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Soft Particles (soft + particle)
Selected AbstractsIsoelectric points of virusesJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010B. Michen Summary Viruses as well as other (bio-)colloids possess a pH-dependent surface charge in polar media such as water. This electrostatic charge determines the mobility of the soft particle in an electric field and thus governs its colloidal behaviour which plays a major role in virus sorption processes. The pH value at which the net surface charge switches its sign is referred to as the isoelectric point (abbreviations: pI or IEP) and is a characteristic parameter of the virion in equilibrium with its environmental water chemistry. Here, we review the IEP measurements of viruses that replicate in hosts of kingdom plantae, bacteria and animalia. IEPs of viruses are found in pH range from 1·9 to 8·4; most frequently, they are measured in a band of 3·5 < IEP < 7. However, the data appear to be scattered widely within single virus species. This discrepancy is discussed and should be considered when IEP values are used to account for virus sorption processes. [source] Colloidal soft matter as drug delivery systemJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2009Giulia Bonacucina Abstract Growing interest is being dedicated to soft matter because of its potential in delivering any type of drugs. Since hydrophilic, lipophilic, small and big molecules can be loaded into these colloidal systems and administered through the parenteral or nonparenteral route, soft matter systems have been used to solve many biomedical and pharmaceutical problems. In fact, they make possible to overcome difficulties in the formulation and delivery of poorly water-soluble drug molecules, settle some stability issues typical of biological drug molecules, design parenteral sustained release forms and provide functionalized soft particles that are very effective in drug targeting. This review deals with the important role that colloids play in the drug delivery and targeting, with particular attention to the more currently used systems such as microemulsions, organogels, liposomes, micelles, and dendrimers. Though significant progress has been made in drug targeting, some challenges still remain. Further efforts will be required to better understand the characteristics of targets and to discover new ones. In-depth knowledge of the physico-chemical structure and properties of the systems used for targeting is fundamental for understanding the mechanism of interaction with the biological substrate and the consequent drug release. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:1,42, 2009 [source] Tailoring the Flow Properties of Soft Colloidal DispersionsMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2005Michel Cloitre Abstract Summary: The dynamics and the non-linear rheology of concentrated dispersions of soft particles are shown to exhibit generic properties. They display both solid-like and liquid-like properties depending on the applied stress. Below the yield point, dispersions exhibit history-dependent phenomena that have all the hallmarks of ageing in glasses. The close-packed disordered structures of the dispersions lie at the heart of this behaviour. Other properties such as the propensity of pastes to slip on solid surfaces appear to be governed by specific contact interactions between the squeezed particles. [source] New approaches for designing ,programmable' microfluidic devicesPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2008Anna C Balazs Abstract By exploiting the inherent interactions between soft particles and patterned substrates, researchers are developing new methods for controlling the motion of microcarriers and cells in microchannels. Anna Balazs reveals how these could be used to control precisely reactions on the microscale. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] | ||||||||||