[Preparation and physiochemical properties of curcumin-loaded lipid cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare curcumin-loaded lipid cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles and evaluate its physiochemical properties. METHODS: The nanoparticles were prepared using hot and high-pressure homogenization. The prescription and preparation process were optimized by uniform design with drug loading and entrapment efficiency as indexes. RESULTS: The nanoparticles were spherical under transmission electron microscope (TEM) with average particle size of 176.1 nm, zeta potential of -25.19 mV, average drug loading of (1.5 +/- 0.2)% and entrapment efficiency of (95 +/- 1.8)%. The release equation: In (1-Q) = -0.0251t-0.0075. The cumulative release percentage was 60% at 36 h in vitro. CONCLUSION: The obtained curcumin-loaded lipid cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles shows high entrapment efficiency and good sustain release property.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon fiber with enriched Fe2N sites: Synthesis and application as efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in microbial fuel cells.

Low-cost, stable and highly efficient oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) electrocatalysts are of great significance for microbial fuel cells to break the limit of the air cathode. The expensive noble metal catalysts are easy to be contaminated due to biofouling, which could damage the catalytic activity significantly. Among the reported non-noble metal catalysts, FeCN materials are promising substitutes that have comparable catalytic activity with Pt/C. In this article, a facile process to obtain N-doped porous carbon fibers (NPCF) with abundant Fe2N moieties from iron based metal organic framework (MOF(Fe)) embedded electrospun fibers has been developed. The fiber structure promotes the in situ conversion of Fe2N sites in embedded MOF(Fe) during pyrolysis under NH3 atmosphere. The abundant Fe2N sites, presence of pyrrolic nitrogen and hierarchical porous structure of obtained Fe2N/NPCF make it possess excellent electrocatalytic activity to ORR with comparable performance (E1/2 = 0.8648 V) and superior long term stability to commercial 20 wt% Pt/C. This work expends the toolbox for design of high performance cathodic catalysts for MFCs and also provides original insights in Fe-N active sites construction for FeNC ORR catalysts.

[Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: a three-generation case report].

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is a familial hereditary disease; while it is rare and usually benign, it is also characterized by the slow and progressive development of gingival tissue. This paper reports on the clinical examina-tion and history of HGF in a family of patients.

[Expression and significance of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 and ß-catenin in gingival tissue of patients with chronic periodontitis].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression and correlation of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) and ß-catenin in gingival tissues of patients with chronic periodontitis (CP). The role of the classical Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in the development of periodontitis was also explored. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with CP (CP group) were enrolled in this study. Among them, 16 cases were moderate CP, and 12 demonstrated severe CP. Twelve healthy cases comprised the controls (normal group). Gingival tissue was collected, and the probing depth, bleeding index, and clinical attachment loss were recorded. The expression levels of SFRP1 and ß-catenin were detected by immunohistochemistry, and staining intensity was evaluated by double scoring method. SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The staining strength scores of SFRP1 and ß-catenin were 2.16±0.65 and 1.12±0.51 in the normal group, 3.57±0.45 and 2.36±0.49 in the CP group, 3.61±0.40 and 2.30±0.44 in the moderate CP group, and 3.52±0.52 and 2.45±0.55 in the severe CP group, respectively. The expression of SFRP1 and ß-catenin in the CP group was higher than that in the normal group (P<0.01). A significant difference was noted between the normal group and the moderate and severe CP groups (P<0.01) but none between the moderate and severe CP groups (P>0.05). A positive correlation was found between the expression of SFRP1 and ß-catenin (r=0.657, P<0.01). The expression levels of ß-catenin and SFRP1 were related to periodontal indexes. The correlation between the expression of SFRP1 and probing depth was most significant (r=0.723, P<0.01), as well as that between ß-catenin and bleeding index (r=0.697, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CP exhibit elevated expression of SFRP1 and ß-catenin in gingival tissues, and this event is related to the degree of periodontal destruction. Abnormal expression of SFRP1 and ß-catenin may promote the development of periodontitis.

Characterization and interfacial behavior of nanoparticles prepared from amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates.

Amphiphilic graft copolymers were prepared from ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates hydrolyzed by trypsin at a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 2.2%. Nanoparticles were prepared from ß-conglycinin, ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates (CDC), and amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates at DH 2.2% (CDCH) by a desolvation method. All of the nanoparticle samples exhibited spherical structures, as evidenced by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The nanoparticles prepared from amphiphilic hydrolysates of ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates at DH 2.2% (CDCHN) exhibited higher interfacial pressure and dilatational modulus after long-term absorption at the oil-water interface compared with nanoparticles prepared from ß-conglycinin (CN) and ß-conglycinin-dextran conjugates (CDCN). This might be mainly associated with the higher surface hydrophobicity of CDCHN, which enhanced adsorption and intermolecular interactions of nanoparticles in the adsorbed layer.