Amphiphilic Acrylic Nanoparticles Containing the Poloxamer Star Bayfit® 10WF15 as Ophthalmic Drug Carriers.

Topical application of drops containing ocular drugs is the preferred non-invasive route to treat diseases that affect the anterior segment of the eye. However, the formulation of eye drops is a major challenge for pharmacists since the access of drugs to ocular tissues is restricted by several barriers. Acetazolamide (ACZ) is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor used orally for the treatment of ocular hypertension in glaucoma.

Organometallic-Derived Carbon (ODC)-Metal Nano-Oxide Composites as Improved Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors.

In the search for the new generation of electrochemical energy storage materials, a novel and straightforward synthetic route for porous carbons and metal oxide nanoparticle composites based on the chlorination of the organometallic compounds Ni(CH) and Mn(CHO) at moderate temperatures, followed by hydrothermal treatment, has been developed. Electrochemical measurements in a three-electrode configuration show that, in both composites NiO@ODC and MnO@ODC, a synergistic effect between the capacitive and pseudocapacitive energy storage mechanisms is observed, thereby improving their electrochemical performance vs pure carbon materials. Electrochemical evaluation of symmetric cells gave gravimetric capacitances of 124 and 130 F g for NiO@ODC and MnO@ODC, respectively.

Versatile Graphene-Based Platform for Robust Nanobiohybrid Interfaces.

Technologically useful and robust graphene-based interfaces for devices require the introduction of highly selective, stable, and covalently bonded functionalities on the graphene surface, whilst essentially retaining the electronic properties of the pristine layer. This work demonstrates that highly controlled, ultrahigh vacuum covalent chemical functionalization of graphene sheets with a thiol-terminated molecule provides a robust and tunable platform for the development of hybrid nanostructures in different environments. We employ this facile strategy to covalently couple two representative systems of broad interest: metal nanoparticles, via S-metal bonds, and thiol-modified DNA aptamers, via disulfide bridges.

Polysaccharide Coating of Gelatin Gels for Controlled BSA Release.

Self-assembly of natural polymers constitute a powerful route for the development of functional materials. In particular, layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly constitutes a versatile technique for the nanostructuration of biobased polymers into multilayer films. Gelatin has gained much attention for its abundance, biodegradability, and excellent gel-forming properties.

Bioactive Sr(II)/Chitosan/Poly(ε-caprolactone) Scaffolds for Craniofacial Tissue Regeneration. In Vitro and In Vivo Behavior.

In craniofacial tissue regeneration, the current gold standard treatment is autologous bone grafting, however, it presents some disadvantages. Although new alternatives have emerged there is still an urgent demand of biodegradable scaffolds to act as extracellular matrix in the regeneration process. A potentially useful element in bone regeneration is strontium.

Bioactive and Bioadhesive Catechol Conjugated Polymers for Tissue Regeneration.

The effective treatment of chronic wounds constitutes one of the most common worldwide healthcare problem due to the presence of high levels of proteases, free radicals and exudates in the wound, which constantly activate the inflammatory system, avoiding tissue regeneration. In this study, we describe a multifunctional bioactive and resorbable membrane with in-built antioxidant agent catechol for the continuous quenching of free radicals as well as to control inflammatory response, helping to promote the wound-healing process. This natural polyphenol (catechol) is the key molecule responsible for the mechanism of adhesion of mussels providing also the functionalized polymer with bioadhesion in the moist environment of the human body.

Adamantane-Based Micro- and Ultra-Microporous Frameworks for Efficient Small Gas and Toxic Organic Vapor Adsorption.

Microporous organic polymers and related porous materials have been applied in a wide range of practical applications such as adsorption, catalysis, adsorption, and sensing fields. However, some limitations, like wide pore size distribution, may limit their further applications, especially for adsorption. Here, micro- and ultra-microporous frameworks (HBPBA-D and TBBPA-D) were designed and synthesized via Sonogashira⁻Hagihara coupling of six/eight-arm bromophenyl adamantane-based "knots" and alkynes-type "rod" monomers.

Active viscosupplements for osteoarthritis treatment.

Objective: Osteoarthritis is a chronic, painful and disabling disease which prevalence is increasing in developing countries. Patients with osteoarthritis present a reduced synovial fluid viscoelasticity due to a reduction in concentration and molecular weight of hyaluronic acid. Currently, the main treatment used to restore the compromised rheological properties of synovial fluid is the viscosupplementation by hyaluronic acid injections that can be combined with oral anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief.

Antioxidant Bilayers Based on PHBV and Plasticized Electrospun PLA-PHB Fibers Encapsulating Catechin.

The main objective of this work was to develop bio-based and biodegradable bilayer systems with antioxidant properties. The outer layer was based on a compression-molded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)-based material while antioxidant electrospun fibers based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) blends formed the inner active layer. In particular, PLA was blended with 25 wt% of PHB to increase the crystallinity of the fibers and reduce the fiber defects.

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid microspheres added to fixative cements and its role on bone infected architecture.

Joint prostheses are an essential element to improve quality of life. However, prostheses may fail due to several factors, including the most frequent cause, Staphylococcus aureus infection. The identification of new fixing bone cements with less reactivity on bone tissue and an adequate response to infection remains a primary challenge.

Enzymatically Cross-Linked Silk Fibroin-Based Hierarchical Scaffolds for Osteochondral Regeneration.

Osteochondral (OC) regeneration faces several limitations in orthopedic surgery, owing to the complexity of the OC tissue that simultaneously entails the restoration of articular cartilage and subchondral bone diseases. In this study, novel biofunctional hierarchical scaffolds composed of a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-cross-linked silk fibroin (SF) cartilage-like layer (HRP-SF layer) fully integrated into a HRP-SF/ZnSr-doped β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) subchondral bone-like layer (HRP-SF/dTCP layer) were proposed as a promising strategy for OC tissue regeneration. For comparative purposes, a similar bilayered structure produced with no ion incorporation (HRP-SF/TCP layer) was used.

Combining Breath Figures and Supercritical Fluids To Obtain Porous Polymer Scaffolds.

Supercritical fluids technology is a clean methodology to foam polymeric materials. However, this technique provides only the formation of inner porosity, whereas the so-called skin layer is commonly observed at the polymer surface. This article describes a new method for the preparation of outer and inner porous poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds by combination of supercritical CO (SCCO) foaming and the breath figures technique.

Pre-clinical assay of the tissue integration and mechanical adhesion of several types of cyanoacrylate adhesives in the fixation of lightweight polypropylene meshes for abdominal hernia repair.

Introduction: Lightweight (LW) polypropylene (PP) meshes better adapt to host tissue, causing less fibrosis and inflammatory responses than high-density meshes. Mesh fixation using tissue adhesives (TA) that replace conventional sutures may improve the process of hernia repair and tissue trauma. This preclinical study compares the behavior of different cyanoacrylate-based adhesives in the fixation of LW-PP meshes for hernia repair.

Synthesis and characterization of silica-chitosan hybrid materials as antibacterial coatings for titanium implants.

To avoid dental implant-related infections and to promote the osseointegration of titanium implants, the application of silicon and chitosan containing coatings is proposed. Silicon is a well-known osteogenic element and chitosan was selected to confer the antibacterial properties. The synthesis of hybrid silica-chitosan coatings using the sol-gel process is presented and the characterization using Si-NMR to verify the correct formation of the network is discussed.

α-Tocopheryl Succinate-Based Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The aim of this work is to study, in an in vitro head and neck squamous cell carcinomas model the anti-angiogenic and anti-migratory properties of self-assembled polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with demonstrated selective anticancer activity. The NPs are based on α-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) encapsulated in the hydrophobic core of the NPs. We analyzed the effect of the newly synthetized α-TOS-loaded NPs in proliferating endothelial cells and hypopharynx carcinoma squamous cells and measured markers of angiogenesis, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Chemistry below graphene: decoupling epitaxial graphene from metals by potential-controlled electrochemical oxidation.

While high-quality defect-free epitaxial graphene can be efficiently grown on metal substrates, strong interaction with the supporting metal quenches its outstanding properties. Thus, protocols to transfer graphene to insulating substrates are obligatory, and these often severely impair graphene properties by the introduction of structural or chemical defects. Here we describe a simple and easily scalable general methodology to structurally and electronically decouple epitaxial graphene from Pt(111) and Ir(111) metal surfaces.

Pro-angiogenic near infrared-responsive hydrogels for deliberate transgene expression.

Unlabelled: CuS nanoparticles (CuSNP) are degradable, readily prepared, inexpensive to produce and efficiently cleared from the body. In this work, we explored the feasibility of CuSNP to function as degradable near infrared (NIR) nanotransducers within fibrin-based cellular scaffolds. To prepare NIR-responsive CuSNP hydrogels, fibrinogen was dissolved in cell culture medium and supplemented with aqueous dispersions of CuSNP.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Smart Corrosion Protection.

Different approaches have been considered for the development of smart anticorrosive coatings by the incorporation of nanocontainers loaded with corrosion inhibitors into the protective layer. Nanocontainers are designed to allow a controlled release of the inhibitor in response to an external stimulus, thus, achieving more efficient and more economical use of the active component. In this case, a pH change is a very interesting stimulus to trigger the release because corrosion processes cause local pH changes.

On-Surface Bottom-Up Synthesis of Azine Derivatives Displaying Strong Acceptor Behavior.

On-surface synthesis is an emerging approach to obtain, in a single step, precisely defined chemical species that cannot be obtained by other synthetic routes. The control of the electronic structure of organic/metal interfaces is crucial for defining the performance of many optoelectronic devices. A facile on-surface chemistry route has now been used to synthesize the strong electron-acceptor organic molecule quinoneazine directly on a Cu(110) surface, via thermally activated covalent coupling of para-aminophenol precursors.

Osteochondral Angiogenesis and Promoted Vascularization: New Therapeutic Target.

The control of the different angiogenic process is an important point in osteochondral regeneration. Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for osteogenesis in vivo; insufficient neovascularization of bone constructs after scaffold implantation resulted in hypoxia and cellular necrosis. Otherwise, angiogenesis must be avoided in chondrogenesis; vascularization of the cartilage contributes to structural damage and pain.

Preparation of Polymeric and Composite Scaffolds by 3D Bioprinting.

Over the recent years, the advent of 3D bioprinting technology has marked a milestone in osteochondral tissue engineering (TE) research. Nowadays, the traditional used techniques for osteochondral regeneration remain to be inefficient since they cannot mimic the complexity of joint anatomy and tissue heterogeneity of articular cartilage. These limitations seem to be solved with the use of 3D bioprinting which can reproduce the anisotropic extracellular matrix (ECM) and heterogeneity of this tissue.

Fabrication of biocompatible and efficient antimicrobial porous polymer surfaces by the Breath Figures approach.

We designed and fabricated highly efficient and selective antibacterial substrates, i.e. surface non-cytotoxic against mammalian cells but exhibiting strong antibacterial activity.

Sutures versus new cyanoacrylates in prosthetic abdominal wall repair: a preclinical long-term study.

Background: As an alternative to sutures, meshes used for hernia repair can be fixed using cyanoacrylate-based adhesives. Attempts to improve these adhesives include alkyl-chain lengthening to reduce their toxicity. This preclinical study compares the long-term behavior of cyanoacrylates of different chain lengths already used in hernia repair and new ones for this application.