Differential susceptibility of catheter biomaterials to biofilm-associated infections and their remedy by drug-encapsulated Eudragit RL100 nanoparticles

Biofilms are the cause of major bacteriological infections in patients. The complex architecture of Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilm attached to the surface of catheters has been studied and found to depend on the biomaterial’s surface properties. The SEM micrographs and water contact angle analysis have revealed that the nature of the surface a ects the growth and extent of E. coli biofilm formation. In vitro studies have revealed that the Gram-negative E. coli adherence to implanted biomaterials takes place in accordance with hydrophobicity, i.e., latex > silicone > polyurethane > stainless steel. Permanent removal of E. coli biofilm requires 50 to 200 times more gentamicin sulfate (G-S) than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to remove 90% of E. coli biofilm (MBIC90). Here, in vitro eradication of biofilm-associated infection on biomaterials has been done by Eudragit RL100 encapsulated gentamicin sulfate (E-G-S) nanoparticle of range 140 nm. It is 10–20 times more e ective against E. coli biofilm-associated infections eradication than normal unentrapped G-S. Thus, Eudragit RL100 mediated drug delivery system provides a promising way to reduce the cost of treatment with a higher drug therapeutic index

Antimicrobial biodegradable chitosan-based composite nano-layers for food packaging

Stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of size 80 ± 11 nm produced by chitosan (CH) mediated green synthesis were blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form electrospun fibrous composite nano-layers (FCNLs). The chitosan acted as the stabilising as well as an antimicrobial agent in combination with the AgNPs which were characterised using UV–visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallinity and chemical nature of the electrospun composite was characterised by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively, and its hydrophobicity was characterised by measuring the water contact angle. The electrospun composite showed effective antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes (gram +ve) and Escherichia coli (gram –ve) bacterial species. The electrospun composite, when tested as packaging material for meat, showed bio-activity and extended the meat shelf-life by one week. The electrospun nanocomposite is able to inhibit microbial degradation of packaged food and extend its keeping quality in an eco-friendly manner

Swelling and sorption behaviour of PVA and PVA/silica nanocomposite membrane at different silica loadings

Intercalation of nanomaterial with a polymer is an intriguing approach for modifying the microstructure of polymer to improve the swelling property, performance, and selectivity of the membrane. The effect of sorption and swelling on membrane selectivity of organic-inorganic polyvinyl alcohol/silica (PVA/SiO2) membranes with a different weight percentage of silica has been investigated using propanol/water, isopropanol/water, and butanol/water mixture. The PVA composite membrane is prepared using solution casting method, and sol-gel derived route using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the precursor material for silica and PVA as a polymer. Swelling experiment results show an inverse relationship between the degree of swelling and the silica concentration due to the formation of a rigid structure with increase in weight of the nanomaterial. Dense structure results in less free volume and decreases the amount of absorbed liquid in the polymer at a lower concentration of nanoparticles. The result is also modeled using Flory Huggins parameter, and the similar trend was observed as for the experimental value for the degree of swelling

Linking Immunity with Genomics in Sarcomas: Is Genomic Complexity an Immunogenic Trigger?

Sarcomas comprise a collection of highly heterogeneous malignancies that can be grossly grouped in the categories of sarcomas with simple or complex genomes. Since the outcome for most sarcoma patients has barely improved in the last decades, there is an urgent need for improved therapies. Immunotherapy, and especially T cell checkpoint blockade, has recently been a game-changer in cancer therapy as it produced significant and durable treatment responses in several cancer types. Currently, only a small fraction of sarcoma patients benefit from immunotherapy, supposedly due to a general lack of somatically mutated antigens (neoantigens) and spontaneous T cell immunity in most cancers. However, genomic events resulting from chromosomal instability are frequent in sarcomas with complex genomes and could drive immunity in those tumors. Improving our understanding of the mechanisms that shape the immune landscape of sarcomas will be crucial to overcoming the current challenges of sarcoma immunotherapy. This review focuses on what is currently known about the tumor microenvironment in sarcomas and how this relates to their genomic features. Moreover, we discuss novel therapeutic strategies that leverage the tumor microenvironment to increase the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy, and which could provide new avenues for the treatment of sarcomas