Chemical speciation and environmental risk assessment of heavy metals in ash from smouldering combustion of oily sludge.

Smouldering combustion of oily sludge (OS) was carried out to learn the characteristics of heavy metals (HMs) in ash products. Ash collected from four different height layers of the column reactor was analysed for the chemical speciation and environmental risk of six HMs, including Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb. The results showed that after smouldering combustion, only 21.3-32.2 % of the total HMs was remained in the ash products. The retention of HMs in ash was closely relevant to the carbonaceous destruction efficiency of OS. Smouldering combustion led to the decrease of HMs in acid-soluble/exchangeable fraction from 21.5-49.3 to 0.8-19.8% and oxidizable fraction from 22.6-49.6 to 5.3-21.3, and the increase of reducible fraction from 13.6-38.0 to 30.5-89.1% and residue fraction from 7.8-27.3 to 24.1-63.6%. Upward migration of HMs during smouldering was evidenced by their occurrence in the top clean sand layer, which was dominated in acid-soluble/exchangeable and reducible fractions, accounting for 89.7-99.1% in total. Toxicity extraction and environmental risk studies indicated that smouldering combustion would effectively reduce the toxicity and pollution risk of HMs; however, attention should be paid to the disposal of the top sand layer after smouldering operation due to its high pollution risk of HMs according to the evaluation of Risk assessment code.

Reducing CO/NO and absorbing heavy metals in self-sustained smouldering of high-moisture sludge by regulating inert media with low-cost natural zeolite.

Smouldering is a low-energy, low-cost, effective treatment technology for sludge with high moisture. However, combustible gas and pollution in the flue gas limit the low-cost operation. This work proposes a novel method to in-situ reduce gas emissions (CO, NO, VOCs) and absorb heavy metals by regulating inert media with low-cost natural zeolite in self-sustained smouldering of sludge, and the effect of natural zeolite blending ratio on the performance is deeply investigated by fixed-bed and smouldering experiments. Fixed-bed experiments show that adding natural zeolite contributes to the sludge reaction owning to the confined catalysis with porous structure, as observed by the more rapid oxygen consumption, lower CO/NO concentrations. Moreover, smouldering experiments demonstrate that the endothermic dehydroxylation and dehydroxylation processes of the pure natural zeolite decreases the smouldering temperature and the propagation velocity, reduces the pyrolysis layer, but adding natural zeolite significantly reduces the concentrations of CO/NO/VOCs in the flue gas. Furthermore, higher heavy element content in the post-reaction natural zeolite is observed, indicating that the inorganic minerals in natural zeolite can effectively absorb the heavy elements. Taking reaction intensity, CO/NO/VOCs reduction and heavy element absorption into account, adding a small amount of natural zeolite (Sand: Natural-zeolite = 2.90:0.10) may be reasonable with obtaining good performance. Finally, the organic components in condensable liquids of the smouldering flue gas are deeply analyzed, and the main components is 36.7% for amides and 23.41% for nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds. This work can provide a possible pathway and useful information for the low-cost application of the sludge smouldring technology.

Co-hydrothermal carbonization of sludge and food waste for hydrochar valorization: Effect of mutual interaction on sulfur transformation.

Co-hydrothermal carbonization of sludge and food waste is a promising method for hydrochar valorization. The sulfur content and form of hydrochar are the key parameters that determine its further utilization. However, the effect of the chemical composition of food waste on sulfur redistribution remains unknown. Herein, the sulfur transformation behavior during the co-hydrothermal carbonization of sludge and model compounds (cellulose, starch, xylan, and palmitic acid) of food waste was investigated, with focus on the detailed reaction pathways from inorganic-S/organic-S media in aqueous to hydrochar. The added model compounds, particularly the starch and xylan, increased the sulfur retention ratio from 41.0 to 44.7- 49.2 % in hydrochar. Among them, starch and xylan can react with aliphatic-S in aqueous via cyclization and oxidization to form the thiophene-S/aromatic-S and sulfone-S and can react with SO42--S to form sulfone-S via sulfonate reaction. These formed organic-S can polymerize with hydrolyzed intermediates (i.e., 5 hydroxymethyl-furfural, glucose, and xylose) from model compounds to transform into hydrochar. Cellulose enhanced the formation of sulfone-S in hydrochar via the reactions between the water-insoluble partial hydrolysate and SO42- in the aqueous. Additionally, palmitic acid hydrolysate provided an acidic environment that facilitated the polymerization of thiophene-S/aromatic-S from aqueous to hydrochar. Generally, the chemical composition of food waste largely affects the redistribution behavior of sulfur during co-hydrothermal carbonization, and this occurs primarily due to the differences in the hydrolysate and degree of hydrolysis for various model compounds. The results can provide guidance for preparing sludge-based hydrochar possessing different sulfur content and species, that can be used as clean fuel or carbon material.

Experimental investigation on self-sustained smouldering of food-processing sludge with extremely high moisture content: From laboratory-scale to pilot-scale volumetric scale-up.

Although smouldering of solid waste with high moisture has shown strong promise in laboratory studies, there are fewer reports about the larger-scale device and continuous operation. This work studies a self-sustaining smouldering treatment of food-processing sludge (FPS) with extremely high moisture (over 85 %) in laboratory- and pilot-scale devices. Results from laboratory-scale experiments show that adding auxiliary fuel is necessary to maintain FPS self-sustaining smouldering, Sand: FPS: Sawdust = 25:5:1 is a reasonable mixing ratio. Then, the self-sustaining smouldering is volumetrically scaled up to the pilot-scale. The smouldering asynchrony in the feedstock is observed due to the non-uniform air flux. Compared to the laboratory-scale, the pilot-scale device presents a similar temperature level but a higher smouldering velocity. Furthermore, a continuous process in the pilot-scale device is successfully performed, and the flue gas concentrations are measured: 15.0 âˆ¼ 16.5 % for O2, 4000 âˆ¼ 5500 ppm for CO, 155 âˆ¼ 195 ppm for NOx, 210 âˆ¼ 250 ppm for VOCs, 55 âˆ¼ 70 ppm for SO2, 0.0138 âˆ¼ 0.0317 ngTEQ/m3 (at 11 % O2) for dioxin. These studied results can provide useful information for continuous, low-energy solid waste treatment.

A Review on the Application of Cobalt-Based Nanomaterials in Supercapacitors.

Among many electrode materials, cobalt-based nanomaterials are widely used in supercapacitors because of their high natural abundance, good electrical conductivity, and high specific capacitance. However, there are still some difficulties to overcome, including poor structural stability and low power density. This paper summarizes the research progress of cobalt-based nanomaterials (cobalt oxide, cobalt hydroxide, cobalt-containing ternary metal oxides, etc.) as electrode materials for supercapacitors in recent years and discusses the preparation methods and properties of the materials. Notably, the focus of this paper is on the strategies to improve the electrochemical properties of these materials. We show that the performance of cobalt-based nanomaterials can be improved by designing their morphologies and, among the many morphologies, the mesoporous structure plays a major role. This is because mesoporous structures can mitigate volume changes and improve the performance of pseudo capacitance. This review is dedicated to the study of several cobalt-based nanomaterials in supercapacitors, and we hope that future scholars will make new breakthroughs in morphology design.

A Review of Cobalt-Containing Nanomaterials, Carbon Nanomaterials and Their Composites in Preparation Methods and Application.

With the increasing demand for sustainable and green energy, electric energy storage technologies have received enough attention and extensive research. Among them, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used because of their excellent performance, but in practical applications, the electrochemical performance of electrode materials is not satisfactory. Carbon-based materials with high chemical stability, strong conductivity, high specific surface area, and good capacity retention are traditional anode materials in electrochemical energy storage devices, while cobalt-based nano-materials have been widely used in LIBs anodes because of their high theoretical specific capacity. This paper gives a systematic summary of the state of research of cobalt-containing nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials, and their composites in LIBs anodes. Moreover, the preparation methods of electrode materials and measures to improve electrochemical performance are also summarized. The electrochemical performance of anode materials can be significantly improved by compounding carbon nanomaterials with cobalt nanomaterials. Composite materials have better electrical conductivity, as well as higher cycle ability and reversibility than single materials, and the synergistic effect between them can explain this phenomenon. In addition, the electrochemical performance of materials can be significantly improved by adjusting the microstructure of materials (especially preparing them into porous structures). Among the different microscopic morphologies of materials, porous structure can provide more positions for chimerism of lithium ions, shorten the diffusion distance between electrons and ions, and thus promote the transfer of lithium ions and the diffusion of electrolytes.

Co-hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge and model compounds of food waste: Influence of mutual interaction on nitrogen transformation.

This study reports the transformation behavior of nitrogen during the co-hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge and model compounds (microcrystalline cellulose, starch, lignin, and xylan) of food waste at 220 °C, with a focus on the reaction routes between starch/xylan and NH4+. Most of the nitrogen in the raw sludge was transformed into organic-N (44.6%) and NH4+ (23.3%) in the aqueous product, and only 20.3% of nitrogen was retained in the hydrochar. The added model compounds could react with organic-N (i.e., amino acids and amines) and NH4+ in aqueous products through Maillard and Mannich reactions, generating heterocyclic-N (especially pyrrole-N) which further polymerizes to form nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrochar. This leads to an increase in the retention rate of nitrogen to 36.8-50.9%, especially upon the addition of starch and xylan. During the hydrothermal carbonization of starch/xylan in the NH4+ solution, the polymers are first hydrolyzed into monomers, followed by their further reaction with NH4+ to generate pyrrole-N and pyridine-N in aqueous products (especially xylan), and the pyrrole-N can then polymerize with aromatic clusters to form hydrochar-N. The results show that the model compounds of food waste substantially affect the nitrogen transformation pathways during hydrothermal carbonization, mainly because of the structures of their monomers. These findings can guide the production of sludge-based hydrochar with the targeted regulation of nitrogen content and species.

Evaluation of AutoLumo A2000 Chemiluminescent Immunoassay for Detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Adenovirus IgM Antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus are seasonal diseases that cause an enormous burden on health systems. Previously, our lab uses DHI D3-Ultra DFA for detecting antigen of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus (ADV). This article will evaluate the performance of AutoLumo RSV-IgM and ADV-IgM assays compared to D3-Ultra DFA method. METHODS: We used quality control specimens to evaluate precision, cross-reactivity specimen to evaluate the specificity, exogenous interferent: Hb (1,000 mg/dL); total bilirubin (50 mg/dL), ANA titer (1:10,000), RF (500 IU/mL) to evaluate interference, and paired, nasopharyngeal swab and sera specimens to evaluate clinical sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: AutoLumo RSV-IgM and ADV-IgM assay show good precision and no cross-reactivity with other pathogen-specific IgM antibodies; no hook effect; exogenous interferent substance: Hb < 1,000 mg/dL; total bilirubin < 50 mg/dL, ANA titer < 1:10,000, and RF < 500 IU/mL showed no interference to RSV-IgM and ADV-IgM antibodies. The paired comparison test showed that RSV-IgM and ADV-IgM appear partly on the fifth day of the disease and peaked on days six to fourteen. CONCLUSIONS: AutoLumo RSV-IgM and ADV-IgM have good performance, but their sensitivities await further improvements.

Biotin Interference in Susceptible CanAg Ca242 Immunoassays and Elimination Method.

BACKGROUND: High-dose biotin therapy is beneficial in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Biotin, as dietary supplement or therapy, may lead to analytical interference in biotin-streptavidin immunoassay. METHODS: Seven concentration gradients of biotin solutions were spiked to three different levels of Ca242 serum samples. All samples were tested by CanAg Ca242 ELISA kit to evaluate the interference from biotin. Serum samples with biotin concentration at 1,000 ng/mL were retested after absorption by streptavidin microparticles or direct analysis on the Mindray CL2000i platform. RESULTS: Our study found that CanAg Ca242 is vulnerable to interference when a sample that contains biotin exceeds 15.63 ng/mL. Biotin interference can result in falsely low results in CanAg Ca242. The effect and extent of biotin interference are, to some extent, dependent on the concentration of serum Ca242 and the concentration of biotin. CONCLUSIONS: CanAg Ca242 is vulnerable to biotin interference. The laboratory can overcome biotin interference on CanAg Ca242 by using a non-biotin streptavidin method or by absorbing biotin with streptavidin-coated microparticles before testing. Clinicians should use caution in interpreting abnormal results in patients who ingest biotin.

Interactions between genetic variants involved in the folate metabolic pathway and serum lipid, homocysteine levels on the risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

BACKGROUND: The interaction between folate pathway gene polymorphisms and homocysteine, serum lipid leverls are poorly understood in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The aim of this study is to explore the effects of folate pathway gene polymorphisms (the 5-10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, MTHTR C677T, MTHFR A1298C and the methionine synthase reductase, MTRR A66G) and their interactions with homocysteine on serum lipid levels in patients with RSA. METHODS: A total of 403 RSA women and 342 healthy women were randomly selected. Genotyping of the MTHFR C677T, A1298C and MTRR A66G were performed by TaqMan-MGB technique. Serum homocysteine, folate, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, Interleukin 6, Tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα) and lipid profiles were measured according to the kits. Continuous variables were analyzed using 2-sample t-tests. Categorical variables were analyzed and compared by χ2 or Fisher's exact tests. Unconditional logistic regression model was applied to test the interactions of gene polymorphisms on RSA. RESULTS: The distribution of genotype of CC, CT TT and T allele of MTHFR C677T, genotype of AA and C allele of MTHFR A1298C, and genotype of AA, AG and G allele of MTRR A66G were different between cases and controls (all p were < 0.05). There were significant interactions between MTHFR C677T-A1298C and MTHFR A1298C-MTRR A66G in RSA group and control group, with ORs of 1.62 (95%CI: 1.28-2.04, p < 0.001) and 1.55 (95%CI: 1.27-1.88, p < 0.001), respectively. Serum TNFα level and insulin resistant status (HOMR-IR) were higher in RSA group than in control group (p = 0.038, 0.001, respectively). All the three gene SNPs except MTRR 66AG gene variant had detrimental effects on HOMA-IR (all p were < 0.05). RSA group who carried the MTHFR 677CT, TT, CT/TT genotypes and MTRR 66AG, AG/GG genotypes had detrimental effects on serum homocysteine levels, the MTHFR 677CT, CT/TT genotype carriers had favorable effects on serum folate levels, the MTHFR 677TT, CT/TT, 1298 AC, AC/CC genotype carriers had detrimental effects on serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and the MTRR 66AG genotype carriers had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than the AA genotype carriers (all p were < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Interaction between the MTHFR C677T, A1298C and MTHFR A1298C, MTRR A66G are observed in our RSA group. Besides, all the three gene SNPs except MTRR 66AG gene variant had detrimental effects on HOMA-IR. MTHFR C677T and MTRR A66G gene variants had detrimental effects on serum homocysteine levels and insulin resistance status, while MTHFR C677T, A1298C and MTRR A66G gene variants had detrimental effects on certain serum lipid profiles.

A Mono-cuboctahedral Series of Gold Nanoclusters: Photoluminescence Origin, Large Enhancement, Wide Tunability, and Structure-Property Correlation.

The origin of the near-infrared photoluminescence (PL) from thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs, <2 nm) has long been controversial, and the exact mechanism for the enhancement of quantum yield (QY) in many works remains elusive. Meanwhile, based upon the sole steady-state PL analysis, it is still a major challenge for researchers to map out a definitive relationship between the atomic structure and the PL property and understand how the Au(0) kernel and Au(I)-S surface contribute to the PL of Au NCs. Herein, we provide a paradigm study to address the above critical issues. By using a correlated series of "mono-cuboctahedral kernel" Au NCs and combined analyses of steady-state, temperature-dependence, femtosecond transient absorption, and Stark spectroscopy measurements, we have explicitly mapped out a kernel-origin mechanism and clearly elucidate the surface-structure effect, which establishes a definitive atomic-level structure-emission relationship. A ∼100-fold enhancement of QY is realized via suppression of two effects: (i) the ultrafast kernel relaxation and (ii) the surface vibrations. The new insights into the PL origin, QY enhancement, wavelength tunability, and structure-property relationship constitute a major step toward the fundamental understanding and structural-tailoring-based modulation and enhancement of PL from Au NCs.

Spreading a water droplet through filter paper on the metal substrate for surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

To improve the quantitative analysis accuracy of an aqueous solution using surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SENLIBS), the filter paper was used as a transmission medium by placing it onto the surface of a metallic substrate to make the microdroplet spreading more uniform in a fixed region of the substrate surface. The trace elements (Cu, Pb, Cd, and Cr) in an aqueous solution were detected successfully using this method. The results showed that the sample preparation repeatability of SENLIBS was noticeably improved with the aid of filter paper. Moreover, the limit of detection (LoD) values was similar to those without filter paper. Furthermore, the R2 values were improved from 0.6192~0.9321 to 0.9481~0.9766, the RMSECV values were decreased from 0.53~1.95 µg/mL to 0.33~1.06 µg/mL, and the average relative error (ARE) values were decreased from 8.96~22.31% to 4.28~14.37% with the aid of filter paper. This demonstrated that the use of filter paper could improve the quantitative analysis accuracy of SENLIBS by increasing the sample preparation repeatability.

Analytical-performance improvement of aqueous solution by chemical replacement combined with surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

In this study, chemical replacement combined with surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CR-SENLIBS) was introduced for detecting the trace chromium (Cr) element in an aqueous solution, which could use chemical replacement to change the sample from liquid to solid. In order to illustrate the analytical-performance of the CR-SENLIBS, the direct analysis of the liquid surface by LIBS (LSLIBS) was investigated for comparison. The results show that the spectral intensity of Cr I 357.86 nm, plasma lifetime, and spectral stability were improved. Moreover, the limit of detection of Cr I 357.86 nm was 0.018 µg/mL, which was lower than 1.814 µg/mL for LSLIBS. Furthermore, the accuracy and precision were improved more than 60% and 80%, respectively; for example, the root-mean-square error of cross-validation was improved from 1.09 to 0.75 µg/mL, and the average relative standard deviation of the predicted concentration of Cr was reduced from 22.89% to 4.53% by using CR-SENLIBS. These results suggest that CR-SENLIBS has good analytical-performance, which exhibits great potential in water quality monitoring.

Fabricating highly luminescent solid hybrids based on silicon nanoparticles: a simple, versatile and green method.

In this work, we report a simple but novel method to transfer highly luminescent silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) from solutions to solids without sacrificing their excellent photoluminescence (PL) properties. Hybrid Si NP/clay phosphors that glowed ultrabright and had colorful PL properties were first obtained. More importantly, large-area and flexible films with superior PL properties can be easily obtained via combining the Si NP/clay hybrids with different kinds of polymer. The Si NP-based phosphors and films from our method show high stabilities with no significant loss of PL performance after long-term storage (several months). In addition, bright yellow-emitting Si NPs were prepared and used as down-converters for white-light-emitting diodes (W-LEDs). Overall, this work presents a simple, versatile and green method to fabricate Si NP-based solid hybrids with superior PL properties, which has promise to be applied in the future in solid-state lighting fields.

Silicon Nanoparticles with Surface Nitrogen: 90% Quantum Yield with Narrow Luminescence Bandwidth and the Ligand Structure Based Energy Law.

Silicon nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely accepted as an alternative material for typical quantum dots and commercial organic dyes in light-emitting and bioimaging applications owing to silicon's intrinsic merits of least toxicity, low cost, and high abundance. However, to date, how to improve Si nanoparticle photoluminescence (PL) performance (such as ultrahigh quantum yield, sharp emission peak, high stability) is still a major issue. Herein, we report surface nitrogen-capped Si NPs with PL quantum yield up to 90% and narrow PL bandwidth (full width at half-maximum (fwhm) ≈ 40 nm), which can compete with commercial dyes and typical quantum dots. Comprehensive studies have been conducted to unveil the influence of particle size, structure, and amount of surface ligand on the PL of Si NPs. Especially, a general ligand-structure-based PL energy law for surface nitrogen-capped Si NPs is identified in both experimental and theoretical analyses, and the underlying PL mechanisms are further discussed.

Prolongation of the degradation period and improvement of the angiogenesis of zein porous scaffolds in vivo.

Zein porous scaffolds modified with fatty acids have shown great improvement in mechanical properties and good cell compatibility in vitro, indicating the potential application as a bone tissue engineering substitute. The present study was conducted to systematically investigate whether the addition of fatty acids affects the short-term (up to 12 weeks) and long-term (up to 1 year) behaviors of scaffolds in vivo, mainly focusing on changes in the degradation period and inflammatory responses. Throughout the implantation period, no abnormal signs occurred and zein porous scaffolds modified with oleic acid showed good tolerance in rabbits, characterized by the growth of relatively more blood vessels in the scaffolds and only a slight degree of fibrosis histology. Moreover, the degradation period was prolonged from 8 months to 1 year as compared to the control. These results affirmed further that zein could be used as a new kind of natural biomaterial suitable for bone tissue engineering.

[Comparison and bias estimation of three methods in determination of glycated hemoglobin A1c].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the bias of three different methods in determination of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). METHODS: According to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)EP9-A3 document, 40 serum specimens among linear range were tested by immunoturbidimetry assay (Roche Tina-quant), capillary electrophoresis (Sebia Minicap FP), high performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC, Trinity Biotech Premier Hb 9210™). RESULTS were analyzed by pairwise comparision. The difference plots and scatter plots were analyzed. The results of outliers were examined by extreme studentized deviate (ESD) method. The best regression model was chosen to fit the regression equation and the biases were calculated at the level of medical decision and judged the comparability according to the half of Tea acceptance standard. RESULTS: Scatter plots and ESD results showed good correlation among test results of 40 samples, no abnormal values were found. Based on proportional difference deviation plots, proportional difference rank order deviation plots, numerical deviation plots and ranked order difference plots, weighted least squares (WLS) (Roche(X) vs sebia(Y1)), ordinary linear regression (OLR) (Roche(X) vs Trinity (Y2)) and Deming (Sebia(Y1) vs Trinity(Y2)) were chosen to fit regression analysis model. The regression equations were Y1 =-0.420 3+ 1.052 7X, Y2 =-0.174 0+ 1.027 0X, Y2=0.423 1+ 0.959 0Y1, respectively. Assuming the HbA1c medical decision points of 10%, 16% to regression equation, the proportional biases were 1.06% and 2.61% at Roche(X) and sebia(Y1) system, 0.96% and 1.60% at Roche(X) and Trinity (Y2) system, 0.13% and -1.47% at Sebia(Y1) and Trinity(Y2) system respectively, which were all lower than the acceptable values. CONCLUSION: The measurement values of HbA1c by capillary electrophoresis (Sebia Minicap FP), HPLC (Trinity Biotech Premier Hb 9210™) and immunoturbidimetry assay (Roche Tina-quant), are comparable.

Aqueous multiphoton lithography with multifunctional silk-centred bio-resists.

Silk and silk fibroin, the biomaterial from nature, nowadays are being widely utilized in many cutting-edge micro/nanodevices/systems via advanced micro/nanofabrication techniques. Herein, for the first time to our knowledge, we report aqueous multiphoton lithography of diversiform-regenerated-silk-fibroin-centric inks using noncontact and maskless femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). Initially, silk fibroin was FsLDW-crosslinked into arbitrary two/three-dimensional micro/nanostructures with good elastic properties merely using proper photosensitizers. More interestingly, silk/metal composite micro/nanodevices with multidimension-controllable metal content can be FsLDW-customized through laser-induced simultaneous fibroin oxidation/crosslinking and metal photoreduction using the simplest silk/Ag(+) or silk/[AuCl4](-) aqueous resists. Noticeably, during FsLDW, fibroin functions as biological reductant and matrix, while metal ions act as the oxidant. A FsLDW-fabricated prototyping silk/Ag microelectrode exhibited 10(4)-Ω(-1 ) m(-1)-scale adjustable electric conductivity. This work not only provides a powerful development to silk micro/nanoprocessing techniques but also creates a novel way to fabricate multifunctional metal/biomacromolecule complex micro/nanodevices for applications such as micro/nanoscale mechanical and electrical bioengineering and biosystems.

Antineoplastic Activity Comparison of Bovine Serum Albumin--Conjugated Sulfides Semiconductor Nanomaterials.

Although tumor is one of the most frequently occurring diseases and a leading cause of death, nanotechnology, one of the frontier sciences, is exhibiting its great potential to tumor treatments. The aim of this study was to design a facile and environmentally-friendly method to prepare bovine serum albumin-conjugated heavy metal sulfides nano-materials, including Ag2S, PbS and CdS. Here, bovine serum albumin was introduced in order to direct the synthesis of nano-materials by using its template effect and supply more sites for further modification in future. The crystal structure and morphology were analyzed by XRD and TEM, respectively. Additionally, the antineoplastic activity of nano-materials was compared by cell viability analysis, optical and electron microscopy observation after exposure of the human hepatoma cell line. The results showed that the inhibition effect of heavy metal sulfides on tumor cells was in the order of nano-PbS > bulk CdS > nano-Ag2S > nano-CdS > bulk PbS > bulk Ag2S. It could be concluded that heavy metal sulfides had significantly negative impact on human hepatoma cells growth but it could not be obviously generalized that nano-particles were always more effective to kill tumor cells than bulk materials. The size and surface reactivity might be the important factors causing the difference.

Anticancer effects of bishydroxycoumarin are mediated through apoptosis induction, cell migration inhibition and cell cycle arrest in human glioma cells.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of bishydroxycoumarin (BHC) against human glioma cells and to study their mode of action. METHODS: Three cells were used in the experiments. MTT and LDH assays were used to assess the cytotoxic effects of BHC while an in vitro wound healing assay was used to study the effect of BHC on cell migration. Fluorescence microscopy and annexin V-FITC assay were used to study the cellular morphology and apoptotic effects while flow cytometry in combination with propidium iodide (PI) were used to study cell cycle arrest induced by BHC. RESULTS: BHC induced substantial and dose-dependent cytotoxic effects against all three cell lines with U87MG cell line being most susceptible. BHC also inhibited cell migration and induced characteristic morphological changes including chromatin condensation, nuclear shrinkage which increased with increasing dose of BHC. The apoptotic cell population (both early and late apoptotic cells) increased with increasing dose of BHC which also induced substantial G0/G1 cell cycle growth arrest in U87MG cells. CONCLUSION: This study provides help to elucidate the translational potential of the in vitro results to be used for further in vivo studies on human glioma using animal or human subjects. The mechanistic pathway studied in this report could be helpful in explaining the mode of action of these classes of natural products.