Fabrication of astaxanthin-loaded electrospun nanofiber-based mucoadhesive patches with water‐insoluble backing for the treatment of oral premalignant lesions

Oral premalignant lesions (OPL) are one of the most common oral diseases, affecting the quality of life and even leading to oral cancer. Current treatments commonly use steroids/retinoids in mouthwashes, films, or ointments. However, conventional drugs/formulations have significant side effects/limitations. Herein, astaxanthin-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin (GT) nanofiber-based mucoadhesive patches (PGA) with the water‐insoluble PCL nanofiber backing (PCL/PGA) are developed via electrospinning for the management of OPL. The saliva-insoluble PCL backing could greatly prevent drug loss after application in the oral cavity. The prepared PCL/PGA patches exhibit a suitable astaxanthin release rate for achieving high local drug concentration, which permeated into buccal mucosa. In addition, the developed thin patches display excellent wet tissue adhesion and great air permeability due to their high porosity. Notably, the in vivo experiment shows that the bioactive mucoadhesive patches significantly promote the recovery of OPL by suppressing the expression of Ki67 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), comparable to clinical tretinoin cream formulation. Also, the patches did not induce any side effects (i.e., hair loss and oral ulcers) compared to clinical tretinoin cream formulation. The results demonstrate that this novel electrospun mucoadhesive bilayer patch holds great potential for the treatment of OPL

Association study of dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) variable tandem repeat sequence (VNTR) with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Chinese Han Population

Abstract: Objective: Multiple evidence suggests an involvement of the dopamine neurotransmitter system in Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Therefore, we explore the association of 3'UTR region of 40 bp variable tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in Dopamine Transporter Gene (DAT1) in Chinese Han population. Methods: A total of 305 OCD patients and 435 healthy individuals were recruited for the study. OCD was diagnosed with the Forth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria. After polymerase chain reaction of VNTR was used to evaluate the 40 bp VNTR polymorphism in DAT1, a case-control association analysis was performed by the χ 2 test. Results: The results showed that no association was found between OCD patients and controls for the genotype distribution (X 2 =0.743, P=0.690, df=2) as well as allelic (X 2 =0.172, P=0.678, OR=0.928, 95% Cl=0.885-1.224) distribution. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the 40 bp VNTR polymorphism in DAT1 may not be associated with susceptibility to OCD in the Chinese Han population studied. However, this result needed to be replicated from different populations

Biological particle separation techniques based on microfluidics

Publication status: PublishedAbstractBiological particle separation has wide applications in medical diagnosis, bioengineering, and various other domains. Traditional methods, such as filtration, density gradient centrifugation, and size exclusion chromatography, face many challenges, including low separation resolution, low purity, and the inability to be seamlessly integrated into continuous processes. The development of microfluidics has paved the way for efficient and precise biological particle separation. Microfluidic chip‐based methods can generally be performed continuously and automatically, and microfluidic chips can integrate multilevel operations, including mixing, separation, detection, and so forth, thereby achieving continuous processing of particles at various levels. This review comprehensively investigates biological particle separation techniques based on microfluidic chips. According to the different sources of force effect on the particles during the separation process, they can be divided into active separation, passive separation, and affinity separation. We introduce the principles and device design of these methods respectively, and compare their advantages and disadvantages. For the introduction of each method, we used the most classic and latest research cases as much as possible. Additionally, we discussed the differences between experimental standard particles and biological particles. Finally, we summarized the current limitations and challenges of existing microfluidic separation techniques, while exploring future trends and prospects.</jats:p

Temperature-Controlled Selectivity of Hydrogenation and Hydrodeoxygenation in the Conversion of Biomass Molecule by the Ru 1 /mpg-C 3 N 4 Catalyst

Hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation are significant and distinct approaches for the conversion of biomass and biomass-derived oxygenated chemicals into high value-added chemicals and fuels. However, it remains a great challenge to synthesize catalysts that simultaneously possess excellent hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation performance. Herein, we report a catalyst made of isolated single-atom Ru supported on mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (Ru1/mpg-C3N4), fabricated by a wet impregnation method. The as-prepared Ru1/mpg-C3N4 catalyst shows excellent hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation performance. First-principles calculations reveal that the Ru atom is mobilized, and the active site is induced by adsorption of the reactants. A systematic reaction mechanism is proposed, suggesting that vanillyl alcohol is the deoxygenation prohibited product, while 2-methoxy-p-cresol is the deoxygenation allowed product. Thus, the excellent selectivity for the hydrogenation or hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin at different temperatures results from switching between the two types of products.No Full Tex