Current Issue : July-September Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 5 Articles
The complement system is a central component of innate immunity with established roles in host defense and emerging functions in neurodevelopment, synaptic remodeling, and neuroimmune communication within the central nervous system (CNS). In parallel, advances in nanotechnology have not only enabled targeted strategies for CNS drug delivery but have also revealed that many nanomaterials interact with and activate complement, influencing biodistribution, safety, and inflammatory responses. Opioid use disorder (OUD) is increasingly recognized as a condition associated with chronic neuroimmune dysregulation involving glial activation, altered cytokine signaling, and blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption. However, direct experimental or clinical measurements of complement activation in OUD remain limited. Current evidence linking complement pathways to opioid exposure is derived largely from indirect observations, including transcriptomic alterations, glial phenotypes, and inflammatory signatures in preclinical and translational models, which collectively suggest, but do not yet definitively establish, complement involvement in opioid-induced neuroimmune signaling. This review synthesizes current knowledge at the intersection of complement biology, nanomedicine, and opioid-associated neuroimmune changes. It distinguishes well-established mechanisms of complement activation by nanomaterials from emerging and inferential evidence linking complement signaling to opioid exposure. This hypothesis-generating framework integrates complement signaling with opioid receptor and TLR4 pathways in glial and endothelial compartments, examining their potential protective and pathological CNS roles while outlining the translational promise and current evidence gaps of complement-aware nanotechnologies for addiction neuroscience....
Culturing cells and micro-tissue samples in 3D bio-scaffolding structures is gaining popularity; however, precise control of tissue micro-environment in such systems remains challenging. We describe a family of new hybrid bio-scaffolds with 3D O2-sensing ability, produced by simple means from readily available bio-scaffolding and O2-sensing materials. Three different types of phosphorescent O2-sensing materials—polymeric microparticles (MPs), supramolecular probe MitoXpress and nanoparticulate probes NanO2 and Nano- IR (NPs)—were integrated in Matrigel and agarose scaffolding materials and evaluated. Key working characteristics of such hybrid scaffolds, including heterogeneity, stability, cytotoxicity, optical signals and O2-sensing properties, ease of fabrication and use, were compared. The results show superiority of the Matrigel hybrids with NanO2 and Nano-IR probes. Demonstration experiments were conducted with HCT116 cells and individual spheroids derived from these cells, culturing them in the Matrigel–NP hybrid scaffolds and monitoring oxygenation and local O2 gradients on a time-resolved fluorescence plate reader and by phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (PLIM)....
Background: Surface chemistry and cleanliness are widely regarded as important factors influencing the host response to titanium dental implants. Despite advances in manufacturing and sterilization, trace residues may persist at the nanoscale even in commercially sterile devices. This study provides a preliminary evaluation of premium-grade titanium dental implants using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to assess surface chemical uniformity and trace contaminant distribution. Method: Two commercially available titanium implants from Schütz Dental were analyzed under static and dynamic ToF-SIMS modes using Bi3 + and Cs+ ion beams. Both positive and negative ion spectra were collected to identify elemental and molecular species. Chemical mapping and depth profiling were performed to evaluate contaminant distribution and surface depth composition. Results: In the two implants analyzed, the surfaces were dominated by TiO+ and TiO2 + species, consistent with a native titanium oxide layer. In both analyzed implants, localized contaminants—including fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, CN groups, and organic residues—were detected within the outermost ~0.1 μm. These signals showed heterogeneous distribution along the thread-related regions within the analyzed ROIs, compatible with residues originating from machining, surface treatments, packaging, and/or sterilization steps. Conclusions: The present data support only the descriptive finding that trace contaminants were detected on the two analyzed implants. ToF-SIMS enabled nanoscale chemical mapping and depth profiling of these residues, supporting the feasibility of this approach for trace-level surface auditing and hypothesis generation. Any biological/clinical implications remain speculative and require dedicated in vitro/in vivo validation on larger sample sets....
Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) based on low-dimensional materials are of interest for high-speed electronics due to their intrinsic nonlinear transport characteristics. In this work, aligned carbon nanotube Schottky barrier diodes (ACNT-SBDs) were systematically studied through electrical characterization, small-signal modeling, and large-signal nonlinear measurements. Devices with channel widths ranging from 50 to 500 μm were fabricated to examine size-dependent direct-current and high-frequency behavior. Clear Schottky rectification and pronounced geometry-dependent characteristics were observed, with the widest device achieving an intrinsic cutoff frequency of up to 282 GHz. Based on measured S-parameters, a refined small-signal model incorporating a parallel resistance–constant phase element (CPE) branch was developed, providing substantially improved agreement with measured S- and Y-parameters and phase response compared with the classical model. The extracted CPE parameters exhibit systematic dependence on channel width, indicating distributed junction charge dynamics associated with carbon nanotube interfaces. Furthermore, the large-signal nonlinear behavior was evaluated using an anti-parallel diode configuration, achieving a third-harmonic output power of −22.58 dBm at 30 GHz under zero-bias operation. This work provides a comprehensive experimental and modeling framework for understanding the high-frequency and nonlinear behavior of ACNT-SBDs....
Nanomaterials have emerged as a pivotal driving force in the field of biomedicine due to their unique physicochemical properties. This article systematically reviews the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel nanomaterials, with a focus on their application advances in three key areas: targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and disease diagnosis and sensing. In drug delivery, nanocarriers enable precise drug targeting and controlled release through surface functionalization and stimuliresponsive design. In tissue engineering, nanocomposite scaffolds mimic the structure and function of the natural extracellular matrix, providing an ideal microenvironment for tissue repair. In disease diagnosis, nanomaterials significantly enhance the sensitivity and specificity of biosensors, promoting the development of real-time, non-invasive, and ultra-early detection technologies. The article further summarizes current challenges in the clinical translation of nanomedicine and envisions its future trends toward intelligence, personalization, and the integration of diagnosis and therapy....
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