Yttrium doping-stabilized γ-Fe
2
O
3
nanoparticles were studied for its potential to serve as a plant fertilizer and, through enzymatic activity, support drought stress management. Levels of both ...hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation, after drought, were reduced when γ-Fe
2
O
3
nanoparticles were delivered by irrigation in a nutrient solution to
Brassica napus
plants grown in soil. Hydrogen peroxide was reduced from 151 to 83 μM g
−1
compared to control, and the malondialdehyde formation was reduced from 36 to 26 mM g
−1
. Growth rate of leaves was enhanced from 33 to 50% growth compared to fully fertilized plants and SPAD-measurements of chlorophyll increased from 47 to 52 suggesting improved agronomic properties by use of γ-Fe
2
O
3
nanoparticles as fertilizer as compared to chelated iron.
Although investigators in the imaging community have been active in developing and evaluating quantitative imaging biomarkers (QIBs), the development and implementation of QIBs have been hampered by ...the inconsistent or incorrect use of terminology or methods for technical performance and statistical concepts. Technical performance is an assessment of how a test performs in reference objects or subjects under controlled conditions. In this article, some of the relevant statistical concepts are reviewed, methods that can be used for evaluating and comparing QIBs are described, and some of the technical performance issues related to imaging biomarkers are discussed. More consistent and correct use of terminology and study design principles will improve clinical research, advance regulatory science, and foster better care for patients who undergo imaging studies.
A single-step hydrothermal synthesis of a TiO2-Mil-125 composite was applied for the first time to produce a depleted perovskite/TiO2-MOF heterojunction solar cell with 6.4% power conversion ...efficiency (PCE), characterized by durable stability in air.
Nanoparticles (NPs) elicit sterile inflammation, but the underlying signaling pathways are poorly understood. Here, we report that human monocytes are particularly vulnerable to amorphous silica NPs, ...as evidenced by single-cell-based analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells using cytometry by time-of-flight (CyToF), while silane modification of the NPs mitigated their toxicity. Using human THP-1 cells as a model, we observed cellular internalization of silica NPs by nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) and this was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Lipid droplet accumulation was also noted in the exposed cells. Furthermore, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) revealed specific changes in plasma membrane lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC) in silica NP-exposed cells, and subsequent studies suggested that lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) acts as a cell autonomous signal for inflammasome activation in the absence of priming with a microbial ligand. Moreover, we found that silica NPs elicited NLRP3 inflammasome activation in monocytes, whereas cell death transpired through a non-apoptotic, lipid peroxidation-dependent mechanism. Together, these data further our understanding of the mechanism of sterile inflammation.
The development and implementation of quantitative imaging biomarkers has been hampered by the inconsistent and often incorrect use of terminology related to these markers. Sponsored by the ...Radiological Society of North America, an interdisciplinary group of radiologists, statisticians, physicists, and other researchers worked to develop a comprehensive terminology to serve as a foundation for quantitative imaging biomarker claims. Where possible, this working group adapted existing definitions derived from national or international standards bodies rather than invent new definitions for these terms. This terminology also serves as a foundation for the design of studies that evaluate the technical performance of quantitative imaging biomarkers and for studies of algorithms that generate the quantitative imaging biomarkers from clinical scans. This paper provides examples of research studies and quantitative imaging biomarker claims that use terminology consistent with these definitions as well as examples of the rampant confusion in this emerging field. We provide recommendations for appropriate use of quantitative imaging biomarker terminological concepts. It is hoped that this document will assist researchers and regulatory reviewers who examine quantitative imaging biomarkers and will also inform regulatory guidance. More consistent and correct use of terminology could advance regulatory science, improve clinical research, and provide better care for patients who undergo imaging studies.
Despite the intense interest in biomarker development for cancer management, few biomarker assays for diagnostic uses have been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What challenges ...must researchers overcome to bring cancer-detection technologies to the market and, therefore, into clinical use?
Transition-metal oxide nanostructured materials are potentially attractive alternatives as anodes for Li ion batteries and as photocatalysts. Combining the structural and thermal stability of ...titanium oxides with the relatively high oxidation potential and charge capacity of molybdenum(VI) oxides was the motivation for a search for approaches to mixed oxides of these two metals. Challenges in traditional synthetic methods for such materials made development of a soft chemistry single-source precursor pathway our priority. A series of bimetallic Ti-Mo alkoxides were produced by reactions of homometallic species in a 1:1 ratio. Thermal solution reduction with subsequent reoxidation by dry air offered in minor yields Ti2Mo2O4(OMe)6(OiPr)6 (1) by the interaction of Ti(OiPr)4 with MoO(OMe)4 and Ti6Mo6O22(OiPr)16(iPrOH)2 (2) by the reaction of Ti(OiPr)4 with MoO(OiPr)4. An attempt to improve the yield of 2 by microhydrolysis, using the addition of stoichiometric amounts of water, resulted in the formation with high yield of a different complex, Mo7Ti7+x O31+x (OiPr)8+2x (3). Controlled thermal decomposition of 1–3 in air resulted in their transformation into the phase TiMoO5 (4) with an orthorhombic structure in space group Pnma, as determined by a Rietveld refinement. The electrochemical characteristics of 4 and its chemical transformation on Li insertion were investigated, showing its potential as a promising anode material for Li ion batteries for the first time. A lower charge capacity and lower stability were observed for its application as an anode for a Na ion battery.
Previous studies demonstrate that self-reports of mammography screening for breast cancer and colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer demonstrate concordance, based on adherence to screening ...guidelines, with electronic medical records (EMRs) in over 90% of those interviewed, as well as high sensitivity and specificity, and can be used for monitoring our Healthy People goals. However, for screening tests for cervical and lung cancers, and for various sub-populations, concordance between self-report and EMRs has been noticeably lower with poor sensitivity or specificity. This study aims to test the validity and reliability of lung, colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening questions from the 2021 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). We present the protocol for a study designed to measure the validity and reliability of the NHIS cancer screening questions compared to EMRs from four US-based healthcare systems. We planned a randomized trial of a phone- vs web-based survey with NHIS questions that were previously revised based on extensive cognitive interviewing. Our planned sample size will be 1576 validity interviews, and 1260 interviews randomly assigned at 1 or 3 months after the initial interview. We are enrolling people eligible for cancer screening based on age, sex, and smoking history per US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. We will evaluate question validity using concordance, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and report-to-records ratio. We further are randomizing participants to complete a second survey 1 vs 3 months later to assess question reliability. We suggest that typical measures of concordance may need to be reconsidered in evaluating cancer screening questions.
Titanium (oxo-) alkoxide phosphonate complexes were synthesized using different titanium precursors and
tert
-butylphosphonic acid (
t
BPA) as molecular models for interaction between phosphonates ...and titania surfaces and to investigate the solution stability of these species. Reflux of titanium(
iv
) ethoxide or titanium(
iv
)(diisopropoxide)bis(2,4-pentadionate) with
tert
-butylphosphonic acid in toluene-ethanol mixture or acetone yielded seven titanium alkoxide phosphonate complexes; Ti
5
(μ
3
-O)(μ
2
-O)(μ-HOEt)
2
(μ-OEt)
3
(μ
2
-OEt)(μ
3
-
t
BPA)
3
(μ
3
-H
t
BPA)(μ
2
-
t
BPA)
2
(μ
2
-H
t
BPA)·3EtOH,
1
, Ti
4
O(μ-OEt)
5
(μ
2
-OEt)
7
(μ
3
-
t
BPA),
2
, Ti
4
(μ
2
-O)
2
(μ-OEt)
2
(μ-HOEt)
2
(μ
2
-
t
PBA)
2
(μ
2
-H
t
PBA)
6
·4EtOH,
3
, Ti
4
(μ
2
-O)
2
(μ-OEt)
2
(μ-HOEt)
2
(μ
2
-
t
PBA)
2
(μ
2
-H
t
PBA)
6
·2EtOH,
4
, Ti
6
(μ
2
-O)(μ
3
-O)
2
(μ
2
-OEt)
5
(μ-OEt)
6
(μ
3
-
t
BPA)
3
(μ
3
-H
t
BPA),
5
, Ti
4
(μ-
i
OPr)
4
(acac)
4
(μ
2
-
t
BPA)
4
,
6
and Ti
5
(μ
4
-O)(μ
2
-O)
3
(μ
2
-OEt)
4
(μ-OEt)
6
(μ-HOEt)(μ
3
-
t
BPA)
2
,
7
. The binding mode of
t
BPA to the titanium oxo-core were either double or triple bridging or a combination of the two. No monodentate or chelating coordination was observed.
31
P NMR spectrometry of dissolved single crystals indicates that
1
and
5
retain their solid-state structures in solution, the latter even on moderate heating, while
6
and
7
dissolved into several other forms. The complexes were found to be sensitive towards hydrolysis, proceeding in a topotactic fashion with densification of the material into plates and lamellae resulting finally in "core-shell" nanoparticles with a crystalline core (anatase) and an amorphous outer shell upon contact with water at room temperature as observed by HRTEM and AFM analyses.
31
P NMR data supported degradation after addition of water to solutions of the complexes. Hydrolysis under different conditions affords complex oxide structures of different morphologies.
Oligonuclear Ti(
iv
) oxo-alkoxide-phosphonate complexes, produced by reaction of
t
BuPO(OH)
2
with Ti(OR)
4
, are easily topotactically hydrolyzed forming intricate nanostructures.
Sustainable and green synthesis of nanocomposites for degradation of pharmaceuticals was developed via immobilization and stabilization of the biological strong oxidizing agents, peroxidase enzymes, ...on a solid support. Sol-gel encapsulated enzyme composites were characterized using electron microscopy (TEM, SEM), atomic force microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and lignin peroxidase (LiP) were adsorbed onto magnetite nanoparticles and sol-gel encapsulated in a surface silica layer. Encapsulation enhanced the stability of the biocatalysts over time and thermal stability. The biocatalysts showed appreciable selectivity in oxidation of the organic drinking water pollutants diclofenac, carbamazepine, and paracetamol with improved activity being pharmaceutical specific for each enzyme. In particular, sol-gel encapsulated LiP- and HRP-based nanocomposites were active over 20 consecutive cycles for 20 days at 55 °C (24 h/cycle). The stability of the sol-gel encapsulated catalysts in acidic medium was also improved compared to native enzymes. Carbamazepine and diclofenac were degraded to 68% and 64% by sol-gel LiP composites respectively at pH 5 under elevated temperature. Total destruction of carbamazepine and diclofenac was achieved at pH 3 (55 °C) within 3 days, in the case of both immobilized HRP and LiP. Using NMR spectroscopy, characterization of the drug decomposition products, and decomposition pathways by the peroxidase enzymes suggested.