http://isurus.mote.org/niehsredtidestudy/Literature%20Review%20of%20Florida%20Red%20Tide%20Abstract.pdf

Literature Review of Florida Red Tide: Implications for Human Health Effects.

The ability to non-invasively monitor and treat physiological conditions within the human body has been an aspiration of researchers and medical professionals for decades. The emergences of nanotechnology opened up new possibilities for effective vehicles that could accomplish non-invasive detection of diseases and localized treatment systems to be developed. In turn, extensive research efforts have been spent on the development of imaging moiety that could be used to seek out specific diseased conditions and can be monitored with convention clinical imaging modalities. Nanoscale detection agents like these have the potential to increase early detection of pathophysiological conditions because they have the capability to detect abnormal cells before they even develop into diseased tissue and/or tumors. Once the diseased cells are detected it would be constructive to just be able to treat them simultaneously. From here, the concept of multifunctional carriers that could target, detect, and treat diseased cells emerged. The term “theranostics” has been created to describe this promising area of research that focuses on the combination of diagnostic detection agents with therapeutic drug delivery carriers. Targeted theranostic nanocarriers offer an attractive improvement to disease treatment because of their ability to simultaneously diagnose, image, and treat at targeted diseased sites. Research efforts in the field of theranostics encompass a broad variety of drug delivery vehicles, detection agents, and targeting modalities for the development of an all-in-one, localized, diagnostic and treatment system. Nanotheranostic systems that utilize metallic or magnetic imaging nanoparticles have the added capability to be used as thermal therapeutic systems. This review aims to explore recent advancements in the field of nanotheranostics and the various fundamental components of an effective theranostic carrier.

/pdf/responsive-theranostic-systems-integration-of-diagnostic-3lezdlvj5e.pdf

Responsive theranostic systems: integration of diagnostic imaging agents and responsive controlled release drug delivery carriers.

Functionalized ceramics for biomedical, biotechnological and environmental applications

Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging technology for desalination and water reuse. However, a big challenge is finding suitable draw solutes. In this work, we have synthesized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), investigated their potential as draw solutes in FO systems, and explored their recovery and reusability. A series of poly(ethylene glycol)diacid-coated (PEG−(COOH)2-coated) MNPs with different size distributions have been synthesized by means of the thermal decomposition method. The physical properties and chemical compositions of the resultant MNPs are fully characterized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses show the characteristics of spherical morphology with narrow size distribution, and a mean size from 4.2 to 17.5 nm depending on the ratio of the two starting materials of PEG−(COOH)2 to ferric triacetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3). Vibrating sample magnetometer analyses confirm the magnetic behavior of the PEG−(COOH)2 MNPs. The PEG−(COOH)2 layer on the MNPs ascertained from Fourier transform i...

Hydrophilic Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Performance in Forward Osmosis Processes

Brevetoxins (designated PbTx-1 to -10) are potent lipid-soluble polyether compounds that are known to bind to and modulate voltage-gated sodium channel activity. To investigate whether brevetoxins produce direct central nervous system neurotoxic effects, cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons were exposed to brevetoxins in Locke's buffer for 2 h at 22 degrees C. Neuronal injury was quantified by assaying lactate dehydrogenase activity in the exposure buffer and in conditioned growth media collected at 22 h after brevetoxin exposure. Brevetoxins produced acute neuronal injury and death in neurons with a rank order potency of PbTx-1 (EC50 = 9.31 +/- 0.45 nM) > PbTx-3 (EC50 = 53.9 +/- 2.8 nM) > PbTx-2 (EC50 = 80.5 +/- 5.9 nM) > PbTx-6 (EC50 = 1417 +/- 32 nM), which is similar to their previously determined rank order potency for brevetoxin-induced icthyotoxicity and binding to [3H]PbTx-3-labeled sodium channels on synaptosomes. The neurotoxic response could be prevented by coapplication of the sodium channel antagonist tetrodotoxin or by the competitive or noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists D-AP5 and MK-801, ketamine, dextromethorphan, and dextrorphan, respectively. NMDA receptor antagonists afforded neuroprotection with rank order potencies comparable to those measured previously for protection against glutamate-induced excitotoxic responses. Further analysis revealed that brevetoxins induced a concentration-dependent release of L-glutamate and L-aspartate into the exposure buffer. These data indicate that brevetoxin-induced injury in cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons is mediated by NMDA receptors that are activated indirectly as a consequence of PbTx-induced sodium channel activation and attendant excitatory amino acid release.

Brevetoxins cause acute excitotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule neurons

Cardiovascular and respiratory changes following exposure to a synthetic toxin of Ptychodiscus brevis.

CORRIGENDUM: Bio-functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles using an aminophosphonic acid coupling agent: new, ultradispersed, iron-oxide folate nanoconjugates for cancer-specific targeting Bio-functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles using an aminophosphonic acid coupling agent: new, ultradispersed, iron-oxide folate nanoconjugates for cancer-specific targeting

Heart acts as an important reflexogenic organ. Reflex urination and defaecation are two of the most important visceral symptoms observed in patients with myocardial ischaemia, infarction etc. In experimental animals also ventricular nociceptor stimulation by left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and nicotine application causes biphasic changes in urinary bladder movement and urine flow. Aim of the present study is to elucidate if there is any correlation between urine formation by the kidneys and movement of the urinary ladder under such experimental conditions. The experiments performed on intact cats show apparent coincidence of the two events. But, subsequent experiments following denervation of vagi and inferior cardiac nerve (ICN), spinal transaction and decerebration experiments indicate that these two are separate events. Further, experiments with different neurotransmitter blockers indicate that ventricular nocieptor induced urine formation and urinary bladder movements are two separate reflex responses and not dependent on each other.

Ventricular nociception induced vesicular motility and urine flow: their relationship.

The epicardial application of lactic acid induced a biphasic rectal motility response in lightly anaesthetised, open-chested and artificially ventilated cats. This rectal biphasic response is reflexogenic in nature as epicardial lignocaine abolished such response. This rectal biphasic response is abolished by cardiac sympathectomy and reprecipitated by left inferior cardiac afferent nerve stimulation. Such response is also abolished by sacral ventral rhizotomy and reproduced by stimulation of the peripheral cut end of split sacral ventral roots. This indicates that the afferent and efferent pathways for such reflex are lying in the cardiac sympathetic and sacral pelvic nerves, respectively. The higher centers involved for such reflex are lying above the mid-collicular level of the brain as decerebration at the mid-collicular level completely abolished such type of rectal response. Furthermore, the relaxation phase and contraction phase of such rectal response are mediated through nitric oxide release and cholinergic neurones, respectively, as NG-nitro-L-arginine and atropine abolished relaxation and contraction phase of the rectal response, respectively.

The neural mechanism of rectal motility response induced by the epicardial application of lactic acid.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/27/17/179501/pdf

Corrigendum: Bio-functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles using an aminophosphonic acid coupling agent: new, ultradispersed, iron-oxide folate nanoconjugates for cancer-specific targeting (2008 Nanotechnology 19 415101)

Basak Ak

Papers

Cardiovascular and respiratory changes following exposure to a synthetic toxin of Ptychodiscus brevis.

Ventricular nociception induced vesicular motility and urine flow: their relationship.

The neural mechanism of rectal motility response induced by the epicardial application of lactic acid.

Corrigendum: Bio-functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles using an aminophosphonic acid coupling agent: new, ultradispersed, iron-oxide folate nanoconjugates for cancer-specific targeting (2008 Nanotechnology 19 415101)