Inflammation-Targeted Biomimetic Nano-Decoys via Inhibiting the Infiltration of Immune Cells and Effectively Delivering Glucocorticoids for Enhanced Multiple Sclerosis Treatment.

Excessive infiltration of neutrophil and inflammatory cytokines accumulation as well as the inadequate delivery of drugs to the targeted site are key pathological cascades in multiple sclerosis (MS). Herein, inflammation-targeting biomimetic nano-decoys (TFMN) is developed that inhibit the infiltration of immune cells and effectively deliver glucocorticoids to lesions for enhanced MS treatment. Nano-decoys encapsulated with the glucocorticoid methylprednisolone (MPS) are prepared by coating neutrophil membrane (NM) on nanoparticles formed by the self-assembly of tannic acid and poloxamer188/pluronic68.

Ultrasonic liquid exfoliation for producing graphene materials from rice stem: Investigating cellular components and functionalities.

This study investigates a prospective and straightforward method for producing graphene material derived from biomass, examining the influence of plant cell composition and functions. The experimental outcomes highlight ultrasound's crucial role in synthesizing graphene material sourced from biomass. Ultrasound, a pivotal element in the experiment, significantly affects graphene production from biomass by working synergistically with the liquid components in the solvent system.

The COVID-19 Vaccines: Recent Development, Challenges and Prospects.

The highly infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated with the pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread to become a global pandemic. At present, the world is relying mainly on containment and hygiene-related measures, as well as repurposed drugs to control the outbreak. The development of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for the world to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, and a collective global effort has been invested into protection against SARS-CoV-2.

Carbodiimide coupling versus click chemistry for nanoparticle surface functionalization: A comparative study for the encapsulation of sodium cholate by cellulose nanocrystals modified with β-cyclodextrin.

Grafting beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) onto cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with the formation of well-dispersed nanoparticles (CNC-CD) and understanding their physicochemical properties are appealing but still challenging in controlled-release applications. Two immobilization methods were proposed and examined in this study; (i) copper (I) catalyzed click chemistry (CuACC) and (ii) carbodiimide coupling. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis, elementary analysis, contact angle measurements, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to elucidate the surface modifications.

Probiotic Supplements: Hope or Hype?

Probiotic bacteria have been associated with various health benefits and included in overwhelming number of foods. Today, probiotic supplements are consumed with increasing regularity and record a rapidly growing economic value. With billions of heterogeneous populations of probiotics per serving, probiotic supplements contain the largest quantity of probiotics across all functional foods.