A synthetic route to amphiphilic conetwork (APCN) gels was developed and involved (1) a ring-opening polymerization (ROP) synthesis of the macromonomer HEMA-PLLA/PDLA, and (2) a radical polymerization of a stereocomplex of the synthesized macromonomers with P(MEOMA--OEGMA) to form the APCN gels. The structure of the gel was successfully verified using X-ray diffraction. Thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry data showed that the thermal behaviors of the gels were greatly improved compared with that of polylactic acid (PLA). The mechanical properties of the gels were measured by using a dynamic viscometer, and the results indicated a greater mechanical strength before swelling than afterwards, and an increasing strength of the gels with increasing amount of PLA stereocomplex. Gels placed in different aqueous phases at different temperatures showed different swelling ratio (SR) values. Specifically, the SR gradually decreased as the temperature was increased, indicating a temperature sensitivity of the gels. In addition, the gels placed in the aqueous and organic phases presented as hydrogels and hydrophobic gels, respectively, and their SR values were relatively low. These results indicated the amphiphilic nature of the gel, and indicated great application prospects for the gel in biomedicine.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d0ra01790f | DOI Listing |
Int Ophthalmol
January 2025
University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Eye Center, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
Purpose: To analyze levels of salivary steroids, including 17-OH-progesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, cortisol, cortisone, progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol, in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients.
Methods: Acute CSCR patients and healthy individuals were included in this observational case-control study. Levels of salivary steroids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710004, Xi'an, China.
Blood clots (BCs) play a crucial biomechanical role in promoting osteogenesis and regulating mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function and fate. This study shows that BC formation enhances MSC osteogenesis by activating Itgb1/Fak-mediated focal adhesion and subsequent Runx2-mediated bone regeneration. Notably, BC viscoelasticity regulates this effect by modulating Runx2 nuclear translocation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Oleo Sci
January 2025
Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University.
Near-infrared wavelength-selective soft actuators have attracted much attention for applications in microsystems in bioliving. It is desirable for the photothermal conversion materials in the actuators to be downsized to the molecular scale. However, in conventional actuator materials using copolymer gels composed of thermosensitive and photothermal conversion molecule-coordinated monomers, the strong cross-linking of molecules in the networks impairs the actuator deformation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNucleic Acids Res
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3958, United States.
Growth in the development of engineered polymerases for synthetic biology has led to renewed interest in assays that can measure the fidelity of polymerases that are capable of synthesizing artificial genetic polymers (XNAs). Conventional approaches require purifying the XNA intermediate of a replication cycle (DNA → XNA → DNA) by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which is a slow, costly, and inefficient process that requires a large-scale transcription reaction and careful extraction of the XNA strand from the gel slice. In an effort to streamline the assay, we developed a purification-free approach in which the XNA transcription and reverse transcription steps occur inside the matrix of a hydrogel-coated magnetic particle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoft Matter
January 2025
Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Av. P. H. Rolfs, s/n, 36570-900 Viçosa, Brazil.
We introduce a generalization of the Kelvin-Voigt model in order to include and characterize heterogeneities in viscoelastic semisolid materials. By considering a microrheological approach, we present analytical expressions for the mean square displacement and for the time-dependent diffusion coefficient of probe particles immersed in a viscoelastic material described by this model. Besides validating our theoretical approach through Brownian dynamics simulations, we show how the model can be used to describe experimental data obtained for polyacrylamide and LAPONITE® gels.
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