Atomic Layer Deposition of SnO-Coated Anodic One-Dimensional TiO Nanotube Layers for Low Concentration NO Sensing.

The continuous emission of nitrous oxides contributes to the overall air pollution and deterioration of air quality. In particular, an effective NO sensor capable of low concentration detection for continuous monitoring is demanded for safety, health, and wellbeing. The sensing performance of a metal oxide-based sensor is predominantly influenced by the availability of surface area for O adsorption and desorption, efficient charge transport, and size or thickness of the sensing layer.

Rapid Characterization of Biomolecules' Thermal Stability in a Segmented Flow-Through Optofluidic Microsystem.

Optofluidic devices combining optics and microfluidics have recently attracted attention for biomolecular analysis due to their high detection sensitivity. Here, we show a silicon chip with tubular microchannels buried inside the substrate featuring temperature gradient (∇T) along the microchannel. We set up an optical fluorescence system consisting of a power-modulated laser light source of 470 nm coupled to the microchannel serving as a light guide via optical fiber.

Multi-Electrode Array with a Planar Surface for Cell Patterning by Microprinting.

Multielectrode arrays (MEAs) are devices for non-invasive electrophysiological measurements of cell populations. This paper describes a novel fabrication method of MEAs with a fully planar surface. The surface of the insulation layer and the surface of the electrodes were on one plane; we named this device the planar MEA (pMEA).

Enhanced antibacterial and anticancer properties of Se-NPs decorated TiO2 nanotube film.

Selenium nanoparticle modified surfaces attract increasing attention in the field of tissue engineering. Selenium exhibits strong anticancer, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and it maintains relatively low off-target cytotoxicity. In our paper, we present the fabrication, characterization and cytocompatibility of titanium oxide (TiO2) nanotube surface decorated with various surface densities of chemically synthesized selenium nanoparticles.

Transfection by Polyethyleneimine-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles: Fine-Tuning the Condition for Electrophysiological Experiments.

A non-viral tool for the delivery of nucleic acids termed magnetofection was recently developed as a promising transgenic technique with high transfection efficiency for gene delivery into mammalian cells. Despite the fact that transfection efficiency was the objective in the past, the post-transfection cell morphology and the essential gigaseal formation between cells and patch clamp glass electrodes have not been studied in detail. The cell viability and fluorescent response of Accelerated Sensor of Action Potentials (ASAP1) were studied in somatic HEK293 cells with respect to preserving physiological cell behavior and morphology.

DNA interaction with platinum-based cytostatics revealed by DNA sequencing.

The main mechanism of action of platinum-based cytostatic drugs - cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin - is the formation of DNA cross-links, which restricts the transcription due to the disability of DNA to enter the active site of the polymerase. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed as a simplified model of the amplification process in the cell nucleus. PCR with fluorescently labelled dideoxynucleotides commonly employed for DNA sequencing was used to monitor the effect of platinum-based cytostatics on DNA in terms of decrease in labeling efficiency dependent on a presence of the DNA-drug cross-link.

Nanostructured Polypyrrole-Based Ammonia and Volatile Organic Compound Sensors.

The aim of this review is to summarize the recent progress in the fabrication of efficient nanostructured polymer-based sensors with special focus on polypyrrole. The correlation between physico-chemical parameters, mainly morphology of various polypyrrole nanostructures, and their sensitivity towards selected gas and volatile organic compounds (VOC) is provided. The different approaches of polypyrrole modification with other functional materials are also discussed.

Iterative Precise Conductivity Measurement with IDEs.

The paper presents a new approach in the field of precise electrolytic conductivity measurements with planar thin- and thick-film electrodes. This novel measuring method was developed for measurement with comb-like electrodes called interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). Correction characteristics over a wide range of specific conductivities were determined from an interface impedance characterization of the thick-film IDEs.

Sensing properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes grown in MW plasma torch: electronic and electrochemical behavior, gas sensing, field emission, IR absorption.

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-MWCNTs) with an average diameter below 80 nm and a thickness of the uniform VA-MWCNT layer of about 16 µm were grown in microwave plasma torch and tested for selected functional properties. IR absorption important for a construction of bolometers was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Basic electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry.

Chemical sensor platform for non-invasive monitoring of activity and dehydration.

A non-invasive solution for monitoring of the activity and dehydration of organisms is proposed in the work. For this purpose, a wireless standalone chemical sensor platform using two separate measurement techniques has been developed. The first approach for activity monitoring is based on humidity measurement.

Application of CdTe/ZnSe quantum dots in in vitro imaging of chicken tissue and embryo.

The present work is aimed to synthesize CdTe/ZnSe core/shell quantum dots (QDs) in an easy way and to explore the possibilities of its application in in vitro imaging of chicken tissue and embryo. The QDs were prepared using microwave irradiation with different temperatures, which is a very easy and less time-consuming method. Subsequently, these QDs were characterized by spectrofluorimetry, Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis and Dynamic Light Scattering measurement.

Modern bioanalysis of proteins by electrophoretic techniques.

In 1957, protein rich in cysteine able to bind cadmium was isolated from horse kidney and named as metallothionein according to its structural properties. Further, this protein and metallothionein-like proteins have been found in tissues of other animal species, yeasts, fungi and plants. MT is as a potential cancer marker in the focus of interest, and its properties, functions, and behavior under various conditions are intensively studied.

Influence of Magnetic Microparticles Isolation on Adenine Homonucleotides Structure.

The electroactivity of purine and pyrimidine bases is the most important property of nucleic acids that is very useful for determining oligonucleotides using square wave voltammetry. This study was focused on the electrochemical behavior of adenine-containing oligonucleotides before and after their isolation using paramagnetic particles. Two peaks were detected-peak A related to the reduction of adenine base and another peak B involved in the interactions between individual adenine strands and contributes to the formation of various spatial structures.

Water-dispersible TiO2 nanoparticles via a biphasic solvothermal reaction method.

A biphasic solvothermal reaction method has been used for the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). In this method, hydrolysis and nucleation occur at the interface of organic phase (titanium (IV) n-propoxide and stearic acid dissolved in toluene) and water phase (tert-butylamine dissolved in water) resulting in the nucleation of the stearic acid-capped TiO2 NPs. These NPs are hydrophilic due to hydrophobic stearic acid ligands and could be dispersed in toluene, but not in water.

Behaviour of zinc complexes and zinc sulphide nanoparticles revealed by using screen printed electrodes and spectrometry.

In this study, we focused on microfluidic electrochemical analysis of zinc complexes (Zn(phen)(his)Cl2, Zn(his)Cl2) and ZnS quantum dots (QDs) using printed electrodes. This method was chosen due to the simple (easy to use) instrumentation and variable setting of flows. Reduction signals of zinc under the strictly defined and controlled conditions (pH, temperature, flow rate, accumulation time and applied potential) were studied.

Quantum dots and prion proteins: is this a new challenge for neurodegenerative diseases imaging?

A diagnostics of infectious diseases can be done by the immunologic methods or by the amplification of nucleic acid specific to contagious agent using polymerase chain reaction. However, in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, the infectious agent, prion protein (PrP(Sc)), has the same sequence of nucleic acids as a naturally occurring protein. The other issue with the diagnosing based on the PrP(Sc) detection is that the pathological form of prion protein is abundant only at late stages of the disease in a brain.

Investigation of interaction between magnetic silica particles and lambda phage DNA fragment.

Nucleic acids belong to the most important molecules and therefore the understanding of their properties, function and behavior is crucial. Even though a range of analytical and biochemical methods have been developed for this purpose, one common step is essential for all of them - isolation of the nucleic acid from the from complex sample matrix. The use of magnetic particles for the separation of nucleic acids has many advantages over other isolation methods.

Liposomal nanotransporter for targeted binding based on nucleic acid anchor system.

Microfluidic techniques have been developed intensively in recent years due to lower reagent consumption, faster analysis, and possibility of the integration of several analytical detectors into one chip. Electrochemical detectors are preferred in microfluidic systems, whereas liposomes can be used for amplification of the electrochemical signals. The aim of this study was to design a nanodevice for targeted anchoring of liposome as transport device.

Development of a magnetic electrochemical bar code array for point mutation detection in the H5N1 neuraminidase gene.

Since its first official detection in the Guangdong province of China in 1996, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of H5N1 subtype (HPAI H5N1) has reportedly been the cause of outbreaks in birds in more than 60 countries, 24 of which were European. The main issue is still to develop effective antiviral drugs. In this case, single point mutation in the neuraminidase gene, which causes resistance to antiviral drug and is, therefore, subjected to many studies including ours, was observed.

Voltammetry as a tool for characterization of CdTe quantum dots.

Electrochemical detection of quantum dots (QDs) has already been used in numerous applications. However, QDs have not been well characterized using voltammetry, with respect to their characterization and quantification. Therefore, the main aim was to characterize CdTe QDs using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry.

Nanocarriers for anticancer drugs--new trends in nanomedicine.

This review provides a brief overview of the variety of carriers employed for targeted drug delivery used in cancer therapy and summarizes advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Particularly, the attention was paid to polymeric nanocarriers, liposomes, micelles, polyethylene glycol, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), dendrimers, gold and magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots, silica nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes. Further, this paper briefly focuses on several anticancer agents (paclitaxel, docetaxel, camptothecin, doxorubicin, daunorubicin, cisplatin, curcumin, and geldanamycin) and on the influence of their combination with nanoparticulate transporters to their properties such as cytotoxicity, short life time and/or solubility.

Effect of sarcosine on antioxidant parameters and metallothionein content in the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line.

Sarcosine is currently one of the most discussed markers of prostate cancer. It is involved in amino acid metabolism and methylation processes that occur during the progression of prostate cancer. In this study, we monitored the effect of the addition of sarcosine (0; 10; 250; 500; 1,000 and 1,500 µM) in a time-dependent manner (0-72 h) on the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line.

Integrated chip electrophoresis and magnetic particle isolation used for detection of hepatitis B virus oligonucleotides.

Rapid and sensitive detection is a key step in the effective and early response to the global hazard of various viral diseases. In this study, an integrated isolation of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific DNA fragment by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and its immediate analysis by microchip CGE was performed. Microfluidic CE chip was used to accommodate the complete process of viral DNA isolation by MNPs including hybridization and thermal denaturation followed by CE separation.

Glutathione modified CdTe quantum dots as a label for studying DNA interactions with platinum based cytostatics.

Cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin represent three generations of platinum based drugs applied successfully for cancer treatment. As a consequence of the employment of platinum based cytostatics in the cancer treatment, it became necessary to study the mechanism of their action. Current accepted opinion is the formation of Pt-DNA adducts, but the mechanism of their formation is still unclear.

Redox status expressed as GSH:GSSG ratio as a marker for oxidative stress in paediatric tumour patients.

Oxidative stress causes profound alterations of various biological structures, including cellular membranes, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, and it is involved in numerous malignancies. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is considered to be one of the most important scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and its ratio with oxidised glutathione (GSSG) may be used as a marker of oxidative stress. The main aim of this study was to determine GSH:GSSG ratio in the blood serum of paediatric cancer patients to use this ratio as a potential marker of oxidative stress.