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The pharmacokinetics (PK) of teicoplanin differs in children as compared with adults, and especially in renally-impaired pediatric patients. Inappropriate empirical antibacterial therapy may lead to treatment-related antibacterial resistance and increased toxicity, making adjustment of the dosage regimen essential. In the present study, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models were developed to define the appropriate dosage regimen for pediatric patients with differing renal function. Our PBPK models accurately predicted teicoplanin exposures in both adult and pediatric subjects after single and multiple intravenous infusions, with less than a 1.36-fold error between predicted and observed data, and all observed data were within minimal and maximal data of the corresponding population simulation. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve was predicted to increase 1.25-fold, 1.95-fold, and 2.82-fold in pediatric patients with mild, moderate, and severe renal impairment (RI), respectively, relative to that of healthy children. Subsequently, the results of Monte Carlo simulations indicated that the recommended dosing of 12, 9.5, 6, and 4 mg/kg at 12-hour intervals would be appropriate in pediatric patients with normal renal function and in those with mild RI, moderate RI, and severe RI, respectively, at a susceptible MIC

Strategies to encapsulate cells in cytocompatible 3-dimensional hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties and degradability without harmful gelling conditions are highly desired for regenerative medicine applications. Here we reported a method for preparing poly(ethylene glycol)-co-polycarbonate hydrogels through copper-free, strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) “Click” chemistry. Hydrogels with varying mechanical properties were formed by “clicking” azido-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)-co-polycarbonate macromers with dibenzocyclooctyne functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) under physiological conditions within minutes. Bone marrow stromal cells encapsulated in these gels exhibited higher cellular viability than those encapsulated in photo-crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. The precise control over the macromer compositions, the cytocompatible SPAAC crosslinking, and the degradability of the polycarbonate segments combined make these hydrogels promising candidates for scaffold- and stem cell-assisted tissue repair and regeneration.

A novel, photodefinable, high dielectric constant (high-k) nanocomposite material was developed for embedded capacitor applications. It consists of SU8 as the polymer matrix and barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles as the filler. The UV absorption characteristics of BT nanoparticles were studied with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of BT nanoparticle size, filler loading, and UV irradiation dose on SU8 photopolymerization were systematically investigated. The dielectric properties of the photodefined SU8 nanocomposites were characterized. Embedded capacitors using the novel high dielectric constant SU8 composite photoresist were demonstrated on a flexible polyimide substrate by the UV lithography method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1523–1528, 2007

The optically transparent poly(methyl methacrylate-co-maleic anhydride) P(MMA-co-MA)/SiO2TiO2 hybrid materials were prepared using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane as a coupling agent for organic and inorganic components. Real-time FTIR was used to monitor the curing process of hybrid sol, indicating that imide group formation decreased with increasing titania content. scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry results confirmed their homogeneous inorganic/organic network structures. TGA analysis showed that incorporated titania greatly prohibits the thermodegradation of hybrid films, especially at the content of 5.3 wt %, showing an increase of about 32.6°C at 5% loss temperature in air. The UV degradation behavior of P(MMA-co-MA) studied by quasi-real-time FTIR showed that TiO2 incorporated in the hybrid network provides a photocatalytic effect rather than a UV-shielding effect. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 1714–1724, 2005

The lotus effect represents superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties of natural lotus leaves. Since it was first explained by Professor Wilhelm Barthlott in 1997, lotus effect has gained much attention, and various applications of lotus effect surfaces have been proposed. However, superhydrophobic surfaces have been prepared and studied since 1950s. In this work, the relationship between the two concepts, the lotus effect and superhydrophobicity, is discussed. We also briefly review the fundamental theories on the wettability of hydrophobic rough surfaces, recent modeling works on superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties, as well as the processing of lotus effect films. Based on the properties of lotus effect surfaces, different applications were introduced. Keywords: lotus effect; superhydrophobic; self-cleaning; wetting; contact angle