The review deals with an expanding number of steroidal compounds that are capable of forming a metallogel providing a multitude of novel materials rich in their properties. The future of steroidal metallogels holds a myriad of potential applications as new intelligent materials. Detection of potentially harmful compounds without expensive instrumentation, entrapment of environmentally hazardous substances, and sensitive and selective nanomaterials represent only a few of these potential applications. This article reviews the design, synthesis, characterization, and applications of steroidal metallogels.Surface features are key to the transcellular transport of nanoparticles (NPs) across intestinal epithelium cells. Endowing the NPs with specific surface features adapted to the physiological conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract holds great potential for the oral delivery of peptide/protein drugs. Therefore, in this work, a glutamic acid conjugated amphiphilic dendrimer (Glu-APD) was synthesized to replace the widely used 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine-polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG) in the preparation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based NPs. Glu-APD could provide the formed NPs (Glu-APD NPs) with specific surface features of dendritic oligopeptides. With such surface features, Glu-APD NPs exhibited a 7.78-fold increase in cellular uptake and a 2.17-fold increase in the transepithelial transport amount compared with those of the DSPE-PEG2000 modified counterparts (P NPs). Instead of a dominant clathrin-mediated endocytosis as shown by P NPs, Glu-APD can provide the NPsno-acid-associated transport of the related NPs, which might be considered as an advantage under physiological conditions. This work might also be considered as a valid reference for the construction of highly efficient oral delivery systems.Correction for ‘Applications of Raman spectroscopy in the development of cell therapies state of the art and future perspectives’ by Shreyas Rangan et al., Analyst, 2020, DOI 10.1039/c9an01811e.The alpha synuclein (α-syn) oligomer is one of the biomarkers used for the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. In this paper, two electrochemiluminescent (ECL) biosensors with an aptamer as the recognition element for α-syn oligomer detection were prepared. A functionalized indium tin oxide (ITO) glass with metal-organic framework (MOF) materials provides an adequate sensing platform. MK-8719 purchase Here the gold nanoparticles/metal organic frameworks (MOFs) composite (AuNPs@MOFs) using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as a binding agent, or to connect the MOFs onto the ITO directly via glutaraldehyde, both give a strong ECL emission for luminol, even under weak alkaline conditions. Thereafter, the thiolated or carboxylated aptamer was coalesced onto the MOF material functionalized electrode using an Au-S bond or amide bond via the classic 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC-NHS) coupling, respectively. Thus, the ECL emission of the sensors significantly reduced after the specific binding of the α-syn oligomer to the aptamer. The good linear relationship of the ECL sensing signals upon the logarithm of the α-syn oligomer concentration were established, from 2.43 fM to 0.486 pM or 1.39 fM to 0.243 pM, and the limit of detection reached as low as 0.42 or 0.38 fM, for these two sensors. Both of the obtained sensors have the advantages of a high sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility and are capable of detecting the target in human serum.Radiotherapy is a commonly used method for curing cancers that appear on or just below the skin. Because of the dose build-up effect of X-rays, boluses made of various materials such as silica and wax are clinically applied on patients to increase the skin dose for an enhanced therapeutic effect. However, these commercial boluses can’t conform well to the skin’s surface with some curvature, resulting in radiation dose attenuation/loss at the lesion location. To address this limitation, we have developed a nano-titanium dioxide (nTiO2)-incorporated polyurethane/polyacrylamide (TPU/PAAm) hydrogel with multi-functions for fabricating a desirable bolus. The obtained hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanical, adhesive and self-healing properties and can fit closely to the surface of patients with any 3D curvature, eliminating the air gap which is a common problem for commercial boluses applied on patients. In particular, it is encouraging that when using the bolus made of TPU/PAAm hydrogel, the dose distribution including dose coverage, conformability and homogeneity within the planning target volume (PTV) is far superior to that when using the commercial bolus. A sufficient dose shifts toward the surface of the head model and is located only in the lesion site, demonstrating that TPU-PAAm hydrogel can provide an optimal dose distribution and be clinically effective for treating superficial tumors. Furthermore, nTiO2 particles feature uniform dispersion at the nanometer level in hydrogel after being modified by 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (DMPA) based on coordination chemistry, endowing the hydrogel with long-acting antibacterial ability. The good cell affinity of TPU-PAAm hydrogel is also confirmed in this study, further ensuring that the TPU-PAAm hydrogel prepared here is a desirable candidate as a tissue equivalent with the advantages of convenient use and effectiveness in radiotherapy.In spite of the widespread utilizations of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) in food technology, as nanoreactors and in biomedical fields, the exact nature of their aqueous nanochannels which are deemed to dictate these applications are not completely understood. In this context, elucidation of the hydrogen bonding properties of the water molecules inside the nanochannels will contribute towards obtaining a complete picture of the LLC materials. In this study, we use two molecules exhibiting an excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), fisetin and 3-hydroxyflavone, to determine the hydrogen bond donating and accepting parameters of the LLC water molecules. The steady state results imply a heterogeneity in the hydrogen bond accepting and donating properties inside the LLC nanochannels. Upon photoexcitation of the normal form of the ESIPT molecules, we notice that despite a reported general alcohol like polarity of the LLC nanochannels, the hydrogen bonding behaviour of the water molecules is similar to that of moderately polar aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile.