Long-Term Environmental Methylmercury Exposure Is Associated with Peripheral Neuropathy and Cognitive Impairment among an Amazon Indigenous Population.

Widespread contamination of the Amazon basin with mercury has been reported to occur since at least the mid-80s due to heavy gold mining activity. Although initial studies have indicated that this may lead to deleterious neurological consequences to the indigenous populations living in the region, further research is needed to better characterize the neurological burden of such long-term exposure. With this aim, a cross-sectional exploratory study has been conducted with the Yanomami indigenous population residing in a northern Amazon region.

Novel Gadolinium-Free Ultrasmall Nanostructured Positive Contrast for Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Imaging.

Nanostructured contrast agents are promising alternatives to Gd-based chelates in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques. A novel ultrasmall paramagnetic nanoparticle (UPN) was strategically designed to maximize the number of exposed paramagnetic sites and while minimizing , by decorating 3 nm titanium dioxide nanoparticles with suitable amounts of iron oxide. Its relaxometric parameters are comparable to those of gadoteric acid (GA) in agar phantoms, and the / ratio of 1.

Graphene oxide fibers by microfluidics assembly: a strategy for structural and dimensional control.

Graphene oxide (GO) microfibers with controlled and homogeneous shapes and tunable diameters were fabricated using the 3 dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing concept on a microfluidic device. Thermal and microwave treatments are used to obtain reduced graphene oxide (rGO) microfibers with outstanding electrical properties, thus enabling the development of ionic liquid-gate field-effect transistors (FET) based on graphene derivative microfibers.

evaluation of toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of iron oxide nanoparticles conjugated with ibuprofen.

The low solubility and consequent poor bioavailability of ibuprofen (IBU) is a major drawback that can be overcome by anchoring IBU on ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIONs) as effective multifunctional carriers for drug delivery. USPIONs were conjugated with glycerol phosphate (USPION-GP) and also co-conjugated with IBU (USPION-GP/IBU), and their toxicity and anti-inflammatory effects investigated. Phosphate buffer saline (control), IBU, USPION-GP and USPION-GP/IBU were intravenously administered 15 min before lipopolysaccharide-induced peritonitis in male Balb/c mice.

Efficacy and safety of injectable deoxycholic acid for submental fat reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

: To investigate the efficacy and safety of deoxycholic acid (DOC) for SMF reduction.: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases until June 2020.

Cytotoxicity of Methotrexate Conjugated to Glycerol Phosphate Modified Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

A systematic study was carried out to evaluate the uptake and cytotoxicity of methotrexate (MTX) conjugated to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) modified with glycerol phosphate (Glyc) and phosphorylethanolamine (PEA), using MCF-7 cancer cell line as model. The ligand shell composition was controlled in such a way to get SPIONs with nine different surface functionalization and up to three co-conjugated ligands but the very iron oxide core, in order to test and compare uptake and cytotoxicity, and verify possible additive effects. Folic acid (FA), the non-toxic analogue of MTX, was also explored as ligand for SPIONs.

Nitric oxide inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 247.6 cells by ibuprofen-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles.

To develop a series of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) by coconjugating them with ibuprofen (ibu) and glycerol phosphate (glycerol) or ibu and glucose-1-phosphate and to assess capacity of these conjugates to inhibit the release of nitric oxide (NO) in macrophages, even at low concentrations. The SPION conjugates were characterized and their properties evaluated showing the influence of those ligands on colloidal stability and inhibition of NO-release demonstrated. The cytotoxicity and possible anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated using murine macrophages (RAW 247.

Beyond electrostatic interactions: Ligand shell modulated uptake of bis-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles by cells.

The effect of the ligand shell on the cellular uptake efficiency was evaluated by a systematic study using fully dispersed 6 nm diameter superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), mono and bis-conjugated with glycerol phosphate (glyc), dopamine (dopa), 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid (tiron) and phosphorylethanolamine (pea). Negatively charged SPION-glyc was more efficiently incorporated than positively charged SPION-pea and SPION-dopa clearly evidencing that there are strong enough short-range interactions in addition to the long-range electrostatic interactions, as measured by the zeta potential, to reverse our expectation on cellular uptake. Those effects were pursued by correlating the nanoparticles incorporation efficiency as a function of the respective zeta potentials and the molar fractions of glyc and pea ligands co-conjugated on the SPION surface.

A reliable protocol for colorimetric determination of iron oxide nanoparticle uptake by cells.

Size, shape, and surface properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can influence their interaction with biological systems, particularly the incorporation by tumor cells and consequently the biological activity and efficiency in biomedical applications. Several strategies have been used to evaluate cellular uptake of SPIONs. While qualitative methods are generally based on microscopy techniques, quantitative assays are carried out by techniques such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and flow cytometry.

A familial case of cleidocranial dysostosis presenting upper limb ischemia.

Context: Upper limb ischemia is not as common as lower limb ischemia but may cause severe impairment or disability if it is misdiagnosed.

Case Report: A case of a woman with cleidocranial dysostosis resulting in upper right limb ischemia is presented. This uncommon condition is an exceedingly rare cause of vascular compression that gives rise to thrombosis of the axillary-subclavian arteries.