In this research, gelatin nanoparticles were synthesized via inverse miniemulsion method by employing a mixture of a water soluble carbodiimide (CDI) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as a non-toxic cross-linking system. The gelatin nanoparticles were characterized for their size and size distribution, morphology and stability and were compared with those of nanoparticles cross-linked by glutarald...

Hematocrit and red cell size are important factors for the transport of blood platelets toward subendothelium in flowing blood. We report that red cell deformability also influences platelet transport. Red cell deformability was estimated with Couette-flow viscosimetry at a shear rate of 130 s-1 and expressed as a 'T' factor--a dimensionless parameter relating the relative viscosity and the hem...

Surface modification of clay minerals has become increasingly important for optimizing the practical application of bentonites, kaolins, and clays. We describe the reaction of montmorillonite, an important mineral in bentonites, with cationic poly(ethylene oxides). Poly(ethylene oxides), PEOs, with molecular masses between 1550 and 35000, were modified by substituting the OH end groups by bromi...

Polymerization and depolymerization of cytoskeletal elements maintaining cytoplasmic stiffness are key factors in the control of cell crawling. Rheometry is a significant tool in determining the mechanical properties of the single elements in vitro. Viscoelasticity of gels formed by these polymers strongly depends on both the length and the associations of the filaments (e.g. entanglements, ann...

The results of employing different concentrations of starch and starch from different lots as substrates in the viscosimetric estimation of amylase concentration have been compared with the object of ultimate attainment of reproducible standards, independent of successive comparison.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to determine the action pattern of different chondroitin lyases. Two commercial enzymes, chondroitinase ABC (Proteus vulgaris) and chondroitinase ACII (Arthrobacter aurescens), having action patterns previously determined by viscosimetry and gel electrophoresis were first examined. Next, the action patterns of recombinant lyases, chondroitinas...

We have examined the polymer-surfactant interaction in mixed solutions of the cationic surfactants, i.e., dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetradecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, and tetradecylpyridinium bromide and a semiflexible anionic polyelectrolyte carboxymethylcellulose in water a...

The main source of commercial chitosan is the extensive deacetylation of its parent polymer chitin. It is present in green algae, the cell walls or fungi and in the exoskeleton of crustaceans. A novel procedure for preparing chitosan from shrimp shells was developed. The procedure involves two 10-minutes bleaching steps with ethanol after the usual demineralization and deproteinization processe...