Particulate matter and ultrafine particles in urban air pollution and their effect on the nervous system.

According to the World Health Organization, both indoor and urban air pollution are responsible for the deaths of around 3.5 million people annually. During the last few decades, the interest in understanding the composition and health consequences of the complex mixture of polluted air has steadily increased.

Plasmonic Spherical Nanoparticles Coupled with Titania Nanotube Arrays Prepared by Anodization as Substrates for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Applications: A Review.

As surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) continues developing to be a powerful analytical tool for several probes, four important aspects to make it more accessible have to be addressed: low-cost, reproducibility, high sensibility, and recyclability. Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO NTs) prepared by anodization have attracted interest in this field because they can be used as safe solid supports to deposit metal nanoparticles to build SERS substrate nanoplatforms that meet these four desired aspects. TiO NTs can be easily prepared and, by varying different synthesis parameters, their dimensions and specific features of their morphology can be tuned allowing them to support metal nanoparticles of different sizes that can achieve a regular dispersion on their surface promoting high enhancement factors (EF) and reproducibility.

Simple in situ functionalization of carbon nanospheres.

Functionalized carbon nanospheres have been synthesized in situ via a facile chemical vapor deposition strategy, fabricated by the pyrolysis of toluene/ethanol mixtures at different percentages (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% of ethanol). The as-grown nanospheres have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, zeta potential measurements and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results indicate that the incorporation of ethanol in the precursor solution reflected in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen functional groups, the highest functionalized nanospheres without compromising the morphology of the sample were yielded at 3 wt% concentration.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Computational Methods of Vanadium and Copper Compounds as Potential Drugs for Cancer Treatment.

Transition metal-based compounds have shown promising uses as therapeutic agents. Among their unique characteristics, these compounds are suitable for interaction with specific biological targets, making them important potential drugs to treat various diseases. Copper compounds, of which Casiopeinas are an excellent example, have shown promising results as alternatives to current cancer therapies, in part because of their intercalative properties with DNA.

Efficient anchoring of nanostructured cadmium selenide on different kinds of carbon nanotubes.

We report a method for the efficient anchoring of cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles on the surface of different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (purified, N-doped, O-doped and exfoliated). Characterization using different types of electron microscopies (SEM, STEM, and TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction showed well anchored CdSe nanoparticles (NP) on the nanotube surfaces, NP shapes and sizes varied with temperature and other synthesis conditions, and formed with good yields. The method here reported does not require previous activation of the carbon nanotube surface by chemical functionalization, nor the use of organic solvents, and the reaction proceeded in aqueous solutions, making this process simpler and more environmentally friendly than others.

[Respiratory immune system and consequences due to particulate matter in air pollution].

The respiratory system is commonly known for being responsible for gaseous exchange. However, chronic exposure to air born pollution increases each year the number of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer cases, which compels us to view the lung as a vulnerable organ due to the fact that because of its nature it enters in contact with substances present in the environment. Fortunately, the immune response mechanism acts locally in the lung in order to modulate the inflammatory response and to facilitate the clearance of inhaled pathogens, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metals, sulphur and nitrogen oxides, ozone and particulate matter (PM).

High yield and simple one-step production of carbon black nanoparticles from waste tires.

Carbon black (CB), a material consisting of finely divided particles, can be obtained by the partial combustion of heavy petroleum feedstock. The commercial preparation of CB nanoparticles require sophisticated equipment, chemical pre-treatment, and combination of complex separation and purification techniques. CB nanoparticles can also be recovered from scrubbed rubber, but yields are modest and the process is technically complex.

Carboxymethyl cellulose coated magnetic nanoparticles transport across a human lung microvascular endothelial cell model of the blood-brain barrier.

Sustained and safe delivery of therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is one of the major challenges for the treatment of neurological disorders as this barrier limits the ability of most drug molecules to reach the brain. Targeted delivery of the drugs used to treat these disorders could potentially offer a considerable reduction of the common side effects of their treatment. The preparation and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coated magnetic nanoparticles (FeO@CMC) is reported as an alternative that meets the need for novel therapies capable of crossing the BBB.

Trends in Materials Science for Ligament Reconstruction.

The number of ligament injuries increases every year and concomitantly the need for materials or systems that can reconstruct the ligament. Limitations imposed by autografts and allografts in ligament reconstruction together with the advances in materials science and biology have attracted a lot of interest for developing systems and materials for ligament replacement or reconstruction. This review intends to synthesize the major steps taken in the development of polymer-based materials for anterior cruciate ligament, their advantages and drawbacks and the results of different in vitro and in vivo tests.

Heavy periodane.

The potential energy surface of the hypothetical NaMgAlSiPSCl system (heavy periodane) is exhaustively analyzed via the gradient embedded genetic algorithm (GEGA) in combination with density functional theory (DFT) computations. The electronegativity differences among the elements in both the second and third rows of the periodic table indicate that low-energy heavy periodane structures are obtained when highly electronegative and electropositive elements are bound together, but the global minimum of the heavy periodane system is completely different to its second-row analog (LiBeBCNOF).

2-Sulfanylidene-1,3-dithiolo[4,5-b]naphtho-[2,3-e][1,4]dithiine-5,10-dione.

The title mol-ecule, C(13)H(4)O(2)S(5), is folded by 47.83 (6)° along the S⋯S vector of the [1,4]dithiine six-membered ring, with the naphtho-quinone and [1,3]dithiole-2-thione moieties being nearly planar [largest deviations from least-squares planes = 0.028 (2) and 0.

A helicoid ferrocene.

Here, we address the problem of stabilizing a new helicoid ferrocene. Of course, to obtain a helical complex, it is essential to design suitable organic ligands. The ligands should possess the correct symmetry to match the geometrical requirement of the metal center.

Planar tetracoordinate carbons in cyclic hydrocarbons.

[structure: see text] A series of cyclic hydrocarbons containing a planar tetracoordinate carbon atom is proposed. To rationalize the electronic factors contributing to the stability of these molecules, an analysis of the molecular orbitals and the induced magnetic field is presented.

Planar tetracoordinate carbon in extended systems.

A recently proposed system with a central planar tetracoordinate carbon linking two three-membered rings, C(5)(2-), lends itself to extension in one, two, and three dimensions. Our construction of potential realizations begins with an analysis of the electronic structure of C(5)(2-). Dimers such as C(10)Li(3-), C(10)Li(4), and a trimer C(15)Li(6) are then examined, and their geometries are optimized to find clues for ways the C(5)(2-) unit may polymerize in the presence of countercations.