Use of Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour for Microbiological Disinfection in Hospital Environments: A Review.

Disinfection of nosocomial pathogens in hospitals is crucial to combat healthcare-acquired infections, which can be acquired by patients, visitors and healthcare workers. However, the presence of a wide range of pathogens and biofilms, combined with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, presents infection control teams in healthcare facilities with ongoing challenges in the selection of biocides and application methods. This necessitates the development of biocides and innovative disinfection methods that overcome the shortcomings of conventional methods.

Applied Methods to Assess the Antimicrobial Activity of Metallic-Based Nanoparticles.

With the rise of antibiotic resistance, the drive to discover novel antimicrobial substances and standard testing methods with the aim of controlling transmissive diseases are substantially high. In healthcare sectors and industries, although methods for testing antibiotics and other aqueous-based reagents are well established, methods for testing nanomaterials, non-polar and other particle-based suspensions are still debatable. Hence, utilities of ISO standard validations of such substances have been recalled where corrective actions had to be taken.

Exploiting the antiviral potential of intermetallic nanoparticles.

Viral pandemic outbreaks cause a significant burden on global health as well as healthcare expenditure. The use of antiviral agents not only reduces the spread of viral pathogens but also diminishes the likelihood of them causing infection. The antiviral properties of novel copper-silver and copper-zinc intermetallic nanoparticles against bacteriophage MS2 (RNA virus) and bacteriophage T4 (DNA virus) are presented.

Antiviral Efficacy of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles against the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSV) are responsible for one of the most economically important diseases affecting the global pig industry. On-farm high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems can effectively reduce airborne transmission of PRRSV and the incidence of PRRS, but they are costly, and their adoption is limited. Therefore, there is a need for low-cost alternatives, such as antimicrobial filters impregnated with antiviral nanoparticles (AVNP).

Synergistic Antifungal Study of PEGylated Graphene Oxides and Copper Nanoparticles against .

The coupling reactions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with two different nano-carbonaceous materials, graphene oxide (GO) and expanded graphene oxide (EGO), were achieved by amide bond formations. These reactions yielded PEGylated graphene oxides, GO-PEG and EGO-PEG. Whilst presence of the newly formed amide links (NH-CO) were confirmed by FTIR stretches observed at 1732 cm and 1712 cm, the associated Raman D- and G-bands resonated at 1311/1318 cm and 1584/1595 cm had shown the carbonaceous structures in both PEGylated products remain unchanged.

AVNP2 protects against cognitive impairments induced by C6 glioma by suppressing tumour associated inflammation in rats.

Glioblastoma is a kind of malignant tumour and originates from the central nervous system. In the last century, some researchers and clinician have noticed that the psychosocial and neurocognitive functioning of patients with malignant gliomas can be impaired. Many clinical studies have demonstrated that part of patients, adults or children, diagnosed with glioblastoma will suffer from cognitive deficiency during their clinical course, especially in long-term survivors.

Pretreatment-Etidronate Alleviates CoCl Induced-SH-SY5Y Cell Apoptosis via Decreased HIF-1α and TRPC5 Channel Proteins.

Chronic hypoxic damage is one of the most common pathogenic factors that can cause neurodegenerative disorder in most cases. Etidronate (Eti) is one of the best-known earlier-generations of bisphosphonate derivatives for the treatment of bone-loss related diseases. Building on the preceding study of our laboratory, we found that Eti showed neuroprotective effects against 2-vessel occlusion induced vascular dementia (VD) in rats.

Etidronate-zinc Complex Ameliorated Cognitive and Synaptic Plasticity Impairments in 2-Vessel Occlusion Model Rats by Reducing Neuroinflammation.

As one of the bisphosphonate derivatives, etidronate has proved to be beneficial to spatial learning and memory deficits caused by two-vessel occlusion (2-VO). In this study, the novel drug etidronate-zinc complex (Eti-Zn) was used to detect its role in synaptic plasticity and learning and memory functions in a rat model of 2-VO. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion was induced by permanent occlusion of the common carotid artery bilaterally in adult Sprague-Dawley rats.

Characterisation of the Chemical Composition and Structural Features of Novel Antimicrobial Nanoparticles.

Three antimicrobial nanoparticle types (AMNP0, AMNP1, and AMNP2) produced using the Tesima thermal plasma technology were investigated and their compositions were determined using a combination of analytical methods. Scanning electron micrographs provided the morphology of these particles with observed sizes ranging from 10 to 50 nm, whilst FTIR spectra confirmed the absence of polar bonds and organic impurities, and strong Raman active vibrational bands at ca. 1604 and 1311 cm ascribed to C-C vibrational motions were observed.

Etidronate rescues cognitive deficits through improving synaptic transmission and suppressing apoptosis in 2-vessel occlusion model rats.

Vascular dementia is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the reduction of cerebral blood flow. It shows a progressive cognitive impairment. In our previous study, we found that etidronate (ET) showed neuroprotective effects against glutamate-injured PC12 cells.

Neuroprotective Effects of Etidronate and 2,3,3-Trisphosphonate Against Glutamate-Induced Toxicity in PC12 Cells.

Etidronate is one of the best known bisphosphonates (BP) derivatives. It is often used as a reference drug in research related to hypercalcaemia and other common bone diseases. 2,3,3-trisphosphonate (TrisPP) is brand new analogue of BP, that also contains a 'germinal bisphosphonate' unit with an additional phosphoryl group attached in proximity to the BP unit.

A novel approach to isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones.

A convenient route to isoindolo[2,1-a]indol-6-ones has been developed starting from the appropriate 2-(N-phthaloyl)benzoic acids. Formation of the acid chlorides with thionyl chloride followed by heating with triethyl phosphite in a suitable solvent resulted in a multistep reaction giving tetracyclic β-ketophosphonates that on reduction with sodium borohydride gave the required indolones in good overall yields. Analogous β-ketophosphonates were also prepared starting with N,N-(1,8-naphthaloyl)-2-aminobenzoic acid and 2-(2,5-dioxo-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)benzoic acids although of these only the naphthaloyl product could be reduced with sodium borohydride without cleaving the amide bond in the ring system.

Studies of the reactions of tripodal pyridine-containing ligands with Re(CO)5Br leading to rheniumtricarbonyl complexes with potential biomedical applications.

The complexes formed from the reaction of N-acylated tris-(pyridin-2-yl)methylamine (LH) with [Re(CO)(5)Br] depend on the structure of the ligand and the reaction conditions. Thus, while N-[1,1,1-tris-(pyridin-2-yl)methyl]acetamide coordinates through the three pyridine nitrogens to give a stable cationic complex [LHRe(CO)(3)Br], the analogous N-benzoyl ligand reacts under similar conditions to give a neutral complex [LRe(CO)(3)] with coordination through two pyridine nitrogens and a deprotonated amide. To try to explain these different outcomes, the reactions of some structurally related N-acylated [1,1-bis(pyridin-2-yl)]methylamines (L'H) with [Re(CO)(5)Br] have been studied and the reaction pathways identified.

Electron-rich heteroaroylphosphonates and their reaction with trimethyl phosphite.

Dialkyl heteroaroylphosphonates based on thiophene, pyrrole or furan have been prepared and their reactions with trimethyl phosphite investigated. Deoxygenation of the carbonyl groups in these heteroaroylphosphonates occurs to give carbene intermediates, which then undergo further reaction. In the case of the furan-3-oylphosphonates and those systems containing a thiophene or pyrrole ring, the major reaction pathway involves intermolecular trapping of the carbene intermediates by the trimethyl phosphite, leading to the formation of ylidic phosphonates that can be readily converted into the corresponding 1,1-bisphosphonates.