Effect of salinity on scytonemin yield in endolithic cyanobacteria from the Atacama Desert.

Cyanobacteria inhabiting extreme environments constitute a promising source for natural products with biotechnological applications. However, they have not been studied in-depth for this purpose due to the difficulties in their isolation and mass culturing. The Atacama Desert suffers one of the highest solar irradiances that limits the presence of life on its hyperarid core to endolithic microbial communities supported by cyanobacteria as primary producers.

Integrating molecular microbial methods to improve faecal pollution management in rivers with designated bathing waters.

Rivers are at risk from a variety of pollution sources. Faecal pollution is of particular concern since it disperses pathogenic microorganisms in the aquatic environment. Currently, faecal pollution levels in rivers is monitored using faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) that do not offer information about pollution sources and associated risks.

SERS-Based Methodology for the Quantification of Ultratrace Graphene Oxide in Water Samples.

The extensive use of graphene materials in real-world applications has increased their potential release into the environment. To evaluate their possible health and ecological risks, there is a need for analytical methods that can quantify these materials at very low concentrations in environmental media such as water. In this work, a simple, reproducible, and sensitive method to detect graphene oxide (GO) in water samples using the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique is presented.

A programme for early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: a multi-centre study in primary care.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a morbid disease whose complications can be prevented if prompt and correctly treated.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of an early AF diagnosis programme in at-risk individuals in primary care centres.

Methods: In an open-label, multi-centre, controlled interventional study, individuals with one or more risk factors for AF but without known AF were enrolled.

Indicator condition-guided HIV testing with an electronic prompt in primary healthcare: a before and after evaluation of an intervention.

Objective: Indicator condition (IC)-guided HIV testing is a strategy for the diagnosis of patients with HIV. The aim of this study was to assess the impact on the proportion of HIV tests requested after the introduction of an electronic prompt instructing primary healthcare (PHC) physicians to request an HIV test when diagnosing predefined IC.

Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted in 2015 in three PHC centres in Barcelona to assess the number of HIV test requests made during the implementation of an electronic prompt.

Graphene Quantum Dot-Aerogel: From Nanoscopic to Macroscopic Fluorescent Materials. Sensing Polyaromatic Compounds in Water.

Fluorescence based on quantum confinement is a property restricted to the nanoscopic range. The incorporation of nanoparticles in a three-dimensional polymeric network could afford macroscopic scaffolds that show nanoscopic properties. Moreover, if these scaffolds are based on strong bonds, the stability of the resulting materials can be preserved, thus enhancing their final applications.

Advantageous Microwave-Assisted Suzuki Polycondensation for the Synthesis of Aniline-Fluorene Alternate Copolymers as Molecular Model with Solvent Sensing Properties.

Polymerization via Suzuki coupling under microwave (µW) irradiation has been studied for the synthesis of poly{1,4-(2/3-aminobenzene)--2,7-(9,9-dihexylfluorene)} (), chosen as molecular model. Briefly, µW-assisted procedures accelerated by two orders of magnitude the time required when using classical polymerization processes, and the production yield was increased (>95%). In contrast, although the sizes of the polymers that were obtained by non-conventional heating reactions were reproducible and adequate for most applications, with this methodology the molecular weight of final polymers were not increased with respect to conventional heating.

Targeted killing of prostate cancer cells using antibody-drug conjugated carbon nanohorns.

The ability of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) to cross biological barriers makes them potential carriers for delivery purposes. In this work, we report the design of a new selective antibody-drug nanosystem based on CNHs for the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). In particular, cisplatin in a prodrug form and the monoclonal antibody (Ab) D2B, selective for PSMA cancer cells, have been attached to CNHs due to the current application of this antigen in PCa therapy.

Carbon Nanohorns Modified with Conjugated Terthienyl/Terthiophene Structures: Additives to Enhance the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

A series of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) constituted by the aggregation of about 2000 individual conical graphene tubes (diameters from 2 nm to 5 nm and a length of 40-50 nm) that have been modified with dyes of two, three, or four terthienyl groups has been prepared by adsorbing the corresponding dye on the CNH. Persistent inks in -dichlorobenzene (-DCB) of these dye-CNH conjugates were obtained by laser irradiation of -DCB suspensions of the dye-CNH solids. These inks were used in combination or not with N719 dye for the preparation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) of TiO₂.

Triazine-Carbon Nanotubes: New Platforms for the Design of Flavin Receptors.

The synthesis of functionalised carbon nanotubes as receptors for riboflavin (RBF) is reported. Carbon nanotubes, both single-walled and multi-walled, have been functionalised with 1,3,5-triazines and p-tolyl chains by aryl radical addition under microwave irradiation and the derivatives have been fully characterised by using a range of techniques. The interactions between riboflavin and the hybrids were analysed by using fluorescence and UV/Vis spectroscopic techniques.

Carbon nanohorns as integrative materials for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

Different nanocarbons, that is, single-wall carbon nanotubes, graphene, single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs), and their respective oxidized analogs have been used to fabricate novel doped TiO2 electrodes for DSSCs. Our results indicate that all of the nanocarbons significantly enhance the device characteristics when compared to standard TiO2 electrodes. Overall, our most outstanding finding is that SWCNH derivatives are also a plausible material for developing highly-efficient DSSCs.

Enhanced docetaxel-mediated cytotoxicity in human prostate cancer cells through knockdown of cofilin-1 by carbon nanohorn delivered siRNA.

We synthesized a non-viral delivery system (f-CNH3) for small interfering RNA (siRNA) by anchoring a fourth-generation polyamidoamine dendrimer (G4-PAMAM) to carbon nanohorns (CNHs). Using this new compound, we delivered a specific siRNA designed to knockdown cofilin-1, a key protein in the regulation of cellular cytoskeleton, to human prostate cancer (PCa) cells. The carbon nanohorn (CNH) derivative was able to bind siRNA and release it in the presence of an excess of the polyanion heparin.

In vivo degradation of functionalized carbon nanotubes after stereotactic administration in the brain cortex.

Aim: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly being utilized in neurological applications as components of implants, electrodes or as delivery vehicles. Any application that involves implantation or injection of CNTs into the CNS needs to address the distribution and fate of the material following interaction and residence within the neuronal tissue. Here we report a preliminary study investigating the fate and structural integrity of amino-functionalized CNTs following stereotactic administration in the brain cortex.

Influence of polarity on the scalability and reproducibility of solvent-free microwave-assisted reactions.

Organic reactions performed in the absence of solvent in domestic ovens without appropriate temperature control are generally considered as not reproducible, particularly when different instruments are used. For this reason, reproducibility has historically been one of the major issues associated with Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) especially when domestic ovens are involved. The lack of reproducibility limits the general applicability and the scale up of these reactions.

Hybrid materials based on Pd nanoparticles on carbon nanostructures for environmentally benign C-C coupling chemistry.

The combination of different nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures in a new hybrid material should give rise to interesting properties that combine the advantages of each of the nanocomponents. This review highlights the latest advances in the synthetic design of these hybrid materials where carbon nanostructures act as supports as well as stabilizing agents for very reactive metallic nanoparticles. The striking applications of Pd nanoparticles anchored on the surface of carbon nanostructures in C-C coupling chemistry are analyzed.

Tissue histology and physiology following intravenous administration of different types of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Background: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) constitute one of the most important types of nanomaterials, increasingly gaining interest as tools for nanomedicine applications, such as sensors, implants or delivery systems. Our groups have reported previously that chemical functionalization of CNTs can lead to their almost complete elimination from the body of animals through the urinary excretion route. The administration of CNTs may, however, impact the physiological function of organs through which CNTs traverse or accumulate.