•A possibility to detect whole Tuberculosis bacteria by SPR technique has been studied.•POC SPR device has been designed and built.•The SPR device was proven to work as it detected bacteria both in ...cultures and sputum samples.
Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the important causes of death worldwide. Its detection is challenging and new tools for TB diagnostics are highly needed. In this work, we investigated a possibility of using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon in detection of TB bacteria in sputum. For this purpose we designed a portable SPR apparatus. We compared its performance with a standard desktop SPR platform designed to work in laboratory by measuring response to Ag85 – TB secretory protein. We examined samples of suspended Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures and sputum samples of TB patients. The device was able to detect M. tuberculosis secretory protein (Ag85) in concentration of 10 ng/ml which was comparable to the desktop SPR equipment. It has been also able to detect TB bacteria cultures in concentration of 1*104 cfu/ml with no significant interfering response from two other bacteria species. Finally, detection of bacteria in sputum of confirmed tuberculosis patients has been demonstrated.
The presented paper is a review on electro-hydro-dynamic atomization (electrospray) applied in the production of drug eluting particles and fibers. In the first part EHDA technology is briefly ...described including all the practical aspects concerning process stability, reactor design, prediction of droplet size, particle drying process and particle collection as well as different derivatives of EHDA technique as applied in drug delivery and drug microencapsulation. Also a novel vertical type of reactor for particle production by EHDA is presented. In the second part particular applications of EHDA in drug encapsulation and delivery which are published in the literature are described and characterized.
This article presents a non-complex method of producing biodegradable polylactide (PLA) fiber mats containing Al
2
O
3
-Ag nanopowder which display strong antimicrobial activities against
E.coli
and
...S. lutea
. The method of preparing fiber mats was electrospinning. This article also gathers the results of the analysis of morphology and mechanical properties of both the Al
2
O
3
nanopowder and the PLA-Al
2
O
3
/Ag fiber mats. The examination of the Al
2
O
3
nanopowder was conducted with the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface area measurements (BET). The morphology of the PLAAl
2
O
3
/Ag fiber mats was examined using SEM and TEM. The results of the study confirm the great potential of the electrospun PLA-Al
2
O
3
/Ag fiber mats for antibacterial application.
One of the contemporary challenges for cardiovascular tissue engineers is to design hemocompatible biomaterials that promote neo-tissue formation. Despite many years of intensive research materials ...used to fabricate synthetic implants still cause clot formation in the bloodstream, which can have fatal consequences for the patient. Currently, the most promising strategy to fabricate non-thrombogenic materials is covering the implant surface with a layer of endothelial cells. Endothelial cells can be applied onto the synthetic implant before the procedure (in vitro endothelialization) or can be recruited from the bloodstream and the surrounding areas (in situ endothelialization).
In the presented work, a method to modify polyurethane surface is proposed. The surface-modified materials are designed to selectively promote endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation. The modification is based on three-step process: surface activation, introduction of spacer and coupling of peptide to the spacer molecule. Colorimetric assays confirmed the successful incorporation of the proper functional groups after each modification step. As a modifying peptide we decided to use peptides containing REDV sequence, which has been proved to promote ECs adhesion and proliferation. In order to confirm the successful incorporation of peptides and visualize their surface distribution a set of materials with fluorescence stained peptides was prepared and analyzed with fluorescence microscopy. The number of HUVEC adhered to REDV-modified materials was significantly higher compared to the number of cells adhered to the non-modified polyurethane.
PLA fibrous mats containing nanoalumina filler were fabricated by electrospinning method. The morphology of the mats was characterized by SEM, and TEM. In vitro biocompatibility of the electrospun ...fiber mats was also evaluated. Indirect cytotoxicity evaluation of the fiber mats with human skin fibroblasts revealed that the materials were non-toxic to living cells. The cells cultured on the fibrous mat exhibited normal cells shapes and were integrated well with surrounding fibers. The obtained results confirmed the potential for use of the electrosupun PLA/Al
2
O
3
fiber mats for biomedical application.
We have designed, constructed, and tested a system that pre-selects the biological fraction of airborne particles from the overall aerosol. The preselection is based on fluorescence emission excited ...by a continuous 266 nm laser beam. This beam is one of two cw beams used to measure the aerodynamic particle size of sampled particles. The intention in our system is that single particles, based on size and fluorescence emission, can be selected and further examined for chemical composition by mass spectrometry.
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•Polyvinylpyrrolidone hydrogels have been grafted to polylactide materials.•Hydrogel layer has been applied to flat 2D foils and 3D printed scaffolds.•Cytotoxicity and equilibrium ...water contents of hydrogels have been evaluated.•Established hydrogel grafting works differently on 3D structure than on flat surfaces.
The aim of this work was to elaborate the 3D printed polylactide (PLA) polymeric scaffolds and, subsequently, study the possibility of coating thereof with a biomedical polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel through the previously patented protocol. Such materials have a potential to be applied in biomedical engineering, e.g. for tissue regeneration. PVP layer according to the present paper could constitute a useful biocompatible supporting layer for drug delivering implant surfaces of any shape. Polylactide (PLA) both in forms of flat foils and 3D-printed scaffolds was used to be coated with PVP layer with the Fenton-type reaction that enables the polymeric scaffold grafting with hydrogel in two easy steps. The study revealed that PVP was successfully grafted to PLA substrates. Most optimal parameters for PVP grafting process were selected. The PLA-PVP materials were found to be hydrophilic and non-toxic which is promising considering their biomedical application. The method comprising well-tested PLA scaffolds printing and then grafting them with PVP layer has a promising potential to be brought in to the industrial production due to its simplicity.
Combating infectious diseases caused by influenza virus is a major challenge due to its resistance to available drugs and vaccines, side effects, and cost of treatment. Nanomedicines are being ...developed to allow targeted delivery of drugs to attack specific cells or viruses.
In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) functionalized with amino groups and loaded with natural prodrugs of shikimic acid (SH), quercetin (QR) or both were explored as a novel antiviral nanoformulations targeting the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. Also, the immunomodulatory effects were investigated in vitro tests and anti-inflammatory activity was determined in vivo using the acute carrageenan-induced paw edema rat model.
Prodrugs alone or the MSNs displayed weaker antiviral effects as evidenced by virus titers and plaque formation compared to nanoformulations. The MSNs-NH
-SH and MSNs-NH
-SH-QR2 nanoformulations displayed a strong virucidal by inactivating the H5N1 virus. They induced also strong immunomodulatory effects: they inhibited cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) and nitric oxide production by approximately 50% for MSNs-NH
-SH-QR2 (containing both SH and QR). Remarkable anti-inflammatory effects were observed during in vivo tests in an acute carrageenan-induced rat model.
Our preliminary findings show the potential of nanotechnology for the application of natural prodrug substances to produce a novel safe, effective, and affordable antiviral drug.
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