La Trobe University

About: La Trobe University is a education organization based out in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 13370 authors who have published 41291 publications receiving 1138269 citations. The organization is also known as: LaTrobe University & LTU.

Factors determining the stability, size distribution, and cellular accumulation of small, monodisperse chitosan nanoparticles as candidate vectors for anticancer drug delivery: application to the passive encapsulation of [(14)C]-doxorubicin.

Abstract: Development of parameters for the fabrication of nanosized vectors is pivotal for its successful administration in therapeutic applications. In this study, homogeneously distributed chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) with diameters as small as 62 nm and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.15 were synthesized and purified using a simple, robust method that was highly reproducible. Nanoparticles were synthesized using modified ionic gelation of the chitosan polymer with sodium tripolyphosphate. Using this method, larger aggregates were mechanically isolated from single particles in the nanoparticle population by selective efficient centrifugation. The presence of disaggregated monodisperse nanoparticles was confirmed using atomic force microscopy. Factors such as anions, pH, and concentration were found to affect the size and stability of nanoparticles directly. The smallest nanoparticle population was ∼62 nm in hydrodynamic size, with a low PDI of 0.15, indicating high particle homogeneity. CNPs were highly stable and retained their monodisperse morphology in serum-supplemented media in cell culture conditions for up to 72 hours, before slowly degrading over 6 days. Cell viability assays demonstrated that cells remained viable following a 72-hour exposure to 1 mg/mL CNPs, suggesting that the nanoparticles are well tolerated and highly suited for biomedical applications. Cellular uptake studies using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled CNPs showed that cancer cells readily accumulate the nanoparticles 30 minutes posttreatment and that nanoparticles persisted within cells for up to 24 hours posttreatment. As a proof of principle for use in anticancer therapeutic applications, a [(14)C]-radiolabeled form of the anticancer agent doxorubicin was efficiently encapsulated within the CNP, confirming the feasibility of using this system as a drug delivery vector.

Stations,trains and small-world networks

Abstract: The clustering coefficient, path length and average vertex degree of two urban train line networks have been calculated. The results are compared with theoretical predictions for appropriate random bipartite graphs. They have also been compared with one another to investigate the effect of architecture on the small-world properties.

INCOG recommendations for management of cognition following traumatic brain injury, part IV: cognitive communication.

Abstract: Summary of participant characteristics andtreatments studied Thisarticleseekstodescribethecurrentevidencebasefor the assessment and management of cognitive com-munication disorders following traumatic brain injury.Tointerpretwhetherthisevidenceappliestoaparticularperson with TBI or a clinician’s current caseload, it isnecessary to examine the characteristics of the partici-pants who were involved in these studies and the natureof the treatments studied. This information is criticallyimportant for clinicians to enable them to make a con-sidered judgment as to whether the findings of existingstudies are relevant to their current caseload. Therefore,we have created an algorithm diagram (see Figure 1)to summarize these characteristics and assist withtranslation of the current research evidence into clinicalpractice. We describe the features of the algorithm here.Social communication training for people with TBIhas been shown to be effective for individuals withchronic injuries, which has been quantified variouslyas more than 6 months postinjury,

Women exhibit a greater age-related increase in proximal aortic stiffness than men.

Abstract: Background Large artery mechanical properties are a major determinant of pulse pressure and cardiovascular outcome. Sex differences in these properties may underlie the variation in cardiovascular risk profile between men and women, in relation to age.Objective To investigate sex differences in the