摘要:
Formulations have been developed for pulmonary delivery to treat or reduce the infectivity of diseases such as vital infections, especially tuberculosis, SARS, influenza and respiratory synticial virus in humans and hoof and mouth disease in animals. Formulations for pulmonary administration include a material that significantly alters physical properties such as surface tension and surface elasticity of lung mucus lining fluid, which may be a surfactant and, optionally, a carrier. The formulation may be administered as a powder where the particles consist basically of the material altering surface tension. The carrier may be a solution, such as an alcohol, although an aqueous solution may be utilized, or a material mixed with the material altering surface tension to form particles. These may include proteins such as albumin or polysaccharides such as dextran, which also has surface active properties, or polymers such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or biodegradable synthetic polymers which can be used to encapsulate or deliver the materials to be delivered. Drugs, especially antivirals or antibiotics, may optionally be included with the formulation. These may be administered with or incorporated into the formulation.
摘要:
Formulations have been developed for pulmonary delivery to treat or reduce the infectivity of diseases such as vital infections, especially tuberculosis, SARS, influenza and respiratory synticial virus in humans and hoof and mouth disease in animals. Formulations for pulmonary administration include a material that significantly alters physical properties such as surface tension and surface elasticity of lung mucus lining fluid, which may be a surfactant and, optionally, a carrier. The formulation may be administered as a powder where the particles consist basically of the material altering surface tension. The carrier may be a solution, such as an alcohol, although an aqueous solution may be utilized, or a material mixed with the material altering surface tension to form particles. These may include proteins such as albumin or polysaccharides such as dextran, which also has surface active properties, or polymers such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or biodegradable synthetic polymers which can be used to encapsulate or deliver the materials to be delivered. Drugs, especially antivirals or antibiotics, may optionally be included with the formulation. These may be administered with or incorporated into the formulation.
摘要:
The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2009, 1,479,350 new cancer cases would be diagnosed in the United States of which 219,440 would be lung and bronchus related. The standard treatments for NSCLC include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, laser and photodynamic therapy, all with various success rates depending on the stage of the cancer. National Cancer Institute assesses, however, that results of standard treatment are generally poor with only a 15 percent 5-year survival rate for combined cancer stages. Challenges facing the current chemotherapy drugs include excessive toxicity to healthy tissues and limited ability to prevent metastases. A dual drug delivery system described herein selectively targets the lung to deliver anti-cancer drugs and inhibit the formation of metastases.
摘要:
A microfluidic method and device for focusing and/or forming discontinuous sections of similar or dissimilar size in a fluid is provided. The device can be fabricated simply from readily-available, inexpensive material using simple techniques.
摘要:
Impression devices are provided for making an impression of a desired feature. The impression devices include: a flexible bladder having a cavity formed therein, the flexible bladder being capable of conforming to the details of the desired feature; a rheological material, such as a magnetorheological fluid, disposed in the cavity of the flexible bladder; and an activator for applying an external stimulus to the rheological material to change the state of the rheological material and thereby capture an impression of the desired feature.
摘要:
Systems and methods for the manipulation of particles within channels such as microfluidic channels are provided. In one set of embodiments, magnets are positioned around a channel. As a fluid containing magnetic and non-magnetic particles flows through the channel, the magnetic field created by the magnets can be used to transport the magnetic and/or non-magnetic particles to desired locations within the channel, which may useful in some cases for causing some separation of the particles. For example, the magnetic field may be used to transport magnetic or non-magnetic particles from a core fluid to a surrounding sheath fluid. In some cases, the magnetic field is used to transport non-magnetic particles to a small volume within the channel (e.g., a single-file row within the channel). The systems and methods described herein may find application in a variety of fields including, for example, continuous sorting of cells, removal of targeted cells from a stream of blood, or the arrangement of non-magnetic particles in channels for analysis.
摘要:
The present invention relates to microfluidic systems, including valves and pumps for microfluidic systems. The valves of the invention include check valves such as diaphragm valves and flap valves. Other valves of the invention include one-use valves. The pumps of the present invention include a reservoir and at least two check valves. The reservoir may be of variable volume. The present invention also relates to a flexible microfluidic system. The present invention additionally relates to a method of making microfluidic systems including those of the present invention. The method includes forming a microfluidic system on a master, connecting a support to the microfluidic system and removing the microfluidic system from the master. The support may remain connected to the microfluidic system or the microfluidic system may be transferred to another substrate. The present invention further relates to a method of manipulating a flow of a fluid in a microfluidic system. This method includes initiating fluid flow in a first direction and inhibiting fluid flow in a second direction and may be practiced with the valves of the present invention.
摘要:
The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for forming fluidic droplets comprising particles such as colloidal particles, which may be distributed on the surfaces of the fluidic droplets in some cases, thereby encapsulating the fluidic droplets. The particles at least partially surrounding the fluidic droplet may be colloidal particles in some cases, i.e., forming a “colloidal capsule.” In one set of embodiments, the particles may be positioned on the surface of a fluidic droplet such that the fluidic droplet is able to maintain a shape that, when left undisturbed, is not achievable by an undisturbed fluidic droplet free of discrete particles, for example, elongated or prolate ellipsoid fluidic droplets. Such fluidic droplets may also exhibit unusual properties, for example, plasticity, isolation from electromagnetic fields, certain electrical and/or magnetic properties, and/or mechanical resistance. In certain embodiments, multiple fluidic droplets may be prevented from fusing or coalescing into one droplet when coming into physical contact, due to the presence of particles on the fluidic droplets. However, the fluidic droplets may be induced into fusing or coalescing by initially deforming one or more of the fluidic droplets, e.g., mechanically.
摘要:
A microfluidic method and device for focusing and/or forming discontinuous sections of similar or dissimilar size in a fluid is provided. The device can be fabricated simply from readily-available, inexpensive material using simple techniques.
摘要:
An apparatus for preventing hearing loss having a body made of a soft compliant material having first and second ends and a channel extending therethrough, an acoustically limp material adjacent one of the ends of the body with the acoustically limp material having a hole therein aligned with the channel extending through the body, and a component film, disc or other structure covering or sealing the opening in the acoustically limp material. The film or disc may be formed of a high-strength polymer material and may be less than 10 micrometers in thickness. Rather than having a single channel extending through the body, a plurality of channels may extend therethrough and a plurality of corresponding holes may be provided in the acoustically limp material. The film, disc or other structure covers or seals the plurality of holes in the acoustically limp material. The film, disc or other structure may be attached in such a fashion as to behave like a flap whose operation is to close in response to high energy sound waves. The flap is pressed shut from the high intensity shock wave itself. The body may cylindrical in shape or may have another shape to fit snugly in a human ear canal.