[Role of point-by-point light sensitivity in the assessment of glaucoma progression]. / Rol' potochechnoi svetochuvstvitel'nosti v otsenke progressirovaniya glaukomy.

PURPOSE: This study analyzes changes in light sensitivity in each test point of the visual field in patients with different stages of glaucoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data of a prospective analytical case-control study were analyzed. All patients underwent assessment of retinal light sensitivity and its variability in 54 points corresponding to the 24-2 program. Mean light sensitivity values were calculated in each point. Intergroup analysis was performed to evaluate changes in light sensitivity in each point. RESULTS: The range of light sensitivity decrease in the early glaucoma group compared to the control group was from 1.5 to 3.6 dB. The range of light sensitivity decrease in the moderate glaucoma group compared to the control group was from 2.1 to 11.5 dB, and compared to the early glaucoma group - from -0.9 to 7.9 dB. The most frequent decrease in light sensitivity was detected in the nasal sector and along the horizontal line in the upper half of the visual field. This trend persisted within the central 10 degrees of the visual field. The range of light sensitivity decrease in the advanced glaucoma group compared to the control group was from 14.1 to 28.0 dB, and compared to the early glaucoma group - from 11.35 to 26.08 dB, compared to the moderate glaucoma group - from 9.1 to 23.5 dB. The most frequent and severe decrease in light sensitivity was detected in the paracentral zone in the lower half of the visual field. CONCLUSION: The study analyzed the trends in the development of glaucoma from the early to the advanced stage. The most frequent and severe defect in light sensitivity in cases of verified advanced glaucoma was found in the lower half of the visual field. Points No. 32, 33 and 40 can be indicated as the area of interest in assessing the progression of glaucoma, as they were found to have the most profound changes in light sensitivity as glaucoma progressed.

Toxicological assessment of photoactivated tetra-cationic porphyrin molecules under white light exposure in a Caenorhabditis elegans model.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizes the potential of photosensitizing substances to absorb light energy and produce reactive oxygen species. Tetra-cationic porphyrins, which have organic or coordination compounds attached to their periphery, are heterocyclic derivatives with well-described antimicrobial and antitumoral properties. This is due to their ability to produce reactive oxygen species and their photobiological properties in solution. Consequently, these molecules are promising candidates as new and more effective photosensitizers with biomedical, environmental, and other biomedical applications. Prior to human exposure, it is essential to establish the toxicological profile of these molecules using in vivo models. In this study, we used Caenorhabditis elegans, a small free-living nematode, as a model for assessing toxic effects and predicting toxicity in preclinical research. We evaluated the toxic effects of porphyrins (neutral and tetra-cationic) on nematodes under dark/light conditions. Our findings demonstrate that tetra-methylated porphyrins (3TMeP and 4TMeP) at a concentration of 3.3 µg/mL (1.36 and 0.93 µM) exhibit high toxicity (as evidenced by reduced survival, development, and locomotion) under dark conditions. Moreover, photoactivated tetra-methylated porphyrins induce higher ROS levels compared to neutral (3TPyP and 4TPyP), tetra-palladated (3PdTPyP and 4PdTPyP), and tetra-platinated (3PtTPyP and 4PtTPyP) porphyrins, which may be responsible for the observed toxic effects.

Enhanced visible light driven photodegradation of rifampicin and Cr(VI) reduction activity of ultra-thin ZnO nanosheets/CuCo2S4QDs: A mechanistic insights, degradation pathway and toxicity assessment.

In this study, we focused on fabrication of porous ultra-thin ZnO nanosheet (PUNs)/CuCo2S4 quantum dots (CCS QDs) for visible light-driven photodegradation of rifampicin (RIF) and Cr(VI) reduction. The morphology, structural, optical and textural properties of fabricated photocatalyst were critically analyzed with different analytical and spectroscopic techniques. An exceptionally high RIF degradation (99.97%) and maximum hexavalent Cr(VI) reduction (96.17%) under visible light was achieved at 10 wt% CCS QDs loaded ZnO, which is 213% and 517% greater than bare ZnO PUNs. This enhancement attributed to the improved visible light absorption, interfacial synergistic effect, and high surface-rich active sites. Extremely high generation of ●OH attributed to the spin-orbit coupling in ZnO PUNs@CCS QDs and the existence of oxygen vacancies. Besides, the ZnOPUNs@CCS QDs, forming Z-scheme heterojunctions, enhanced the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. We investigated the influencing factors such as pH, inorganic ions, catalyst dosage and drug dosage on the degradation process. More impressively, a stable performance of ZnO PUNs@CCS QDs obtained even after six consecutive degradation (85.9%) and Cr(VI) reduction (67.7%) cycles. Furthermore, the toxicity of intermediates produced during the photodegradation process were assessed using ECOSAR program. This work provides a new strategy for ZnO-based photocatalysis as a promising candidate for the treatment of various contaminants present in water bodies.

Efficient visible light-driven photodegradation of glyphosate utilizing Bi2WO6 with oxygen vacancies: Performance, mechanism, and toxicity assessment.

Global environmental deterioration poses a major risk to ecological security and human health, and emerging technologies are urgently needed to deal with it. Therefore, the exploitation of photocatalysts with favorable activity for efficient degradation of pesticide contaminants is one of the strategies to achieve environmental remediation. Herein, oxygen vacancy-rich Bi2WO6 (Ov-BWO) was prepared through a solvothermal method utilizing ethylene glycol (EG), which exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency in photodegradation of glyphosate. The formation of oxygen vacancies (Ovs) in Ov-BWO was demonstrated utilizing XPS and EPR. PL, TRPL, photocurrent tests, and EIS analyses revealed that Ovs accelerated effective transfer of photogenerated charge, extended lifetime of charge carriers, promoted production of active species and significantly improved the photocatalytic performance. Compared with the low-activity Bi2WO6 (BWO, 59.6%), Ov-BWO showed outstanding photocatalytic activity, achieving a degradation efficiency of 91% for glyphosate at 120 min of visible light irradiation. Moreover, Ov-BWO also displayed outstanding recyclable stability after four repeated uses. Based on the characterization of photoelectric properties, a feasible photocatalytic reaction was put forth, along with glyphosate degradation pathways. Furthermore, the degradation intermediates of glyphosate were analyzed in detail employing HPLC-MS. The toxicity assessment indicated that degraded products had been proven to be non-toxic to the ecological system. This work presents the potential of photocatalysts with Ovs for the photodegradation of pesticides, providing a viable strategy for environmental renovation.

Assessment of Protein Binding Using Asymmetric-Flow Field-Flow Fractionation Combined with Multi-angle Light Scattering and Dynamic Light Scattering.

Asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is a valuable tool to separate and assess different size populations in nanotherapeutics. When coupled with both static light scattering and dynamic light scattering, it can be used to qualitatively assess protein binding to nanoparticles by comparing the shape factors for both non-plasma-incubated samples and plasma-incubated samples. The shape factor is defined as the ratio of the derived root mean square radius (by static light scattering) to the measured hydrodynamic radius (by dynamic light scattering). The shape factor gives an idea of where the center of mass lies in a nanoparticle, and any shift in the shape factor to larger values is indicative of a mass addition to the periphery of the nanoparticle and suggests the presence of protein binding. This protocol will discuss how to set up an experiment to assess protein binding in nanoparticles using AF4, multi-angle light scattering (MALS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS).

Nanoparticle Size Distribution and Stability Assessment Using Asymmetric-Flow Field-Flow Fractionation.

Nanomaterials are inherently polydisperse. Traditional techniques, such as the widely used batch-mode dynamic light-scattering (DLS) analysis, are not ideal nor thoroughly descriptive enough to define the full complexity of these materials. Asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) with various in-line detectors, such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), multi-angle light scattering (MALS), refractive index (RI), and DLS, is an alternative technique that can provide flow-mode analysis of not only size distribution but also shape, drug release/stability, and protein binding.

Three-state mathematical model for the assessment of DCMU-treated photosystem II heterogeneity.

Photosystem II (PSII) is one of the main pigment-protein complexes of photosynthesis which is highly sensitive to unfavorable environmental factors. The heterogeneity of PSII properties is essential for the resistance of autotrophic organisms to stress factors. Assessment of the PSII heterogeneity may be used in environmental monitoring for on-line detection of contamination of the environment. We propose an approach to assess PSII oxygen-evolving complex and light-harvesting antenna heterogeneity that is based on mathematical modeling of the shape of chlorophyll a fluorescence rise of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea-treated samples. The hierarchy of characteristic times of the processes considered in the model makes it possible to reduce the model to a system of three ordinary differential equations. The analytic solution of the reduced three-state model is expressed as a sum of two exponential functions, and it exactly reproduces the solution of the complete system within the time range from microseconds to hundreds of milliseconds. The combination of several such models for reaction centers with different properties made it possible to use it as an instrument to study PSII heterogeneity. PSII heterogeneity was studied for Chlamydomonas at different intensities of actinic light, for Scenedesmus under short-term heating, and for Chlorella grown in nitrate-enriched and nitrate-depleted media.

Mathematical Analysis of Light-sensitivity Related Challenges in Assessment of the Intrinsic Period of the Human Circadian Pacemaker.

Accurate assessment of the intrinsic period of the human circadian pacemaker is essential for a quantitative understanding of how our circadian rhythms are synchronized to exposure to natural and man-made light-dark (LD) cycles. The gold standard method for assessing intrinsic period in humans is forced desynchrony (FD) which assumes that the confounding effect of lights-on assessment of intrinsic period is removed by scheduling sleep-wake and associated dim LD cycles to periods outside the range of entrainment of the circadian pacemaker. However, the observation that the mean period of free-running blind people is longer than the mean period of sighted people assessed by FD (24.50 ± 0.17 h vs 24.15 ± 0.20 h, p <0.001) appears inconsistent with this assertion. Here, we present a mathematical analysis using a simple parametric model of the circadian pacemaker with a sinusoidal velocity response curve (VRC) describing the effect of light on the speed of the oscillator. The analysis shows that the shorter period in FD may be explained by exquisite sensitivity of the human circadian pacemaker to low light intensities and a VRC with a larger advance region than delay region. The main implication of this analysis, which generates new and testable predictions, is that current quantitative models for predicting how light exposure affects entrainment of the human circadian system may not accurately capture the effect of dim light. The mathematical analysis generates new predictions which can be tested in laboratory experiments. These findings have implications for managing healthy entrainment of human circadian clocks in societies with abundant access to light sources with powerful biological effects.

Proposal and practicality of an alternative blue-light hazard risk assessment method for high-intensity white-light sources at workplaces.

Objectives. It is prescribed to determine blue-light hazard (BLH) weighted radiances, LB, for an assessment of spotlights with an angular subtense α≥11mrad. The BLH weighted irradiance, EB, can be used alternatively for smaller sources. Appropriate instruments are not common among persons commissioned with risk assessment (RA), and especially LB measurements may be challenging. Therefore, a practical BLH RA approach is proposed that is based on illuminance, Ev, pre-calculated blackbody BLH efficacies of luminous radiation, KB,vPlanck, and solid angle considerations. Methods. The practicality of this method was examined and compared against other RA approaches. Results. To ensure comparability of the applied instruments, measurements were performed close to a radiance standard, showing deviations within the lamp's expanded uncertainties (<4%), whereas the deviations were ±15% for longer distances. Focusing on a complex light-emitting diode (LED) spotlight, all detected values could be converted to LB by means of the RA methods within ±20%. Two field tests with several spotlights yielded maximum permissible exposure durations (MPED) obtained from the different RA approaches that agreed among each other within uncertainties largely below ±30%. Conclusion. The general practicality of the proposed Ev method can be concluded for a workplace BLH RA of white-light sources.

Visibility of inflicted bruises by alternate light: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Difficulty visualizing bruises resulting from interpersonal violence, especially in individuals with dark skin, contributes to disparities in access to justice. The purpose of this analysis was to compare bruise visibility of detected injuries using white light versus alternate light sources (ALS). Visibility was assessed using the 5-point Bruise Visibility Scale (BVS) for white light and the ALS Visibility Scale (AVS) for ALS. Bruises were induced using controlled application of a paintball to the upper arm on 157 healthy adults across six skin color categories. Using a crossover design, the light source used first to assess the bruise (white light or ALS) was randomized. Each bruise was examined up to 21 times over 4 weeks using white light and 10 combinations of wavelengths (350 nanometer [nm] - 535 nm) and colored filters (yellow, orange, and red). Multilevel modeling was used to analyze the repeated measures data with a total 20,103 bruise assessments. Results revealed 415 nm with yellow filter resulted in an almost 0.5-point increase in BVS/AVS score across all skin colors (Estimate = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.49; p < 0.001), a clinically significant improvement in ability to visualize bruises. Conversely, 515 nm (Estimate = -0.80; 95% CI: -0.84, -0.76; p < 0.001) and 535 nm (Estimate = -0.64, 95% CI: -0.67, -0.60; p < 0.001) with red filter resulted in more than 0.5-point decrease in BVS/AVS score. The use of ALS is supported by the data and results in improved bruise visibility during medical forensic examinations.

Assessment of Directional-Hemispherical Reflectance of Tablets with Cefuroxime during Storage under Elevated Temperature and Ultraviolet Radiation.

Environmental conditions can lead to changes in the physical and chemical structures of drug products. In this study, the stability of cefuroxime tablets stored under adverse conditions was evaluated based on total directional-hemispherical reflectance (THR). The THR value was measured before and after the tablets' exposure to stress factors (temperature of 45 °C and UV radiation). Each measurement was performed three times within seven spectral bands at the beginning of the experiment (day 0), and then on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. In addition, hyperspectral profiles (400-1030 nm) were analyzed on days 0 and 7. A significant decrease in THR values in all wavelength ranges was observed when day 7 vs. day 0 were compared, especially for spectral bands of 335-380 nm and 1700-2500 nm (Δ = 0.220, p < 0.001 and Δ = 0.171, p < 0.001, respectively). The hyperspectral analysis confirmed a decrease in the reflectance after the end of stress conditions in the visible light range (400-700 nm) compared to tablets before the experiment. This may indicate that more radiation entered the tablets. In conclusion, the THR of cefuroxime tablets decreases during the exposure to heat and UV radiation, which may result from some physicochemical changes that have occurred during storage.

Advances in laser speckle imaging: From qualitative to quantitative hemodynamic assessment.

Laser speckle imaging (LSI) techniques have emerged as a promising method for visualizing functional blood vessels and tissue perfusion by analyzing the speckle patterns generated by coherent light interacting with living biological tissue. These patterns carry important biophysical tissue information including blood flow dynamics. The noninvasive, label-free, and wide-field attributes along with relatively simple instrumental schematics make it an appealing imaging modality in preclinical and clinical applications. The review outlines the fundamentals of speckle physics and the three categories of LSI techniques based on their degree of quantification: qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative. Qualitative LSI produces microvascular maps by capturing speckle contrast variations between blood vessels containing moving red blood cells and the surrounding static tissue. Semi-quantitative techniques provide a more accurate analysis of blood flow dynamics by accounting for the effect of static scattering on spatiotemporal parameters. Quantitative LSI such as optical speckle image velocimetry provides quantitative flow velocity measurements, which is inspired by the particle image velocimetry in fluid mechanics. Additionally, discussions regarding the prospects of future innovations in LSI techniques for optimizing the vascular flow quantification with associated clinical outlook are presented.

Cost-effective efficient materials for dye degradation using non-aqueous sol-gel route.

In the present studies, the synthesis of pure ZnO nanoparticles and Mg and S-doped ZnO particles were carried out using a non-aqueous sol-gel method. The synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) are characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, FTIR, UV-Vis-DRS, XPS, PL, and BET surface area analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to examine the crystallization of ZnO, Mg-ZnO, and S-ZnO samples. The Mg-ZnO and S-ZnO samples exhibit significant c-axis compression and smaller crystallite sizes as compared to undoped ZnO. The optical band gap of Mg-ZnO and S-ZnO NPs were found to be 2.93 eV and 2.32 eV, respectively, which are lower than that of ZnO NPs (3.05 eV). The S-doped ZnO resulted in the homogenous distribution of sulfur ions in the ZnO lattice crystal. XPS analysis revealed that the doped S element was mostly S4+ and S6+. A systematic evaluation has been conducted to assess the influence of several operational parameters, including doped/undoped stoichiometry, solution pH, catalyst dosage, and radical trapping experiment, on the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) dye. Furthermore, we investigated the photocatalytic degradation activity of ZnO, Mg-ZnO, and S-ZnO samples with aquoues solution of 5 ppm Rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) at room temperature. Results indicated that pure ZnO nanoparticles have the highest photocatalytic degradation rate constant (0.00344 min-1), compared to the samples Mg-ZnO (0.00104 min-1) and S-ZnO (0.00108 min-1) with Rh 6G dye in presence of visible light emitting diode (Vis-LED) source at room temperature. The enhanced visible light photocatalytic activities of pure ZnO NPs were attributed to their superior surface properties (18.30 m2/g) and effective electron-hole separation.

Incremental residual polarization caused by aging in human skin.

Significance: The study of the effect of aging on the optical properties of biological tissues, in particular polarization, is important in the development of new diagnostic approaches. Aim: This work aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors and mechanisms that contribute to the alteration of skin polarization properties caused by aging, using polarization-sensitive hyperspectral imaging measurements and Monte Carlo simulation. Approach: Our investigation involved both experimental studies of in vivo human skin of volunteers of different ages and computational modeling that accounted for changes in the absorption and scattering properties of the skin model. Specifically, we analyzed alterations in the degree of linear polarization (DOLP) to better understand the impact of aging on skin polarization properties. Results: A statistically significant increase in the DOLP was found for the elderly group. At the same time, there was no correlation between changes in polarization and the calculated blood volume fraction parameter for different ages. According to the simulation results, it was also found that a change in the scattering properties of biological tissues has a more significant effect on the change in polarizing light compared to the change in absorption. Conclusions: The results of the work prove that the sensitivity of polarization imaging to age- or pathological-related skin changes may be primarily due to changes in scattering, which in turn is associated with changes in the collagen fibers of the dermis. The proposed technique shows promise for in vivo non-invasive real-time assessment of age-associated skin changes and can also be extended to monitor changes associated with the development of age-related pathologies.

Texture and color enhancement imaging improves the visibility of gastric neoplasms: clinical trial with image catalogue assessment using conventional and newly developed endoscopes.

BACKGROUND: Texture and color enhancement imaging (TXI) enhances the changes in endoscopic features caused by gastric neoplasms, such as redness/whiteness and elevation/depression. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of TXI in improving the visibility of gastric neoplasms compared with white light imaging (WLI) using conventional (CE) and newly developed endoscopes (NE). METHODS: We recruited patients who were histologically diagnosed with gastric neoplasms; endoscopy was performed, and gastric neoplasms photographed using three imaging modalities, including WLI, TXI mode 1 (TXI-1) and TXI mode 2 (TXI-2). Two different endoscopes (CE and NE) were used for the same patients. Six endoscopists provided the visibility scale scores ranging from 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent) for gastric neoplasms. The primary outcome was the visibility scale scores based on each modality and endoscope. The secondary outcome was the identification of factors including H. pylori infection, atrophy, location, size, morphology, histological diagnosis and intestinal metaplasia that affect the differences in visibility scale scores between TXI-1/TXI-2 and WLI. RESULTS: Fifty-two gastric neoplasms were analyzed. The mean visibility scale scores with the NE were 2.79 ± 1.07, 3.23 ± 0.96 and 3.14 ± 0.92 for WLI, TXI-1 and TXI-2, respectively. The mean visibility scales with the CE were 2.53 ± 1.10, 3.04 ± 1.05 and 2.96 ± 1.92 for WLI, TXI-1 and TXI-2, respectively. For both endoscopes, significant differences were observed in visibility scale scores between WLI and TXI-1 (p < 0.001) and between WLI and TXI-2 (p < 0.001). The visibility scale scores of NE were superior to those of CE in all modalities. In the secondary outcome, there was no factor affected the differences of visibility scale scores between TXI-1/TXI-2 and WLI. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that TXI-1 and TXI-2 enhanced the visibility scale scores of gastric neoplasms compared with that of WLI. Moreover, newly developed endoscope has the potential to improve visibility compared to conventional endoscope. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN000042429, 16/11/2020).

Assessment of hyperspectral imaging and CycleGAN-simulated narrowband techniques to detect early esophageal cancer.

The clinical signs and symptoms of esophageal cancer (EC) are often not discernible until the intermediate or advanced phases. The detection of EC in advanced stages significantly decreases the survival rate to below 20%. This study conducts a comparative analysis of the efficacy of several imaging techniques, including white light image (WLI), narrowband imaging (NBI), cycle-consistent adversarial network simulated narrowband image (CNBI), and hyperspectral imaging simulated narrowband image (HNBI), in the early detection of esophageal cancer (EC). In conjunction with Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, a dataset consisting of 1000 EC pictures was used, including 500 images captured using WLI and 500 images captured using NBI. The CycleGAN model was used to generate the CNBI dataset. Additionally, a novel method for HSI imaging was created with the objective of generating HNBI pictures. The evaluation of the efficacy of these four picture types in early detection of EC was conducted using three indicators: CIEDE2000, entropy, and the structural similarity index measure (SSIM). Results of the CIEDE2000, entropy, and SSIM analyses suggest that using CycleGAN to generate CNBI images and HSI model for creating HNBI images is superior in detecting early esophageal cancer compared to the use of conventional WLI and NBI techniques.

Green credit policy and labor investment efficiency: evidence from China.

Green finance plays a crucial role in driving green development. By leveraging the implementation of the "Green Credit Guidelines" as a quasi-natural experiment in 2012, our study provides compelling evidence that this green credit policy enhances the efficient investment in labor. Our mechanism analysis indicates that the positive impact primarily stems from the upgrading of human capital and the mitigation of agency conflicts. Moreover, we find that the effect of the green credit policy on the efficient investment in labor by green credit-restricted firms is more pronounced when these firms face robust environmental law enforcement and operate with low labor intensity. Additionally, the enhanced investment in labor demonstrates a significant positive influence on future enterprise value. Overall, our findings underscore the significant improvement in corporate labor investment efficiency resulting from the successful implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines.

Boosted Photocatalytic Performance for Antibiotics Removal with Ag/PW12/TiO2 Composite: Degradation Pathways and Toxicity Assessment.

Photocatalyst is the core of photocatalysis and directly determines photocatalytic performance. However, low quantum efficiency and low utilization of solar energy are important technical problems in the application of photocatalysis. In this work, a series of polyoxometalates (POMs) [H3PW12O40] (PW12)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers modified with various amount of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by utilizing electrospinning/photoreduction strategy, and were labelled as x wt% Ag/PW12/TiO2 (abbr. x% Ag/PT, x = 5, 10, and 15, respectively). The as-prepared materials were characterized with a series of techniques and exhibited remarkable catalytic activities for visible-light degradation tetracycline (TC), enrofloxacin (ENR), and methyl orange (MO). Particularly, the 10% Ag/PT catalyst with a specific surface area of 155.09 m2/g and an average aperture of 4.61 nm possessed the optimal photodegradation performance, with efficiencies reaching 78.19% for TC, 93.65% for ENR, and 99.29% for MO, which were significantly higher than those of PW12-free Ag/TiO2 and PT nanofibers. Additionally, various parameters (the pH of the solution, catalyst usage, and TC concentration) influencing the degradation process were investigated in detail. The optimal conditions are as follows: catalyst usage: 20 mg; TC: 20 mL of 20 ppm; pH = 7. Furthermore, the photodegradation intermediates and pathways were demonstrated by HPLC-MS measurement. We also investigated the toxicity of products generated during TC removal by employing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) prediction through a toxicity estimation software tool (T.E.S.T. Version 5.1.2.). The mechanism study showed that the doping of PW12 and the modification of Ag NPs on TiO2 broadened the visible-light absorption, accelerating the effective separation of photogenerated carriers, therefore resulting in an enhanced photocatalytic performance. The research provided some new thoughts for exploiting efficient and durable photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Assessment of the PARP inhibitor talazoparib photosafety profile.

Talazoparib (TLZ) is a poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase inhibitor employed for the treatment of breast cancer. This drug displays an absorption band in the UVA region, and therefore investigation of the possible phototoxic side-effects associated to its administration results of enormous relevance. In this context, we describe here a photochemical and photobiological study to ascertain the photosafety profile of TLZ. Concerning transient species, the singlet and triplet excited states of TLZ were detected by fluorescence (λmax em = 440 nm) and laser flash photolysis experiments (λmax abs = 400 nm), respectively. Remarkably, TLZ irradiation with UVA light in aqueous solution resulted in formation of a stable photooxidated product, TLZ-P, whose absorption band is extended until the visible region. From in vitro experiments, phototoxicity was revealed for the parent drug by neutral red uptake (NRU) assays, with a PIF value of ca 7; besides, TLZ induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and produced significant damage to both proteins and DNA. By contrast, the singlet and triplet excited states of TLZ-P were not detected, and no photodamage was observed in the NRU experiments. Overall, the results indicate that TLZ induces phototoxicity, whereas its photoproduct exhibits photosafety.

Fabrication of new composite NCuTiO2/CQD for photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin and pharmaceutical wastewater treatment: degradation pathway, toxicity assessment.

In this research, the photocatalytic degradation of CIP from aqueous solutions using CQD decorated on N-Cu co-doped titania (NCuTCQD) was made during two synthesis steps by sol-gel and hydrothermal methods. The fabricated catalysts were analyzed using various techniques, including XRD, FT-IR, BET, FESEM, EDX, and DRS. The results showed that N and Cu atoms were doped on TiO2 and CQD was well deposited on NCuT. The investigation of effective operational parameters demonstrated that the complete removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP: 20 mg/L) could be achieved at pH 7.0, NCuTCQD4wt%: 0.8 g/L, and light intensity: 100 mW/cm2 over 60 min reaction time. The O2•- and OH˙ radicals were identified as the primary reactive species during the decontamination process. The synthesized photocatalyst could be recycled after six consecutive cycles of CIP decomposition with an insignificant decrease in performance. Pharmaceutical wastewater was treated through the optimum degradation conditions which showed the photocatalytic degradation eliminated 89% of COD and 75% of TOC within 180 min. In the effluent toxicity evaluation, the EC50 values for treated and untreated pharmaceutical wastewater increased from 62.50% to 140%, indicating that the NCuTCQD4wt%/Vis system can effectively reduce the toxic effects of pharmaceutical wastewater on aquatic environments.