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Polycaprolactone and polyvinyl alcohol are commonly used polymers with biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the poor mechanical properties of polycaprolactone and the high swelling properties of polyvinyl alcohol hinder their application in guided tissue/bone regeneration. In this study, a new strategy for preparing absorbable guided bone regeneration (GBR) membrane was innovatively put forward, which was to simply blend them in formic acid in different proportions (0%/100%, 25%/75%, 50%/50%, 75%/25%, and 100%/0% wt/wt) and obtain nanofiber membrane by uniaxial electrospinning. The nano‐structure was confirmed by scanning electron microscope, and the change of chemical functional groups was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the proper polymer proportion (75%/25%) was selected through some tests. The results show that the nanofiber membrane has suitable wettability (104.083 ± 2.512°), sufficient Young's modulus (90.895 ± 7.431 MPa), the lowest swelling rate (33.705 ± 1.806%) and shrinkage rate (1.878 ± 3.252%), and no cytotoxicity. Its biodegradability and osteogenic effects in vitro were also investigated to show the potential applied in GBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many studies have shown that 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor subtypes are involved in the regulation of feeding behavior. However, the relative contribution of 5-HT3 receptor remains unclear. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of 5-HT3 receptor in control of feeding behavior in fed and fasted mice. Methodology/Principal Findings: Food intake and expression of c-Fos, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and 5-HT in the brain were examined after acute treatment with 5-HT3 receptor agonist SR-57227 alone or in combination with 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron. Food intake was significantly inhibited within 3 h after acute treatment with SR 57227 in fasted mice but not fed mice, and this inhibition was blocked by ondansetron. Immunohistochemical study revealed that fasting-induced c-Fos expression was further enhanced by SR 57227 in the brainstem and the hypothalamus, and this enhancement was also blocked by ondansetron. Furthermore, the fasting-induced downregulation of POMC expression in the hypothalamus and the TH expression in the brain stem was blocked by SR 57227 in the fasted mice, and this effect of SR 57227 was also antagonized by ondansetron. Conclusion/Significance: Taken together, our findings suggest that the effect of SR 57227 on the control of feeding behavior in fasted mice may be, at least partially, related to the c-Fos expression in hypothalamus and brain stem, as well as POMC system in the hypothalamus and the TH system in the brain stem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative infection associated with medical implants is a devastating complication of orthopedic surgery. Considering the difficulties for the diagnosis and treatment of infection, coating the implant material with antibacterial substances is a promising protocol by which to avoid such an adverse reaction. Nanoparticles (NPs) constructed of anatase microspheres, one form of titanium dioxide (TiO2), with a high specific surface area are fabricated in this study in a facile one-step process using homogeneous precipitation at 90 °C under atmospheric pressure using titanium sulfate (Ti[SO4]2) and urea as the titanium source and precipitant, respectively. The molar ratio of silver (Ag) to TiO2 can be changed by varying the amount of silver nitrate (AgNO3). The high specific surface area of the TiO2 microspheres combined with Ag particles (Ag/TiO2) exhibit excellent antibacterial properties against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In addition, the Ag/TiO2 material in this work possesses satisfactory biological performance on MC3T3-E1 cells. The high specific surface area of Ag/TiO2 together with good antibacterial properties and cytocompatibility provide promising applications in dentistry, orthopedics, and other fields of medicine that use biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We screened nine 1,2-dihydro-quinolines using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay in HepG2 and SMMC cells and identified ethyl-2-cyano-2-(2- (methoxycarbonyl)allyl)quinoline-1(2H)-carboxylate (compound 5) as a potential anticancer agent. In order to further develop its anticancer therapeutic potential, we incorporated this agent into cationic liposomes for delivery to tumor cells. The characteristics of liposomes, their cytotoxicity and cellular uptake by tumor cells were investigated. We demonstrated that cationic 1,2-dioleoyl-3- trimethyl-ammonium-propane containing liposomes (cLips) loaded with compound 5 has superior antitumor activity compared to neutral liposomes. These data suggest cLip-compound 5 to be a promising agent that warrants further evaluation., (Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)