Self-powered electrically responsive and wearable/implantable
drug
delivery based on conductive, injectable, and biocompatible hydrogels
has emerged as a paradigm for on-demand treatment of diseases. Herein,
an electroactive aniline tetramer (AT)-grafted mushroom hyperbranched
polysaccharide (TM3a) was codissolved with xanthan gum (XG) and cross-linked
with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) to fabricate conductive and injectable
XG-TMAT-STMP hydrogels. The XG3-TMAT30-STMP hydrogel swollen in a
simulated gastric fluid possessed a high conductivity of 23.27 ±
0.20 mS/cm. When applying a potential of 3 V, the apparent diffusion
coefficient increased regardless of whether placing DXMS-loaded hydrogels
between two electrodes or setting them at the anode or the cathode,
indicating electrically responsive release. The extruded XG3-TMAT-STMP
hydrogel fibers exhibited good conductivity and stretchablility with
low a gauge factor of 1.13 (10% < ε < 50%), suggesting
potential applications as bioelectrodes and wearable/implantable drug
carriers. Additionally, a triboelectric nanogenerator was fabricated
by applying the XG3-TMAT30-STMP hydrogel as a triboelectric material
to harvest an output potential of 0.9–1.3 V, indicating feasible
application as a self-powered source.
The elderly proportion of the population is gradually increasing, which poses a great burden to society, the economy, and the medical field. Aging is a physiological process involving multiple organs and numerous reactions, and therefore it is not easily explained or defined. At present, a growing number of studies are focused on the mechanisms of aging and potential strategies to delay aging. Some clinical drugs have been demonstrated to have anti-aging effects; however, many still have deficits with respect to safety and long-term use. Polysaccharides are natural and efficient biological macromolecules that act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and immune regulators. Not surprisingly, these molecules have recently gained attention for their potential use in anti-aging therapies. In fact, multiple polysaccharides have been found to have excellent anti-aging effects in different animal models including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and mice. The anti-aging qualities of polysaccharides have been linked to several mechanisms, such as improved antioxidant capacity, regulation of age-related gene expression, and improved immune function. Here, we summarize the current findings from research related to anti-aging polysaccharides based on various models, with a focus on the main anti-aging mechanisms of oxidative damage, age-related genes and pathways, immune modulation, and telomere attrition. This review aims to provide a reference for further research on anti-aging polysaccharides.
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), a nature-inspired, engineered stormwater management approach, has been increasingly implemented and studied especially over the last two decades. Though recent studies have elucidated the social benefits of GSI implementation in addition to its environmental and economic benefits, the social factors that influence its implementation remain under-explored thus, there remains a need to understand social barriers on decisions for GSI. This review draws interdisciplinary research attention to the connections between such social barriers and the potentially underlying cognitive biases that can influence rational decision making. Subsequently, this study reviewed the agent-based modeling (ABM) approach in decision support for promoting innovative strategies in water management for long-term resilience at an individual level. It is suggested that a collaborative and simultaneous effort in governance transitioning, public engagement, and adequate considerations of demographic constraints are crucial to successful GSI acceptance and implementation in the US.
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