1,721,019 research outputs found
Click chemistry as efficient strategy to improve nanoparticles performances in drug delivery
Full text linkMathematical modeling of crosslinked polyacrylic acid based hydrogels: physical properties and drug delivery
Full text linkRecently, hydrogels have gained significant importance in different applications, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery. They are 3D structures of hydrophilic polymers held together through physical or chemical crosslinking. Important is their ability to swell in presence of solvents, forming elastic gels able to maintain their original shape. Furthermore, these scaffolds slowly degrade in the physiological environment, leading the growing tissue to replace the former filled site. In this work, hydrogels have been synthetized using branched polyacrylic acid (carbomer) cross-linked with an aliphatic polyetherdiamine (elastamine). In particular, we focused on the description of their equilibrium conditions in swollen state and the dynamic simulation of the swelling process. These hydrogels exhibited a peculiar swelling behaviour characterized by an overshoot of the volume increase before reaching the equilibrium. Notably, such behaviour was found at different pH values. In this manuscript, the swelling behaviour was studied by mathematical modelling. Moreover, the ability of these devices to release drugs was also examined through a literature model to understand the different operating transport mechanisms
Thermo-responsive polymer-based nanoparticles: from chemical design to advanced applications
Full text linkThermo-responsive polymers have emerged as a cutting-edge tool in nanomedicine, paving the way for innovative approaches to targeted drug delivery and advanced therapeutic strategies. These “smart” polymers respond to temperature changes, enabling controlled drug release in pathological environments characterized by high temperatures. By exploiting their unique phase transition, occurring at the lower or upper critical solution temperatures (LCST and UCST), these systems ensure localized therapeutic action, minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissues. The integration of these polymers into nanoparticles with hydrophilic shells and hydrophobic cores enhances their stability and biocompatibility. Furthermore, advanced polymer engineering allows precise modulation of LCST and UCST through adjustments in composition and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance, optimizing their responsiveness for specific applications. In addition to drug delivery, thermo-responsive nanoparticles are gaining attention in several fields such as gene therapy and imaging. Therefore, this review explores the chemical and structural diversity of thermo-responsive nanoparticles, emphasizing their ability to encapsulate and release drugs effectively. Second, this review highlights the potential of thermo-responsive nanoparticles to redefine treatment paradigms, providing a comprehensive understanding of their mechanisms, applications, and future perspectives in biomedical research
La regolazione europea dell'intelligenza artificiale nella società digitale
No full textCon l’AI Act, l’Unione Europea inaugura una fase cruciale nella regolazione dell’intelligenza artificiale, affrontando con decisione le sfide poste da una tecnologia in rapida evoluzione. Questo volume, tra i primi lavori organici sul tema, analizza in modo dettagliato i cardini del regolamento: dalla classificazione dei rischi ai requisiti di trasparenza, dalla supervisione umana alle norme sull’IA generativa. Affronta inoltre questioni centrali come le definizioni fondamentali, i meccanismi di governance e l’introduzione delle sandboxes per promuovere la ricerca e l’innovazione responsabile. Scritto da cinque esperti di diritto e tecnologia, il libro non è solo un riferimento essenziale per studenti e professionisti, ma fornisce anche contributi significativi alla ricerca accademica e un supporto concreto per le autorità incaricate di applicare e vigilare sul regolamento. Proseguendo il percorso avviato con “La regolazione europea della società digitale”, il volume rappresenta una bussola indispensabile per orientarsi nel panorama normativo della società digitale
Polymers as controlled delivery systems in agriculture: the case of atrazine and other pesticides
Full text linkThe exponential growth of world population of the last years increases the necessity to optimize the technologies associated to the agricultural sector. In this direction a smart use of pesticides is able to guarantee high productivity, avoiding problems related to their losses with consequent pollution issues. An extremely promising solution is represented by slow-release pesticides that are able to increase pesticides efficiency, lowering their application frequency, preserving the environment but still satisfying the requirement of the plants. So, in the last years, research efforts were dedicated to the development of materials that, at the same time, are cheap, environmental friendly and biodegradable. The aim of this review is to focus on polymeric devices used as slow release systems of pesticides. In particular strong attention will be dedicated to different polymers and different formulation strategies in order to understand the high amount of possibilities and performances of these devices
Are mathematical equations important for improving drug delivery devices performances?
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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