The cellulose was then synthesized using different NaOH concentrations and monochloroacetic acid (MCA) in isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Effects of various NaOH concentrations on degree of substitution (DS), viscosity and thermal of carboxymethyl cellulose from Mimosa pigra peel (CMC(m)) were investigated. The increasing of NaOH concentration resulted in increasing DS and viscosity. However, viscosity of CMC(m) decreased as temperature increased. Thermal properties were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The melting point of the samples decreased

as %NaOH increased. The effects of various NaOH concentrations in CMC(m) synthesis on the mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the CMC(m) films were investigated as CH5424802 purchase well. With increasing NaOH concentrations (30-50%) were also found to result in improved mechanical click here properties. However, when the level of NaOH concentration was 60%, the mechanical properties of the CMC films decreased. This result indicates that the highest mechanical properties were found for 50% NaOH-synthesized CMC(m) films. The WVP of the CMC(m) films increased as %NaOH increased. In addition, the CMC(m) films were tested to determine the effect of glycerol as a plasticizer on the mechanical properties. Increasing the amount of glycerol

showed an increase in elongation at break but also led to a decrease in tensile strength. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 3218-3226, 2011″
“Chronic heart failure is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Western countries and is a major financial burden to the health

care system. Pharmacologic treatment and implanting devices are the predominant therapeutic approaches. They improve survival and have offered significant improvement in patient quality of life, but they fall short of producing an authentic remedy. Cardiac gene therapy, the introduction of genetic material to the heart, offers great promise in filling this void. In-depth knowledge 4EGI-1 inhibitor of the underlying mechanisms of heart failure is, obviously, a prerequisite to achieve this aim. Extensive research in the past decades, supported by numerous methodological breakthroughs, such as transgenic animal model development, has led to a better understanding of the cardiovascular diseases and, inadvertently, to the identification of several candidate genes. Of the genes that can be targeted for gene transfer, calcium cycling proteins are prominent, as abnormalities in calcium handling are key determinants of heart failure. A major impediment, however, has been the development of a safe, yet efficient, delivery system. Nonviral vectors have been used extensively in clinical trials, but they fail to produce significant gene expression.