Stretchable hydrogel electronics and devices are designed by integrating stretchable conductors, functional chips, drug-delivery channels, and reservoirs into stretchable, robust, and biocompatible hydrogel matrices. Novel applications include a smart wound dressing capable of sensing the temperatures of various locations on the skin, delivering different drugs to these locations, and subsequen...

Lyotropic liquid crystal systems, such as reversed bicontinuous cubic and hexagonal mesophases, are attracting more and more attention because of their unique microstructures and physicochemical properties. Various bioactive molecules such as chemical drugs, peptides and proteins can be solubilized in either aqueous or oil phase and be protected from hydrolysis or oxidation. Furthermore, severa...

A novel, bio-inspired templating platform technology is reported for the synthesis of biocompatible oil-core silica-shell nanocapsules with tunable shell thickness by utilizing a designed bifunctional peptide. Furthermore, facile encapsulation of an active molecule and its sustained release are demonstrated.

Polyembryony-the production of multiple cloned embryos from a single fertilised egg-is a seemingly paradoxical combination of reproductive modes that nevertheless persists in diverse taxa. We document features of polyembryony in the Cyclostomata (Bryozoa)-an ancient order of modular colonial marine invertebrates-that suggest a substantial reduction in the paradoxical nature of this enigmatic re...

Herein, we report a novel and solvent-free technique for the encapsulation of pharmaceuticals that allows achieving controllable release rates. This method utilizes the deposition of a plasma polymer coating of controlled chemistry and thickness on the outer surface of drug particles placed under continuous agitation.

In this study, Damar Batu (DB) − a novel biomaterial− is evaluated for its potential application in pharmaceutical coating. DB is a whitish to yellowish resin, characterized initially in terms of solubility, acid value, molecular weight (Mw), polydispersity index (Mw/Mn) and glass transition temperature (Tg). Neat plasticized films of DB are investigated for mechanical, water vapor transmission...

In this study, Damar Batu (DB) − a novel biomaterial− is evaluated for its potential application in pharmaceutical coating. DB is a whitish to yellowish resin, characterized initially in terms of solubility, acid value, molecular weight (Mw), polydispersity index (Mw/Mn) and glass transition temperature (Tg). Neat plasticized films of DB are investigated for mechanical, water vapor transmission...

The rationale for sustained release oral levodopa preparations is to deliver levodopa in the areas of maximal intestinal absorption in a slow and predictable way, leading to stable plasma levodopa levels and brain dopamine levels, therefore resulting in a lengthened duration of action. Sinemet CR is the prototype of such preparations, with demonstrated efficacy in decreasing periods of akinesia...

Extended-release matrix tablets of diltiazem hydrochloride (DTZ) were prepared using waxy materials alone or in combination with Kollidon SR. Matrix waxy materials were carnauba wax (CW), bees wax (BW), cetyl alcohol (CA) and glyceryl monostearate (GMS). Dissolution studies were carried out by using a six stations USP XXII type 1 apparatus. The in vitro drug release study was done in 1000 ml ph...

We report a multifunctional micromotor fabricated by the self-assembly technique using multifunctional materials, i.e. polymer single crystals and nanoparticles, as basic building blocks. Not only can this micromotor achieve autonomous and directed movement, it also possesses unprecedented functions, including enzymatic degradation-induced micromotor disassembly, sustained release and molecular...