Natural Cellulose Fibers for Surgical Suture Applications.

Suture biomaterials are critical in wound repair by providing support to the healing of different tissues including vascular surgery, hemostasis, and plastic surgery. Important properties of a suture material include physical properties, handling characteristics, and biological response for successful performance. However, bacteria can bind to sutures and become a source of infection.

Polymer-Scaffolded Synthesis of Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanomaterials for Delivery Systems in Cancer Cells.

We developed four types of -phenylene-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica NPs (-P PMO NPs) with tailored physical parameters including size, morphology, porosity, and surface area using a new polymer-scaffolding approach. The particles have been formulated to facilitate the codelivery of small-molecule hydrophobic/hydrophilic cargos such as model anticancer drugs (i.e.

Degradation of pesticides using amine-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals.

A series of amine-functionalized cellulose nanocrystal materials were successfully synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for the remediation of pesticide contaminants from organic and aqueous media. Their ability to degrade malathion in organic systems has been examined, resulting in up to 100% degradation of the compound into detectable lower molecular weight by-products. A poly(ethylenimine) cellulose nanocrystal (CNC-PEI) material was also capable of degrading aqueous solutions of malathion, deltamethrin, and permethrin with 100%, 95%, and 78% degradation, respectively.

Optimization of fermentation of Fomes fomentarius extracellular polysaccharide and antioxidation of derivatized polysaccharides.

Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugars into acids, gases, or alcohol. This process occurs in yeasts and bacteria, as well as in muscle cells when faced with a lack of oxygen. In this paper, isolation, culture, purification and extracellular polysaccharides of strain Fomes fomentarius were studied.

Microbiologically Induced Carbonate Precipitation in the Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage Materials.

Microbiologically induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a well-known biogeochemical process that allows the formation of calcium carbonate deposits in the extracellular environment. The high concentration of carbonate and calcium ions on the bacterial surface, which serves as nucleation sites, promotes the calcium carbonate precipitation filling and binding deteriorated materials. Historic buildings and artwork, especially those present in open sites, are susceptible to enhanced weathering resulting from environmental agents, interaction with physical-chemical pollutants, and living organisms, among others.

Sugar-Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Selenide Semiconductor Nanocrystals under Ultrasound Irradiation.

Silver selenide (AgSe) is a promising nanomaterial due to its outstanding optoelectronic properties and countless bio-applications. To the best of our knowledge, we report, for the first time, a simple and easy method for the ultrasound-assisted synthesis of AgSe nanoparticles (NPs) by mixing aqueous solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO) and selenous acid (HSeO) that act as Ag and Se sources, respectively, in the presence of dissolved fructose and starch that act as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. The concentrations of mono- and polysaccharides were screened to determine their effect on the size, shape and colloidal stability of the as-synthesized AgSe NPs which, in turn, impact the optical properties of these NPs.

Soluble nitrogen forms in sand soil of Pallag: a quantitative report.

Nitrogen (N) is a crop macronutrient of major importance, which affects both plant growth and yield. In this paper we discuss the humus content (%) and various soluble N forms (NO , total N, nitrate-N, ammonium-N, and organic nitrogen) available in humus sand soil samples originating from the Pallag Experimental Station of Horticulture at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. We found 45.

Radioactive polymeric nanoparticles for biomedical application.

Nowadays, emerging radiolabeled nanosystems are revolutionizing medicine in terms of diagnostics, treatment, and theranostics. These radionuclides include polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), liposomal carriers, dendrimers, magnetic iron oxide NPs, silica NPs, carbon nanotubes, and inorganic metal-based nanoformulations. Between these nano-platforms, polymeric NPs have gained attention in the biomedical field due to their excellent properties, such as their surface to mass ratio, quantum properties, biodegradability, low toxicity, and ability to absorb and carry other molecules.

Diversity and evolutionary dynamics of spore-coat proteins in spore-forming species of Bacillales.

Among members of the Bacillales order, there are several species capable of forming a structure called an endospore. Endospores enable bacteria to survive under unfavourable growth conditions and germinate when environmental conditions are favourable again. Spore-coat proteins are found in a multilayered proteinaceous structure encasing the spore core and the cortex.

Biomedical Science to Tackle the COVID-19 Pandemic: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

The coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic emerged at the end of 2019, and was caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has resulted in an unprecedented health and economic crisis worldwide. One key aspect, compared to other recent pandemics, is the level of urgency, which has started a race for finding adequate answers. Solutions for efficient prevention approaches, rapid, reliable, and high throughput diagnostics, monitoring, and safe therapies are needed.

Radioactive gold nanocluster (198-AuNCs) showed inhibitory effects on cancer cells lines.

Cancer is a global epidemic disease responsible for over ten millions death worldwide. The early diagnosis and the precise treatment with reduced adverse reactions are the main goal worldwide. In this study, we produced, characterized and evaluated ( in three different cancer cell lines (protaste, breast and melanoma) a radioactive gold nanocluster (R-AuNC) (Au25(Capt)18).

Effects of Supplementation on Body Weight and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in -Challenged Chickens.

Due to the interest in using probiotic bacteria in poultry production, this research was focused on evaluating the effects of Biocenol CCM 7514 administration on body weight gain and cytokine gene expression in chickens challenged with . One-hundred and eight 1-day old COBB 500 broiler chickens were equally assigned to four experimental groups at random. In the control group (C) chicks were left untreated, whereas in groups LB and LBCj a suspension of was administered.

The Role of Brain Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) Beyond Neuroinflammation: Neuronal Homeostasis in Memory and Anxiety.

Cyclooxygenases are a group of heme-containing isozymes (namely Cox-1 and Cox-2) that catalyze the conversion of arachidonic acid to largely bioactive prostaglandins (PGs). Cox-1 is the ubiquitous housekeeping enzyme, and the mitogen-inducible Cox-2 is activated to cause inflammation. Interestingly, Cox-2 is constitutively expressed in the brain at the postsynaptic dendrites and excitatory terminals of the cortical and spinal cord neurons.

Strategies for High Grafting Efficiency of Functional Ligands to Lipid Nanoemulsions for RGD-Mediated Targeting of Tumor Cells .

Lipid nanoemulsions (LNEs) are promising nanocarriers for delivering high payloads of lipophilic molecules. Nonetheless, the dynamic nature at their aqueous interfaces results in poor surface chemistry and thus ligand functionalization can be challenging. Herein, two independent strategies, postconjugation and preconjugation, were explored to prepare LNEs grafted covalently with model ligands, fluorescein dye and RGD peptide, respectively.

In Vivo Biosynthesis of Inorganic Nanomaterials Using Eukaryotes-A Review.

Bionanotechnology, the use of biological resources to produce novel, valuable nanomaterials, has witnessed tremendous developments over the past two decades. This eco-friendly and sustainable approach enables the synthesis of numerous, diverse types of useful nanomaterials for many medical, commercial, and scientific applications. Countless reviews describing the biosynthesis of nanomaterials have been published.

A vascular-liver chip for sensitive detection of nutraceutical metabolites from human pluripotent stem cell derivatives.

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) is a great resource for generating cell derivatives for drug efficiency testing. Metabolites of nutraceuticals can exert anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessels. However, the concentration of nutraceutical metabolites produced in hPSC-derived hepatocytes (hPSC-HEPs) is usually low.

Diversity and Evolutionary Dynamics of Antiphage Defense Systems in Species Complex.

Over the years, many researchers have reported a great diversity of bacteriophages infecting members of the species complex (RSSC). This diversity has driven bacterial evolution by leading the emergence and maintenance of bacterial defense systems to combat phage infection. In this work, we present an study of the arsenal of defense systems that RSSC harbors and their evolutionary history.

Microcrystalline Cellulose Extracted from Native Plants as an Excipient for Solid Dosage Formulations in Drug Delivery.

Excipients represent the complement of the active principle in any pharmaceutical form. Their function is to provide stability, protection, and to ensure absorption of the drug and acceptability in patients. Cellulose is a conventional excipient in many pharmaceutical solid dosage products.

Special Issue: Biogenic Nanomaterials: Versatility and Applications.

Greener processes have emerged as serious and competitive routes to produce various nanomaterials [...

Multigenic engineering of the chloroplast genome in the green alga .

The chloroplast of microalgae such as represents an attractive chassis for light-driven production of novel recombinant proteins and metabolites. Methods for the introduction and expression of transgenes in the chloroplast genome (=plastome) of are well-established and over 100 different proteins have been successfully produced. However, in almost all reported cases the complexity of the genetic engineering is low, and typically involves introduction into the plastome of just a single transgene together with a selectable marker.

Cellulose particles capture aldehyde VOC pollutants.

Aldehydes are commonly encountered Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) released to the atmosphere from a variety of anthropogenic sources. Based on the increasing interest in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly materials for the decontamination of VOCs, cellulose particles have emerged as one possible candidate, but there is a lack of understanding of the physicochemical properties affecting the adsorption of VOCs, and the effect of the extraction source on these intrinsic features. The present study was focused on the evaluation of unmodified cellulose particles extracted from biodiverse sources in Ecuador as potential VOC decontaminants.

Peptide Phage Display: Molecular Principles and Biomedical Applications.

Phage display (PD) is a technology based on the presentation of functional exogenous peptides on the capsid surface of bacteriophages. PD is performed by introducing a DNA sequence of interest at a specific position within a functional viral gene. In addition, peptide phage libraries are powerful tools for expressing a wide range of random peptides and for specific peptide screening.

Iodinated Polyesters with Enhanced X-ray Contrast Properties for Biomedical Imaging.

Synthetic materials exhibiting contrast imaging properties have become vital to the field of biomedical imaging. However, polymeric biomaterials are lacking imaging contrast properties for deep tissue imaging. This report details the synthesis and characterization of a suite of aryl-iodo monomers, which were used to prepare iodinated polyesters using a pre-functionalization approach.

Lycopene used as Anti-inflammatory Nanodrug for the Treatment of Rheumathoid Arthritis: Animal assay, Pharmacokinetics, ABC Transporter and Tissue Deposition.

Lycopene is a carotenoid drug that has demonstrated several properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The absorption in human body is very low (10-30 % only). In order to increase the bioavailability, lycopene nanoemulsion was formulated and characterized (atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis dynamic light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry).

Administration Modulates Cytokine Expression and Lymphocyte Subpopulation Levels in Broiler Chickens Challenged with .

This investigation was performed to assess the supplementation of probiotics on cytokine expression and lymphocyte subpopulation in challenged chickens. Thirty-six individuals were equally separated into four experimental treatments: C = untreated chickens, LB = probiotic control (), Cc = -challenged control, LBCc = probiotic + Cc. All chicks were slaughtered and cecum samples were collected on day 4 postinfection.