High-aluminum-affinity silica is a nanoparticle that seeds secondary aluminosilicate formation.

Despite the importance and abundance of aluminosilicates throughout our natural surroundings, their formation at neutral pH is, surprisingly, a matter of considerable debate. From our experiments in dilute aluminum and silica containing solutions (pH ~ 7) we previously identified a silica polymer with an extraordinarily high affinity for aluminium ions (high-aluminum-affinity silica polymer, HSP). Here, further characterization shows that HSP is a colloid of approximately 2.4 nm in diameter with a mean specific surface area of about 1,000 m(2) g(-1) and it competes effectively with transferrin for Al(III) binding. Aluminum binding to HSP strongly inhibited its decomposition whilst the reaction rate constant for the formation of the β-silicomolybdic acid complex indicated a diameter between 3.6 and 4.1 nm for these aluminum-containing nanoparticles. Similarly, high resolution microscopic analysis of the air dried aluminum-containing silica colloid solution revealed 3.9 ± 1.3 nm sized crystalline Al-rich silica nanoparticles (ASP) with an estimated Al:Si ratio of between 2 and 3 which is close to the range of secondary aluminosilicates such as imogolite. Thus the high-aluminum-affinity silica polymer is a nanoparticle that seeds early aluminosilicate formation through highly competitive binding of Al(III) ions. In niche environments, especially in vivo, this may serve as an alternative mechanism to polyhydroxy Al(III) species binding monomeric silica to form early phase, non-toxic aluminosilicates

Catch me if you can: gaps in the register of overseas entities

The Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) was introduced by the government in Spring 2022 with the commitment that it would “require anonymous foreign owners of UK property to reveal their real identities”.1 We use data released by Companies House and HM Land Registry to assess to what extent the ROE is currently delivering on this aim. We identify and quantify several major ‘gaps’ in the scope and operation of the register and make recommendations for how the register could be improved

Artefactual nanoparticle activation of the inflammasome platform: in vitro evidence with a nano-formed calcium phosphate.

AIM: To determine whether in vitro experimental conditions dictate cellular activation of the inflammasome by apatitic calcium phosphate nanoparticles. MATERIAL & METHODS: The responses of blood-derived primary human cells to in situ-formed apatite were investigated under different experimental conditions to assess the effect of aseptic culture, cell rest and duration of particle exposure. Cell death and particle uptake were assessed, while IL-1β and caspase 1 responses, with and without lipopolysaccharide prestimulation, were evaluated as markers of inflammasome activation. RESULTS: Under carefully addressed experimental conditions, apatitic nanoparticles did not induce cell death or engage the inflammasome platform, although both could be triggered through artefacts of experimentation. CONCLUSION: In vitro studies often predict that engineered nanoparticles, such as synthetic apatite, are candidates for inflammasome activation and, hence, are toxic. However, the experimental setting must be very carefully considered as it may promote false-positive outcomes