Synthesis and characterization of peptide conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles for targeted cardiac uptake and drug delivery.

Congestive heart failure, a prominent cardiovascular disease results primarily from myocardial infarction or ischemia. Milrinone (MRN), a widely used clinical drug for heart failure, improves myocardial contractility and cardiac function through its inotropic and vasodilatory effects. However, lacking target specificity, it exhibits low bioavailability and lower body retention time.

Albumin Nanoparticle Formulation for Heart-Targeted Drug Delivery: In Vivo Assessment of Congestive Heart Failure.

Congestive heart failure is a fatal cardiovascular disease resulting in tissue necrosis and loss of cardiac contractile function. Inotropic drugs such as milrinone are commonly used to improve the myocardial contractility and heart function. However, milrinone is associated with severe side effects and lower circulation time.

Blink detection and magnetic force generation for correction of lagophthalmos, with specific regard to implant compatibility testing.

Purpose: The overall goal was to restore a normal and synchronous blink in unilateral lagophthalmos. We describe the biocompatibility profiling of a novel ferromagnetic implant used for electromagnetic eyelid force generation.

Methods: A non-contact blink detection system and an electromagnetic stimulation system were designed and tested.

A novel synbiotic delays Alzheimer's disease onset via combinatorial gut-brain-axis signaling in Drosophila melanogaster.

The gut-brain-axis (GBA) describing the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and brain was recently implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current study describes a novel synbiotic containing three metabolically active probiotics and a novel polyphenol-rich prebiotic which has beneficial impacts on the onset and progression of AD. In a transgenic humanized Drosophila melanogaster model of AD, the synbiotic increased survivability and motility and rescued amyloid beta deposition and acetylcholinesterase activity.

Ferulic Acid Produced by Lactobacillus fermentum Influences Developmental Growth Through a dTOR-Mediated Mechanism.

The composition and activity of the gut microbiota impacts several energy-regulating conditions including diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome; however, the specific mechanisms linking the gut microbiota with the host's energy homeostasis remain elusive. Probiotics are health-promoting bacteria that when consumed, alter the composition and/or metabolism of resident microbiota conferring health benefits. To assess the role of a specific probiotic treatment on microbiota-derived impacts on energy homeostasis in the context of development, Drosophila melanogaster larvae were orally administered the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum NCIMB 5221 or its metabolic product, ferulic acid: a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant hydroxycinnamic acid.

Longevity extension in Drosophila through gut-brain communication.

Aging and chronic disease development are multifactorial processes involving the cumulative effects of metabolic distress, inflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dynamics. Recently, variations in the gut microbiota have been associated with age-related phenotypes and probiotics have shown promise in managing chronic disease progression. In this study, novel probiotic and synbiotic formulations are shown to combinatorially extend longevity in male Drosophila melanogaster through mechanisms of gut-brain-axis communication with implications in chronic disease management.

A novel polyphenolic prebiotic and probiotic formulation have synergistic effects on the gut microbiota influencing Drosophila melanogaster physiology.

The gut microbiota is a vast community of synergistic bacterial species providing health benefits to the host. Imbalances in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) due to diet, antibiotic use, age and stress contribute to disease development including diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammaging and neurodegeneration. Fortunately, a probiotic regime with a diet rich in prebiotics may reverse dysbiosis promoting health and wellness in age.

Novel Milrinone Nanoformulation for Use in Cardiovascular Diseases: Preparation and in Vitro Characterization.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality across the globe. Over the years, various drug formulations and delivery methods have been tested for cardiac repair. Milrinone (MRN) is a widely known cardiac inotrope drug used for the treatment of congestive heart failure in patients, however, its efficacy is limited.

Microbiome, probiotics and neurodegenerative diseases: deciphering the gut brain axis.

The gut microbiota is essential to health and has recently become a target for live bacterial cell biotherapies for various chronic diseases including metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity and neurodegenerative disease. Probiotic biotherapies are known to create a healthy gut environment by balancing bacterial populations and promoting their favorable metabolic action. The microbiota and its respective metabolites communicate to the host through a series of biochemical and functional links thereby affecting host homeostasis and health.

Tailoring biomaterial surface properties to modulate host-implant interactions: implication in cardiovascular and bone therapy.

Host body response to a foreign medical device plays a critical role in defining its fate post implantation. It is thus important to control host-material interactions by designing innovative implant surfaces. In the recent years, biochemical and topographical features have been explored as main target to produce this new type of bioinert or bioresponsive implants.

Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles for Use in Cancer Drug Delivery: Process Optimization and In Vitro Characterization.

Human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSA-NPs) are widely-used drug delivery systems with applications in various diseases, like cancer. For intravenous administration of HSA-NPs, the particle size, surface charge, drug loading and release kinetics are important parameters for consideration. This study focuses on the development of stable HSA-NPs containing the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) via the emulsion-solvent evaporation method using a high-pressure homogenizer.