Designing Polyelectrolyte Microneedles Based on Borylated Poly(β-aminoester) Polymers To Enhance Transdermal pH-Controlled Delivery of Nucleic Acids.

The use of transdermal delivery for nucleic acid administration is an interesting approach to overcoming limitations of systemic administration routes, such as first-pass effects, the painful needle injection, or their poor biodistribution. Thus, the use of a microneedle-based patch could represent a turning point for nucleic acid delivery, thanks to the possibility of self-administration of the actives in a painless and easy procedure. However, the design of transdermal systems with a higher degree of precision release is a clear need that has not been fully resolved.

Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Conjugated with Amikacin and Combined with Hyperthermia against Drug-Resistant and Biofilm-Producing Strains.

In view of the current increase and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need to find new strategies to combat it. This study had two aims. First, we synthesized highly monodispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of approximately 17 nm, and we functionalized them with mercaptopoly(ethylene glycol) carboxylic acid (mPEG-COOH) and amikacin (AK).

Plasma-induced nanostructured metallic silver surfaces: study of bacteriophobic effect to avoid bacterial adhesion on medical devices.

Biofilm formation in medical devices represents one of the major problems for the healthcare system, especially those that occur on implantable silicone-based devices. To provide a general solution to avoid biofilm formation in the first stages of development, this work studied how nanostructured metallic silver coatings hinder bacteria-surface interaction by preventing bacteria adhesion. The three studied silver nanostructures ("Sharp blades", "Thick blades" and "Leaves") combined superhydrophobic behavior with a physical impediment of the coating nanostructure that produced a bacteriophobic effect avoiding the adhesion mechanism of different bacterial strains.

Specially Designed Polyaniline/Polypyrrole Ink for a Fully Printed Highly Sensitive pH Microsensor.

pH sensing for healthcare applications requires sensors with mechanically stable materials of high sensitivity and high reproducibility combined with low-cost fabrication technologies. This work proposes a fully printed pH sensor based on a specially formulated conducting polymer deposited on a microelectrode in a flexible substrate. A formulation, which combined polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy) with integrated polyelectrolyte poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), was specially prepared to be printed by inkjet printing (IJP).

Analytical Parameters of a Novel Glucose Biosensor Based on Grafted PFM as a Covalent Immobilization Technique.

Bioanalytical methods, in particular electrochemical biosensors, are increasingly used in different industrial sectors due to their simplicity, low cost, and fast response. However, to be able to reliably use this type of device, it is necessary to undertake in-depth evaluation of their fundamental analytical parameters. In this work, analytical parameters of an amperometric biosensor based on covalent immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) were evaluated.

Study of the Human Albumin Role in the Formation of a Bacterial Biofilm on Urinary Devices Using QCM-D.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common health care-associated infections due to rapid bacterial colonization+ and biofilm formation in urinary catheters. This behavior has been extensively documented in medical devices. However, there is a few literature works on CAUTI providing a model that allows the exhaustive study of biofilm formation in a urinary environment.

Allylamine PECVD Modification of PDMS as Simple Method to Obtain Conductive Flexible Polypyrrole Thin Films.

In this paper, we report a one-step method to obtain conductive polypyrrole thin films on flexible substrates. To do this, substrates were modified through allylamine plasma grafting to create a high amount of reactive amine groups on PDMS surface. These groups are used during polypyrrole particle synthesis as anchoring points to immobilize the polymeric chains on the substrate during polymerization.

Extended 2,2'-Bipyrroles: New Monomers for Conjugated Polymers with Tailored Processability.

The synthesis of 2,2'-bipyrroles substituted at positions 5,5' with pyrrolyl, -methyl-pyrrolyl and thienyl groups and their application in the preparation of conducting polymers is reported herein. The preparation of these monomers consisted of two synthetic steps from a functionalized 2,2'-bipyrrole: Bromination of the corresponding 2,2'-bipyrrole followed by Suzuki or Stille couplings. These monomers display low oxidation potential compared to pyrrole because of the extended length of their conjugation pathway.

Stretchable conductive polypyrrole films modified with dopaminated hyaluronic acid.

In this paper, we report the modification of polypirrole (PPy) with dopaminated hyaluronic acid (HADA). This design improves PPy adhesion onto stretchable materials such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) allowing the formation of conducting films on this kind of very flexible, hydrophobic materials. The results revealed that described PPy modification allows to obtain stable PPy:HADA nano-suspension able to cast films directly on PDMS.