V članku avtorja najprej predstavita teoretični okvir in koncept korporativne akademije, pri čemer pojasnita tudi funkcijo in načine merjenja uspešnosti korporativnih akademij. S primerjalno analizo ...sedmih korporativnih akademij iz Slovenije in ene iz tujine ugotavljata, da zaradi splošne krize večina zmanjšuje število zaposlenih in število ur izobraževanja ter krči letna vlaganja v izobraževanje. Pri analiziranih podjetjih sta še ugotavljala, na katere načine merijo uspešnost svojih akademij, pri čemer sta kompleksnejše pristope zasledila le pri tujem podjetju. Velika večina analiziranih podjetij ocenjuje vzpostavitev korporativne akademije kot popolnoma upravičeno, saj dosega poslovne cilje podjetja, kar kaže, da je v podjetjih zaznana kultura znanja.
Increasing use of nano-enabled products provides many benefits in various industrial processes and medical applications, but it also raises concern about release of nanoparticles (NPs) into the ...environment and subsequent human exposure. While potential toxicity of individual NPs types has been well described in scientific literature, exposure and health-related effects of nanomixtures has been poorly described. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effect of silver (AgNP) and polystyrene NPs (PSNP) on the human macrophages. AgNP are one of the most commercialized NPs due to efficient antimicrobial activity, while PSNP are ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic environments due to plastic pollution and degradation of polystyrene-based products. Differentiated monocytic cell line THP-1 were used as an in vitro model of human macrophages. Multiple aspects of cellular response to AgNP-PSNP nanomixture were analyzed including cell death, induction of apoptosis, oxidative stress response, expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and nanomechanical properties of cells. NPs uptake was visualized by confocal microscopy and quantified using flow cytometry. Results show that nanomixture increased apoptosis and cell death, expression of IL-6, IL-8 and TNFa, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in cells compared to AgNP and PSNP applied as single treatments, indicating mixture additive action. Anti-inflammatory cytokines IL1b, IL-4 and IL-10 were not affected by combined exposure compared to single NPs. Visualization of NPs uptake and internalization showed that AgNP and PSNP were localized mostly in cytoplasm, with small fraction of AgNP translocated into cell nuclei, which explain increased number of double-stranded DNA breaks following exposure of cells to AgNPs alone or in the mixture. Study outcomes represent clear warnings on the human co-exposure to AgNP and PSNP that needs to be implemented in risk assessment approaches towards toxic-free environment.
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•Response of human macrophages to nanomixture was evaluated.•Nanomixture consisted of silver (AgNP) and polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNP).•Nanomixture showed increased toxicity compared to AgNP and PSNP.•Nanomixture increased oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammatory response in macrophages.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one of the most commercialized types of nanomaterials, with a wide range of applications owing to their antimicrobial activity. They are particularly important in ...hospitals and other healthcare settings, where they are used to maintain sterility of surfaces, textiles, catheters, medical implants, and more. However, AgNP can not only harm bacteria, but also damage mammalian cells and tissue. While the potential toxicity of AgNP is an understood risk, there is a lack of data on their toxicity in combination with polymeric materials, especially plastic nanoparticles such as polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNP) that can be released from surfaces of polystyrene devices during their medical use.
This study aimed to investigate combined effect of AgNP and nanoplastics on human immune response.
Cells were treated with a range of PSNP and AgNP concentrations, either applied alone or in combination. Cytotoxicity, induction of apoptosis, generation of oxidative stress, uptake efficiency, intracellular localization and nanomechanical cell properties were selected as exposure biomarkers.
Collected experimental data showed that nanomixture induced oxidative stress, apoptosis and mortality of Jurkat cells stronger than its individual components. Cell treatment with AgNP/PSNP mixture also significantly changed cell mechanical properties, evidenced by reduction of cells’ Young Modulus.
AgNP and PSNP showed additive toxic effects on immortalized human lymphocytes, evidenced by increase in cellular oxidative stress, induction of apoptosis, and reduction of cell stiffness. These results have important implications for using AgNP and PSNP in medical contexts, particularly for long-term medical implants.
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•Immunotoxicity of mixture consisting of silver and polystyrene nanoparticles was studied.•Nanomixture increased oxidative stress and apoptosis in human T lymphocytes.•Nanomixture changed cell mechanical properties.•Toxicity of mixtures is important for any nano-enabled products.
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