Improving flow dynamics and storage longevity of a low-cost phosphorescent fingerprint powder.

An inexpensive, commercially available doped strontium aluminate phosphor with long-lived afterglow was prepared as a luminescent fingerprint dusting powder suited for challenging, highly patterned substrates; however, prolonged exposure to humidity was found to reduce that powder's affinity for fingermarks. Here, an enhanced preparation for synthesizing that fingerprint dusting powder is presented that prevents powder aggregation and loss of function upon exposure to humid environments. This was achieved by introducing a flow regulator during synthesis: hydrophobic silica SIPERNAT® D10 or SIPERNAT® D17.

Chondroitin Sulfate as a Potential Modulator of the Stem Cell Niche in Cornea.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is an important component of the extracellular matrix in multiple biological tissues. In cornea, the CS glycosaminoglycan (GAG) exists in hybrid form, whereby some of the repeating disaccharides are dermatan sulfate (DS). These CS/DS GAGs in cornea, through their presence on the proteoglycans, decorin and biglycan, help control collagen fibrillogenesis and organization.

Quantification of clonal heterogeneity of mesenchymal progenitor cells in dental pulp and bone marrow.

This study aimed to compare the expression of "classical" stem cell markers, the proliferative capacity and differentiation ability of clonal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) populations isolated from animal matched dental pulp (DP) and bone marrow (BM) of rats. MSCs were derived from the aforementioned tissues, with immature MSCs selected for by preferential fibronectin-adherence and resultant single-cell derived clonal populations culture expanded. Colony forming efficiencies were 12 times greater for DP clones compared with BM clones.