Modulating the hAM/PCL Biocomposite for Expedited Wound Healing: A Chemical-Free Approach for Boosting Regenerative Potential.

There is an arising need for effective wound dressings that retain the bioactivity of a cellular treatment, but without the high costs and complexities associated with manufacturing, storing, and applying cell-based products. As skin wound recovery is a dynamic and complicated process, a significant obstacle to the healing of skin wounds is the lack of an appropriate wound dressing that can imitate the microenvironment of healthy skin and prevent bacterial infection. It requires the well-orchestrated integration of biological and molecular events.

Biocompatible dressing for pediatric hypospadias repair.

Purpose: The search for an ideal Hypospadias repair dressing continues. We aimed to develop a hypoallergenic optimized biocompatible dressing (BD).

Method: BD with a multi-layered structure of hydrophilic treated Polypropylene with three-layered technologies; Absorbent-spunlaced hydroentangled polyester/viscose blend, outer Polypropylene, Polyester, Acrylic, and Spandex, with super Absorbent Polymer and Acrylic adhesive.

Unfolding the effects of decontamination treatments on the structural and functional integrity of N95 respirators via numerical simulations.

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) provide effective protection against diseases spread through airborne infectious droplets and particles. The widespread use of FFRs during the COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to supply shortages, but the disposal of single-use facemasks also threatens the environment with a new kind of plastic pollution. While limited reuse of filtering facepiece respirators has been permitted as a crisis capacity strategy, there are currently no standard test methods available for decontamination before their repeated use.

Functionalization of Cellulose with Zinc Pyrithione for Antimicrobial Applications.

Considering the public health demands for stronger and effective personal protective clothing, herein, antimicrobial fabrics using a known bacteriostatic and fungistatic drug zinc pyrithione (ZPT) have been reported. ZPT was synthesized on cellulosic fabric, viscose (VC), using a zinc metal precursor and 2-mercaptopyridine--oxide as a ligand (VC-ZPT). For comparison, viscose was also phosphorylated (VP) before functionalization with ZPT (VP-ZPT).

Experimental evaluation of safety and efficacy of plasma-treated poly-ε-caprolactone membrane as a substitute for human amniotic membrane in treating corneal epithelial defects in rabbit eyes.

Purpose: To evaluate biocompatibility and safety of plasma-treated poly-ε-caprolactone (pPCL) membrane compared to the human amniotic membrane in the healing of corneal epithelial defects in an experimental model.

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized animal study including 12 rabbits. Circular epithelial injury measuring 6 mm in diameter was induced over the central cornea of one eye in twelve rabbits.

A facile method for the phosphorylation of cellulosic fabric via atmospheric pressure plasma.

Green chemistry approach for phosphorylation of cellulose, under atmospheric pressure plasma was investigated and compared with conventional thermal method. The attachment of the phosphate groups was evaluated by P and C solid state NMR spectroscopy and XPS. The thermal method led to the formation of monophosphate of cellulose along with a side product of polymerized phosphate, whereas the plasma method produced only the monophosphate, without any side products.

Metal-organic frameworks functionalized smart textiles for adsorptive removal of hazardous aromatic pollutants from ambient air.

Organic pollutants, with their increasing concentrations in the ambient air, are posing a severe threat to human health. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), due to their active functionalities and porous nature, have emerged as potential materials for the capture of organic pollutants and cleaning of the environment/air. In this work, the functionalization of cotton fabric is reported by the in-situ growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8 and ZIF-67) MOFs on carboxymethylated cotton (CM Cotton) by employing a rapid and eco-friendly approach.

Hydrophobic functionalization of cellulosic substrate by tetrafluoroethane dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure.

Hydrophobic functionalization of cellulosic fabric (viscose) was carried out using helium/tetrafluoroethane (He/TFE) plasma, a commercially available fluorocarbon gas, at the atmospheric pressure. By selecting suitable plasma parameters, He/TFE plasma was produced and maintained in glow state so that the various fragments of TFE in plasma zone could react covalently with the cellulose. After the plasma treatment, the highly hydrophilic cellulosic fabric turned into superhydrophobic fabric with a water absorbency time of >> 60 min, a water contact angle of 153° and a water rolling angle of 5°.

Solution properties and electrospinning of poly(galacturonic acid) nanofibers.

Poly(galacturonic acid) (PGuA) is an important natural biopolymer, however its potential has not been realized due to its anionic nature and rigid structure, which limits its processability into fine films and fibres. This study aims at modifying the solution properties of PGuA in alkaline medium (aq. sodium hydroxide) to enable their conversion into electrospun nanofibers.

Readily dispersible antimicrobial Ag-SiO Janus particles and their application on cellulosic fabric.

Silver-silica (Ag-SiO) Janus particles with varying functionalities i.e. amine, thiol and epoxy on the exposed surface of SiO particles were synthesized and explored for their antimicrobial activity.

Chitosan as a potential stabilizing agent for titania nanoparticle dispersions for preparation of multifunctional cotton fabric.

Titania (TiO2) nanoparticle dispersions in water were prepared using chitosan (CS) as the stabilizing agent. The dispersion stability was evaluated with respect to storage time, hydrodynamic particle size, and zeta potential. The effect of the molecular weight of CS and presence of non-ionic polymers (poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(ethylene glycol)) as co-dispersants was investigated.

Zinc oxide nanorod assisted rapid single-step process for the conversion of electrospun poly(acrylonitrile) nanofibers to carbon nanofibers with a high graphitic content.

The effect of incorporation of rigid zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures on carbonization behavior of electrospun special acrylic fiber grade poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN-SAF) nanofibers was investigated. ZnO nanorods with high aspect ratios were incorporated into a PAN-N,N-dimethylformamide system and the composite nanofibers reinforced with aligned ZnO rods up to 50 wt% were successfully electrospun, and subsequently, carbonized. The morphology and the structural analysis of the resultant carbon nanofibers revealed that the rigid ZnO nanorods, present inside the nanofibers, possibly acted as scaffolds (temporary support structures) for immobilization of polymer chains and assisted in uniform heat distribution.

Long-term preservation of donor corneas in glycerol for keratoplasty: exploring new protocols.

Aim: To evaluate the role of temperature and adjunctive dehydration in better long-term preservation of human corneas when preserved and stored in glycerol.

Methods: Different preservation temperatures and effects of adding silica gel in glycerol-preserved corneal tissues were evaluated. Human corneal tissues not suitable for optical keratoplasty initially preserved in McCarey-Kaufman medium were transferred to glycerol and stored at four different temperatures for 3 months as follows: tissues in anhydrous glycerol with and without silica gel at -80°C, -20°C, 4°C and at room temperature (RT).

Surface-modified electrospun poly(epsilon-caprolactone) scaffold with improved optical transparency and bioactivity for damaged ocular surface reconstruction.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to modify and functionalize the surface of synthetic poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous scaffolds to improve their biocompatibility in order to provide better "cell-substrate" interaction.

Methods: Poly-ε-caprolactone solution was electrospun and its surface functionality was modified by helium-oxygen (He/O2) plasma discharge. Scaffolds were characterized for their morphology, wetting ability, mechanical strength, and optical properties by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle measurement, tensile strength, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, respectively.

Bi-layer composite dressing of gelatin nanofibrous mat and poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel for drug delivery and wound healing application: in-vitro and in-vivo studies.

Present investigation involves the development of a bi-layer dressing of gelatin nanofibrous mat loaded with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)/poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and its in-vivo evaluation on full-thickness excision wounds in experimental Wistar rats. Nanomorphological observation, porosity, effect of crosslinking on tensile strength, physical stability and drug release profile in phosphate buffer and biocompatibility aspects of electrospun nanomat were investigated by various physico-chemical tools. EGCGa release profile was found to increase from 2-4 days with decreasing crosslinking time from 15 to 5 min.

Cellular response of limbal epithelial cells on electrospun poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibrous scaffolds for ocular surface bioengineering: a preliminary in vitro study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a synthetic stromal substrate for limbal epithelial cell (LEC) expansion that can serve as a potential alternative substrate to replace human amniotic membrane (HAM).

Methods: Nanofibers were fabricated using 10% poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) solution dissolved in trifluoroethanol (TFE) via an electrospinning process. Nanofibers were characterized for surface morphology, wetting ability, pore size, mechanical strength, and optical transparency using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurement, microtensile tester, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer, respectively.