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Biomimetics
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Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature
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Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Development of Biomimetic Methodology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2024) | Viewed by 3552

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Interests: child stress; physiology; psychology; nutrition; health; disease; environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ana Isabel Beltrán-Velasco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychology Department, Faculty of Life and Nature Sciences, Nebrija University, 28015 Madrid, Spain
Interests: behavioural psychology; psychological testing; psychological assessment; public health; neurodegenerative disease; psychological health; pathological mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled "Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature", explores the innovative intersection of healthcare and nature-inspired solutions. This collection of research articles delves into the emerging field of biomimetics, where scientists and healthcare professionals draw inspiration from the natural world to develop groundbreaking healthcare technologies and strategies. By mimicking biological processes, structures, and systems found in the environment, researchers aim to create more effective and sustainable solutions for healthcare challenges. This Special Issue features contributions that showcase how biomimetic approaches are revolutionizing medical diagnostics, treatment modalities, and healthcare practices. From bio-inspired materials for regenerative medicine to nature-inspired algorithms for healthcare data analysis, this Special Issue highlights the diverse applications of biomimetics in improving healthcare outcomes.

Prof. Dr. Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez
Prof. Dr. Ana Isabel Beltrán-Velasco
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomimetics
  • healthcare innovations
  • nature-inspired solutions
  • medical diagnostics
  • regenerative medicine
  • bio-inspired materials
  • healthcare data analysis
  • natural algorithms
  • biologically inspired technology
  • sustainable healthcare

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 7512 KiB  
Article
Innovative Design of a 3D Printed Esophageal Stent Inspired by Nature: Mitigating Migration Challenges in Palliative Esophageal Cancer Therapy
by Thomas Profitiliotis, Savvas Koltsakidis, Konstantinos Tsongas and Dimitrios Tzetzis
Biomimetics 2024, 9(6), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9060359 - 14 Jun 2024
Viewed by 713
Abstract
Esophageal cancer is a complex and challenging tumor to treat, with esophageal stenting being used as a palliative measure to improve the quality of life of patients. Self-expandable metal stents (SEMS), self-expandable plastic stents (SEPS), and biodegradable stents are the most commonly used [...] Read more.
Esophageal cancer is a complex and challenging tumor to treat, with esophageal stenting being used as a palliative measure to improve the quality of life of patients. Self-expandable metal stents (SEMS), self-expandable plastic stents (SEPS), and biodegradable stents are the most commonly used types of stents. However, complications can arise, such as migration, bleeding, and perforation. To address issues of migration, this study developed a novel 3D printed bioinspired esophageal stent utilizing a highly flexible and ductile TPU material. The stent was designed to be self-expanding and tubular with flared ends to provide secure anchorage at both the proximal and distal ends of the structure. Suction cups were strategically placed around the shaft of the stent to prevent migration. The stent was evaluated through compression–recovery, self-expansion, and anti-migration tests to evaluate its recovery properties, self-expansion ability, and anchoring ability, respectively. The results indicated that the novel stent was able to recover its shape, expand, keep the esophagus open, and resist migration, demonstrating its potential for further research and clinical applications. Finite element analysis (FEA) was leveraged to analyze the stent’s mechanical behavior, providing insights into its structural integrity, self-expansion capability, and resistance against migration. These results, supported by FEA, highlight the potential of this innovative stent for further research and its eventual application in preclinical settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature)
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20 pages, 1771 KiB  
Article
Survival Prediction of Patients after Heart Attack and Breast Cancer Surgery with a Hybrid Model Built with Particle Swarm Optimization, Stacked AutoEncoders, and the Softmax Classifier
by Mehmet Akif Bülbül and Mehmet Fatih Işık
Biomimetics 2024, 9(5), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9050304 - 19 May 2024
Viewed by 736
Abstract
The prediction of patient survival is crucial for guiding the treatment process in healthcare. Healthcare professionals rely on analyzing patients’ clinical characteristics and findings to determine treatment plans, making accurate predictions essential for efficient resource utilization and optimal patient support during recovery. In [...] Read more.
The prediction of patient survival is crucial for guiding the treatment process in healthcare. Healthcare professionals rely on analyzing patients’ clinical characteristics and findings to determine treatment plans, making accurate predictions essential for efficient resource utilization and optimal patient support during recovery. In this study, a hybrid architecture combining Stacked AutoEncoders, Particle Swarm Optimization, and the Softmax Classifier was developed for predicting patient survival. The architecture was evaluated using the Haberman’s Survival dataset and the Echocardiogram dataset from UCI. The results were compared with several Machine Learning methods, including Decision Trees, K-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Neural Networks, Gradient Boosting, and Gradient Bagging applied to the same datasets. The findings indicate that the proposed architecture outperforms other Machine Learning methods in predicting patient survival for both datasets and surpasses the results reported in the literature for the Haberman’s Survival dataset. In the light of the findings obtained, the models obtained with the proposed architecture can be used as a decision support system in determining patient care and applied methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature)
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12 pages, 6225 KiB  
Article
Biomineralization of Polyelectrolyte-Functionalized Electrospun Fibers: Optimization and In Vitro Validation for Bone Applications
by Ahmed Salama, Emad Tolba, Ahmed K. Saleh, Iriczalli Cruz-Maya, Marco A. Alvarez-Perez and Vincenzo Guarino
Biomimetics 2024, 9(4), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9040253 - 22 Apr 2024
Viewed by 914
Abstract
In recent years, polyelectrolytes have been successfully used as an alternative to non-collagenous proteins to promote interfibrillar biomineralization, to reproduce the spatial intercalation of mineral phases among collagen fibrils, and to design bioinspired scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration. Herein, hybrid nanofibers were fabricated [...] Read more.
In recent years, polyelectrolytes have been successfully used as an alternative to non-collagenous proteins to promote interfibrillar biomineralization, to reproduce the spatial intercalation of mineral phases among collagen fibrils, and to design bioinspired scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration. Herein, hybrid nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning, by using a mixture of Poly ɛ-caprolactone (PCL) and cationic cellulose derivatives, i.e., cellulose-bearing imidazolium tosylate (CIMD). The obtained fibers were self-assembled with Sodium Alginate (SA) by polyelectrolyte interactions with CIMD onto the fiber surface and, then, treated with simulated body fluid (SBF) to promote the precipitation of calcium phosphate (CaP) deposits. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of SA and CaP, while SEM equipped with EDX analysis mapped the calcium phosphate constituent elements, estimating an average Ca/P ratio of about 1.33—falling in the range of biological apatites. Moreover, in vitro studies have confirmed the good response of mesenchymal cells (hMSCs) on biomineralized samples, since day 3, with a significant improvement in the presence of SA, due to the interaction of SA with CaP deposits. More interestingly, after a decay of metabolic activity on day 7, a relevant increase in cell proliferation can be recognized, in agreement with the beginning of the differentiation phase, confirmed by ALP results. Antibacterial tests performed by using different bacteria populations confirmed that nanofibers with an SA-CIMD complex show an optimal inhibitory response against S. mutans, S. aureus, and E. coli, with no significant decay due to the effect of CaP, in comparison with non-biomineralized controls. All these data suggest a promising use of these biomineralized fibers as bioinspired membranes with efficient antimicrobial and osteoconductive cues suitable to support bone healing/regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature)
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Review

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42 pages, 1857 KiB  
Review
Review of the Brain’s Behaviour after Injury and Disease for Its Application in an Agent-Based Model (ABM)
by Luis Irastorza-Valera, Edgar Soria-Gómez, José María Benitez, Francisco J. Montáns and Luis Saucedo-Mora
Biomimetics 2024, 9(6), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9060362 - 14 Jun 2024
Viewed by 546
Abstract
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and, as such, its study entails great challenges (methodological, theoretical, etc.). Nonetheless, there is a remarkable amount of studies about the consequences of pathological conditions on its development and functioning. This bibliographic [...] Read more.
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and, as such, its study entails great challenges (methodological, theoretical, etc.). Nonetheless, there is a remarkable amount of studies about the consequences of pathological conditions on its development and functioning. This bibliographic review aims to cover mostly findings related to changes in the physical distribution of neurons and their connections—the connectome—both structural and functional, as well as their modelling approaches. It does not intend to offer an extensive description of all conditions affecting the brain; rather, it presents the most common ones. Thus, here, we highlight the need for accurate brain modelling that can subsequently be used to understand brain function and be applied to diagnose, track, and simulate treatments for the most prevalent pathologies affecting the brain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Approaches in Healthcare—Innovations Inspired by Nature)
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