A novel wearable bioimpedance sensor for continuous monitoring of fluid balance: a study on isotonic hypovolemia in healthy adults.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the ability of a novel wearable bioimpedance sensor to monitor changes in fluid balance induced by furosemide. Because iso-osmotic fluid loss is expected to primarily comprise fluid from the extracellular compartment it was hypothesized that isotonic hypovolemia would increase the extracellular resistance (R).

Methods: 27 healthy adults (20 women, 7 men; 35 ± 10 year.

Matrix metalloproteinase landscape in the imiquimod-induced skin inflammation mouse model.

Inflammation and autoimmunity are known as central processes in many skin diseases, including psoriasis. It is therefore important to develop pre-clinical models that describe disease-related aspects to enable testing of pharmaceutical drug candidates and formulations. A widely accepted pre-clinical model of psoriasis is the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced skin inflammation mouse model, where topically applied IMQ provokes local skin inflammation.

Protease-Responsive Hydrogel Microparticles for Intradermal Drug Delivery.

Protease-responsive multi-arm polyethylene glycol-based microparticles with biscysteine peptide crosslinkers (CGPGG↓LAGGC) were obtained for intradermal drug delivery through inverse suspension photopolymerization. The average size of the spherical hydrated microparticles was ∼40 μm after crosslinking, making them attractive as a skin depot and suitable for intradermal injections, as they are readily dispensable through 27G needles. The effects of exposure to matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) on the microparticles were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, demonstrating partial network destruction and decrease in elastic moduli.

Design and characterization of matrix metalloproteinase-responsive hydrogels for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.

Enzyme-responsive hydrogels, formed by step growth photopolymerization of biscysteine peptide linkers with alkene functionalized polyethylene glycol, provide interesting opportunities as biomaterials and drug delivery systems. In this study, we developed stimuli-responsive, specific, and cytocompatible hydrogels for delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. We designed peptide linkers with optimized sensitivity towards matrix metalloproteinases, a family of proteolytic enzymes overexpressed in the extracellular matrix of the skin during inflammation.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles to Improve the Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Diseases.

To improve the quality of life for people living with chronic inflammatory skin diseases, we propose a new treatment strategy by exploring a stimuli-responsive drug delivery system. Formulations designed by exploiting smart materials can be programmed to perform a specific action upon exposure to disease-related stimuli. For instance, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, can be utilized to differentiate between healthy and inflamed tissues.