Chitosan hydrogel loaded with Aloe vera gel and tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as the wound healing material: in vitro and in vivo study

The main aim of the current study was to develop a chitosan hydrogel containing Aloe vera gel and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as the wound healing materials. Chitosan with the concentration of (2% w/v) was prepared in AA (0.5%, v/v) and Tetrasodium EDTA (0.01% w/w) and AV (0.5% v/v) were added to the prepared polymer solution. As prepared solution was cross-linked by β-GP with the weight ratio of 1/6 w/w (1 chitosan and 6 β-GP). The characterization of the hydrogels showed that the hydrogels have porous structures and interconnected pores with the pores size range from 41.5 ± 14 to 48.3 ± 11 μm. The swelling and weight loss measurements of the hydrogels showed that the hydrogels could swell up to 240% of their initial weight during 8 h and loss 79.7 ± 3.5% of the initial weight during 14 days. The antibacterial studies depicted that the prepared Cs/tEDTA/AV hydrogel inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (the minimum inhibition concentration, MIC of 73 ± 4.8) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (the MIC of 40 ± 7.9). Moreover, the prepared hydrogels were hemocompatible (Cs/tEDTA/AV: OD of 0.24 ± 0.30) and biocompatible (Cs/tEDTA/AV: OD of 0.38 ± 0.01). At the final stage, the wound healing assessments in the animal model revealed that the application of the prepared hydrogels effectively enhanced the wound healing process. In conclusion, the results confirmed the efficacy of the prepared hydrogels as the wound healing materials.     

Effect of nano‐silica on gas permeation properties of polyether‐based polyurethane membrane in the presence of esterified canola oil diol as a nucleation agent for hard segments

In this research esterified canola oil diol (COD) was used to synthesize a green thermoplastic polyurethane. The mixture of synthesized COD as a polyester and polytetramethylene‐glycol as a polyether with different molar ratios were used to synthesize a thermoplastic polyurethane. Membranes were prepared by solution casting technique and nano‐silica particles were used to improve their gas separation performance. The effects of COD segments on phase separation and thermal properties of blocky segments of polyurethanes were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. Results showed that phase separation behavior of the synthesized polyurethane was significantly increased with COD content. The COD segments showed high tendency to interact with hard segments of polyurethane in a way that new domains with higher thermal stability is created. Permeability of pure CO₂, CH₄, N₂, and He gases were taken using constant pressure method at different pressures. Nano‐silica particles showed high inclination to interact with COD segments and significantly influenced the phase separation as well as gas permeation properties of polyurethane. Interactions of nano‐silica particles with the soft segments of polyurethane increased the glassy behavior of polymer and improved the CO₂/CH₄, CO₂/N₂, and CO₂/He ideal selectivities (permselectivities). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45979.     

Effects of ZrC content on the synthesis of MAX phase and mechanical properties of Cf-C-SiC-Ti3SiC2-ZrC composites

In this research synthesis of Ti₃SiC₂ nano-laminate, effects of Al and ZrC on the amount and morphology of the synthesized MAX phase and mechanical properties of the C_f-C-SiC, C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂ and C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂-ZrC composites, fabricated by LSI method, were investigated. The infiltration process was conducted at 1500?°C for 30?min and then the samples were annealed at 1350?°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized in order to investigate the phase composition and microstructure of the samples, respectively. The results showed that the sample containing Al, had the largest amount of synthesized MAX phase and also addition of ZrC led to the decrease of intensities of MAX phase peaks. Among the samples, C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃Si(Al)C₂ had the best mechanical properties compared to the others. Bending strength, interlaminar shear strength and fracture toughness of this sample were 505?MPa, 34?MPa and 19.1?MPa?m^1/2 respectively. The results confirmed that the mechanical properties were decreased by addition of ZrC. Among ZrC-containing samples, the sample containing 10?vol% ZrC has shown the least decrease properties including the bending strength of 369.11?MPa, interlaminar shear strength of 26?MPa and fracture toughness of 16.9?MPa?m^1/2. Addition of ZrC phase caused pseudo-plastic behavior appearance in the force-displacement curve and led to fibers pull-out and also displacement enhancement. Microstructural observations confirmed the plate-like morphology of synthesized MAX phases. Furthermore, the distance between layers decreased and MAX phase size increased respectively by addition of Al. Also MAX phase size decreased by increasing the ZrC content. It was confirmed that the MAX phase-containing samples can tolerate various micro-deformation mechanisms including: crack deflection, bending and delamination of lamellae, kink boundary and laminate fracture. These mechanisms led to the toughening of the composites.     

A symmetric quantum-dot cellular automata design for 5-input majority gate

By the inevitable scaling down of the feature size of the MOS transistors which are deeper in nanoranges, the CMOS technology has encountered many critical challenges and problems such as very high leakage currents, reduced gate control, high power density, increased circuit noise sensitivity and very high lithography costs. Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) owing to its high device density, extremely low power consumption and very high switching speed could be a feasible competitive alternative. In this paper, a novel 5-input majority gate, an important fundamental building block in QCA circuits, is designed in a symmetric form. In addition to the majority gate, a SR latch, a SR gate and an efficient one bit QCA full adder are implemented employing the new 5-input majority gate. In order to verify the functionality of the proposed designs, QCADesigner tool is used. The results demonstrate that the proposed SR latch and full adder perform equally well or in many cases better than previous circuits.     

The Role of Antioxidation and Immunomodulation in Postnatal Multipotent Stem Cell-Mediated Cardiac Repair

Oxidative stress and inflammation play major roles in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease including myocardial infarction (MI). The pathological progression following MI is very complex and involves a number of cell populations including cells localized within the heart, as well as cells recruited from the circulation and other tissues that participate in inflammatory and reparative processes. These cells, with their secretory factors, have pleiotropic effects that depend on the stage of inflammation and regeneration. Excessive inflammation leads to enlargement of the infarction site, pathological remodeling and eventually, heart dysfunction. Stem cell therapy represents a unique and innovative approach to ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammation caused by ischemic heart disease. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the crosstalk between stem cells and other cells involved in post-MI cardiac tissue repair, especially immune cells, in order to harness the beneficial effects of the immune response following MI and further improve stem cell-mediated cardiac regeneration. This paper reviews the recent findings on the role of antioxidation and immunomodulation in postnatal multipotent stem cell-mediated cardiac repair following ischemic heart disease, particularly acute MI and focuses specifically on mesenchymal, muscle and blood-vessel-derived stem cells due to their antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties.     

Crosslinked methyl methacrylate/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymer compounds with a macroazoinitiator

A silane‐containing diamine, bis(p‐aminophenoxy) diphenylsilane (BADPS), was prepared by the condensation of p‐aminophenol with dichlorodiphenyl silane in the presence of triethylamine. Then, BADPS was condensed with 4,4‐azobis(4‐cyanopentanoyl chloride) to prepare macroazoinitiators containing silane units (Si–MAIs). A series of poly(methyl methacrylate) gels containing silane were derived by the solution free‐radical crosslinking copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate monomers initiated by these macroazoinitiators at a total monomer concentration of 6 mol/L and 80°C. Si–MAIs were characterized with ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, and the structural characteristics of the gels were also examined. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effect of Ti3SiC2 on the ablation behavior and mechanism of Cf-C-SiC-Ti3SiC2 composites under oxyacetylene torch at 3000 °C

In this research, ablation resistance of C_f-C-SiC and C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂ composites, fabricated by liquid silicon infiltration (LSI) method were investigated. The infiltration process was conducted at 1500?°C for 30?min and then the samples were annealed at 1350?°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized in order to investigate the phase composition and microstructure of the ablated samples, respectively. When compared with C_f-C-SiC composite, results showed that mass and linear ablation rates of C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂ composite have been improved by 50% and 37.5%, respectively. The mass and linear ablations rates of C_f-C-SiC composite were reached to 23.8?mg/s and 0.096?mm/s, respectively, while these values for C_f-C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂ were reached to 11.8?mg/s and 0.06?mm/s, respectively. Microscopic investigations showed that formation of protective oxide layer and its stability on the surface of MAX-containing composite are the main reasons for improvement of ablation properties. While the oxide film formed on C_f-C-SiC composite has been blown away by flame.     

Mono and co-substitution of Sr2+ and Ca2+ on the structural,electrical and optical properties of barium titanate ceramics

In this work, Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃, Ba_0.7Sr_0.3TiO₃, Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃, Ba_0.5Ca_0.25Sr_0.25TiO₃ and Ba_0.5Ca_0.5TiO₃ have been synthesized to evaluate the influence of mono and co-substitution of A-site dopants (Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺) on the structural, electrical and optical properties of BaTiO₃ ceramics. Sr²⁺ added samples showed a tetragonal structure which became slightly distorted with increasing Sr²⁺ concentration and finally achieved a cubic structure for x?=?0.50. Ba_0.5Ca_0.5TiO₃ also retained their tetragonality with limited solubility. Presence of second phase, CaTiO₃ demonstrated the fact of restricted solubility. The concurrent effect of Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺ didn't alter the tetragonal structure. Sr²⁺ substitution enhanced the apparent density as well as grain size which stimulated the domain wall motion and improved dielectric properties. However, the ferroelectric nature of Ba_1-xSr_xTiO₃ was poor due to the redistribution of point defect at grain boundary. The optical band gap was found to be reduced from 3.48?eV to 3.28?eV with increasing Sr²⁺ content. Co-substitution of cations improved the electrical property significantly. The highest value of dielectric constant was found to be ～547 for Ba_0.5Ca_0.25Sr_0.25TiO₃ ceramics. Both Ba_0.5Ca_0.25Sr_0.25TiO₃ and Ba_0.5Ca_0.5TiO₃ had developed P-E loop having lower coercive field and moderate optical band gap energy. Co-doping with Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺ was a good approach enhancing materials electrical as well as optical property.