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Pharmaceutical pollutants, such as gastrointestinal drugs, pose a significant environmental concern due to their widespread use and potential adverse effects on ecosystems. Insights obtained from computational simulations yielded a more profound grasp of the adsorption mechanism. This study investigated the pH-sensitive adsorption characteristics of two commonly used gastrointestinal drugs, famotidine (FA) and pantoprazole (PA), as pharmaceutical pollutants. The adsorption process was studied using a computational modelling approach, focusing on the Au-doped@ZIF-90-glycerol adsorbent (A@Z/G) as a pivotal adsorbent. This adsorbent demonstrated remarkable adsorption capabilities for both FA and PA. The computational modelling revealed that the adsorption process is highly dependent on the pH of the environment. In protonated form, the adsorbent exhibited a significantly higher affinity towards the drugs, resulting in a more efficient removal of pharmaceutical pollutants. The interactions between the adsorbent and drugs were explored, revealing the crucial role of π–π stacking, electrostatic and van der Waals interactions, and hydrogen bonding. These interactions contributed to the strong adsorption affinity observed between the drugs and the A@Z/G adsorbent. Furthermore, the computational analysis uncovered the pH-sensitive nature of the adsorption process. At lower pH values, the protonation of the adsorbent enhanced its positive charge, leading to increased electrostatic attraction with the negatively charged drug surface. This pH-sensitive behaviour highlights the potential of the A@Z/G adsorbent for the targeted removal of pharmaceutical pollutants under specific pH conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor shortage for organ transplantations is a major clinical challenge worldwide. Potential risks inevitably encountered with traditional methods include complications, secondary injuries, and, most importantly, limited donor sources. Today, researchers from multiple disciplinary areas, including biomaterials, biology, and nanotechnology in tissue engineering, attempt to bio-fabricate virtually every human tissue or organ. Tissue engineering techniques generally require the use of a porous scaffold, which serves as a three-dimensional template for initial cell attachment and subsequent tissue formation both in vitro and in vivo. The scaffold provides the necessary support for cells to attach, grow, proliferate, and maintain their differentiated function. This article represents a concise summary of different procedures for fabricating sponge-like and fibrous scaffolds using a variety of technologies. First, we will discuss different approaches that allow us to create fibers, which have long been recognized as the primary constituent in 3D scaffolds. These methods include electrospinning and microfluidic-based methods, among others. Following that, the various techniques for fabricating 3D scaffolds, ranging from simple to complex structures, as well as evaluating their advantages and disadvantages, will be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐isothermal crystallization of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) in semi‐crystalline/amorphous PCL/poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) blends with lower‐critical solution temperature (LCST) phase behavior at temperatures higher than the beginning of PCL crystallization has been studied and quantitatively modeled using different kinetics models. Near‐ and off‐critical PCL/SAN blends were prepared by using two different PCL molecular weights. The kinetics model results verified that the samples containing PCL with higher molecular weight have lower crystallinity and faster crystallization behavior, while adding amorphous SAN chains to PCL retards the crystallization process. A lower crystallization activation energy was relatively required for higher molecular weight, PCL‐2, in off‐critical PCL/SAN blends. However, the easier crystallization with higher degree of crystallinity was attained in near‐critical P80S20 blend containing PCL with lower molecular weight, indicating a shift of the LCST phase diagram of the PCL/SAN blend to higher temperatures by increasing the PCL molecular weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important parts of the body is the peripheral nervous system, and any injuries in this system may result in potentially lethal consequences or severe side effects. The peripheral nervous system may not rehabilitate the harmed regions following disabling disorders, which reduce the quality of life of patients. Fortunately, in recent years, hydrogels have been proposed as exogenous alternatives to bridge damaged nerve stumps to create a useful microenvironment for advancing nerve recovery. However, hydrogel‐based medicine in the therapy of peripheral nerve injury still needs a lot of improvement. In this study, GelMA/PEtOx hydrogel was used for the first time to deliver 4‐Aminopyridine (4‐AP) small molecules. 4‐AP is a broad‐spectrum potassium channel blocker, which has been demonstrated to increase neuromuscular function in patients with various demyelinating disorders. The prepared hydrogel showed a porosity of 92.2 ± 2.6% after 20 min, swelling ratio of 456.01 ± 2.0% after 180 min, weight loss of 81.7 ± 3.1% after 2 weeks, and good blood compatibility as well as sustainable drug release. MTT analysis was performed to assess the cell viability of the hydrogel and proved that the hydrogel is an appropriate substrate for the survival of cells. In vivo studies were performed for functional analysis and the sciatic functional index (SFI) as well as hot plate latency results showed that the use of GelMA/PEtOx+4‐AP hydrogel enhances the regeneration compared to the GelMA/PEtOx hydrogel and the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a systematic manner, the roles of MWNTs as filler and styrene acrylonitrile copolymer-graft-maleic anhydride (SAN-MA) as compatibilizer, individually and together, on dynamic-mechanical behavior of polycarbonate (PC)-rich/ acrylonitrile butadiene styrene terpolymer (ABS) blend were studied. The investigations were performed using small-scale mixing in a one-step procedure with a fixed MWNTs content of 0.75 wt% and a blend composition of PC/ABS = 70/30 w/w. PC/SAN blends and nanocomposites as simpler model system for PC/ABS were also studied to reveal the role of the rubbery polybutadiene (PB) fraction. It is found that the tendency of MWNTs to localize within the PC component in compatibilized PC/ABS was lower than in compatibilized PC/SAN blends. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed the dual role of SAN-MA as blend compatibilizer and also promoter of MWNTs migration towards PC, where SAN-MA to MWNTs weight ratio varied between 1 and 4. At the compatibilizer/MWNTs weight ratio of 1, MWNTs localized in PC component of the blends whereas increasing the compatibilizer/MWNTs ratio to 4 led to migration of MWNTs toward SAN or ABS component. In DMA studies, loss modulus normalization of the nanocomposites revealed the coexistence of mobilized and immobilized regions within the nanocomposite structure, as a result of MWNTs and compatibilizer loading., INTRODUCTION Fillers play an essential role to adjust the polymers' advantageous characteristics to reach the property balance needed for certain applications. It is expected that high aspect ratio as well [...]

This work provides the synthetic route for the arrangement of Fe3O4@Ag and α‐Fe2O3@Ag core‐shell nanoparticles (NPs) with cytotoxic capabilities. The production of Fe3O4@Ag and α‐Fe2O3@Ag core‐shell NPs was facilitated utilizing S. persica bark extracts. The results of Powder X‐ray Diffraction (PXRD), Ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy, Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM), Energy Dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) supported the green synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4@Ag and α‐Fe2O3@Ag NPs. The particle size was measured by the TEM analysis to be about 30 and 50 nm, respectively; while the results of FESEM showed that α‐Fe2O3@Ag and Fe3O4@Ag particles contained multifaceted particles with a size of 50–60 nm and 20–25 nm, respectively. The outcomes of VSM were indicative of a saturation magnetization of 37 and 0.18 emu/g at room temperature, respectively. The potential cytotoxicity of the synthesized core‐shell nanoparticles towards breast cancer (MCF‐7) and human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVEC) cells was evaluated by an MTT assay. α‐Fe2O3@Ag NPs were able to destroy 100 % of MCF‐7 cell at doses above 80 μg/mL, and it was confirmed that Fe3O4@Ag NPs at a volume of 160 μg/mL can destroy 90 % of MCF‐7 cells. Thus, the applicability of the prepared nanoparticles of these nanoparticles in biological and medical fields has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tetra-ester (TE) functionalized organic compound was synthesized for the restoration the mechanical properties of the PVC/Mg(OH)2 nanocomposites. The organically modified Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles (OMN) were prepared by surface modification of Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles (MDH) using a methylated tetra-phenol (TP) organic compound to achieve the homogeneous MDH distribution in the nanocomposite matrix. The results of FT-IR, XRD, and FE-SEM revealed the successful surface treating of MDH. The PVC nanocomposites were prepared by solvent blending and casting method. From the TGA analyses, the 10% mass loss temperature and the char yield of PVC containing 3% by mass of OMN and 3% by mass of TE, in N2 atmosphere, increased by 13 °C and 7%, respectively, compared to unfilled PVC. From the microscale combustion calorimeter, a decreasing heat release rate from 125.2 to 92.8 W g–1 was observed for PVC film filled with 6% by mass of each additive, compared to unfilled PVC. The tensile test results revealed that TE and OMN have been effective for the improvement of the PVC tensile strength. For example, incorporating only 6% by mass of each filler led to an improvement in tensile strength from 58.99 to 80.58 MPa, compared to unfilled PVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]