Nanostructures from self-assembling triazine tertiary amine N-oxide amphiphiles.

A new set of amphiphilic tertiary amine N-oxides has been prepared and their self-assembly properties observed in aqueous solution by tensiometry, dynamic and static light scattering. X-ray crystallographic analysis of parent amines and sulfoxide congeners indicates the formation of hydrogen-bonded dimers as the primary assembly unit for formation of vesicles in preference to the compact micelles typical of lauryl dimethylamine N-oxide (LDAO). 6-Benzyloxy-N,N'-bis(5-diethylaminopentylamine oxide)[1,3,5]triazine-2,4-diamine forms a 1 μm vesicle observed to entrap fluorescein.

The influence of degradation characteristics of hyaluronic acid hydrogels on in vitro neocartilage formation by mesenchymal stem cells.

The potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a viable cell source for cartilage repair hinges on the development of engineered scaffolds that support adequate cartilage tissue formation. Evolving networks (hydrogels with mesh sizes that change over time due to crosslink degradation) may provide the control needed to enhance overall tissue formation when compared to static scaffolds. In this study, MSCs were photoencapsulated in combinations of hydrolytically and enzymatically degradable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels to investigate the tunability of these hydrogels and the influence of network evolution on neocartilage formation.

Novel tertiary amine oxide surfaces that resist nonspecific protein adsorption.

Novel surfaces derivatized with tertiary amine oxides have been prepared and tested for their ability to resist nonspecific protein adsorption. The oxidation of tertiary amines supported on triazine units was carried out using mCPBA to give a format allowing conjugation of biologically active ligands alongside them. Adsorption to these surfaces was tested and compared to adsorption to a set of commercial and custom oligo-/poly(ethylene glycol) (OEG/PEG) supports by challenging them with a protein display library presented on bacteriophage lambda.

Some factors that influence mechanical behavior of the left ventricle of the human heart in late systole: a feasibility study using finite element analysis.

In systole the left ventricle of the heart behaves mechanically in two modes simultaneously, passive and active. When in the former mode, the ventricle has to carry and react to the pressure increase within the cavity, while in the latter, force is generated within the myocardium itself through the contraction, i.e.

An analytical method for the determination of along-fibre to cross-fibre elastic modulus ratio in ventricular myocardium--a feasibility study.

The myocardium of the left ventricle of the heart is a fibrous structure, the fibres being wound helically anticlockwise on the epicardium and changing progressively through the wall thickness to being wound helically clockwise on the endocardium. At any point, therefore, the material can be considered as transversely isotropic. For mechanically modelling the ventricle, two independent material properties, the along-fibre and across-fibre moduli of elasticity are required.