Keratin nanoparticles derived from feather waste for novel antibacterial delivery.

The global rise of bacterial resistance demands innovative strategies to enhance antibiotic efficacy. This study investigates keratin nanoparticles (KNPs) derived from waste chicken feathers as sustainable drug carriers. Antibacterial activity of KNPs was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using antibacterial sensitivity assays, including disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration tests, while cytotoxicity was evaluated on human lymphoma cells.

Advancing Tumor Therapy: Development and Utilization of Protein-Based Nanoparticles.

Protein-based nanoparticles (PNPs) in tumor therapy hold immense potential, combining targeted delivery, minimal toxicity, and customizable properties, thus paving the way for innovative approaches to cancer treatment. Understanding the various methods available for their production is crucial for researchers and scientists aiming to harness these nanoparticles for diverse applications, including tumor therapy, drug delivery, imaging, and tissue engineering. This review delves into the existing techniques for producing PNPs and PNP/drug complexes, while also exploring alternative novel approaches.

Beyond metals: theoretical discovery of semiconducting MAX phases and their potential application in thermoelectrics.

MAX phase is a family of ceramic compounds, typically known for their metallic properties. However, we show here that some of them may be narrow bandgap semiconductors. Using a series of first-principles calculations, we have investigated the electronic structures of 861 dynamically stable MAX phases.

Advances in pulsed electric stimuli as a physical method for treating liquid foods.

There is a need for alternative technologies that can deliver safe and nutritious foods at lower costs as compared to conventional processes. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has been utilised for a plethora of different applications in the life and physical sciences, such as gene/drug delivery in medicine and extraction of bioactive compounds in food science and technology. PEF technology for treating liquid foods involves engineering principles to develop the equipment, and quantitative biochemistry and microbiology techniques to validate the process.

Recovering Microalgal Bioresources: A Review of Cell Disruption Methods and Extraction Technologies.

Microalgae have evolved into a promising sustainable source of a wide range of compounds, including protein, carbohydrates, biomass, vitamins, animal feed, and cosmetic products. The process of extraction of intracellular composites in the microalgae industry is largely determined by the microalgal species, cultivation methods, cell wall disruption techniques, and extraction strategies. Various techniques have been applied to disrupt the cell wall and recover the intracellular molecules from microalgae, including non-mechanical, mechanical, and combined methods.

Shock Waves Enhance Expression of Glycosphingolipid Tumor Antigen on Renal Cell Carcinoma: Dynamics of Physically Unmasking Hidden Intracellular Markers Independent of Gene-Signaling Pathways.

Antigens associated with tumors have proven valuable in cancer immunotherapy. Their insufficient expression in the majority of tumors, however, limits their potential value as therapeutic markers. Aiming for a noninvasive approach applicable in clinical practice, we investigated the possibility of using focused shock waves to induce membrane expression of hidden intracellular tumor markers.

Metal-coated plastics recycling by pulsed electric discharge.

Recycling of useful materials such as metals and plastics are evaluated important from the viewpoint of resource conservation and environmental protection. In this respect, the application of pulsed power technology to the recycling field has attracted considerable attention. We used a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) as a separation processing target in this study.

Medium's conductivity and stage of growth as crucial parameters for efficient hydrocarbon extraction by electric field from colonial micro-algae.

The green algae Botryococcus braunii produces a high amount of extracellular hydrocarbon, making it a promising algae in the field of bio-fuels production. As it mainly produces squalene like hydrocarbons, cosmetic industries are also interested in its milking. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) are an innovative method allowing oil extraction from micro-algae.