Healable epoxy‐based dielectric semi‐interpenetrating networks with different degrees of cross‐linking

Background: Controlled oral dosage forms have always been preferred for drugs with variable absorption, and short biological half life and frequent dosing. The prime goal with sustained release systems is to maintain uniform therapeutic blood levels for longer periods of time. Interpenetrating networks (IPNs) have been evidenced as uniform sustained release systems. In current study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and locust bean gum (LBG) based IPNs were developed for the oral sustained release drug delivery of gliclazide (shows variable absorption). Method: The IPNs were synthesized by emulsion cross-linking method using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a cross linking agent. Gliclazide is a potential second generation, short-acting sulfonylurea oral hypoglycemic agent is having a short biological half-life (2-4 h), variable absorption and poor oral bioavailability. Various batches of IPNs were formulated by varying LBG: PVA ratio and evaluated for percentage yield, drug entrapment efficiency (DEE), swelling properties and in vitro drug release studies. Further characterizations were done by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), C13 Solid state NMR, X-Ray diffraction study (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Differential scanning microscopy (DSC) studies. Results: The percentage yield, drug entrapment and equilibrium swelling was observed to be dependent on PVA-LBG ratio and GA amount. Sustained release of drug was observed in all IPN formulations (approx 59 - 86% in 8 h in various batches) with variable release kinetics. SEM studies revealed the regular structures of IPNs. FTIR, XRD, C13 Solid state NMR and DSC studies proposed that drug was successfully incorporated into the formed IPNs. Conclusion: IPNs of LBG and PVA can be used as a promising carrier with uniform sustained release characteristics.

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Influence of Calcium Ions on the Plant Cell Surface: Membrane Fusions and Conformational Changes

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100050780 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 154-155

Author(s):

D. James Morré ◽

Charles E. Bracker ◽

William J. VanDerWoude

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Cell Surface ◽

Conformational Changes ◽

Calcium Ions ◽

Surface Membrane ◽

Carboxyl Groups ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Ultrastructural Evidence ◽

Glycine Max L ◽

Wall Extensibility

Calcium ions in the concentration range 5-100 mM inhibit auxin-induced cell elongation and wall extensibility of plant stems. Inhibition of wall extensibility requires that the tissue be living; growth inhibition cannot be explained on the basis of cross-linking of carboxyl groups of cell wall uronides by calcium ions. In this study, ultrastructural evidence was sought for an interaction of calcium ions with some component other than the wall at the cell surface of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) hypocotyls.

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Embedding Procedure for Water Swollen Samples

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010006951x ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 504-505

Author(s):

Ann M. Thomas ◽

Virginia Shemeley

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

Ion Exchange ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Ion Exchange Resins ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

First Pass ◽

Exchange Resins

Those samples which swell rapidly when exposed to water are, at best, difficult to section for transmission electron microscopy. Some materials literally burst out of the embedding block with the first pass by the knife, and even the most rapid cutting cycle produces sections of limited value. Many ion exchange resins swell in water; some undergo irreversible structural changes when dried. We developed our embedding procedure to handle this type of sample, but it should be applicable to many materials that present similar sectioning difficulties.The purpose of our embedding procedure is to build up a cross-linking network throughout the sample, while it is in a water swollen state. Our procedure was suggested to us by the work of Rosenberg, where he mentioned the formation of a tridimensional structure by the polymerization of the GMA biproduct, triglycol dimethacrylate.

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The Current Situation in Chemical Stabilization of Biological Materials

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100093912 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 132-133

Author(s):

John H. Luft

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Osmium Tetroxide ◽

Molecular Level ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Chemical Stabilization ◽

Specimen Preparation ◽

Sufficient Condition ◽

Radio Telescopes

With information processing devices such as radio telescopes, microscopes or hi-fi systems, the quality of the output often is limited by distortion or noise introduced at the input stage of the device. This analogy can be extended usefully to specimen preparation for the electron microscope; fixation, which initiates the processing sequence, is the single most important step and, unfortunately, is the least well understood. Although there is an abundance of fixation mixtures recommended in the light microscopy literature, osmium tetroxide and glutaraldehyde are favored for electron microscopy. These fixatives react vigorously with proteins at the molecular level. There is clear evidence for the cross-linking of proteins both by osmium tetroxide and glutaraldehyde and cross-linking may be a necessary if not sufficient condition to define fixatives as a class.

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Parathyroid gland before and after cisplatin treatment

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100128584 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 860-861

Author(s):

S.K. Aggarwal ◽

J.M. Fadool

Keyword(s):

Parathyroid Gland ◽

Wistar Rats ◽

Antitumor Agent ◽

The Body ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Hormonal Changes ◽

Primary Mechanism ◽

Before And After ◽

Dna Strands

Cisplatin (CDDP) a potent antitumor agent suffers from severe toxic side effects with nephrotoxicity being the major dose-limiting factor, The primary mechanism of its action has been proposed to be through its cross-linking DNA strands. It has also been shown to inactivate various transport enzymes and induce hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia that may be the underlying cause for some of its toxicities. The present is an effort to study its influence on the parathyroid gland for any hormonal changes that control calcium levels in the body.Male Swiss Wistar rats (Crl: (WI) BR) weighing 200-300 g and of 60 days in age were injected (ip) with cisplatin (7mg/kg in normal saline). The controls received saline injections only. The animals were injected (iv) with calcium (0.5 ml of 10% calcium gluconate/day) and were killed by decapitation on day 1 through 5. Trunk blood was collected in heparinized tubes.

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Large-cluster and combined fluorescent and gold immunoprobes

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100166920 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 892-893

Author(s):

Richard D. Powell ◽

James F. Hainfeld ◽

Carol M. R. Halsey ◽

David L. Spector ◽

Shelley Kaurin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metal Cluster ◽

Sulfonyl Chloride ◽

Gel Filtration ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Site Specific ◽

Fab Fragments ◽

Cluster Label ◽

Covalently Linked ◽

Texas Red ◽

Fold Excess

Two new types of covalently linked, site-specific immunoprobes have been prepared using metal cluster labels, and used to stain components of cells. Combined fluorescein and 1.4 nm “Nanogold” labels were prepared by using the fluorescein-conjugated tris (aryl) phosphine ligand and the amino-substituted ligand in the synthesis of the Nanogold cluster. This cluster label was activated by reaction with a 60-fold excess of (sulfo-Succinimidyl-4-N-maleiniido-cyclohexane-l-carboxylate (sulfo-SMCC) at pH 7.5, separated from excess cross-linking reagent by gel filtration, and mixed in ten-fold excess with Goat Fab’ fragments against mouse IgG (obtained by reduction of F(ab’)2 fragments with 50 mM mercaptoethylamine hydrochloride). Labeled Fab’ fragments were isolated by gel filtration HPLC (Superose-12, Pharmacia). A combined Nanogold and Texas Red label was also prepared, using a Nanogold cluster derivatized with both and its protected analog: the cluster was reacted with an eight-fold excess of Texas Red sulfonyl chloride at pH 9.0, separated from excess Texas Red by gel filtration, then deprotected with HC1 in methanol to yield the amino-substituted label.

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Triply-periodic nanostructures in surfactant, block copolymer, and biomembrane systems, and simulation of TEMs

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100150253 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 884-885

Author(s):

David M. Anderson ◽

Tomas Landh

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystalline ◽

Diblock Copolymers ◽

Cubic Phase ◽

List Type ◽

Interpenetrating Networks ◽

Triply Periodic ◽

Wide Range ◽

Bicontinuous Cubic ◽

Phase Liquid ◽

Dividing Surface

First discovered in surfactant-water liquid crystalline systems, so-called ‘bicontinuous cubic phases’ have the property that hydropnilic and lipophilic microdomains form interpenetrating networks conforming to cubic lattices on the scale of nanometers. Later these same structures were found in star diblock copolymers, where the simultaneous continuity of elastomeric and glassy domains gives rise to unique physical properties. Today it is well-established that the symmetry and topology of such a morphology are accurately described by one of several triply-periodic minimal surfaces, and that the interface between hydrophilic and hydrophobic, or immiscible polymer, domains is described by a triply-periodic surface of constant, nonzero mean curvature. One example of such a dividing surface is shown in figure 5.The study of these structures has become of increasing importance in the past five years for two reasons:1)Bicontinuous cubic phase liquid crystals are now being polymerized to create microporous materials with monodispersed pores and readily functionalizable porewalls; figure 3 shows a TEM from a polymerized surfactant / methylmethacrylate / water cubic phase; and2)Compelling evidence has been found that these same morphologies describe biomembrane systems in a wide range of cells.

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CRYO-Electron Microscopy of the Acto-Myosin-ATP Complex

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100179993 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 248-249

Author(s):

John Trinickt ◽

Howard White

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Atp Hydrolysis ◽

Myosin Head ◽

Bound State ◽

Cross Linking ◽

Weakly Bound ◽

Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽

Myosin Subfragment 1 ◽

Attached State ◽

High Fraction

The primary force of muscle contraction is thought to involve a change in the myosin head whilst attached to actin, the energy coming from ATP hydrolysis. This change in attached state could either be a conformational change in the head or an alteration in the binding angle made with actin. A considerable amount is known about one bound state, the so-called strongly attached state, which occurs in the presence of ADP or in the absence of nucleotide. In this state, which probably corresponds to the last attached state of the force-producing cycle, the angle between the long axis myosin head and the actin filament is roughly 45°. Details of other attached states before and during power production have been difficult to obtain because, even at very high protein concentration, the complex is almost completely dissociated by ATP. Electron micrographs of the complex in the presence of ATP have therefore been obtained only after chemically cross-linking myosin subfragment-1 (S1) to actin filaments to prevent dissociation. But it is unclear then whether the variability in attachment angle observed is due merely to the cross-link acting as a hinge.We have recently found low ionic-strength conditions under which, without resorting to cross-linking, a high fraction of S1 is bound to actin during steady state ATP hydrolysis. The structure of this complex is being studied by cryo-electron microscopy of hydrated specimens. Most advantages of frozen specimens over ambient temperature methods such as negative staining have already been documented. These include improved preservation and fixation rates and the ability to observe protein directly rather than a surrounding stain envelope. In the present experiments, hydrated specimens have the additional benefit that it is feasible to use protein concentrations roughly two orders of magnitude higher than in conventional specimens, thereby reducing dissociation of weakly bound complexes.

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