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Topic Review
Elastomer–Hydrogel Systems
Elastomers are a class of polymeric materials that can repeatedly and easily undergo large, reversible deformations with complete recovery. They are usually composed of long-chain molecules, extremely flexible due to their ability to reconfigure themselves and dissipate an applied force. Hydrogels (HGs) are macromolecular structures consisting of polymer networks with the ability to absorb water without any dissolution. By applying sophisticated design and engineering methods, various elastomer–hydrogel systems (EHS) with outstanding performance have been developed. These systems composed of elastomers and hydrogels are very attractive due to their high biocompatibility, injectability, controlled porosity and often antimicrobial properties. Moreover, their elastomeric properties and bioadhesiveness are making them suitable for soft tissue engineering.
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Electrochemical Biosensor
Electrochemical Biosensor can be used to detect low concentrations of analytes.
  • 1.7K
  • 22 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Silicon Nitride
Silicon nitride is a ceramic material with unique properties. These properties strongly encourage the use of monolithic silicon nitride and coatings as contemporary and future biomaterial for a variety of medical applications including spinal, orthopedic and dental implants, bone grafts and scaffolds, platforms for intelligent synthetic neural circuits, antibacterial and antiviral particles and coatings, optical biosensors, and nano-photonic waveguides for sophisticated medical diagnostic devices.
  • 1.7K
  • 17 May 2021
Topic Review
AIE-Active Photosensitizers
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive approach for tumor elimination that is attracting more and more attention due to the advantages of minimal side effects and high precision. In typical PDT, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from photosensitizers play the pivotal role, determining the efficiency of PDT. However, applications of traditional PDT were usually limited by the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect of the photosensitizers employed. Fortunately, photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE-active photosensitizers) have been developed with biocompatibility, effective ROS generation, and superior absorption, bringing about great interest for applications in oncotherapy.
  • 1.7K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Entropy-Enthalpy Compensations Fold Proteins
 we reveal a protein-folding mechanism based on the entropy-enthalpy compensations that initially driven by laterally hydrophobic collapse among the side-chains of adjacent residues in the sequences of unfolded protein chains. This hydrophobic collapse promotes the formation of the H-bonds within the polypeptide backbone structures through the entropy-enthalpy compensation mechanism, enabling secondary structures and tertiary structures to fold reproducibly following explicit physical folding codes and forces. The temperature dependence of protein folding is thus attributed to the environment dependence of the conformational Gibbs free energy equation. The folding codes and forces in the amino acid sequence that dictate the formation of β-strands and α-helices can be deciphered with great accuracy through evaluation of the hydrophobic interactions among neighboring side-chains of an unfolded polypeptide from a β-strand-like thermodynamic metastable state. The folding of protein quaternary structures is found to be guided by the entropy-enthalpy compensations in between the docking sites of protein subunits according to the Gibbs free energy equation that is verified by bioinformatics analyses of a dozen structures of dimers. Protein folding is therefore guided by multistage entropy-enthalpy compensations of the system of polypeptide chains and water molecules under the solution conditions. 
  • 1.7K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Quercetin
Quercetin (QRC) is a flavonoid belonging to a group of plant-derived nonsteroidal compounds called phytoestrogens. It is a polyphenol-based molecule and it is widely distributed in many vegetables, fruits, seed, grains, and also in tea and wine.
  • 1.7K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Raman and Fluorescence Enhancement Approaches
The search for novel platforms and metamaterials for the enhancement of optical and particularly Raman signals is still an objective since optical techniques offer affordable, noninvasive methods with high spatial resolution and penetration depth adequate to detect and image a large variety of systems, from 2D materials to molecules in complex media and tissues. Plasmonic platforms produce the most efficient enhancement through the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) process, allowing to reach single molecule detection, and are the most studied ones. The formation of hot-spots is clue to obtain the maximum enhancements but has counterparts regarding reproducibility and homogeneity, which are required for quantification and imaging. Other light enhancement mechanisms such as resonant and interference Raman scattering, as well as their combinations with SERS are being explored. Fluorescence enhancement platforms and strategies, so important for bio-detection and imaging, are also being developed. Graphene and related materials have an important role to play in the design of the platforms.    
  • 1.7K
  • 16 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Natural Polymers
Repeated and arranged polymer molecular units are present in some animal and plant biomass. They behave as fossil-based polymeric materials and are called natural polymers. The natural polymers that were extracted from different biomass resources are classified based on the resources used. They are present in animals and plants as protein macromolecules of amino acids bonded by peptides or as polysaccharide macromolecules of monosaccharides bonded by glycosidic bonds or as lipid–long chain hydrocarbon molecules containing a carboxylic acid moiety.
  • 1.7K
  • 31 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Chitosan/Graphene Oxide Composite Films
The healing of wounds is still one of the challenging clinical problems for which an efficient and fast treatment is needed. Therefore, recent studies have created a new generation of wound dressings which can accelerate the wound healing process with minimum side effects. Chitosan, a natural biopolymer, is an attractive candidate for preparing biocompatible dressings. The biodegradability, non-toxicity and antibacterial activity of chitosan have made it a promising biopolymer for treating wounds. Graphene oxide has also been considered by researchers as a non-toxic, inexpensive, and biocompatible material for wound healing applications. This review discusses the potential use of chitosan/graphene oxide composite films and their application in wound dressing and drug delivery systems. 
  • 1.7K
  • 02 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Graphene-Based Implantable Electrodes for Neural Recording/Stimulation
Implantable electrodes represent a groundbreaking advancement in nervous system research, providing a pivotal tool for recording and stimulating human neural activity. This capability is integral for unraveling the intricacies of the nervous system’s functionality and for devising innovative treatments for various neurological disorders. Implantable electrodes offer distinct advantages compared to conventional recording and stimulating neural activity methods. Crucially, the development of implantable electrodes necessitates key attributes: flexibility, stability, and high resolution. Graphene emerges as a highly promising material for fabricating such electrodes due to its exceptional properties. It boasts remarkable flexibility, ensuring seamless integration with the complex and contoured surfaces of neural tissues. 
  • 1.7K
  • 18 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Synthetic Polymers
Unlike natural polymers, the chemical composition, functional group type and extent of functionalization, molecular weight, charge density and distribution, degradation and stability of synthetic polymers can be engineered to maximize antiviral activity against a specific virus type.
  • 1.7K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Powder bed fusion in dentistry
Complex dental component which are individually tailored to the patient can be obtain due to new 3D printing technology. Understanding the manufacturing and post-production processes is essential in order to obtain a product which can be used in clinical applications.
  • 1.7K
  • 20 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Alginate-Based Hydrogels and Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications
Alginate is a natural polymer of marine origin and, due to its exceptional properties, has great importance as an essential component for the preparation of hydrogels and scaffolds for biomedical applications. The design of biologically interactive hydrogels and scaffolds with advanced, expected and required properties are one of the key issues for successful outcomes in the healing of injured tissues. This review paper presents the multifunctional biomedical applications of alginate-based hydrogels and scaffolds in selected areas, highlighting the key effect of alginate and its influence on the essential properties of the selected biomedical applications. 
  • 1.7K
  • 06 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Polymer–Metal Composites Materials for Healthcare Device
An ideal medical implant requires optimized properties on both bulk and microscopic scale that can hardly be accomplished by using a single material. Metallic implants such as titanium-based implants possess excellent mechanical properties in general but suffer from corrosion; polymeric implants can be multifunctional and biodegradable, however, difficult to provide some crucial mechanical properties like ductility. With the advance in polymer science and metallurgy, the polymer–metal composite materials serve as an emerging class of healthcare device with optimized bulk and microscopic properties, such polymer–metal composite devices provide good mechanical support, good bio-integration, good hygiene, and minimize bacterial infection and reduced hypersensitivity reactions.
  • 1.7K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Hyaluronic Acid in Treating IVD
High molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMW HA) and HA-based biomaterials used as therapeutic delivery platforms have been trialled in preclinical models and clinical trials. 
  • 1.7K
  • 12 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Xylose Metabolism in Bacteria
Some wild-type and genetically modified bacteria can metabolize xylose through three different main pathways of metabolism: xylose isomerase pathway, oxidoreductase pathway, and non-phosphorylative pathway (including Weimberg and Dahms pathways). Two of the commercially interesting intermediates of these pathways are xylitol and xylonic acid, which can accumulate in the medium either through manipulation of the culture conditions or through genetic modification of the bacteria. 
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Multidrug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria
Antibiotic resistance has increased markedly in Gram-negative bacteria, causing severe infections intractable with traditional drugs and amplifying mortality and healthcare costs. Consequently, to find novel antimicrobial compounds, active on multidrug resistant bacteria, is mandatory. In this regard, cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs)—able to kill pathogens on contact—could represent an appealing solution. However, low selectivity, hemolytic toxicity and cost of manufacturing, hamper their massive clinical application. In the recent years—starting from CAMPs as template molecules—less toxic and lower-cost synthetic mimics of CAMPs, including cationic peptides, polymers and dendrimers, have been developed. Although the pending issue of hemolytic toxicity and biodegradability is still left not completely solved, cationic antimicrobial polymers (CAPs), compared to small drug molecules, thanks to their high molecular weight, own appreciable selectivity, reduced toxicity toward eukaryotic cells, more long-term activity, stability and non-volatility. With this background, an updated overview concerning the state of the art of the main manufactured types of CAPs, active on Gram-negative bacteria, is herein reported, including synthetic procedure and action’s mechanism. Information about the antibacterial activity, advantages and drawbacks of the most appealing compounds was also provided.
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Biopolymer Materials
Biopolymers are an emerging class of novel materials with diverse applications and properties such as superior sustainability and tunability. Biopolymers pose another option for novel energy material applications. Biopolymers are biodegradable macromolecules composed of repeating units. Natural biopolymers are derived from living matter, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids.
  • 1.7K
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Solid Polymer and Composite Electrolytes
All-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLB) are very promising for the future development of next generation lithium battery systems due to their increased energy density and improved safety. ASSLB employing Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPE) and Solid Composite Electrolytes (SCE) in particular have attracted significant attention.
  • 1.7K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Eggshell Membrane for Bone Regeneration
The physicochemical features of the avian eggshell membrane play an essential role in the process of calcium carbonate deposition during shell mineralization, giving rise to a porous mineralized tissue with remarkable mechanical properties and biological functions. The membrane could be useful by itself or as a bi-dimensional scaffold to build future bone-regenerative materials.
  • 1.7K
  • 24 Mar 2023
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