Noble metal nanoparticles in biosensors: recent studies and applications.

The aim of this review is to cover advances in noble metal nanoparticle (MNP)-based biosensors and to outline the principles and main functions of MNPs in different classes of biosensors according to the transduction methods employed. The important biorecognition elements are enzymes, antibodies, aptamers, DNA sequences, and whole cells. The main readouts are electrochemical (amperometric and voltametric), optical (surface plasmon resonance, colorimetric, chemiluminescence, photoelectrochemical, etc.

Plant protein-based hydrophobic fine and ultrafine carrier particles in drug delivery systems.

For thousands of years, plants and their products have been used as the mainstay of medicinal therapy. In recent years, besides attempts to isolate the active ingredients of medicinal plants, other new applications of plant products, such as their use to prepare drug delivery vehicles, have been discovered. Nanobiotechnology is a branch of pharmacology that can provide new approaches for drug delivery by the preparation of biocompatible carrier nanoparticles (NPs).

Smart Nanostructures for Cargo Delivery: Uncaging and Activating by Light.

Nanotechnology has begun to play a remarkable role in various fields of science and technology. In biomedical applications, nanoparticles have opened new horizons, especially for biosensing, targeted delivery of therapeutics, and so forth. Among drug delivery systems (DDSs), smart nanocarriers that respond to specific stimuli in their environment represent a growing field.

Toll-like Receptor 1 Polymorphisms Increased the Risk of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in an Iranian Population Sample.

A case-control study was carried out that involved 203 individuals diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and 203 healthy subjects. Genotyping of TLR1 rs5743551 and rs5743618 polymorphisms was done using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragments length polymorphism assay. We found that TLR1 rs5743551 variant affected the risk of PTB in the codominant (OR=3.

Bacteriophages and phage-inspired nanocarriers for targeted delivery of therapeutic cargos.

The main goal of drug delivery systems is to target therapeutic cargoes to desired cells and to ensure their efficient uptake. Recently a number of studies have focused on designing bio-inspired nanocarriers, such as bacteriophages, and synthetic carriers based on the bacteriophage structure. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically recognize their bacterial hosts.