Facile Production Method of PbS Nanoparticles via Mechanical Milling of Galena Ore.

In this research, some physical properties such as the density, specific heat capacity, and micro-hardness of galena ore lumps purchased from the public market were determined. The microscopic study, using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), confirmed that the as-received galena ore was mostly lead sulfide (PbS). The XRD pattern of the galena powder also elucidated that all the peaks were assigned to PbS.

Incidence of hepatotropic viruses in biliary atresia.

Biliary atresia (BA) is the most frequent indication for paediatric liver transplantation. We tested the hypothesis of a viral aetiology of this disease by screening liver samples of a large number of BA patients for the common human hepatotropic viruses. Moreover, we correlated our findings to the expression of Mx protein, which has been shown to be significantly up-regulated during viral infections.