Gelatin-based nanofibrous scaffolds with a mean fiber diameter of 300 nm were prepared with and without micrometer-sized polyethylene glycol (PEG) fibers that served as sacrificial templates. Upon fabrication of the scaffolds via electrospinning, the gelatin fibers were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and the PEG templates were removed using tert-butanol to yield nanofibrous scaffolds with pore diameters ranging from 10 to 100 µm, as estimated with mercury intrusion porosimetry. Non-templated gelatin-based nanofibrous matrices had an average pore size of 1 µm. Fibroblasts were seeded onto both types of the gelatin-based nanofibrous surfaces and cultured for 14 days. For comparative purposes, chitosan-based and polyurethane-based macroporous scaffolds with pore sizes of 100 and 170 µm, respectively, were also included. The number of cells as a function of the depth into the scaffold was judged and quantitatively assessed using nuclei staining. Cell penetration up to a depth of 250 and 90 µm was noted in gelatin scaffolds prepared with sacrificial templates and gelatin-only nanofibrous scaffolds. Noticeably, scaffold preparation protocol presented here allowed the structural integrity to be maintained even with high template content (95%) and can easily be extended toward other classes of electrospun polymer matrices for tissue engineering.

Peptide active ingredients show great promise regarding the treatment of various health-endangering diseases. It is reported that L-lysine inhibits the proliferation of several tumour lines in vitro and in vivo. However, proteins and peptide drugs possess certain disadvantages such as in vivo instability and short biological half-life. On the grounds that drug delivery systems can overcome a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds issues, a biopolymeric blend-based microparticulated system capable of delivering ε-polylysine (PLL) was developed. PLL-loaded poly((L)Lactic acid)/poly(D,L-Lactide)-co-poly(ethylene glycol)-based microparticles (PLL-PB-MPs) were prepared and fully characterised exhibiting a narrow size distribution (1.2 ± 0.12 µm), high loading efficiency (81%) and improved thermal stability (T_d from 250 °C to 291 °C). The cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effect of PLL-PB-MPs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines BxPC3 and MIA PaCa-2 were confirmed. Due to their physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties, PB-MPs constitute a promising carrier to deliver bioactive peptides.

A focused, brief review on the issue of needleless electrohydrodynamic (EHD) methods for making submicron fibers and particles is presented. Advantages over conventional EHD methods, especially on the issue of production scale, are discussed. An overview of key, entry-point patent, and journal literature are offered to assist the materials processing engineer in the equipment design selection.

Nearly all cervical cancers are causally associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The burden of HPV-associated dysplasias in Sub-Saharan Africa is influenced by HIV. To investigate the role of the bacterial microbiome in cervical dysplasia, cytobrush samples were collected directly from cervical lesions of 144 Tanzanian women. The V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and deep-sequenced. Alpha diversity metrics; Chao1, PD whole tree, and operational taxonomic Unit (OTU) estimates, displayed significantly higher bacterial richness in HIV positive patients (P = 0.01) than in HIV negative patients. Within HIV positive patients, there was higher bacterial richness in patients with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL; P = 0.13) than those without lesions. The most abundant OTUs associated with high-grade squamous intraepitheilal lesions (HSIL) were Mycoplasmatales, Pseudomonadales , and Staphylococcus . We suggest that a chronic mycoplasma infection of the cervix can contribute to HPV-dependent dysplasia by sustained inflammatory signals.

Background/Objectives: Tanzania is a low-to-middle-income-country (LMIC) which endures significant adverse impact from HIV-1- and HPV-associated malignancies. We investigated the performance of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) compared to the Pap smear. Methods: Screening performance was assessed in a cross-sectional study design across rural catchment clinics in Bagamoyo and Chalinze, and an urban site, Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI), in Dar es Salaam. Pap smears were performed and were read in triplicate by readers blinded to HIV status and patient demographic data. Blood samples were collected for HIV status confirmation. All cytopathology, VIA, and HIV status data were compared with patient demographic factors. Results: Here we present results from 672 patients. Analysis of participants across the cohort revealed a high rate of HIV (25%) and exchange of “sex for money” in the rural site of Chalinze. Bagamoyo and ORCI had slightly lower HIV rates of about 16% and 12%, respectively. Despite the high HIV rates in Chalinze (25%), there was a contrastingly low-level of detectable lesions by VIA (9%) in this region. Conclusions: Overall, VIA-positive cases were 26% HSIL-positive, whereas VIA-negative cases were 14% HSIL-positive, suggesting that performance of VIA is limited.