The application of electrosprayed minocycline-loaded PLGA microparticles for the treatment of glioblastoma.

The survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and invasive form of malignant brain tumors, remains poor despite advances in current treatment methods including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Minocycline is a semi-synthetic tetracycline derivative that has been widely used as an antibiotic and more recently, it has been utilized as an antiangiogenic factor to inhibit tumorigenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of electrospraying process to fabricate minocycline-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles with high drug loading and loading efficiency and to evaluate their ability to induce cell toxicity in human glioblastoma (i.

Fabrication of Multifunctional Drug Loaded Magnetic Phase Supported Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticle for Local Hyperthermia Combined Drug Delivery and Antibacterial Activity.

Magnetic calcium phosphate nanoparticles are biocompatible and have attracted much attention as biomaterials for bone tissue engineering and theranostic applications. In this study, we report the fabrication of a biocompatible magnetic nickel ferrite supported fluorapatite nanoparticle as a bone substitute material with hyperthermia potential using a facile wet precipitation approach. The composition and magnetic properties of the sample were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).

Upconversion, MRI imaging and optical trapping studies of silver nanoparticle decorated multifunctional NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanocomposite.

The multifunctional upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are fascinating tool for biological applications. In the present work, photon upconverting NaGdF:Yb,Er and Ag nanoparticles decorated NaGdF:Yb,Er (NaGdF:Yb,Er@Ag) nanoparticles were prepared using a simple polyol process. Rietveld refinement was performed for detailed crystal structural and phase fraction analysis.

Application of iron oxide nanoparticles to control the release of minocycline for the treatment of glioblastoma.

The utilization of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeO NPs) to control minocycline release rates from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffolds fabricated from an easy/economical technique is presented. A larger change in temperature and amount of minocycline released was observed for scaffolds with higher amounts of FeO NPs, demonstrating that nanoparticle concentration can control heat generation and minocycline release. Temperatures near a polymer's glass transition temperature can result in the polymer's chain becoming more mobile and thus increasing drug diffusion out of the scaffold.

Structural Evolution and Magnetic Properties of GdHfO Nanocrystals: Computational and Experimental Investigations.

Structural evolution in functional materials is a physicochemical phenomenon, which is important from a fundamental study point of view and for its applications in magnetism, catalysis, and nuclear waste immobilization. In this study, we used x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to examine the GdHfO (GHO) pyrochlore, and we showed that it underwent a thermally induced crystalline phase evolution. Superconducting quantum interference device measurements were carried out on both the weakly ordered pyrochlore and the fully ordered phases.

NaGdF:Yb,Er-Ag nanowire hybrid nanocomposite for multifunctional upconversion emission, optical imaging, MRI and CT imaging applications.

The effect of novel silver nanowire encapsulated NaGdF:Yb,Er hybrid nanocomposite on the upconversion emission and bioimaging properties has been investigated. The upconvension nanomaterials were synthesised by polyol method in the presence of ethylene glycol, PVP and ethylenediamine. The NaGdF:Yb,Er-Ag hybrid was formed with upconverting NaGdF:Yb,Er nanoparticles of size ~ 80 nm and silver nanowires of thickness ~ 30 nm.

Magnetic Active Water Filter Membrane for Induced Heating to Remove Biofoulants.

Filter membrane processes are water purification methods that use a partially permeable membrane to separate contaminants from drinking water and wastewater. Although highly effective, they suffer from biofouling due to the aggregation of bacteria and contaminants from the filtrate, thus rendering the membrane unusable. Consequently, the membrane needs to be replaced on a regular basis, which interrupts filtration operation, reduces throughput, and increases production cost.

Effects of solvent used for fabrication on drug loading and release kinetics of electrosprayed temozolomide-loaded PLGA microparticles for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and invasive form of malignant brain tumors and despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the survival of patients with GBM still remains poor. Temozolomide (TMZ) is the chemotherapy drug that is most commonly given orally after surgical resection of these tumors. In this study, the effects of solvents (i.

Reactive Oxygen Species Generation in Human Cells by a Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent.

The novel positive-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker C4 consists of an aqueous solution of cobalt chloride (CoCl) complexed with the chelator N-acetylcysteine (NAC). We evaluated whether the presence of C4 or its components would produce reactive oxygen species (ROS, including hydroxyl, peroxyl, or other reactive oxygen species) in cultured cells. Human cancer or normal cells were incubated with 1% (w/v) CoCl·6HO or 2% NAC or a combination of both (1% CoCl·6HO : 2% NAC in an aqueous solution, abbreviated as Co : NAC) in the presence or absence of HO.

Magnetic Sensing Potential of FeO Nanocubes Exceeds That of FeO Nanospheres.

This paper highlights the relation between the shape of iron oxide (FeO) particles and their magnetic sensing ability. We synthesized FeO nanocubes and nanospheres having tunable sizes via solvothermal and thermal decomposition synthesis reactions, respectively, to obtain samples in which the volumes and body diagonals/diameters were equivalent. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) data showed that the saturation magnetization () and coercivity of 100-225 nm cubic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were, respectively, 1.

Depth-Resolved Multispectral Sub-Surface Imaging Using Multifunctional Upconversion Phosphors with Paramagnetic Properties.

Molecular imaging is very promising technique used for surgical guidance, which requires advancements related to properties of imaging agents and subsequent data retrieval methods from measured multispectral images. In this article, an upconversion material is introduced for subsurface near-infrared imaging and for the depth recovery of the material embedded below the biological tissue. The results confirm significant correlation between the analytical depth estimate of the material under the tissue and the measured ratio of emitted light from the material at two different wavelengths.

Enzymatic synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles.

We report the first in vitro enzymatic synthesis of paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic nanoparticles toward magnetic ELISA reporting. With our procedure, alkaline phosphatase catalyzes the dephosphorylation of l-ascorbic-2-phosphate, which then serves as a reducing agent for salts of iron, gadolinium, and holmium, forming magnetic precipitates of Fe45±14Gd5±2O50±15 and Fe42±4Ho6±4O52±5. The nanoparticles were found to be paramagnetic at 300 K and antiferromagnetic under 25 K.

Low-cost carbon-silicon nanocomposite anodes for lithium ion batteries.

The specific energy of the existing lithium ion battery cells is limited because intercalation electrodes made of activated carbon (AC) materials have limited lithium ion storage capacities. Carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon nanofibers are the most sought alternatives to replace AC materials but their synthesis cost makes them highly prohibitive. Silicon has recently emerged as a strong candidate to replace existing graphite anodes due to its inherently large specific capacity and low working potential.

MRI characterization of cobalt dichloride-N-acetyl cysteine (C4) contrast agent marker for prostate brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy, a radiotherapy technique for treating prostate cancer, involves the implantation of numerous radioactive seeds into the prostate. While the implanted seeds can be easily identified on a computed tomography image, distinguishing the prostate and surrounding soft tissues is not as straightforward. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers superior anatomical delineation, but the seeds appear as dark voids and are difficult to identify, thus creating a conundrum.

Tuning of alternative splicing--switch from proto-oncogene to tumor suppressor.

STAT5B, a specific member of the STAT family, is intimately associated with prostate tumor progression. While the full form of STAT5B is thought to promote tumor progression, a naturally occurring truncated isoform acts as a tumor suppressor. We previously demonstrated that truncated STAT5 is generated by insertion of an alternatively spliced exon and results in the introduction of an early termination codon.

A biodistribution and toxicity study of cobalt dichloride-N-acetyl cysteine in an implantable MRI marker for prostate cancer treatment.

Purpose: C4, a cobalt dichloride-N-acetyl cysteine complex, is being developed as a positive-signal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker to localize implanted radioactive seeds in prostate brachytherapy. We evaluated the toxicity and biodistribution of C4 in rats with the goal of simulating the systemic effects of potential leakage from C4 MRI markers within the prostate.

Methods And Materials: 9-μL doses (equivalent to leakage from 120 markers in a human) of control solution (0.

Anisotropy characterization of I-125 seed with attached encapsulated cobalt chloride complex contrast agent markers for MRI-based prostate brachytherapy.

We have developed a novel MRI marker for prostate brachytherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in anisotropy when cobalt chloride complex contrast agent encapsulated contrast agent markers (C4-ECAM) were placed adjacent to an iodine-125 (I-125) titanium seed, and to verify that the C4-ECAMs were visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after radiation exposure. Two C4-ECAMs were verified to be MRI visible in a phantom before radiation exposure.

A novel MRI marker for prostate brachytherapy.

Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the optimal imaging modality for the prostate and surrounding critical organ structures. However, on MRI, the titanium radioactive seeds used for brachytherapy appear as black holes (negative contrast) and cannot be accurately localized. We sought to develop an encapsulated contrast agent marker (ECAM) with high-signal intensity on MRI to permit accurate localization of radioactive seeds with MRI during and after prostate brachytherapy.