Coarse Grained Molecular Simulation of Exosome Squeezing for Drug Loading

In recent years, extracellular vesicles such as exosomes have become promising carriers as the next-generation drug delivery platforms. Effective loading of exogenous cargos without compromising the extracellular vesicle membrane is a major challenge. Rapid squeezing through nanofluidic channels is a widely used approach to load exogenous cargoes into the exosome through the nanopores generated temporarily on the membrane. However, the exact mechanism and dynamics of nanopores opening, as well as cargo loading through nanopores during the squeezing process remains unknown and is impossible to be visualized or quantified experimentally due to the small size of the exosome and the fast transient process. This paper developed a systemic algorithm to simulate nanopore formation and predict drug loading during exosome squeezing by leveraging the power of coarse-grain (CG) molecular dynamics simulations with fluid dynamics. The exosome CG beads are coupled with implicit Fluctuating Lattice Boltzmann solvent. Effects of exosome property and various squeezing test parameters, such as exosome size, flow velocity, channel width, and length, on pore formation and drug loading efficiency are analyzed. Based on the simulation results, a phase diagram is provided as a design guidance for nanochannel geometry and squeezing velocity to generate pores on membrane without damaging the exosome. This method can be utilized to perform a parametric study to optimize the nanofluidic device configuration and flow setup to obtain desired drug loading into exosomes

A Comparative Study on Dyeing Properties of Hemp and Cotton Fiber

In this study, a mixed bi-functional reactive dye was applied to the cotton and hemp woven fabrics. Their dyeing and fastness properties were compared. From the results, it was observed that the cotton fabric exhibits better exhaustion and levelness than hemp woven fabrics. The build-up and fastness properties of the two woven fabrics appeared to be almost similar

Acoustofluidic Engineering Functional Vessel-on-a-Chip

Construction of in vitro vascular models is of great significance to various biomedical research, such as pharmacokinetics and hemodynamics, thus is an important direction in tissue engineering. In this work, a standing surface acoustic wave field was constructed to spatially arrange suspended endothelial cells into a designated patterning. The cell patterning was maintained after the acoustic field was withdrawn by the solidified hydrogel. Then, interstitial flow was provided to activate vessel tube formation. Thus, a functional vessel-on-a-chip was engineered with specific vessel geometry. Vascular function, including perfusability and vascular barrier function, was characterized by beads loading and dextran diffusion, respectively. A computational atomistic simulation model was proposed to illustrate how solutes cross vascular lipid bilayer. The reported acoustofluidic methodology is capable of facile and reproducible fabrication of functional vessel network with specific geometry. It is promising to facilitate the development of both fundamental research and regenerative therapy

Unlocking the mystery of plants’ survival capability under waterlogging stress

Waterlogging is a major abiotic stress affecting crop plants throughout the world, which hampers crop growth and causes yield loss. There are various types of responses in plants under this stress through the combined operation of different signaling and physiological pathways. However, the correlation between these pathways is extremely limited and not well described in the published papers. Therefore, the complex waterlogging stress-tolerance mechanisms need to be presented most coherently for a comprehensive understanding of this stress. Here, we present sequential responses in plants under oxygen-deprivation stress. The regulation of the N-end rule pathway may be treated as the initial signaling in plants after facing waterlogging stress, but still, it remains a controversial topic. All the pathways under waterlogging stress are directly or indirectly related to glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, programmed cell death (PCD) and removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Scientists may consider alanine aminotransferase as the main controlling switch for surviving of plants under waterlogging stress. Triggering the genes responsible for alanine aminotransferase may act as a crucial one to develop a waterlogging tolerant plant due to its ability to control anaerobic fermentation, TCA cycle and efficient utilization of carbons

FASTNESS PROPERTIES IMPROVEMENT OF FLUORESCENT PIGMENTS

The resistance of the material to a change of its color characteristics during exposure to sunlight, rubbing and washing as domestic and laundry and other various ways are referred to as color fastness of dyes or pigments. In this research, 100% cotton and blended fabrics were dyed with fluorescent pigments i.e. Shining Flu Pink-F17 and Papillion Orange-FGRN in exhaust dyeing method. The improvement of color fastness properties, i.e. color fastness to washing, rubbing, perspiration and light were observed with the treatment of using antioxidants and UV-absorbers. There were eight samples of dyed fabrics (Four samples of 100% cotton knit fabric and four samples of 60/40 cottonpolyester blended fabrics) treated with 1% (v/v) of antioxidants i.e. Gallic acid, L-Ascorbic acid and UV absorbers i.e. 2-hydroxy-4 methoxy-benzophenone, 4-4 dimethoxy-benzophenone respectively. The treatment of antioxidant L-Ascorbic acid and UV absorber 4-4 dimethoxy-benzophenone provides satisfactory improvement of fastness properties than other antioxidants and UV absorbers. The results were mainly interpreted in terms of color strength, visual assessment of evenness and fastness ratings

Comparative resistance and yield performance of summer mungbean mutants and varieties as affected by MYMV

An experiment was conducted in the research field of the Department of Plant Pathology, Patuakhali Science and Technology University during February to April 2013 to select Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) resistant mutant/variety under natural epiphytotic condition. The screening was made on the six mungbean genotypes including three advanced mutant lines, MBM-07, MBM-21, MBM-88 and three varieties Bina mung-5, Bina mung-6, Bina mung-8 as check, to evaluate their reaction to MYMV at flowering and pod maturity stages. It was observed that at the flowering stage of MBM-21, MBM-88, and Bina mung-6 were found resistant with percent disease incidence recorded from 0.5, 1.0, and 0.5 percent respectively. At the maturity stage, no genotype were found to be immune and the disease incidence varied from the lowest 0.5 % in MBM-21 to highest 26 % in MBM-7. The mutant MBM-21 and variety Bina mung-6 were found moderately resistant with disease incidence ranging from 1 to 10 %. Among the less MYMV infected mungbean mutants, MBM-21 gave the highest yield (1569 kg ha-1) and the lowest yield was in MBM-07 (1183kg ha-1). The mutants MBM-21 completed by the short duration of 61.67 days as compared to check Bina mung-6 (67.33 days). Out of six summer screened mungbean mutants and varieties, MBM-21 exhibited highest resistance in both flowering and pod maturity stage. Therefore, MBM-21 might be selected as a resistant variety against MYMV after further trail in different Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZ) of Bangladesh

Enhancement of antibacterial and UV protection properties of blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics by dyeing with the extract of Mimusops elengi leaves and metal salts

In response to the heightened awareness of infectious diseases and the growing emphasis on personal protection in daily life, the utilization of natural bioresources for textile fabric dyeing has garnered substantial research attention. This is particularly due to their ability to confer antibacterial and UV protection properties to fabrics. In this study, the dyeing properties of Mimusops elengi Linn extract, alone and mordanted, were evaluated on blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics, along with an assessment of their antibacterial and UV protection characteristics. The dyed fabrics exhibited good color strength and color fastness. Quantitative assessment of antibacterial activity was conducted using the reduction percentage test, while UV protection properties were determined through the measurement of Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). Aqueous extract alone, when applied to blended wool/acrylic fabric, demonstrated an impressive 99.88 % reduction against Staphylococcus aureus, and 48.33 % for silk fabric, albeit less effective against Escherichia coli. Notably, when fabrics were dyed with a combination of leaves extract and various metal salt mordants, a substantial improvement in antibacterial properties was observed. Zinc and copper salts, in particular, exhibited the ability to enhance antibacterial properties to almost 100 % against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in both blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics. Concurrently, this combination contributed to an increase in the UV protection property of both fabrics. The findings underscore the potential of plant-based natural dye for blended wool/acrylic and silk fabrics, imparting antimicrobial and UV protection properties. This has significant implications in preventing the spread of infections and skin diseases, emphasizing the vital role of such textiles in promoting health and well-being

Rapid prototyping of high-resolution large format microfluidic device through maskless image guided in-situ photopolymerization

Abstract Microfluidic devices have found extensive applications in mechanical, biomedical, chemical, and materials research. However, the high initial cost, low resolution, inferior feature fidelity, poor repeatability, rough surface finish, and long turn-around time of traditional prototyping methods limit their wider adoption. In this study, a strategic approach to a deterministic fabrication process based on in-situ image analysis and intermittent flow control called image-guided in-situ maskless lithography (IGIs-ML), has been proposed to overcome these challenges. By using dynamic image analysis and integrated flow control, IGIs-ML provides superior repeatability and fidelity of densely packed features across a large area and multiple devices. This general and robust approach enables the fabrication of a wide variety of microfluidic devices and resolves critical proximity effect and size limitations in rapid prototyping. The affordability and reliability of IGIs-ML make it a powerful tool for exploring the design space beyond the capabilities of traditional rapid prototyping

Psychometric Properties of the Bangla Brief Suicide Cognitions Scale among University Level Students

Objectives. Assessment of suicide cognition would help to measure the enduring suicide risk and to predict the risk of a suicide attempt. However, no previous attempt was identified to validate the suicide cognition scale in Bangla. We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Brief Suicide Cognitions Scale (BSCS) in Bangla. Methods. We conducted this validation study among 529 medical and university students. We collected the responses by Google Forms with the translated version of BSCS from 20 August to 20 October 2022. We assessed internal consistency form of reliability, face validity, content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity. Results. The mean age of the respondents was 23.32±1.73 years; 52.5% were males, 92% were single, 75% were undergraduate students, 40.24% were studying in medical schools, 18.53% had a chronic illness, 9.45% had a mental illness, 4.16% had a family history of suicide, and 11.15% had previous nonfatal attempts. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.84, and factor analysis revealed unidimensional construct with six items with a good model fit. The BSCS showed acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusion. This study assessed the psychometric properties of Bangla BSCS among students which found acceptable reliability and validity. Further studies could test the validation especially among clinical samples to assess the predictive validity of the instrument