Aptamer decorated PDA@magnetic silica microparticles for bacteria purification.

One significant constraint in the advancement of biosensors is the signal-to-noise ratio, which is adversely affected by the presence of interfering factors such as blood in the sample matrix. In the present investigation, a specific aptamer binding was chosen for its affinity, while exhibiting no binding affinity towards non-target bacterial cells. This selective binding property was leveraged to facilitate the production of magnetic microparticles decorated with aptamers. A novel assay was developed to effectively isolate S. pneumoniae from PBS or directly from blood samples using an aptamer with an affinity constant of 72.8 nM. The capture experiments demonstrated efficiencies up to 87% and 66% are achievable for isolating spiked S. pneumoniae in 1 mL PBS and blood samples, respectively.

Numerical investigation of hemodynamic performance of a stent in the main branch of a coronary artery bifurcation.

Introduction: The effect of a bare-metal stent on the hemodynamics in the main branch of a coronary artery bifurcation with a particular type of stenosis was numerically investigated by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Methods: Three-dimensional idealized geometry of bifurcation was constructed in Catia modelling commercial software package. The Newtonian blood flow was assumed to be incompressible and laminar. CFD was utilized to calculate the shear stress and blood pressure distributions on the wall of main branch. In order to do the numerical simulations, a commercial software package named as COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3 was employed. Two types of stent , namely, one-part stent and two-part stent were applied to prevent the build-up and progression of the atherosclerotic plaques in the main branch. Results: A particular type of stenosis in the main branch was considered in this research. It occurred before and after the side branch. Moreover, it was found that the main branch with an inserted one-part stent had the smallest region with the wall shear stress (WSS) below 0.5 Pa which was the minimum WSS in the main branch without the stenosis. Conclusion: The use of a one-part stent in the main branch of a coronary artery bifurcation for the aforementioned type of stenosis is recommended.

Effects of Steroids and Curcumin on Prevention of Laryngeal Stenosis Secondary to Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare the preventive effects of corticosteroids and curcumin on subglottic stenosis in an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one male German Shepherd dogs were used for this study. After standardized trauma to the subglottic area, the dogs were divided into three groups. Group A received curcumin (450 mg/ day) for 15 days; Group B received beclomethasone (2 puffs/day, 50 µg/dose) for 15 days; Group C received saline spray only. At 6 weeks after the injury, the larynx specimens were examined histopathologically to assess epithelialization, inflammation, and fibrosis. RESULTS: Complete epithelial covering of the steroid-treated group was significantly less than that of the control group. Despite inflammation and fibrosis, there was no significant difference between the steroid and control groups. In the curcumin-treated group, there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: Topically applied steroid decreases epithelialization after induced subglottic injury. It is recommended that further studies be conducted in order to investigate the effects of the two drugs on airway stenosis prevention.