Molecular Imprinting Applications in Forensic Science.

Producing molecular imprinting-based materials has received increasing attention due to recognition selectivity, stability, cast effectiveness, and ease of production in various forms for a wide range of applications. The molecular imprinting technique has a variety of applications in the areas of the food industry, environmental monitoring, and medicine for diverse purposes like sample pretreatment, sensing, and separation/purification. A versatile usage, stability and recognition capabilities also make them perfect candidates for use in forensic sciences. Forensic science is a demanding area and there is a growing interest in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in this field. In this review, recent molecular imprinting applications in the related areas of forensic sciences are discussed while considering the literature of last two decades. Not only direct forensic applications but also studies of possible forensic value were taken into account like illicit drugs, banned sport drugs, effective toxins and chemical warfare agents in a review of over 100 articles. The literature was classified according to targets, material shapes, production strategies, detection method, and instrumentation. We aimed to summarize the current applications of MIPs in forensic science and put forth a projection of their potential uses as promising alternatives for benchmark competitors

A troublesome lesion of the larynx: Lobular capillary hemangioma

Lobular capillary hemangioma (LCH), which is also known as pyojenic granuloma, is a benign and vascular lesion of the skin and mucous membranes and mostly seen in females between 20-40 years of age. Although the etiology of the condition is still unknown, some conditions, such as trauma, poor oral hygiene, viral or fungal infections, and periodontal and gingival diseases are considered to be related to the formation of LCH. It mostly seems in cheek and oral cavity in head and neck region. Larynx localization of LCH is very rare. We present a case of LCH in a 47-year-old male and review the literature

Herniation of Bichat's Fat Tissue into the Oral Cavity Secondary to Trauma

Herniation of Bichat’s fat tissue into the oral cavity is a rare clinical entity. It is known as “traumatic pseudolipoma,” which develops within a short time after direct trauma to the buccal mucosa, especially in young children, or as “post-traumatic lipoma,” which occurs depending on the changes in the storage and differentiation of adipocytes after conditions, such as trauma and hematoma, that trigger cytokine release. In this article, herniation of Bichat’s fat tissue secondary to blunt-penetrating trauma in a 3-year-old boy is presented, and important points of diagnosis and treatment procedures are discussed in accordance with the literature

Separation and purification of lipase using Cu nanoparticle embedded poly HEMA-MATrp cryogels

Quality and efficiency of techniques to be used for separation and purification lipase enzymes are commercially important enzyme. Among such techniques, adsorption methods are highly preferred. Cryogels have been quite extensively used as the adsorbents due to their macropores and interconnected flow channels. In this study, adsorption of lipase enzyme onto copper nanoparticles embedded poly 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-L-tryptophan , poly HEMA-MATrp cryogels was studies for conditions with varying pH, interaction time, lipase enzyme initial concentration, temperature and ionic strength. Maximum lipase enzyme adsorption capacity of cryogels was determined as 183.6 mg/g. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer FTIR and scanning electron microscopy SEM were used for characterization of cryogels. At the end of the adsorption process, in order to be sure that the purity of lipase enzyme desorbed from cryogels, SDS-PAGE analyses were performed and molecular weight of the lipase enzyme was determined as 58 kDa. Adsorption characteristic of cryogels were determined according to the results of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. As a result of calculation run for adsorption isotherm models, Langmuir isotherm model was determined to be more appropriate

Antimicrobial Activity of Garlic Derivatives on Common Causative Microorganisms of the External Ear Canal and Chronic Middle Ear Infections

Objective:Today, antibiotic resistance is increasing and evolving into an important health problem. Therefore, it is important to research on alternative therapies to antibiotics. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of four garlic derivatives on microorganisms commonly isolated in ear infections.Methods:The antimicrobial activities of allicin, s-allyl cysteine (SAC), diallyl disulfide (DADS), and s-allyl mercaptocysteine (SAMC) were investigated on standard strains of commonly isolated microorganisms using the broth microdilution method. The test strains were selected among the microorganisms responsible for chronic suppurative otitis media and otitis externa. These microorganisms were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis.Results:Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of allicin and SAC ranged from 0.125 to 20 μg/ mL for fermentative bacteria (E. coli and K. pneumoniae), 20 to 80 μg/mL for non-fermentative bacteria (P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii), 5 to 10 μg/mL for gram-positive cocci (S. aureus and E. faecium), and 40 to 80 μg/mL for yeasts (C. albicans and C. tropicalis). MIC values of DADS ranged from 40 to 80 μg/mL for fermentative bacteria, 40 to 160 μg/mL for non-fermentative bacteria, 40 to 80 μg/mL for gram-positive cocci, and 20 to 40 μg/mL for yeasts. The MICs of SAMC were >640 μg/mL for the tested bacteria and yeasts.Conclusion:Both allicin and SAC showed antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms, even at low concentrations. These two derivatives may be used to treat infections in the future

A repertoire of biomedical applications of noble metal nanoparticles

Noble metals comprise any of several metallic chemical elements that are outstandingly resistant to corrosion and oxidation, even at elevated temperatures. This group is not strictly defined, but the tentative list includes ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, osmium, iridium, platinum and gold, in order of atomic number. The emerging properties of noble metal nanoparticles are attracting huge interest from the translational scientific community and have led to an unprecedented expansion of research and exploration of applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. Noble metal nanomaterials can be synthesised both by top-down and bottom up approaches, as well as via organism-assisted routes, and subsequently modified appropriately for the field of use. Nanoscale analogues of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in particular, have gained primary importance owing to their excellent intrinsic properties and diversity of applications; they offer unique functional attributes, which are quite unlike the bulk material. Modulation of noble metal nanoparticles in terms of size, shape and surface functionalisation has endowed them with unusual capabilities and manipulation at the chemical level, which can lead to changes in their electrical, chemical, optical, spectral and other intrinsic properties. Such flexibility in multi-functionalisation delivers ‘Ockham's razor’ to applied biomedical science. In this feature article, we highlight recent advances in the adaptation of noble metal nanomaterials and their biomedical applications in therapeutics, diagnostics and sensing

Poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-n-vinyl imidazole) beads for heavy metal removal

Poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-n-vinyl imidazole) [poly(EGDMA-VIM)] hydrogel (average diameter 150-200 mum) was prepared by copolymerizing ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) with n-vinyl imidazole (VIM). The copolymer hydrogel bead composition was characterized by elemental analysis and found to contain 5 EGDMA monomer units each VIM monomer unit. Poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads had a specific surface area of 59.8 m(2)/g. Poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads were characterized by swelling studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads with a swelling ratio of 78% were used for the heavy metal removal studies. Chelation capacity of the beads for the selected metal ions, i.e., Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) were investigated in aqueous media containing different amounts of these ions (10-750 mg/l) and at different pH values (3.0-7.0). Chelation rate was very fast. The maximum chelation capacities of the poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads were 69.4 mg/g for Cd(H), 114.8 mg/g for Pb(II) and 163.5 mg/g for Hg(II). The affinity order on molar basis was observed as follows: Hg(H) > Cd(II) > Pb(II). Chelation behavior of heavy metal ions could be modelled using both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. pH significantly affected the chelation capacity of VIM incorporated beads. Chelation of heavy metal ions from synthetic wastewater was also studied. The chelation capacities are 45.6 mg/g for U(II), 74.2 mg/g for Hg(H) and 92.5 mg/g for Pb(II) at 0.5 mmol/l initial metal concentration. Regeneration of the chelating-beads was easily performed with 0.1 M HNO3. These features make poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads potential candidate adsorbent for heavy metal removal: (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Vinyl imidazole carrying metal-chelated beads for reversible use in yeast invertase adsorption

Poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate-n-vinyl imidazole) [poly(EGDMA-VIM)] hydrogel (average diameter 150-200 mu m) was prepared copolymerizing ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) with n-vinyl imidazole (VIM). Poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads had a specific surface area of 59.8 M-2/g. Poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads were characterized by swelling studies and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cu2+ ions were chelated on the poly(EGDMA-VIM) beads (452 mu mol Cu2+/g), then the metal-chelated beads were used in the adsorption of yeast invertase in a batch system. The maximum invertase adsorption capacity of the poly(EGDMA-VIM)-Cu2+ beads was observed as 35.2 mg/g at pH 4.5. The adsorption isotherm of the poly(EGDMA-VIM)-Cu2+ beads can be well fitted to the Langmuir model. Adsorption kinetics data were tested using pseudo-first- and -second-order models. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo- second-order reaction. The value of the Michaelis constant K-m of invertase was significantly larger upon adsorption, indicating decreased affinity by the enzyme for its substrate, whereas V-max was smaller for the adsorbed invertase. The optimum temperature for the adsorbed preparation of poly(EGDMA-VIM)-CU2+- invertase at 50 degrees C, 10 degrees C higher than that of the free enzyme at 40 degrees C. Storage stability was found to increase with adsorption. Adsorbed invertase retains an activity of 82% after 10 batch successive reactions, demonstrating the usefulness of the enzyme-loaded beads in biocatalytic applications