On the plasma deposition of vancomycin-containing nano-capsules for drug-delivery applications

Aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma allows for a one-step synthesis of vancomycin-containing nano-capsules. Morphological and chemical analyses are carried out to estimate how different discharge parameters affect the plasma deposition process. Nano-capsules size and abundance largely depend on the shell precursor content in the gas feed and on the drug concentration in the aerosol solution. Based on these results a deposition mechanism is proposed, where, interestingly, the key step is the formation of the nano-capsules in the plasma phase. Furthermore, the related antibacterial activity is proved against Staphylococcus aureus. Preliminary release tests indicate the possible exploitation of the plasma-deposited vancomycin-containing nano-capsules in the drug delivery field, and systems based on other bioactive molecules can be expected.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Photocatalytic TiO2-Based Nanostructured Materials for Microbial Inactivation

Pathogenic microorganisms can spread throughout the world population, as the currentCOVID-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated. In this scenario, a protection against pathogensand other microorganisms can come from the use of photoactive materials as antimicrobial agents ableto hinder, or at least limit, their spreading by means of photocatalytically assisted processes activatedby light—possibly sunlight—promoting the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can killmicroorganisms in different matrices such as water or different surfaces without affecting humanhealth. In this review, we focus the attention on TiO2nanoparticle-based antimicrobial materials,intending to provide an overview of the most promising synthetic techniques, toward possiblelarge-scale production, critically review the capability of such materials to promote pathogen (i.e.,bacteria, virus, and fungi) inactivation, and, finally, take a look at selected technological applications

Plasma activated water and airborne ultrasound treatments for enhanced germination and growth of soybean

The effect of two novel technologies, also in combination, on germination and growth of soybeans has been investigated. On one side, ultrasound treatment of the seeds increased water uptake without altering the morphology and the wettability of the seed coat, but also induced slight chemical modifications of the outer part of the seed. Plasma-activated water (PAW), obtained from treating water with non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma in air, increased the rate of germination and subsequent plant growth. Different combinations of these two technologies were tested in order to study their interaction and to identify an optimum treatment process. Industrial relevance A great urgency in crop management is to enhance sustainability. The aim is to achieve a cheap and eco-friendly production process reducing the wide current use of energy, irrigation water, chemicals and pesticides. Soybeans is a legume whose worldwide production is increasing in the last years therefore a higher efficiency and sustainability in its cultivation is obviously very appealing. Cold plasma and Ultrasound technologies are well-known in the industrial scenario and their applications in crop production are recently drawing attention; the potential of combining these two powerful techniques is clearly very promising

Knowledge and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in individuals practicing regular amatorial physical activity: a cross-sectional study conducted in the Metropolitan Area of Palermo, Italy

IntroductionMediterranean Diet (MD) is a universal model of nutrition that prevents several metabolic, cardiovascular, and oncological diseases. Main objective of the present study was to analyze adherence and knowledge regarding MD principles in a sample of individuals practicing amatorial sports from the Metropolitan Area of Palermo. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 Sports Centers, between October 2020 and September 2021, through a previously validated anonymous questionnaire structured in five sections including 74 items. ResultsOverall, 337 subjects answered to the questionnaire. Based on the multivariable analysis conducted, a higher knowledge score (KS) on MD principles was observed among individuals daily consuming vegetables (OR: 3.32; CI95%: 1.82-6.02) and in the ones more adherent to MD principles (OR: 10.15; CI95%:5.47-18.85). More in depth, using MEDAS score to analyze the adherence to MD, a significant lower adherence was observed among overweight/obese (OR: 0.57; CI95%:0.33-0.99) and among employed subjects (OR: 0.52; IC95%: 0.28-0.98); while, a higher adherence was highlighted among daily consumers of vegetables (OR: 2.52; CI95%:1.52-4.17), daily consumers of fruit (OR: 1.77; CI95%:1.08-2.90), and in individuals that have daily breakfast (OR: 4.29; CI95%:1.15-15.96). DiscussionIn accordance with the WHO Europe Gaining Health Campaign, Public Health Authorities should simplify accessibility to healthy food among general population, promoting principles and accessibility to MD

Plasma nano-texturing of polymers for wettability control: Why, what and how

Nano-texturing of polymers offers the possibility to drive important surface properties such as wettability and anti-reflectivity. Interestingly, plasma can lead to the desired characteristic of nanofeatures through a one step process based onto dry plasma etching. In this work, the literature concerning such plasma nano-texturing will be reviewed for different polymers, and in particular, for applications based upon wettability control. Then the mechanism of such processes will be commented upon, with a glance to the different characteristics of the polymers. Finally, some hints onto a feasible approach to plasma nano-texturing of the different polymers will be given

Direct plasma synthesis of nano-capsules loaded with antibiotics

We report the first observation of a plasma assisted, one-step deposition of nanometric capsules. The deposited spherical structures contain vancomycin and can be prepared by means of an aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) reactor. The core-shell structure of the nano-capsules is clearly attested by scanning electron and confocal microscopy

On the plasma deposition of vancomycin-containing nano-capsules for drug-delivery applications

Aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma allows for a one-step synthesis of vancomycin-containing nano-capsules. Morphological and chemical analyses are carried out to estimate how different discharge parameters affect the plasma deposition process. Nano-capsules size and abundance largely depend on the shell precursor content in the gas feed and on the drug concentration in the aerosol solution. Based on these results a deposition mechanism is proposed, where, interestingly, the key step is the formation of the nano-capsules in the plasma phase. Furthermore, the related antibacterial activity is proved against Staphylococcus aureus. Preliminary release tests indicate the possible exploitation of the plasma-deposited vancomycin-containing nano-capsules in the drug delivery field, and systems based on other bioactive molecules can be expected.Peer Reviewe

Plasma‐assisted deposition of fungicide containing coatings for encapsulation and protection of maize seeds

The aim of the research work here reported is to illustrate how to incorporate prothioconazole, a molecule with fungicide action, in plasma-deposited polymeric coating, encapsulating maize seeds. With this approach, high fungicide effect with a small quantity of chemicals and less pollution of soil and water should be achieved. The fungicide composite coating is composed of three layers: a hydrophilic plasma deposited polymeric layer to increase the wettability of the seed surface; a layer of sprayed prothioconazole aqueous solution; and a hydrophobic plasma deposited barrier layer to limit leaching and mimic the natural seed wettability. The application of the composite coating is found not to interfere with the germination of the seeds, while the percentage of maize crowns infected by Fusarium graminearum was successfully reduced from 94% in the control to none in the coated seeds