Single Ion-Channel Analysis in Droplet Interface Bilayer.

Droplet interface bilayer (DIB) is a method of fabricating lipid bilayer membrane by contacting two aqueous droplets coated with a monolayer of lipid molecules in oil media. Lipids coat the droplet surface either by vesicles fusing to the water-oil interface from the droplet side or diffusing toward the interface from the oil side, thereby forming a lipid monolayer. With the DIB technique, nanoliter amounts of aqueous solution is needed and one may obtain two different compositions of monolayers to form asymmetric bilayer which is difficult to replicate by other in vitro lipid membrane methods.

Is amyloid-β an innocent bystander and marker in Alzheimer's disease? Is the liability of multivalent cation homeostasis and its influence on amyloid-β function the real mechanism?

Two decades of the amyloid-β (Aβ) hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the prominence of Aβ-targeting strategies have yet to meet the levels of original expectation. Disappointing results in numerous Phase II/III studies have called for a re-examination of the validity of the Aβ-targeting approaches as an intervention strategy in AD. The mid-life onset of chronic conditions (e.

Alzheimer's disease: pathophysiology and applications of magnetic nanoparticles as MRI theranostic agents.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. During the recent decade, nanotechnology has been widely considered, as a promising tool, for theranosis (diagnosis and therapy) of AD. Here we first discuss pathophysiology and characteristics of AD with a focus on the amyloid cascade hypothesis.