Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Christina C. Kuismi, Behnam Nabet
Summary: NIR light can be used for precise release of PROTAC and protein degradation in mouse tumors, achieving tumor-specific protein loss.
TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Melissa J. J. van Velthoven, Aksel N. Gudde, Evert Arendsen, Jan-Paul Roovers, Zeliha Guler, Egbert Oosterwijk, Paul H. J. Kouwer
Summary: With its involvement in cell proliferation, migration and differentiation, bFGF has potential for tissue engineering purposes. However, clinical translation of soluble bFGF-based therapies is unsuccessful due to high doses and adverse effects. Growth factor immobilization, such as in PIC-bFGF hydrogel, can enhance bioactivity. This study demonstrates the potential of simple biological conjugation procedures to induce additional bioactivity in synthetic cell culture matrices.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Yifang Yan, Qiang Wang
Summary: BMP signaling plays a crucial role in dorsoventral axis patterning across diverse vertebrates, with its regulation being strongly conserved during evolution. Despite variations in BMP signaling, the embryonic dorsoventral axis displays robust stability, shaped by multiple factors working together.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marianne Leveque, Mourad Bekhouche, Jean-Christophe Farges, Audrey Aussel, Kadiatou Sy, Raphael Richert, Maxime Ducret
Summary: The success of regenerative endodontic procedures relies on various parameters including the nature of biomolecules or chemical compounds, hydrogel concentration, solubility of bioactive molecules, and apex size. The lack of knowledge regarding these parameters hinders the prediction of clinical outcomes and suggests the need for further research and development of mathematical models to predict the bioactivity of endodontic hydrogel.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Wouter Van Genechten, Patrick Van Dijck, Liesbeth Demuyser
Summary: Fungal infections, such as those caused by Candida species, pose a serious threat to human and organism health. State-of-the-art fluorescence techniques offer valuable tools for studying fungal pathogens at various levels. The manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of fluorescence techniques, highlighting fluorescent labeling methods and applications while also offering practical tips and expert insights for future developments.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Wouter Van Genechten, Patrick Van Dijck, Liesbeth Demuyser
Summary: Fungal infections, particularly those caused by Candida species, pose a significant threat due to their adaptability and increasing drug resistance. Understanding fungal functions on molecular, cellular, and organismal levels is crucial. Fluorescence imaging provides detailed analysis of these aspects, aiding in research and potential therapy development.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Nga H. N. Do, Quyen T. Truong, Phung K. Le, Anh C. Ha
Summary: Chitosan hydrogel is a smart and highly applicable drug delivery carrier that can encapsulate and release drugs to the desired target. This review summarizes the properties of chitosan hydrogel, approaches to loading natural extracts on the hydrogels, and their applications in biomedical fields, while highlighting the challenges of combining natural compounds with chitosan hydrogels.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Review
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Yajie Lu, Yuting Luo, Rui Zhu, Xiaowei Huang, Shumeng Bai
Summary: This review summarizes the advances and applications of bioactive hydrogels in the treatment of myocardial infarction. Bioactive hydrogels exhibit physicochemical-responsive activities and can regulate interactions with the biological system.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Mark J. Edwards
Summary: Patients with medically unexplained or functional symptoms, often avoided by health professionals, may hold the key to a more successful, meaningful, and just system of medical practice. They prompt us to consider the human and participatory aspect of illness, which is often neglected in medical training and practice. There is room for improvement in addressing this aspect in healthcare.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Danielle M. DeLeo, Heather D. Bracken-Grissom
Summary: Understanding the drivers of biodiversity requires consideration of various factors, including genetics, selective pressures, and neutral processes. This study uses an integrative approach to explore the drivers behind the diversification of bioluminescent signaling in cypridinid ostracods, tracing the molecular evolution of luciferase to decipher the link between genotype and phenotype.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhiyun Dong, Dan Wu, Hakan Engqvist, Jun Luo, Cecilia Persson
Summary: Silk fibroin hydrogels reinforced by acidic calcium phosphates showed enhanced mechanical properties and bioactivity, presenting potential for applications in bone void fillers and drug delivery systems. The composites exhibited elastomeric compression behavior, high elasticity, and showed promising in vitro cell responses, indicating their versatility in biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jingying Wang, Chao Yang, Yuxin Xie, Xiaoxu Chen, Ting Jiang, Jing Tian, Sihui Hu, Yingli Lu
Summary: Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is a common cause of infertility in women of childbearing age, and current treatment strategies have limited effectiveness. Bioactive hydrogels, serving as physical anti-adhesion barriers, drug delivery systems, and 3D cell culture systems, show potential importance in IUA treatment.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Lorena Martinez-Zamora, Noelia Castillejo, Perla A. Gomez, Francisco Artes-Hernandez
Summary: The study showed that lighting conditions improved the total antioxidant activity and increased bioactive compounds in carrot sprouts, but darkness treatment resulted in longer hypocotyl and sprout length. LEDs treatments (B+R and B+R+FR) significantly increased the phenolic compound content in sprouts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ashley K. Nguyen, Thomas G. Molley, Egi Kardia, Sylvia Ganda, Sudip Chakraborty, Sharon L. Wong, Juanfang Ruan, Bethany E. Yee, Jitendra Mata, Abhishek Vijayan, Naresh Kumar, Richard D. Tilley, Shafagh A. Waters, Kristopher A. Kilian
Summary: This article reports the discovery of a short peptide based on the tryptophan zipper motif, which shows multiscale hierarchical ordering and displays antimicrobial and self-healing properties. It can be used for cell delivery and bioprinting, and has important implications for supramolecular assembly of soft materials in biotechnology and medicine.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Min Li, Xiaoqian He, Ran Zhao, Qixin Shi, Yingqun Nian, Bing Hu
Summary: The burden of public health challenges associated with the western dietary and living style is growing. Nutraceuticals have been paid increasing attentions due to their effects in promotion of health. However, in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the nutraceuticals suffer from not only the harsh acidic environment of the stomach and a variety of digestive enzymes, but also the antibacterial activity of intestinal bile salts and the action of protease from the gut microbiota. Hydrogels, especially natural polymer-based hydrogels, are considered to be suitable delivery systems in food due to their macroscopic bulk properties, adjustable viscoelasticity and large spatial structure for embedding nutraceuticals. The structure of natural polymeric hydrogels is essential for seeking favorable functionalities in the delivery system, and could enhance properties such as adhesive property, acid stability, resistance to bile salt, and controlled release behavior. Future efforts can focus on in situ formation of hydrogels in GI tract, increasing the loading contents of nutraceuticals in hydrogels, developing stomach adhesive hydrogels, and targeting modification of gut microbiota by the hydrogels.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
