Synthesis of Nanoscale TiO2 and Study of the Effect of Their Crystal Structure on Single Cell Response

To study the effect of nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO2) on cell responses, we synthesized four modifications of the TiO2 (amorphous, anatase, brookite, and rutile) capable of keeping their physicochemical characteristics in a cell culture medium. The modifications of nanoscale TiO2 were obtained by hydrolysis of TiCl4 and Ti(i-OC3H7)4 (TIP) upon variation of the synthesis conditions; their textural, morphological, structural, and dispersion characteristics were examined by a set of physicochemical methods: XRD, BET, SAXS, DLS, AFM, SEM, and HR-TEM. The effect of synthesis conditions (nature of precursor, pH, temperature, and addition of a complexing agent) on the structural-dispersion properties of TiO2 nanoparticles was studied. The hydrolysis methods providing the preparation of amorphous, anatase, brookite, and rutile modifications of TiO2 nanoparticles 3–5 nm in size were selected. Examination of different forms of TiO2 nanoparticles interaction with MDCK cells by transmission electron microscopy of ultrathin sections revealed different cell responses after treatment with different crystalline modifications and amorphous form of TiO2. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that direct contact of the nanoparticles with cell plasma membrane is the primary and critical step of their interaction and defines a subsequent response of the cell

Investigation of the Sorption Properties of Ore Materials for the Removal of Sulfur Dioxide from Exhaust Flue Gases of Power Plants

The prospects of using a natural material – ferromanganese nodules (FMN) from the Gulf of Finland – as the SO2 adsorbent are discussed. The starting material was studied as pellets and powder using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, XRD, BET, and mechanical strength analysis; dependences of physicochemical parameters of the material on heat treatment at 100-1000 ºC were found. FMN samples were tested in the process of SO2 sorption. The sorptive capacity of FMN samples for SO2 was found to increase with humidity of adsorbents; FMN samples with a humidity above 40% were shown to be promising for the removal of sulfur dioxide from gase

Carbon Dioxide Conversion of Methane into Synthesis-Gas on Glass Cloth Catalysts

The catalytic activity of nanostructurized low per cent (1%) Co-Ni catalysts on the basis of glass cloth, obtained by “solution combustion” (SC) method, in the reaction of carbon dioxide of methane was studied. The physico - chemical characteristics of the obtained species were studied by the methods of X-ray phase analysis, SEM, TEM, TGA. It is found that SC method allows to obtain an active component on the surface of glass cloth in the form of nanopaticles. A high activity of the catalyst, the active component of which is cobalt, is revealed; the decrease in Co concentration in the matrix of glass cloth results in the decrease of activity in the reaction of carbon dioxide conversion of methane

May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension

Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 74.9% of screenees provided three BP readings. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. 1 504 963 individuals (mean age 45.3 years; 52.4% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 502 079 (33.4%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 59.5% were aware of their diagnosis and 55.3% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 60.0% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 33.2% were controlled. We detected 224 285 individuals with untreated hypertension and 111 214 individuals with inadequately treated (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) hypertension. Conclusion May Measurement Month expanded significantly compared with 2017, including more participants in more countries. The campaign identified over 335 000 adults with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. In the absence of systematic screening programmes, MMM was effective at raising awareness at least among these individuals at risk

USE OF HIGH SURFACE NANOFIBROUS MATERIALS IN MEDICINE

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Riociguat treatment in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Final safety data from the EXPERT registry

Objective: The soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat is approved for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable or persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following Phase

Influence of catalysts’ activation on their activity and selectivity in carbon nanotubes synthesis

In this paper we have investigated the influence of catalysts' activation conditions on their selectivity in carbon nanotubes CVD synthesis by means of methane decomposition reaction using Fe- and FeCo-catalysts synthesized via polymerized complex rout providing homogeneous distribution of catalytic components. It was shown that variation of catalysts' reduction conditions results in formation of different types of NTs (MWNTs or SWNTs). The most effective catalyst activation leading to formation of SWNTs consists in catalyst reduction by reaction mixture at high temperature. That can be explained in terms of carbon deposits nucleation on metals

Structure and Properties of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes/Polystyrene Composites Prepared via Coagulation Precipitation Technique

Coagulation technique was applied for preparation of multiwall carbon nanotube- (MWNT-)containing polystyrene (PSt) composite materials with different MWNT loading (0.5–10 wt.%). Scanning and transmission electron microscopies were used for investigation of the morphology and structure of produced composites. It was shown that synthesis of MWNT/PSt composites using coagulation technique allows one to obtain high dispersion degree of MWNT in the polymer matrix. According to microscopy data, composite powder consists of the polystyrene matrix forming spherical particles with diameter ca. 100–200 nm, and the surface of MWNT is strongly wetted by the polymer forming thin layer with 5–10 nm thickness. Electrical conductivity of MWNT/PSt composites was investigated using a four-probe technique. Observed electrical percolation threshold of composite materials is near to 10 wt.%, mainly due to the insulating polymer layer deposited on the surface of nanotubes. Electromagnetic response of prepared materials was investigated in broadband region (0.01–4 and 26–36 GHz). It was found that MWNT/PSt composites are almost radiotransparent for low frequency region and possess high absorbance of EM radiation at higher frequencies