Interactions of Engineered Nanoparticles with Organs Protected by Internal Biological Barriers

Engineered nanomaterials may exert adverse effects on human health which, in turn, may be linked to their propensity to cross biological barriers in the body. Here, we will discuss available evidence based on in vivo studies for interactions of commercially relevant nanoparticles with critical internal barriers. The internal barriers at focus of this review are the blood-brain barrier (BBB), protecting the brain, the blood-testis barrier (BTB), protecting the male germ line, and the placenta, protecting the developing fetus. The route of exposure (pulmonary, gastrointestinal, intravenous, intraperitoneal, dermal), and the portal of entry of nanoparticles into the body, is of critical importance. Different physico-chemical properties, not only size, may determine the ability of nanoparticles to breach biological barriers; the situation is further compounded by the formation of a so-called corona of biomolecules on the surface of nanoparticles, the composition of which may vary depending on the route of exposure and the “history” of the nanoparticles as they translocate from one biological compartment to another. The relevance of nanoparticle interactions with internal biological barriers for their impact on the organs protected by these barriers is discussed

UVB radiation induced effects on cells studied by FTIR spectroscopy

We have made a preliminary analysis of the results about the eVects on tumoral cell line (lymphoid T cell line Jurkat) induced by UVB radiation (dose of 310 mJ/cm^2) with and without a vegetable mixture. In the present study, we have used two techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and flow cytometry. FTIR spectroscopy has the potential to provide the identiWcation of the vibrational modes of some of the major compounds (lipid, proteins and nucleic acids) without being invasive in the biomaterials. The second technique has allowed us to perform measurements of cytotoxicity and to assess the percentage of apoptosis. We already studied the induction of apoptotic process in the same cell line by UVB radiation; in particular, we looked for correspondences and correlations between FTIR spetroscopy and flow cytometry data finding three highly probable spectroscopic markers of apoptosis (Pozzi et al. in Radiat Res 168:698-705, 2007). In the present work, the results have shown significant changes in the absorbance and spectral pattern in the wavenumber protein and nucleic acids regions after the treatments

Impact of Engineered Nanomaterials on Health: Considerations for Benefit-Risk Assessment

Nanotechnology encompasses the design, characterisation, production and application of materials and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale (nanometres). Nanomaterials may differ from other materials because of their relatively large specific surface area, such that surface properties become particularly important. There has been rapid growth in investment in nanotechnology by both the public and private sectors worldwide. In the EU, nanotechnology is expected to become an important strategic contributor to achieving economic gain and societal and individual benefits. At the same time there is continuing scientific uncertainty and controversy about the safety of nanomaterials. It is important to ensure that timely policy development takes this into consideration. Uncertainty about safety may lead to polarised public debate and to business unwillingness to invest further. A clear regulatory framework to address potential health and environmental impacts, within the wider context of evaluating and communicating the benefit-risk balance, must be a core part of Europe's integrated efforts for nanotechnology innovation. While a number of studies have been carried out on the effect of environmental nanoparticles, e.g. from combustion processes, on human health, there is yet no generally acceptable paradigm for safety assessment of nanomaterials in consumer and other products. Therefore, a working group was established to consider issues for the possible impact of nanomaterials on human health focussing specifically on engineered nanomaterials. This represents the first joint initiative between EASAC and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The working group was given the remit to describe the state of the art of benefits and potential risks, current methods for safety assessment, and to evaluate their relevance, identify knowledge gaps in studying the safety of current nanomaterials, and recommend on priorities for nanomaterial research and the regulatory framework. This report focuses on key principles and issues, cross-referencing other sources for detailed information, rather than attempting a comprehensive account of the science. The focus is on human health although environmental effects are also discussed when directly relevant to healt

The bio-nano-interface in predicting nanoparticle fate and behaviour in living organisms: towards grouping and categorising nanomaterials and ensuring nanosafety by design

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research and recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must be studied as biological entities under the appropriate exposure conditions and that this should be implemented in study design and reporting for nanosafety assessment. The implications of the bio-nano interface for nanomaterials fate and behaviour are described in light of four interlinked perspectives: the Coating concept; the Translocation concept; the Signalling concept, and the Kinetics concept. A key conclusion is that nanoparticles cannot be viewed as non-interacting species, but rather must be thought of, and studied as, biological entities, where their interaction with the environment is mediated by the proteins and other biomolecules that adsorb to them, and the key parameter to characterise then becomes the nature, composition and evolution of the bio-nano interfac

The eNanoMapper database for nanomaterial safety information

Background: The NanoSafety Cluster, a cluster of projects funded by the European Commision, identified the need for a computational infrastructure for toxicological data management of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Ontologies, open standards, and interoperable designs were envisioned to empower a harmonized approach to European research in nanotechnology. This setting provides a number of opportunities and challenges in the representation of nanomaterials data and the integration of ENM information originating from diverse systems. Within this cluster, eNanoMapper works towards supporting the collaborative safety assessment for ENMs by creating a modular and extensible infrastructure for data sharing, data analysis, and building computational toxicology models for ENMs. Results: The eNanoMapper database solution builds on the previous experience of the consortium partners in supporting diverse data through flexible data storage, open source components and web services. We have recently described the design of the eNanoMapper prototype database along with a summary of challenges in the representation of ENM data and an extensive review of existing nano-related data models, databases, and nanomaterials-related entries in chemical and toxicogenomic databases. This paper continues with a focus on the database functionality exposed through its application programming interface (API), and its use in visualisation and modelling. Considering the preferred community practice of using spreadsheet templates, we developed a configurable spreadsheet parser facilitating user friendly data preparation and data upload. We further present a web application able to retrieve the experimental data via the API and analyze it with multiple data preprocessing and machine learning algorithms. Conclusion: We demonstrate how the eNanoMapper database is used to import and publish online ENM and assay data from several data sources, how the “representational state transfer” (REST) API enables building user friendly interfaces and graphical summaries of the data, and how these resources facilitate the modelling of reproducible quantitative structure–activity relationships for nanomaterials (NanoQSAR)

Factors Associated with Female Sexual Problems among Women attending Cairo University Hospital

Background: Sexuality is an important and complex health problem that affects the quality of life and general well-being for men, women, and public health. Methods: Descriptive Correlation design was adopted to assess factors associated with female sexual problems on 361 women aged from 18-42 years old that were recruited from about 3284 women who attended gynecological and family planning outpatient clinic at Cairo University hospital, Egypt. Data were collected using semi-structured interview schedule to assess female general history and female’s sexual problems. Results: The current study revealed that 57.3% of the sample had sexual problems including  vaginal dryness, lack of genital sensation during sexual activity, lack of sexual desire, lack of orgasm, pain during sexual activity and lack of sexual satisfaction were 42.9%, 15.8%, 25.5%, 36.01%, 32.7% and 47.8% respectively. Also, the result revealed that, 60% felt sexual desire at least once a week. There was a negative correlation between female sexual problems and types of house, years of marriage, differences between sexual knowledge and actual sexual experience (p=0.01, p=0.05, p=0.02 respectively). Moreover, there was a positive statistical significant correlation between female sexual problems and women’s age, using contraception, families’ interference, and female genital mutilation (p=0.04, p=0.03, p=0.01, p= 0.05 respectively). Surprisingly, there were no statistical correlation between female sexual problems and women’ educational level, occupation, number of children, pelvic surgeries, genital tract infection, and emotional closeness (p= 0.31, p=0.40, p=0.33, p=0.23, p=0.45, p= 0.06 respectively). Conclusion: We still have no statistical results regarding the real picture of this problem, because of the sensitivity of dealing with the sexual problems whether in male or female. It is a social issue that needs further researches in the future and counseling program to manage sexual problems at the primary health care. Keywords: sexual problems, sexual dysfunction, female, factor

A PROCESS MODEL FOR ICT BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN FOR DISASTER EVENT IN SOUTH AFRICA SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (28)

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are expose to the risks of business interruption as they expand and become more dependent on Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. The current study seeks to determine why organization that have Business Continuity Plan (BCP) in place and implement regular testing of their plan still experience prolong downtime during a disaster event resulting in Service Level Agreement (SLA) not being met or major financial loss. By employing a descriptive analytics approach through a qualitative case study, the research propose a normative process model for comprehensive procedures of BCP for business leaders, ICT service managers, IS executives, data science researchers, risk managers, entrepreneur and policy makers on how to adopt strategies on effective disaster risk reduction and management in SMEs. The current study offer both theoretical and practical implications for BCP in SMEs

Effect of Structured Educational Session about Gestational Diabetes on Maternity Nurse’s Knowledge at Selected Primary Health Care Hospitals, Egypt

Gestational Diabetes (GD) has been recognized as a complication of pregnancy that will resolve after childbirth, but recent research has identified that this diagnosis may signify a lifetime of health issues. Its risk can be minimized if it properly managed. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of structured educational session on staff nurse’s knowledge about gestational diabetes. A quasi experimental design was used to conduct the study. A convenience sample of 43 maternity nurses who provide care for women during childbearing period under the supervision of the Ministry of Health from different seven primary health hospitals in Giza governorate, Egypt. Data was collected by using self-administered close ended questionnaire which consisted of two parts: socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge assessment schedule (Pre-Post assessment). The educational session implemented seven times through a period of eight weeks to cover seven hospitals at Giza governorate. There was a significant improvement of the nurses’ knowledge regarding GDM after the educational session which included definition, classification, diagnosis, risk factors and complication (p = 0.000 for each). Also the knowledge of the participants was significantly improved after the educational session regarding nursing management of GDM. This included diet, what to do with high or low blood glucose, how to count fetal movement and benefit of exercise (p= 0.000 for each). The total knowledge score increased significantly after the educational session (P = 0.000). This study demonstrated knowledge gap and inadequate practice by antenatal care givers in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus in the primary health care sector, and the educational session has a significant impact on nurse’s knowledge regarding GDM. Keywords: gestational diabetes, maternity nurse, educational sessio