Targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles can minimize the side effects of conventional pharmaceutical agents and enhance their efficacy. However, translating nanoparticle-based agents into clinical applications still remains a challenge due to the difficulty in regulating interactions on the interfaces between nanoparticles and biological systems. Here, we present a targeting strategy for nanoparticles incorporated with a supramolecularly pre-coated recombinant fusion protein in which HER2-binding affibody combines with glutathione-S-transferase. Once thermodynamically stabilized in preferred orientations on the nanoparticles, the adsorbed fusion proteins as a corona minimize interactions with serum proteins to prevent the clearance of nanoparticles by macrophages, while ensuring systematic targeting functions in vitro and in vivo. This study provides insight into the use of the supramolecularly built protein corona shield as a targeting agent through regulating the interfaces between nanoparticles and biological systems.

[1] The primary advantage of the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), the world's first geostationary ocean color observation satellite, over other ocean color satellite imagers is that it can obtain data every hour during the daytime, allowing ocean monitoring in near real time. Here, we investigated temporal variation in turbidity along a coastal region. To estimate suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), water samples and radiometric data were collected from waters in the Mokpo coastal area, located along the west coast of Korea. GOCI images acquired on the same day as the samples were used to generate a map of turbidity and to estimate the differences in SSC displayed in each image. Hourly GOCI images successfully identified the temporal variation in turbidity, which is mainly driven by the tidal cycle. A hydrodynamic model also showed that the GOCI-derived turbidity variation was reliable. This study shows that the GOCI can be effectively used to monitor the temporal dynamics of the turbidity of coastal waters, i.e., sediment movements driven by the tidal cycle along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula.

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ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic multiscale analysis was to evaluate the effects of thermoforming on the physical and mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials used to fabricate transparent orthodontic aligners (TOAs).MethodsSpecimens were fabricated using four types of thermoplastic materials with different thicknesses under a thermal vacuum. Transparency, water absorption and solubility, surface hardness, and the results of three-point bending and tensile tests were evaluated before and after thermoforming. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Student's t-test.ResultsAfter thermoforming, the transparency of Duran and Essix A+ decreased, while the water absorption ability of all materials; the water solubility of Duran, Essix A+, and Essix ACE; and the surface hardness of Duran and Essix A+ increased. The flexure modulus for the 0.5-mm-thick Duran, Essix A+, and eCligner specimens increased, whereas that for the 0.75-/1.0-mm-thick Duran and eClginer specimens decreased. In addition, the elastic modulus increased for the 0.5-mm-thick Essix A+ specimens and decreased for the 0.75-mm-thick Duran and Essix ACE and the 1.0-mm-thick Essix ACE specimens.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the physical and mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials used for the fabrication of TOAs should be evaluated after thermoforming in order to characterize their properties for clinical application.

Natural polymers with abundant side functionalities are emerging as a promising binder for high‐capacity yet large‐volume‐change silicon anodes with a strong and reversible supramolecular interaction that originates from secondary bonding. However, the supramolecular network solely based on hydrogen bonding is relatively vulnerable to repeated deformation and has an insufficient diffusivity of lithium ions. Herein, reported is a facile but efficient way of incorporating the natural polymers with an ionically conductive crosslinker, which can construct a robust network for silicon anodes. The boronic acid in the crosslinker spontaneously reacts with natural polymers to generate boronic esters at room temperature without any kind of triggers, which gives a strong and dynamic covalent bonding to the supramolecular network. The other component in the crosslinker, polyethylene oxide, contributes to the enhanced ionic conductivity of polymers, leading to outstanding rate performances even at a high mass loading of silicon nanoparticles (>2 mg cm−2). The small portion of the proposed crosslinker can modulate the strength of the entire network by balancing the covalent crosslinking and self‐healing secondary interaction along with the fast lithium‐ion diffusion, thus enabling the extended operation of silicon electrodes.

Abstract.With the aim to map and monitor a low-salinity water (LSW) plume in the East China Sea (ECS), we developed more robust and proper regional algorithms from large in-situ measurements of apparent and inherent optical properties (i.e. remote sensing reflectance, R rs , and absorption coefficient of coloured dissolved organic matter, a CDOM ) determined in ECS and neighboring waters. Using the above data sets, we derived the following relationships between visible R rs and absorption by CDOM, i.e. R rs (412)/R rs (555) vs. a CDOM (400) (m −1 ) and a CDOM (412) (m −1 ) with a correlation coefficient R 2 0.67 greater than those noted for R rs (443)/R rs (555) and R rs (490)/R rs (555) vs. a CDOM (400) (m −1 ) and a CDOM (412) (m −1 ). Determination of a CDOM (m −1 ) at 400 nm and 412 nm is particularly necessary to describe its absorption as a function of wavelength λ using a single exponential model in which the spectral slope S as a proxy for CDOM composition is estimated by the ratio of a CDOM at 412 nm and 400 nm and the reference is explained simply by a CDOM at 412 nm. In order to derive salinity from the absorption coefficient of CDOM, in-situ measurements of salinity made in a wide range of water types from dense oceanic to light estuarine/coastal systems were used along with in-situ measurements of a CDOM at 400 nm, 412 nm, 443 nm and 490 nm. The CDOM absorption at 400 nm was better inversely correlated (R 2 =0.86) with salinity than at 412 nm, 443 nm and 490 nm (R 2 =0.85-0.66), and this correlation corresponded best with an exponential (R 2 =0.98) rather than a linear function of salinity measured in a variety of water types from this and other regions. Validation against a discrete in-situ data set showed that empirical algorithms derived from the above relationships could be successfully applied to satellite data over the range of water types for which they have been developed. Thus, we applied these algorithms to a series of SeaWiFS images for the derivation Correspondence to: P. Shanmugam (pshanmugam90@hotmail.com) of CDOM and salinity in the context of operational mapping and monitoring of the springtime evolution of LSW plume in the ECS. The results were very encouraging and showed interesting features in surface CDOM and salinity fields in the vicinity of the Yangtze River estuary and its offshore domains, when a regional atmospheric correction (SSMM) was employed instead of the standard (global) SeaWiFS algorithm (SAC) which revealed large errors around the edges of clouds/aerosols while masking out the nearshore areas. Nevertheless, there was good consistency between these two atmospheric correction algorithms over the relatively clear regions with a mean difference of 0.009 in a CDOM (400) (m −1 ) and 0.096 in salinity (psu). This study suggests the possible utilization of satellite remote sensing to assess CDOM and salinity and thus provides great potential in advancing our knowledge of the shelf-slope evolution and migration of the LSW plume properties in the ECS.

Metal–organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles with high porosity and greater tunability have emerged as new drug delivery vehicles. However, premature drug release still remains a challenge in the MOF delivery system. Here, we report an enzyme-responsive, polymer-coated MOF gatekeeper system using hyaluronic acid (HA) and PCN-224 nanoMOF. The external surface of nanoMOF can be stably covered by HA through multivalent coordination bonding between the Zr cluster and carboxylic acid of HA, which acts as a gatekeeper. HA allows selective accumulation of drug carriers in CD44 overexpressed cancer cells and enzyme-responsive drug release in the cancer cell environment. In particular, inherent characteristics of PCN-224, which is used as a drug carrier, facilitates the transfer of the drug to cancer cells more stably and allows photodynamic therapy. This HA-PCN system enables a dual chemo and photodynamic therapy to enhance the cancer therapy effect.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been widely investigated in cancer therapy due to its excellent characteristics. HA, which is a linear anionic polymer, has biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-immunogenicity, non-inflammatory, and non-toxicity properties. Various HA nanomedicines (i.e., micelles, nanogels, and nanoparticles) can be prepared easily using assembly and modification of its functional groups such as carboxy, hydroxy and N-acetyl groups. Nanometer-sized HA nanomedicines can selectively deliver drugs or other molecules into tumor sites via their enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. In addition, HA can interact with overexpressed receptors in cancer cells such as cluster determinant 44 (CD44) and receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM) and be degraded by a family of enzymes called hyaluronidase (HAdase) to release drugs or molecules. By interaction with receptors or degradation by enzymes inside cancer cells, HA nanomedicines allow enhanced targeting cancer therapy. In this article, recent studies about HA nanomedicines in drug delivery systems, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, diagnostics (because of the high biocompatibility), colloidal stability, and cancer targeting are reviewed for strategies using micelles, nanogels, and inorganic nanoparticles.