[Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), and his disease]. / Federico Chopin (1810-1849) y su enfermedad.

Frédéric Chopin - a great Polish composer and pianist-suffered from a chronic disease. Both during his life and after his death, physicians disagreed on Chopin's diagnosis. His contemporaries accepted the diagnosis of tuberculosis, a common disease in the 18th century. Description of new clinical entities provoked new dilemmas in the 21th century. Although other alternative diagnoses to tuberculosis have emerged, such as cystic fibrosis or alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, we still sustain that the first diagnosis is the most probable. In this paper we report F. Chopin's case history and discuss cons and pros for different diseases as the cause of F. Chopin's suffering and death.

Boron nitride nanotube@NiFe2O4: a highly efficient system for magnetohyperthermia therapy.

Aim: The field of nanotechnology promotes the development of innovative and more effective cancer therapies. This work is aimed to develop a hybrid system that combines the capacity of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) to be internalized by tumor cells and the ability of nickel ferrite nanoparticles to efficiently release heat by induced AC magnetic heating. Materials & methods: The systems studied were characterized by using x-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Results: The ferrite nanoparticles attached to BNNT were able to achieve the required temperatures for magnetohyperthermia therapies. After cellular internalization, AC induced magnetic heating of BNNT@NiFe2O4 can kill almost 80% of Hela cells lineage in a single cycle. Conclusion: This system can be a highly efficient magnetohyperthermia agent in cancer therapy.

An Assessment of the Potential Use of BNNTs for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.

Currently, nanostructured compounds have been standing out for their optical, mechanical, and chemical features and for the possibilities of manipulation and regulation of complex biological processes. One of these compounds is boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which are a nanostructured material analog to carbon nanotubes, but formed of nitrogen and boron atoms. BNNTs present high thermal stability along with high chemical inertia. Among biological applications, its biocompatibility, cellular uptake, and functionalization potential can be highlighted, in addition to its eased utilization due to its nanometric size and tumor cell internalization. When it comes to new forms of therapy, we can draw attention to boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), an experimental radiotherapy characterized by a boron-10 isotope carrier inside the target and a thermal neutron beam focused on it. The activation of the boron-10 atom by a neutron generates a lithium atom, a gamma ray, and an alpha particle, which can be used to destroy tumor tissues. The aim of this work was to use BNNTs as a boron-10 carrier for BNCT and to demonstrate its potential. The nanomaterial was characterized through XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The WST-8 assay was performed to confirm the cell viability of BNNTs. The cells treated with BNNTs were irradiated with the neutron beam of a Triga reactor, and the apoptosis caused by the activation of the BNNTs was measured with a calcein AM/propidium iodide test. The results demonstrate that this nanomaterial is a promising candidate for cancer therapy through BNCT.

Federico Chopin (1810-1849) y su enfermedad / Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), and his disease

Frédéric Chopin - a great Polish composer and pianist-suffered from a chronic disease. Both during his life and after his death, physicians disagreed on Chopin's diagnosis. His contemporaries accepted the diagnosis of tuberculosis, a common disease in the 18th century. Description of new clinical entities provoked new dilemmas in the 21th century. Although other alternative diagnoses to tuberculosis have emerged, such as cystic fibrosis or alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, we still sustain that the first diagnosis is the most probable. In this paper we report F. Chopin's case history and discuss cons and pros for different diseases as the cause of F. Chopin's suffering and death.