An intimal-lumen model in a microfluidic device: potential platform for atherosclerosis-related studies.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory vascular disorder driven by factors such as endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and arterial calcification, and is considered a leading global cause of death. Existing atherosclerosis models have limitations due to the absence of an appropriate hemodynamic microenvironment and interspecies differences . Here, we develop a simple but robust microfluidic intimal-lumen model of early atherosclerosis using interconnected dual channels for studying monocyte transmigration and foam cell formation at an arterial shear rate.

Silk fibroin/chitosan/montmorillonite sponge dressing: Enhancing hemostasis, antimicrobial activity, and angiogenesis for advanced wound healing applications.

Open wounds present a significant challenge in healthcare, requiring careful management to prevent infection and promote wound healing. Advanced wound dressings are critical need to enhance their hemostatic capabilities, antimicrobial properties, and ability to support angiogenesis and sustained moisture for optimal healing. This study introduces a flexible hemostatic dressing designed for open wounds, integrating chitosan (CS) for hemostasis and biocompatibility, silk fibroin (SF) for mechanical strength, and montmorillonite (MMT) for enhanced drug transport.

Evaluating thrombosis risk and patient-specific treatment strategy using an atherothrombosis-on-chip model.

Platelets play an essential role in thrombotic processes. Recent studies suggest a direct link between increased plasma glucose, lipids, and inflammatory cytokines with platelet activation and aggregation, resulting in an increased risk of atherothrombotic events in cardiovascular patients. Antiplatelet therapies are commonly used for the primary prevention of atherosclerosis.

Preparation of protein-loaded nanoparticles based on poly(succinimide)-oleylamine for sustained protein release: a two-step nanoprecipitation method.

Currently, the treatment for acute disease encompasses the use of various biological drugs (BDs). However, the utilisation of BDs is limited due to their rapid clearance and non-specific accumulation in unwanted sites, resulting in a lack of therapeutic efficacy together with adverse effects. While nanoparticles are considered good candidates to resolve this problem, some available polymeric carriers for BDs were mainly designed for long-term sustained release.

Unravelling Surface Modification Strategies for Preventing Medical Device-Induced Thrombosis.

The use of biomaterials in implanted medical devices remains hampered by platelet adhesion and blood coagulation. Thrombus formation is a prevalent cause of failure of these blood-contacting devices. Although systemic anticoagulant can be used to support materials and devices with poor blood compatibility, its negative effects such as an increased chance of bleeding, make materials with superior hemocompatibility extremely attractive, especially for long-term applications.

A Bioactive Disintegrable Polymer Nanoparticle for Synergistic Vascular Anticalcification.

Although poly(aspartic acid) (PASP), a strong calcium chelating agent, may be potentially effective in inhibition of vascular calcification, its direct administration may lead to side effects. In this study, we employed polysuccinimide, a precursor of PASP, to prepare targeted polysuccinimide-based nanoparticles (PSI NPs) that not only acted as a prodrug but also functioned as a carrier of additional therapeutics to provide powerful synergistic vascular anticalcification effect. This paper shows that chemically modified PSI-NPs can serve as effective nanocarriers for loading of hydrophobic drugs, in addition to anticalcification and antireactive oxygen species (anti-ROS) activities.

Spiky Silver-Iron Oxide Nanohybrid for Effective Dual-Imaging and Synergistic Thermo-Chemotherapy.

Nanophotothermal therapy based on nanoparticles (NPs) that convert near-infrared (NIR) light to generate heat to selectively kill cancer cells has attracted immense interest due to its high efficacy and being free of ionizing radiation damage. Here, for the first time, we have designed a novel nanohybrid, silver-iron oxide NP (AgIONP), which was successfully tuned for strong absorbance at NIR wavelengths to be effective in photothermal treatment and dual-imaging strategy using MRI and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in a cancer model in vivo and in vitro, respectively. We strategically combine the inherent anticancer activity of silver and photothermal therapy to render excellent therapeutic capability of AgIONPs.

Advances in drug delivery to atherosclerosis: Investigating the efficiency of different nanomaterials employed for different type of drugs.

Atherosclerosis is the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries, which is the main underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases and the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Current pharmaceutical treatment options are unable to effectively treat the plaque in the later stages of the disease. Instead, they are aimed at resolving the risk factors.

Asymmetrical Obstacles Enable Unilateral Inertial Focusing and Separation in Sinusoidal Microchannel.

Inertial microfluidics uses the intrinsic fluid inertia in confined channels to manipulate the particles and cells in a simple, high-throughput, and precise manner. Inertial focusing in a straight channel results in several equilibrium positions within the cross sections. Introducing channel curvature and adjusting the cross-sectional aspect ratio and shape can modify inertial focusing positions and can reduce the number of equilibrium positions.

Charge-Reduced Particles via Self-Propelled Electrohydrodynamic Atomization for Drug Delivery Applications.

Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) provides unparalleled control over the size and production rate of particles from solution. However, conventional methods produce highly charged particles that are not appropriate for inhalation drug delivery. We present a self-propelled EHDA system to address this challenge, a promising one-step platform for generating and delivering charge-reduced particles.

Advances in haemostatic sponges: Characteristics and the underlying mechanisms for rapid haemostasis.

In traumatized patients, the primary cause of mortality is uncontrollable continuous bleeding and unexpected intraoperative bleeding which is likely to increase the risk of complications and surgical failure. High expansion sponges are effective clinical practice for the treatment of wound bleeding (irregular/deep/narrow) that are caused by capillaries, veins and even arterioles as they possess a high liquid absorption ratio so can absorb blood platelets easily in comparison with traditional haemostasis treatments, which involve compression, ligation, or electrical coagulation etc. When in contact with blood, haemostatic sponges can cause platelet adhesion, aggregation, and thrombosis, preventing blood from flowing out from wounds, triggering the release of coagulation factors, causing the blood to form a stable polymerized fibre protein, forming blood clots, and achieving the goal of wound bleeding control.

Polymeric nanomaterial strategies to encapsulate and deliver biological drugs: points to consider between methods.

Biological drugs (BDs) play an increasingly irreplaceable role in treating various diseases such as cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The market share of BDs is increasingly promising. However, the effectiveness of BDs is currently limited due to challenges in efficient administration and delivery, and issues with stability and degradation.

Microfluidic Gut-on-a-Chip: Fundamentals and Challenges.

The human gut is responsible for food digestion and absorption. Recently, growing evidence has shown its vital role in the proper functioning of other organs. Advances in microfluidic technologies have made a significant impact on the biomedical field.

Poly(succinimide) nanoparticles as reservoirs for spontaneous and sustained synthesis of poly(aspartic acid) under physiological conditions: potential for vascular calcification therapy and oral drug delivery.

This paper describes the preparation of poly(succinimide) nanoparticles (PSI NPs) and investigates their properties and characteristics. Employing direct and inverse precipitation methods, stable PSI NPs with tunable size and narrow dispersity were prepared without the use of any stabilizer or emulsifier. It was demonstrated that PSI NPs convert to poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) gradually under physiological conditions (37 °C, pH 7.

A Spiky Silver-Iron Oxide Nanoparticle for Highly Efficient Targeted Photothermal Therapy and Multimodal Imaging of Thrombosis.

Thrombosis and its complications are responsible for 30% of annual deaths. Limitations of methods for diagnosing and treating thrombosis highlight the need for improvements. Agents that provide simultaneous diagnostic and therapeutic activities (theranostics) are paramount for an accurate diagnosis and rapid treatment.

Metal ion chelation of poly(aspartic acid): From scale inhibition to therapeutic potentials.

Poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) is a biodegradable, biocompatible water-soluble synthetic anionic polypeptide. PASP has shown a strong affinity and thus robust complexation with heavy and alkaline earth metal ions, from which several applications are currently benefiting, and several more could also originate. This paper discusses different areas where the ion chelation ability of PASP has thus far been exploited.

Flexible Nanoarchitectonics for Biosensing and Physiological Monitoring Applications.

Flexible and implantable electronics hold tremendous promises for advanced healthcare applications, especially for physiological neural recording and modulations. Key requirements in neural interfaces include miniature dimensions for spatial physiological mapping and low impedance for recognizing small biopotential signals. Herein, a bottom-up mesoporous formation technique and a top-down microlithography process are integrated to create flexible and low-impedance mesoporous gold (Au) electrodes for biosensing and bioimplant applications.

Atherothrombosis-on-Chip: A Site-Specific Microfluidic Model for Thrombus Formation and Drug Discovery.

Atherothrombosis, an atherosclerotic plaque disruption condition with superimposed thrombosis, is the underlying cause of cardiovascular episodes. Herein, a unique design is presented to develop a microfluidic site-specific atherothrombosis-on-chip model, providing a universal platform for studying the crosstalk between blood cells and plaque components. The device consists of two interconnected microchannels, namely main and supporting channels: the former mimics the vessel geometry with different stenosis, and the latter introduces plaque components to the circulation simultaneously.

On-demand deterministic release of particles and cells using stretchable microfluidics.

Microfluidic technologies have been widely used for single-cell studies as they provide facile, cost-effective, and high-throughput evaluations of single cells with great accuracy. Capturing single cells has been investigated extensively using various microfluidic techniques. Furthermore, cell retrieval is crucial for the subsequent study of cells in applications such as drug screening.

Influence of nanoparticles on the haemostatic balance: between thrombosis and haemorrhage.

Maintenance of a delicate haemostatic balance or a balance between clotting and bleeding is critical to human health. Irrespective of administration route, nanoparticles can reach the bloodstream and might interrupt the haemostatic balance by interfering with one or more components of the coagulation, anticoagulation, and fibrinolytic systems, which potentially lead to thrombosis or haemorrhage. However, inadequate understanding of their effects on the haemostatic balance, along with the fact that most studies mainly focus on the functionality of nanoparticles while forgetting or leaving behind their risk to the body's haemostatic balance, is a major concern.

Visualizing stem cells in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging.

Stem cell (SC) therapies displayed encouraging efficacy and clinical outcome in various disorders. Despite this huge hype, clinical translation of SC therapy has been disheartening due to contradictory results from clinical trials. The ability to monitor migration and engraftment of cells in vivo represents an ideal strategy in cell therapy.

In-air particle generation by on-chip electrohydrodynamics.

Electrohydrodynamic atomization has been emerging as a powerful approach for respiratory treatment, including the generation and delivery of micro/nanoparticles as carriers for drugs and antigens. In this work, we present a new conceptual design in which two nozzles facilitate dual electrospray coexisting with ionic wind at chamfered tips by a direct current power source. Experimental results by a prototype have demonstrated the capability of simultaneously generating-and-delivering a stream of charged reduced particles.