Multifunctional Chitosan Scaffold Platforms Loaded with Natural Polyphenolic Extracts for Wound Dressing Applications.

Chitosan (CS)-based scaffolds loaded with extract bark (PE) and grape seed extract (GSE) were successfully developed for wound dressing applications. The effects of incorporating GSE and PE in CS scaffolds were investigated in relation to their physicochemical and biological properties. All scaffolds exhibited porous structures with the ability to absorb more than 70 times their weight when contacted with blood and phosphate buffer solution.

Fetal endothelium dysfunction is associated with circulating maternal levels of sE-selectin, sVCAM1, and sFlt-1 during pre-eclampsia.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between endothelial activation markers in the maternal circulation with nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in human umbilical endothelial cells.

Study Design: This is a case-control study of normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. The levels of sE-selectin, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and histamine-induced NO synthesis was detected by fluorometric examination of the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) isolated from normal and pathological pregnancies.