Comparative investigation of structural properties and biological applications of chemical and biogenic synthesis of zirconium dioxide (ZrO) nanoparticles using Passiflora edulis.

Over the last decade, the environmental and wellness cost of antibiotic drug resistance to the societies have been astounding and require urgent attention Metal oxide nanomaterials have been achieved a pull-on deal with its entire applications in biological and photocatalytic applications. The present study conducts a comparative investigation on chemical and biogenic synthesis of zirconium dioxide (ZrO) nanoparticles aimed at enhancing their efficacy in their applications. The plant extract of Passiflora edulis act as a reducing and capping properties offering a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative.

Efficacy of Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin (I-PRF) in Managing Temporomandibular Joint Pain: A Prospective Clinical Study.

Background: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is a common condition that can significantly impact an individual's quality of life. Current treatment options often fall short of providing long-lasting relief. So, this prospective clinical study aimed to investigate the efficacy of injectable platelet-rich fibrin (I-PRF) in mitigating TMJ pain.

The clinical effectiveness of mepolizumab treatment in severe eosinophilic asthma; outcomes from four years cohort evaluation.

Background: Clinical trials and real world studies demonstrated benefit of mepolizumab treatment in severe asthma but data on its effectiveness beyond 2 years remain limited. Herein, we provide mepolizumab treatment evaluation up to 4 years.

Methods: we studied all patients initiated on mepolizumab in our center from June 2017 to August 2018.

An improved beluga whale optimizer-Derived Adaptive multi-channel DeepLabv3+ for semantic segmentation of aerial images.

Semantic segmentation process over Remote Sensing images has been regarded as hot research work. Even though the Remote Sensing images provide many essential features, the sampled images are inconsistent in size. Even if a similar network can segment Remote Sensing images to some extents, segmentation accuracy needs to be improved.

A Novel Technique of SMA Massage with Systemic Fibrinolytic Therapy in Ischemic Midgut Volvulus: As a Lifesaving Last Expedient.

Purpose: Midgut volvulus is a surgical emergency requiring immediate intervention. Intestinal ischemia of the midgut as a consequence of volvulus from malrotation is a fateful event with high mortality and significant morbidity even in survivors. Derotation followed by correction of malrotation is the procedure of choice though has significant morbidity if intestinal reperfusion was not successful.

First record of the order Polyzoniida from the Indian subcontinent with an integrative description of a new genus (Diplopoda, Colobognatha, Siphonotidae).

Considering the large area of the Indian subcontinent, its known millipede diversity is sparse with only ca. 270 described species in 90 genera, 25 families and 11 orders. So far, not a single polyzoniidan millipede has been described from India.

Mucin-Inspired, High Molecular Weight Virus Binding Inhibitors Show Biphasic Binding Behavior to Influenza A Viruses.

Multivalent binding inhibitors are a promising new class of antivirals that prevent virus infections by inhibiting virus binding to cell membranes. The design of these inhibitors is challenging as many properties, for example, inhibitor size and functionalization with virus attachment factors, strongly influence the inhibition efficiency. Here, virus binding inhibitors are synthesized, the size and functionalization of which are inspired by mucins, which are naturally occurring glycosylated proteins with high molecular weight (MDa range) and interact efficiently with various viruses.

Blood circulation of soft nanomaterials is governed by dynamic remodeling of protein opsonins at nano-biointerface.

Nanomaterials in the blood must mitigate the immune response to have a prolonged vascular residency in vivo. The composition of the protein corona that forms at the nano-biointerface may be directing this, however, the possible correlation of corona composition with blood residency is currently unknown. Here' we report a panel of new soft single molecule polymer nanomaterials (SMPNs) with varying circulation times in mice (t ~ 22 to 65 h) and use proteomics to probe protein corona at the nano-biointerface to elucidate the mechanism of blood residency of nanomaterials.

The millipedes collected by the Museum "La Specola" on Madagascar 1989/1991, with the description of three new species of giant pill-millipedes (Diplopoda, Sphaerotheriida, Arthrosphaeridae).

A large collection of millipedes (Diplopoda) from Madagascar, belonging to the Museum "La Specola" in Florence, Italy were investigated. The collection includes three new species of the giant pill-millipede genus Pocock, 1895 which are described here as Wesener, , Anilkumar & Wesener, , and Anilkumar & Wesener, , all belonging to the species group. The latter two are currently only known from a single site.

Mega macromolecules as single molecule lubricants for hard and soft surfaces.

A longstanding goal in science and engineering is to mimic the size, structure, and functionality present in biology with synthetic analogs. Today, synthetic globular polymers of several million molecular weight are unknown, and, yet, these structures are expected to exhibit unanticipated properties due to their size, compactness, and low inter-chain interactions. Here we report the gram-scale synthesis of dendritic polymers, mega hyperbranched polyglycerols (mega HPGs), in million daltons.

Removal of vanadium from wastewater using surface-modified lignocellulosic material.

Palm fruit husk, a lignocellulosic material, is an agricultural solid waste. Since raw palm fruit husk does not adsorb V (V), it was subjected to surface modification with a cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The surface-modified palm fruit husk showed adsorption capability for V (V).

Microgravity as a means to incorporate HepG2 aggregates in polysaccharide-protein hybrid scaffold.

Tissue culture under microgravity provides a venue which promotes cell-cell association while avoiding the detrimental effects of high shear stress. Hepatocytes cultured on carriers or entrapped within matrices under simulated microgravity conditions showed improved cell function and proliferation. In the present study, a new approach was adopted where a non-cell adherent scaffold was incorporated with hepatospheroids (HepG2) under microgravity.

Stable and compact zwitterionic polydiacetylene micelles with tumor-targeting properties.

Compact polymerized polydiacetylene-micelles with "stealth" zwitterionic surface coating were assembled and tested in a murine xenograft model of breast cancer. In vivo fluorescence imaging indicated accumulation in the tumor area and histological studies revealed predominant uptake of the micelles at the margins of the tumor, thereby allowing the delineation of its volume.

Effect of injection routes on the biodistribution, clearance, and tumor uptake of carbon dots.

The emergence of photoluminescent carbon-based nanomaterials has shown exciting potential in the development of benign nanoprobes. However, the in vivo kinetic behaviors of these particles that are necessary for clinical translation are poorly understood to date. In this study, fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) were synthesized and the effect of three injection routes on their fate in vivo was explored by using both near-infrared fluorescence and positron emission tomography imaging techniques.

Crosslinked carbon dots as ultra-bright fluorescence probes.

Carbon dots (surface-passivated small carbon nanoparticles) are crosslinked to result in fluorescence probes containing one or multiple dots. For the single-dot probes, the crosslinking further stabilizes the dot structure, while for those packed with multiple dots, the individual probe imaging results demonstrate that the fluorescence properties are additive, with more dots for higher emission intensities in a proportional fashion, thus enabling the preparation of ultra-bright fluorescence probes.

Cellular uptake and trafficking of polydiacetylene micelles.

Polydiacetylene (PDA) micelles coated with either carboxylate-, ammonium-, or methoxy-polyethyleneglycol (PEG) chains were assembled and loaded with a fluorescent dye (DiO). Their interaction with MCF-7 human breast tumor cells was investigated by epi-fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to determine their internalization pathway and intracellular fate. It was found that the ionic character of the micelles influenced their internalization kinetics through a caveolae-mediated pathway and that all micelle types behaved somewhat similarly inside cells.

Lack of enhanced photocatalytic formation of iodine on particulate semiconductor mixtures.

Under UV-A light illumination, formation of iodine from iodide ion on the surfaces of anatase TiO(2), ZnO, Fe(2)O(3), CeO(2), MoO(3), Bi(2)O(3), and Nb(2)O(5) increases with the concentration of iodide ion, airflow rate and light intensity and conform to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model. Measurement of the particle size of the semiconductor oxides by light scattering method and deduction of the same from the determined specific surface area show that the oxide particles agglomerate in suspension. However, mixtures of any two listed particulate semiconductors do not show enhanced photocatalytic formation of iodine indicating absence of interparticle charge transfer.

Morphological anatomy of accessory fissures in lungs.

Background: Knowledge of the position and grade of accessory fissures and lobes is necessary for appreciation of lobar anatomy and thus locating bronchopulmonary segments.

Methods: Morphological variations of accessory fissures and lobes of the lungs were studied in 40 pairs of lungs from cadavers.

Results: Four left-sided lungs and two right-sided lungs showed accessory fissure in the lower lobe.

Carbon dots of different composition and surface functionalization: cytotoxicity issues relevant to fluorescence cell imaging.

Nanoscale carbon particles have emerged as versatile precursors for a new class of highly fluorescent nanomaterials that resemble semiconductor quantum dots. The surface-passivated fluorescent carbon nanoparticles, dubbed 'carbon dots', were already demonstrated for their potential optical bioimaging applications in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we conducted a systematic cytotoxicity evaluation on the carbon dots prepared by various combinations of precursor carbon nanoparticles and molecules for the particle surface functionalization.

Carbon nanoparticles as chromophores for photon harvesting and photoconversion.

Carbon nanomaterials have generated a tremendous amount of attention in the scientific community. While most of the research and development efforts have been on fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets, carbon nanoparticles (which are often considered as impurities or unwanted complications in the other carbon nanomaterials) have recently emerged as a unique class of highly fluorescent nano-dots. However, little or no attention has been paid to potential uses of carbon nanoparticles as chromophores in photochemical reactions or for photon harvesting and photoconversion in general.

Photoproduction of iodine with nanoparticulate semiconductors and insulators.

The crystal structures of different forms of TiO2 and those of BaTiO3, ZnO, SnO2, WO3, CuO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, ZrO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles have been deduced by powder X-ray diffraction. Their optical edges have been obtained by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic activities of these oxides and also those of SiO2 and SiO2 porous to oxidize iodide ion have been determined and compared.

Fullerenes for applications in biology and medicine.

Fullerenes as a unique class of carbon allotropes have been studied extensively for their distinctive material properties and potential technological applications, including those in biology and medicine. Since a major focus in the latter has been on drug development and formulation, in this paper we highlight some representative studies related to such a focus, including the use of fullerenes for drug-like functions and for their improving the formulation of established drugs. Also discussed are some other potential medically relevant applications of fullerenes, such as their serving as potent agents in photodynamic therapy and magnetic imaging.

Graphene oxides dispersing and hosting graphene sheets for unique nanocomposite materials.

Graphene oxides (GOs), beyond their widely reported use as precursors for single-layer graphene sheets, are in fact excellent materials themselves (polymers in two-dimension, polyelectrolyte-like, aqueous solubility and biocompatibility, etc.). In this reported work we used aqueous GOs to effectively disperse few-layer graphene sheets (GNs) in suspension for facile wet-processing into nanocomposites of GNs embedded in GOs (as the polymeric matrix).

Carbon nanoparticles as visible-light photocatalysts for efficient CO2 conversion and beyond.

Increasing atmospheric CO(2) levels have generated much concern, driving the ongoing carbon sequestration effort. A compelling CO(2) sequestration option is its photocatalytic conversion to hydrocarbons, for which the use of solar irradiation represents an ultimate solution. Here we report a new strategy of using surface-functionalized small carbon nanoparticles to harvest visible photons for subsequent charge separation on the particle surface in order to drive the efficient photocatalytic process.