In recent years, the fabrication of nanomaterials and exploration of their properties have attracted the attention of various scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering. Although nanoparticulate systems are of significant interest in various scientific and technological areas, there is little known about the safety of these nanoscale objects. It has now been established that the surfaces of nanoparticles are immediately covered by biomolecules (e.g. proteins, ions, and enzymes) upon their entrance into a biological medium. This interaction with the biological medium modulates the surface of the nanoparticles, conferring a "biological identity" to their surfaces (referred to as a "corona"), which determines the subsequent cellular/tissue responses. The new interface between the nanoparticles and the biological medium/proteins, called "bio-nano interface," has been very rarely studied in detail to date, though the interest in this topic is rapidly growing. In this book, the importance of the physiochemical characteristics of nanoparticles for the properties of the protein corona is discussed in detail, followed by comprehensive descriptions of the methods for assessing the protein-nanoparticle interactions. The advantages and limitations of available corona evaluation methods (e.g. spectroscopy methods, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and differential centrifugal sedimentation) are examined in detail, followed by a discussion of the possibilities for enhancing the current methods and a call for new techniques. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of protein-nanoparticle interaction phenomena are explored and discussed, with a focus on the biological impacts.

Despite a substantial amount of literature already accumulated on the subject, our understanding of the structure, function, and biology of the cruciate ligaments has yet to reach the point where we can repair this complicated structure. This volume does not attempt to address every aspect of cruciate ligament replacement, but rather chooses to concentrate on the neurological function of the ligaments. It adopts a pragmatic approach to fatigue testing in more physiological conditions, biomimetic designs, European surgical techniques and new approaches derived from tissue engineering. As such, it is the first volume to sufficiently emphasise the progress that has been made outside of North America and follows more closely the SICOT/SIROT philosophy. The first section provides an overview of the increasing amount of knowledge on natural ligaments, while the second one reviews - using a biomimetical approach - the different concepts and designs of artificial ligaments developed over the last few decades. The final section presents new directions to expand our present understanding and suggests future approaches.

The ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is the most important ligament in the knee. When it is completely torn, it can lead to instability or buckling of the knee. There are several options to choose from when selecting a graft for ACL reconstruction such as using autografts including patellar tendon, hamstring tendon, and quadriceps tendon, and allografts (also known as donor tissue or cadaver tissue). Artificial ligaments are also discussed since they are still used in Europe and Asia. This book summarizes the pros and cons of each graft option in detail.