Fibers and 3D mesh scaffolds from biodegradable starch-based blends: production and characterization

The aim of this work is the production of fibers from biodegradable polymers to obtain 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering of hard tissues. The scaffolds required for this highly demanding application need to have, as well as the biological and mechanical characteristics, a high degree of porosity with suitable dimensions for cell seeding and proliferation. Furthermore, the open cell porosity should have adequate interconnectivity for a continuous flow of nutrients and outflow of cell metabolic residues as well as to allow cell growth into confluent layers. Blends of corn starch, a natural biodegradable polymer, with other synthetic polymers (poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), poly(epsilon-caprolactone), poly(lactic acid)) were selected for this work because of their good balance of properties, namely biocompatibility, processability and mechanical properties. Melt spinning was used to produce fibers from all the blends and 3D meshes from one of the starch-poly(lactic acid) blends. The experimental characterization included the evaluation of the tensile mechanical properties and thermal properties of the fibers and the compression stiffness, porosity and degradation behavior of the 3D meshes. Light microscopy picture of 3D meshes.     

A geometrically constraining bis(benzimidazole) ligand and its nearly tetrahedral complexes with Fe(II) and Mn(II)

2,2'-Bis[2-(1-propylbenzimidazol-2-yl)]biphenyl), 4, and its bis complexes with Fe(II) and Mn(II) have been prepared and characterized structurally and spectroscopically. Ligand 4 adopts an open, "trans" conformation in the solid state with the benzimidazole (BzIm) groups on opposite sides of the biphenyl unit. In its complexes with metal ions, a "cis" conformation is observed, and 4 behaves as a geometrically constraining bidentate ligand with four planar groups connected by three "hinges". Reaction of 4 with Fe(II) or Mn(II) yielded isomorphous crystals (space group Pnn2) of Fe(II)(4)2.(ClO4)2 and Mn(II)(4)2.(ClO4)2, in which the M(II)(4)2 cations exhibit distorted-tetrahedral coordination geometries (N-M-N angles, 109 +/- 11 degrees ) enforced by rigid, chiral nine-membered M(4) rings in the twist-boat-boat conformation. Individually, the cations show R,R or S,S stereochemistry, and the crystals are racemates. Mn(II)(4)2.(ClO4)2 exhibits a quasi-reversible Mn(II) --> Mn(III) oxidation at E(1/2) = 0.64 V; the corresponding Fe(II) --> Fe(III) oxidation occurs at E(1/2) = 1.76 V. The electrochemical stability of the Fe(III) oxidation state in this system suggests the possibility of isolating an unusual pseudotetrahedral Fe(III)N(BzIm)(4) species. Ultraviolet spectra of the iron and manganese complexes are dominated by absorptions of the ligand 4 blue-shifted by approximately 2000-3000 cm(-1). Ligand-field absorptions were observed for the Fe(II) complex; those for the Mn(II) complex were obscured by tailing ultraviolet absorptions. Electron paramagnetic resonance and magnetic susceptibility measurements are consistent with a high-spin Mn(II) complex, while for the Fe(II) complex, the falloff of the magnetic moment with decreasing temperature is indicative of zero-field splitting with D approximately 4 cm(-1).     

Grafting of poly-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methacryloylaminodeoxyglucose on poly-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-vinylpyrrolidone

A graft copolymer simulating glycoprotein was prepared by reaction of poly-N-methacryloylaminodeoxyglucose containing terminal amino group with a copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and acrylic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii, Vol. 77, No. 8, 2004, pp. 1356–1359.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Nazarova, Pavlov, Kever, Afanaseva, Panarin.     

Aptamer-functionalized Au nanoparticles for the amplified optical detection of thrombin

The catalytic enlargement of aptamer-functionalized Au nanoparticles amplifies the optical detection of aptamer-thrombin complexes in solution and on surfaces.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel tantalum chalcogen-rich molecular cluster with square planar metal core

Black single crystals of Ta(4)Se(9)I(8) are obtained in a high yield by heating Ta, Se, and I(2) at 300 degrees C in 1:2.2:1.0 molar ratio. In the structure, the tantalum atoms form a square, with four Se(2) ligands bridging the Ta-Ta edges and one capping the square. Each Ta atom has two terminal iodine atoms. The compound is diamagnetic and has only two electrons for metal-metal bonding.     

Synthesis of 5H-[1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives

The reaction of 2-aminothiazoles with ethyl acetoacetate in acetic or polyphosphoric acid gave a series of 5H-[1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives which were nitrated with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid to 6-nitro-5H-[1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ones, and the latter were reduced to the corresponding amines.     

1,3‐Dipolar cycloaddition of unstabilized N‐methyl azomethine ylide to nitrobenzene annelated with azoles

The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of unstabilized N‐methyl azomethine ylide to mononitro benzazoles was studied. Depending on the nature of substituents and annelated azoles, the reaction affords previously unknown isoindole fused heterocyclic systems. The reactivity of the cycloadducts was examined. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Ion Interactions with the Carbon Nanotube Surface in Aqueous Solutions: Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms

We study the molecular mechanisms of alkali halide ion interactions with the single‐wall carbon nanotube surface in water by means of fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We focus on the basic physical‐chemical principles of ion–nanotube interactions in aqueous solutions and discuss them in light of recent experimental findings on selective ion effects on carbon nanotubes.     

Study of conformations and hydrogen bonds in the configurational isomers of pyrrole‐2‐carbaldehyde oxime by 1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy combined with MP2 and DFT calculations and NBO analysis

The ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR studies have shown that the E and Z isomers of pyrrole‐2‐carbaldehyde oxime adopt preferable conformation with the syn orientation of the oxime group with respect to the pyrrole ring. The syn conformation of E and Z isomers of pyrrole‐2‐carbaldehyde oxime is stabilized by the N? H···N and N? H···O intramolecular hydrogen bonds, respectively. The N? H···N hydrogen bond in the E isomer causes the high‐frequency shift of the bridge proton signal by about 1 ppm and increase the ¹J(N, H) coupling by ～3 Hz. The bridge proton shows further deshielding and higher increase of the ¹J(N, H) coupling constant due to the strengthening of the N? H···O hydrogen bond in the Z isomer. The MP2 calculations indicate that the syn conformation of E and Z isomers is by ～3.5 kcal/mol energetically less favorable than the anti conformation. The calculations of ¹H shielding and ¹J(N, H) coupling in the syn and anti conformations allow the contribution to these constants from the N? H···N and N? H···O hydrogen bondings to be estimated. The NBO analysis suggests that the N? H···N hydrogen bond in the E isomer is a pure electrostatic interaction while the charge transfer from the oxygen lone pair to the antibonding orbital of the N? H bond through the N? H···O hydrogen bond occurs in the Z isomer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.