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Healthcare applications are known to have a considerable environmental impact and the use of bio-based polymers has emerged as a powerful approach to reduce the carbon footprint in the sector. This research aims to explore the suitability of using a new sustainable polyester blend (Floreon™) as a scaffold directed to aid in musculoskeletal applications. Musculoskeletal problems arise from a wide range of diseases and injuries related to bones and joints. Specifically, bone injuries may result from trauma, cancer, or long-term infections and they are currently considered a major global problem in both developed and developing countries. In this work we have manufactured a series of 3D-printed constructs from a novel biopolymer blend using fused deposition modelling (FDM), and we have modified these materials using a bioceramic (wollastonite, 15% w/w). We have evaluated their performance in vitro using human dermal fibroblasts and rat mesenchymal stromal cells. The new sustainable blend is biocompatible, showing no differences in cell metabolic activity when compared to PLA controls for periods 1–18 days. FloreonTM blend has proven to be a promising material to be used in bone tissue regeneration as it shows an impact strength in the same range of that shown by native bone (just under 10 kJ/m2) and supports an improvement in osteogenic activity when modified with wollastonite.

This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of the use of biomaterials in the processes of guided tissue and bone regeneration, and their indispensable role in dental therapeutic interventions. These interventions serve the critical function of restoring both structural integrity and functionality to the dentition that has been lost or damaged. The basis for this review is laid through the exploration of various relevant scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of science and MEDLINE. From a meticulous selection, relevant literature was chosen. This review commences by examining the different types of membranes used in guided bone regeneration procedures and the spectrum of biomaterials employed in these operations. It then explores the manufacturing technologies for the scaffold, delving into their significant impact on tissue and bone regenerations. At the core of this review is the method of guided bone regeneration, which is a crucial technique for counteracting bone loss induced by tooth extraction or periodontal disease. The discussion advances by underscoring the latest innovations and strategies in the field of tissue regeneration. One key observation is the critical role that membranes play in guided reconstruction; they serve as a barrier, preventing the entry of non-ossifying cells, thereby promoting the successful growth and regeneration of bone and tissue. By reviewing the existing literature on biomaterials, membranes, and scaffold manufacturing technologies, this paper illustrates the vast potential for innovation and growth within the field of dental therapeutic interventions, particularly in guided tissue and bone regeneration.

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Hydroxyapatite nanoscale particles (nHA) were prepared by wet chemical precipitation using four different synthesis methods. Differences in physico-chemical properties including morphology, particle-size, and crystallinity were investigated following alteration of critical processing parameters. The nanoparticles were also studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectrometry. The results showed that the particles obtained were composed of nHA, with different morphologies and aspect ratios (1.5 to 4) and degrees of crystallinity (40% to 70% following calcination) depending on the different process parameters of the synthesis method used, such as temperature, ripening time and pH. This study demonstrated that relatively small adjustments to processing conditions of different wet chemical preparation methods significantly affect the morphological and chemical characteristics of nHA. For the predicable preparation of biomimetic nHA for specific applications, the selection of both production method and careful control of processing conditions are paramount.

Restoring subgingival class-V cavities successfully, demand special biological properties from a restorative material. This study aimed to assess the effects of incorporating bioactive materials to glass ionomer cement (GIC) on its mechanical and biological properties. Hydroxyapatite, chitosan, chondroitin sulphate, bioglass, gelatine and processed bovine dentin were incorporated into a GIC restorative material. Compressive strength, biaxial flexural strength (BFS), hardness, setting and working time measurements were investigated. Biocompatibility of the new materials was assessed using both monolayer cell cultures of normal oral fibroblasts (NOF) and TR146 keratinocytes, and a 3D-tissue engineered human oral mucosa model (3D-OMM) using presto-blue tissue viability assay and histological examination. Significant reduction in the compressive strength and BFS of gelatine-modified discs was observed, while chondroitin sulphate-modified discs had reduced BFS only (p value > 0.05). For hardness, working and setting times, only bioglass caused significant increase in the working time. NOF viability was significantly increased when exposed to GIC-modified with bovine dentine, bioglass and chitosan. Histological examination showed curling and growth of the epithelial layer toward the disc space, except for the GIC modified with gelatine. This study has highlighted the potential for clinical application of the modified GICs with hydroxyapatite, chitosan, bioglass and bovine dentine in subgingival class-V restorations.

While professional norms encourage teachers to treat students equally and to offer each student similar opportunities, surely there must be some pattern to the within-school sorting, beyond the gender bias of reserving career-track jobs for men. [...]the lessons from this book raise important questions for South American, second-generation immigrant youth in Japan, a group that is now coming of age.

This dissertation explores the social and economic marginalization of Japanese Peruvian immigrants to Japan, and the impact of that marginalization on their incorporation into, and their sense of identity with, Japanese society. I draw on the complex and contradictory nature of Japanese Peruvians’ ties to Japan and Peru, including their historical relationship with the Japanese state, and their racialization as foreigners in both Peru and Japan, as I analyze Peruvian parents’ efforts to both permanently settle in Japan and to instill a Peruvian ethnic identity in their children. Through ethnographic study, I focus on a public elementary school in central Japan as an important site for the socialization of the 1.5 and second generation. I analyze how the school reproduces Peruvians’ marginalized status by providing ineffective remedial language assistance for children, stereotyping Peruvian children and parents, questioning the parents’ commitment to living in Japan, and challenging the parents to acculturate. I also examine Peruvians’ efforts at incorporation into the local community, including their attempts to distance themselves from other foreigners as a way to deflect negative stereotypes of their group.

Along with Japan's relatively new status as a destination for international migration, Japanese public schools are increasingly facing the new responsibility of preparing the children of immigrants for their futures in Japan. This project of citizen-building is occurring in a Japanese classroom setting that emphasizes the equality of all students and a strong sense of collectivity and mutual interdependence (Tsuneyoshi 2001). Professional norms in Japanese education further dictate that schools must provide all students with similar education until they enter senior high school, at which time students are sorted into academic and vocational schools with differing curricular emphases and degrees of prestige (Shimizu 1992 and 2001; Tsuneyoshi 1996 and 2001; Shimizu et al. 1999; LeTendre, Hofer, and Shimizu 2003). However, the presence of immigrant children is challenging this model of equality and inclusion.