biological material the possibility for translational research is optimal. Furthermore, information registered through daily working procedures may propose the need for additional biomarkers to aid clinicians to stratify patients to treatment in correct fast-track packages.

Provenance of specimen and data - A prerequisite for AI development in computational pathology.

AI development in biotechnology relies on high-quality data to train and validate algorithms. The FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and regulatory frameworks such as the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) and the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) specify requirements on specimen and data provenance to ensure the quality and traceability of data used in AI development. In this paper, a framework is presented for recording and publishing provenance information to meet these requirements. The framework is based on the use of standardized models and protocols, such as the W3C PROV model and the ISO 23494 series, to capture and record provenance information at various stages of the data generation and analysis process. The framework and use case illustrate the role of provenance information in supporting the development of high-quality AI algorithms in biotechnology. Finally, the principles of the framework are illustrated in a simple computational pathology use case, showing how specimen and data provenance can be used in the development and documentation of an AI algorithm. The use case demonstrates the importance of managing and integrating distributed provenance information and highlights the complex task of considering factors such as semantic interoperability, confidentiality, and the verification of authenticity and integrity.

Does Lead Have a Connection to Autism? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Environmental pollutants, particularly toxic trace metals with neurotoxic potential, have been related to the genesis of autism. One of these metals that stands out, in particular, is lead (Pb). We conducted an in-depth systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies on Pb levels in biological materials retrieved from autistic children (cases) and neurotypical children (controls) in this work. A systematic review was conducted after the careful selection of published studies according to established criteria to gain a broad insight into the higher or lower levels of Pb in the biological materials of cases and controls, and the findings were then strengthened by a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 17 studies (hair), 13 studies (whole blood), and 8 studies (urine). The overall number of controls/cases was 869/915 (hair), 670/755 (whole blood), and 344/373 (urine). This meta-analysis showed significantly higher Pb levels in all three types of biological material in cases than in controls, suggesting a higher body Pb burden in autistic children. Thus, environmental Pb exposure could be related to the genesis of autism. Since no level of Pb can be considered safe, the data from this study undoubtedly point to the importance of regularly monitoring Pb levels in autistic children.

LEGAL REGULATION OF THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSPLANTATION IN UKRAINE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The aim of the study is to generalize the established by scientists features of the legal regulation of the institute of transplantation in Ukraine and other countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The article examines the institute of transplantation, its medico-legal character, and the problems of implementing the institute in Ukraine. In the study, the authors applied general scientific methods, which include system analysis, system modeling, dialectical method. The authors used the following materials: laws, decrees of the President of Ukraine, resolutions of the government and ministries of healthcare, dissertations and articles by scientists, assessments of leading experts in the field. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Theoretically, the legal aspect of the study of the institute of transplantation is important for formulating the general patterns of its emergence, developing prospects for its functioning and strategic directions for its further development, building a system for protecting the rights of all participants in this legal relationship. Different aspects of transplantation can be considered separately: medical or surgical; biological; psychological. But there is an equally important aspect - the legal one, which reveals the institute of transplantation from the standpoint of the protection of human dignity.

Biobanking for Neurodegenerative Diseases: Challenge for Translational Research and Data Privacy.

Biobanking has emerged as a strategic challenge to promote knowledge on neurological diseases, by the application of translational research. Due to the inaccessibility of the central nervous system, the advent of biobanks, as structure collecting biospecimens and associated data, are essential to turn experimental results into clinical practice. Findings from basic research, omics sciences, and in silico studies, definitely require validation in clinically well-defined cohorts of patients, even more valuable when longitudinal, or including preclinical and asymptomatic individuals. Finally, collecting biological samples requires a great effort to guarantee respect for transparency and protection of sensitive data of patients and donors. Since the European General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 has been approved, concerns about the use of data in biomedical research have emerged. In this narrative review, we focus on the essential role of biobanking for translational research on neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, we address considerations for biological samples and data collection, the importance of standardization in the preanalytical phase, data protection (ethical and legal) and the role of donors in improving research in this field.

Biobanking of human biological material and the principle of noncommercialisation of the human body and its parts.

The prohibition of commercialisation of the human body and its parts is not applied consistently and suffers from many exceptions in the human biological material (HBM) market. Examples include the possibility of patenting certain HBM-derived products and their commercial marketing or payments for blood donations. Thus, the current practice of marketing HBM-derived products makes the altruistic donor most vulnerable to exploitation while being deprived of benefits. There seem to be two ways to improve this state of affairs. The first is to apply consistently the prohibition of commercialisation of the body and its parts to commercially marketed tissue and cell products as well. This would require limiting the possibility of financial gain associated with the processing, distribution and sale of HBM-based products. Such a solution, however, does not seem to gain wide acceptance or have a chance of implementation in the near future. Therefore, introducing more transparent rules and greater donor empowerment seems more reasonable by exempting HBM from the ban on commercialisation under certain conditions and with clear limitations.

Improving the Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells with Methionine as Electron Transport Layer.

Interface modification is an important way to get better performance from organic solar cells (OSCs). A natural biomolecular material methionine was successfully applied as the electron transport layer (ETL) to the inverted OSCs in this work. A series of optical, morphological, and electrical characterizations of thin films and devices were used to analyze the surface modification effects of methionine on zinc oxide (ZnO). The analysis results show that the surface modification of ZnO with methionine can cause significantly reduced surface defects for ZnO, optimized surface morphology of ZnO, improved compatibility between ETL and the active layer, better-matched energy levels between ETL and the acceptor, reduced interface resistance, reduced charge recombination, and enhanced charge transport and collection. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OSCs based on PM6:BTP-ec9 was improved to 15.34% from 14.25% by modifying ZnO with methionine. This work shows the great application potential of natural biomolecule methionine in OSCs.

Social differentiation of the perception and human tissues donation for research purposes.

The willingness to donate human biological material for research purposes is shaped by socio-cultural factors; however, there is a lack of studies analysing the social perception of different human tissues, which may affect such willingness. This study aimed to distinguish different sociocultural categories of human tissues and types of potential donors based on their willingness to donate material. Quantitative research was conducted on a sample of 1,100 adult Poles representative in terms of sex, place of residence and education. According to the study, people were most willing to donate urine (73.9%), blood (69.7%), hair and tears (69.6%) and the least willing to donate post-mortem brain fragments (20%), sperm (males; 36.4%) and egg cells (females; 39.6%). A factor analysis revealed four sociocultural categories of donated tissues: irrelevant, redundant, ordinary and sensitive. Based on these sociocultural categories of tissues, four types of donors were identified: reluctant, highly cooperative, average cooperative and selectively cooperative. The willingness to donate human samples for research is shaped by the sociocultural perception of different body parts and tissues. The lower the sense of "personal relationship" with a specific type of tissue, organ or part of the body, the higher the motivation to donate such biological material for research purposes. Additionally, the willingness to donate is mostly shaped by social trust in physicians and scientists, and potential donors' engagement in charity activities.

Analysis of the topological motifs of the cellular structure of the tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) and its associated mechanical properties.

Topological motifs in pore architecture can profoundly influence the structural properties of that architecture, such as its mass, porosity, modulus, strength, and surface permeability. Taking the irregular cellular structure of the tri-spine horseshoe crab as a research model, we present a new approach to the quantitative description and analysis of structure-property-function relationships. We employ a robust skeletonization method to construct a curve-skeleton that relies on high-resolution 3D tomographic data. The topological motifs and mechanical properties of the long-range cellular structure were investigated using the Grasshopper plugin and uniaxial compression test to identify the variation gradient. Finite element analysis was conducted for the sub-volumes to obtain the variation in effective modulus along the three principal directions. The results show that the branch length and node distribution density varied from the tip to the base of the sharp corner. These node types formed a low-connectivity network, in which the node types 3-N and 4-N tended to follow the motifs of ideal planar triangle and tetrahedral configurations, respectively, with the highest proportion of inter-branch angles in the angle ranges of 115-120° and 105-110°. In addition, mapping the mechanical gradients to topological properties indicated that narrower profiles with a given branch length gradient, preferred branch orientation, and network connectedness degree are the main factors that affect the mechanical properties. These factors suggest significant potential for designing a controllable, irregularly cellular structure in terms of both morphology and function.

[Amlodipine assay conditions and stability in biological material]. / Izuchenie uslovii opredeleniya i kharaktera ustoichivosti amlodipina v biologicheskom materiale.

The objective of the study is to determine amlodipine assay conditions and stability in biological material. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and UV-spectrophotometry were used for identification. Amlodipine was recovered from biomaterial by double (30 min each) infusing with acetone at the ratio of recovery solution and sample 2:1 (w/w). The purification was carried out by extraction and chromatography in a semi-preparative column with reverse-phase packing material Silasorb C-18 using acetone/water eluent (8:2). Amlodipine assay was performed by TLC [Sorbfil plates, butanol/acetone (5:5) as a mobile phase], GC-MS (HP-5 ms Ultra inert column (30 m×0.25×0.25 µm) with stationary phase of 5% phenyl-95% dimethyl polysiloxane), UV-spectrophotometry (95% ethanol as a solvent). The proposed assay method for amlodipine in biomaterial (liver tissue) is validated for linearity, selectivity, accuracy and precision. The amlodipine stability in model mixtures with liver tissue was studied. It was shown that the analyte stability in biological material decreases with increasing temperature. Amlodipine is stable at -25 °C, 0-2 °C, 8-10 °C, 18-22 °C, and 36 °C for 120, 112, 105, 91, and 77 days, respectively.

[Potential for the use of cards for sampling and transportation of biological material during forensic chemical and toxicological examinations]. / Vozmozhnost' ispol'zovaniya kart dlya zabora i transportirovki biologicheskogo materiala pri sudebno-khimicheskom i khimiko-toksikologicheskom issledovaniyakh.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the potential for the use of cards for sampling and transportation of biological material during forensic chemical and toxicological examinations by the example of a biological sample, urine containing zopiclone. Two methods of sample preparation were compared. The use of cards for the collection and transportation of biological material, such as urine, followed by high-resolution high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) for the identification of zopiclone metabolites was shown to be beneficial in forensic chemical and toxicological examination. The validation evaluation of the proposed sample preparation and identification method met the acceptance criteria.