Search results for "Biomaterial"
showing 10 items of 1350 documents
A comparative study of mechanical properties of fresh and frozen-thawed porcine intervertebral discs in a bioreactor environment
2016
Abstract Limited availability of fresh intervertebral discs (IVDs) necessitates the use of frozen-thawed samples in biomechanical investigations. Several authors have reported the mechanical properties of frozen-thawed IVDs, but few studies have investigated the effects of storage temperature and cooling rate. The validity and reliability of the applied freezing-thawing procedures are still relatively unknown. The study aims to compare the mechanical responses of fresh porcine IVDs and porcine IVDs, which were frozen at different freezing temperatures with a controlled-rate cooling process and then thawed. The specimens were obtained from pigs aged 6 months. A total of 18 functional spine u…
Synthesis of Cuboctahedral CeO2 Nanoclusters and Their Assembly into Cuboid Nanoparticles by Oriented Attachment
2017
Here, we describe a simple approach to control the oriented attachment process through selective ligand scavenging from the {100} facets of CeO2 nanoclusters. Aggregates of these nanoclusters smaller than 10 nm with controlled shapes and exposed facets were obtained. For the synthesis of the cuboctahedral CeO2 nanoclusters, we developed a solvent-controlled synthesis approach based on a non-hydrolytic sol–gel process and used an ester aminolysis reaction to control ligand scavenging from the {100} facets. First-principle calculations allowed us to understand and interpret, at the atomic level, the effects of shape control on the synthesis. Fine-tuning of the desired morphologies can be achi…
Fabrication of quercetin and curcumin bionanovesicles for the prevention and rapid regeneration of full-thickness skin defects on mice
2013
In the present work biocompatible quercetin and curcumin nanovesicles were developed as a novel approach to prevent and restore skin tissue defects on chronic cutaneous pathologies. Stable and suitable quercetin- and curcumin-loaded phospholipid vesicles, namely liposomes and penetration enhancer-containing vesicles (PEVs), were prepared. Vesicles were made from a highly biocompatible mixture of phospholipids and alternatively a natural polyphenol, quercetin or curcumin. Liposomes were obtained by adding water, while PEVs by adding polyethylene glycol 400 and Oramix®CG110 to the water phase. Transmission electron microscopy, cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy and small- and wide-ang…
Experimental modeling of bacterially-induced Ca carbonate precipitation: new insights on possible mechanisms.
2015
The contribution of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, in carbonate mineral formation, the main natural processes controlling CO2 level in the atmosphere, has played an important role since the Archean Eon. In this study we review our recent experimental work on CaCO3 precipitation induced by two anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (APB), Rhodovulum steppense A-20sT and Rhodovulum sp. S-17-65, and by cyanobacteria Gloeocapsa sp. f-6gl. These bacteria are representatives of two important groups of photosynthetic organisms present at the Earth surface both in the past and at the present times. The mechanisms of organomineralization deriving from APB and cyanobacteria activities are drastical…
Inhalable Formulation Based on Lipid–Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles for the Macrophage Targeted Delivery of Roflumilast
2022
Here, novel lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNPs), targeted to lung macrophages, were realized as potential carriers for Roflumilast administration in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To achieve this, Roflumilast-loaded fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles, based on a polyaspartamide-polycaprolactone graft copolymer, and lipid vesicles, made from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-phosphoethanolamine-N-(polyethylene glycol)-mannose, were properly combined using a two-step method, successfully obtaining Roflumilast-loaded hybrid fluorescent nanoparticles (Man-LPHFNPs@Roflumilast). These exhibit colloidal size and a ne…
Study of electrostatic potential surface distribution of wild-type plastocyaninSynechocystissolution structure determined by homonuclear NMR
2003
Plastocyanin is a small (∼10 kDa), type I blue copper protein that works as an electron donor to photosystem I from cytochrome f in both chloroplast systems and in some strains of cyanobacteria. Comparative studies of the kinetic mechanisms of plastocyanins in different organisms show that the electron transfer from photosystem I happens by simple collision in cyanobacteria but through a intermediate transition complex in green algae and superior plants. Previous work has proved that this effect cannot be explained by structural variations across the different plastocyanins but it can be explained by differences in the electrostatic potential distribution at the protein surface. In that cas…
A DC and small signal AC model for organic thin film transistors including contact effects and non quasi static regime
2017
Abstract We present a compact model for the DC and small signal AC analysis of Organic Thin Film Transistors (OTFTs). The DC part of the model assumes that the electrical current injected in the OTFT is limited by the presence of a metal/organic semiconductor junction that, at source, acts as a reverse biased Schottky junction. By including this junction, modeled as a reverse biased gated diode at source, the DC model is able to reproduce the scaling of the electrical characteristics even for short channel devices. The small signal AC part of the model uses a transmission line approach in order to compute the impedances of the channel and parasitic regions of the device. The overlap capacit…
Auto-assembly of nanometer thick, water soluble layers of plasmid DNA complexed with diamines and basic amino acids on graphite: Greatest DNA protect…
2017
Abstract We have investigated the ability of diamines as well as basic amino acids to condense DNA onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite with minimum damage after re-dissolution in water. Based on a bibliographic survey we briefly summarize DNA binding properties with diamines as compared to basic amino acids. Thus, solutions of DNA complexed with these linkers were drop-cast in order to deposit ultra-thin layers on the surface of HOPG in the absence or presence of Tris buffer. Atomic Force Microscopy analyses showed that, at a fixed ligand-DNA mixing ratio of 16, the mean thickness of the layers can be statistically predicted to lie in the range 0–50 nm with a maximum standard deviation ±…
Tuning the pH-Switch of Supramolecular Polymer Carriers for siRNA to Physiologically Relevant pH
2017
The preparation of histidine enriched dendritic peptide amphiphiles and their self-assembly into multicomponent pH-switchable supramolecular polymers is reported. Alternating histidine and phenylalanine peptide synthons allow the assembly/disassembly to be adjusted in a physiologically relevant range of pH 5.3-6.0. Coassembly of monomers equipped with dendritic tetraethylene glycol chains with monomers bearing peripheral primary amine groups leads to nanorods with a tunable cationic surface charge density. These surface functional supramolecular polycations are able to reversibly bind short interfering RNA (siRNA). The nanorod-like supramolecular polymers, their complexation with siRNA, and…
A Polyphenylene Dendrimer Drug Transporter with Precisely Positioned Amphiphilic Surface Patches
2014
The design and synthesis of a polyphenylene dendrimer (PPD 3) with discrete binding sites for lipophilic guest molecules and characteristic surface patterns is presented. Its semi-rigidity in combination with a precise positioning of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups at the periphery yields a refined architecture with lipophilic binding pockets that accommodate defined numbers of biologically relevant guest molecules such as fatty acids or the drug doxorubicin. The size, architecture, and surface textures allow to even penetrate brain endothelial cells that are a major component of the extremely tight blood-brain barrier. In addition, low to no toxicity is observed in in vivo studies using…