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This study was aimed to develop a tissue engineering scaffold by incorporation of Bombyx mori silk fiber (BMSF) and agar. This promised the improvement in enhancing their advantageous properties as well as limiting their defects without occurring chemical reactions or crosslink formation. The morphology and chemical structure of scaffolds were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The SEM results show that scaffolds containing BMSF have microporous structures, which are suitable for cell adhesion. Agar scaffolds, by contrast, had much more flat morphology. FT-IR spectra confirm that no modifications to BMSF happened in scaffolds, which indicates that there was no chemical reaction or crosslink formation between silk and agar in this process. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of scaffolds was performed in the mouse’s subcutaneous part of the dorsal region for 15 days, followed by Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. H&E staining results demonstrate that scaffolds had good biocompatibility and there was no sign of the body rejection in all of samples. The results from animal study show that SA scaffolds have the most stable structure for cell adhesion compared with those single materials.

The purpose of this study was to fabricate chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/Ag nanoparticles (CPA) gels with microwave-assistance for skin applications. Microwave irradiation was employed to reduce silver ions to silver nanoparticles and to crosslink chitosan (CS) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The presence of silver nanoparticles in CPA gels matrix was examined using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The interaction of CS and PVA was analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The release of silver ions was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The antimicrobial properties of CPA gels against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were investigated using agar diffusion method. Finally, the biocompatibility and wound-healing ability of the gels were studied using fibroblast cells (in vitro) and mice models (in vivo). In conclusion, the results showed that CPA gels were successfully fabricated using microwave irradiation method. These gels can be applied to heal an open wound thanks to their antibacterial activity and biocompatibility.

Background: Neutrophil elastase (NE) has been proposed as a potential biomarker for evaluating the severity and prognosis of bronchiectasis. This study aimed to compare bronchial lavage quantification of NE levels and activities with those of sputum., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 24 Vietnamese adults with bronchiectasis were enrolled from June 2023 to August 2023. All participants underwent bronchoscopy to collect bronchial lavage fluid (BLF) from two bronchial locations: one in the region with the greatest bronchial dilatation and one in the normal bronchi or in patients with all lobes affected, the least abnormal lobe (ABLF and NBLF, respectively). Spontaneously expectorated sputum was also collected., Results: Out of 24 cases, the prevalence of mild, moderate and severe bronchiectasis was 14/24 (58.4%), 5/24 (20.8%), and 5/24 (20.8%), respectively. NE concentration and activity were significantly higher in sputum and ABLF than in NBLF (p < 0.001). Sputum and ABLF were highly correlated (r = 0.841, p < 0.001) with no significant difference in NE activity between sputum and ABLF. Higher levels of NE activity were seen in more severe bronchiectasis than in mild bronchiectasis in all samples but were only statistically significant for NE activity in sputum (r = 0.418, p = 0.042)., Conclusion: NE activity and concentration are elevated in areas of the lung most affected by bronchiectasis. Sputum is a valid surrogate of pulmonary NE levels, as they correlate strongly with ABLF and confirm in a Vietnamese population the relationship between NE activity and disease severity.