16 research outputs found
Neurologic complications of sickle cell disease in Africa A systematic review and meta-analysis
To summarize prevalence data on the neurologic complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa
Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications
in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or
magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal
stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction
of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’
surface is essential. During this process, the original
coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded
ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the
silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more
than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In
this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces
ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically
accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove
the generic character, different functional groups were
introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol
chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their
colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as
well as human plasma and serum was investigated to
allow implementation in biomedical and sensing
applications.status: publishe
Tea plants and air pollutants
The major tea-growing regions of the world are located in Asia, where
tea contributes substantially to their economy. It is known how the rapid development
of the economy, twinned to global change, has created in many districts of
industrialized countries critical levels of air pollution. Abiotic stresses may affect
plant growth, quality, and distribution. This is particularly important for specialty
crops such as tea, where functional quality is determined by phytonutrients, secondary
metabolites, and bioactive components that play a pivotal role in plant defense
and acclimation/adaptation/resilience to environmental stresses. Stress conditions
such as drought, heat, light extremes, salinity, and toxic metals in the substrate have
been the subject of intense researches, and the sensitivity of tea plants to these constraints
has been tested by the scientific community through field and controlled
experiments. Tea plants present high leaf surface areas, and exchange with atmosphere
is elevated. However, little is known about the way air pollution affects tea
responses and how this species is able to counteract this insult. In this chapter, the
existing literature reporting the effects of air pollution on the tea plant is reviewed
with the aim to examine physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses found
in this species. To the best of our knowledge, only the impacts of few air pollutants
have been somehow assessed on tea plants, and several responses are still poorly
understood. Thus, more research on the impact of air pollution on tea plants is
needed. This is of pivotal importance also because commercial tea samples may
contain significant quantities of contaminants, which may be transferred to the consumer.
No doubt that health national/international bodies should pay more attention
to this issue and adopt safe standards of pollution content in the commodities of one
of the world’s most popular beverages, highly appreciated also by young people
because of its pleasant aroma, flavor, and potential positive effect on mood