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PubMed2002

Print versus electronic journals: a preliminary investigation into the effect of journal format on research processes.

PURPOSE: To begin investigating the impact of electronic journals on research processes such as information seeking, the authors conducted a pilot journal-use study to test the hypothesis that patrons use print and electronic journals differently. METHODOLOGY: We placed fifteen high-use print titles also available in electronic format behind the circulation desk; patrons were asked to complete a survey upon requesting a journal. We also conducted a parallel survey of patrons using library computers. Both surveys asked patrons to identify themselves by user category and queried them about their journal use. RESULTS: During the month-long study, patrons completed sixty-nine surveys of electronic and ninety surveys of print journal use. Results analysis indicated that fellows, students, and residents preferred electronic journals, and faculty preferred print journals. Patrons used print journals for reading articles and scanning contents; they employed electronic journals for printing articles and checking references. Users considered electronic journals easier to access and search than print journals; however, they reported that print journals had higher quality text and figures. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This study is an introductory step in examining how electronic journals affect research processes. Our data revealed that there were distinct preferences in format among categories. In addition to collection management implications for libraries, these data also have implications for publishers and educators; current electronic formats do not facilitate all types of uses and thus may be changing learning patterns as well.

Consumer Behavior↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Migration of plasticizers from printing inks into foods.

It has been demonstrated that on storage of a tightly wound reel of polypropylene packaging film, specially printed for experimental purposes, transfer can occur of components from the ink on the outer surface of the film on to the inner food contact surface. For dicyclohexyl phthalate this transfer amounted to 6% of the total amount of plasticizer available in the printing ink system. It was subsequently shown for confectionery and snack food products wrapped in commercially printed polypropylene films that plasticizers only present in the printing ink migrated into the foods. The migration of plasticizer increased with storage time of the wrapped product; for dibutyl phthalate, for example, levels increased from 0.2 to 6.7 mg/kg over the period from 0 to 180 days storage of a chocolate-coated confectionery product. A small retail survey (47 samples) of confectionery, snack products and biscuits wrapped in printed polypropylene film showed the presence of one or more plasticizers at levels from 0.02 to 14.1 mg/kg for dibutyl phthalate, from less than 0.01 to 18.6 mg/kg for dicyclohexyl phthalate and from less than 0.01 to 1.8 mg/kg for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. In all cases there was a good correlation between the plasticizers found in the printing ink from the film and those in the food. Wide variations were found, however, in the amounts and types of plasticizers used in printed packaging of the same brand of retail food product purchased from different regions of the country.

Food Contamination↗

PubMed1995

Cancer in printing workers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: To study the cancer incidence in printing workers in Denmark. METHODS: The cohort of 15,534 men and 3593 women working in the printing industry in 1970 were followed up for death, emigrations, and incident cancer cases until the end of 1987. Their cancer incidence was compared with that of all economically active people in Denmark. The smoking and drinking habits reported by members of the printing trade unions at a survey in 1972 were compared with habits reported by members of other trade unions. RESULTS: Lung, bladder, renal pelvis, and primary liver cancers were in excess among the printing workers. The excess risks of lung cancer among the factory workers in newspaper and magazine production, of bladder cancer in typographers in printing establishments, of renal pelvis cancer in typographers and lithographers, and of primary liver cancer among lithographers and bookbinders exceeded those expected based on the reported smoking and drinking habits. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate, in line with a previous study from Manchester, that work with rotary letterpress printing was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. The inconsistent results from studies on bladder cancer in printing workers may point to a risk confined to a certain subgroup. The sixfold risk of primary liver cancer in Danish lithographers warrants studies in other countries.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Increased morbidity from nasopharyngeal carcinoma and chronic pharyngitis or sinusitis among workers at a newspaper printing company.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between printing works and nasopharygeal carcinoma as well as other diseases. METHODS: Demographic data were obtained for those who had worked in a particular newspaper company since its establishment in 1950. Through access to the data bank of the hospital records of the Labor Insurance Bureau for 1985-94, all workers were identified who had been admitted to hospital during their employment in the newspaper company. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to estimate the adjusted morbidity odds ratio (OR) for various diseases among the printing workers with cardiovascular diseases as the reference diseases. Biopsy specimens from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were all subjected to in situ hybridisation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and colocalisation of EBV and secretor component protein. RESULTS: Of the 1564 people who had worked in this company, 579 of them were admitted to hospital at least once. Five out of 144 printing workers admitted to hospital were diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with none of the other 435 non-printing workers admitted to hospital. The morbidity OR for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in printing workers was 57.0 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.8 to 1155.3). The morbidity OR for benign skin tumours was 28.0 (95% CI 2.7 to 293.1). Chronic pharyngitis or sinusitis also showed significant relations with printing works with a morbidity OR 29.4 (95% CI 1.7 to 514.7). Using all other diseases as the reference diseases for calculation of morbidity ORs still showed a similar trend. In situ hybridisation of EBV encoded small nuclear RNA-1 (EBER-1) showed tumour cells free of the EBV in each biopsy specimen. Colocalisation of EBER-1 and secretor component showed that some tumour cells contained both secretor component and EBV signal in each case. CONCLUSION: Printing works are associated with an increased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, benign skin tumours, chronic pharyngitis or sinusitis, chronic liver diseases, and mechanical injuries. Induction of the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is probably not related to EBV infection in these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Printed educational materials: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes.

BACKGROUND: It is often assumed that merely providing information in an accessible form will influence practice. Although such a strategy is still widely used in an attempt to change behaviour, there is a growing awareness that simply providing information may not lead to appropriate changes in the practice of health care professionals. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of printed educational materials in improving the behaviour of health care professionals and patient outcomes. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group specialised register, reference lists of articles, and contacted content area experts. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials, interrupted time series analyses and non equivalent group designs with pre-post measures of interventions comparing 1. Printed educational materials versus a non-intervention control; and 2. Printed educational materials plus additional implementation strategies versus printed educational materials alone. The participants were any health care professionals provided with printed educational materials aimed at improving their practice and/or patient outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality. MAIN RESULTS: Eleven studies were included involving more than 1848 physicians. It proved impractical to examine the impact of interventions quantitatively because of poor reporting of results and inappropriate primary analyses. Nine studies examined comparison 1. Estimates of the benefit from printed educational materials ranged from -3% to 243.4% for provider outcomes, and from -16.1% to 175.6% for patient outcomes, although the practical importance of these changes is, at best, small. Six studies (seven comparisons) examined comparison 2. Benefits attributable to additional interventions ranged from -11.8% to 92.7% for professional behaviour, and -24.4% to 74.5% for patient outcomes. Two of the 14 estimates of professional behaviour, and two of the 11 estimates of patient outcomes were statistically significant. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The effects of printed educational materials compared with no active intervention appear small and of uncertain clinical significance. These conclusions should be viewed as tentative due to the poor reporting of results and inappropriate primary analyses. The additional impact of more active interventions produced mixed results. Audit and feedback and conferences/workshops did not appear to produce substantial changes in practice; the effects in the evaluations of educational outreach visits and opinion leaders were larger and likely to be of practical importance. None of the studies included full economic analyses, and thus it is unclear to what extent the effects of any of the interventions may be worth the costs involved.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗

PubMed1994

Cell prints on the surface of the slug of Dictyostelium discoideum: a Nessler-positive matrix substance.

A substance or mixture of substances that stains positively with Nessler's reagent is localized above the surface layer of cells of the migrating slug of Dictyostelium discoideum, possibly incorporated into the slime sheath and coating its surface as well. The substance is manifested as outlines ("cell prints") conforming to the profiles of the surface cells and as small globules over the external face of these surface cells. The entire circumference of the slug is covered by the Nessler-positive cell print substance, which is present from the slug tip to the rear of the slug; presumably all cells at the surface of the slug produce the substance. Cell prints are also present on the surface of the culminating slug as well as on the stalk sheath. No cell prints are seen on the slime sheath or in the slime trail, the collapsed sheath behind the slug. Either the Nessler-positive substance is not incorporated into the sheath or it is uniformly smeared into the sheath as the slug migrates through it. Analysis of size and orientation of cell prints reveals characteristic regional differences that correlate with the prestalk/prespore boundary but not with the location of "zones of adhesion." These patterns of cell prints are compared with some current models of slug cell patterns and movements. Nessler's reagent, a sensitive detector of free ammonia, is shown to react with the amino acids asparagine and glutamine as well as with peptides containing these amino acids. Nessler's reactivity to N-acetylglucosamine suggests that polysaccharides containing this amino sugar also react with Nessler's reagent. Several matrix proteins and polysaccharides are enriched in asparagine, and sheath polysaccharides contain N-acetylglucosamine. It is likely that Nessler's reagent is reacting with such matrix proteins and polysaccharides when cell prints are visualized. The possibility is raised of an interaction between such molecules and the ammonia concentration and flux at the slug surface.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1992

Demonstration of digital radiographs by means of ink jet-printed paper copies: pilot study.

Different digital medical images have been printed on paper with a continuous ink jet printer, and the quality has been evaluated. The emphasis has been on digital chest radiographs from a computed radiography system. The ink jet printing technique is described as well as the handling of the image data from image source to printer. Different versions of paper prints and viewing conditions were compared to find the optimum alternative. The evaluation has been performed to maximize the quality of the paper images to make them conform with the corresponding film prints and monitor images as much as possible. The continuous ink jet technique offers high-quality prints on paper at a considerably lower cost per copy compared with the cost of a film print. With a future switch-over from diagnosing of digital images on film to diagnosing them on monitors, hard copies for demonstration purposes will occasionally be needed. This need can be filled by ink jet-printed paper copies.

Copying Processes↗

PubMed1991

Phonetic recoding of print and its effect on the detection of concurrent speech in amplitude-modulated noise.

When an amplitude-modulated noise generated from a spoken word is presented simultaneously with the word's printed version, the noise sounds more speechlike. This auditory illusion obtained by Frost, Repp, and Katz (1988) suggests that subjects detect correspondences between speech amplitude envelopes and printed stimuli. The present study investigated whether the speech envelope is assembled from the printed word or whether it is lexically addressed. In two experiments subjects were presented with speech-plus-noise and with noise-only trials, and were required to detect the speech in the noise. The auditory stimuli were accompanied with matching or non-matching Hebrew print, which was unvoweled in Experiment 1 and voweled in Experiment 2. The stimuli of both experiments consisted of high-frequency words, low-frequency words, and non-words. The results demonstrated that matching print caused a strong bias to detect speech in the noise when the stimuli were either high- or low-frequency words, whereas no bias was found for non-words. The bias effect for words or non-words was not affected by spelling to sound regularity; that is, similar effects were obtained in the voweled and the unvoweled conditions. These results suggest that the amplitude envelope of the word is not assembled from the print. Rather, it is addressed directly from the printed word and retrieved from the mental lexicon. Since amplitude envelopes are contingent on detailed phonetic structures, this outcome suggests that representations of words in the mental lexicon are not only phonological but also phonetic in character.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1986

Study on abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints in children with cleft lip, alveolus, and palate.

The aetiology of abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints in children with cleft lip, alveolus, and palate was examined by comparing the frequencies of abnormalities in hereditary cases and sporadic cases, and those in hereditary cases with those in their parents. The following results were obtained: Comparison of hereditary cases and sporadic cases. Abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints were greater in hereditary cases than in sporadic cases. Abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints were greater in parents of hereditary cases than in parents of sporadic cases. The rate of agreement in the appearance of finger and palm prints between parents and children was greater in hereditary cases than in sporadic cases. Comparison within hereditary cases. Abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints were greater in affected children when one of the parents was affected (gamma = 1/2) than when both parents were normal (gamma = less than 1/2). Abnormalities in the appearance of finger and palm prints were greater in parents, one of whom was affected, than in normal parents. The rate of agreement in the appearance of finger and palm prints of parents, one of whom was affected, and their gamma = 1/2 children cases was higher than of normal parents and their gamma = less than 1/2 children. It was concluded that the above results could be explained by multifactorial inheritance.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Importance of format and design in print patient information.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this descriptive study were to: identify characteristics of print education materials that healthcare providers report as important to patients; compare whether Physician Data Query (PDQ) information that was provided in its original form, or was redesigned in color and black and white, influenced the distribution of this information; and explore whether providing PDQ information via patient information racks would increase patients' awareness of and use of PDQ information. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: Forty-four oncology healthcare professionals were asked to complete a survey identifying characteristics that they believed important for effective print educational materials. PDQ statements were reformatted and placed in brochure racks for a 6-month period. The number of statements distributed before and after this time period were compared. Subsequently, PDQ statements were placed sequentially for a 3-week period in brochure racks in the following formats: original form as printed from the computer, redesigned with color print; and redesigned with black ink only. RESULTS: The following characteristics were rated "very important" aspects of print educational materials by oncology healthcare professionals: appropriate reading level; clarity; credibility of the information; whether information is current/up-to-date; and patient acceptance of material. The characteristic receiving the fewest "very important" marks was attractiveness/eye appeal. The reported low marks on attractiveness/eye appeal contradict the concurrent findings that, after the redesign of PDQ statements (change in booklet size, use of color, increase in foot size for text and headings, and inclusion of a vertical bar to separate columns), there was a ninefold increase in the number PDQ statements distributed. Eighty-nine percent of the statements distributed were the redesigned version. The use of color, however, did not appear to make a difference in the number of PDQ statements disseminated after the redesign. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In developing print education materials for cancer patients, the format, design, and placement of materials for patient access need to be considered. There are many valuable educational materials available on computer databases. Downloading the information and placing it in a brochure format may be an ideal approach for providing access to this information. Furthermore, because physicians and nurses have different priorities for printed patient education materials, it is important to involve both groups in the developments of the brochures.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗

PubMed2001

[Printed material distributed by pharmaceutical propaganda agents].

Pharmaceutical sales representatives (drug reps) frequently visit 70% to 90% of physicians during their daily clinical practice and many consider the promotional printed material to be a major source of clinical information. We evaluated samples of the promotional printed material distributed to physicians by drug reps in order to determine whether the data contained in the promotional material is correct and supported by references accessible in Argentina. A consecutive sample of all the promotional material distributed by drug reps in the general internal medicine program (Hospital de Clínicas) was collected between March 15 and April 15, 2000. Reprints and monographs were excluded. Clinical information was reviewed by two general internists and compared to information in a major pharmacology textbook and in an electronic medical information program. References cited were reviewed for correct listing and accessibility in any of the four major medical libraries in Buenos Aires. Of the sixty-four pieces of promotional material collected, thirty were randomly selected and evaluated. In twenty one (70%) the therapeutic effect promoted in advertisement appeared in Goodman & Gilman's 9th edition textbook of pharmacology, in the pharmacology section of the Up-to-Date version 8.1 or in both. Only eighteen (60%) of the thirty promotional printed material evaluated had statements supported by cited references. From a total of 131 references cited in promotional materials, sixty (46%) were incorrectly listed according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. These references were inaccessible. Of the 71 references correctly cited, 49 (69%) were not available in any of the four major medical libraries in Buenos Aires and 8 were available in only two of the libraries. Twenty-two references were reviewed, and in twelve of these (54%), the objective of the research study concurred with the statement of the promotional printed material. Adverse reactions, warnings about drug interactions and contraindications were absent from all promotional printed material. It can be concluded that the promotional printed material distributed by the drug reps in Buenos Aires are biased and provide misinformation more often than not. We recommend that practicing physicians routinely disregard promotional printed material as a source of clinical information.

Advertising↗

PubMed2026

The use of 3-dimensional (3D) printing in teaching musculoskeletal oncology for medical undergraduates.

INTRODUCTION: The approach to integrating relevant anatomy in the medical curriculum has been debated for many years. Current literature has explored the broad impact of 3D printing in medical education. However, there is little evidence on 3D printing for the teaching of musculoskeletal oncology (MSO). This is a self-controlled case series (SCCS) study that aims to analyse the effectiveness of 3D printed models in MSO in enhancing the learning experience, engagement and understanding of clinical and surgical anatomy for medical students. METHOD: A cross-sectional cohort study involving 75 clinical year medical students across 3 years from 2 medical schools that rotated through a single teaching hospital's orthopaedic department. Participants first viewed a set of computed-tomography (CT) images of a large pelvic osteosarcoma from a free open-source database, the Cancer Genome Atlas Sarcoma Collection (TCGA-SARC). A standardised 10-minute pre-intervention questionnaire which comprised 15 questions categorised by: 4 questions in 'anatomical knowledge', 7 questions in 'spatial awareness', 4 questions in 'surgical planning and complications', was administered to assess the baseline knowledge in their interpretation of the pathology via CT images only. Next, a 3D-printed model of the pelvic osteosarcoma, which included colour-coded adjacent structures, was provided as an adjunct to answer the same questionnaire. This concluded with a 5-point Likert scale feedback survey to gauge their perspectives and experience. RESULTS: The mean scores comparing their pre- and post-intervention assessment questionnaire increased by +1.34 from 8.15 (SD = 1.85) to 9.49 (SD = 1.7) (p < 0.001). The final year students had the greatest improvement of +1.54 from 8.00 (SD = 1.89) to 9.54 (SD = 1.59) (p = 0.004). There was no significant difference between the scores amongst the 2 medical schools. 91% of students agreed that the 3D model had helped them further their understanding of the anatomy of the sarcoma and 87% would want 3D printing models to augment their learning in anatomy. Baseline weaker students demonstrated significantly greater improvement in scores compared with baseline stronger students (mean difference +2.04 vs +0.30, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: 3D printing is an effective teaching adjunct for musculoskeletal oncology surgical anatomy for medical undergraduates and could be used to enhance their understanding and learning experience. 3D models could be integrated in the teaching curriculum of surgical anatomy for undergraduate students.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Software-annotated, digitally photographed, and printed MR images: suitability for publication.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors performed this study to evaluate whether digitally photographed, computer-annotated MR images produced by clinical radiologists and printed with an inexpensive photo printer are suitable for publication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Laser prints of 20 magnetic resonance images of the brain were photographed with a 3-megapixel digital camera and annotated with arrows, arrowheads, and asterisks by using graphics software that incorporates vector support. Then, 5 x 7-inch glossy prints with white borders were made by using an inexpensive photo printer. These prints were compared with those produced of the same 20 images by members of the medical center's graphics department with professional scanning and printing equipment and annotated with conventional rub-on symbols. Eight radiologists evaluated image and annotation quality and overall suitability for publication. RESULTS: In all three categories, the images produced by radiologists outscored those produced by the graphics department. CONCLUSION: Digitally photographed, software-annotated MR images printed with an inexpensive photo printer are suitable for publication.

Brain↗

PubMed2002

The prevalence of occupational dermatitis in the UK printing industry.

AIMS: To quantify occupational ill health resulting from dermatitis in the UK printing industry and to explore links with particular processes and activities. METHODS: Approximately 2600 members of the Graphical, Paper and Media Union living in Nottinghamshire were sent a self completion questionnaire. A sample of respondents, both those who reported current skin problems and those who did not, were invited for a short dermatological examination. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 62%. A total of 1189 respondents were directly involved in the printing industry and categorised according to work in pre-press (25%), printing (46%), or finishing (42%) processes. A total of 490 respondents (41%) self reported having a skin complaint at some time. Prevalence was highest in males (43%) and those working in printing (49%), in particular those who cleaned rollers and cylinders or who came into contact with substances containing isocyanates on a daily basis. The most commonly affected areas reported were the fingers and webs between the fingers. Twenty six per cent of the 490 reported a current problem on the hand. Reported symptoms included itching (61%), rash (58%), and dry skin (56%). Although certain printing industry substances were thought by respondents to aggravate their condition, constant washing and friction was most often cited. Reported use of protective equipment and cleansing products was generally high, particularly by printers. Clinical examination confirmed the high self reported prevalence and also identified a substantial proportion of mild cases which were not reported. The overall prevalence of occupationally related skin complaints is estimated to be 40%. CONCLUSIONS: A much higher prevalence of dermatitis has been identified than from routine surveillance schemes. The use of good quality records from unions with high membership facilitated access to workers across a range of company sites and printing processes. Validation of self reported symptoms through clinical examination was shown to be essential. The importance of non-chemical causes of dermatitis was highlighted. The findings point towards the need for the development of effective and acceptable risk reduction strategies, in particular to reduce water contact and friction.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Simple and rapid production of radiographic slides or prints using a personal computer and a laser imager.

A simplified and rapid method for making radiographic slides or prints using a personal computer, a computer monitor adapter and a laser imager is described. When the divided monitor output of a personal computer is connected to a laser imager in the Radiology Department, radiographs and text on the personal computer can be printed out from the laser imager. By selecting slide size print format, 12 slide-sized images can be printed on a film. In addition, by selecting other print formats various sized images can be printed on film, which then can be used as teaching files or as backlight display panels for scientific exhibits. This method can only produce gray-scale printouts, which are sufficient for radiological presentations. Any radiology department can utilize this system by simply installing a computer monitor adapter.

Audiovisual Aids↗

PubMed2003

Notation to symbol: Development in children's understanding of print.

Three studies used the moving word task to examine children's understanding of the symbolic nature of print. A card containing a printed word is presented with two pictures, one of which is named by the word. The child is told what the card says and then asked three times what the word is. For the second question, the card is spatially adjacent to the picture it does not name, and 4-year-olds typically respond that the word has changed to name this picture. The studies examined the impact of how the move is carried out and the role of other cognitive abilities (Study 1), the influence of the source of the print and the visibility of the cards (Study 2), and the role of the matching picture in children's solutions (Study 3). In all cases, children continued to name the picture that is closest to the card, indicating an incomplete grasp of how print carries meaning. The conclusion is that children's error in this task represents a fundamental misconception about how print signifies meanings, and that prior to reading, children do not understand the symbolic function of the constituents of print. Furthermore, executive processes of representation and inhibition are identified as significant to children's solutions.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Microcontact printing of novel co-polymers in combination with proteins for cell-biological applications.

Microcontact printing (microcP) is a cost effective and simple method to create chemically micropatterned surfaces for cell biological applications. We have combined the technique with the spontaneous molecular assembly of a polycationic PEG-grafted copolymer, poly-L-lysine-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG). PLL-g-PEG with omega-functionalized PEG chains was print-transferred onto tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) or glass substrates, resulting in patterns with a lateral resolution down to 1 microm. Subsequently, dipping in an aqueous solution of non-functionalized PLL-g-PEG was used to backfill the non-printed regions of the surface, rendering them highly protein and thus cell resistant. In a second approach, proteins were stamped and a PLL-g-PEG backfill was applied for passivation of the bare surface regions. Printing of peptide(RGD)-functionalized PLL-g-PEG or proteins combined with a subsequent PLL-g-PEG backfill can be applied to a wide variety of substrate materials with negatively charged surfaces such as TCPS, glass and many metal oxides. We have tested the printed surfaces with human foreskin fibroblasts for cell adhesion and long-term performance and with fish epidermal keratocytes for cell motility and short-time behaviour. Both cell types reacted selectively to the surface micropatterns. Fibroblasts adhered to the printed (adhesive) regions only, where they remained attached up to at least 1 week and were even able to proliferate. Keratocyte spreading and motility were also directed by the geometry of the underlying patterns. The results prove that microcP in conjunction with the use of PLL-g-PEG and its derivatives provides a simple and robust alternative to previously reported micropatterning methods for future cell biological and biotechnological applications.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Organ printing: computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering.

Tissue engineering technology promises to solve the organ transplantation crisis. However, assembly of vascularized 3D soft organs remains a big challenge. Organ printing, which we define as computer-aided, jet-based 3D tissue-engineering of living human organs, offers a possible solution. Organ printing involves three sequential steps: pre-processing or development of "blueprints" for organs; processing or actual organ printing; and postprocessing or organ conditioning and accelerated organ maturation. A cell printer that can print gels, single cells and cell aggregates has been developed. Layer-by-layer sequentially placed and solidified thin layers of a thermo-reversible gel could serve as "printing paper". Combination of an engineering approach with the developmental biology concept of embryonic tissue fluidity enables the creation of a new rapid prototyping 3D organ printing technology, which will dramatically accelerate and optimize tissue and organ assembly.

Artificial Organs↗