No abstract

Diabetes affects an increasing number of patients, and is associated with sustained and chronic inflammation. Complications arising from diabetes, including hypoxia, neuropathy, hyperglycemia, and ischemia that contribute to a delayed and reduced healing response result in chronic slow healing wounds. Here, key differences in native versus diabetic wound healing during each phase of healing are discussed, and the roles of cells and their secreted cytokines which regulate this process are outlined. Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) is a pro‐inflammatory mediator which plays a key role in modulating angiogenesis. Its importance in diabetic wound healing as well as recent work using MCP‐1 and similar chemokines to reduce inflammation and improve healing are reviewed. The delayed healing response observed in diabetic patients often results in the formation of slow healing wounds, commonly presenting in the lower extremities as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs); classification systems and current treatment options for DFUs, including debridement, off‐loading, and amputation are outlined. Common dressing strategies are highlighted, and recent work developing biocompatible and bioactive hydrogels to address and hasten chronic wound healing is focused on.

The opioid epidemic in the United States is a serious public health crisis affecting over 1.7 million Americans. In the last two decades, almost 450 000 people have died from an opioid overdose, with nearly 20% of these deaths occurring in 2017 and 2018 alone. During an overdose, overstimulation of the μopioid receptor leads to severe and potentially fatal respiratory depression. Naloxone is a competitive μ-opioid-receptor antagonist that is widely used to displace opioids and rescue from an overdose. Here, we describe the development of a slow-release, subcutaneous naloxone formulation for potential management of opioid overdose, chronic pain, and opioid-induced constipation. Naloxone is loaded into self-assembling peptide hydrogels for controlled drug release. The mechanical, chemical, and structural properties of the nanofibrous hydrogel enable subcutaneous administration and slow, diffusion-based release kinetics of naloxone over 30 days in vitro. The naloxone hydrogel scaffold showed cytocompatibility and did not alter the β-sheet secondary structure or thixotropic properties characteristic of self-assembling peptide hydrogels. Our results show that this biocompatible and injectable self-assembling peptide hydrogel may be useful as a vehicle for tunable, sustained release of therapeutic naloxone. This therapy may be particularly suited for preventing renarcotization in patients who refuse additional medical assistance following an overdose.

This work aims to evaluate the cell structure of aluminium foams blown by using foaming mixture subjected under ball milling and heat treatments. This paper presents the study on the effects of various pre-treatment of foaming mixture on the cell structure of foamed aluminium (Al) fabricated via melt route. This study also demonstrates how the melt foaming method can be used to fabricate small-sized Al foams. Prior to foaming the Al melt, the foaming mixture containing TiH2 and Al was pre-treated by ball milling and heat treatment in four different ways. The foaming mixtures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques. The macrostructure of the foams has been characterized by optical scanner and ImageJ software. The mechanical properties of the foam samples were evaluated by quasi-static compression test. XRD results revealed the TiO2 and Ti3O phases formed in the heat treated TiH2 powders. SEM micrographs showed the morphological changes occurred to Al and TiH2 powders and their distribution before and after ball milling. EDAX reported the chemical composition of elements present in the foaming mixtures. Ball milled foaming mixture not only increases the number of TiH2 particles, but also reduces the hydrogen content during the foaming stage. The foam produced from heat-treated and ball-milled foaming mixture shows better cell size & structure with good homogeneity. However, the mechanically mixed foaming mixture produce foam with good strength and energy absorption capability.

The incidence of child labour is a social issue that continues to plague India's children and social fabric. This leads to a continued cycle of poverty, lack of access to education and exploitation. While there have been several schemes implemented to tackle the same, all are a result of representation and symbolism that is from an abolitionist perspective rather than one that is rehabilitative, and focused on social inclusion, education, and the perception of the rights that working children have for themselves. This representation and symbolism on both the national and international level is problematic, as it has not led to much structural reform in terms of tackling the systemic and structural inequalities that have resulted in child labour occurring. Further, there is no real reform with respect to penalizing corporations either. This paper will critique abolitionist symbolism from a sociological and political perspective, and argue that in the developing context, rehabilitative and consultative policy is the way forward to address the issue of child labour, rather than statistics or campaigns that seek to save children only by banning child labour.