From Dielectric to Electro-Responsive Thermoplastics: An Approach Based on Electro-Thermal Reorientation and Charged Gas Activation.

The transition from insulator to electro-responsive has been successfully achieved by earlier studies for some inorganic materials by applying external stimuli that modify their 3D and/or electronic structures. In the case of insulating polymers, this transition is frequently accomplished by mixing them with other electroactive materials, even though a few physical treatments that induce suitable chemical modifications have also been reported. In this work, a smart approach based on the application of an electro-thermal reorientation process followed by a charged gas activation treatment has been developed for transforming insulating 3D printed polymers into electro-responsive materials.

Self-assembled peptide-based nanofibers for cardiovascular tissue regeneration.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming millions of lives every year. Cardiac tissue engineering has emerged as a versatile option for repairing cardiac tissue and helping its regeneration. The use of nanomaterials, particularly nanofiber-based scaffolds combined with biomolecular cues like peptides, has significantly improved the compatibility and efficacy of the scaffolds for cardiac tissue regeneration.

Experimental and Numerical Integrated Strategy for the Optimization of Microfluidic Parameters for Eudragit L100 Nanoparticles and Microparticles.

Oral immunization offers a minimally invasive administration, inducing local and systemic immune responses and facilitating mass immunization without needle-related risks. However, the gastrointestinal environment poses challenges, compromising vaccine effectiveness through enzymatic degradation and poor absorption by Peyer's patches. Advances in nanoparticle and microparticle (NP/MP) technology protect vaccines from degradation and enhance targeted release.

Prognostic role of gait speed in worsening heart failure.

Background: Worsening Heart Failure (WHF) is associated with adverse prognosis. Identifying novel prognostic markers in WHF is crucial. Gait speed (GS), a validated frailty index, is an easily obtainable parameter that may aid in reclassifying the risk of HF patients.

Antibiotic-Loaded Nano-Sized Delivery Systems: An Insight into Gentamicin and Vancomycin.

The fight against infectious disease has remained an ever-evolving challenge in the landscape of healthcare. The ability of pathogens to develop resistance against conventional drug treatments has decreased the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, and antibiotic resistance is recognized as one of the main challenges of our time. The goal of this systematic review paper is to provide insight into the research papers published on innovative nanosized drug delivery systems (DDSs) based on gentamycin and vancomycin and to discuss the opportunity of their repurposing through nano DDS formulations.

Effect of Micromixer Design on Lipid Nanocarriers Manufacturing for the Delivery of Proteins and Nucleic Acids.

Lipid-based nanocarriers have emerged as helpful tools to deliver sensible biomolecules such as proteins and oligonucleotides. To have a fast and robust microfluidic-based nanoparticle synthesis method, the setup of versatile equipment should allow for the rapid transfer to scale cost-effectively while ensuring tunable, precise and reproducible nanoparticle attributes. The present work aims to assess the effect of different micromixer geometries on the manufacturing of lipid nanocarriers taking into account the influence on the mixing efficiency by changing the fluid-fluid interface and indeed the mass transfer.

Stereochemical Behavior of Pyrrolo-Pyrazole Peptidomimetics Promoting Phase-Selective Supramolecular Organogels.

Supramolecular gels were developed by taking advantage of an assembly of small dipeptides containing pyrrolo-pyrazole scaffolds. The dipeptides were prepared through a robust and ecofriendly synthetic approach from the commercially available starting materials of diazoalkanes and maleimides. By playing with the functionalization of the scaffold, the choice of the natural amino acid, and the stereochemistry, we were able to obtain phase-selective gels.

Smart Electrospun Nanofibers from Short Peptidomimetics Based on Pyrrolo-pyrazole Scaffold.

We prepared a small library of short peptidomimetics based on 3-pyrrolo-pyrazole carboxylate, a non-coded γ-amino acid, and glycine or alanine. The robust and eco-friendly synthetic approach adopted allows to obtain the dipeptides in two steps from commercial starting materials. This gives the possibility to shape these materials by electrospinning into micro- and nanofibers, in amounts required to be useful for coating surfaces of biomedical relevance.

Investigation on Electrospun and Solvent-Casted PCL-PLGA Blends Scaffolds Embedded with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Tissue Engineering.

The design, production, and characterisation of tissue-engineered scaffolds made of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and their blends obtained through electrospinning (ES) or solvent casting/particulate leaching (SC) manufacturing techniques are presented here. The polymer blend composition was chosen to always obtain a prevalence of one of the two polymers, in order to investigate the contribution of the less concentrated polymer on the scaffolds' properties. Physical-chemical characterization of ES scaffolds demonstrated that tailoring of fibre diameter and Young modulus (YM) was possible by controlling PCL concentration in PLGA-based blends, increasing the fibre diameter from 0.

Electrospun Fibers Loaded with Pirfenidone: An Innovative Approach for Scar Modulation in Complex Wounds.

Hypertrophic scars (HTSs) are pathological structures resulting from chronic inflammation during the wound healing process, particularly in complex injuries like burns. The aim of this work is to propose Biofiber PF (biodegradable fiber loaded with Pirfenidone 1.5 /), an electrospun advanced dressing, as a solution for HTSs treatment in complex wounds.

Influence of Electrospun Fibre Secondary Morphology on Antibiotic Release Kinetic and Its Impact on Antimicrobic Efficacy.

Vascular graft infections are a severe complication in vascular surgery, with a high morbidity and mortality. Prevention and treatment involve the use of antibiotic- or antiseptic-impregnated artificial vascular grafts, but currently, there are no commercially available infection-proof small-diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs). In this work we investigated the antimicrobic activity of two SDVGs prototypes loaded with tobramycin and produced via the electrospinning of drug-doped PLGA (polylactide-co-glycolide) solutions.

Electrospun Naringin-Loaded Fibers for Preventing Scar Formation during Wound Healing.

Hypertrophic scars (HTSs) are aberrant structures that develop where skin is injured complexly and represent the result of a chronic inflammation as a healing response. To date, there is no satisfactory prevention option for HTSs, which is due to the complexity of multiple mechanisms behind the formation of these structures. The present work aimed to propose Biofiber (Biodegradable fiber), an advanced textured electrospun dressing, as a suitable solution for HTS formation in complex wounds.

Shaping the future from the small scale: dry powder inhalation of CRISPR-Cas9 lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of lung diseases.

Introduction: Most lung diseases are serious conditions resulting from genetic and environmental causes associated with high mortality and severe symptoms. Currently, treatments available have a palliative effect and many targets are still considered undruggable. Gene therapy stands as an attractive approach to offering innovative therapeutic solutions.

Graphene Nanoplatelets-Based Textured Polymeric Fibrous Fabrics for the Next-Generation Devices.

Graphene is a 2D crystal composed of carbon atoms in a hexagonal arrangement. From their isolation, graphene nanoplatelets (nCD) have revolutionized material science due to their unique properties, and, nowadays, there are countless applications, including drug delivery, biosensors, energy storage, and tissue engineering. Within this work, nCD were combined with PLA, a widely used and clinically relevant thermoplastic polymer, to produce advanced composite texturized electrospun fabric for the next-generation devices.

Tobramycin Nanoantibiotics and Their Advantages: A Minireview.

Nowadays, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a challenge for antibiotic therapy, mostly involving Gram-negative bacteria. Among the strategies activated to overcome AMR, the repurposing of already available antimicrobial molecules by encapsulating them in drug delivery systems, such as nanoparticles (NPs) and also engineered NPs, seems to be promising. Tobramycin is a powerful and effective aminoglycoside, approved for complicated infections and reinfections and indicated mainly against Gram-negative bacteria, such as , , , , , , , and species.

Development and optimization of microfluidic assisted manufacturing process to produce PLGA nanoparticles.

Nanomedicine consists in the application of nanotechnology in medicine to revolutionize the healthcare sector through transformative new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. In this field, nanostructures or nanocarriers (i.e.

BioFiber: An advanced fibrous textured dressing to manage exudate in severe wounds.

Biofiber is a new generation of highly absorbent, and textured bandage with patented fiber technology. Biofiber has a sophisticated texture that provides an optimum balance of moisture, flexibility, and conformability, and it has been developed with specific properties to treat complex injuries like burns. The dressing has been designed to be completely adaptable to human anatomy, and it can be fitted to any part of the body, adapting to all curves and jointures, as well as fitting the facial features.

Liposome Formulation and In Vitro Testing in Non-Physiological Conditions Addressed to Ex Vivo Kidney Perfusion.

This work focuses on formulating liposomes to be used in isolated kidney dynamic machine perfusion in hypothermic conditions as drug delivery systems to improve preservation of transplantable organs. The need mainly arises from use of kidneys from marginal donors for transplantation that are more exposed to ischemic/reperfusion injury compared to those from standard donors. Two liposome preparation techniques, thin film hydration and microfluidic techniques, are explored for formulating liposomes loaded with two model proteins, myoglobin and bovine serum albumin.

CD44-Targeted Carriers: The Role of Molecular Weight of Hyaluronic Acid in the Uptake of Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology offers advanced biomedical tools for diagnosis and drug delivery, stressing the value of investigating the mechanisms by which nanocarriers interact with the biological environment. Herein, the cellular response to CD44-targeted nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. CD44, the main hyaluronic acid (HA) receptor, is widely exploited as a target for therapeutic purposes.

Tobramycin Supplemented Small-Diameter Vascular Grafts for Local Antibiotic Delivery: A Preliminary Formulation Study.

Peripheral artery occlusive disease is an emerging cardiovascular disease characterized by the blockage of blood vessels in the limbs and is associated with dysfunction, gangrene, amputation, and a high mortality risk. Possible treatments involve by-pass surgery using autologous vessel grafts, because of the lack of suitable synthetic small-diameter vascular prosthesis. One to five percent of patients experience vascular graft infection, with a high risk of haemorrhage, spreading of the infection, amputation and even death.

Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanoparticles for Protein Delivery: Systematic Examination of Microfluidic Production Conditions.

Hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles (HA NPs) can be used to deliver a protein cargo to cells overexpressing HA receptors such as CD44 since they combine the low toxicity of the carrier and the retention of the protein integrity with the receptor-mediated internalization. HA properties play a crucial but sometimes unclear role in managing the formation and stability of the meshwork, cell interactions, and ultimately the protein entrapment efficacy. Nowadays, microfluidic is an innovative technology that allows to overcome limits linked to the NPs production, guaranteeing reproducibility and control of individual batches.

Design and optimization of 3D-bioprinted scaffold framework based on a new natural polymeric bioink.

Objectives: This aimed at the design and production of engineered 3D scaffold prototypes using a natural polymeric bioink made of chitosan and poly-γ-glutamic acid with a specific focus on 3D-bioprinting process and on 3D framework geometry.

Methods: Prototypes were produced using a 3D bioprinter exploiting layer-by-layer deposition technology. The 3D scaffold prototypes were fully characterized concerning pore size and size distribution, stability in different experimental conditions, swelling capability, and human dermal fibroblasts viability.

Tubular Electrospun Vancomycin-Loaded Vascular Grafts: Formulation Study and Physicochemical Characterization.

This work aimed at formulating tubular grafts electrospun with a size < 6 mm and incorporating vancomycin as an antimicrobial agent. Compared to other papers, the present study succeeded in using medical healthcare-grade polymers and solvents permitted by ICH Topic Q3C (R4). Vancomycin (VMC) was incorporated into polyester synthetic polymers (poly-L-lactide-co-poly-ε-caprolactone and poly lactide-co-glycolide) using permitted solvents; moreover, a surfactant was added to the formulation in order to avoid the precipitation of VMC on fiber surface.