30 research outputs found
Are PEI-coated SWCNTs conjugated with hepatitis A virus? A chemical study with SEM, Z-potential, EDXD and RT-PCR
The conjugation between nanotubes, coated with different doses of polyethylene imine (PEI)
and hepatitis A virus (HAV) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Z-potential,
thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, energy
dispersive x-ray diffraction (EDXD) and reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction
(RT-PCR). For the first time, to our knowledge, evidence is obtained that conjugation between
the nanotubes and the HAV occurs and that it has an (at least a partial) electrostatic character.
Since all components of the conjugated systems, nanotubes, coating material and virus are
characterized by different peak shapes in the selected q range, it was possible to infer that
conjugation occurred. RT-PCR measurements confirmed that the conjugation of the coated
nanotubes and HAV occurred and the result was stable. This opens up the prospect of probing
the coated nanotubes as intra-cellular carriers in transfection processes of the virus. Further
biological applications will concern a possible vaccine especially for non-replicative
viruses
Studio e caratterizzazione molecolare di rotavirus circolanti in Albania ed in differenti aree italiane
Presence of hepatitis E RNA in mussels used as bio-monitors of viral marine pollution
Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), collected from a harvesting area approved by European Community
Regulation, were transplanted to four polluted sites located in the Northwestern Mediterranean area
(Tuscany). They were used as bio-monitors to test the quality of the marine water pollution. At different
times after the transplantation, mussels were withdrawn and tested for presence of phages and
enteric viruses by molecular tests. 52.4% of the transplanted mussel samples were positive for at least
one enteric virus. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was identified in each site (17/37; 45.9%). Three samples were
positive for hepatitis E virus (HEV) (8.1%) and two (5.4%) for norovirus (NoV) genogroup I. Coliphages and
RYC 2056 phages were detected in all sites, while HSP 40 phages were detected in three sites. Results
demonstrate the ability of transplanted mussels in accumulating and retaining different species of enteric
microorganisms. Their utility as bio-monitor organisms enables testing for viral marine pollutio
Ottimizzazione degli interventi processistici e delle pratiche gestionali degli impianti di trattamento reflui finalizzate alla rimozione dei virus
Ottimizzazione degli interventi processistici e delle pratiche gestionali degli impianti di trattamento reflui finalizzate alla rimozione dei virus
Protozoi e virus in matrici ambientali con particolare riguardo alla valutazione dei rischi igienico sanitari legati al riutilizzo delle acque reflue.
[The birth of nanobiotechnologies: new nanomaterials, potential uses, toxic effects and implications for public health]
Nanotechnologies hold considerable promise of advances in many sectors especially the biomedical field, since the materials used are of the appropriate dimensions to interact with important biological matter such as proteins, DNA and viruses. In this field the use of nanotechnologies will probably be second in importance only to biotechnologies. However many characteristics of nanomaterials that make them so promising from a technological point of view may also lead to negative effects on the environment and human health. It is important therefore that the environmental and work-related exposure effects to these materials be evaluated. In this article the potential uses, toxic effects and public health implications of nanobiotechnologies are discussed
Influence of enteric viruses on gastroenteritis in Albania: Epidemiological and molecular analysis
Gastroenteritis is one of the most important diseases in developing country and viral infections are well documented. To understand better the epidemiological aspect of gastroenteritis in Albania and especially viral gastroenteritis, one-year study was carried out with the cooperation of physicians working in the Paediatric Hospital in University Hospital Center "Mother Thereza" in Tirana. Three hundred thirteen stool samples were collected from children with diarrhoea and a questionnaire was filled by the health personnel for each child. Analysis of the questionnaires revealed that overcrowding families and the limited availability of drinking water at home were risk factors for gastroenteritis. All the tests for enteroviruses were carried out using the molecular methods. One hundred and forty-seven out of three hundred thirteen stool samples showed a specific amplification band for one of the enteric viruses: astrovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus, and norovirus with an overall positive specimen rate of 46.9%. Rotavirus was the most frequent virus identified in 105 out of 147 samples (71.4%), astrovirus in 5 (3.4%), norovirus in 19 (12.9%), and enteric adenovirus in 18 (12.3%) samples. Double infection was present only in 14 samples (9.5%). The data suggest an evident circulation of viruses involved in gastroenteritis with a higher prevalence of rotavirus