Fabrication and characterization of II-VI semiconductor nanoparticles decorated electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers.

Semiconductor nanoparticles incorporated highly aligned electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite nanofibers were obtained via a simple, scalable and low-cost dip coating technique at room temperature. The resultant PAN nanofibers exhibited good incorporation of CdS, ZnS and CoS semiconductor nanoparticles. The detailed characterizations of these composite nanofibers were investigated. The incorporation of semiconductor nanoparticles on the surfaces of PAN nanofibers were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics revealed that the electrical conductivity of these composite nanofibers were higher than that of the pristine PAN nanofibers. Overall, the feasibility of obtaining uniformly dispersed semiconductor nanoparticles on PAN nanofibers can be utilized for the realization of various nanotechnological device applications.

Effects of the ethanol extract of Cichorium intybus on the immunotoxicity by ethanol in mice.

Effects of the ethanol extract of Cichorium intybus (CIEE) on the immunotoxicity of ethanol (EtOH) were investigated in ICR mice. Mice were divided into four groups, and CIEE at dose of 300 mg/kg was orally administered to mice daily for 28 consecutive days, and normal mice were given vehicle. Mice treated with EtOH were given freely with 20% w/v EtOH solution. The results of this study are summarized as follows: The combination of CIEE and EtOH showed significant increases in the circulating leukocytes and the relative weights of liver, spleen and thymus, as compared with those in mice treated with EtOH alone. However, the body weight gain was not affected. Splenic plaque forming cells (PFC) and hemagglutination (HA) titers to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and the secondary IgG antibody response to bovine serum albumin (BSA) were markedly enhanced by CIEE plus EtOH treatment as compared with the treatment of EtOH alone. In mice receiving the combination of CIEE and EtOH when compared with EtOH alone-treated mice, there were also significant increases in delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, phagocytic activity, natural killer (NK) cell activity and cell proliferation as well as interferony (IFN-gamma) secretion. In the case of interleukin-4 (IL-4) content, however, an insignificant induction observed by CIEE plus EtOH treatment. These findings indicate that the immunotoxicity induced by EtOH is significantly restored or prevented by CIEE treatment.