Magnetic nanoparticle interfaces have aroused great scientific research interest in the biomedical area since the interaction of cells or biomolecules with nanoparticles is determined by the surface properties. Currently, in medical applications, there is a need to study cell interaction and growth, along with changes in structural or magnetic properties, attributed to nanoparticle coatings. In this study the coercive field changes in NixFe3-xO4 nanoparticles (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) driven by partial or total substitution of Fe2+ content by Ni2+, and by aminosilane coating are evaluated. The nanoparticles are synthesized by the coprecipitation method. The inverse spinel structure is confirmed by X-ray diffraction results and Raman spectra. The aminosilane coating is confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Dynamic light scattering confirms a mean hydrodynamic size of 10 nm. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of the uncoated and aminosilane-coated samples show that the particles have a hemispherical shape. The coating increases the coercive field. In addition, uncoated Ni0.2Fe2.8O4 has the highest viability in both MCF7 and HeLa cell lines, and aminosilane coating decreases cell viability. This study contributes to future applications of nanomedicine, such as hyperthermia and drug delivery. 

Pancreatic cancer has one of the highest mortality rates, and a combination of nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine remains the cornerstone of first-line therapy. However, major advances are required to achieve improvements in patient outcomes. For this reason, several research groups have proposed supplementing treatment with other therapeutic agents. Ongoing studies are being conducted to find the optimal treatment in a first-line setting. In this work, we used a search strategy to compare studies on the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine in combination with other therapeutic agents based on the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews. We found seven studies in different clinical phases that met the inclusion criteria. The seven therapeutic agents were ibrutinib, necuparanib, tarextumab, apatorsen, cisplatin, enzalutamide, and momelotinib. Although these therapeutic agents have different mechanisms of action, and molecular biology studies are still needed, the present review aims to answer the following question: Which formulations of the nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine regimen in combination with other therapeutic agents are safest for patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreas ductal adenocarcinoma? This triple regimen is emerging as the first-line option for patients with pancreatic cancer, albeit with some limitations. Thus, further studies of this regimen are recommended. 

Magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles provide several possibilities for a compelling platform for medical applications due to their magnetic properties. In the same way, functionalization with polymers provides several properties seeking to achieve colloidal stabilization in physiological fluids. Nonetheless, the use of magnetite nanoparticles as a medical agent is still in its early stages and is faced with many doubts and challenges as the study of coatings interactions with biological molecules. In this work, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthetized by co-precipitation method and further coated with chitosan, as well as coated with polyethyleneimine. The nanoscale size of magnetite nanoparticles was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy corroborated that characteristic functional groups of chitosan and polyethylenimine were present in the surface modified magnetite samples. The evaluation of protein immobilization was carried out by incubating bovine serum albumin at different concentrations followed by magnetic decantation using a permanent magnet. Coated magnetite nanoparticles have a protein absorption greater than bare MNP. 

Pancreatic cancer is the most common lethal tumor in America. This lethality is related to limited treatment options. Conventional treatments involve the non-specific use of chemotherapeutical agents such as 5-FU, capecitabine, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, or irinotecan, which produce several side effects. This review focuses on the use of targeted nanoparticles, such as metallic nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, and carbon nanotubes as an alternative to standard treatment for pancreatic cancer. The principal objective of nanoparticles is reduction of the side effects that conventional treatments produce, mostly because of their non-specificity. Several molecular markers of pancreatic cancer cells have been studied to target nanoparticles and improve current treatment. Therefore, properly functionalized nanoparticles with specific aptamers or antibodies can be used to recognize pancreatic cancer cells. Once cancer is recognized, these nanoparticles can attack the tumor by drug delivery, gene therapy, or hyperthermia. 

The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticle surface determine the performance of nanocomposites in biomedical applications such as their biodistribution and pharmacokinetics. The physicochemical properties of chitosan, such as apparent charge density and solubility, are pH dependent. Similarly, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are susceptible to variations in their physicochemical properties due to changes in pH. In this work, we evaluated the physicochemical properties of chitosan–magnetite nanocomposites that were suspended at pH 7.0, 9.0, and 11.0 to determinate the effect on particle size, zeta potential, and mass percentage of the polymeric coating, in addition to the crystalline phase and magnetic properties of magnetite phase. X-ray diffraction results exposed that the present phase was magnetite with no other phases present and that the crystallite size was between 10.8 and 14.1 nm. Fourier transform infrared verified the chitosan functional groups in treated samples while the percentage of mass determined by TGA found to be nearly 9%. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs corroborated the spherical shape of the bare and chitosan-coated nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering results showed that chitosan coating modifies the zeta potential, going from a potential of −11.8 mV for bare particles to −3.0 mV (pH 11). Besides, vibrating sample magnetometer measurements showed that coercivity remained very low, which is desirable in biomedical applications.

Citrulline Malate (CM) is a pre-workout energy supplement, frequently used to reduce fatigue in sports that require high levels of energy. Typically, oral intake should occur at least 2 h before undertaking sport, in order for effects to take place. In this study, we have developed a method for immediate dermal release, which would considerably increase the amount of supplement delivered, in a continuous manner. The method was based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-CM integrated fibers, which were fabricated using an electrospinning technique and which ranged between 168 and 396 nm in diameter. The PVA fibers hosted and released the energetic supplement of up to 5 g of CM, equivalent to 5 doses of 1 gr/day. FTIR and Raman measurements indicated a physical rather than a chemical interaction. PVA-CM systems were of relatively low crystallinity and patched fibers became more flexible when CM was increased. Total experimental time of up to 20 h was proportional to the amount of CM released and followed transport mechanism type II, where the first order Korsmeyer-Peppas model correlated the release results. Hydrolytic degradation took place over 4 steps and was proportional to hydrolytic degradation of polymeric fibers. Theoretical calculations at the level of density functional theory (DFT), using the functional B3LYP with the set of bases 6–311 ++ G (d, p), made it possible to determine the nature of the intermolecular interactions between PVA and CM. Electronic and spectroscopic properties were also determined in order to contribute to and complement molecular characterization.

Due to the necessity to develop new systems which maintain the proper conditions for cell growth and cell interaction in vitro, this work has focused on the characterisation of two models of maintenance system prototypes type organ-on-chip skeletal muscle tissue of neonatal mouse. Cell growth was monitored for four days. The images of the cells were obtained through an optical microscope to measure the variations of the alignment angle, the analysis was performed using the ImageJ software. It is concluded that the two OoC prototype models delimit and help cell alignment, but because the surface of the microchannels was not homogeneous or completely flat, adding to this the depth factor, the cell proliferation was affected. As a result, we demonstrated that the proposed organ-on-chip system promotes cell alignment