Mesoporous iron-titania catalyst for cyclohexane oxidation

This is the first report of using ultrasound radiation for depositing a nanosized catalyst (iron oxide) into the pores of a mesoporous material (titania); the resulting catalyst is used for the oxidation of cyclohexane under mild conditions

Attaching different kinds of proteinaceous nanospheres to a variety of fabrics using ultrasound radiation

The application of a rapid, non-destructive, cost-effective technique such as ultrasonic emulsification for the coating of different textiles was explored. The technical benefits for this research were the generation of multifunctional materials and their combinations through environmentally friendly processing technologies. We have shown for the first time that ultrasonic waves can be used to coat proteinaceous micro- and nanospheres (PM) of BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) protein and casein on the surface of cotton and polyester (PE) fabrics. The creation and the anchoring of the microbubbles to the fabrics were performed by a one step reaction, and the process is usually stopped after 3 min. The PM of bovine serum albumin (BSA) bonded to cotton and polyester fabrics has shown stability for ~9 months. The PMs were shown to be attached more strongly to the polyester than to the cotton, and sustained stronger washing conditions on PE. The diameter of the BSA and the casein spheres on cotton was in the range of 0.8–1.0 µm, while on the PE it varied between 60 and 120 nm.This research, was carried out as part of the activities of the LIDWINE Consortium, Contract No NMP2-CT-2006-026741 LIDWINE is an IP Project of the 6th EC Progra

Releasing dye encapsulated in proteinaceous microspheres on conductive fabrics by electric current

The current paper reports on the relase properties of conductive fabrics coated with proteinaceous microspheres containing a dye. The release of the dye was achieved by passing an electric current through the fabric. The conductivity of the polyester fibers resulted from nanosilver (Ag NPs) coated on the surface of these fibers. Both types of coatings (nanosilver coating and the coating of the proteinaceous microspheres) were performed using high-intensity ultrasonic waves. Two different types of dyes, hydrophilic RBBR (Remazol Brilliant Blue R) and hydrophobic ORO (Oil Red O), were encapsulated inside the microspheres (attached to the surface of polyester) and then released by applying an electric current. The Proteinaceous Microsphere (PM)-coated conductive fabrics could be used in medicine for drug release. The encapsulated dye can be replaced with a drug that could be released from the surface of fabrics by applying a low voltage

Hierarchically Porous Gd3+-Doped CeO2 Nanostructures for the Remarkable Enhancement of Optical and Magnetic Properties

Rare earth ion-doped CeO2 has attracted more and more attention because of its special electrical, optical, magnetic, or catalytic properties. In this paper, a facile electrochemical deposition route was reported for the direct growth of the porous Gd-doped CeO2. The formation process of Gd-doped CeO2 composites was investigated. The obtained deposits were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, and XPS. The porous Gd3+- doped CeO2 (10 at% Gd) displays a typical type I adsorption isotherm and yields a large specific surface area of 135 m2/g. As Gd3+ ions were doped into CeO2 lattice, the absorption spectrum of Gd3+-doped CeO2 nanocrystals exhibited a red shift compared with porous CeO2 nanocrystals and bulk CeO2, and the luminescence of Gd3+-doped CeO2 deposits was remarkably enhanced due to the presence of more oxygen vacancies. In addition, the strong magnetic properties of Gd-doped CeO2 (10 at% Gd) were observed, which may be caused by Gd3+ ions or more oxygen defects in deposits. In addition, the catalytic activity of porous Gd-doped CeO2 toward CO oxidation was studied

Detection of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) on wound dressings as marker of inflammation

Chronic wound fluids have elevated concentration of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) which can be used as inflammation/infection marker. Our goal is to develop functional materials for fast diagnosis of wound inflammation/infection by using HNE as a specific marker. For that, fluorogenic peptides with a HNE-specific cleavage sequence were incorporated into traditional textile dressings, to allow real-time detection of the wound status. Two different fluorogenic approaches were studied in terms of intensity of the signal generated upon HNE addition: a fluorophore 7-amino-4-trifluormethylcoumarin (AFC) conjugated to a HNE-specific peptide and two fluorophore/quencher pairs (FAM/Dabcyl and EDANS/Dabcyl) coupled to a similar peptide as a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) strategy. Also, two immobilization methods were tested: sonochemistry immobilization onto a cotton bandage and glutaraldehyde (GTA)-assisted chemical crosslinking onto a polyamide dressing. The immobilized fluorogenic AFC peptide showed an intense fluorescence emission in the presence of HNE. HNE also induced an enhanced fluorescent signal with the EDANS/Dabcyl FRET peptide which showed to be a more sensitive and effective strategy than the AFC peptide. However, its chemical immobilization onto the polyamide dressing greatly decreased its detection, mainly due to the more difficult access of the enzyme to the cleavage sequence of the immobilized peptide. After optimization of the in situ immobilization, it will be possible to use these fluorescence-functionalized dressings for an effective and specific monitoring of chronic wounds by simply using a portable ultraviolet (UV) light source. We envision that the development of this point-of-care medical device for wound control will have a great impact on patients life quality and reduction of costs on health care system.This study was funded by the European project InFact-Functional materials for fast diagnosis of wound infection (FP7-NMP-2013-SME-7-grant agreement no. 604278). The work done at Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB) was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte 2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norte

Features of toxocariasis course in children

Background. Lack of awareness of physicians, especially pediatricians, about the features of clinical picture and the limitations of laboratory diagnosis of toxocariasis leads to late diagnosis. Most often, toxocariasis is registered under various diagnoses: allergy, chronic pneumonia, dermatitis, etc. The purpose was to study the incidence and peculiarities of the clinical course of toxocariasis in children. Materials and methods. During 2010–2017, 180 children aged 2 to 16 years with a diagnosis of toxocariasis were examined. The comparison group consisted of 50 children with seronegativity for toxocariasis in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A comprehensive survey was conducted using the RIDASCREEN® Toxocara IgG (R-Biopharm, Germany). Statistical processing of the obtained results was performed using Student’s criterion by means of Microsoft Statistica Software, StatSoft, version 6.0. Results. In the structure of parasitosis over the past 7 years, enterobiasis (98 %) is domina­ted, ascariasis (1.5 %) and toxocariasis (0.4 %) are found rarely, the prevalence of other helminthiasis is 0.1 %. In 125 (69.4 %) children suffering from toxocariasis, geophagia and/or the presence of a dog were registered. Analysis on the gender dependence of patients with toxocariasis revealed prevalence of boys — 80 (64 %). Most often, toxocara were found in the age group of 5 to 7 years. The main clinical manifestations of toxocariasis in children were dyspeptic, asthenoneurotic, skin-allergic and respiratory syndromes. All patients with toxocariasis had antibodies, hypochromic anemia, leukocytosis, eosinophilia. Almost half of children with toxocariasis had changes in the hepatobiliary system (elevated alkaline phosphatase, dysproteinemia, hyperenzymemia) with high titres of toxocara antibodies, hepatomegaly, heterogeneity of the liver tissue echostructure, three-phase type of blood flow in duplex scanning and functional disorders of the biliary tract. Conclusions. A relatively high incidence of toxocara invasion among children was detected, as well as key risk factors for infection (geophagia and/or contact with a dog), polymorphism of a clinical manifestation of the disease