Advances in the synthesis and engineering of conotoxins.

Conotoxins, isolated from the venom of carnivorous marine snails of the Conus genus, are disulfide-rich peptides and proteins with well-defined three-dimensional structures. Conotoxins' ability to target a wide range of ion channels and receptors, including voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors, monoamine transporters, and enzyme, at exquisite potency and selectivity make them valuable research and therapeutic tools. Despite their potentials, Conus venom peptides are present in limited quantities in nature and possess structural complexity that raises significant synthetic challenges for both chemical synthesis and recombinant expression.

Comparison of the radioprotective effects of the liposomal forms of five natural radioprotectants in alleviating the adverse effects of ionising irradiation on human lymphocytes and skin cells in radiotherapy.

This study aims to evaluate the radioprotective effects of liposomes encapsulating curcumin (Lip-CUR), silibinin (Lip-SIL), α-tocopherol (Lip-TOC), quercetin (Lip-QUE) and resveratrol (Lip-RES) in alleviating the adverse effects of ionising irradiation on human lymphoctyes and skin cells in radiotherapy. Liposomes encapsulating the above natural radioprotectants (Lip-NRPs) were prepared by the film hydration method combined with sonication. Their radioprotective effects for the cells against X-irradiation was evaluated using trypan-blue assay and γ-H2AX assay.

CuO/FeO/UiO-66 nanocomposite as an efficient fenton-like catalyst: Performance in organic pollutant degradation and influencing factors based machinelearning.

The persistent presence of organic pollutants like dyes in water environment necessitates innovative approaches for efficient degradation. In this research, we developed an advanced hybrid catalyst by combining metal oxides (CuO, FeO) with UiO-66, serving as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for for efficient RB19 breakdown in water with HO. The control factors to the catalytic behavior were also quantified by machine learning.

Low carbon footprint preparation of MXene incorporated lignocellulosic fibers for high thermal conductivity applications.

New wood-based composite materials with thermal conductivity are greatly desired in the fields of packaging materials for electronic components. In this study, a new multifunctional composite material (M@FC) is prepared by simply blending clay-like TiCT MXene and delignified wood fibers together, and then followed by an infusing epoxy resin with environmentally friendly vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The resulting M@FC (0.

Natural core-shell structure activated carbon beads derived from Litsea glutinosa seeds for removal of methylene blue: Facile preparation, characterization, and adsorption properties.

In this study, natural core-shell structure activated carbon beads (ACBs) from Litsea glutinosa seeds were successfully produced, characterized, and applied for adsorption of methylene blue (MB). The ACBs were prepared using single-step carbonization-activation with NaHCO at the optimized activation temperature, time, and activating agent concentration of 450 °C, 60 min, and 5%, respectively. Batch experiments were performed to determine the optimum adsorption conditions, suitable kinetic and isotherm models, and thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption of MB onto ACBs.

Facile fabrication of highly flexible and floatable CuO/rGO on Vietnamese traditional paper toward high-performance solar-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin antibiotic.

In this work, we successfully demonstrated the facile fabrication of highly flexible and floatable CuO/rGO on Vietnamese traditional paper (VTP) for the solar-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. The catalyst membrane was prepared by the green reduction of both Cu(OH) to CuO nanoparticles and graphene oxide to reduced graphene oxide. VTP has a fibrous structure with tiny fibers connected like a spider web and multiple layers in the form of a multidimensional array, which functions as a flexible and highly porous supporter to the catalyst.

Self-Assemblable Polymer Smart-Blocks for Temperature-Induced Injectable Hydrogel in Biomedical Applications.

Self-assembled temperature-induced injectable hydrogels fabricated via self-assembly of polymer smart-blocks have been widely investigated as drug delivery systems and platforms for tissue regeneration. Polymer smart-blocks that can be self-assembly play an important role in fabrication of hydrogels because they can self-assemble to induce the gelation of their copolymer in aqueous solution. The self-assembly occurs in response to an external stimulus change, such as temperature, pH, glucose, ionic strength, light, magnetic field, electric field, or their combination, which results in property transformations like hydrophobicity, ionization, and conformational change.

comparison of wound healing and scar treatment effect between curcumin-oligochitosan nanoparticle complex and oligochitosan-coated curcumin-loaded-liposome.

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness between curcumin-oligochitosan nanoplexes (CUR-OCH nanoplexes) and oligochitosan-coated curcumin-encapsulated liposomes (OCH-Lip-CUR) with respect to wound healing and scar treatment. Firstly, CUR-OCH nanoplexes was prepared by drug-polysaccharide complexation method and OCH-Lip-CUR was prepared by a combining method of lipid-film hydration and sonication. Their cytotoxicity and wound healing and scar treatment effectiveness were evaluated using 3T3 cells and mice respectively.

Adsorption of Ni(II) ions by magnetic activated carbon/chitosan beads prepared from spent coffee grounds, shrimp shells and green tea extract.

Magnetic activated carbon/chitosan composite (MACCS) beads from spent coffee grounds and shrimp shells were synthesized using green tea extract as a crosslinker. The adsorbent was then applied for removal of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution after carefully characterizing it by various techniques (XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, EDX, VSM and BET). The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, the effects of key adsorption factors such as the pH value, initial Ni(II) concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose and temperature were investigated in detail.

Chemical composition, Aedes mosquito larvicidal activity, and repellent activity against Triatoma rubrofasciata of Severinia monophylla leaf essential oil.

Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are key vectors in the spread of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika. Triatoma rubrofasciata is an "assassin bug" whose populations and association with humans have dramatically increased and may represent a serious health concern.

Reduced graphene oxide-polyaniline film as enhanced sensing interface for the detection of loop-mediated-isothermal-amplification products by open circuit potential measurement.

The development of low cost, portable diagnostic tools for in-field detection of viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms is in great demand but remains challenging. In this study, a novel approach based on reduced graphene oxide-polyaniline (rGO-PANi) film for the detection of loop-mediated-isothermal-amplification (LAMP) products by means of open circuit potential measurement is proposed. The pH-sensitive conducting polymer PANi was electro-deposited onto rGO coated screen printed electrodes and tuned to be at the emeraldine state at which the pH sensitivity was maximized.

Preparation of cross-linked magnetic chitosan particles from steel slag and shrimp shells for removal of heavy metals.

In this study, a new method for preparation of cross-linked magnetic chitosan particles (MCPs) from steel slag and shrimp shells using green tea extract as crosslinking reagent has been presented. The MCPs obtained were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and magnetic properties, and then were used to investigate the adsorption properties of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions in aqueous solutions. The influence of experimental conditions such as contact time, pH value, adsorbent dose and initial metal concentration, and the possibility of regeneration were studied systematically.

Transparent and flexible high-performance supercapacitors based on single-walled carbon nanotube films.

Transparent and flexible energy storage devices have garnered great interest due to their suitability for display, sensor and photovoltaic applications. In this paper, we report the application of aerosol synthesized and dry deposited single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin films as electrodes for an electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). SWCNT films exhibit extremely large specific capacitance (178 F g(-1) or 552 μF cm(-2)), high optical transparency (92%) and stability for 10 000 charge/discharge cycles.

Functional graphene by thiol-ene click chemistry.

Thiol-ene click reaction was successfully employed for chemical modification of graphene oxide (GO) by one-step synthesis. Herein, 2,2-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) was used as thermal catalyst and cysteamine hydrochloride (HS-(CH2 )2 -NH2 HCl) was used as thiol-containing compound, which is incorporated to GO surface upon reaction with the C=C bonds. The hydrochloride acts as protecting group for the amine, which is finally eliminated by adding sodium hydroxide.

Enhanced fluorescence, morphological and thermal properties of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots incorporated in silicone resin.

Our research focused on the morphological and optical properties of core/shell cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) quantum dots incorporated in silicone resin. After dispersing ligand-coated quantum dots into Dow Corning two-component silicone resins (OE6630A and OE6630B at 1:4 mixing ratio by weight), the resins were cured at 150 degrees C for 1.5 hours to produce the quantum dot-silicone resin nanocomposites.