ROS-responsive charge reversal mesoporous silica nanoparticles as promising drug delivery system for neovascular retinal diseases.

Intravitreal injection of biodegradable implant drug carriers shows promise in reducing the injection frequency for neovascular retinal diseases. However, current intravitreal ocular devices have limitations in adjusting drug release rates for individual patients, thereby affecting treatment effectiveness. Accordingly, we developed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) featuring a surface that reverse its charge in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) for efficient delivery of humanin peptide (HN) to retinal epithelial cells (ARPE-19).

A portable smartphone-based colorimetric sensor that utilizes dual amplification for the on-site detection of airborne bacteria.

Over the past few years, infections caused by airborne pathogens have spread worldwide, infecting several people and becoming an increasingly severe threat to public health. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing airborne pathogen monitoring technology for use in confined environments to enable epidemic prevention. In this study, we designed a colorimetry-based bacterial detection platform that uses a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein 12a system to amplify signals and a urease enzyme to induce color changes.

Subway station dust-induced pulmonary inflammation may be due to the dysfunction of alveolar macrophages: Possible contribution of bound elements.

With its increasing value as a means of public transportation, the health effects of the air in subway stations have attracted public concern. In the current study, we investigated the pulmonary toxicity of dust collected from an air purifier installed on the platform of the busiest subway station in Seoul. We found that the dust contained various elements which are attributable to the facilities and equipment used to operate the subway system.

Subchronic pulmonary toxicity of ambient particles containing cement production-related elements.

Chronic respiratory disease is among the most common non-communicable diseases, and particulate materials (PM) are a major risk factor. Meanwhile, evidence of the relationship between the physicochemical characteristics of PM and pulmonary toxicity mechanism is still limited. Here, we collected particles (CPM) from the air of a port city adjacent to a cement factory, and we found that the CPM contained various elements, including heavy metals (such as arsenic, thallium, barium, and zirconium) which are predicted to have originated from a cement plant adjacent to the sampling site.

Mesoporous Polydopamine-Encapsulated Fluorescent Nanodiamonds: A Versatile Platform for Biomedical Applications.

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are versatile nanomaterials with promising properties. However, efficient functionalization of FNDs for biomedical applications remains challenging. In this study, we demonstrate mesoporous polydopamine (mPDA) encapsulation of FNDs.

Uptake and toxicity of cerium dioxide nanoparticles with different aspect ratio.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeONPs) have been extensively applied in research for future energy development due to two common oxidation states on their surface. Considering that shape (aspect ratio) is a key determinant of NPs-induced toxicity, we compared the toxicity of hexagonal (H)- and rod-shaped (R)-CeONPs in mice. At 24 h after pharyngeal aspiration, both types of CeONPs recruited surrounding immune cells (monocytes and neutrophils) into the lung, and R-CeONPs induced a more severe pulmonary inflammatory response compared with H-CeONPs.

Real-time heart rate monitoring system for cardiotoxicity assessment of Daphnia magna using high-speed digital holographic microscopy.

Machine vision techniques for monitoring heart rates in aquatic bioassays have been applied to cardiotoxicity assessment. However, the requisite large data sizes and long calculation times make long-term observations of heart rates difficult. In this study, we developed a real-time heart rate monitoring system for individual Daphnia magna in a water chamber mounter that immobilizes their movement in 100 mL media.

Note: Contrast enhancement and artifact suppression in computed tomography using sinogram normalization.

The intensity and direction of the incident beam at the sample position in synchrotron full-field transmission X-ray microscopy is subject to change. Incident-beam fluctuation in computed tomography results in significant contrast degradation of the reconstructed image. In the present study, we devised a simple method by which that problem could be corrected using sinogram normalization.

Early commissioning results for spectroscopic X-ray Nano-Imaging Beamline BL 7C sXNI at PLS-II.

For spectral imaging of chemical distributions using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra, a modified double-crystal monochromator, a focusing plane mirrors system and a newly developed fluorescence-type X-ray beam-position monitoring and feedback system have been implemented. This major hardware upgrade provides a sufficiently stable X-ray source during energy scanning of more than hundreds of eV for acquisition of reliable XANES spectra in two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. In recent pilot studies discussed in this paper, heavy-metal uptake by plant roots in vivo and iron's phase distribution in the lithium-iron-phosphate cathode of a lithium-ion battery have been imaged.

Runout error correction in tomographic reconstruction by intensity summation method.

An alignment method for correction of the axial and radial runout errors of the rotation stage in X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography has been developed. Only intensity information was used, without extra hardware or complicated calculation. Notably, the method, as demonstrated herein, can utilize the halo artifact to determine displacement.