Interpolymer complexes (IPCs) formed between complimentary polymers in solution have shown a wide range of applications from drug delivery to biosensors. This work describes the combined use of isothermal titration calorimetry and surface plasmon resonance to investigate the thermodynamic and kinetic processes during hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexation. Varied polymers that are commonly used in layer-by-layer coatings and pharmaceutical preparations were selected to span a range of chemical functionalities including some known IPCs previously characterized by other techniques, and other polymer combinations with unknown outcomes. This work is the first to comprehensively detail the thermodynamic and kinetic data of hydrogen bonded IPCs, aiding understanding and detailed characterization of the complexes. The applicability of the two techniques in determining thermodynamic, gravimetric and kinetic properties of IPCs is considered.

The layer-by-layer deposition of polymers onto surfaces allows the fabrication of multilayered materials for a wide range of applications, from drug delivery to biosensors. This work describes the analysis of complex formation between poly(acrylic acid) and methylcellulose in aqueous solutions using Biacore, a surface plasmon resonance analytical technique, traditionally used to examine biological interactions. This technique characterized the layer-by-layer deposition of these polymers on the surface of a Biacore sensor chip. The results were subsequently used to optimize the experimental conditions for sequential layer deposition on glass slides. The role of the solution pH and poly(acrylic acid) molecular weight on the formation of interpolymer multilayered coatings was researched, and showed that the optimal deposition of the polymer complexes was achieved at pHs #2.5 with a poly(acrylic acid) molecular weight of 450 kDa.

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Antibiotic susceptibility testing is vital to tackle the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Inexpensive digital CMOS cameras can be converted into portable digital microscopes using 3D printed x-y-z stages. Microscopic examination of bacterial motility can rapidly detect the response of microbes to antibiotics to determine susceptibility. Here, we present a new simple microdevice-miniature microscope cell measurement system for multiplexed antibiotic susceptibility testing. The microdevice is made using melt-extruded plastic film strips containing ten parallel 0.2 mm diameter microcapillaries. Two different antibiotics, ceftazidime and gentamicin, were prepared in Mueller-Hinton agar (0.4%) to produce an antibiotic-loaded microdevice for simple sample addition. This combination was selected to closely match current standard methods for both antibiotic susceptibility testing and motility testing. Use of low agar concentration permits observation of motile bacteria responding to antibiotic exposure as they enter capillaries. This device fits onto the OpenFlexure 3D-printed digital microscope using a Raspberry Pi computer and v2 camera, avoiding need for expensive laboratory microscopes. This inexpensive and portable digital microscope platform had sufficient magnification to detect motile bacteria, yet wide enough field of view to monitor bacteria behavior as they entered antibiotic-loaded microcapillaries. The image quality was sufficient to detect how bacterial motility was inhibited by different concentrations of antibiotic. We conclude that a 3D-printed Raspberry Pi-based microscope combined with disposable microfluidic test strips permit rapid, easy-to-use bacterial motility detection, with potential for aiding detection of antibiotic resistance.

Background Oral and parenteral drug delivery in horses can be difficult. Equine‐specific transdermal drug formulations offer improved ease of treatment; development of such formulations requires a deeper understanding of the structural and chemical tissue barrier of horse skin. Hypothesis/Objectives To compare the structural composition and barrier properties of equine skin. Animals Six warmblood horses (two males, four females) with no skin diseases. Materials and Methods Routine histological and microscopic analyses were carried out with image analysis for skin from six different anatomical locations. In vitro drug permeation was analysed using a standard Franz diffusion cell protocol coupled with reversed phase‐high‐performance liquid chromatography detailing flux, lag times and tissue partitioning ratios of two model drug compounds. Results Epidermal and dermal thicknesses varied between sites. The dermal and epidermal thicknesses of the croup were 1764 ± 115 μm and 36 ± 3.6 μm, respectively, and were significantly different (p < 0.05) from the inner thigh thicknesses which were 824 ± 35 μm and 49 ± 3.6 μm. Follicular density and size also varied. The highest flux for the model hydrophilic molecule (caffeine) was for the flank (3.22 ± 0.36 μg/cm2/h), while that for the lipophilic molecule (ibuprofen) was for the inner thigh (0.12 ± 0.02 μg/cm2/h). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Anatomical location differences in equine skin structure and small molecule permeability were demonstrated. These results can aid in the development of transdermal therapies for horses.