Genipin-Based Crosslinking of Jellyfish Collagen 3D Hydrogels

Collagen-based hydrogels are an attractive option in the field of cartilage regeneration with features of high biocompatibility and low immunogenic response. Crosslinking treatments are often employed to create stable 3D gels that can support and facilitate cell embodiment. In this study, we explored the properties of JellaGel™, a novel jellyfish material extracted from Rhizostoma pulmo. In particular, we analyzed the influence of genipin, a natural crosslinker, on the formation of 3D stable JellaGel™ hydrogels embedding human chondrocytes. Three concentrations of genipin were used for this purpose (1 mM, 2.5 mM, and 5 mM). Morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties were investigated for the crosslinked materials. The metabolic activity of embedded chondrocytes was also evaluated at different time points (3, 7, and 14 days). Non-crosslinked hydrogels resulted in an unstable matrix, while genipin-crosslinked hydrogels resulted in a stable matrix, without significant changes in their properties; their collagen network revealed characteristic dimensions in the order of 20 µm, while their denaturation temperature was 57 °C. After 7 and 14 days of culture, chondrocytes showed a significantly higher metabolic activity within the hydrogels crosslinked with 1 mM genipin, compared to those crosslinked with 5 mM genipin.

Nearest $$\varOmega $$-stable matrix via Riemannian optimization

We study the problem of finding the nearest $$\varOmega $$ Ω -stable matrix to a certain matrix A, i.e., the nearest matrix with all its eigenvalues in a prescribed closed set $$\varOmega $$ Ω . Distances are measured in the Frobenius norm. An important special case is finding the nearest Hurwitz or Schur stable matrix, which has applications in systems theory. We describe a reformulation of the task as an optimization problem on the Riemannian manifold of orthogonal (or unitary) matrices. The problem can then be solved using standard methods from the theory of Riemannian optimization. The resulting algorithm is remarkably fast on small-scale and medium-scale matrices, and returns directly a Schur factorization of the minimizer, sidestepping the numerical difficulties associated with eigenvalues with high multiplicity.

Validation and Optimization of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Producing Lactose-Free Dairy Products

The present study demonstrates the synthesis of lactose-free dairy items by Kluyveromyces lactis β-galactosidase bound to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The size of AuNPs was analyzed by dynamic light scattering experiment. The developed AuNPs served as a stable matrix for enzyme immobilization which was observed by obtaining 88% immobilization yield. Km and Vmax were determined for soluble and immobilized enzyme by incubating them with varying concentrations of substrate. Our findings demonstrated that immobilization leads to an increase of Km and a decline in Vmax values for the enzyme attached to PVA-functionalized AuNPs. Moreover, the enzyme conjugated to surface functionalized AuNPs displayed exceptional conversion of lactose hydrolysis in batch reactors at 40 oC in contrast to its hydrolysis at 50 oC. Hence, the developed nanosystem [β-galactosidase-(PVA-modified AuNPs)] serves as an excellent model for suggesting its application in other biomedical applications, particularly for constructing lactose based biosensors.

Minimum number of non-zero-entries in a stable matrix exhibiting Turing instability

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>It is shown that for any positive integer <inline-formula><tex-math id="M1">\begin{document}$ n \ge 3 $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula>, there is a stable irreducible <inline-formula><tex-math id="M2">\begin{document}$ n\times n $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> matrix <inline-formula><tex-math id="M3">\begin{document}$ A $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> with <inline-formula><tex-math id="M4">\begin{document}$ 2n+1-\lfloor\frac{n}{3}\rfloor $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> nonzero entries exhibiting Turing instability. Moreover, when <inline-formula><tex-math id="M5">\begin{document}$ n = 3 $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula>, the result is best possible, i.e., every <inline-formula><tex-math id="M6">\begin{document}$ 3\times 3 $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> stable matrix with five or fewer nonzero entries will not exhibit Turing instability. Furthermore, we determine all possible <inline-formula><tex-math id="M7">\begin{document}$ 3\times 3 $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> irreducible sign pattern matrices with 6 nonzero entries which can be realized by a matrix <inline-formula><tex-math id="M8">\begin{document}$ A $\end{document}</tex-math></inline-formula> that exhibits Turing instability.</p>

Physicochemical Characteristics of Arginine Enriched NaF Varnish: An In Vitro Study

The in vitro study objectives were to investigate the effect of arginine (Arg) incorporation in a 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish on its physical and chemical properties including F/Arg release. Six experimental formulations were prepared with L-arginine (L-Arg) and L-arginine monohydrochloride at 2%, 4%, and 8% w/v in a 5% NaF varnish, which served as a control. The varnishes were subjected to assessments for adhesion, viscosity, and NaF extraction. Molecular dynamics were simulated to identify post-dynamics total energy for NaF=Arg/Arg>NaF/Arg<NaF concentrations. The Arg/F varnish release profiles were determined in polyacrylic lactate buffer (pH-4.5; 7 days) and artificial saliva (pH-7; 1 h, 24 h, and 12 weeks). Incorporation of L-Arg in NaF varnish significantly influences physical properties ameliorating retention (p < 0.001). L-Arg in NaF varnish institutes the Arg-F complex. Molecular dynamics suggests that NaF>Arg concentration denotes the stabilized environment compared to NaF<Arg (p < 0.001). The 2% Arg-NaF exhibits periodic perennial Arg/F release and shows significantly higher integrated mean F release than NaF (p < 0.001). Incorporating 2% L-arginine in 5% NaF varnish improves its physical properties and renders a stable matrix with enduring higher F/Arg release than control.

Biopolymeric Delivery Systems for Cosmetic Applications Using Chlorella vulgaris Algae and Tea Tree Essential Oil

Cosmetic products in which all the skincare compounds are biomolecules, biocompatible and biodegradable constitute a request of an educated consumer corresponding to a premium cosmetic segment. For this purpose, a cellulose-based delivery system was developed to retain biomolecules for dermic applications. The 3D matrix was built with microfibrillated cellulose, nanofibrillated cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose combined with a crosslinking agent, the alginate, to obtain a 3D matrix capable of retaining and releasing bioactive components of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and tea tree essential oil. The porosity and pore dimensions and uniformity of this support matrix were optimized using 3D computational tools. The structures of the biopolymers were characterized using SEM, EDX, FTIR-ATR and DSC techniques. The essential oil and the microalgae components were successfully incorporated in a 3D stable matrix. The results indicate that the polymeric matrix retains and releases the essential oil biomolecules in a controlled way, when compared with tea tree essential oil, which is vaporized from 25 °C to 38 °C, without this 3D polymeric matrix. The microalgae and cellulose-based delivery system proved to be an interesting option for dermic and cosmetic applications because the exposure time of the therapeutic biomolecules was improved, and this factor consists of a competitive benefit for dermic systems.