Search results for "plastic"

Multifunctional Cationic PeptoStars as siRNA Carrier: Influence of Architecture and Histidine Modification on Knockdown Potential.

2019

RNA interference provides enormous potential for the treatment of several diseases, including cancer. Nevertheless, successful therapies based on siRNA require overcoming various challenges, such as poor pharmacokinetic characteristics of the small RNA molecule and inefficient cytosolic accumulation. In this respect, the development of functional siRNA carrier systems is a major task in biomedical research. To provide such a desired system, the synthesis of 3-arm and 6-arm PeptoStars is aimed for. The different branched polypept(o)idic architectures share a stealth-like polysarcosine corona for efficient shielding and a multifunctional polylysine core, which can be independently varied in s…

Tackling the Limitations of Copolymeric Small Interfering RNA Delivery Agents by a Combined Experimental–Computational Approach

2019

Despite the first successful applications of nonviral delivery vectors for small interfering RNA in the treatment of illnesses, such as the respiratory syncytial virus infection, the preparation of a clinically suitable, safe, and efficient delivery system still remains a challenge. In this study, we tackle the drawbacks of the existing systems by a combined experimental-computational in-depth investigation of the influence of the polymer architecture over the binding and transfection efficiency. For that purpose, a library of diblock copolymers with a molar mass of 30 kDa and a narrow dispersity (Đ1.12) was synthesized. We studied in detail the impact of an altered block size and/or compos…

Identification and Evaluation of Hazardous Pyrolysates in Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane-Polyisocyanurate Foam Smoke

2021

In this study, rigid polyurethane (PU) and polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam samples made from renewable material (tall oil fatty acid) based polyols were analyzed by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to obtain information about the full relative smoke content, with a focus on substance identification by their functional groups and hazardousness. The relative content of gaseous products produced during the thermal degradation was evaluated between the two samples, differenced by their assigned isocyanate (NCO) index value—150 and 300. The main thermal degradation components of the rigid PU-PIR foam were found to originate from the decomposition of isocyanate, primarily for…

N6 -Methyladenosine Modification in Chronic Stress Response Due to Social Hierarchy Positioning of Mice

2021

Appropriately responding to stressful events is essential for maintaining health and well-being of any organism. Concerning social stress, the response is not always as straightforward as reacting to physical stressors, e.g., extreme heat, and thus has to be balanced subtly. Particularly, regulatory mechanisms contributing to gaining resilience in the face of mild social stress are not fully deciphered yet. We employed an intrinsic social hierarchy stress paradigm in mice of both sexes to identify critical factors for potential coping strategies. While global transcriptomic changes could not be observed in male mice, several genes previously reported to be involved in synaptic plasticity, l…

Etnopopulismo

2006

The molecular profiling of solid tumors by liquid biopsy: a position paper of the AIOM–SIAPEC-IAP–SIBioC–SIC–SIF Italian Scientific Societies

2021

The term liquid biopsy (LB) refers to the use of various biological fluids as a surrogate for neoplastic tissue to achieve information for diagnostic, prognostic and predictive purposes. In the current clinical practice, LB is used for the identification of driver mutations in circulating tumor DNA derived from both tumor tissue and circulating neoplastic cells. As suggested by a growing body of evidence, however, there are several clinical settings where biological samples other than tissue could be used in the routine practice to identify potentially predictive biomarkers of either response or resistance to targeted treatments. New applications are emerging as useful clinical tools, and o…

PBAT Based Composites Reinforced with Microcrystalline Cellulose Obtained from Softwood Almond Shells

2021

This study explores the processability, mechanical, and thermal properties of biocompostable composites based on poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) as polymer matrix and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) derived from softwood almond (Prunus dulcis) shells (as-MCC) as filler at two different weight concentration, i.e., 10 wt% and 20 wt%. The materials were processed by melt mixing and a commercial MCC (c-MCC) was used as filler comparison. The fibrillar shape of as-MCC particles was found to change the rheological behavior of PBAT, particularly at the highest concentration. The melt mixing processing allowed obtaining a uniform dispersion of both kinds of fillers, slightly reduci…

Improvement of the photo-stability of polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene through carbon nanotubes

2015

Abstract The photo-stability of Polystyrene-Polybutadiene-Polystyrene (SBS) based nanocomposites containing bare multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanotubes bearing carboxylic functional groups (CNTs-COOH) in comparison to that of pristine SBS has been studied. The photo-oxidation of pristine SBS occurs through crosslinking reactions and oxidized species formation and both these processes begin at early stage of exposure. The formation of crosslinking, formerly in polybutadiene phase, assessed by spectroscopical (FTIR), mechanical, dynamic mechanical and rheological analysis, leads to occurrence of internal mechanical stresses in the solid state and the SBS samples become prem…

Triblock SEBS/DVB crosslinked and sulfonated membranes: Fuel cell performance and conductivity

2021

[EN] A set of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) membranes with 10 or 25 wt.% divinyl-benzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent were prepared and validated. Physicochemical characterization revealed suitable hydrolytic and thermal stability of photo-crosslinked membranes containing 25%wt. DVB and post-sulfonated. These compositions were evaluated in H2/O2 single cells, and electrical and proton conductivities were furtherly assessed. The membranes with the milder post-sulfonation showed greater proton conductivity than those with excessive sulfonation. In terms of electrical conductivity, a universal power law was applied, and the values obtained were low enough for bei…

Effect of the dissolution time into an acid hydrolytic solvent to tailor electrospun nanofibrous polycaprolactone scaffolds

2017

[EN] The hydrolysis of the polycaprolactone (PCL) as a function of the dissolution time in a formic/acetic acid mixture was considered as a method for tailoring the morphology of nanofibrous PCL scaffolds. Hence the aim of this research was to establish a correlation between the dissolution time of the polymer in the acid solvent with the physicochemical properties of the electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds and their further service life behaviour. The physico-chemical properties of the scaffolds were assessed in terms of fibre morphology molar mass and thermal behaviour. A reduction of the molar mass and the lamellar thickness as well as an increase of the crystallinity degree were observed …