Antibacterial Properties and Biocompatibility of Multicomponent Titanium Oxides: A Review.

The simple oxides like titania, zirconia, and ZnO are famous with their antibacterial (or even antimicrobial) properties as well as their biocompatibility. They are broadly used for air and water filtering, in food packaging, in medicine (for implants, prostheses, and scaffolds), etc. However, these application fields can be broadened by switching to the composite multicomponent compounds (for example, titanates) containing in their unit cell, together with oxygen, several different metallic ions.

Alginate-Poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium Chloride (PMETAC) Immunoisolating Capsules Prolong the Viability of Pancreatic Islets In Vivo.

Background/objectives: This study focuses on the development and evaluation of novel alginate-poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (PMETAC) microcapsules for encapsulating pancreatic islets to address insulin deficiency in diabetes.

Methods: In previous research, we fabricated and characterized PMETAC microcapsules, evaluating their stability and permeability in vitro. This study further probes the capsules in vivo, focusing on the functional activity of the encapsulated islets post-transplantation, their viability extension, and the assessment of the immunoprotective, antifibrotic properties, and biostability of the capsules.

[Aberrometry in the diagnosis and treatment of keratoconus].

Keratoconus (KC) is a bilateral progressive disease that often begins in young adulthood. Advanced KC significantly impairs patients' quality of life, making early detection of the condition a critical goal for specialists. Early identification of KC greatly influences both the treatment strategy and the outcomes.

Investigation of an anticancer activity of combination of interferon-alpha and gemcitabine on pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still a clinical challenge due to its deteriorated prognosis. Therefore, new combination chemotherapeutic approaches are of research interest. In this work, we attempted to characterize the effects of gemcitabine and interferon-alpha as well as the combination of both on the metabolic, pro-apoptotic, and proliferative activity of MiaPaca and Panc-1 cells.

Probing of New Polymer-Based Microcapsules for Islet Cell Immunoisolation.

Islet allotransplantation offers a promising cell therapy for type 1 diabetes, but challenges such as limited donor availability and immunosuppression persist. Microencapsulation of islets in polymer-coated alginate microcapsules is a favored strategy for immune protection and maintaining islet viability. This study introduces Poly [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (PMETAC) as an innovative coating material for microcapsules.