Superhydrophobic bio-fibre surfaces with a micro-nano-binary surface structure have been achieved via the surface-confined grafting of glycidyl methacrylate, using a branched "graft-on-graft" architecture, followed by post-functionalisation to obtain fluorinated brushes.

A fourth wheel: Two sets of bifunctional AB(2)C dendrimers having internal acetylene/azides and external hydroxy groups were constructed utilizing benign synthetic protocols. An in situ postfunctionalization strategy was successfully carried out to illustrate the chemoselective nature of these dendrimers. The dendrimers were also transformed into dendritic nanoparticles or utilized as dendritic crosslinkers for the fabrication hydrogels.

Novel thermo-responsive cellulose (filter paper) surfaces of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and pH-responsive cellulose surfaces of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) have been achieved via surface-initiated ATRP. Dual-responsive (pH and temperature) cellulose surfaces were also obtained through the synthesis of block-copolymer brushes of PNIPAAm and P4VP. With changes in pH and temperature, these "intelligent" surfaces showed a reversible response to both individual triggers, as indicated by the changes in wettability from highly hydrophilic to highly hydrophobic observed by water contact angle measurements. Adjusting the composition of the grafted blockcopolymer brushes allowed for further tuning of the wettability of these "intelligent" cellulose surfaces.

A chemoselective and layered growth approach has been developed for the synthesis of dendrimers, combining Click chemistry with traditional esterification/etherification reactions, without the need for activation steps and with excellent overall yields.

ObjectiveOnline portals provide patients with access to their test results, but it is unknown how patients use these tools to manage results and what information is available to promote understanding. We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore patients’ experiences and preferences when accessing their test results via portals.Materials and MethodsWe conducted 95 interviews (13 semistructured and 82 structured) with adults who viewed a test result in their portal between April 2015 and September 2016 at 4 large outpatient clinics in Houston, Texas. Semistructured interviews were coded using content analysis and transformed into quantitative data and integrated with the structured interview data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the structured data.ResultsNearly two-thirds (63%) did not receive any explanatory information or test result interpretation at the time they received the result, and 46% conducted online searches for further information about their result. Patients who received an abnormal result were more likely to experience negative emotions (56% vs 21%; P = .003) and more likely to call their physician (44% vs 15%; P = .002) compared with those who received normal results.DiscussionStudy findings suggest that online portals are not currently designed to present test results to patients in a meaningful way. Patients experienced negative emotions often with abnormal results, but sometimes even with normal results. Simply providing access via portals is insufficient; additional strategies are needed to help patients interpret and manage their online test results.ConclusionGiven the absence of national guidance, our findings could help strengthen policy and practice in this area and inform innovations that promote patient understanding of test results.

Covalent immobilization of a range of carbohydrate derivatives onto polymeric resin beads is described. Copper-catalyzed Huisgen [2 + 3] cycloaddition (often termed click chemistry) was used to graft mannose-containing azides to complementarily functionalized alkyne surfaces, namely (a) Wang resin or (b) Rasta particles consisting of a clickable alkyne polymer loose outer shell and a Wang resin inner core. For the second approach, Wang resin beads were first converted into immobilized living radical polymerization initiators with subsequent polymerization of trimethylsilanyl-protected propargyl methacrylate followed by deprotection with TBAF to yield the desired polyalkyne clickable scaffold. The appropriate α-mannopyranoside azide was then clicked onto the bead to give a mannose functionalized Rasta resin. IR, gel-phase 1H NMR, and elemental analysis have been used to characterize the modified resins. The binding abilities of these d-mannose-modified particles were subsequently tested using fluorescein-labeled Concanavalin A (Con A), a lectin that binds certain mannose-containing molecules. Preliminary results indicated that the novel glyco-hybrid materials presented in this work are able to efficiently recognize mannose-binding model lectins such as Con A, opening the way for their potential application in affinity chromatography, sensors, and other protein recognition/separation fields.

Superhydrophobic and self-cleaning cellulose surfaces have been obtained via surface-confined grafting of glycidyl methacrylate using atom transfer radical polymerization combined with postmodification reactions. Both linear and branched graft-on-graft architectures were used for the postmodification reactions to obtain highly hydrophobic bio-fiber surfaces by functionalization of the grafts with either poly(dimethylsiloxane), perfluorinated chains, or alkyl chains, respectively. Postfunctionalization using alkyl chains yielded results similar to those of surfaces modified by perfluorination, in terms of superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning properties, and the stability of these properties over time. In addition, highly oleophobic surfaces have been obtained when modification with perfluorinated chains was performed.

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