Supramolecular dextran/polyamine phosphate nanocapsules with smart responsiveness for encapsulation of therapeutics.

The polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) polymer is here functionalized with branched and biocompatible polysaccharide dextran (DEX) molecules. Covalent conjugation of DEX to PAH has been achieved through a straightforward reductive amination approach, allowing for a controlled number of DEX chains per PAH polymer (PAH:DEX, n = 0.1, 0.

Multivalent GCase Enhancers: Synthesis and Evaluation of Glyco-Gold Nanoparticles Decorated with Trihydroxypiperidine Iminosugars.

The present study reports the preparation of the first multivalent iminosugars built onto a glyco-gold nanoparticle core (glyco-AuNPs) capable of stabilizing or enhancing the activity of the lysosomal enzyme GCase, which is defective in Gaucher disease. An -nonyltrihydroxypiperidine was selected as the bioactive iminosugar unit and further functionalized, via copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition, with a thiol-ending linker that allowed the conjugation to the gold core. These bioactive ligands were obtained with either a linear monomeric or dendritic trimeric arrangement of the iminosugar.

'Implementation of bio…what?' Farm workers' subjectivities in Spanish dairy cattle farms through an ethnographic approach.

This study explores the implementation of biosecurity measures by farm workers through daily work routines on dairy cattle farms in Spain. The implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy cattle farms is mainly decided by farmers and veterinarians, but it is carried out by both farmers and farm workers. However, farm workers may be affected by socio-employment factors such as the precariousness of their work such that implementation of biosecurity measures may be context dependent and may differ from official recommendations.

Circularly Polarized Luminescence Bioimaging Using Chiral BODIPYs: A Model Scaffold for Advancing Unprecedented CPL Microscopy Using Small Full-Organic Probes.

Unprecedented circularly polarized luminescence bioimaging (CPL-bioimaging) of live cells using small full-organic probes is first reported. These highly biocompatible and adaptable probes are pivotal to advance emerging CPL Laser-Scanning Confocal Microscopy (CPL-LSCM) as an undeniable tool to distinguish, monitor, and understand the role of chirality in the biological processes. The development of these probes was challenging due to the poor dichroic character associated with the involved CPL emissions.

Doubly self-assembled dermatan sulfate/chitosan nanoparticles for targeted siRNA delivery in cancer therapy.

RNA interference, a naturally occurring regulatory mechanism in which small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules are responsible for the sequence-specific suppression of gene expression, emerged as one of the most promising gene therapies in cancer. In this work, we investigate a microfluidics double self-assembly method based on micellization and polyelectrolyte complex formation for the encapsulation of siRNA targeting the BIRC5 gene, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis gene family, that codes for survivin a protein of theinhibitorof apoptosis protein family that is involved in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) proliferation and metastasis within nanoparticles of an amphiphilic chitosan-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer and low-molecular weight dermatan sulfate, a polysaccharide targeting the CD44 receptor overexpressed in this tumor. Nanoparticles are spherical and display a hydrodynamic diameter of ∼ 200 nm, as measured by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy.

Extracellular vesicles of different cellular origin feature distinct biomolecular corona dynamics.

Initially observed on synthetic nanoparticles, the existence of biomolecular corona and its role in determining nanoparticle identity and function are now beginning to be acknowledged in biogenic nanoparticles, particularly in extracellular vesicles - membrane-enclosed nanoparticle shuttling proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites which are released by cells for physiological and pathological communication - we developed a methodology based on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to track biomolecular corona formation on extracellular vesicles derived from human red blood cells and amniotic membrane mesenchymal stromal cells when these vesicles are dispersed in human plasma. The methodology allows for tracking corona dynamics under physiological conditions. Results evidence that the two extracellular vesicle populations feature distinct corona dynamics.

Capturing the complexity of veterinarians' antibiotic prescribing practices in the livestock sector: a meta-ethnography across contexts: Veterinarians' antibiotic prescribing in different contexts.

Strategies and policies to tackle the global public health threat of antimicrobial resistance are increasingly addressing antimicrobial use prescribing practices in both the human and animal health sectors. Veterinarians' antibiotic prescribing practices are influenced by different factors and conditioned by the context within which antibiotic prescribing decisions are made, complexifying the implementation of behaviour change interventions. A better understanding of these factors could therefore help in the design and application of such interventions.

In Vivo Gene Silencing and Cotreatment with Tamoxifen for Luminal A Breast Cancer Therapy.

Background: Acquired resistance and adverse effects are some of the challenges faced by thousands of Luminal A breast cancer patients under tamoxifen (TMX) treatment. Some authors associate the overexpression of HOXB7 with TMX resistance in this molecular subtype, and the knockdown of this gene could be an effective strategy to regain TMX sensitivity. Therefore, we used calcium phosphate hybrid nanoparticles (HNP) for the delivery of short interfering RNA molecule (siRNA) complementary to the HOXB7 gene and evaluated the RNA interference (RNAi) effects associated with TMX treatment in breast cancer in vivo.

Multiresponsive 4D Printable Hydrogels with Anti-Inflammatory Properties.

Multiresponsive hydrogels are valuable as biomaterials due to their ability to respond to multiple biologically relevant stimuli, i.e., temperature, pH, or reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be present simultaneously in the body.

To-Pack or Not-to-Pack: Towards Improved Graphite Electrochemical Oxidation Through Electrode Design.

Fabrication of batch-wise efficient, user- and environmentally-friendly, and well-defined yield methods for the synthesis of graphite oxide, the main precursor to graphene oxide and its reduced derivative, is an essential and robust research field, yet is sparingly investigated or innovated in recent years. This concept review showcases recent potential advances in the fabrication of electrochemical electrodes that meet aforementioned design parameters, wherein working electrode construction is seen to play a key role in shaping the yield characteristics and aiding the mechanistic understanding of efficiency of adopted methods. Particularly, those advances pave the way for new and various tunable design parameters by fabricating different methods of encapsulating graphite powder instead of using conventional bare monolith forms of graphite as working electrode.

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles against pathogenic bacteria by using DC extract in microwave assisted green synthesis.

This study presents an optimized microwave-assisted method for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using a root extract obtained from DC. The influence of temperature, reagent concentration, and irradiation time was systematically investigated to enhance synthesis yield. Characterization techniques including XRD, UV-vis, FTIR, XPS, and zetametry were employed to confirm the successful formation of nanoparticles with a metallic silver core (∼17 nm) functionalized with organic molecules derived from the plant extract.

A highly fluorescent and readily accessible all-organic photosensitizer model for advancing image-guided cancer PDT.

The potential of using image-guided photodynamic therapy (ig-PDT) for cancer, especially with highly biocompatible fluorescent agents free of heavy atoms, is well recognized. This is due to key advantages related to minimizing adverse side effects associated with standard cancer chemotherapy. However, this theragnostic approach is strongly limited by the lack of synthetically-accessible and easily-modulable chemical scaffolds, enabling the rapid design and construction of advanced agents for clinical ig-PDT.

Cu(I)-Glutathione Assembly Supported on ZIF-8 as Robust and Efficient Catalyst for Mild CO Conversions.

The Cu-glutathione (GSH) redox system, essential in biology, is designed here as a supramacromolecular assembly in which the tetrahedral 18e Cu(I) center loses a thiol ligand upon adsorption onto ZIF-8, as shown by EXAFS and DFT calculation, to generate a very robust 16e planar trigonal single-atom Cu(I) catalyst. Synergy between Cu(I) and ZIF-8, revealed by catalytic experiments and DFT calculation, affords CO conversion into high-value-added chemicals with a wide scope of substrates by reaction with terminal alkynes or propargyl amines in excellent yields under mild conditions and reuse at least 10 times without significant decrease in catalytic efficiency.

Collective chiroptical activity through the interplay of excitonic and charge-transfer effects in localized plasmonic fields.

The collective light-matter interaction of chiral supramolecular aggregates or molecular ensembles with confined light fields remains a mystery beyond the current theoretical description. Here, we programmably and accurately build models of chiral plasmonic complexes, aiming to uncover the entangled effects of excitonic correlations, intra- and intermolecular charge transfer, and localized surface plasmon resonances. The intricate interplay of multiple chirality origins has proven to be strongly dependent on the site-specificity of chiral molecules on plasmonic nanoparticle surfaces spanning the nanometer to sub-nanometer scale.

Supramolecular citrate poly allylamine hydrochloride nanoparticles for citrate delivery and calcium oxalate nanocrystal dissolution.

Hypothesis: Renal calculi (kidney stones) are mainly made by calcium oxalate and can cause different complications including malfunction of the kidney. The most important urinary stone inhibitors are citrate molecules. Unfortunately, the amount of citrate reaching the kidney after oral ingestion is low.

The In Vivo Biological Fate of Protein Corona: A Comparative PET Study of the Fate of Soft and Hard Protein Corona in Healthy Animal Models.

Radiolabeling and nuclear imaging techniques are used to investigate the biodistribution patterns of the soft and hard protein corona around poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) after administration to healthy mice. Soft and hard protein coronas of I-labeled BSA or I-labeled serum are formed on PLGA NPs functionalized with either polyehtylenimine (PEI) or bovine serum albumin (BSA). The exchangeability of hard and soft corona is assessed in vitro by gamma counting exposing PLGA NPs with corona to non-labeled BSA, serum, or simulated body fluid.

Determination of the optimal pH for doxorubicin encapsulation in polymeric micelles.

Hypothesis: The anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DX) shows a high solubility in aqueous media thanks to the positive charge in the ammonium group. This feature, however, affects the drug encapsulation in the hydrophobic domains of polymeric micelles (PMs) used for the targeted delivery of the drug. At basic pH, DX deprotonates but also acquires a negative charge in the phenolic groups of the anthracycline structure.

A qualitative analysis of the unwritten rules influencing antibiotic prescribing practices among French poultry veterinarians.

Background: It is now recognized that a better understanding of prescriber behaviour is needed to improve antimicrobial stewardship programmes. Most studies conducted in the livestock sector have focused on farmers' perspectives, while the prescribing habits of veterinarians have remained overlooked.

Objective: Our study explored the psychosocial determinants associated with antibiotic prescribing practices in the French poultry sector by analysing the informal norms and unwritten rules that influence veterinarians' prescribing decisions.

ROS-Responsive 4D Printable Acrylic Thioether-Based Hydrogels for Smart Drug Release.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in several biological functions like regulating cell survival and signaling; however, their effect can range from beneficial to nondesirable oxidative stress when they are overproduced causing inflammation or cancer diseases. Thus, the design of tailor-made ROS-responsive polymers offers the possibility of engineering hydrogels for target therapies. In this work, we developed thioether-based ROS-responsive difunctional monomers from ethylene glycol/thioether acrylate (EGSA) with different lengths of the EG chain ( = 1, 2, 3) by the thiol-Michael addition click reaction.

The perfect storm: Cutaneous leishmaniasis in troops deployed in the Atlantic forest of Argentina.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is the most prevalent form of leishmaniasis, associated with an ulcerative and stigmatizing mucocutaneous pathology. This study assessed the incidence of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in members of the Argentine Army who were exposed to sandfly bites in Iguazú National Park (INP), northeastern Argentina, during an outbreak of ACL in 2019, and the presence of Leishmania in rodents, opossums and phlebotomine sandflies collected in the area of exposure. Samples from military personnel, wild animals and phlebotomine sandflies were analysed.

Nanogels: Smart tools to enlarge the therapeutic window of gene therapy.

Gene therapy can potentially treat a great number of diseases, from cancer to rare genetic disorders. Very recently, the development and emergency approval of nucleic acid-based COVID-19 vaccines confirmed its strength and versatility. However, gene therapy encounters limitations due to the lack of suitable carriers to vectorize therapeutic genetic material inside target cells.

Enhancing the efficiency of magnetically driven carbon nitride-based nanocomposites with magnetic nanoflowers for the removal of methylene blue dye at neutral pH.

The present study focuses on the elaboration of magnetic nanocomposites by the in situ incorporation of magnetite (FeO) nanoparticles (NPs) with spherical and nanoflower-like morphologies in graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) sheets using two different synthetic routes. Nanomaterials are characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, FTIR, BET, zetametry, vibrating sample magnetometry, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The decoration of the carbon nitride matrix with the magnetic NPs enhanced optical and textural properties.

Gold nanoparticles decorated with monosaccharides and sulfated ligands as potential modulators of the lysosomal enzyme -acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS).

-Acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS) is an enzyme whose deficiency is related to the lysosomal storage disease Morquio A. For the development of effective therapeutic approaches against this disease, the design of suitable enzyme enhancers ( pharmacological chaperones) is fundamental. The natural substrates of GALNS are the glycosaminoglycans keratan sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate, which mainly display repeating units of sulfated carbohydrates.