Bioactivity of wollastonite/aerogels composites obtained from a TEOS-MTES matrix

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials were synthesized by controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), methyltrimethoxysilane (MTES), synthetic wollastonite powders and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in an ethanol solution. Aerogels were prepared from acid hydrolysis of TEOS and MTES with different volume ratio in ethanol, followed by addition of wollastonite powder and PDMS in order to obtain aerogels with 20 wt% of PDMS and 5 wt% of CaO of the total silica. Finally, when the wet gels were obtained, they were supercritically dried at 260°C and 90 bar, in ethanol. In order to obtain its bioactivity, one method for surface activation is based on a wet chemical alkaline treatment. The particular interest of this study is that we introduce hybrid aerogels, in a 1 M solution of NaOH, for 30 s at room temperature. We evaluate the bioactivity of TEOS-MTES aerogel when immersed in a static volume of simulated body fluid (SBF). An apatite layer of spherical-shaped particles of uniform size smaller than 5 microns is observed to form on the surface of the aerogels after 25 days soaking in SBF.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT2005-01583Junta de Andalucía TEP 79

Ferrihidrita ferrimagnética: una historia de serendipia y radiación de sincrotón

II Encuentro sobre nanociencia y nanotecnología de investigadores y tecnólogos de la Universidad de Córdoba. NANOUC

Magnetic nanoparticles with bulk-like properties

The magnetic behavior of $Fe_{3-x}O_4$ nanoparticles synthesized either by high-temperature decomposition of an organic iron precursor or low-temperature co-precipitation in aqueous conditions, is compared. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and magnetization measurements show that nanoparticles synthesized by thermal decomposition display high crystal quality and bulk-like magnetic and electronic properties, while nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation show much poorer crystallinity and particle-like phenomenology, including reduced magnetization, high closure fields and shifted hysteresis loops. The key role of the crystal quality is thus suggested since particle-like behavior for particles larger than about 5 nm is only observed when they are structurally defective. These conclusions are supported by Monte Carlo simulations. It is also shown that thermal decomposition is capable of producing nanoparticles that, after further stabilization in physiological conditions, are suitable for biomedical applications such as magnetic resonance imaging or bio-distribution studies.Comment: Review article. 20 pages, 7 figures. Invited contribution to 55th MMM Conference 2010 (Atlanta), Session HG-01. To be published in J. Appl. Phy

Surfactant effects in magnetite nanoparticles of controlled size

Abstract Magnetite Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles of controlled size within 6 and 20 nm in diameter were synthesised by thermal decomposition of an iron organic precursor in an organic medium. Particles were coated with oleic acid. For all samples studied, saturation magnetisation M s is size-independent, and reaches a value close to that expected for bulk magnetite, in contrast to results in small particle systems for which M s is usually much smaller due to surface spin disorder. The coercive field for the 6 nm particles is in agreement with coherent rotation, taking the bulk magnetocrystalline anisotropy into account. Both results suggest that the oleic acid molecules covalently bonded to the nanoparticle surface yield a strong reduction in the surface spin disorder. However, although the saturated state may be similar, the approach to saturation is different and, in particular, the high-field differential susceptibility is one order of magnitude larger than in bulk materials. The relevance of these results in biomedical applications is discussed.

Aerogeles con aplicaciones en biomedicina y medioambiente

Es posible preparar materiales híbridos inorgánico-orgánicos incorporando una fase orgánica sobre un sol obtenido por hidrólisis de metalorgánico mientras se aplican ultrasonidos de alta potencia. Cuando las dos fases quedan químicamente enlazadas resulta un sono-ormosil (de ORganic MOdified SILicate) conocido también como ormosil duro. Unas de las aplicaciones de estos materiales atañe el dominio de la biotecnología pues llegan a ser bioactivos cuando contienen Ca, cumpliendo con ello el primer requisito para su validez como implantes óseos. La fuente de calcio, seleccionada para optimizar el proceso de secado supercrítico en etanol, ha sido partículas de wollastonita, (CaSiO3), material bioactivo, lo que al influir sobre el volumen poroso y el radio de los poros, permite controlar la densidad y situar la resistencia mecánica en el intervalo de valores propios de los huesos humanos esponjosos. Por otra parte, los poros pueden hacerse químicamente activos y usarse como soportes estructurales para la captación y fijación de gases.It is possible to synthesise inorganic-organic hybrid materials incorporating the organic phase to a sol prepared from a metal organic under high power ultrasounds. When both phases are chemically bonded a sono-ormosil (from ORganic MOdified SILicate) results, also known as hard ormosil. One of the applications of these materials concerns the biotechnologies since they become bioactive when are doped with Ca, fulfilling this way the preliminary condition to be considered for bone implants. The addition of silicate particles allows modifying the pore volume and radius. We have used these gels with particles, as precursor of the bioactive component, in order to act on the porosity for controlling the density and adequate the mechanical strength to that of the human cancellous bone. In like manner, the pores becomes chemically active and be used as structural support for noxious atmospheric gas sequestration

Preparation of anti-vicinal amino alcohols: asymmetric synthesis of D-erythro-Sphinganine, (+)-spisulosine and D-ribo-phytosphingosine

Two variations of the Overman rearrangement have been developed for the highly selective synthesis of anti-vicinal amino alcohol natural products. A MOM-ether directed palladium(II)-catalyzed rearrangement of an allylic trichloroacetimidate was used as the key step for the preparation of the protein kinase C inhibitor D-erythro-sphinganine and the antitumor agent (+)-spisulosine, while the Overman rearrangement of chiral allylic trichloroacetimidates generated by asymmetric reduction of an alpha,beta-unsaturated methyl ketone allowed rapid access to both D-ribo-phytosphingosine and L-arabino-phytosphingosine

Protocol for intervention-free quantification of protein turnover rate by steady-state modeling

Protein turnover rate is difficult to obtain experimentally. This protocol shows how to mathematically model turnover rates in an intervention-free manner given the ability to quantify mRNA and protein expression from initiation to homeostasis. This approach can be used to calculate production and degradation rates and to infer protein half-life. This model was successfully employed to quantify turnover during Drosophila embryogenesis, and we hypothesize that it will be applicable to diverse in vivo or in vitro systems

Neutrophil count is associated with reduced gray matter and enlarged ventricles in first-episode psychosis

Although there is recent evidence that cells from the peripheral immune system can gain access to the central nervous system in certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis, their role has not been assessed in psychosis. Here, we aimed to explore whether blood cell count was associated with brain volume and/or clinical symptomatology. A total of 218 participants (137 first-episode psychosis patients [FEP] and 81 healthy controls [HC]) were included in the study. For each participant, a T1 structural image was acquired, from which brain tissue volumes were calculated. We found that, in FEP, neutrophil count was associated with reduced gray matter (GM) volume (ß = -0.117, P < .001) and increased cerebrospinal fluid volume (ß = 0.191, P = .007). No associations were observed in HC. GM reduction was generalized but more prominent in certain regions, notably the thalamus, the anterior insula, and the left Heschl''s gyrus, among many others. Neutrophil count was also associated with the total PANSS score (ß = 0.173, P = .038), including those items assessing hallucinations (ß = 0.182, P = .028) and avolition (ß = 0.197, P = .018). Several confounders, such as antipsychotic medication, body mass index, and smoking, were controlled for. Overall, the present study may represent the first indirect evidence of brain tissue loss associated with neutrophils in psychosis, and lends support to the hypothesis of a dysregulated immune system. Higher neutrophil count was also associated with more severe clinical symptomatology, which renders it a promising indicator of schizophrenia severity and could even give rise to new therapies

Opposite cannabis-cognition associations in psychotic patients depending on family history

The objective of this study is to investigate cognitive performance in a first-episode psychosis sample, when stratifying the interaction by cannabis use and familial or non-familial psychosis. Hierarchical-regression models were used to analyse this association in a sample of 268 first-episode psychosis patients and 237 controls. We found that cannabis use was associated with worse working memory, regardless of family history. However, cannabis use was clearly associated with worse cognitive performance in patients with no family history of psychosis, in cognitive domains including verbal memory, executive function and global cognitive index, whereas cannabis users with a family history of psychosis performed better in these domains. The main finding of the study is that there is an interaction between cannabis use and a family history of psychosis in the areas of verbal memory, executive function and global cognition: that is, cannabis use is associated with a better performance in patients with a family history of psychosis and a worse performance in those with no family history of psychosis. In order to confirm this hypothesis, future research should explore the actual expression of the endocannabinoid system in patients with and without a family history of psychosis