Surface Coating of ZIF-8 Nanoparticles with Polyacrylic Acid: A Facile Approach to Enhance Chemical Stability for Biomedical Applications.

Nanoparticles of zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8 NPs), which are the subclass of metal-organic frameworks consisting of Zn ion and 2-methylimidazole, have been identified as promising drug carriers since their large microporous structure is suited for encapsulating hydrophobic drug molecules. However, one of the limitations of ZIF-8 NPs is their low stability in physiological solutions, especially in the presence of water and phosphate anions. These molecules can interact with the coordinatively unsaturated Zn sites at the external surface to induce the degradation of ZIF-8 NPs.

Comparing and linking the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment in the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort.

Objectives: We aimed to compare and link the total scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), two common global cognitive screeners.

Methods: 2,325 memory clinic patients (63.2 ± 8.

Visual associative learning to detect early episodic memory deficits and distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other types of dementia.

Objective: We investigated how well a visual associative learning task discriminates Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia from other types of dementia and how it relates to AD pathology.

Methods: 3,599 patients (63.9 ± 8.

Recent advance in self-assembled polymeric nanomedicines for gaseous signaling molecule delivery.

Gaseous signaling molecules such as nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H S) have recently been recognized as essential signal mediators that regulate diverse physiological and pathological processes in the human body. With the evolution of gaseous signaling molecule biology, their therapeutic applications have attracted growing attention. One of the challenges in translational research of gaseous signaling molecules is the lack of efficient and safe delivery systems.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Triggered Hydrogen Sulfide Release and Cancer-Selective Antiproliferative Effect of Anethole Dithiolethione-Containing Polymeric Micelles.

Hydrogen sulfide (H S) is a gaseous signaling molecule in the human body and has attracted attention in cancer therapy due to its regulatory roles in cancer cell proliferation and migration. Accumulating evidence suggests that continuous delivery of H S to cancer cells for extended periods of time suppresses cancer progression. However, one major challenge in therapeutic applications of H S is its controlled delivery.

Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation.

Biologists have long attempted to understand the relationship between phenotype and genotype. To better understand this connection, it is crucial to develop practical technologies that couple microscopic cell screening with cell isolation at high purity for downstream genetic analysis. Here, the use of photodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for screening and isolation of bacteria with unique growth phenotypes from heterogeneous cell populations is described.

Thioether-Based Polymeric Micelles with Fine-Tuned Oxidation Sensitivities for Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery.

Oxidation-sensitive drug delivery systems (DDSs) have attracted attention due to the potential to improve efficacy and safety of chemotherapeutics. These systems are designed to release the payload in response to oxidative stress conditions, which are associated with many types of cancer. Despite extensive research on the development of oxidation-sensitive DDS, the lack of selectivity toward cancer cells over healthy cells remains a challenge.

Hydrogen sulfide-releasing micelles for promoting angiogenesis.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS), an important gaseous signalling molecule in the human body, has been shown to be involved in many physiological processes such as angiogenesis. Since the biological activities of HS are known to be significantly affected by the dose and exposure duration, the development of HS delivery systems that enable control of HS release is critical for exploring its therapeutic potential. Here, we prepared polymeric micelles with different HS release profiles, which were prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of a hydrophilic poly(-acryloyl morpholine) segment and a hydrophobic segment containing HS-releasing anethole dithiolethione (ADT) groups.

Photodegradable Hydrogels for Rapid Screening, Isolation, and Genetic Characterization of Bacteria with Rare Phenotypes.

Screening mutant libraries (MLs) of bacteria for strains with specific phenotypes is often a slow and laborious process that requires assessment of tens of thousands of individual cell colonies after plating and culturing on solid media. In this report, we develop a three-dimensional, photodegradable hydrogel interface designed to dramatically improve the throughput of ML screening by combining high-density cell culture with precision extraction and the recovery of individual, microscale colonies for follow-up genetic and phenotypic characterization. ML populations are first added to a hydrogel precursor solution consisting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) -nitrobenzyl diacrylate and PEG-tetrathiol macromers, where they become encapsulated into 13 μm thick hydrogel layers at a density of 90 cells/mm, enabling parallel monitoring of 2.

On Demand Release and Retrieval of Bacteria from Microwell Arrays Using Photodegradable Hydrogel Membranes.

Microwell arrays are important tools for studying single cell behavior and cell-cell interactions, both in microbial and mammalian systems. However, retrieval of cells from microwell arrays with high spatial precision remains a major technical hurdle that prevents follow-up genetic and phenotypic characterization of cells within observed microwells. This work describes a new, material-based approach to grow and retrieve live bacterial cells from small (≥20 μm diameter) microwells in an array using the plant pathogen as a model bacterium.

Hydrogen sulfide donor micelles protect cardiomyocytes from ischemic cell death.

Hydrogen sulfide, an important gaseous signaling molecule in the human body, is known to protect cardiomyocytes from ischemia, a condition characterized by insufficient oxygen supply to the cells. Here we show that a nanosized HS donor micelle releases HS intracellularly and prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis in an in vitro ischemia model.

Data in support of preparation and functionalization of a clickable polycarbonate monolith.

This data article provides supplementary figures to the research article entitled, "Phase separation approach to a reactive polycarbonate monolith for "click" modifications" (Xin et al., Polymer, 2015, doi:10.1016/j.

Polymeric Framboidal Nanoparticles Loaded with a Carbon Monoxide Donor via Phenylboronic Acid-Catechol Complexation.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an essential gaseous signaling molecule in the human body. Toward the controlled delivery of CO to the target tissues or cells, nanomaterial-based CO donors have attracted growing attention. Here, we present CO-releasing polymeric nanoparticles (CONPs) prepared by simple mixing of phenylboronic acid-containing framboidal nanoparticles with the catechol-bearing CO-donor Ru(CO)3Cl(L-DOPA) via phenylboronic acid-catechol complexation.

Furoxan-Bearing Micelles for Nitric Oxide Delivery.

Furoxans, or 1,2,5-oxadiazole-N-oxides, are a class of nitric oxide (NO)-donating compounds that release NO in response to thiol-containing molecules. In this study, polymeric micelles bearing furoxan moieties are prepared from an amphiphilic block copolymer consisting of a hydrophobic furoxan-bearing block and a hydrophilic poly(N-acryloylmorpholine) block. The block copolymer is prepared using a combination of the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and the copper-catalyzed Huisgen cycloaddition techniques.

Back Cover: Macromol. Biosci. 11/2015.

Back Cover: The micellar prodrugs of desmethyl anethole dithiolethione (ADT-OH) with different hydrolysis rates prepared from block copolymers having ADT-OH linked via an ester bond using glycine and isoleucine linkers are presented. Micelles having a glycine linker inhibit proliferation of cancer cells. Further details can be found in the article by U.

The behavioural/dysexecutive variant of Alzheimer's disease: clinical, neuroimaging and pathological features.

A 'frontal variant of Alzheimer's disease' has been described in patients with predominant behavioural or dysexecutive deficits caused by Alzheimer's disease pathology. The description of this rare Alzheimer's disease phenotype has been limited to case reports and small series, and many clinical, neuroimaging and neuropathological characteristics are not well understood. In this retrospective study, we included 55 patients with Alzheimer's disease with a behavioural-predominant presentation (behavioural Alzheimer's disease) and a neuropathological diagnosis of high-likelihood Alzheimer's disease (n = 17) and/or biomarker evidence of Alzheimer's disease pathology (n = 44).

Hydrolysis-Sensitive Dithiolethione Prodrug Micelles.

Prodrug micelles carrying 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (ADT-OH), a compound possessing chemopreventive properties, are prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers linking ADT-OH via an ester bond using glycine (PAM-PGlyADT) and isoleucine linkers (PAM-PIleADT). The release of ADT-OH from the PAM-PIleADT micelles is much slower than the PAM-PGlyADT micelles. The PAM-PGlyADT micelles show comparable toxicity with ADT-OH in different cancer cell lines, whereas the PAM-PIleADT micelles are not toxic up to 400 µM.

Early onset APOE E4-negative Alzheimer's disease patients show faster cognitive decline on non-memory domains.

Age at onset and APOE E4-genotype have been shown to influence clinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated rate of decline in specific cognitive domains according to age at onset and APOE E4-genotype in patients with AD. 199 patients with probable AD underwent at least two annual neuropsychological assessments.

The identification of cognitive subtypes in Alzheimer's disease dementia using latent class analysis.

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a heterogeneous disorder with complex underlying neuropathology that is still not completely understood. For better understanding of this heterogeneity, we aimed to identify cognitive subtypes using latent class analysis (LCA) in a large sample of patients with AD dementia. In addition, we explored the relationship between the identified cognitive subtypes, and their demographical and neurobiological characteristics.