LEGAL ASPECTS OF GENETIC RESEARCH: FROM INFORMED CONSENT TO BIOBANKS

Nel quadro della principale normativa internazionale e comunitaria in materia, il lavoro propone un’analisi dell’ordinamento giuridico italiano con riguardo ai seguenti temi: natura giuridica del campione biologico e distinzione tra elemento materiale (biological materials) e dati informazionali; diritto di proprietà e diritto alla privacy; nozione di campione biologico “non identificabile”; titolarità del campione biologico e (in)disponibilità dei dati; nozione e funzione delle biobanche, in relazione anche al settore della proprietà intellettuale.Rad nudi analizu talijanskog pravnog poretka u svijetlu međunarodnog i europskog normativnog okvira u kontekstu sljedećih pitanja: pravna priroda biološkog uzorka i razlike između pojma biološkog materijala i genetskih informacija u njemu sadržanih; pravo vlasništva i pravo na privatnost; pojam biološkog uzorka kojeg se ne može identificirati; vlasništvo biološkog uzorka te neraspoloživost podacima; pojam i funkcija biobanaka u kontekstu sektora intelektualnog vlasništva.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Italian legal framework in the international and European law context with regard to the following topics: juridical nature of human tissue sample and the distinction between biological materials and personal data about health and genetic information; property right and the right to privacy; the concept of non-identifiable biological material; ownership of human tissue sample and data unavailability; the concept and function of human biobanks in relation to the field of intellectual property

Unterhaltszahlungspflicht im Italienischen Recht

Dei due presupposti dell’obbligazione alimentare, stato di bisogno e condizioni economiche dell’obbligato, il primo consente di distinguere l’istituto dagli obblighi di contribuzione e di mantenimento, ma di affermarne l’identità con gli assegni successori a favore del coniuge separato con addebito e divorziato; il secondo, non richiedendo una diligenza specifica dell’obbligato, si discosta dalla regola generale degli artt. 1175 s. c.c. Si ritiene che la decorrenza degli alimenti, ex art. 445 c.c., dal giorno della domanda giudiziale o della costituzione in mora dell’obbligato, se seguita entro sei mesi dalla domanda, non escluda la natura costitutiva della sentenza, avendo la domanda o la costituzione in mora solo la funzione di segnare il limite di retroattività del provvedimento giudiziale: trattasi di fattispecie complessa, di cui sono elementi il diritto potestativo dell’attore e la pronuncia di accertamento costitutiva dei fatti allegati; ad essa si accompagna una sentenza consequenziale di condanna. In contrasto con la tesi prevalente, si considera superabile, con il consenso del debitore, il divieto di cessione del credito (alla singola prestazione) alimentare previsto dall’art. 447 c.c.; di conseguenza, si nega la possibilità di inferire da tale norma l’indisponibilità del diritto anche per i profili non espressamente disciplinati (rinuncia, prescrizione, transazione, compromesso in arbitri). Dalla lettera dell’art. 448 c.c. e dalla previsione del legato di alimenti ex art.660 c.c., derivano il potere dei privati di creare vincoli alimentari e l’applicabilità ai medesimi della disciplina della figura legale. Il Regolamento (CE) n. 4/2009 (applicabile a decorrere dal 18 giugno 2011), sostituendosi alle norme preesistenti e recependo le disposizioni della Convenzione de L’Aja del 23 novembre 2007 e del Protocollo de L’Aja del 23 novembre 2007, ha racchiuso in un unico atto le norme in materia di giurisdizione; legge applicabile; riconoscimento, esecutività ed esecuzione delle decisioni, delle transazioni giudiziarie e degli atti pubblici; patrocinio a spese dello Stato; cooperazione tra Autorità centrali. Il Regolamento non si discosta dalla nozione comunitaria di obbligazione alimentare, comprensiva anche del mantenimento e collegata unicamente al rapporto familiare; i titoli di giurisdizione costituiscono un sistema completo ed esclusivo, che sostituisce integralmente le disposizioni interne; l’art. 15 prevede che la legge applicabile sia determinata secondo il Protocollo de L’Aja del 23 novembre 2007.Pretpostavke alimentacijske obveze su stanje nužde te ekonomske prilike dužnika. Prva pretpostavka dopušta diferenciranje/razlikovanje tog instituta od drugih obveza doprinošenja i uzdržavanja. Isto tako dopušta poistovjećivanje navedenog instituta s nasljednopravnim uzdržavanjem u korist bračnoga druga rastavljenog sa zaduženjem ili razvedenoga bračnoga druga. Druga pretpostavka ne zahtijeva posebnu marljivost dužnika, pa tako odstupa od općeg pravila čl. 1175 c.c. Smatra se da pravo na alimentaciju, koje se prema čl. 445. c.c. može ostvariti od dana tužbe ili dana costitutio in mora dužnika, ukoliko slijedi tužba u roku od šest mjeseci, ne isključuje konstitutivnu prirodu presude, budući da tužba ili costitutio in mora imaju isključivu funkciju ograničavanja retroaktivnosti sudske odluke. Radi se o kompleksnom slučaju, čiji su elementi potestativno pravo tužitelja te odluka o utvrđivanju priloženih činjenica, praćena posljedičnom kondemnatornom presudom. Suprotno prevladavajućem stajalištu drži se da je, uz konsenzus dužnika, zabrana cesije alimentacijske tražbine iz čl. 447. c.c. savladiva. Napose, nije moguće zaključiti da navedena norma predviđa neraspoloživost prava i glede onih aspekata koji nisu eksplicitno uređeni (odustajanje, nagodba, kompromis tijekom arbitraže). Iz čl. 448 c.c. te iz odredbe koja predviđa legat u čl. 660 c.c., proizlazi da privatni subjekti imaju pravo stvaranja alimentacijskih obveza te mogućnost primjene na ista rješenja predviđena za zakonske obveze. Uredba (EZ) br. 4/2009 (u primjeni od 18. listopada 2011.), zamjenom prethodnih odredaba te implementacijom odredaba Haške Konvencije od 23. studenog 2007. i Haškog Protokola od 23. studenoga 2007., sadrži u jednom jedinstvenom zakonskom aktu odredbe o nadležnosti, primjeni prava, priznavanju, izvršenju odluka, sudskim nagodbama te javnim aktima, pokriću troškova sa strane države te suradnji među središnjim vlastima. Uredba prihvaća zajednički pojam alimentacijske obveze, kojom se misli i na uzdržavanje, a odnosi se isključivo na obiteljskopravne odnose. Glede pitanja nadležnosti predstavlja kompletan i isključiv sustav, koji u cijelosti zamjenjuje domaće (interne) odredbe; a čl. 15. predviđa da se primjenjivo pravo odredi Haškim protokolom od 23. studenoga 2007.Presumptions for alimentary obligation are a state of necessity and economic conditions of a debtor. Due to the first presumption, this institute differs from other obligations of contribution and maintenance. Moreover, the presumption is a basis for its identification with hereditary legal maintenance of a separated spouse with duties or of a divorced spouse. The second presumption does not call for a special diligence of a debtor, and therefore, it presents an exception from the general rule prescribed in the Article 1175 c.c. Under the Article 445. c.c. the right to alimony can be executed from the day when legal actions were brought in court or from the day of debtor’s costitutio in mora. Having in mind that a complaint or costitutio in mora has an exclusive function to limit retroactivity of a court judgment, it is believed that the right to alimony does not exclude a constitutive nature of the judgment if the complaint is filed in the period of six months. It is a complex case where plaintiff’s potestative right is involved together with a decision on the establishment of presented facts and condemnatory judgment as an outcome. Contrary to the prevailing opinion it is thought that, with debtor’s consensus, it is possible to overcome the prohibition of alimentary claim cession under the Article 447. c.c. Furthermore, it is not possible to conclude that mentioned provision is also about undisposable rights in cases of aspects which are not explicitly regulated (withdrawal, settlement, compromise during the arbitration). According to the Article 448 c.c. and Article 660 c.c. that regulates the legacy, private subjects have a right to create alimentary obligations and possibility to apply solutions that are provided for legal obligations. Regulation (EC) no. 4/2009 (in force from 18 October 2011) contains new provisions which were created due to the implementation of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007, and the Hague Protocol of 23 November 2007. Now, provisions on jurisdiction, implementation of rights, recognition and enforcement of decisions, court settlements, public acts, cover of expenses by the state and cooperation with the central authorities have been provided in a single legal act. The Regulation accepts a common notion of alimentary obligation, which also stands for maintenance, exclusively relating to family legal relations. In regard to the issue of jurisdiction, the Regulation presents a comprehensive and exclusive system that entirely substitutes domestic (internal) provisions. The Article 15 specifies that the applicable law shall be determined in accordance with the Hague Protocol of 23 November 2007.Notlage und wirtschaftliche Verhältnisse des Schuldners stellen die Voraussetzungen für die Unterhaltszahlungspflicht dar. Durch die erste Voraussetzung unterscheidet sich dieses Institut von anderen Beitrags- und Unterhaltspflichten, weshalb dieses Institut mit der nachlassrechtlichen Unterhaltung zu Gunsten des getrennten Ehegatten, der Verpflichtungen hat oder des geschiedenen Ehegatten identifiziert wird. Die zweite Voraussetzung fördert keine besondere Sorgfalt seitens des Schuldners auf, und weicht insofern vom Artikel 1175 Zivilgesetzbuch Italiens ab. Das Recht auf Unterhaltszahlung, das ab dem Tag der Klage oder ab dem Tag des costitutio in mora des Schuldners geltend gemacht werden kann (falls die Klage innerhalb von sechs Monaten erfolgt), schließt die konstitutive Art des Urteils nicht aus, aus dem Grunde, dass sowohl die Klage, als auch costitutio in mora ausschließlich zur Einschränkung der Rückwirkung des Urteils dienen. Deswegen handelt es sich um einen schwierigen Fall, welcher das Gestaltungsrecht des Klägers, die Entscheidung über die Feststellung beilegender Tatsachen und schließlich ein Leistungsurteil umfasst. Im Gegensatz zu der überwiegend vertretenen Meinung wird in dieser Arbeit argumentiert, dass das Abtretungsverbot der Unterhaltsforderung aus Art. 447 ZGB mit der Einwilligung des Schuldners überbrückbar ist. Insbesondere sollte nicht geschlossen werden, dass die genannte Norm auch Nichtverfügbarkeit von Rechten und von anderen Aspekten wie Verzicht, Ausgleich oder schiedsrichterlichen Kompromiss voraussieht. Aus Art. 448 und 660 über Legat ZGB ergibt sich, dass private Subjekte auch das Recht auf Unterhaltspflichtentstehung haben und dabei gleiche Lösungen wie für gesetzliche Pflichten anwenden können. Als eine Art Ersatzes der vorherigen Bestimmungen der Haager Konvention vom 23. November 2007 und des Haager Protokolls vom 23. November 2007 beinhaltet die Verordnung Nr. 4/2009 (tritt in Kraft am 18. Oktober 2011) einheitliche Bestimmungen über Zuständigkeit; Rechtsanwendung; Anerkennung; Vollstreckbarkeit des Urteils; gerichtliche Ausgleiche; öffentliche Akten; Kostenbegleichung vom Staat und Mitarbeit zwischen den Behörden. Diese Verordnung führt außerdem einen gemeinsamen Begriff der Unterhaltszahlungspflicht ein. Darunter ist auch Unterhalt zu verstehen, wobei sich dieser Begriff ausschließlich auf familienrechtliche Verhältnisse bezieht. In Hinsicht auf die Zuständigkeitsfrage, bring diese Verordnung ein Exklusivsystem dar und ersetzt somit die gesamten nationalen Bestimmungen, während Art. 15 voraussieht, dass durch das Haager Protokoll vom 23. November 2007 festgestellt wird, welches Recht anzuwenden ist

Starość w drodze, czyli mądrość życiowa i los człowieka późnej dorosłości Old Age on the Way, That is Life Wisdom and Human Fate in Late Adulthood

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Marta Skwara, Wśród Witkacoidów: w świecie tekstów, w świecie mitów (Parmi les Witkacoïdes : dans le monde des textes, dans le monde des mythes)

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz – la présentation la plus courte de ce grand artiste pourrait se limiter à deux mots : un homme de la Renaissance. Mais une présentation si clichée serait sûrement mal placée dans un texte qui ne ferait que mentionner le nom de Witkacy. Il faut se méfier de toute catégorisation, que Witkacy même n’appréciait guère. Pourtant, pour suivre l’idée de la présentation, on peut essayer d’employer une petite ruse en constatant que Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, à l’instar de..

Quality parameters of organic amendments from Umbumbulu and Msinga farms and their effects on nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Conventional agricultural management practices that farmers in Africa and South Africa have practiced have led to a decline in soil fertility. Organic amendments have shown to improve soil quality and fertility status when incorporated into the soil. Smallholder farmers manage their fields differently according to resource endowment, distance of fields from the homestead (i.e homefield and outfield), and labour. The use of organic inputs as fertilizers to remediate the soils from which the loss of nutrients occurred depends on their decomposition rates and nutrient release patterns. Factors such as soil type, climate and application rates of the amendments affect the decomposition and mineralization of these amendments in soils. The objective of this study was to determine (i) carbon and phosphorus pools from different fields from uMbumbulu and Msinga as affected by farmer typology and (ii) the characteristics of organic amendments and their decomposition and mineralization of nitrogen and phosphorus in soil. Three typologies (i.e. resource constrained, moderately resourced and resource endowed) were selected for both Msinga and Mbumbulu. Two fields per typology were used, namely homefield (150m from home) for Msinga while for uMbumbulu it was fields with mixed cropping and monocropping system. Three farms were selected per typology and field type with three replications. Soil samples were collected from the farms of different typologies at 0 – 20cm and analyzed for soil organic carbon (SOC) and phosphorus pools. Organic amendments including cattle manure, goat manure, accelerator and maize residues were sampled from different farms in Msinga and uMbumbulu and characterized. Composite samples of these amendments, separately and in combination, were then incorporated in soils and incubated for 84 days during which soil pH, P and mineral-N (ammonium-N and nitrate-N) were analyzed. Farmer typologies did not affect carbon and phosphorus pools of the soils on farms at Msinga and uMbumbulu. Carbon pools under different cropping systems and typologies for uMbumbulu showed significant difference with total carbon concentrations being the highest under monocropping system (40.3 g/kg) followed by c- POMC, f-POMC, MAOC and DOC and also under resource constrained typology, total carbon was the highest (44.6 g/kg). Carbon pools under Msinga did not follow the same trend both under cropping system and typology since there was no significant difference. More P was in a reductant P form in uMbumbulu soil both under different cropping systems and typology with concentration of 224-310 mg/kg under cropping system and 145-447 mg/kg within typology. Available P had lower concentrations in both cropping system (8.9-11.8 mg/kg) and typology (9.6-11.7 mg/kg) with Al-P and Fe-P showing no significant difference in uMbumbulu soil. Msinga soils followed the same trend of P pools showing no significant different in Al-P and Fe-P as uMbumbulu. Msinga soils showed more positive correlation between carbon and phosphorus pools than uMbumbulu soils. Msinga amendments appeared more beneficial than uMbumbulu with high pH levels and cattle manure having low C/N ratio content which allows rapid decomposition. More nutrients were available for plant uptake as Msinga amendments had higher concentrations of bases. The Accelerator had higher ammonium-N concentration (128 g/kg N on day 84) than other treatments showing higher decomposition rate in the uMbumbulu soil. When the manures were combined with maize residues, they had lower ammonium-N concentration due to C:N ratio of the maize residues. After day 7 of incubation, nitrate-N and mineral-N concentration increased in all treatment in both mg/kg soil and g/kg of N present. Like in the first incubation experiment (uMbumbulu soil), the control in the Msinga soil had higher nitrate-N than all treatment combinations containing maize residues between 14 to 56 days of incubation except for the accelerator+maize residues. Maize residues in both experiments (uMbumbulu and Msinga soils) showed lower mineralization of N and P and Msinga amendments had higher nutrient mineralisation than those from uMbumbulu. The findings of the study imply that carbon and phosphorus pools in the two study sites could be affected by environment factors more than management practices and that maize residues will require a longer period of time to allow maximum decomposition and mineralize nutrients compared to the accelerator, cattle, and goat manure. More studies need to be done on environmental factors such as climate, parent material, and topography, as they might be the primary drivers of carbon and phosphorus pools

Focused Ultrasound-Enabled Blood-Based Liquid Biopsy (Sonobiopsy) for Brain Disease Diagnosis

Brain cancer severely threatens human health due to its disruption of neurological function, poor prognosis, and substantial reduction in quality of life. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most devastating brain cancer; not only is it the most common malignant primary tumor in adults, but also it has a median survival of 14 months with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Despite advances in multidisciplinary treatment that includes surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, almost all patients experience tumor progression and nearly universal mortality within 2 years. However, advances in patient care have suggested that the accurate diagnosis of molecular subtypes is critical for individualized targeted treatment and improving survival outcome for brain cancer patients.Conventional diagnostic evaluation begins with neuroimaging and continues with surgical tissue biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and acquire the molecular profile of the tumor. Though tissue biopsy is the gold standard for molecular characterization, there are significant risks for patients because the procedure is invasive. Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive approach that enables genetic profiling by detecting circulating tumor-derived biomarkers that were shed by tumors into the blood circulation. However, blood-based liquid biopsy is inherently limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that hinders the release of molecular biomarkers, leading to a low detection sensitivity for GBM. The combination of focused ultrasound (FUS) with microbubbles is an established technique to disrupt the BBB noninvasively and transiently with high precision (on the order of millimeter). Though this has conventionally been used to deliver drugs from the bloodstream to the brain tissue of interest, it is hypothesized that this FUS-induced BBB disruption enables molecules to be released from the tissue into the blood circulation. Under this “two-way trafficking” hypothesis, FUS-enabled blood-based liquid biopsy (sonobiopsy) can release brain tumor-derived biomarkers into the blood circulation to improve the sensitivity for noninvasive molecular characterization of GBM. In this work, we evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of sonobiopsy in small and large animal models to provide a minimally invasive, spatiotemporally-controlled, and sensitive molecular characterization of brain diseases. First, we evaluated the impact of different sonobiopsy parameters on the extent of biomarker release and tissue damage in a mouse GBM model. The blood collection time after FUS sonication was an important factor to minimize the effect of clearance and maximize the level of biomarkers detected in the plasma. Importantly, careful optimization of key sonobiopsy parameters, e.g., FUS pressure, microbubble dose, and sonication volume, was necessary to increase the release of circulating biomarkers while minimizing the potential for tissue damage. With the optimized parameters, sonobiopsy significantly increased the plasma level of GBM-derived biomarkers and improved the detection sensitivity for two clinically relevant mutations. Second, sonobiopsy was performed in a non-tumor pig model to demonstrate the potential for clinical translation. A customized sonobiopsy device was developed to target a specific brain area and release brain-specific biomarkers into the blood circulation. Importantly, sonobiopsy significantly increased the plasma level of these biomarkers without causing detectable tissue damage. This large animal study demonstrated that sonobiopsy has the potential to be safely translated to humans. To further underscore the potential for clinical translation of sonobiopsy, a pig GBM model was developed to assess the feasibility of sonobiopsy to release GBM-derived biomarkers and improve the detection sensitivity for two clinically relevant mutations. We achieved localized BBB disruption and the plasma level of GBM biomarkers significantly increased shortly after FUS sonication in the large animal tumor model. Importantly, sonobiopsy improved the detection sensitivity for two mutations without causing off-target damage. This addressed the fundamental limitation—obtaining specimens with a sufficient abundance of circulating tumor biomarkers—for the minimally invasive, sensitive molecular characterization of GBM. Lastly, we evaluated the impact of sonobiopsy as a platform technology to aid in the diagnosis of other brain diseases. After performing sonobiopsy in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy, there was a significant increase in the plasma levels of pathologic proteins and a key marker for neurodegeneration. This demonstrated the potential to use sonobiopsy for the noninvasive diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders. In summary, this work provided evidence that supports the clinical translation of sonobiopsy as a minimally invasive, spatiotemporally-controlled, and sensitive molecular characterization of brain diseases. This enhanced capability could have an important impact throughout the continuum of patient care from brain disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring to recurrence detection. In addition, sonobiopsy could support the investigation of disease-specific molecular mechanisms and accelerate the development of targeted therapy

Focused ultrasound for safe and effective release of brain tumor biomarkers into the peripheral circulation

The development of noninvasive approaches for brain tumor diagnosis and monitoring continues to be a major medical challenge. Although blood-based liquid biopsy has received considerable attention in various cancers, limited progress has been made for brain tumors, at least partly due to the hindrance of tumor biomarker release into the peripheral circulation by the blood-brain barrier. Focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles induced BBB disruption has been established as a promising technique for noninvasive and localized brain drug delivery. Building on this established technique, we propose to develop FUS-enabled liquid biopsy technique (FUS-LBx) to enhance the release of brain tumor biomarkers (e.g., DNA, RNA, and proteins) into the circulation. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that FUS-LBx could sufficiently increase plasma levels of brain tumor biomarkers without causing hemorrhage in the brain. Mice with orthotopic implantation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-transfected murine glioma cells were treated using magnetic resonance (MR)-guided FUS system in the presence of systemically injected microbubbles at three peak negative pressure levels (0.59, 1.29, and 1.58 MPa). Plasma eGFP mRNA levels were quantified with the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Contrast-enhanced MR images were acquired before and after the FUS sonication. FUS at 0.59 MPa resulted in an increased plasma eGFP mRNA level, comparable to those at higher acoustic pressures (1.29 MPa and 1.58 MPa). Microhemorrhage density associated with FUS at 0.59 MPa was significantly lower than that at higher acoustic pressures and not significantly different from the control group. MRI analysis revealed that post-sonication intratumoral and peritumoral hyperenhancement had strong correlations with the level of FUS-induced biomarker release and the extent of hemorrhage. This study suggests that FUS-LBx could be a safe and effective brain-tumor biomarker release technique, and MRI could be used to develop image-guided FUS-LBx

Blood-brain barrier opening in a large animal model using closed-loop microbubble cavitation-based feedback control of focused ultrasound sonication

Focused ultrasound (FUS) in combination with microbubbles has been established as a promising technique for noninvasive and localized Blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening. Real-time passive cavitation detection (PCD)-based feedback control of the FUS sonication is critical to ensure effective BBB opening without causing hemorrhage. This study evaluated the performance of a closed-loop feedback controller in a porcine model. Calibration of the baseline cavitation level was performed for each targeted brain location by a FUS sonication in the presence of intravenously injected microbubbles at a low acoustic pressure without inducing BBB opening. The target cavitation level (TCL) was defined for each target based on the baseline cavitation level. FUS treatment was then performed under real-time PCD-based feedback controller to maintain the cavitation level at the TCL. After FUS treatment, contrast-enhanced MRI and ex vivo histological staining were performed to evaluate the BBB permeability and safety. Safe and effective BBB opening was achieved with the BBB opening volume increased from 3.8 ± 0.7 to 53.6 ± 23.3 m

3D Raman imaging of systemic endothelial dysfunction in the murine model of metastatic breast cancer

It was recently reported in the murine model of metastatic breast cancer (4T1) that tumor progression and development of metastasis is associated with systemic endothelial dysfunction characterized by impaired nitric oxide (NO) production. Using Raman 3D confocal imaging with the analysis of the individual layers of the vascular wall combined with AFM endothelial surface imaging, we demonstrated that metastasis-induced systemic endothelial dysfunction resulted in distinct chemical changes in the endothelium of the aorta. These changes, manifested as a significant increase in the protein content (18 %) and a slight decrease in the lipid content (4 %), were limited to the endothelium and did not occur in the deeper layers of the vascular wall. The altered lipid to protein ratio in the endothelium, although more pronounced in the fixed vascular wall, was also observed in the freshly isolated unfixed vascular wall samples in the aqueous environment (12 and 7 % change of protein and lipid content, respectively). Our results support the finding that the metastasis induces systemic endothelial dysfunction that may contribute to cancer progression

Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of Zn-doped CoFe2O4CoFe_2O_4 nanoparticles

The effect of Zn-doping in CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles (NPs) through chemical co-precipitation route was investigated in term of structural, optical, and magnetic properties. Both XRD and FTIR analyses confirm the formation of cubic spinel phase, where the crystallite size changes with Zn content from 46 to 77 nm. The Scherrer method, Williamson-Hall (W-H) analysis, and size-strain plot method (SSPM) were used to study of crystallite sizes. The TEM results were in good agreement with the results of the SSP method. SEM observations reveal agglomeration of fine spherical-like particles. The optical band gap energy determined from diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) varies increases from 1.17 to 1.3 eV. Magnetization field loops reveal a ferromagnetic behavior with lower hysteresis loop for higher Zn content. The magnetic properties are remarkably influenced with Zn doping; saturation magnetization (M(s)) increases then decreases while both coercivity (H(C)) and remanent magnetization (M(r)) decrease continuously, which was associated with preferential site occupancy and the change in particle size