Fabrication of fiber-particle structures by electrospinning/electrospray combination as an intrinsic antioxidant and oxygen-releasing wound dressing.

In this study, we employed a combination of electrospinning and electrospray techniques to fabricate wound dressings with a particle-fiber structure, providing dual characteristics of oxygen-releasing and intrinsic antioxidant properties, simultaneously. The electrospun part of the dressing was prepared from a blend of polycaprolactone/gallic acid--gelatin (GA--GE), enabling intrinsic ROS scavenging. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that PCL/GA--GE was fabricated by electrospinning.

Potential use of a bone tissue engineering scaffold based on electrospun poly (ɛ-caprolactone) - Poly (vinyl alcohol) hybrid nanofibers containing modified cockle shell nanopowder.

Today, the construction of scaffolds promoting the differentiation of stem cells is an intelligent innovation that accelerates the differentiation toward the target tissue. The use of calcium and phosphate compounds is capable of elevating the precision and efficiency of the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In this research, osteoconductive electrospun poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) - poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds containing modified cockle shell (CS) nanopowder were prepared and investigated.

Improvement of Intracellular Interactions through Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Scaffolds by the Alteration of Topology.

Preparation of inherently bioactive scaffolds has become a challenging issue owing to their complicated synthesis and nonrobust modified cell-actuating property. Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs), due to their combined specialties of liquid crystals and elastomers as well as their ability to respond to various kinds of stimuli, have reversibly led to the design of a new class of stimuli-responsive tissue-engineered scaffolds. In this line, in the first stage of this research work, synthesis and evaluation of acrylate-based LCE films (LCE) encompassing mesogenic monomers are carried out.

Green synthesis of chitosan/polyacrylic acid/graphitic carbon nitride nanocarrier as a potential pH-sensitive system for curcumin delivery to MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

A novel pH-sensitive nanocarrier containing chitosan (CS), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) was designed via water/oil/water (W/O/W) emulsification to administer curcumin (CUR) drug. g-CN nanosheets with a high surface area and porous structure were produced via simple one-step pyrolysis process using thiourea as precursor, and incorporated into CS/PAA hydrogel. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to assess the crystalline structure of the nanocarrier and the interactions between its components, respectively.

Investigation and multiscale modeling of PVA/SA coated poly lactic acid scaffold containing curcumin loaded layered double hydroxide nanohybrids.

Applying hydrophilic coatings on polymeric nanofibers combined with layered double hydroxide (LDH) not only enhances the efficiency of drug delivery systems but also increases cell adhesion. This work aimed to prepare poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate (PVA/SA) (2/1)-coated poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers containing curcumin-loaded layered double hydroxide (LDH) and to investigate their drug release and mechanical properties and their biocompatibility. The optimum PLA nanofibrous sample was considered to be that based on 3 wt% of curcumin-loaded LDH (PLA-3%LDH) with a drug encapsulation efficiency of ∼18% in which a minimum average nanofiber diameter of ∼476 nm along with a high tensile strength of 3.

Synthesis, Solvatochromism and Fluorescence Quenching Studies of Naphthalene Diimide Dye by Nano graphene oxide.

A naphthalene diimide dye with two side amine arm was prepared. Uv-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques are used for their photophysical and solvatochromic characteristics in different solvents. The Lippert-Mataga plot for naphthalene diimide demonstrated a negative linear dependence by increasing polarity.

Lawsonia inermis-loaded poly (L-lactide-co-D, L-lactide) nanofibers for healing acceleration of burn wounds.

This study aimed to develop a new bioactive wound dressing based on electrospun poly (L-lactide-co-D, L-lactide) (PLDLLA) nanofibers containing Lawsonia inermis (LI) for burn wounds. The SEM results showed that loading LI increased the average diameter of PLDLLA nanofibers to 528 nm with smooth and beadless morphology. The analysis of LI release from PLDLLA nanofibers and film samples was measured by UV-vis spectrophotometry, and the obtained results revealed that LI molecules could diffuse from the nanofibrous sample with higher rate than film during 48 h.

Kiwi extract-incorporated poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/cellulose acetate blend nanofibers for healing acceleration of burn wounds.

Kiwi extract (KE) including different components such as quercetin, vitamins C and E, and actinides has been known as a debridement agent for burn wounds. In this study, electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/cellulose acetate blend nanofibers incorporating KE (PCL/CA/KE) were prepared and their performance was evaluated for healing acceleration of burn wounds. The physicochemical characterization of PCL/CA/KE nanofibers showed an average diameter of ∼420 nm, porosity of 70%, water contact angle of 61°, and water uptake of ∼220%.

A Novel Approach for Development of Intraocular Biodegradable Ranibizumab Implant: A Solution for Stability of Protein Activity.

Ranibizumab is a monoclonal antibody fragment, targeting all isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a protein involved in angiogenesis. It is used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and diabetic macular edema (DME), which are associated with blindness worldwide. However, proper treatment can decrease the loss of vision in about 90% of patients.

Ovarian Cell Encapsulation in an Enzymatically Crosslinked Silk-Based Hydrogel with Tunable Mechanical Properties.

An artificial ovary is a promising approach for preserving fertility in prepubertal girls and women who cannot undergo current cryopreservation strategies. However, this approach is in its infancy, due to the possible challenges of creating a suitable 3D matrix for encapsulating ovarian follicles and stromal cells. To maintain the ovarian stromal cell viability and proliferation, as a first step towards developing an artificial ovary, in this study, a double network hydrogel with a high water swelling capacity (swelling index 15-19) was developed, based on phenol conjugated chitosan (Cs-Ph) and silk fibroin (SF) through an enzymatic crosslinking method using horseradish peroxidase.

Conductive conduit based on electrospun poly (l-lactide-co-D, l-lactide) nanofibers containing 4-aminopyridine-loaded molecularly imprinted poly (methacrylic acid) nanoparticles used for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Using biocompatible polymer nanofibrous conduits with a controlled drug delivery have attracted much attention for peripheral nerve regeneration. This work was aimed at preparing electrospun poly (l-lactide-co-D, l-lactide) (PLDLLA) containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-loaded molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MIP) as well as evaluating their performance in in vitro and in vivo assessments. After synthesis of MIP based on poly (methacrylic acid) with imprinting factor of 1.

Osteogenesis enhancement using poly (l-lactide-co-d, l-lactide)/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofibrous scaffolds reinforced by phospho-calcified cellulose nanowhiskers.

Electrospun poly (l-lactide-co-d, l-lactide) (PLDLLA)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers were reinforced by various contents (0-1 wt%) of phospho-calcified cellulose nanowhiskers (PCCNWs) as scaffolds in bone applications. The hydrophilicity and rate of hydrolytic degradation of PLDLLA were improved by introducing 10 wt% of PVA. PCCNWs with inherent hydrophilic properties, high aspect ratio, and large elastic modulus enhanced the hydrophilicity, accelerated the rate of degradation, and improved the mechanical properties of the nanofibrous samples.

Microfluidic-based synthesized carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles containing metformin for diabetes therapy: In vitro and in vivo assessments.

This work was aimed to synthesize novel crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (CMCS NPs) containing metformin hydrochloride (MET) using microfluidics (MF) and evaluate their performance for diabetes therapy. The field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images and dynamic light scattering (DLS) results showed that the NPs average size was 77 ± 19 nm with a narrow size distribution. They exhibited a high encapsulation efficiency (∼90 %) and the controlled drug release while crosslinking using CaCl.

Enhanced osteogenesis using poly (l-lactide-co-d, l-lactide)/poly (acrylic acid) nanofibrous scaffolds in presence of dexamethasone-loaded molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles.

The aim of this work is to prepare nanofibrous scaffolds based on poly (l-lactide-d, l-lactide)/poly (acrylic acid) [PLDLLA/PAAc] blends in the presence of Dexamethasone [Dexa]-loaded poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [HEMA] as molecular imprinted polymer [MIP] nanoparticles [NPs] for enhancing osteogenesis. By adding 10 wt% of PAAc to the PLDLLA and employing response surface methodology, the average diameter of the electrospun nanofibers is approximately 237 nm. To increase the osteogenesis performance of the optimized nanofibrous scaffolds, the MIP nanoparticles are synthesized using HEMA monomer and Dexa template with a molar ratio of 10 to 1.

Microfluidic-Assisted Preparation of 5-Fluorouracil-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles as a Potential System for Colorectal Cancer Therapy.

This work aims at fabricating 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) using a microfluidic (MF) technique, with potential for use in colorectal cancer therapy. In order to achieve 5-FU-loaded NPs with an average diameter of approximately 119 nm, the parameters of MF process with fork-shaped patterns were adjusted as follows: the ratio of polymer to drug solutions flow rates was equal to 10 and the solution concentrations of PLGA as carrier, 5-FU as anti-cancer drug and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as surfactant were 0.2 (% w/v), 0.

Using FeO-coated nanofibers based on cellulose acetate/chitosan for adsorption of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and phenol from aqueous solutions.

This work aims at investigating FeO-coated nanofibers based on cellulose acetate (CA) and chitosan (CS) for adsorption of Cr(VI), Ni(II), and phenol from aqueous solutions. The synthesized FeO nanoparticles (NPs), and the modified nanofibrous adsorbents are characterized by using FTIR and FE-SEM analyses. The optimum conditions for independent parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial concentration of the adsorbates on the maximum removal of Cr(VI), Ni(II), and phenol are evaluated using the samples with and without FeO NPs.

Antibacterial nanofibers based on poly(l-lactide--d, l-lactide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) used in wound dressings potentially: a comparison between hybrid and blend properties.

Morphology, hydrophilicity, degradation, mechanical properties, drug release, bacterial resistance, and cell viability are indispensable parameters for a bioactive wound dressing. In this work, the aforementioned terms between hybrid and blend nanofibrous samples based on poly (L-lactide--D, L-lactide) (PLDLLA) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) containing triclosan (Tri) as an antibacterial drug were investigated. The FE-SEM images showed that the presence of Tri in the hybrid and blend samples led to bimodal, and unimodal diameter size distributions.

Microfluidics combined with ionic gelation method for production of nanoparticles based on thiol-functionalized chitosan to adsorb Hg (II) from aqueous solutions.

This work aimed at producing nanoparticles (NPs) based on thiol-functionalized chitosan (CS) using capillary microfluidic (MF) device combined with ionic gelation method to adsorb mercury ion [Hg (II)] from aqueous solutions. In this line, CS was functionalized with epichlorohydrin/cysteaminium chloride (2.73 M ratio) followed by fabricating NPs via MF and bulk mixing (BM) methods.

Performance evaluation of poly (l-lactide-co-D, l-lactide)/poly (acrylic acid) blends and their nanofibers for tissue engineering applications.

Poly (l-lactide-co-D, l-lactide) (PLDLLA) is a biodegradable polymer predominantly used in biomedical applications. Despite unprecedented characteristics of PLDLLA, its wettability, mechanical properties, degradation, and cell attachment are main issues to improve. In this work, different blend films based on PLDLLA/poly (acrylic acid) (PAAc) are prepared to evaluate their miscibility, hydrophilicity, hydrolytic degradation and mechanical properties.

On-Chip Preparation of Streptokinase Entrapped in Chitosan Nanoparticles Used in Thrombolytic Therapy Potentially.

The objective of this work was to prepare the streptokinase (SK) entrapped in chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) using bulk mixing (BM) and microfluidic (MF) techniques. The physicochemical properties of the samples were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering analysis for optimizing CS and SK solution concentrations as well as pH values. The obtained results showed that CS NPs fabricated using MF chip have the most uniform morphology, spherical shape, and average diameter of 67 ± 13 nm along with a narrow polydispersity.

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun laminin-functionalized silk fibroin/poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibrous scaffolds for peripheral nerve regeneration.

The peripheral nerve regeneration is still one of the major clinical problems, which has received a great deal of attention. In this study, the electrospun silk fibroin (SF)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated and functionalized their surfaces with laminin (LN) without chemical linkers for potential use in the peripheral nerve tissue engineering. The morphology, surface chemistry, thermal behavior and wettability of the scaffolds were examined to evaluate their performance by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements, respectively.

Microfluidic-aided fabrication of nanoparticles blend based on chitosan for a transdermal multidrug delivery application.

The aim of this work was to provide a microfluidic-aided fabrication of nanoparticles based on chitosan/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/cellulose laurate [CS/P(NIPAAm-co-AAc/CL] blend for transdermal multidrug delivery applications. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) results showed that the diameter sizes of samples were in the range from 200 to 300nm along with a narrow size distribution. Also, the CS-based nanoparticles containing tretinoin and clindamycin phosphate prepared using microfluidic technique exhibited a sustained control release of the drugs as well as minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations compared to the samples fabricated via bulk mixing method.

Optimizing computed tomography simulation wait times in a busy radiation medicine program.

Purpose: An audit was conducted of patient schedules for computed tomography simulation (CT-Sim) scans within the Radiation Medicine Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to investigate opportunities for improved efficiencies, enhancing process, reducing rescanning rates, and decreasing wait times.

Methods And Materials: A 3-phased approach was undertaken to evaluate the current practice in the CT-Sim facility with a view toward implementing improvements. The first phase involved a review and assessment of the validity of current guidelines and protocols associated with 16 different disease sites.

Drug release, cell adhesion and wound healing evaluations of electrospun carboxymethyl chitosan/polyethylene oxide nanofibres containing phenytoin sodium and vitamin C.

In this work, N, O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) samples from virgin chitosan (CS) were synthesised and CMCS/polyethylene oxide (PEO) (50/50) blend nanofibrous samples were successfully electrospun from their aqueous solution. The electrospinning conditions to achieve smooth and fine diameter nanofibrous mats were optimised via D-optimal design approach. Afterwards, vitamin C and phenytoin sodium (PHT-Na) were added to these samples for producing wound dressing materials.

The microRNA-218~Survivin axis regulates migration, invasion, and lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide. In the present study, global microRNA profiling for 79 cervical cancer patient samples led to the identification of miR-218 down-regulation in cervical cancer tissues compared to normal cervical tissues. Lower miR-218 expression was associated significantly with worse overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and pelvic/aortic lymph node recurrence.