Gut microbiome is a community of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria have a tremendous impact on the human physiology in healthy individuals and during an illness. Intestinal microbiome can influence one's health either directly by secreting biologically active substances such as vitamins, essential amino acids, lipids et cetera or indirectly by modulating metabolic processes and the immune system. In recent years considerable information has been accumulated on the relationship between gut microbiome and brain functions. Moreover, significant quantitative and qualitative changes of gut microbiome have been reported in patients with Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, gut microbiome is highly sensitive to negative external lifestyle aspects, such as diet, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disturbance, chronic noise, and sedentary behavior, which are also considered as important risk factors for the development of sporadic Alzheimer's disease. In this regard, this review is focused on analyzing the links between gut microbiome, modern lifestyle, aging, and Alzheimer's disease.

In pathological bone conditions (e.g., osteoporotic fractures or critical size bone defects), increasing the pool of osteoblast progenitor cells is a promising therapeutic approach to facilitate bo...

CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated with protein 9) was first identified as a component of the bacterial adaptive immune system and subsequently engineered into a genome-editing tool. The key breakthrough in this field came with the realization that CRISPR/Cas9 could be used in mammalian cells to enable transformative genetic editing. This technology has since become a vital tool for various genetic manipulations, including gene knockouts, knock-in point mutations, and gene regulation at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. CRISPR/Cas9 holds great potential in human medicine, particularly for curing genetic disorders. However, despite significant innovation and advancement in genome editing, the technology still possesses critical limitations, such as off-target effects, immunogenicity issues, ethical considerations, regulatory hurdles, and the need for efficient delivery methods. To overcome these obstacles, efforts have focused on creating more accurate and reliable Cas9 nucleases and exploring innovative delivery methods. Recently, functional biomaterials and synthetic carriers have shown great potential as effective delivery vehicles for CRISPR/Cas9 components. In this review, we attempt to provide a comprehensive survey of the existing CRISPR-Cas9 delivery strategies, including viral delivery, biomaterials-based delivery, synthetic carriers, and physical delivery techniques. We underscore the urgent need for effective delivery systems to fully unlock the power of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and realize a seamless transition from benchtop research to clinical applications.

The demand for orthopedic implants is increasing, driven by a rising number of young patients seeking an active lifestyle post-surgery. This has led to changes in manufacturing requirements. Joint arthroplasty operations are on the rise globally, and recovery times are being reduced by customized endoprostheses that promote better integration. Implants are primarily made from metals and ceramics such as titanium, hydroxyapatite, zirconium, and tantalum. Manufacturing processes, including additive manufacturing and thermal plasma spraying, continue to evolve. These advancements enable the production of tailored porous implants with uniform surface coatings. Coatings made of biocompatible materials are crucial to prevent degradation and enhance biocompatibility, and their composition, porosity, and roughness are actively explored through biocompatibility testing. This review article focuses on the additive manufacturing of orthopedic implants and thermal plasma spraying of biocompatible coatings, discussing their challenges and benefits based on the authors’ experience with selective laser melting and microplasma spraying of metal-ceramic coatings.

This study investigates the in vitro biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and adhesion strength of a gas abrasive-treated Ti6Al4V alloy, alongside microplasma-sprayed titanium and tantalum coatings. Employing a novel approach in selecting microplasma spray parameters, this study successfully engineers coatings with tailored porosity, roughness, and over 20% porosity with pore sizes up to 200 μm, aiming to enhance bone in-growth and implant integration. This study introduces an innovative methodology for quantifying surface roughness using laser electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, facilitating detailed morphological analysis of both the substrate and coatings. Extensive evaluations, including tests for in vitro biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and adhesive strength, revealed that all three materials are biocompatible, with tantalum coatings exhibiting superior cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, as well as the highest corrosion resistance. Titanium coatings followed closely, demonstrating favorable osteogenic properties and enhanced roughness, which is crucial for cell behavior and attachment. These coatings also displayed superior tensile adhesive strengths (27.6 ± 0.9 MPa for Ti and 28.0 ± 4.9 MPa for Ta), surpassing the ISO 13179-1 standard and indicating a robust bond with the substrate. Our findings offer significant advancements in biomaterials for medical implants, introducing microplasma spraying as a versatile tool for customizing implant coatings, particularly emphasizing the superior performance of tantalum coatings in terms of biocompatibility, osteogenic potential, and corrosion resistance. This suggests that tantalum coatings are a promising alternative for enhancing the performance of metal implants, especially in applications demanding high biocompatibility and corrosion resistance.