Ormosils loaded with SiO2 nanoparticles functionalized with Ag as multifunctional superhydrophobic/biocidal/consolidant treatments for buildings conservation.

The alarming increase of pollution has significantly increased buildings maintenance. Nowadays, the economic figures associated to repairing activities are even more relevant than those corresponding to new construction works, especially on heritage buildings. Since the degradation of building materials is the result of a complex combination of physical, chemical and biological agents, the development of multifunctional protective treatments remains a significant challenge. We report a simple strategy to produce a versatile biocidal/superhydrophobic/consolidant treatment by incorporating biocidal Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) grafted to functionalized SiO2NPs into a silica sol, which can be applied by simple procedures such as spraying. The use of an Ag-SiO2 coupling agent increases biocidal effectiveness up to >90% values due to: (1) an increase of the AgNPs stability; (2) a hierarchical roughness due to the formation of Ag/SiO2NPs clusters; and (3) an enhanced contact with the cell walls. In addition, the synergistic effect allows for an easier removal of the dead cells, increasing the durability of the treatment.

Large scale, prospective screening of EGFR mutations in the blood of advanced NSCLC patients to guide treatment decisions.

BACKGROUND: In a significant percentage of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, tumor tissue is unavailable or insufficient for genetic analyses. We prospectively analyzed if circulating-free DNA (cfDNA) purified from blood can be used as a surrogate in this setting to select patients for treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected in 119 hospitals from 1138 advanced NSCLC patients at presentation (n = 1033) or at progression to EGFR-TKIs (n = 105) with no biopsy or insufficient tumor tissue. Serum and plasma were sent to a central laboratory, cfDNA purified and EGFR mutations analyzed and quantified using a real-time PCR assay. Response data from a subset of patients (n = 18) were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: Of 1033 NSCLC patients at presentation, 1026 were assessable; with a prevalence of males and former or current smokers. Sensitizing mutations were found in the cfDNA of 113 patients (11%); with a majority of females, never smokers and exon 19 deletions. Thirty-one patients were positive only in plasma and 11 in serum alone and mutation load was higher in plasma and in cases with exon 19 deletions. More than 50% of samples had <10 pg mutated genomes/µl with allelic fractions below 0.25%. Patients treated first line with TKIs based exclusively on EGFR positivity in blood had an ORR of 72% and a median PFS of 11 months. Of 105 patients screened after progression to EGFR-TKIs, sensitizing mutations were found in 56.2% and the p.T790M resistance mutation in 35.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Large-scale EGFR testing in the blood of unselected advanced NSCLC patients is feasible and can be used to select patients for targeted therapy when testing cannot be done in tissue. The characteristics and clinical outcomes to TKI treatment of the EGFR-mutated patients identified are undistinguishable from those positive in tumor.

TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials.

The high pollution levels in our cities are producing a significant increase of dust on buildings. An application of photoactive coatings on building materials can produce buildings with self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we have developed a simple sol-gel route for producing Au-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts with application on buildings. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) improved the TiO2 photoactivity under solar radiation because they promoted absorption in the visible range. We varied the content of AuNPs in the sols under study, in order to investigate their effect on self-cleaning properties. The sols obtained were sprayed on a common building stone, producing coatings which adhere firmly to the stone and preserve their aesthetic qualities. We studied the decolourization efficiency of the photocatalysts under study against methylene blue and against soot (a real staining agent for buildings). Finally, we established that the coating with an intermediate Au content presented the best self-cleaning performance, due to the role played by its structure and texture on its photoactivity.

Immunochemical detection of protein adducts in cultured human hepatocytes exposed to diclofenac.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac is reported to cause, in rare cases, fulminant hepatic necrosis associated with chronic use of the drug. In order to investigate the possibility that covalent protein adducts of reactive metabolites of diclofenac might be responsible for the hepatotoxicity produced by this drug, we developed an antibody against a diclofenac-keyhole limpet hemocyanin adduct. The anti-diclofenac antibody did recognize diclofenac-protein adducts on Western blots of homogenates of cultured human hepatocytes exposed to diclofenac. The major detected adduct was a 60 kDa protein, which was present in both human and rat hepatocytes. These results suggest that binding of diclofenac to human hepatocytes is, like in rats, selective and that a 60 kDa protein appears to be the major target for alkylation. Immunoblots of homogenates of liver sinusoidal lining cells (LSLC) from rats treated with diclofenac also exhibited adducts with a 60 kDa protein. This fact suggest a role for LSLC in processing of chemically altered proteins in the liver.

Formation of siliceous sediments in brandy after diatomite filtration.

Brandy is quite a stable spirit but sometimes light sediment appears. This sediment was separated and analysed by IR and SEM-EDX. It was revealed that the sediment is composed mostly of silica and residual organic matter. Silica was present as an amorphous phase and as microparticles. In an attempt to reproduce the formation of the sediment, a diatomite extract was prepared with an ethanol/water mixture (36% vol.) and a calcined diatomite similar to that used in brandy filtration. This extract was added to unfiltered brandy in different amounts. After 1 month, the Si concentration decreased in all samples and sediments with similar compositions and features to those found in the unstable brandy appeared. The amounts of sediment obtained were directly related to the decrease in Si concentration in solution. Consequently, it can be concluded that siliceous sediment in brandy originates from Si released during diatomite filtration.

Purification of a biologically active recombinant glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Candida albicans.

We report here the purification of a functionally active recombinant glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from Candida albicans. The GAPDH protein encoded by the TDH1 gene was obtained as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein by expression in the vector pGEX-4T-3, and purified by affinity chromatography and thrombin digestion. The purified protein displays GAPDH enzymatic activity (42 micromol NADH min(-1) mg(-1)) as well as the laminin and fibronectin binding activities previously described. In addition, the recombinant GAPDH is covalently modified by NAD linkage; this modification is stimulated by nitric oxide and probably involves a sulfhydryl group (cysteine) residue since it is inhibited by Hg(2+) and cysteine.

Clinical strains of Candida albicans express the surface antigen glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase in vitro and in infected tissues.

We have previously described the presence of an enzymatically active form of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in the cell surface of Candida albicans ATCC 26555 which is also a fibronectin and laminin binding protein. Immunohistochemical analysis of tissue sections from patients with disseminated candidiasis with a polyclonal antiserum to GAPDH from C. albicans (PAb anti-CA-GAPDH) revealed that the enzyme is expressed at the surface of fungal cells in infected tissues. The same PAb detected the presence of GAPDH species, with a molecular mass of approximately 33 kDa, in cell wall extracts obtained from clinical isolates of the fungus. These cell surface-bound GAPDH moieties exhibited a dose-dependent dehydrogenase activity. These results indicate that this cell surface-bound GAPDH plays a role during infection probably contributing to the attachment of fungal cells to host tissues.

Ubiquitinated granular structures and initial neurofibrillary changes in the human brain.

Ubiquitin-positive dots and granular structures from insular, temporopolar, hippocampal and parahippocampal cortices of nondemented and Alzheimer's disease patients have been studied with both light and electron microscopes. The relationship of both types of ubiquitin-positive elements with pretangle neurons and neurofibrillary tangles has been analyzed by comparing adjacent or nearly adjacent sections immunostained for either ubiquitin or an antibody that recognizes hyperphosphorylated tau protein (AT-8). Moreover, a double protocol with both antibodies was used in order to obtain double-stained sections. The presence of ubiquitin-positive dots and granular structures precedes the appearance of pretangle neurons in the youngest cases. In aged and Alzheimer disease cases, both types of ubiquitin-positive elements decrease in number as pretangle neurons are replaced by mature and ghost tangles. Ultrastructurally, dots and granular structures appear to be degenerating neuronal processes and/or terminals. Our results suggest that the degeneration of these processes and/or terminals might be related with the initiation of neurofibrillary degeneration.

Antibacterial activity of a substance produced by the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus (Fr.) Murr.

A fraction obtained from the culture fluids of Pycnoporus sanguineus fungus was shown to contain a compound with biological activity against strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and members of the genus Streptococcus. The fraction was clearly more active on Gram-positive cocci than on Gram-negative bacilli.

Comparative study of different essential oils of Bupleurum gibraltaricum Lamarck.

A comparative study was performed of the essential oil extracted from the fruiting apex of Bupleurum gibraltaricum Lamarck (Umbelliferae) collected in different areas within the province of Granada, including the Cázulas mountains, the Balcón de Canales and the Quéntar Reservoir. All three essential oils were very similar in chemical composition, consisting mainly of monoterpenic hydrocarbons (delta 3-carene and alpha-pinene). When anti-inflammatory activity against both acute (carrageenin-induced plantar edema) and subchronic inflammation (granuloma technique) was assayed, quantitative differences came to light: the essential oil of the Cázulas Mountains population was most active against acute inflammation owing to its high delta 3-carene content, whereas the Quéntar Reservoir essential oil of B. gibraltaricum was most effective against granuloma induced inflammation.

[Biochemical study of testicular biopsy in infertility]. / Estudio bioquímico de biopsia testicular en infertilidad.

Basic semen tests nowadays contain no variables that may allow to certify that a man is fertile. Starting from this premise it could be clinically very useful, for the diagnosis of male infertility, to evaluate a parameter that may be related to sexual maturity and be specific of the germinal tissue, such as the C4-lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme (C4-LDH), which could indicate the activity of the germinal epithelium and the quality of the spermatozoa. In our experience, C4-LDH activity in seminal plasma discriminates between fertile and non-fertile males; also, their testicular study has a good correlation both with histologically diagnosed disease and the seminal plasma levels. All of which suggest the diagnostic validity of plasma C4-LDH in male infertility, as a routine test which thus precludes the use of invasive techniques in the patient.

[Knowledge, opinions and attitudes of the Canarian Islands population towards nutrition]. / Conocimientos, opiniones y actitudes de la población de las Islas Canarias en relación con la nutrición.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate knowledge and identify opinions and attitudes of the Canary Island population towards eating in relation to health. DESIGN: Epidemiological, cross-sectional descriptive or prevalence study. SUBJECTS: 1747 people from the Canary Islands: 821 males (47%) and 926 females (53%) aged 6 to 75 years. RESULTS: In the Canary Islands, 46.7% of the study population considered their knowledge of food and nutrition to be adequate, although an important percentage of the population didn't know the foods they had to restrict to prevent hypercholesterolemia. 43% of the population studied declared to be ready to modify their diet for health reasons and 78.7% of the people surveyed considered physicians as the most reliable source of food and nutrition information. CONCLUSIONS: An important proportion of the Canarian population considers that they should change their diet to improve their health. Likewise, a large number of this population admits to being ready to positively modify their eating habits, and health professionals are a key element in this process.

Diatomite releases silica during spirit filtration.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether diatomite is an inert filter aid during spirit filtration. Surely, any compound with a negative effect on the spirit composition or the consumer's health could be dissolved. In this study different diatomites were treated with 36% vol. ethanol/water mixtures and the amounts and structures of the extracted compounds were determined. Furthermore, Brandy de Jerez was diatomite- and membrane-filtered at different temperatures and the silicon content was analysed. It was found that up to 0.36% by weight of diatomite dissolved in the aqueous ethanol and amorphous silica, in the form of hollow spherical microparticles, was the most abundant component. Silicon concentrations in Brandy de Jerez increased by up to 163.0% after contact with diatomite and these changes were more marked for calcined diatomite. In contrast, reductions of more than 30% in silicon concentrations were achieved after membrane filtration at low temperatures.

Sonosynthesis of gold nanoparticles from a geranium leaf extract.

A rapid in situ biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is proposed in which a geranium (Pelargonium zonale) leaf extract was used as a non-toxic reducing and stabilizing agent in a sonocatalysis process based on high-power ultrasound. The synthesis process took only 3.5 min in aqueous solution under ambient conditions. The stability of the nanoparticles was studied by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy with reference to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band. AuNPs have an average lifetime of about 8 weeks at 4 °C in the absence of light. The morphology and crystalline phase of the gold nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The composition of the nanoparticles was evaluated by electron diffraction and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A total of 80% of the gold nanoparticles obtained in this way have a diameter in the range 8-20 nm, with an average size of 12±3 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the presence of biomolecules that could be responsible for reducing and capping the biosynthesized gold nanoparticles. A hypothesis concerning the type of organic molecules involved in this process is also given. Experimental design linked to the simplex method was used to optimize the experimental conditions for this green synthesis route. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a high-power ultrasound-based sonocatalytic process and experimental design coupled to a simplex optimization process has been used in the biosynthesis of AuNPs.

New, fast and green procedure for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles based on sonocatalysis.

An easy, cheap and green synthetic route, using high-power ultrasounds and sodium citrate dihydrate as non-toxic reducing and stabilizer agent, produces gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution, and at ambient conditions. The time required for the synthesis is 5.5 min. The spherical nanoparticles obtained by this route show a homogeneous size distribution, within the range 5-17 nm, with an average diameter of 10±1 nm. Moreover, 90% of the particles have a diameter ranging from 7 to 13 nm, and their half-life is more than 30 days. The gold nanoparticles synthesized following this route are known as sononanoparticles. Gold sononanoparticles have been characterized by TEM and XRD and their stability has been studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Alternative experimental designs are compared to optimize the proposed synthesis procedure.