Engineered Nanomaterials and Human Health: Part 2. Applications and Nanotoxicology (IUPAC Technical Report) (Review)

Research on engineered nanomaterials (ENM) has progressed rapidly from the very early stages of studying their unique, size-dependent physicochemical properties and commercial exploration to the development of products that influence our everyday lives. We have previously reviewed various methods for synthesis, surface functionalization, and analytical characterization of ENM in a publication titled \u27Engineered Nanomaterials: Preparation, Functionalization and Characterization\u27. In this second, inter-linked document, we first provide an overview of important applications of ENM in products relevant to human healthcare and consumer goods, such as food, textiles, and cosmetics. We then highlight the challenges for the design and development of new ENM for bio-applications, particularly in the rapidly developing nanomedicine sector. The second part of this document is dedicated to nanotoxicology studies of ENM in consumer products. We describe the various biological targets where toxicity may occur, summarize the four nanotoxicology principles, and discuss the need for careful consideration of the biodistribution, degradation, and elimination routes of nanosized materials before they can be safely used. Finally, we review expert opinions on the risk, regulation, and ethical aspects of using engineered nanomaterials in applications that may have direct or indirect impact on human health or our environment

Biodegradation of Poly(butylene succinate) Powder in a Controlled Compost at 58 °C Evaluated by Naturally-Occurring Carbon 14 Amounts in Evolved CO2 Based on the ISO 14855-2 Method

The biodegradabilities of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) powders in a controlled compost at 58 °C have been studied using a Microbial Oxidative Degradation Analyzer (MODA) based on the ISO 14855-2 method, entitled “Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions—Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide—Part 2: Gravimetric measurement of carbon dioxide evolved in a laboratory-scale test”. The evolved CO2 was trapped by an additional aqueous Ba(OH)2 solution. The trapped BaCO3 was transformed into graphite via a serial vaporization and reduction reaction using a gas-tight tube and vacuum manifold system. This graphite was analyzed by accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) to determine the percent modern carbon [pMC (sample)] based on the 14C radiocarbon concentration. By using the theory that pMC (sample) was the sum of the pMC (compost) (109.87%) and pMC (PBS) (0%) as the respective ratio in the determined period, the CO2 (respiration) was calculated from only one reaction vessel. It was found that the biodegradabilities determined by the CO2 amount from PBS in the sample vessel were about 30% lower than those based on the ISO method. These differences between the ISO and AMS methods are caused by the fact that part of the carbons from PBS are changed into metabolites by the microorganisms in the compost, and not changed into CO2

A 3.2 GHz Injection-Locked Ring Oscillator-Based Phase-Locked-Loop for Clock Recovery

An injection-locked ring oscillator-based phase-locked-loop targeting clock recovery for space application at 3.2 GHz is presented here. Most clock recovery circuits need a very low phase noise and jitter performance and are thus based on LC-type oscillators. These excellent performances come at the expense of a very poor integration density. To alleviate this issue, this work introduces an injection-locked ring oscillator-based PLL circuit. The combination of the injection-locking process with the use of ring oscillators allows for the benefit of excellent jitter performance while presenting an extremely low surface area due to an architecture without any inductor. The injection locking principle is addressed, and evidence of its phase noise and jitter improvements are confirmed through measurement results. Indeed, phase noise and jitter enhancements up to 43 dB and 23.3 mUI, respectively, were measured. As intended, this work shows the best integration density compared to recent similar state-of-the-art studies. The whole architecture measures 0.1 mm2 while consuming 34.6 mW in a low-cost 180 nm CMOS technology

Engineered nanomaterials and human health: Part 1. Preparation, functionalization and characterization (IUPAC Technical Report)

Nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving field, as evidenced by the large number of publications on the synthesis, characterization, and biological/environmental effects of new nano-sized materials. The unique, size-dependent properties of nanomaterials have been exploited in a diverse range of applications and in many examples of nano-enabled consumer products. In this account we focus on Engineered Nanomaterials (ENM), a class of deliberately designed and constructed nano-sized materials. Due to the large volume of publications, we separated the preparation and characterisation of ENM from applications and toxicity into two interconnected documents. Part 1 summarizes nanomaterial terminology and provides an overview of the best practices for their preparation, surface functionalization, and analytical characterization. Part 2 (this issue, Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(8): 1325–1356) focuses on ENM that are used in products that are expected to come in close contact with consumers. It reviews nanomaterials used in therapeutics, diagnostics, and consumer goods and summarizes current nanotoxicology challenges and the current state of nanomaterial regulation, providing insight on the growing public debate on whether the environmental and social costs of nanotechnology outweigh its potential benefit

Crowdsourced assessment of common genetic contribution to predicting anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis

Correction: vol 7, 13205, 2016, doi:10.1038/ncomms13205Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects millions world-wide. While anti-TNF treatment is widely used to reduce disease progression, treatment fails in Bone-third of patients. No biomarker currently exists that identifies non-responders before treatment. A rigorous community-based assessment of the utility of SNP data for predicting anti-TNF treatment efficacy in RA patients was performed in the context of a DREAM Challenge (http://www.synapse.org/RA_Challenge). An open challenge framework enabled the comparative evaluation of predictions developed by 73 research groups using the most comprehensive available data and covering a wide range of state-of-the-art modelling methodologies. Despite a significant genetic heritability estimate of treatment non-response trait (h(2) = 0.18, P value = 0.02), no significant genetic contribution to prediction accuracy is observed. Results formally confirm the expectations of the rheumatology community that SNP information does not significantly improve predictive performance relative to standard clinical traits, thereby justifying a refocusing of future efforts on collection of other data.Peer reviewe

Prebiotic macromolecules and today’s biomacromolecules in the light of polymerology

International audienc

Le réfrigérateur comme modèle de la façon dont l'eau gère les chaleurs solaires et anthropiques et contrôle le réchauffement climatique

The relation between global warming and the role of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) is confusing. Ocean level and atmospheric temperature rises are predicted dramatic in distant future whereas global ices disappearance is already dramatic and increasing. In this article, we called on the heat control machinery exploited in a refrigerator to show that water behaves as a refrigerant to manage solar and anthropogenic heats and also any heat generated from sources localized on Earth. Year 2018 was taken as example for quantitative evaluation of heat energy transfers involved in water phases and interphase exchanges. It was concluded that ice melting and evaporation-condensation equilibria are efficient physical factors to fight global warming. It is also shown that the pool of water present on Earth is progressively augmented by the water liberated parallel to CO2 during the combustion of fossil hydrocarbons in which it was stored millions years ago. Water as source of hydrogen may be an alternative to the sources of energy produced and consumed by humanity provided that heat-cycle assessment from cradle to grave complements the life cycle assessment favorably.La relation entre le réchauffement climatique et le rôle du dioxyde de carbone (CO2) anthropique est confuse. Les hausses du niveau de l'océan et de la température atmosphérique sont prédites dramatiques dans un avenir lointain alors que la disparition des glaces mondiales est déjà dramatique et en augmentation. Dans cet article, nous avons fait appel à la machinerie de contrôle de la chaleur exploitée dans un réfrigérateur pour montrer que l'eau se comporte comme un fluide frigorigène pour gérer les chaleurs solaires et anthropiques ainsi que toute chaleur générée à partir de sources localisées sur Terre. L'année 2018 a été prise comme exemple pour l'évaluation quantitative des transferts d'énergie thermique impliqués dans les phases aqueuses et les échanges interphases. Il a été conclu que la fonte des glaces et les équilibres évaporation-condensation sont des facteurs physiques efficaces pour lutter contre le réchauffement climatique. Il est également montré que la réserve d'eau présente sur Terre est progressivement augmentée par l'eau libérée parallèlement au CO2 lors de la combustion des hydrocarbures fossiles dans lesquels elle était stockée il y a des millions d'années. L'eau comme source d'hydrogène peut être une alternative aux sources d'énergie produites et consommées par l'humanité à condition que l'évaluation du cycle thermique du berceau à la tombe complète favorablement l'évaluation du cycle de vie

L'activité Antivirale des Polysulfates : un Moyen Complémentaire pour Lutter Contre le SARS-CoV-2 et ses Variants

Polyanions are negatively charged macromolecules known for several decades as inhibitors of coronaviruses in vitro, notably the AIDS virus. This activity is based on the formation of a complex between an anionic species, the polyanion, and the surface protein spicules which are, for macromolecular chemists, cationic polymers. Accordingly, polysulfates behave like antibodies in terms of stability and efficiency. Unfortunately, in the past, the in vitro antiviral activity was not confirmed in vivo, possibly because of interactions of polyanions with cationic blood elements. For this, virologists have abandoned the prospect of therapeutic exploitation of polyanions. However, the game may not be over in the case of coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants that infect cells via the airways. Strategies are proposed to attack the virus with heparin and other polysulfates before it reaches airway cells or upstream when droplets and aerosols are still in the atmosphere. The technical means exist but preliminary tests are necessary when human therapy concerns pathogenic viruses. For this, the intervention of virologists is essential. Despite their interest, polysulfates remain surprisingly ignored apparently for no reason other than failure for AIDS when SARS-CoV-2 is a virus infecting the airways.Polyanionen sind negativ geladene Makromoleküle, die seit mehreren Jahrzehnten als Inhibitoren von Coronaviren in vitro bekannt sind, insbesondere des AIDS-Virus. Diese Aktivität basiert auf der Bildung eines Komplexes zwischen einer anionischen Spezies, dem Polyanion und den Oberflächenproteinspicules, die für makromolekulare Chemiker kationische Polymere sind. Dementsprechend verhalten sich Polysulfate hinsichtlich Stabilität und Effizienz wie Antikörper. Leider wurde in der Vergangenheit die antivirale In-vitro-Aktivität in vivo nicht bestätigt, möglicherweise aufgrund von Wechselwirkungen von Polyanionen mit kationischen Blutelementen. Aus diesem Grund haben Virologen die Aussicht auf eine therapeutische Nutzung von Polyanionen aufgegeben. Bei Coronaviren wie SARS-CoV-2 und seinen Mutanten, die Zellen über die Atemwege infizieren, ist das Spiel möglicherweise nicht beendet. Es werden Strategien vorgeschlagen, um das Virus mit Heparin und anderen Polysulfaten anzugreifen, bevor es die Atemwegszellen erreicht oder stromaufwärts, wenn sich noch Tröpfchen und Aerosole in der Atmosphäre befinden. Die technischen Mittel sind vorhanden, aber vorläufige Tests sind erforderlich, wenn die Humantherapie pathogene Viren betrifft. Hierfür ist das Eingreifen von Virologen unabdingbar. Trotz ihres Interesses bleiben Polysulfate offenbar aus keinem anderen Grund als dem Versagen von AIDS überraschend ignoriert, wenn SARS-CoV-2 ein Virus ist, das die Atemwege infiziert.Les polyanions sont des macromolécules chargées négativement connues depuis plusieurs décennies pour leur activité inhibitrice envers divers coronavirus in vitro, notamment le virus du SIDA. Cette activité repose sur la formation d'un complexe entre une espèce anionique, le polyanion, et les spicules protéiques de surface qui sont, pour les chimistes macromoléculaires, des polymères cationiques. A cet égard, les polyanions de type polysulfate peuvent être considérés comme des anticorps non-spécifiques en termes d'inhibition, de stabilité et d'efficacité. Malheureusement, cette activité antivirale observée in vitro n'a pas été confirmée in vivo, notamment dans le cas du SIDA, probablement en raison d'interactions avec des éléments sanguins cationiques. Pour cela, les virologues ont abandonné la perspective d'une exploitation thérapeutique des polyanions. Cependant, le jeu n'est peut-être pas terminé dans le cas des coronavirus comme le SRAS-CoV-2 et ses mutants qui infectent par les voies respiratoires et non par le sang. Des stratégies sont proposées pour montrer que le virus peut être attaqué par l'héparine ou d'autres polysulfates avant qu'il atteigne les cellules des voies respiratoires ou en amont lorsque les gouttelettes et les aérosols sont encore dans l'atmosphère. Les moyens techniques existent mais des tests préalables sont nécessaires lorsque la thérapie humaine concerne des virus pathogènes. Pour cela, l'intervention des virologues est indispensable. Malgré leur intérêt, les polysulfates restent étonnamment ignorés apparemment sans raison autre que celle de l'échec pour le SIDA alors que le SARS-CoV-2 infecte les voies aériennes

Prebiotic macromolecules and today’s biomacromolecules in the light of polymerology

International audienc