Book Review: Gorana Ognjenović and Jasna Jozelić (ed.), Education in Post-Conflict Transition: The Politization of Religion in School Textbooks

One of the undeniable facts of the modern era is that education is the key to the past, the present, and the future. In the aftermath of apartheid and the quest for the freedom from racial segregation, Nelson Mandela has spoken the truth when he said: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Rethinking these words in the light of recent conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia raises many concerns, since education, as powerful as it may seem, can be easily abused and become a source of divisions. Memory is often interpreted and therefore politicized by the ruling political or religious elites. Concerns are deepened, even more, when it comes to religious education and the way textbooks are ethically or historically biased

Point-of-Need DNA Testing for Detection of Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria present a crucial food safety issue. Conventional diagnostic methods are time-consuming and can be only performed on previously produced food. The advancing field of point-of-need diagnostic devices integrating molecular methods, biosensors, microfluidics, and nanomaterials offers new avenues for swift, low-cost detection of pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. These analyses and screening of food items can be performed during all phases of production. This review presents major developments achieved in recent years in point-of-need diagnostics in land-based sector and sheds light on current challenges in achieving wider acceptance of portable devices in the food industry. Particular emphasis is placed on methods for testing nucleic acids, protocols for portable nucleic acid extraction and amplification, as well as on the means for low-cost detection and read-out signal amplification

Functionalized Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles for Loading and Delivery of Suramin

Suramin (SUR) is a known drug for treating parasitic infections though research studies and some clinical trials have shown its applicability for a plethora of other diseases. Herein we report on a novel SUR nanocarrier for the drug delivery to cells. We synthesized periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles with spherical morphology, having mean diameter of 240 nm and high surface area (778 m(2)/g). The material's surface is modified with an amine-containing organic moiety N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (DA), followed by surface attachment with the drug. The rate of SUR release in physiological condition was low, though in vitro experiments on MRC-5 cell line demonstrate effective delivery of the drug to the cells and low toxicity of the materials without the adsorbed drug. These results are promising for opening new treatment strategies with SUR-bearing nanocarriers, with high efficiency and low adverse effects on healthy tissues

Fullerenol-Capped Porous Silica Nanoparticles for pH-Responsive Drug Delivery

Novel nanocomposite containing fullerenol nanoparticles (FNP) and porous silica nanoparticles (PSNs) was constructed and characterized. The capability of FNP to serve as a pore-capping agent and for entrapping 9-aminoacridine (9-AA) inside the pores of the PSN material was also demonstrated. Nitrogen sorption measurements evidence the successful capping of the silica pores while thermogravimetric analysis of FNP loaded PSN indicates the existence of pore-loaded fullerenol molecules. Higher amount of the drug release was noted by exposing the material to weakly acidic conditions in comparison to physiological pH, which may find application in targeted treatment of weakly acidic tumor tissues

Hydroxylated fullerene-capped, vinblastine-loaded folic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for targeted anticancer therapy

A novel cancer-targeting drug delivery system is constructed and characterized, based on folic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles with pore-loaded anticancer drug vinblastine and pore-blocking fullerenol molecules. The selective treatment efficacy based on targeting of cancer-verexpressed folate receptors is demonstrated by comparison of cell viability upon the treatment of healthy MRC-5, breast cancer MCF-7 and cervical cancer HeLa cells, which are known to differ in the amount of folate receptors on their surfaces