Publications by authors named "Fernando L Menezes"

Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are renowned for their exceptional capacity to degrade refractory organic pollutants due to their wide applicability, cost-effectiveness, and swift mineralization and oxidation rates. The primary sources of radicals in AOPs are persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) ions, sparking significant interest in their mechanistic and catalytic aspects. To develop a novel nanocatalyst for SR-AOPs, particularly for PMS activation, we synthesized carbon-coated FeCo nanoparticles (NPs) using solvothermal methods based on the polyol approach.

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Article Synopsis
  • Azole drugs are losing effectiveness against Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) and Recurrent VVC due to antifungal resistance, prompting research into alternative treatments like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
  • The study developed a vaginal cream containing AgNPs and evaluated its antimicrobial activity, finding that AgNPs used in combination with miconazole significantly increased antifungal effectiveness.
  • Characterization of AgNPs indicated that those synthesized with certain amounts of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed a promising size and stability, with the new cream outperforming commercial miconazole in inhibition zones despite having a lower concentration.
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The high incidence of Candida albicans infections has raised concerns regarding side effects and drug resistance, compounded by a limited number of alternative drugs. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have prominent antimicrobial activity, but effective administration remains a challenge. In this study, AgNPs were synthesized via a green chemistry approach, using glucose as a reducing agent, and incorporated into an agar matrix to form a film (AgFilm).

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An alternative analytical method was developed for the quantification of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in rice by ICP OES. Iron nanoparticles modified with an organophosphorus compound were used as the solid phase for MSPE of iAs from the plant matrix. The MSPE procedure was performed using 4 mL of a buffer solution with pH 4.

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Chitosan is one of the most abundant natural polymer worldwide, and due to its inherent characteristics, its use in industrial processes has been extensively explored. Because it is biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic, hydrophilic, cheap, and has good physical-chemical stability, it is seen as an excellent alternative for the replacement of synthetic materials in the search for more sustainable production methodologies. Thus being, a possible biotechnological application of Chitosan is as a direct support for enzyme immobilization.

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A new iron-magnetic nanomaterial functionalized with organophosphorus compound was used as solid-phase for arsenic speciation analysis in seafood samples by ICP-MS. The procedure was optimized using chemometric tools and the variables pH = 4.0, 15 min extraction time, and 20 mg of mass of material were obtained as the optimum point.

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In this communication, it was evaluated the production of fatty acid ethyl ester (FAAE) from the free fatty acids of babassu oil catalyzed by lipase from (RML) immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) coated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), FeO@APTES-RML or RML-MNP for short. MNPs were prepared by co-precipitation coated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and used as a support to immobilize RML (immobilization yield: 94.7 ± 1.

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