The Research Catalyst

 The " Materials+Technologies" (GMT) Group at UPV/EHU has employed 3D printing to create tablets based on several types of starch for the aim of individualised therapy, and they have confirmed that medication release can be adjusted by selecting the proper starch type and tablet shape. Traditional procedures often fail to address the unique demands of patients while still producing medications with particular criteria. In reality, because traditional medications frequently follow adult dosage guidelines, paediatric and elderly patients need doses that are appropriate for their age. Additionally, many patient populations require particular dosage form substitutes to make it easier to administer medications orally. Rapidly dissolving pills are becoming a popular choice in this regard because they start to dissolve as soon as they are placed on the tongue. Controlled drug release over time is another issue that pharmaceutical companies must deal with, particularly when the drug...

  Malate dehydrogenase and fumarase were used as biocatalysts in the effective synthesis of fumarate (fumaric acid), a component of unsaturated polyester resin , by mixing carbon dioxide (CO2) with pyruvate (obtained from biomass). Currently, petroleum is used to create fumarate, which is utilised to create biodegradable plastic like polybutylene succinate. But thanks to this research, fumarate may now be produced using only CO2 and pyruvate from biomass instead of petroleum. Natural photosynthesis occurs in plants and involves the binding of carbon dioxide (CO2) to organic substances that can later be transformed into glucose or starch. Sequestering these beneficial molecules allows for the storage of carbon in solid form. Artificial photosynthesis imitates this process by lowering the greenhouse gas CO2, which is transformed into other beneficial compounds and is the primary driver of climate change. Fumarate was produced by Osaka Metropolitan University researchers utilising ...

 Imagine a smartwatch that displays not just your heart rate but also a live video of your beating heart. By developing a wearable ultrasound patch that offers a flexible way to look deep inside the body, similar to a Band-Aid with sonar , researchers may have made the first step in that direction. Ultrasound, which uses sound waves to map tissues and fluids, can assist medical professionals in diagnosing cancer, checking for organ damage, and even tracking infections (SN: 1/3/18). However, the majority of ultrasound equipment aren't wearable, and the ones that are either have poor detail detection or have a limited operating time. The new patch can function continuously for up to 48 hours, even when the user is engaged in physical activity like exercise. Researchers describe their findings in the Science journal on July 29. Additionally, the little equipment sees just as well as a larger hospital machine. Mechanical engineering student at MIT Xuanhe Zhao adds, "This is just...

Scientists have struggled to make biomaterials that work as well as cartilage and tendons, but a novel material developed at Cornell University suggests a promising new strategy for emulating real tissue. The findings, which were made public on July 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , offer a fresh method for putting together medical treatments for injured tissue.  The tissue must be malleable enough to bend and flex while tough enough to tolerate sustained loading, such as the weight that a knee tendon must bear. Collagen hydrogels and synthetic materials may be used to replace worn-out or injured tissue, but neither by itself provides the ideal blend of biological and mechanical characteristics of real tissue. Now, Cornell scientists have created a biohybrid composite material with many of the same properties as a real tissue. Collagen, which provides the substance its softness and biocompatibility , and a s ynthetic zwitterionic hydrogel , which has pos...

To better understand how the presence of liquid alters the behaviour of the solid, a team led by scientists from the National Graphene Institute (NGI) employed stacks of 2D materials like graphene to trap liquid. Their findings were published in the journal Nature. For the first time, the team was able to photograph a single atom " swimming " in a liquid. The results might have a significant effect on how green technologies like hydrogen production are developed in the future. When a liquid and a solid are in close proximity to one another, both substances adapt to the other's presence. These atomic-scale interactions at solid-liquid interfaces control the behaviour of fuel cells and batteries used to generate clean power, as well as the effectiveness of systems used to produce clean water and many biological activities. Professor Sarah Haigh , one of the principal investigators, said: "It is incredibly astounding how much we still don't understand about the pri...