OX26-cojugated gangliosilated liposomes to improve the post-ischemic therapeutic effect of CDP-choline.

Cerebrovascular impairment represents one of the main causes of death worldwide with a mortality rate of 5.5 million per year. The disability of 50% of surviving patients has high social impacts and costs in long period treatment for national healthcare systems. For these reasons, the efficacious clinical treatment of patients, with brain ischemic stroke, remains a medical need. To this aim, a liposome nanomedicine, with monosialic ganglioside type 1 (GM1), OX26 (an anti-transferrin receptor antibody), and CDP-choline (a neurotrophic drug) (CDP-choline/OX26Lip) was prepared. CDP-choline/OX26Lip were prepared by a freeze and thaw method and then extruded through polycarbonate filters, to have narrow size distributed liposomes of ~80 nm. CDP-choline/OX26Lip were stable in human serum, they had suitable pharmacokinetic properties, and 30.0 ± 4.2% of the injected drug was still present in the blood stream 12 h after its systemic injection. The post-ischemic therapeutic effect of CDP-choline/OX26Lip is higher than CDP-choline/Lip, thus showing a significantly high survival rate of the re-perfused post-ischemic rats, i.e. 96% and 78% after 8 days. The treatment with CDP-choline/OX26Lip significantly decreased the peroxidation rate of ~5-times compared to CDP-choline/Lip; and the resulting conjugated dienes, that was 13.9 ± 1.1 mmol/mg proteins for CDP-choline/Lip and 3.1 ± 0.8 for CDP-choline/OX26Lip. OX26 increased the accumulation of GM1-liposomes in the brain tissues and thus the efficacious of CDP-choline. Therefore, this nanomedicine may represent a strategy for the reassessment of CDP-choline to treat post-ischemic events caused by brain stroke, and respond to a significant clinical need.

Melanin-Inspired Composite Materials: From Nanoarchitectonics to Applications.

Synthetic melanin is a mimic of natural melanin analogue with intriguing properties such as metal-ion chelation, redox activity, adhesion, and broadband absorption. Melanin-inspired composite materials are formulated by assembly of melanin with other types of inorganic and organic components to target, combine, and build up the functionality, far beyond their natural capabilities. Developing efficient and universal methodologies to prepare melanin-based composite materials with unique functionality is vital for their further applications. In this review, we summarize three types of synthetic approaches, predoping, surface engineering, and physical blending, to access various melanin-inspired composite materials with distinctive structure and properties. The applications of melanin-inspired composite materials in free radical scavenging, bioimaging, antifouling, and catalytic applications are also reviewed. This review also concludes current challenges that must be addressed and research opportunities in future studies.

Exploring sustainable food packaging: Nanocellulose composite films with enhanced mechanical strength, antibacterial performance, and biodegradability.

Food packaging films play a vital role in preserving and protecting food. However, due to their non-biodegradability, conventional packaging materials have led to significant environmental pollution. To overcome this hurdle, we have developed safe, innovative, sustainable and biodegradable packaging materials that can effectively extend the shelf life of food. In this study, two types of cellulose materials cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with complementary roles were combined to prepare nanocellulose composite films with high transparency (90.3 %) of a certain thickness (30 ± 0.019 µm) by solution casting method, and their mechanical properties were further optimized by the addition of plasticizer-glycerol (Gly) and cross-linking agent-glutaraldehyde (GA), so as to maintain the strong tensile strength (≈112.60 MPa) and better malleability (4.12 %). In addition, we loaded the natural active agent tea polyphenols (TPs) with different concentrations to study the inhibition effect on E.coli and S.aureus and to simulate food packaging. Finally, we also found that the synthesized nanocellulose composite films can also achieve rapid degradation in a short time through soil burial, water flushing and immersion. The excellent performance demonstrated in this study provides reference value for further replacing petroleum-based materials with biomass materials in the field of food packaging.

Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity of chitosan-chelated silver nanoparticles.

Bacterial infections pose a significant threat to human health and safety, necessitating the urgent resolution of the problem through the development and implementation of highly effective antibacterial agents. However, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has diminished the satisfactory effectiveness of antibacterial treatments. To overcome this obstacle, we developed effective antibacterial agents by chemical reduction for inhibiting bacterial proliferation and inducing membrane damage. Specifically, four different types of chitosan/Ag nanoparticle (CS-AgNPs-i) (i-1, 2, 3, 4) complexes were synthesized by varying the quantity of chitosan added during the synthesis process. We found that the amount of CS does not affect the morphology and size of CS-AgNPs-i, which remained at approximately 20 nm and all CS-AgNPs were mostly spherical. The zeta potential measurements indicated that the surface of CS-AgNPs carries a positive charge. Notably, elevating the chitosan concentration led to a more pronounced antibacterial impact, particularly evident in its interaction with the peptidoglycan layer on the bacterial surface. Our experimental results undeniably establish the potent antibacterial efficacy of CS-AgNPs against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Employing live/dead bacterial staining, we reveal the marked capability of CS-AgNPs to effectively hinder bacterial proliferation. Furthermore, our experimental investigations revealed that CS-AgNPs possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The results of in vitro cytotoxicity experiments substantiated the high biocompatibility of CS-AgNPs with elevated chitosan loading. The study provides valuable insights into the development of nano-antibacterial agents that exhibit significant potential as a substitute to replace traditional antibiotics for medical applications.

pH-Responsive Sorafenib/Iron-Co-Loaded Mesoporous Polydopamine Nanoparticles for Synergistic Ferroptosis and Photothermal Therapy.

Ferroptosis has attracted significant attention as a new mechanism of cell death. Sorafenib (SRF) is widely considered a prototypical ferroptosis-inducing drug, particularly for liver cancer treatment. However, the low solubility and hydrophobic nature of SRF, along with the absence of synergistic therapeutic strategies, still limit its application in cancer treatment. Herein, we report a dual therapeutic method incorporating photothermal therapy and ferroptosis by using Fe-doped mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (Fe-mPDA@SRF-TPP) as a carrier for loading SRF and targeting triphenylphosphine (TPP). SRF molecules are efficiently encapsulated within the polydopamine nanospheres with a high loading ratio (80%) attributed to the porosity of Fe-mPDA, and the inherent biocompatibility and hydrophilicity of Fe-mPDA@SRF-TPP facilitate the transport of SRF to the target cancer cells. Under the external stimuli of acidic environment (pH 5.0), glutathione (GSH), and laser irradiation, Fe-mPDA@SRF-TPP shows sustained release of SRF and Fe ions with the ratio of 72 and 50% within 48 h. Fe-mPDA@SRF-TPP nanoparticles induce intracellular GSH depletion, inhibit glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) activity, and generate hydroxyl radicals, all of which are essential components of the therapeutic ferroptosis process for killing MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Additionally, the excellent near-infrared (NIR) light absorption of Fe-mPDA@SRF-TPP nanoparticles demonstrates their capability for photothermal therapy and further enhances the therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, this nanosystem provides a multifunctional therapeutic platform that overcomes the therapeutic limitations associated with standalone ferroptosis and enhances the therapeutic efficacy of SRF for breast cancer.

Novel vacuum UV/ozone/peroxymonosulfate process for efficient degradation of levofloxacin: Performance evaluation and mechanism insight.

Vacuum UV (VUV) irradiation has advantage in coupling oxidants for organics removal because VUV can dissociate water to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situ and decompose oxidants rapidly. In this study, the synergistic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by VUV and ozone (O3) was explored via developing a novel integrated VUV/O3/PMS process, and the performance and mechanisms of VUV/O3/PMS for levofloxacin (LEV) degradation were investigated systematically. Results indicated that VUV/O3/PMS could effectively degrade LEV, and the degradation rate was 1.67-18.79 times of its sub-processes. Effects of PMS dosage, O3 dosage, solution pH, anions, and natural organic matter on LEV removal by VUV/O3/PMS were also studied. Besides, hydroxyl radical and sulfate radical were main ROS with contributions of 49.7% and 17.4%, respectively. Moreover, the degradation pathways of LEV in VUV/O3/PMS process were speculated based on density functional theory calculation and by-products detection. Furthermore, synergistic reaction mechanisms in VUV/O3/PMS process were proposed. The energy consumption of VUV/O3/PMS decreased by 22.6%- 88.1% compared to its sub-processes. Finally, the integrated VUV/O3/PMS process showed satisfactory results in removing LEV in actual waters, manifesting VUV/O3/PMS had great application potential and feasibility in removing organics in wastewater reuse.

pH-Activated Ce-Doped Molybdenum Oxide Nanoclusters for Tumor Microenvironment Responsive Photothermal and Chemodynamic Therapy.

Molybdenum-based nanomaterials have shown promise for anticancer treatment due to their strong photothermal and redox-activated capabilities. Herein, we have fabricated cerium-doped MoOx (Ce-MoOv) with tunable Mo/Ce molar ratios by a one-pot method and investigated their effect on chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). It is found that Ce-MoOv can self-assemble into nanoclusters in acidic conditions and the increasing Ce amount will generate oxygen vacancy defects and induce the valence change of Mo6+/Mo5+ and Ce4+/Ce3+, which leads to strong near-infrared absorption with high photothermal conversion efficiency of 71.31 and 49.86% for 808 and 1064 nm. Other than photothermal conversion, the materials demonstrate pH-/glutathione (GSH)-activated photoacoustic (PA) imaging capability in vitro. In addition, Ce-MoOv acts as a CDT reagent capable of converting endogenous H2O2 to two types of reactive oxygen species (•OH, 1O2) while depleting GSH. Ce-MoOv demonstrates an excellent therapeutic effect against HCT116 cells and effectively reduces the intracellular GSH level and significantly increases the number of reactive radicals under 1064 nm laser irradiation as compared with the no-laser group in vitro. This work provides a new paradigm using lanthanide-doped polymetallic oxides for pH-/GSH-responsive photothermal/chemodynamic therapy with PA imaging ability.

Promoting oral mucosal wound healing using a DCS-RuB2A2 hydrogel based on a photoreactive antibacterial and sustained release of BMSCs.

The high occurrence rate and difficulties in symptom control are listed as the major problems of oral mucosal disease by medical professionals. Following the development of oral mucosal lesions, the oral microenvironment changes, immunity declines, and continuous bacterial stimulation causes wound infection. Traditional antibacterial drugs are ineffective for oral mucosal lesions. To overcome this problem, a light-responsive antibacterial hydrogel containing sustained-release BMSCs was inspired by the trauma environment in the oral cavity, which is different from that on the body surface since it mostly remains under dark conditions. In the absence of light, the hydrogel seals the wound to form a barrier, exerts a natural bacteriostatic effect, and prevents invasion by foreign bacteria. Simultaneously, mesenchymal stem cells are presented, and the released growth factors and other substances have excellent anti-inflammatory and angiogenic effects, which result in rapid repair of the damaged site. Under light conditions, after photo-induced shedding of the hydrogel, RuB2A exerts an antibacterial effect accompanied by degradation of the hydrogel. Results in a rat oral mucosal repair model demonstrate that DCS-RuB2A2-BMSCs could rapidly repair the oral mucosa within 4 days. Sequencing data provide ideas for further analysis of the intrinsic molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways. Taken together, our results suggest that this light-responsive antibacterial hydrogel loaded with BMSCs can be used for rapid wound repair and may advance the development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of clinical oral mucosal defects.

Subclavian artery stenting via bilateral radial artery access: Four case reports.

BACKGROUND: Subclavian artery stenosis refers to the stenosis in the lumen caused by the presence of plaque or thrombus in the subclavian artery. It is a common problem in endovascular interventions. In fact, conventional subclavian artery stenting via the femoral artery approach is effective and safe. Nevertheless, because femoral artery puncture is not easy to stop bleeding, it requires longer femoral artery compression or more expensive hemostatic materials, such as staplers. Patients need to be catheterized and bedridden for a longer time, which may lead to many complications, such as pseudoaneurysm. CASE SUMMARY: Herein, we reported a new interventional therapy of subclavian artery. From March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021, we operated on four patients with subclavian artery stenting via bilateral radial artery access. CONCLUSION: After reviewing four cases of successful placement of clavicular artery stents via bilateral radial arteries, we concluded that bilateral radial artery approach is feasible. Clavicular artery stenting is safe, effective, and timesaving. It is an excellent alternative to the traditional femoral artery procedure, with few complications and high comfort degree.

Mineralization, characteristics variation, and removal mechanism of algal extracellular organic matter during vacuum ultraviolet/ozone process.

Extracellular organic matter (EOM) produced by algal blooms in source water is detrimental to drinking water treatment processes and supplied water quality. Ozonation has been used to treat algal EOM, but it could not mineralize EOM effectively. In this study, mineralization and characteristics variation of EOM by vacuum ultraviolet/ozone (VUV/O3) and its sub-processes were comprehensively investigated. Results showed that EOM removal in different processes followed the order of VUV/O3 > UV/O3 > O3 > VUV > UV. For VUV/O3 process, removal efficiencies of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV254, protein, and polysaccharide at 50 min were 75.6%, 80.8%, 80.1%, and 78.0%, respectively, and fluorescence components received very high removal rates (≥92.8%, at 10 min). The yield of trichloromethane dropped from 102.0 to 30.1 µg/L after treating for 50 min by VUV/O3. Besides, effects of O3 dosage, initial pH, and water matrices on EOM removal in VUV/O3 process were investigated. Moreover, fluorescent molecular probe experiments confirmed that hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical were the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) in VUV/O3 process, and the transformation of ROS was proposed. The mechanism of EOM removal by VUV/O3 included VUV photolysis, direct O3 oxidation, and ROS oxidation. Furthermore, the removal of EOM in filtered water by VUV/O3 was satisfactory. All results indicated that VUV/O3 process had great application potential in treating EOM-rich filtered water.

High-efficiency oxidation of norfloxacin by Fe3+/H2O2 process enhanced via vacuum ultraviolet irradiation: Role of newly formed Fe2.

Fluoroquinolones in water environments have caused worldwide concern due to negative effects on human health and ecological environment. Heretofore, synergistic mechanisms of Fe3+/H2O2 process enhanced via vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation for fluoroquinolones removal, and generation ways and contribution evaluations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in integrated VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 were not reported systematically. This work comparatively investigated norfloxacin (NOR, typical fluoroquinolones) degradation in VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 and its sub-processes. Compared with its sub-processes, VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 process could not only increase degradation rate constant by 2.1-10.2 times and increase mineralization rate by 14.5%-49.5%, but also reduce energy consumption by 53.1%-89.9% and reduce economic cost by 33.3%-68.0%. Effect mechanisms of Fe3+ and H2O2 doses on decontamination capability of VUV/Fe2+/H2O2 were elaborated, and 3 mM H2O2 and 90 µM Fe3+ were determined as optimal doses. The synergetic factor in integrated VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 was 3.33, which was mainly ascribed to VUV photons accelerating iron cycle. In VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 process, superoxide radical and hydroxyl radical were confirmed as primary ROS, contributing 20.86% and 76.32% to NOR oxidation, separately. Organic and inorganic products of NOR and its degradation pathways in integrated VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 were also investigated. Besides, the synergistic reaction pathways in VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 were elaborated. Effects of water matrices on decontamination capability of VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 were also studied. All results indicated VUV/Fe3+/H2O2 as an efficient and cost-effective process suitable for NOR removal.

Enhanced Photothermal Performance by Carbon Dot-Chelated Polydopamine Nanoparticles.

Polydopamine (PDA) has been widely used in biomedical applications including imaging contrast agents, antioxidants, UV protection, and photothermal therapy due to its biocompatibility, metal-ion chelation, free-radical scavenging, and wideband absorption, but its low photothermal efficiency still needs to be improved. In this study, we chelated near-infrared (NIR) sensitive carbon quantum dots on the surface of polydopamine (PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs) to increase its near-infrared absorption. Surprisingly, although only 4% (w/w) of carbon quantum dots was conjugated on the PDA surface, it still increased the photothermal efficiency by 30%. Moreover, PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs could also be used as the drug carrier for loading 60% (w/w) of the DOX and achieved stimuli-responsive drug release under lysosomal pH (pH 5.0) and 808 nm laser illumination. For in vitro therapeutic experiment, PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs showed the remarkable therapeutic performance under 808 nm laser irradiation for killing 90% of cancer cells compared with 50% by pure PDA nanoparticles, and the efficacy was even higher after loading DOX owing to the synergistic effect by photothermal therapy and chemotherapy. This intelligent and effective therapeutic nanosystem based on PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs showed enhanced photothermal behavior after chelating carbon dots and promoted the future development of a nanoplatform for stimuli-responsive photothermal/chemo therapy.

Pressure-Controlled Encapsulation of Graphene Quantum Dots into Liposomes by the Reverse-Phase Evaporation Method.

Ultrasmall nanoparticles (USNPs) with sizes below 10 nm have shown great potentials in medical applications owing to their outstanding physical, chemical, optical, and biological properties. However, they suffer from a rapid renal clearance and biodegradation rate in the biological environment due to the small size. Liposomes are one of the most promising delivery nanocarriers for loading USNPs because of their excellent biocompatibility and lipid bilayer structure. Encapsulation of USNPs into liposomes in an efficient and controllable manner remains a challenge. In this study, we achieved a high loading of graphene quantum dots (GQDs, ∼4 nm), a typical USNP, into the aqueous core of liposomes (45.68 ± 1.44%), which was controllable by the pressure. The GQDs-loaded liposomes (GQDs-LPs) exhibited a very good aqueous stability for over a month. Furthermore, indocyanine green (ICG), an efficient near-infrared (NIR) photothermal agent, was introduced in the GQDs-LP system that could convert NIR laser energy into thermal energy and break down the liposomes, causing the release of GQDs in 6 min. Moreover, this NIR light-controlled release system (GQDs-ICG-LPs) also exhibited a good photothermal therapeutic performance in vitro, and 75% of cancer cells were killed at a concentration of 200 µg/mL. Overall, the successful development of the NIR light-controlled release system has laid a solid foundation for the future biomedical application of USNPs-loaded liposomes.

Fate of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in cells: Endocytosis, translocation and exocytosis.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been extensively explored for extensive bioapplications, yet their cellular fate, especially exocytosis, has not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we systematically investigated the whole cellular process from the endocytosis, intercellular trafficking, to the exocytosis of a typical QD, core/shell CdSe/ZnS QD. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry, and after carefully eliminating the effect of cell division, we found that the QDs were internalized by HeLa cells with a time-, dose-, and serum-dependent manner. The cellular uptake was inhibited by serum, but eventually peaked after 4-6 h incubation with or without serum. The primary endocytosis pathway was clathrin-mediated, and actin- and microtubule-dependent in the medium with serum, while the caveolae-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis were more important for the QDs in the serum-free medium. Inside cells, most QDs distributed in lysosomes, and some entered mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. The translocation of the QDs from other organelles to Golgi apparatus was observed. The exocytosis of QDs was faster than the endocytosis, reaching the maximum in about one hour after cultured in fresh culture medium, with around 60% of the internalized QDs remained undischarged. The exocytosis process was energy- and actin-dependent, and the lysosome exocytosis and endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi pathway were the main routes. This study provides a full picture of behavior and fate of QDs in cells, which may facilitate the design of ideal QDs applied in biomedical and other fields.

The combined toxicity of ultra-small SiO2 nanoparticles and bisphenol A (BPA) in the development of zebrafish.

The complex combined effects of nanoparticles and environmental pollutants in the aqueous environment will inevitably affect aquatic ecosystem and human life. Bisphenol A (BPA) is listed as a typical kind of endocrine disruptors, there is little research about the joint toxicity of co-exposure of SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and BPA. In this study, fluorescent ultra-small SiO2 NPs (US-FMSNs) around 6.3 nm were synthesized and investigated for their combined effects with BPA on zebrafish during the early developmental stages within 4-168 h post fertilization (hpf). The results showed that US-FMSNs could accumulate in the chorion, abdomen and intestine in zebrafish. In addition, the different concentration (0.1, 1, 10 µg/mL) of BPA and US-FMSNs (200 µg/mL) demonstrated strong impact on multiple toxic endpoints at four periods (72, 96, 120, 168 hpf). We found US-FMSNs had no significant toxic effect on zebrafish, while BPA (10 µg/mL) showed a degree of developmental toxicity. Compared with single BPA (10 µg/mL) exposure, combined exposure enhanced the developmental toxicity of zebrafish, including increased mortality, decreased hatching rate and body length, and decreased activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Our results indicated that US-FMSNs and BPA induced oxidative stress, and the effect of the co-exposure was less than that of single exposure (10 µg/mL). This study hereby provides a basis for the potential ecological and health risks of SiO2 NPs and BPA exposure.

Transient oculomotor paralysis after cerebral angiography: A case report.

RATIONALE: A special case of transient oculomotor nerve palsy after cerebral angiography. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 55-year-old man developed oculomotor nerve dysfunction after right radial artery puncture angiography. DIAGNOSES: Cerebral angiography-induced oculomotor nerve palsy. INTERVENTIONS: According to the patient's disease state, intravenous drip of dexamethasone 10 mg/d. OUTCOMES: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no abnormalities, and the patient recovered completely after 48 hours of hormone therapy. LESSONS: Transient eye palsy caused by contrast agent encephalopathy is a clinically rare neurological dysfunction caused by adverse effects of contrast agents. Early prevention and correct treatment are critical.

Tirofiban combined with heparin's effect and safety in the treatment of mild to moderate acute ischemic stroke.

Tirofiban can be used to treat patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban combined with heparin in the treatment of mild to moderate AIS. A total of 98 patients with mild to moderate AIS randomly were divided into 2 groups within 48 h: the treatment group treated with tirofiban and, and the control group treated with aspirin + clopidogrel. The treatment group was given the same scheme as the control group after the treatment of tirofiban combined with heparin for 48 h. It was found that, compared with the control group, a significant decreased National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) was found in 48 h and 14 d, especially to the Barthel index (BI) in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Modified Rankin Scale (MRS, ≤2) in the treatment group was significantly upregulated in 90 d (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the adverse drug reactions between the two groups. It was indicated that nerve function and long-term prognosis in patients undergoing heparin for mild to moderate AIS were obviously improved than the control group.

Rapid degradation of dimethoate and simultaneous removal of total phosphorus by acid-activated Fe(VI) under simulated sunlight.

Ferrate (Fe(VI)) is usually effective for oxidizing a variety of organic pollutants within a few seconds, but some recalcitrant asorganophosphorus pesticides such as dimethoate require higher dose of Fe(VI) and inorganic phosphorus produced by mineralization is difficult to remove. In this study, acid-activated ferrate (Fe(VI)) was firstly used to degrade organophosphorus pesticides dimethoate and simultaneously remove total phosphorus (TP) from solution under simulated sunlight. At a Fe(VI):dimethoate molar radio of 15:1, dimethoate was almost completely removed within 20 min and 47% of TP in the solution was removed by the reduction product of Fe(VI) within 240 min. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and terephthalic acid (TA) fluorescence experiments showed that •OH radicals were continuously generated in the system, and •OH formation pathway was proposed. Importantly, the involvement of •OH in acid-activated Fe(VI) process was confirmed for the first time by EPR. In the acid-activated Fe(VI)/simulated sunlight system, the removal of dimethoate and TP gradually increased with the decrement of activation pH, whereas the increase of molar ratio of Fe(VI):dimethoate enhanced the removal of dimethoate and TP. The addition of inorganic anions (HCO3- and NO2-) had obvious inhibitory effects on dimethoate and TP removal. Eight degradation products including O,O,S-trimethylphosphorothiate, omethoate and 2-S-methyl-(N-methyl) acetamide were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, and two possible degradation pathways were proposed. The insights gained from this study open a new avenue to simultaneously degrade and remove organic contaminants.

Comparison of three water-soluble polyphosphate tripolyphosphate, phytic acid, and sodium hexametaphosphate as crosslinking agents in chitosan nanoparticle formulation.

Chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) prepared by ionic gelation with tripolyphosphate (TPP) are a promising drug carrier for mucosal administration due to their remarkable mucoadhesivity and biocompatibility. In this work, CS-NPs were obtained by an ionotropic gelation method with polyphosphate crosslinking agents of tripolyphosphate (TPP), phytic acid (PA), and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP). The drug encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug release behavior, mucoadhesivity, and cytotoxicity of the CS-NPs were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the high concentration of H+ ion would impede the formation of CS-TPP-NPs but promote the formation of CS-PA-NPs and CS-SHMP-NPs. The obtained CS-NPs were approximately spherical in shape, biocompatible confirmed by the cytotoxicity test, and bioadhesive particles with a narrow diameter distribution (0.20 ±â€¯0.02 of polydispersity index) less than 200 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of myricetin (MYR) in CS-NPs crosslinked by PA and SHMP (67.3 ±â€¯0.4 % and 62.2 ±â€¯0.2 %) was significantly higher than that in CS-NPs crosslinked by TPP (47.7 ±â€¯0.1 %) (p < 0.05); their drug release rate (43.7 ±â€¯5.1 % and 44.0 ±â€¯3.7 %) was also significantly slower than that of MYR-CS-NPs crosslinked by TPP (103.4 ±â€¯4.0 %) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a strong mucoadhesiveness of the CS-NPs crosslinked by PA was shown by a fast increase of the turbidity value and a sharp decrease of the zeta potential in the mucin solution test.

Fabrication of Silver Decorated Graphene Oxide Composite for Photocatalytic Inactivation of Escherichia coli.

In this study, silver decorated graphene oxide (Ag/GO) composite was fabricated through a reduction process in the presence of potassium borohydride solution. Subsequently, physicochemical properties of the resulting Ag/GO composite were studied by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum. Results indicated that Ag species existed in the form of Ag0, which greatly facilitated the visible light absorbance ability. Furthermore, the performance of Ag/GO was evaluated by PC inactiviation of Escherichia coli under Xenon lamp illumination. It was found that Ag/GO sample could kill the Escherichia coli within 60 min illumination by the non-selective attack of ⋅OH radicals. This study provides a novel and facile strategy to fabricate high-efficient catalyst to kill the bacteria in drinking water treatment.