There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

다중혈관 관상동맥 환자에서 y-문합을 이용하여 양쪽 내흉동맥만을 사용한 우회술의 조기 성적

[신간의 별자리x] 우리/미술, 그리고 ‘슬픔의 박물관’

Although conventional chemotherapy has been successful to some extent, the main drawbacks of chemotherapy are its poor bioavailability, high-dose requirements, adverse side effects, low therapeutic indices, development of multiple drug resistance, and non-specific targeting. The main aim in the development of drug delivery vehicles is to successfully address these delivery-related problems and carry drugs to the desired sites of therapeutic action while reducing adverse side effects. In this review, we will discuss the different types of materials used as delivery vehicles for chemotherapeutic agents and their structural characteristics that improve the therapeutic efficacy of their drugs and will describe recent scientific advances in the area of chemotherapy, emphasizing challenges in cancer treatments.

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Controlled drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment and their performance.

Hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Thermoreversible gelation of three different isotactic linear poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)s having meso dyad (m) values 62, 68 and 81% has been observed in benzyl alcohol. All the gels were transparent in nature. SEM image of the dried gels showed fibrillar network morphology. Melting temperature of the gels gradually increased with the increase in the concentration. XRD data of dry polymers and their corresponding dry gels showed shifting in the peak positions. Rheological study showed that stronger gels were formed with increasing isotacticity of PNIPAM while lower isotactic sample exhibited typical polymer melt rheology. The formation of a plunge in the storage modulus as well as in the viscosity plot at the same frequency range indicates the reversible nature of the structure breaking/reformation under frequency sweep. Moreover, the mechanical strength of the gel decreased with increase in temperature. UV-Vis kinetic study also indicated the change in the conformation and aggregation of PNIPAM chains during gelation. Molecular modelling calculation showed that the number of solvent molecules involved in forming gel (polymer-solvent compound) decreased with the increase in the isotacticity of the polymer. Gelation rate of these gels was studied as a function of temperature, concentration and isotacticity using test-tube tilting method. It increased with the increase in the concentration and isoacticity of the polymer, and with the decrease in the temperature. Critical gelation concentration of the gel gradually increased with the decrease in the isotacticity and with the increase in the temperature. All these experimental results indicated that gelation occurs presumably through polymer-solvent compound formation.

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Effect of Isotacticity of Linear Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) on its Gelation in Benzyl Alcohol

Objective To evaluate active aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory principles from ethanolic extract and one isolated compound beta sitostirol from Hybanthus enneaspermus (H. enneaspermus) Linn F. Muell. (Violaceae), used in the treatment of various complications including diabetes. Methods AR inhibitory activities of H. enneaspermus and isolated compound beta sitosterol against rat lens AR enzyme were investigated in vitro using quercetin as a standard drug. Results There was a significant difference in the AR inhibitory activity, and it was found to be more in H. enneaspermus [IC50 (49.46±2.26 μg/mL)] followed by beta sitosterol [IC50 (82.71±0.42 μg/mL)] but was less compared to standard quercetin [IC50 (3.326±0.11 μg/mL)]. From the value of Vmax, Km and Ki it was found that H. enneaspermus inhibited enzyme in a non competitive manner, whereas beta sitosterol inhibited enzyme in a competitive manner. Conclusions H. enneaspermus showed significant AR inhibitory activity compared to the isolated compound beta sitosterol, which may be due to its high phenolic and flavonoid content. So this plant can be used to treat diabetic complications in the future, but further evaluation is necessary to know the exact mode of action involved in this process.

Aldose reductase inhibitory principles from the whole plant of Hybanthus enneaspermus (Linn) F. Muell

The conversion of liquid resin into solid structures upon exposure to light of a specific wavelength is known as photopolymerization or photo-curable 3D printing. In recent years, photopolymerization-based 3D printing has gained enormous attention in tissue engineering for constructing highly complex and precise tissue structures. Due to the economic and environmental benefits of the biopolymers employed, photo-curable 3D printing is considered highly accurate and an alternative method for replacing damaged tissues. However, the lack of suitable bio-based photopolymers, their characterization, effective crosslinking strategies, and optimal printing conditions are hindering the extensive application and commercialization of those materials in the global market. This review highlights the present status of various photopolymers, their synthesis techniques, and optimization parameters for biomedical applications. Moreover, we also discussed a glimpse of various photopolymerization techniques that are currently employed for 3D printing. Furthurmore, we also reviewed the influence of various naturally-derived nanomaterial reinforced polymerization and their influence on printability and shape fidelity. Finally, the ultimate use of those photopolymerized hydrogel scaffolds in tissue engineering is also discussed. Taken together, we believe that photopolymerized 3D printing has a great future, whereas conventional 3D printing requires considerable sophistication, and this review will provide the readers with a comprehensive approach to the development of light-mediated 3D printing for tissue engineering applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Recent Advances in 3D Printing of Photocurable Polymers: Types, Mechanism, and Tissue Engineering Application.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) mushroom has received an enormous amount of attention as a dietary supplement due to its high nutritional values. The particle sizes of G. frondosa mushrooms were monitored by a classifying mill. β-Glucans are the bioactive component of the mushroom, and it was revealed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C-NMR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, and time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) spectrometry. The biocompatibility of G. frondosa particles, as well as induced osteogenesis of hMSCs, was evaluated through WST-1 assay and alizarin staining (ARS) technique, respectively. Notably, enhanced cell viability was noted in the presence of G. frondosa. Significantly improved calcium deposition has observed from hMSCs with G. frondosa, suggesting to their mineralization potential. The expression of osteogenic related gene markers was examined in the presence of G. frondosa through real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique. The upregulation of osteogenic gene markers in the presence of G. frondosa particles was indicating their superior osteogenic potential. Besides, G. frondosa also activated the secretion of various kinds of proteins from the hMSCs indicating their potential for tissue engineering applications. Enhanced secretion of different immunoglobulins was observed in rat serum in the presence of G. frondosa, further demonstrating their therapeutic nature. Therefore, G. frondosa is effective for enhanced osteogenesis and can be utilized as a natural, edible, and osteogenic agent.

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Dinesh K. Patel

Papers

Effect of Isotacticity of Linear Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) on its Gelation in Benzyl Alcohol

Aldose reductase inhibitory principles from the whole plant of Hybanthus enneaspermus (Linn) F. Muell

Recent Advances in 3D Printing of Photocurable Polymers: Types, Mechanism, and Tissue Engineering Application.

Influence of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) Particle Sizes on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and In Vivo Evaluation of Their Therapeutic Potential

Stimuli-responsive Polymers and Their Biomedical Applications