Dual-functional antibiofilm polymer composite for biodegradable medical devices.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) represent one of the most common problem within the urological disorders, and it is mainly caused by biofilm formation which leads to bacterial infection. Anti-adhesion and antibacterial agents are two primary mechanisms to prevent biofilm formation; however, current strategies are insufficiently effective. In this study, we developed an effective antibiofilm biodegradable polymer with high biocompatibility.

Assembly and Detachment of Hyaluronic Acid on a Protein-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticle.

The assembly-disassembly of hyaluronic acid (HA) with a bovine serum albumin-conjugated gold nanoparticle (BSA-AuNP) was demonstrated using a gas-phase electrophoresis approach, electrospray-differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA). Physical sizes, number and mass concentrations, and degrees of aggregation of HA, BSA, and AuNP were successfully quantified using ES-DMA hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was employed complementarily for an orthogonal characterization of the assembly of HA with BSA-AuNP and the subsequent HA detachment.

Rapid trace element analysis of microgram soft materials with cryogenic milling and laser ablation spectroscopy.

Trace element analysis of soft materials, to determine the content of low concentration elements, is important in many industries such as food quality control and medical biopsy analysis. Many of these applications would benefit from faster analysis with smaller sample requirements. Further, some natural samples are soft and have high water content, which brings challenges to element analysis.

Design of photocurable, biodegradable scaffolds for liver lobule regeneration via digital light process-additive manufacturing.

The regeneration of damaged or lost tissue is considered to be a critical step toward realizing full organ regeneration in modern medicine. Although surgical techniques continue to advance, treatment for missing tissues in irregular wounds remains particularly difficult. With increasing interest in the application of additive manufacturing in tissue engineering, the fabrication of customized scaffolds for the regeneration of missing tissue via three-dimensional (3D) printing has become especially promising.

Study of Physical and Degradation Properties of 3D-Printed Biodegradable, Photocurable Copolymers, PGSA--PEGDA and PGSA--PCLDA.

As acrylated polymers become more widely used in additive manufacturing, their potential applications toward biomedicine also raise the demand for biodegradable, photocurable polymeric materials. Polycaprolactone diacrylate (PCLDA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) are two popular choices of materials for stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing additive manufacturing (DLP-AM), and have been applied to many biomedical related research. However, both materials are known to degrade at a relatively low rate in vivo, limiting their applications in biomedical engineering.

Enhancing Boron Uptake in Brain Glioma by a Boron-Polymer/Microbubble Complex with Focused Ultrasound.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a promising radiotherapy for treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, the penetration of drugs (e.g.

Laser-pattern induced contact guidance in biodegradable microfluidic channels for vasculature regeneration.

The direct cell control by surface topographic patterns in the micrometer and nanometer range has been proven to be important for the maintenance of tissue structures. This study presents the application of direct laser writing to fabricate micro-gratings on the biodegradable material 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate (APS). The 193 nm excimer laser is applied to form microgrooves with widths of 2 to 10 μm and depths of 400 to 2884 nm.

Direct Micromachining of Microfluidic Channels on Biodegradable Materials Using Laser Ablation.

Laser patterning on polymeric materials is considered a green and rapid manufacturing process with low material selection barrier and high adjustability. Unlike microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), it is a highly flexible processing method, especially useful for prototyping. This study focuses on the development of polymer surface modification method using a 193 nm excimer laser system for the design and fabrication of a microfluidic system similar to that of natural vasculatures.

Effects of silver nanoparticles on the interactions of neuron- and glia-like cells: Toxicity, uptake mechanisms, and lysosomal tracking.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are commonly used nanomaterials in consumer products. Previous studies focused on its effects on neurons; however, little is known about their effects and uptake mechanisms on glial cells under normal or activated states. Here, ALT astrocyte-like, BV-2 microglia and differentiated N2a neuroblastoma cells were directly or indirectly exposed to 10 nm AgNPs using mono- and co-culture system.

Development of biomimetic micro-patterned device incorporated with neurotrophic gradient and supportive Schwann cells for the applications in neural tissue engineering.

In these years, the artificial nerve guidance conduit (NGC) has been developed as an alternative way to repair peripheral nerve injury. Unlike autologous nerve graft, the artificial NGC without proper stimulating factors and guidance cues still cannot obtain satisfactory prognosis for clinical patients. In this study, a biodegradable polymer-based implantable device has been developed and characterized.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting efficiency of hematite electrodes with aqueous metal ions as in situ homogenous surface passivation agents.

Passivation of surface states is known to reduce the onset photocurrent potential by removing the Fermi level pinning effect at the Helmholtz layer and enhance the photocurrent plateau by suppressing recombination loss in the space charge region. We report for the first time that metal ions can effectively passivate surface states in situ that improves the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of hematite electrodes. Among metal ions studied, Cr(iii), Mn(ii), Fe(ii), Co(ii), Cu(ii) and Zn(ii) were found to enhance the photocurrent by 30-300%; whereas photocurrent density significantly dropped by 90% in Ni(ii) solution after 90 min of illumination.

Indirect effects of TiO2 nanoparticle on neuron-glial cell interactions.

Although, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are nanomaterials commonly used in consumer products, little is known about their hazardous effects, especially on central nervous systems. To examine this issue, ALT astrocyte-like, BV-2 microglia and differentiated N2a neuroblastoma cells were exposed to 6 nm of 100% anatase TiO2NPs. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was pre-treated to activate glial cells before NP treatment for mimicking NP exposure under brain injury.

Element distribution over the surface of fish scales and its connection to the geochemical environment of habitats: a potential biogeochemical tag.

The elemental content of fish scales is known to be a reliable biogeochemical tag for tracing the origin of fishes. In this study, this correlation is further confirmed to exist on the surface of fish scales using a novel environmental analytical method, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), which bypasses several complicated sample preparation procedures such as acid digestion and pre-concentration. The results suggest that the elemental ratios of Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, and Mn/Ca on the surface of fish scales are strongly correlated with the geochemical environment of their original habitat.

Effect of interactions between Co(2+) and surface goethite layer on the performance of α-FeOOH coated hollow fiber ceramic ultrafiltration membranes.

The consideration of water energy nexus inspires the environmental engineering community to pursue a more sustainable strategy in the wastewater treatment. One potential response would be to enhance the performance of the low-pressure driven filtration system. To reach this objective, it is essential to have a better understanding regarding the surface interaction between the target substance and the surface of membrane.

Trojan-horse mechanism in the cellular uptake of silver nanoparticles verified by direct intra- and extracellular silver speciation analysis.

The so-called "Trojan-horse" mechanism, in which nanoparticles are internalized within cells and then release high levels of toxic ions, has been proposed as a behavior in the cellular uptake of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). While several reports claim to have proved this mechanism by measuring AgNPs and Ag ions (I) in cells, it cannot be fully proven without examining those two components in both intra- and extracellular media. In our study, we found that even though cells take up AgNPs similarly to (microglia (BV-2)) or more rapidly than (astrocyte (ALT)) Ag (I), the ratio of AgNPs to total Ag (AgNPs+Ag (I)) in both cells was lower than that in outside media.

CO₂ uptake performance and life cycle assessment of CaO-based sorbents prepared from waste oyster shells blended with PMMA nanosphere scaffolds.

In this paper, we demonstrate a means of simultaneously solving two serious environmental issues by reutilization of calcinated mixture of pulverized waste oyster shells blending with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanospheres to prepare CaO-based sorbents for CO2 capture. After 10 cycles of isothermal carbonation/calcination at 750°C, the greatest CO2 uptake (0.19 g CO2/g sorbent) was that for the sorbent featuring 70 wt% of PMMA, which was almost three times higher than that (0.

Influence of sodium halides (NaF, NaCl, NaBr, NaI) on the photocatalytic performance of hydrothermally synthesized hematite photoanodes.

It has been suggested that a high concentration of Fe(3+) in solution, a low pH, and noncomplexing ions of high ionic strength are all essential for developing a high-quality hematite array. Our curiosity was piqued regarding the role of the electrolyte ions in the hydrothermal synthesis of hematite photoanodes. In this study, we prepared hematite photoanodes hydrothermally from precursor solutions of 0.

Spatial distributions of inorganic elements in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and possible relationships to dietary habits and surrounding environmental pollutants.

In this study, the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was adopted to determine the distribution of inorganic elements, including Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, S, P, Pb, and Zn, in honeybees (Apis melifera L.). Two features are particularly noteworthy.

The in vivo biodistribution and fate of CdSe quantum dots in the murine model: a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry study.

Understanding the cytotoxicity of quantum dots strongly relies upon the development of new analytical techniques to gather information about various aspects of the system. In this study, we demonstrate the in vivo biodistribution and fate of CdSe quantum dots in the murine model by means of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). By comparing the hot zones of each element acquired from LA-ICP-MS with those in fluorescence images, together with hematoxylin and eosin-stained images, we are able to perceive the fate and in vivo interactions between quantum dots and rat tissues.

Using dried-droplet laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to quantify multiple elements in whole blood.

This paper describes a simple procedure for the direct analysis and determination of multiple elements in dried blood samples on a filter membrane using laser ablation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). With this technique, we simultaneously quantified 13 elements in whole blood: Be, Mn, Co, Ni, Tl, Bi, Sb, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ba, Mg, and Cd. The measured accuracies was in agreement with the Seronorm CRM certified values, except for Mn, Zn, Ba and Cd, which presented absolute differences higher than the expanded uncertainty for these elements.

Using laser ablation/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to bioimage multiple elements in mouse tumors after hyperthermia.

In this study, we employed laser ablation/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to map the spatial distribution of Gd-doped iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in one tumor slice that had been subjected to magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH). The mapping results revealed the high resolution of the elemental analysis, with the distribution of Gd atoms highly correlated with that of the Fe atoms. The spatial distributions of C, P, S, and Zn atoms revealed that the effect of MFH treatment was significantly dependent on the diffusion of the magnetic fluid in the tissue.

Lead determination in whole blood by laser ablation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

This work describes a simple procedure for blood lead level determination. The proposed method requires little sample pretreatment and subsequent direct analysis of a dried blood spot on a filter membrane using laser ablation coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). In general, LA-ICP-MS studies are somewhat limited by the lack of matrix-matched standards for calibration purposes.