The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
It is well known that certain forms of organic mercury (such as methylmercury) are neurotoxic. What has been of significant interest in recent years relates to the levels of mercury which become bioavailable after injecting vaccines which contain the ethylmercury-based preservative Thimerosal and whether those levels are significant enough to disrupt normal neuronal communication. This study does...
Current delivery systems for vaccines present major logistical problems when large populations need to be vaccinated within a short time period, such as in the case of a pandemic. An efficient and effective method for pandemic vaccination is the driving force of the research performed by our group. The proposed alternative vaccination technique consists of a self-administrable patch made of electrospun...
Our objective is to develop a highly miniaturized, solid-phase platform for assaying the function and inhibition of integral membrane proteins (IMPs). To functionalize materials with active membrane proteins, the challenge is to build stabilized, supported biomembranes in which the substrate to biomembrane spacing can be controlled to accommodate larger membrane protein. The silica microsphere (5...
The primary cilium, a hair-like projection from the cellular membrane, is involved in fluid flow sensing. In this study, the primary cilium is modeled as a thin beam undergoing large deflection due to fluid drag forces. For the first time, the bending response is analyzed with a model combining large angle rotations with the assumption of a linear drag force along the ciliary length. The model is...
A skin patch composed of an electrospun nanofibrous membrane of a highly hygroscopic polymer, encasing a reversibly packaged antigen and adjuvant cocktail, promises a practical alternative to the current vaccine strategy. The proposed system would utilize the high density of antigen presenting (APC) cells found within the layers of human skin to elicit a vast adaptive immune response. The amount of...
Therapeutic delivery into the brain parenchyma is difficult due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). One potential solution is to use cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). CPPs are short peptides made up of primarily positively charged amino acids that have the ability to transduce cell membranes and deliver cargoes to cells. It is unclear, however, whether CPPs can penetrate cell barriers,...
Plasma, mostly water and solutes, advects low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) across the arterial endothelium. Subendothelial LDL deposition triggers pre-artherogenic lesion formation. This water flux is believed to occur paracellularly. We investigate the potential significance of the transcelluar pathway through the ubiquitous aquaporin-1 (AQP1) water channel protein to total transmural water flow. AQP1...
Our aim is to design alpha-helical peptide complexes to enhance their stability and biological feasibility for the study of membrane proteins and their interactions. In on-going work, we employ (K3A4L2A7L2A3K3) as anchoring molecules, where conjugation of the peptide with fluoresceine isothiocyanate (FITC) allows one to access a variety of chemistries (such as introducing fluorescent dye, etc.) for...
The purpose of this study is to develop biodegradable nerve guidance conduits seeded with Schwann cells (SC) using chitosan-based biopolymers for improving nerve regeneration. Chitosan, prepared from alkaline hydrolysis of chitin, is a natural polysaccharide biopolymer, having biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, chitosan and chitosan-gelatin membranes were prepared, characterized,...
Wear-debris particles from ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and metals has been implicated in periprosthetic osteolysis and cellular response to them depend on their size and dose. Response to larger particles has been previously studied, but there are no specific studies examining biological response to simultaneous administration of both UHMWPE and Ti particles less than 0.2??m in...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.