We report a study on particle diffusion in membranes formed from polystyrene-block-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PDMAEMA) diblock copolymers. The membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and by single-particle tracking employing carboxy-functionalized polystyrene beads loaded with a fluorophore as spectroscopic probes. From the diffusion trajectories we extr...

background sulfur oxides released from the burning of oil causes severe environmental pollution. the sulfur can be removed via the 4s pathway in biodesulfurization (bds). immobilization approaches have been developed to prevent cell contamination of oil during the bds process. objectives the encapsulation of rhodococcus erythropolis r1 in calcium alginate beads was studied in order to enhance c...

BACKGROUND/AIMS It has been shown that the drug-eluting beads loaded with doxorubicin (DEBDOX) are effective for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the optimal safety and efficacy still remain to be established by using various bead sizes, doxorubicin doses, and the degree of stasis.The aim of this study was to determine the optimal safety and efficacy of DEBDOX in the tr...

Background: Although advantages of immobilization of cells through entrapment in calcium alginate gel beads have already been demonstrated, nevertheless, instability of the beads and the mass transfer limitations remain as the major challenges.Objective: The objective of the present study was to increase the stability, porosity (reduce mass transfer limit...

Clinical use of DC Bead™ loaded with doxorubicin (DEBDOX™) or irinotecan (DEBIRI™), for the treatment of primary and secondary tumours of the liver respectively, is showing great promise. Recently there has been a tendency to select smaller bead size ranges to treat tumours in an effort to allow more drug dose to be administered, improve tumoural penetration and resultant drug delivery and tumo...

An improved method for evaluating drug release behaviour of drug-eluting embolization beads (DEBs) was developed utilizing an open-loop flow-through system, in which the beads were packed into an occlusive mass within the system and extracted with a flowing elution medium over time. Glass beads were introduced into the beads mass in order to ensure laminar flow, reduce dead volume and improve r...

This study focused on the speculative role of the pedicellariae of the sea star Acanthaster planci in fouling control, because quantitative measurements showed that this species is free of any macro-fouling organisms. The morphology and distribution of its pedicellariae were measured to determine if larvae or propagules of fouling organisms could settle between pedicellariae without being in th...

The purpose of this study was to improve the entrapment efficiency of the water-soluble drug metronidazole using internal cross-linking agents. Calcium pectinate beads containing metronidazole were prepared by dropping a drug-pectin solution in 1% and 5% (m/V) calcium chloride for surface cross-linked beads. For the core cross-linked beads calcium carbonate was dispersed in the drug-pectin solu...

Detection and quantification of pathogens in water is critical for the protection of human health and for drinking water safety and security. When the pathogen concentrations are low, large sample volumes (several liters) are needed to achieve reliable quantitative results. However, most microbial identification methods utilize relatively small sample volumes. As a consequence, a concentration ...

Apoptotic cell death is a common feature after exposure to ionising radiation in vivo and in vitro. Macrophages are responsible for the phagocytotic clearance of the apoptotic cells and it was shown that phagocytosis of radiation-induced apoptotic cells can activate macrophages, leading them to the induction of an inflammatory response in the surrounding tissue by releasing cytokines [1,2]. Thi...