Defining the kidney stone composition is important for determining a treatment plan, understanding etiology and preventing recurrence of nephrolithiasis, which is considered as a common, civilization ...disease and a serious worldwide medical problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology and chemical composition of multicomponent kidney stones. The identification methods such as infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron microscopy with the EDX detector were presented. The studies by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were also carried out for better understanding of their chemical structure. The chemical mapping by the FTIR microscopy was performed to show the distribution of individual chemical compounds that constitute the building blocks of kidney stones. The use of modern research methods with a particular emphasis on the spectroscopic methods allowed for a thorough examination of the subject of nephrolithiasis.
Residues obtained after wood biomass liquefaction were used as precursors for the synthesis of two activated biochars. The source of biomass liquefaction constituted of industrial wood processing ...by‐products, including bark and wood sawdust. The liquefied residues were analyzed in terms of chemical components and structure. Carbonization under nitrogen atmosphere followed by physical CO2 activation allowed to obtain microporous activated carbons with specific surface areas of 741 and 522 m2 g−1, and micropore volumes of 0.38 and 0.27 cm3 g−1, respectively. The obtained activated carbons were used to remove toxic hexavalent chromium from the aquatic environment. The observed sorption capacities were 80.6 mg g−1 versus 36.7 mg g−1 for wood bark‐derived and wood sawdust‐derived carbon, respectively, indicating a key role of the wood residue source in the effectiveness of Cr(VI) removal by resulting carbons. Despite the dominant microporous structure, the adsorption kinetics was surprisingly fast, especially for the bark‐derived carbon, since the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 2 h. The sorption mechanism of chromium was based on the carbon surface‐mediated reduction of toxic hexavalent form to its non‐toxic trivalent form, as confirmed by the X‐ray photoelectron analysis. Therefore, the residues from wood liquefaction can be easily converted into porous activated biocarbons capable of adsorbing significant amounts of hazardous Cr(VI) while reducing them to non‐toxic Cr(III).
Wood biomass liquefaction residues were used to obtain two activated biochars. The obtained materials were used to remove toxic hexavalent chromium from the aquatic environment. The observed sorption capacities were high and sorption process was fast. Based on the presented data, it was demonstrated that the preparation of biochars is a promising strategy to find a sustainable way to manage the liquefaction process residues in line with the current worldwide bio‐economy approach.
The current prevalence of such lifestyle diseases as mycobacteriosis and tuberculosis is a result of the growing resistance of microorganisms to the available antibiotics and their significant ...toxicity. Therefore, plants can successfully become a source of new therapeutic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of protein extract from
seeds on the morphology, structure, and viability of
and to carry out proteomic characterization of the protein extract. The analyses were carried out using fluorescence and transmission microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopy. The proteomic studies were performed using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The studies showed that the seed extract applied at concentrations of 50-150 µg/mL exerted a statistically significant effect on
cells, that is, a reduction of the viability of the bacteria and induction of changes in the structure of the mycobacterial cell wall. Additionally, the SEM analysis confirmed that the extract did not have a cytotoxic or cytopathic effect on fibroblast cells. The proteomic analysis revealed the presence of structural, storage, and enzymatic proteins and peptides in the extract, which are typical for seeds. Proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity identified as vicillins and lipid-transporting proteins were also determined in the protein profile of the extract.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of virgin oil pressed from spring rape seeds cultivated with the use of colloidal nanosilver and nanocopper solutions for processing seeds and as ...foliar fertilizer. The results show that the use of nanometals for seed processing and foliar fertilization increased the content of carotenoid pigments in the oil. The pigment concentration was higher compared to oil pressed from control seeds. The application of nanocolloids onto the seeds and subsequently on the growing plants contributed to the increase of the oxidative stability of oils. Both the acid number (AN) and peroxide number (PN) values were higher in the studied oils as compared to the control, but did not exceed the required allowable levels. Increased content of silver ions and slightly increased copper content was observed in the pressed oil. An infrared spectral analysis (Fourier-Transformed Infra-Red) conducted in combination with chemometrics allowed the classification of the studied oils in terms of their chemical composition. The analysis revealed the presence of bands characteristic of Cu-O-H vibrations after soaking the seeds and spraying the plants with copper nanocolloid, and of C-O-Ag after fertilization with silver nanocolloid.
The formation of hierarchical, multimodal porosity materials with controlled shape and size of pores is the essential challenge in materials science. Properties of silica materials depend largely on ...different features: crystal structure, dispersity, surface composition, and porosity as well as the method of preparation and possible modification. In this paper, multimodal silicas obtained using different additives are presented. A-50 and A-380 aerosils and wide-porous SiO2 milled at 300 rpm were used as the additives in the sol stage at 20 °C, the sol–gel stage followed by hydrothermal modification (HTT) at 200 °C, or in the mechanochemical treatment (MChT) process. The characterizations were made by application of N2 adsorption/desorption, SEM imaging, quasi-isothermal thermogravimetry (Q-TG), dynamic thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTG/DTA), and cryoporometry differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. Results showed that such a one-step preparation method is convenient and makes it possible to obtain multimodal silicas of differentiated porous structures and surface chemistry.
The paper presents a novel simple and cost-effective approach to preparation of mixed-valence mesoporous manganese oxide in the form of easy to handle spheres. The synthesis relies on swelling of ...porous polymer templates (i.e. three selected resins Amberlite® XAD7 HP, XAD4 and XAD16) in a saturated Mn(NO3)2 solution and subsequent removal of the template via calcination in air. The products are porous with the specific surface area (SBET) up to 100 m2 g−1. The detailed characteristic of the materials, thermogravimetric insight into its calcination in air, and the influence of porous polymer (template) on MnOx structure is provided. The final product can be of great significance for electrochemistry, catalysis and is of some importance to the environment protection.
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1.MnOx materials has been obtained via hard template route, with saturated manganese nitrate aqueous solution.2.MnOx materials are porous, with the specific surface area up to 100 m2 g−1.3.MnOx is mainly in form of spheres comprised of rods, small crystals and sponge-like structures.4.Mn5O8, Mn2O3, Mn3O4 were obtained via polymer template calcination in air at 400 °C.
The paper presents the colloidal and thermal stability of the three‐component hybrid materials containing halloysite, polysaccharides (alginic acid, cationic cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose) and ...Tritons. TX‐100, TX‐165 and TX‐405 were used as non‐ionic surfactants. Stability and other properties of the hybrid materials were tested by the following methods: UV–Vis, TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), CHN (elemental analysis), SEM‐EDX (scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy) and tensiometry. According to the results with the increasing polymer concentration the colloidal stability of the tested systems also increases. Moreover, the addition of the surfactants causes the increase of polysaccharide adsorption but the colloidal stability of the tested systems decreases due to large weights of formed aggregates. As follows from the thermal analysis, the comparison of the TG/DTG‐DSC curves obtained for the investigated polymers confirms that their thermal decomposition courses have some common features. The obtained results have the application potential in the formation of the materials for the pollutants removal from water and sewages.
The paper presents the colloidal and thermal stability of the three‐component hybrid materials containing halloysite, polysaccharides (alginic acid, cationic cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose) and Tritons. The obtained results have the application potential in the formation of the materials for the pollutants removal from water and sewages.
The current prevalence of such lifestyle diseases as mycobacteriosis and tuberculosis is a result of the growing resistance of microorganisms to the available antibiotics and their significant ...toxicity. Therefore, plants can successfully become a source of new therapeutic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of protein extract from Sida hermaphrodita seeds on the morphology, structure, and viability of Mycobacterium smegmatis and to carry out proteomic characterization of the protein extract. The analyses were carried out using fluorescence and transmission microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopy. The proteomic studies were performed using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The studies showed that the seed extract applied at concentrations of 50–150 µg/mL exerted a statistically significant effect on M. smegmatis cells, that is, a reduction of the viability of the bacteria and induction of changes in the structure of the mycobacterial cell wall. Additionally, the SEM analysis confirmed that the extract did not have a cytotoxic or cytopathic effect on fibroblast cells. The proteomic analysis revealed the presence of structural, storage, and enzymatic proteins and peptides in the extract, which are typical for seeds. Proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity identified as vicillins and lipid-transporting proteins were also determined in the protein profile of the extract.
The development of epithelial ovarian cancer is associated with changes in the peritoneal cavity microenvironment. Tumor cells produce different factors, which impairs differentiation, maturation, ...and function of antigen-presenting cells. In this review, we focus on selected cell populations in the peritoneal cavity immune system and their potential role in epithelial ovarian cancer immunopathogenesis. We devote most attention to dendritic cells because they are considered to be superior in their antigen-presenting ability, compared with both macrophages and B lymphocytes. We also present a brief characterization of tumor-infiltraiting cells in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.
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