Cell-repellent polyampholyte for conformal coating on microstructures.

Repellent coatings are critical for the development of biomedical and analytical devices to prevent nonspecific protein and cell adhesion. In this study, prevelex (polyampholytes containing phosphate and amine units) was synthesized for the fine coating of microdevices for cell culture. The dip-coating of the prevelex on hydrophobic substrates altered their surfaces to be highly hydrophilic and electrically neutral.

Relationship between the radiation doses at nonenhanced CT studies using different tube voltages and automatic tube current modulation during anthropomorphic phantoms of young children.

To compare the radiation dose and image noise of nonenhanced CT scans performed at 80, 100, and 120 kVp with tube current modulation (TCM) we used anthropomorphic phantoms of newborn, 1-year-old, and 5-year-old children. The noise index was set at 12. The image noise in the center of the phantoms at the level of the chest and abdomen was measured within a circumscribed region of interest.

Chemoenzyamtic synthesis and self-assembling gelation behavior of amylose-grafted poly(γ-glutamic acid).

In this study, we investigated chmemoenzymatic synthesis of amylose-grafted poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) as a new artificial saccharide-peptide conjugate composed of two biological macromolecules. Maltooligosaccharide as a primer of enzymatic polymerization by phosphorylase catalysis was first introduced on the PGA main chain by the condensation reaction using the condensing agent in NaOH aq. Thermostable phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate (G-1-P) as a monomer was then performed from the primer chain ends of the product to obtain amylose-grafted PGAs, which formed hydrogels in reaction media depending on the G-1-P/primer feed ratios.

Biosynthesis of Drug Glucuronide Metabolites in the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Glucuronidation is one of the most common pathways in mammals for detoxification and elimination of hydrophobic xenobiotic compounds, including many drugs. Metabolites, however, can form active or toxic compounds, such as acyl glucuronides, and their safety assessment is often needed. The absence of efficient means for in vitro synthesis of correct glucuronide metabolites frequently limits such toxicological analyses.