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Virus recognition has been driven to the forefront of molecular recognition research due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Development of highly sensitive recognition elements, both natural and synthetic is critical to facing such a global issue. However, as viruses mutate, it is possible for their recognition to wane through changes in the target substrate, which can lead to detection avoidance and increased false negatives. Likewise, the ability to detect specific variants is of great interest for clinical analysis of all viruses. Here, a hybrid aptamer‐molecularly imprinted polymer (aptaMIP), that maintains selective recognition for the spike protein template across various mutations, while improving performance over individual aptamer or MIP components (which themselves demonstrate excellent performance). The aptaMIP exhibits an equilibrium dissociation constant of 1.61 nM toward its template which matches or exceeds published examples of imprinting of the spike protein. The work here demonstrates that "fixing" the aptamer within a polymeric scaffold increases its capability to selectivity recognize its original target and points toward a methodology that will allow variant selective molecular recognition with exceptional affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although plasma treatment can alter polymer surface wettability and adhesiveness, scant attention has been given to plasma effects across scales and their anti‐fouling performance. Herein, the discovery that plasma‐activated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanopillar arrays remarkably enhance anti‐fouling behavior, yielding a 98.7% reduction in Escherichia coli adhesion compared to native planar surfaces. The plasma‐activated nanopillar arrays can hold to their anti‐fouling properties for extended periods of storage, still exhibiting more than 65.1% less bacterial colonization than their native planar counterparts after 50 days. The anti‐fouling behavior promoted by plasma activation is significantly enhanced as the structure features reduce in size from macroscale to microscale to nanoscale, revealing an altered plasma activation effect upon confinement at the nanoscale level. It is anticipated that the findings will improve the ability to achieve non‐fouling effects in polymeric materials for a broad range of applications in clinical and industrial settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition of oligosaccharides is associated with very limited specificity due to their strong solvation in water and the high degree of subtle structural variations between them. Here, oligosaccharide recognition sites are created on material surfaces with unmatched, binary on–off binding behavior, sharply discriminating a target oligosaccharide over closely related carbohydrate structures. The basis for the superselective binding behavior relies on the highly efficient generation of a pure, high order complex of the oligosaccharide target with synthetic carbohydrate receptor sites, in which the spatial arrangement of the multiple receptors in the complex is preserved upon material surface incorporation. The synthetic binding scaffolds can easily be tailored to recognize different oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, opening up a realm of possibilities for their use in a wide field of applications, ranging from life sciences to diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The important role of vesicles in many aspects of cell function is well-recognized, but only recently have sophisticated imaging techniques begun to reveal their ubiquity in nature. While we further our understanding of the biological properties of vesicles and their physiological functions, increasingly elegant artificial vesicles are being developed for a wide range of technological applications and basic research. Herein, we examine the state of the art of biological and synthetic vesicles and place their biological features in the context of recent synthetic developments, thus providing a unique overview of these complex and rapidly developing fields. The challenges and opportunities associated with future biological and synthetic studies of vesicles are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Many potential applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), ranging from electronics and optoelectronics to biology and medicine, require length-controlled and well-aligned CNTs on surfaces. In this work, the length selectivity behavior of wet-dispersed CNTs on gold functionalized surfaces is investigated, providing new mechanistic insights into the length-selective process that occurs upon chemical assembly. A combination of experimental evidence derived from atomic force microscopy and plane and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy implies a length-selective deposition of CNTs on the functionalized gold surface. All the solutions containing either a high distribution of longer or shorter CNTs lead to the selective formation of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes with average lengths of 10.6 ± 3.1 nm. It is postulated that such length-selective phenomenon is not only driven by diffusion mechanisms but also is governed by the interactions between the CNTs and the chemically functionalized surfaces. The orientation of the initial attached nanotubes, which act as nucleation sites in the CNT assembly process, is proposed to dictate the CNT length distribution on the surface and be dependent on the packing and ordering of the molecules on the functionalized surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the results of treating patients who had chronic daily headaches that were refractory to standard medications with repetitive low-dose boluses of intravenous propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol). Patients were treated over a 1-year period at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. A total of 18 patients were treated a total of 21 times. Over 90% of patients had at least some headache relief after treatment. The headache cycle was broken in eight patients. There were no complications. Intravenous propofol is safe and effective when used under monitored conditions and should be considered for patients who have refractory chronic daily headache and have failed other interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the biomedical field, many innovative materials to improve diagnosis and treatment of diseases are currently being developed. The ability to respond to different stimuli is one of the more interesting properties of such materials. Light, as one of the nature's elementary stimuli, offers an attractive and flexible stimulus for controlling the properties and functions of biomedical‐related materials. As such, photoresponsive systems have been increasingly pursued and finding applications in various biomedical settings, ranging from tissue engineering for the fabrication of bespoke tissue scaffolds to drug delivery, aims at manipulating treatment distribution inside the human body. Efforts have also been devoted to the development of highly efficient methods to control biological activity and bring us closer to mimicking impressive biological actuators. In this progress report, an overview of recent developments in the field is provided and current challenges discussed. Key strategies tailored to address specific issues are examined, offering useful perspectives for future designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a concise and novel method is developed to directly generate Mn‐doped ZnS QDs/alginate nanocomposite beads. In this method, the ionic gelation of alginate is employed to produce alginate gel beads in a solution of Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions. Subsequently, the gel beads serve as the reaction support for in situ synthesis of Mn‐doped ZnS QDs in the beads through the reaction of sodium sulfide with Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions. The method has many benefits such as the simple preparation, the environmentally friendly process, the mild conditions, and the easy post‐treatment for the beads. The resulting QDs/alginate beads are homogeneous and stable gel spheres which show clear fluorescence. TEM images demonstrate that Mn‐doped ZnS QDs are homogeneously distributed within the QDs/alginate nanocomposite, and their average size is 2.4 ± 0.3 nm. Potentially, the QDs/alginate beads can be utilized for fluorescence bioimaging, as well as fluorescence detection toward metal ions. In this work, a novel, concise, and convenient method, based on the ionic gelation of alginate and in situ synthesis of QDs, is developed to directly fabricate Mn‐doped ZnS QDs/alginate nanocomposite beads. The method offers benefits such as the simple operation, the environmentally friendly process, the mild conditions, and the easy separation and post‐treatment for the nanocomposite beads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 59 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]