| 1. |
- Cavallaro, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Multiparametric Profiling of Single Nanoscale Extracellular Vesicles by Combined Atomic Force and Fluorescence Microscopy : Correlation and Heterogeneity in Their Molecular and Biophysical Features
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being a key player in intercellular communications, nanoscale extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer unique opportunities for both diagnostics and therapeutics. However, their cellular origin and functional identity remain elusive due to the high heterogeneity in their molecular and physical features. Here, for the first time, multiple EV parameters involving membrane protein composition, size and mechanical properties on single small EVs (sEVs) are simultaneously studied by combined fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, their correlation and heterogeneity in different cellular sources are investigated. The study, performed on sEVs derived from human embryonic kidney 293, cord blood mesenchymal stromal and human acute monocytic leukemia cell lines, identifies both common and cell line-specific sEV subpopulations bearing distinct distributions of the common tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, and CD81) and biophysical properties. Although the tetraspanin abundances of individual sEVs are independent of their sizes, the expression levels of CD9 and CD63 are strongly correlated. A sEV population co-expressing all the three tetraspanins in relatively high abundance, however, having average diameters of <100 nm and relatively low Young moduli, is also found in all cell lines. Such a multiparametric approach is expected to provide new insights regarding EV biology and functions, potentially deciphering unsolved questions in this field.
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| 2. |
- Matthiesen, Isabelle, et al.
(författare)
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Continuous Monitoring Reveals Protective Effects of N‐Acetylcysteine Amide on an Isogenic Microphysiological Model of the Neurovascular Unit
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:32, s. 2101785-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microphysiological systems mimic the in vivo cellular ensemble and microenvironment with the goal of providing more human-like models for biopharmaceutical research. In this study, the first such model of the blood-brain barrier (BBB-on-chip) featuring both isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cells and continuous barrier integrity monitoring with <2 min temporal resolution is reported. Its capabilities are showcased in the first microphysiological study of nitrosative stress and antioxidant prophylaxis. Relying on off-stoichiometry thiol–ene–epoxy (OSTE+) for fabrication greatly facilitates assembly and sensor integration compared to the prevalent polydimethylsiloxane devices. The integrated cell–substrate endothelial resistance monitoring allows for capturing the formation and breakdown of the BBB model, which consists of cocultured hiPSC-derived endothelial-like and astrocyte-like cells. Clear cellular disruption is observed when exposing the BBB-on-chip to the nitrosative stressor linsidomine, and the barrier permeability and barrier-protective effects of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine amide are reported. Using metabolomic network analysis reveals further drug-induced changes consistent with prior literature regarding, e.g., cysteine and glutathione involvement. A model like this opens new possibilities for drug screening studies and personalized medicine, relying solely on isogenic human-derived cells and providing high-resolution temporal readouts that can help in pharmacodynamic studies.
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| 3. |
- Sun, Jinhua, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Critical Role of Functional Groups Containing N, S, and O on Graphene Surface for Stable and Fast Charging Li-S Batteries
- 2021
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 17:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are considered one of the most promising energy storage technologies, possibly replacing the state‐of‐the‐art lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries owing to their high energy density, low cost, and eco‐compatibility. However, the migration of high‐order lithium polysulfides (LiPs) to the lithium surface and the sluggish electrochemical kinetics pose challenges to their commercialization. The interactions between the cathode and LiPs can be enhanced by the doping of the carbon host with heteroatoms, however with relatively low doping content (<10%) in the bulk of the carbon, which can hardly interact with LiPs at the host surface. In this study, the grafting of versatile functional groups with designable properties (e.g., catalytic effects) directly on the surface of the carbon host is proposed to enhance interactions with LiPs. As model systems, benzene groups containing N/O and S/O atoms are vertically grafted and uniformly distributed on the surface of expanded reduced graphene oxide, fostering a stable interface between the cathode and LiPs. The combination of experiments and density functional theory calculations demonstrate improvements in chemical interactions between graphene and LiPs, with an enhancement in the electrochemical kinetics, power, and energy densities.
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| 4. |
- Bansal, Akshaya, et al.
(författare)
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Quasi-Continuous Wave Near-Infrared Excitation of Upconversion Nanoparticles for Optogenetic Manipulation of C. elegans
- 2016
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 12:13, s. 1732-1743
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optogenetics is an emerging powerful tool to investigate workings of the nervous system. However, the use of low tissue penetrating visible light limits its therapeutic potential. Employing deep penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light for optogenetics would be beneficial but it cannot be used directly. This issue can be tackled with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs) acting as nanotransducers emitting at shorter wavelengths extending to the UV range upon NIR light excitation. Although attractive, implementation of such NIR-optogenetics is hindered by the low UCN emission intensity that necessitates high NIR excitation intensities, resulting in overheating issues. A novel quasi-continuous wave (quasi-CW) excitation approach is developed that significantly enhances multiphoton emissions from UCNs, and for the first time NIR light-triggered optogenetic manipulations are implemented in vitro and in C. elegans. The approach developed here enables the activation of channelrhodopsin-2 with a significantly lower excitation power and UCN concentration along with negligible phototoxicity as seen with CW excitation, paving the way for therapeutic optogenetics.
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| 5. |
- McDonagh, Birgitte Hjelmeland, et al.
(författare)
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L-DOPA-Coated Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles as Dual MRI Contrast Agents and Drug-Delivery Vehicles
- 2016
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 12:3, s. 301-306
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Manganese oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are capable of time-dependent magnetic resonance imaging contrast switching as well as releasing a surface-bound drug. MONPs give T2/T2* contrast, but dissolve and release T1-active Mn2+ and l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Complementary images are acquired with a single contrast agent, and applications toward Parkinson's disease are suggested.
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| 6. |
- Pandit, Santosh, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Precontrolled Alignment of Graphite Nanoplatelets in Polymeric Composites Prevents Bacterial Attachment
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene coatings composed of vertical spikes are shown to mitigate bacterial attachment. Such coatings present hydrophobic edges of graphene, which penetrate the lipid bilayers causing physical disruption of bacterial cells. However, manufacturing of such surfaces on a scale required for antibacterial applications is currently not feasible. This study explores whether graphite can be used as a cheaper alternative to graphene coatings. To examine this, composites of graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) are extruded in controlled conditions to obtain controlled orientation of GNP flakes within the polymer matrix. Flakes are exposed by etching the surface of GNP–LDPE nanocomposites and antibacterial activity is evaluated. GNP nanoflakes on the extruded samples interact with bacterial cell membranes, physically damaging the cells. Bactericidal activity is observed dependent on orientation and nanoflakes density. Composites with high density of GNP (≥15%) present two key advantages: i) they decrease bacterial viability by a factor of 99.9999%, which is 10 000-fold improvement on the current benchmark, and ii) prevent bacterial colonization, thus drastically reducing the numbers of dead cells on the surface. The latter is a key advantage for longer-term biomedical applications, since these surfaces will not have to be cleaned or replaced for longer periods.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Tu, Yudi, et al.
(författare)
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Ultrathin Single-Crystalline 2D Perovskite Photoconductor for High-Performance Narrowband and Wide Linear Dynamic Range Photodetection
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For next-generation Internet-of-Everything applications, for example, artificial-neural-network image sensors, artificial retina, visible light communication, on-chip light interconnection, and flexible devices, etc., high-performance microscale photodetectors are in urgent demands. 2D material (2DM) photodetectors have been researched and demonstrated impressive performances. However, they have not met the demands in filterless narrowband photoresponse, wide linear dynamic range (LDR), ultralow dark current, and large on/off ratio, which are key performances for these applications. 2D Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites (2D-RPPs) are recently highlighted photovoltaic and optoelectronic materials. Embedding ultrathin 2D-RPPs into 2DM photodetectors holds potentials to improve these performances. Herein, a single-crystalline ultrathin (PEA)(2)PbI4 is integrated into a vertical-stacked graphene-(PEA)(2)PbI4-graphene micro photoconductor (V-PEPI-PC). V-PEPI-PC exhibits narrowband photoresponses at 517 nm with a full-width-at-half-maximum of 15 nm and a wide LDR of 122 dB. Due to the multiple quantum wells in (PEA)(2)PbI4, V-PEPI-PC demonstrates an ultralow dark current of 1.1 x 10(-14) A (44 pA mm(-2)), a high specific detectivity of 1.2 x 10(13) Jones, and a high on/off ratio of 1.6 x 10(6). Owing to the short vertical channel, V-PEPI-PC shows a fast response rise time of 486 mu s. Therefore, the vertical-stacked photodetectors based on hybrid 2D-RPPs and 2DMs may have great potentials in future optoelectronics.
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| 10. |
- Xu, Xiaoran, et al.
(författare)
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Applications of Boron Cluster Supramolecular Frameworks as Metal-Free Chemodynamic Therapy Agents for Melanoma
- 2024
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Ingår i: Small. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 20:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a highly targeted approach to treat cancer since it converts hydrogen peroxide into harmful hydroxyl radicals (OH & BULL;) through Fenton or Fenton-like reactions. However, the systemic toxicity of metal-based CDT agents has limited their clinical applications. Herein, a metal-free CDT agent: 2,4,6-tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPT)/ [closo-B12H12]2-(TPT@ B12H12) is reported. Compared to the traditional metal-based CDT agents, TPT@B12H12 is free of metal avoiding cumulative toxicity during long-term therapy. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation revealed that TPT@B12H12 decreased the activation barrier more than 3.5 times being a more effective catalyst than the Fe2+ ion (the Fenton reaction), which decreases the barrier about twice. Mechanismly, the theory calculation indicated that both [B12H12]-& BULL; and [TPT-H]2+ have the capacity to decompose hydrogen into 1O2, OH & BULL;, and O2-& BULL;. With electron paramagnetic resonance and fluorescent probes, it is confirmed that TPT@B12H12 increases the levels of 1O2, OH & BULL;, and O2-& BULL;. More importantly, TPT@B12H12 effectively suppress the melanoma growth both in vitro and in vivo through 1O2, OH & BULL;, and O2-& BULL; generation. This study specifically highlights the great clinical translational potential of TPT@B12H12 as a CDT reagent. 2,4,6-Tri(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPT)/ [closo-B12H12]2-(TPT@B12H12), a metal-free chemodynamic therapy (CDT) agent, decreases the activation barrier more than 3.5 times being a more effective catalyst than the Fe2+ ion (the Fenton reaction), which decreases the barrier about twice. More importantly, TPT@B12H12 effectively suppress the melanoma growth both in vitro and in vivo through 1O2, OH & BULL;, and O2-& BULL; generation. image
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