Tailored synthesis of pH-responsive biodegradable microcapsules incorporating gelatin, alginate, and hyaluronic acid for effective-controlled release.

In response to escalating environmental concerns and the urgent need for sustainable drug delivery systems, this study introduces biodegradable pH-responsive microcapsules synthesized from a blend of gelatin, alginate, and hyaluronic acid. Employing the coacervation process, capsules were created with a spherical shape, multicore structure, and small sizes ranging from 10 to 20 μm, which exhibit outstanding vitamin E encapsulation efficiency. With substantial incorporation of hyaluronic acid, a pH-responsive component, the resulting microcapsules displayed noteworthy swelling behavior, facilitating proficient core ingredient release at pH 5.

Synergistic Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Phenolic Acid-Conjugated Glutamine-Histidine-Glycine-Valine (QHGV) Peptides Derived from Oysters ().

The glutamine-histidine-glycine-valine (QHGV), a peptide derived from oysters, exhibits antioxidant activity and is being actively researched as a potential pharmaceutical and functional cosmetic ingredient. In this study, we synthesized the QHGV peptide and explored the hitherto unknown anti-inflammatory effects of QHGV. The antioxidant property was also characterized by conjugating with various naturally derived phenolic acids, such as caffeic, gallic, ferulic, sinapinic, and vanillic acids.

Comparative Analysis of Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities among Seven Species.

Species in the genus () have been used in natural medicine for a long time. Many studies reported that mycelia or fruiting bodies of spp. exhibited effects of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities.

A predictive model to analyze the factors affecting the presence of serious chest injury in the occupants on motor vehicle crashes: Logistic regression approach.

Objective: Chest injuries that occur in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) include rib fractures, pneumothorax, hemothorax, and hemothorax depending on the injury mechanism. Many risk factors are associated with serious chest injuries from MVCs. The Korean In-Depth Accident Study database was analyzed to identify risk factors associated with motor vehicle occupants' serious chest injury.

Accurate detection of enzymatic degradation processes of gelatin-alginate microcapsule by H NMR spectroscopy: Probing biodegradation mechanism and kinetics.

With an increase in the severity of environmental pollution caused by microbeads, the development of biodegradable microcapsules that can be applied in diverse fields has attracted significant attention. The degradation processes are directly related to biodegradable microcapsule creation with high stability and persistence. In this study, biodegradable microcapsules are synthesized via a complex coacervation approach using gelatin and alginate as the capsule main wall materials; additionally, enzyme-induced decomposition mechanisms are proposed by observing spectral changes in proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) analyses.

Neomycin, but Not Neamine, Blocks Angiogenic Factor Induced Nitric Oxide Release through Inhibition of Akt Phosphorylation.

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, is a critical factor of carcinogenesis. Neomycin and neamine, two drugs blocking the nuclear translocation of angiogenin (ANG), have been proven to inhibit tumour growth in vivo. However, the high toxicity of neomycin prevents its therapeutic use, thus indicating that the less toxic neamine may be a better candidate.

Development of a Novel Perfusion Rotating Wall Vessel Bioreactor with Ultrasound Stimulation for Mass-Production of Mineralized Tissue Constructs.

Background: As stem cells are considered a promising cell source for tissue engineering, many culture strategies have been extensively studied to generate in vitro stem cell-based tissue constructs. However, most approaches using conventional tissue culture plates are limited by the lack of biological relevance in stem cell microenvironments required for neotissue formation. In this study, a novel perfusion rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor was developed for mass-production of stem cell-based 3D tissue constructs.

A Predictive Model to Analyze the Factors Affecting the Presence of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Elderly Occupants of Motor Vehicle Crashes Based on Korean In-Depth Accident Study (KIDAS) Database.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force injures the brain. This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the presence of TBI in the elderly occupants of motor vehicle crashes. We defined elderly occupants as those more than 55 years old.

The Roles of Membrane Technology in Artificial Organs: Current Challenges and Perspectives.

The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 reasserted the necessity of artificial lung membrane technology to treat patients with acute lung failure. In addition, the aging world population inevitably leads to higher demand for better artificial organ (AO) devices. Membrane technology is the central component in many of the AO devices including lung, kidney, liver and pancreas.

Long-term outcomes and surveillance timing of patients with large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps with histologically incomplete resection in endoscopic resection.

Background: Histologically incomplete resection of large colorectal polyps is frequently encountered; however, the long-term outcomes or surveillance timing is not well known. We evaluated the incidence rate and time of recurrence of these cases during a long-term follow-up.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent endoscopic resection for large (≥10 mm in size) non-pedunculated colorectal polyps at a tertiary academic hospital.

Gas Crosstalk between PFPE-PEG-PFPE Triblock Copolymer Surfactant-Based Microdroplets and Monitoring Bacterial Gas Metabolism with Droplet-Based Microfluidics.

The PFPE-PEG-PFPE (Perfluoropolyether-polyethylene glycol-perfluoropolyether) surfactant has been used in droplet-based microfluidics and is known to provide high droplet stability and biocompatibility. Since this surfactant ensures the stability of droplets, droplet-based microfluidic systems have been widely used to encapsulate and analyze various biological components at the single-molecule scale, including viruses, bacteria, nucleic acids and proteins. In this study, we experimentally confirmed that gas crosstalk occurred between droplets formed by fluorinated oil and the PFPE-PEG-PFPE surfactant.

Rapid Detection of β-Lactamase-Producing Bacteria Using the Integrated Comprehensive Droplet Digital Detection (IC 3D) System.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have emerged as an imminent global threat. The lack of rapid and sensitive diagnostic techniques leaves health care providers with inadequate resources for guiding therapy and risks the lives of patients. The traditional plate culturing methods for identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria is laborious and time-consuming.

Heterometallic BODIPY-Based Molecular Squares Obtained by Self-Assembly: Synthesis and Biological Activities.

Metal-based multinuclear supramolecules with different functionalities designed by self-assembly represent a growing area of research due to their versatile applications, particularly as anticancer agents. Four novel boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based octacationic heterometallic molecular squares, were synthesized by self-assembly via reaction of dipyridyl BODIPY ligands with suitable 90° palladium and platinum acceptors. The formation of the as-synthesized molecular squares was confirmed by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, high resolution electrospray mass spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Recent Advances in Droplet-based Microfluidic Technologies for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Recently, droplet-based microfluidic systems have been widely used in various biochemical and molecular biological assays. Since this platform technique allows manipulation of large amounts of data and also provides absolute accuracy in comparison to conventional bioanalytical approaches, over the last decade a range of basic biochemical and molecular biological operations have been transferred to drop-based microfluidic formats. In this review, we introduce recent advances and examples of droplet-based microfluidic techniques that have been applied in biochemistry and molecular biology research including genomics, proteomics and cellomics.

Floating Droplet Array: An Ultrahigh-Throughput Device for Droplet Trapping, Real-time Analysis and Recovery.

We describe the design, fabrication and use of a dual-layered microfluidic device for ultrahigh-throughput droplet trapping, analysis, and recovery using droplet buoyancy. To demonstrate the utility of this device for digital quantification of analytes, we quantify the number of droplets, which contain a β-galactosidase-conjugated bead among more than 100,000 immobilized droplets. In addition, we demonstrate that this device can be used for droplet clustering and real-time analysis by clustering several droplets together into microwells and monitoring diffusion of fluorescein, a product of the enzymatic reaction of β-galactosidase and its fluorogenic substrate FDG, between droplets.

3D Droplet Microfluidic Systems for High-Throughput Biological Experimentation.

Herein, we describe the development of a multilayer droplet microfluidic system for creating concentration gradients and generating microdroplets of varying composition for high-throughput biochemical and cell-based screening applications. The 3D droplet-based microfluidic device consists of multiple PDMS layers, which are used to generate logarithmic concentration gradient reagent profiles. Parallel flow focusing structures are used to form picoliter-sized droplets of defined volumes but of varying composition.

Digital quantification of miRNA directly in plasma using integrated comprehensive droplet digital detection.

Quantification of miRNAs in blood can be potentially used for early disease detection, surveillance monitoring and drug response evaluation. However, quantitative and robust measurement of miRNAs in blood is still a major challenge in large part due to their low concentration and complicated sample preparation processes typically required in conventional assays. Here, we present the 'Integrated Comprehensive Droplet Digital Detection' (IC 3D) system where the plasma sample containing target miRNAs is encapsulated into microdroplets, enzymatically amplified and digitally counted using a novel, high-throughput 3D particle counter.

Rapid detection of single bacteria in unprocessed blood using Integrated Comprehensive Droplet Digital Detection.

Blood stream infection or sepsis is a major health problem worldwide, with extremely high mortality, which is partly due to the inability to rapidly detect and identify bacteria in the early stages of infection. Here we present a new technology termed 'Integrated Comprehensive Droplet Digital Detection' (IC 3D) that can selectively detect bacteria directly from milliliters of diluted blood at single-cell sensitivity in a one-step, culture- and amplification-free process within 1.5-4 h.

DNA-scaffolded multivalent ligands to modulate cell function.

We report a simple, versatile, multivalent ligand system that is capable of specifically and efficiently modulating cell-surface receptor clustering and function. The multivalent ligand is made of a polymeric DNA scaffold decorated with biorecognition ligands (i.e.

Rolling circle amplification: a versatile tool for chemical biology, materials science and medicine.

Rolling circle amplification (RCA) is an isothermal enzymatic process where a short DNA or RNA primer is amplified to form a long single stranded DNA or RNA using a circular DNA template and special DNA or RNA polymerases. The RCA product is a concatemer containing tens to hundreds of tandem repeats that are complementary to the circular template. The power, simplicity, and versatility of the DNA amplification technique have made it an attractive tool for biomedical research and nanobiotechnology.

A polyvalent aptamer system for targeted drug delivery.

Poor efficacy and off-target systemic toxicity are major problems associated with current chemotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer. We developed a new form of polyvalent therapeutics that is composed of multiple aptamer units synthesized by rolling circle amplification and physically intercalated chemotherapy agents (termed as "Poly-Aptamer-Drug"). Using a leukemia cell-binding aptamer and doxorubicin as a model system, we have successfully constructed Poly-Aptamer-Drug systems and demonstrated that the Poly-Aptamer-Drug is significantly more effective than its monovalent counterpart in targeting and killing leukemia cells due to enhanced binding affinity (≈ 40 fold greater) and cell internalization via multivalent effects.

From blood to the brain: can systemically transplanted mesenchymal stem cells cross the blood-brain barrier?

Systemically infused mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging therapeutics for treating stroke, acute injuries, and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), as well as brain tumors due to their regenerative capacity and ability to secrete trophic, immune modulatory, or other engineered therapeutic factors. It is hypothesized that transplanted MSCs home to and engraft at ischemic and injured sites in the brain in order to exert their therapeutic effects. However, whether MSCs possess the ability to migrate across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that separates the blood from the brain remains unresolved.

Droplet-based microfluidic platform for high-throughput, multi-parameter screening of photosensitizer activity.

We present a fully integrated droplet-based microfluidic platform for the high-throughput assessment of photodynamic therapy photosensitizer (PDT) efficacy on Escherichia coli. The described platform is able to controllably encapsulate cells and photosensitizer within pL-volume droplets, incubate the droplets over the course of several days, add predetermined concentrations of viability assay agents, expose droplets to varying doses of electromagnetic radiation, and detect both live and dead cells online to score cell viability. The viability of cells after encapsulation and incubation is assessed in a direct fashion, and the viability scoring method is compared to model live/dead systems for calibration.

Lab-chip HPLC with integrated droplet-based microfluidics for separation and high frequency compartmentalisation.

We demonstrate the integration of a droplet-based microfluidic device with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in a monolithic format. Sequential operations of separation, compartmentalisation and concentration counter were conducted on a monolithic chip. This describes the use of droplet-based microfluidics for the preservation of chromatographic separations, and its potential application as a high frequency fraction collector.