Non-biological Materials Research Articles

A-225 Validation of self-collected capillary dried plasma spot collection for lipoprotein(a) testing

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease is prominent among socially disadvantaged populations that do not have the resources for standard health screening. Self-collected capillary Advance Dx (ADX) dried plasma spot cards could address these issues by offering access to clinically acceptable lipid screening from remote collections. Our laboratory currently uses ADX specimens to screen for cholesterol, calculated LDL, HDL, glucose, lipoprotein (a) (LP(a)), and triglycerides, however, the current study will focus on the validation of self-collected capillary ADX specimens for LP(a) testing. Methods ADX LP(a) was measured using the Tina-quant Lipoprotein (a) Gen.2 assay on the Roche cobas c702 closed development channel. All closed development channel assay parameters followed the standard assay, except sample volume increased from 2 to 18uL. Calibration was performed using Roche LP(a) calibrators diluted 1:10 with water. Patient specimens were prepared by collecting four 6mm punches from the plasma portion of the ADX card. Samples were resuspended in 400uL of 0.1% bovine serum albumin and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature (RT) while shaking at 250 RPM. Non-biological materials were diluted 1:13 with water to match the sample-to-diluent ratio of the extracted patient ADX specimens. A correction factor (CF) was derived and challenged using total protein (TP) as an internal standard. BioRad Lipids Control (BRLC) and ADX patient specimens were run for wet and dry matrices to establish imprecision. Accuracy was determined using BRLC and ADX patient specimens. Linearity was confirmed by running 5 levels of Maine Standards Linearity Cardiac CM3 Kit. ADX stability was observed at RT and under summer/winter conditions to account for shipping to the laboratory. Results Specimens tested between venous and ADX LP(a) to derive the CF (n=70) had a bias of 21.92 mg/dL (132.28%) and a linear equation of (y=2.40x -1.23; R=0.985). Average card TP was 4.36 g/dL. The resulting CF is: reported ADX LP(a) = ((4.36/card TP)*card LP(a)*2.397)-1.23. Matched venous and ADX specimens that challenged the CF (n=50) had a bias of -1.00 mg/dL (-3.33%) and a linear equation of (y=0.98x -0.25; R=0.994) at the medical decision point of 30.00 mg/dL. Imprecision was 2.4% and 2.4% for BRLC specimens with mean concentrations of 15.04 and 29.40 mg/dL, respectively. Imprecision was 4.2% and 10.5% for ADX patient control specimens with mean venous target concentrations of 66.85 and 14.81 mg/dL, respectively. BRLC had an average bias of -0.31 mg/dL (-2.03%) and 0.41 mg/dL (1.40%) for levels 1 and 2, respectively. ADX patient specimens (n=3) had average biases of -1.47 mg/dL (-3.83%), 1.43 mg/dL (2.15%), and -1.58 mg/dL (-10.64%). ADX LP(a) concentrations from 6.0-80.0 mg/dL were linear (y=1.04x -0.45; R=0.999). The ADX specimen is stable for at least 7 days at RT and at least 5 days under summer and winter shipping conditions. Conclusions All assay parameters met acceptability criteria and were less than the total allowable error of 28.8%. Self-collected capillary ADX specimens are acceptable for the clinical measurement of LP(a), and effectively improve access to testing and identifying high-risk individuals as therapeutic strategies for treatment of elevated LP(a) continue to emerge.

Developing Approaches to Optimise Reparative Histogenesis of the Tympanic Membrane Tissues: History, the State-of-Art and Perspectives of Reparative Otosurgery

The paper describes the issues to optimize reparative histogenesis of the tympanic membrane tissues (history, state-of-the art and perspectives) based on data from national and foreign scientific literature. One of the causes of hearing loss is the violated integrity of the tympanic membrane, resulting from its injury or the developing inflammatory processes in the middle ear. It has been established that small perforations of the tympanic membrane can spontaneously close in the reparative stage of acute purulent otitis media or when the exacerbation of chronic purulent otitis media subsides. Restoration of large perforations of the tympanic cavity requires surgical intervention. Since 17th century, plastic surgery options for the tympanic membrane perforations with various biological and non-biological materials have been developing. However, until the beginning of the XX century, the approaches used did not lead to complete histio- and organotypic restoration of the tympanic membrane, but only ensured closure of the defect. At the present stage, otosurgeons use various plastic materials to restore the integrity of the eardrum: autografts; allografts; implants made of non-biological material. Nylon mesh, cotton-adhesive discs, and knotless knitted fabric made of polyamide fiber are applied as implants. Biological transplants applied include the skin of the inner surface of the shoulder and the occipital-temporal region, the wall of the vein, the fascia of the temporal muscle, the dura mater, the perichondrium, nanostructured bioplastic material created on the basis of hyaluronic acid hydrocolloid and a peptide complex, etc. The use of these modern options in most cases leads to organotypic and, in some cases, histiotypic restoration of the eardrum structure, ensuring complete epithelialization of its outer and inner surfaces. However, there are a number of unresolved issues regarding the diverse materials application for plastic surgery, as well as the timing of reconstructive surgeries on the middle ear.

Mapping global research landscape and trend of nano-drug delivery system for urological cancers: a bibliometric analysis.

Aim: We conducted a bibliometric analysis to quantitatively study the development pathway, research hotspots and evolutionary trends of nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) in treating urological tumors.Materials & methods: We used the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve the literature related to NDDS in the urological tumors up to November 1, 2023. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer and R-Bibliometrix. The major aspects of analysis included contributions from different countries/regions, authors' contributions, keywords identification, citation frequencies and overall research trends.Results: We included 3,220 articles. The analysis of annual publication trends revealed significant growth in this field since 2010, which has continued to the present day. The United States and China have far exceeded other countries/regions in the publication volume of papers in this field. The progression of the shell structure of NDDS in the urinary system has gradually transitioned from non-biological materials to biocompatible materials and ultimately to completely biocompatible materials. Mucoadhesive NDDS for intravesical drug delivery is a hotspot and a potential research material for bladder cancer.Conclusion: The field of NDDS in urological tumors has emerged as a research hotspot. Future research should focus on synergistic effects of NDDS with other treatment modalities.

Utilizing decellularized bio-membranes to optimize histopathological embedding of small tissues

In recent years, minimally invasive biopsy techniques have been widely used to generate small tissue samples that require processing in clinical pathology. However, small paraffin-embedded tissues are prone to loss due to their small size. To prevent the loss of small tissues, researchers have employed nonbiological embedding materials for preembedding, but this approach can lead to cumbersome experimental procedures and increase the chances of tissue loss. This study aimed to develop a convenient decellularized embedding material derived from biological membrane tissues to effectively protect small tissues from loss during paraffin embedding. This study decellularized three types of fresh animal-derived membrane tissues and selected the small intestine as the most suitable decellularized raw material through attempts at softening, comparing physical properties, and using tissue as the starting material. Subsequently, small tissues from various tissue sources were embedded, followed by H&E staining, Masson staining, immunofluorescence staining, and immunohistochemical staining. The decellularized material derived from biomembrane tissues (DMBT) developed in this study can reduce the loss of small tissues without the need for preembedding, thereby shortening the embedding process. This provides a new pathological embedding tool for future laboratory and clinical research and work.•The fat layer of the pig's small intestine is scraped off, and chemical reagents are used to defat and decellularize it.•Chemical reagents are used to soften and make the pig's small intestine transparent, and the decellularized pig's small intestine is dried.•DMBT is used for embedding and staining the biological tissue.

Giant Expanded Porous Metallo-Hexagons.

Molecular self-assembly is a widely recognized approach for fabricating biomimetic functional nanostructures. Here, we report the synthesis of two giant hollow coronoid-like supramolecular hexagons, H1 and H2. These hexagons feature large cavities, showcasing unique inner and outer hexagons fixed by specific connectivities for enhanced stability and high metal center density. H1 exhibits properties that can be transformed through the thermodynamic conversion of the metallopolymer formed by L1 and L2. With an edge length of 6.8 nm, H2 is one of the largest hexagons reported to date. 1D and 2D NMR, TEM, ESI-MS, and TWIM-MS experiments provided conclusive evidence for the composition and structure of the assembled hexagons. This work demonstrates the feasibility of constructing giant supramolecular architectures with precise control over their size and shape, opening up new possibilities for the design and synthesis of sophisticated supramolecules and nonbiological materials.

Insight into the mechanism of chlorinated nitroaromatic compounds anaerobic reduction with mackinawite (FeS) nanoparticles

Anaerobic biotechnology for wastewaters treatment can nowadays be considered as state of the art methods. Nonetheless, this technology exhibits certain inherent limitations when employed for industrial wastewater treatment, encompassing elevated substrate consumption, diminished electron transfer efficiency, and compromised system stability. To address the above issues, increasing interest is being given to the potential of using conductive non-biological materials, e,g., iron sulfide (FeS), as a readily accessible electron donor and electron shuttle in the biological decontamination process. In this study, Mackinawite nanoparticles (FeS NPs) were studied for their ability to serve as electron donors for p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) anaerobic reduction within a coupled system. This coupled system achieved an impressive p-CNB removal efficiency of 78.3 ± 2.9% at a FeS NPs dosage of 1 mg/L, surpassing the efficiencies of 62.1 ± 1.5% of abiotic and 30.6 ± 1.6% of biotic control systems, respectively. Notably, the coupled system exhibited exclusive formation of aniline (AN), indicating the partial dechlorination of p-CNB. The improvements observed in the coupled system were attributed to the increased activity in the electron transport system (ETS), which enhanced the sludge conductivity and nitroaromatic reductases activity. The analysis of equivalent electron donors confirmed that the S2- ions dominated the anaerobic reduction of p-CNB in the coupled system. However, the anaerobic reduction of p-CNB would be adversely inhibited when the FeS NPs dosage exceeded 5 g/L. In a continuous operation, the p-CNB concentration and HRT were optimized as 125 mg/L and 40 h, respectively, resulting in an outstanding p-CNB removal efficiency exceeding 94.0% after 160 days. During the anaerobic reduction process, as contributed by the predominant bacterium of Thiobacillus with a 6.6% relative abundance, a mass of p-chloroaniline (p-CAN) and AN were generated. Additionally, Desulfomonile was emerged with abundances ranging from 0.3 to 0.7%, which was also beneficial for the reduction of p-CNB to AN. The long-term stable performance of the coupled system highlighted that anaerobic technology mediated by FeS NPs has a promising potential for the treatment of wastewater containing chlorinated nitroaromatic compounds, especially without the aid of organic co-substrates.

Artificial intelligence in the detection of non-biological materials.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force within medical imaging, making significant strides within emergency radiology. Presently, there is a strong reliance on radiologists to accurately diagnose and characterize foreign bodies in a timely fashion, a task that can be readily augmented with AI tools. This article will first explore the most common clinical scenarios involving foreign bodies, such as retained surgical instruments, open and penetrating injuries, catheter and tube malposition, and foreign body ingestion and aspiration. By initially exploring the existing imaging techniques employed for diagnosing these conditions, the potential role of AI in detecting non-biological materials can be better elucidated. Yet, the heterogeneous nature of foreign bodies and limited data availability complicates the development of computer-aided detection models. Despite these challenges, integrating AI can potentially decrease radiologist workload, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and improve patient outcomes.

Fast-Swimming Soft Robotic Fish Actuated by Bionic Muscle.

Soft underwater swimming robots actuated by smart materials have unique advantages in exploring the ocean, such as low noise, high flexibility, and friendly environment interaction ability. However, most of them typically exhibit limited swimming speed and flexibility due to the inherent characteristics of soft actuation materials. The actuation method and structural design of soft robots are key elements to improve their motion performance. Inspired by the muscle actuation and swimming mechanism of natural fish, a fast-swimming soft robotic fish actuated by a bionic muscle actuator made of dielectric elastomer is presented. The results show that by controlling the two independent actuating units of a biomimetic actuator, the robotic fish can not only achieve continuous C-shaped body motion similar to natural fish but also have a large bending angle (maximum unidirectional angle is about 40°) and thrust force (peak thrust is about 14 mN). In addition, the coupling relationship between the swimming speed and actuating parameters of the robotic fish is established through experiments and theoretical analysis. By optimizing the control strategy, the robotic fish can demonstrate a fast swimming speed of 76 mm/s (0.76 body length/s), which is much faster than most of the reported soft robotic fish driven by nonbiological soft materials that swim in body and/or caudal fin propulsion mode. What's more, by applying programmed voltage excitation to the actuating units of the bionic muscle, the robotic fish can be steered along specific trajectories, such as continuous turning motions and an S-shaped routine. This study is beneficial for promoting the design and development of high-performance soft underwater robots, and the adopted biomimetic mechanisms, as well as actuating methods, can be extended to other various flexible devices and soft robots.

Microfluidic technologies for lipid vesicle generation.

Encapsulating biological and non-biological materials in lipid vesicles presents significant potential in both industrial and academic settings. When smaller than 100 nm, lipid vesicles and lipid nanoparticles are ideal vehicles for drug delivery, facilitating the delivery of payloads, improving pharmacokinetics, and reducing the off-target effects of therapeutics. When larger than 1 μm, vesicles are useful as model membranes for biophysical studies, as synthetic cell chassis, as bio-inspired supramolecular devices, and as the basis of protocells to explore the origin of life. As applications of lipid vesicles gain prominence in the fields of nanomedicine, biotechnology, and synthetic biology, there is a demand for advanced technologies for their controlled construction, with microfluidic methods at the forefront of these developments. Compared to conventional bulk methods, emerging microfluidic methods offer advantages such as precise size control, increased production throughput, high encapsulation efficiency, user-defined membrane properties (i.e., lipid composition, vesicular architecture, compartmentalisation, membrane asymmetry, etc.), and potential integration with lab-on-chip manipulation and analysis modules. We provide a review of microfluidic lipid vesicle generation technologies, focusing on recent advances and state-of-the-art techniques. Principal technologies are described, and key research milestones are highlighted. The advantages and limitations of each approach are evaluated, and challenges and opportunities for microfluidic engineering of lipid vesicles to underpin a new generation of therapeutics, vaccines, sensors, and bio-inspired technologies are presented.

Photoacoustic Imaging using Diode Laser for Soft Tissue Visualization

This study aimed to develop a photoacoustic imaging system using a diode laser as a radiation source, and a condenser microphone as a soft-tissue image detector. These tools were set in a static position and combined with the mechanic component to move the object table in the X-Y direction and were controlled by a computer with a LabView program. The result showed the built photoacoustic imaging system was used to analyze soft tissue using a diode laser in the frequency range of over 15 kHz with a 24%-47% duty cycle modulation. Furthermore, the minimum shift of the mechanic component X-Y stage was 0.02 mm, the sampling data rate was 1 second/pixel, and the image showed soft tissue intensity is generally higher than non-biological materials.

Randomized controlled trial of new hemostatic material “sodium calcium alginate” in a preclinical model

BackgroundThe demand for nonbiological hemostatic materials has increased in surgical practice; however, few have sufficient hemostatic efficacy. This study investigated whether optimizing the composition of sodium calcium alginate, which forms a stable gel, improves hemostatic efficacy. MethodsThe sodium calcium alginate was changed for each composition, including powder size, calcium substitution rate, molecular weight, and mannuronic/guluronic acid ratio. The hemostasis in liver punch-out injury and bleeding was evaluated using swine. For the study, sodium calcium alginate with different compositions was randomly applied to bleeding sites. Previous hemostatic materials, including cellulose and sodium alginate, were used as a control. We investigated hemostasis at 2 and 5 minutes after application. ResultsEach powder size (53–150 μm, 150–250 μm, 53–250 μm) had a similar hemostatic effect. However, the hemostatic rate was significantly higher in sodium calcium alginate than in previous hemostatic materials (P value < .01). A 74.1% calcium substitution rate had the highest hemostasis at 2 and 5 minutes after application (2 minutes: 100%, 5 minutes: 95.2%). Regarding molecular weight, the hemostatic rate was significantly higher in 333,000 than in 50,000 (2 minutes: 95% vs 70%, 5 minutes: 95% vs 70%, P = .038). Moreover, a 1.9 mannuronic/guluronic acid ratio had the highest hemostasis compared with the 0.4 mannuronic/guluronic acid ratio (2 minutes: 58.8% vs 11.8%, 5 minutes: 58.8% vs 0%, P = .033) ConclusionThe composition of sodium calcium alginate with a high hemostatic effect was optimized. This new hemostatic material demonstrated potential usefulness for bleeding during surgery.

ACUTE TOXICITY TEST LD50 COMPLEX Fe(II)N-BENZYLMETHYL DITHIOCARBAMATE IN WHITE MICE (Mus muscle)

A toxicity test is a test carried out to estimate the degree of damage caused by a compound to biological or non-biological materials. One of the compounds known to have anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal effects is Fe(II) N-benzyl methyl dithiocarbamate. This compound has cytotoxic activity on liver cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the LD50 value of Fe (II) N-benzyl methyl Dithiocarbamate and to determine the acute toxicity category of Fe (II) N-benzyl methyl Dithiocarbamate. From the results of research that have been carried out the synthesis of compounds capable of forming complex compounds of Fe (II) N-benzylmethyl dithiocarbamate which causes no death in male and female mice with an unknown LD50 value, categorized as non-toxic, meaning that this complex compound does not have a toxic effect on male mice. and female.

Application of molecular docking simulation to screening of metal–organic frameworks

Assessment of the affinity of a material to specific gas/ligand molecules and the corresponding binding mechanisms can facilitate screening of materials, reduce experimental costs and prompt material discovery and development. This task has been successfully performed using conventional molecular docking simulation (CMDS) for biomolecules. But the relevance of CMDS to material discovery has not been systematically assessed. Our comprehensive study using Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD) shows that CMDS does not give accurate binding energy and selectivity trends for gas adsorption onto metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Also, it cannot precisely predict drug loading and release trends. However, CMDS can already describe well the binding mechanisms and the preference of MOFs towards a specific gas. Accordingly, we discuss the roots of the shortcomings of CMDS and suggest some modifications to develop a specialized docking software for non-biological materials.

The Nanomedicine Revolution

Nanomaterials (NMs) have gained importance in technological advancement due to their changeable chemical, biological, and physical properties with improved efficacy compared to their bulk form. NMs are categorized according to their composition, size, shape, and origin with sizes ranging from 1 to 100 nm.1 NMs are being widely investigated for their potential use in Nanomedicine, a multifaceted field where biological sciences intersect with nanoscience, nanoengineering and nanotechnology.&#x0D; Due to its adaptable platform and design, nanomedicine can be useful in many fields, either by employing a multimodal therapeutic strategy or by developing highly specialized multifunctional nanodevices for the clinical purpose at hand. Nanomedicine research covers a wide range of areas, including the development of vaccines, antibacterial agents, drugs, wearable devices, diagnostic and imaging tools, high-throughput screening platforms, implants, etc., using biological, hybrid, biomimetic, or non-biological materials.&#x0D; Nanomedicine has enabled many significant developments in both basic and translational research, particularly in cellular, preclinical, and clinical research. However, most of these developments have been in the area of cancer treatment and detection. Many of these developments are beginning to be translated into viable, commercially available clinical products. For example, in August 2020, a rapid optical sensor-based test for the detection of COVID-19 was developed by a group of researchers at the University of Georgia.&#x0D; Their test kit was based on an optical nanosensor based on silver nanotriangle arrays functionalized with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein.2 Studies on functionalized (ligand) nanoparticles that interact with the epitopes of the virus, were shown to rendering it inactive and preventing it from entering cells.3 The lipid nanoparticle-based vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech using COVID -19 mRNA was approved by the UK authorities for emergency use in 2020, followed by Moderna's vaccines. Later, both Pfizer and Moderna were fully approved by the FDA. In addition, researchers involved in nanodevice manufacturing have turned their research interests to other ideas such as artificial organs and antibiotic resistance.&#x0D; Given its enormous potential, we believe that nanomedicine will eventually play a central role in all areas of medicine and enter clinics to become part of conventional clinical practice, provided that all aspects of implementation, including safety, regulatory, and ethical criteria, are met. Once this is the case, Nanomedicine should pave the way for the development of improved drugs and tools that can be used for the early detection and treatment of a wide range of diseases with high efficacy and specificity. This will ultimately improve the quality of life of patients.&#x0D; Although Nanomedicine offers exciting potential and opportunities to solve many medical problems, there are also certain scientific hurdles, mainly because we do not fully understand how nanomedicines behave in a biological system. A deep understanding of nanomedicine and the biological system can, therefore, pave the way for nanomedicine revolution.&#x0D; Editor-in-Chief&#x0D; How to cite this: Alamgir W, Haider A. The Nanomedicine Revolution. Life and Science. 2022; 4(2): 86-87. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.389

INTRODUCING ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY FROM HYDROCOLLOID WOUND DRESSING PASTE PENETRATING A GLASS BARRIER DISRUPTING HUMAN SKIN LIPID DROPLETS SIZE AND MEMBRANES: POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS IN CANCER CELLS GENESIS AND/OR CURE

Prior publication demonstrated exogenous energy from a Hydrocolloid Wound Dressing strip had penetrated a 1 mm glass slide barrier slowing the evaporation of drops of water diluted Potassium Ferricyanide crystals of formula K3[Fe(CN6)]; and consequently, altering a human mini organ hair follicle metabolism. In that paper, a recommendation was made stating that “The introduction of exogenous non-biological material, namely a hydrocolloid wound dressing justified inclusion in future research protocols “In this manuscript, in vitro research is presented whereby harvested human skin lipid droplets were exposed also to a hydrocolloid wound dressing paste (HCWP) sandwiched between two glass slides (SDW). Results via microscopy images demonstrate the deleterious effect of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the HCWP, again documented penetrating a 1 mm glass on human skin lipid droplets membranes. Implications up to and including cancer genesis of this newly documented energy emission are unknown, although, it should be emphasized that the reprogramming of lipid metabolism is a hallmark of many cancers, including breast cancer. Additionally in 2016 electromagnetic energy emitted by the breakdown of H2O2 during cell respiration had been hypothesized to be a contributing factor in cancer genesis.

Natural strategies for creating non-equilibrium morphology with self-repairing capability towards rapid growth of excellent YBa2Cu3O7-δ crystals.

Self-repair, as a natural phenomenon, has been vastly observed and investigated in a variety of fields. With such an ability, living species self-heal their wounds to restore physiological functions while non-biological materials return to their original states, for example, thin surface layer growth occurs in the regeneration of incomplete KH2PO4 crystals. Here, two seeding strategies are developed for creating incomplete crystallographic shapes (i.e. right-angled concave corners) of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) superconducting crystals with self-repairing capability in top-seeded melt growth. One involves in situ self-assembly seeding, by which the ability to self-repair promotes YBCO growth; the other is vertically connected seeding, by which self-repair triggers YBCO nucleation. Consequently, rapid surface crystallization originated at concave corners and swiftly generated initial growth morphology approaching equilibrium. Furthermore, these rapid-growth regions including the concave crystal or seed innately functioned as sizable effective seeding regions, enabling the enlargement of the c-oriented growth sector and the enhancement of properties for YBCO crystals. This work demonstrates experimentally that biaxial-in-plane-aligned crystals and precisely perpendicular-arranged seeds are important self-repairing activators for the rapid growth of YBCO crystals. This nature-inspired self-repairing work offers insights into the design of seeding architecture with non-equilibrium morphology for inducing sizable high-performance crystals in the YBCO family and other functional materials.

Recent Advances in Sensing Materials Targeting Clinical Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Biomarkers: A Review.

In general, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have a high vapor pressure at room temperature (RT). It has been reported that all humans generate unique VOC profiles in their exhaled breath which can be utilized as biomarkers to diagnose disease conditions. The VOCs available in exhaled human breath are the products of metabolic activity in the body and, therefore, any changes in its control level can be utilized to diagnose specific diseases. More than 1000 VOCs have been identified in exhaled human breath along with the respiratory droplets which provide rich information on overall health conditions. This provides great potential as a biomarker for a disease that can be sampled non-invasively from exhaled breath with breath biopsy. However, it is still a great challenge to develop a quick responsive, highly selective, and sensitive VOC-sensing system. The VOC sensors are usually coated with various sensing materials to achieve target-specific detection and real-time monitoring of the VOC molecules in the exhaled breath. These VOC-sensing materials have been the subject of huge interest and extensive research has been done in developing various sensing tools based on electrochemical, chemoresistive, and optical methods. The target-sensitive material with excellent sensing performance and capturing of the VOC molecules can be achieved by optimizing the materials, methods, and its thickness. This review paper extensively provides a detailed literature survey on various non-biological VOC-sensing materials including metal oxides, polymers, composites, and other novel materials. Furthermore, this review provides the associated limitations of each material and a summary table comparing the performance of various sensing materials to give a better insight to the readers.

Application of silver nanoparticles synthesized through varying biogenic and chemical methods for wastewater treatment and health aspects.

Nanotechnology uses biological and non-biological materials to create new systems at the nanoscale level. In recent years, the use of silver nanomaterials has attracted worldwide attention thanks to their wide range of applications as catalysts in several environmental processes including the degradation of organic pollutants and medicinal biotechnology. This study reports the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through different methods including the biogenic methods based on leaf extract of Conocarpus erectus and a bacterial strain Pseudomonas sp. as well as chemically based abiotic method and comparison of their dye degradation potential. The synthesis of AgNPs in all samples was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy peaks at 418-420nm. Using scanning electrom microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray differaction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the biologically synthesized AgNPs were characterized as spherical shape of material with capping proteins that were involved in the stabilization of nanoparticles (NPs). The biologically synthesized AgNPs showed higher degradation (< 90%) of dyes as compared to chemically synthesized NPs. A prominent reduction of total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in textile wastewater spiked with reactive black 5 and reactive red 120 was observed by biologically synthesized AgNPs. AgNPs synthesized by Conocarpus erectus and Pseudomonas sp. also showed better characteristic anticancer and antidiabetic activities as compared to chemically synthesized ones. The results of this study suggested that C. erectus and Pseudomonas sp. based AgNPs can be exploited as an eco-friendly and cost-efficient materials to treat the wastewater and potential other polluted environments as well as to serve the medicinal field.

The effectiveness of organic vegetable oils with high biocompatibility in preventing epidural fibrosis: An experimental study.

<p>Epidural fibrosis after all spinal surgeries is an important surgical issue. Various biological and non-biological materials have been tried to inhibit epidural fibrosis, which is deemed to be the most important cause of pain after spinal surgery. Olive oil, nigella sativa oil and soybean oil employed in oral nutrition in clinics involving liquid fatty acids, palmatic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid and palmitoleic acid. The effectiveness of olive oil, nigella sativa oil and soybean oil on epidural fibrosis was researched on for the first time in laminectomy model.</p>. <p>Fifty adult male Wistar albino rats weighing between 300 and 400 grams were used in the research. A total of 5 groups were formed: sham (Group I) (n = 10), no application was created; Group II (n = 10) 1 cc saline; Group III (n = 10) 1 cc olive oil; Group IV (n = 10) 1 cc nigella sativa oil; Group V (n = 10); 1 cc soybean oil was applied topically to the epidural region after laminectomy. The total spine of the rats was dissected, histopathological and immuno&shy;chemical measurements were conducted. Neuro-histopathological results were scored semi-quantitatively in terms of vascular modification, neuron degeneration, gliosis and bleeding criteria.</p>. <p>The lowest level of fibrosis and connective tissue proliferation was observed in the group where nigella sativa oil was used after the operation, followed by the group treated with olive oil and lastly with the group given soybean oil.</p>. <p>Nigella sativa oil and olive oil are very efficient for lowering the degree of epidural fibrosis and adhesions following laminectomy and can be employed as a simple, inexpensive and highly biocompatible material in clinical practice.</p>.

Identification of Ivory Using a Handheld XRF Spectrometer

Handheld XRF can be used as a screening tool, allowing rapid elemental analysis of materials in-situ. In this study, 280 ivory samples from 7 different species and 20 bone samples from 15 species were analyzed using a SciAps X-50 handheld XRF spectrometer. The data collected were used to establish a light element (LE) percentage range of 50.3% to 75.5%, and a calcium (Ca) percentage range of 24.5% to 49.5%. All ivory samples fall within these ranges, which represent the overall variation observed in ivory. Additionally, the XRF device was used to analyze the elemental composition of 123 samples from 10 biological and nonbiological material types frequently used as ivory substitutes (i.e, ivory look-alikes). The results showed that all look-alike values, except for bone, fall outside the experimental ranges established for ivory. Moreover, some materials have higher concentrations of other elements not present in ivory, such as titanium (Ti). The composition of bones was similar to ivory and could not be distinguished from ivory using this method alone. A significant difference in LE and Ca proportions was observed between cementum and dentin tissues in ivory from elephant. However, this difference falls within the overall variation when all species are considered. Multivariate analysis showed that species of origin of ivory samples could not be determined using this method. Six (6) blind validation samples were analyzed and correctly classified as ivory or substitutes using the established ranges. Our conclusion is that handheld XRF analysis can effectively assist in identifying genuine ivory and ivory look-alike materials, along with traditional morphological analysis, especially when Schreger lines are not visible on small carved objects.