Cytotoxicity Study of Cadmium-Selenium Quantum Dots (Cdse QDs) for Destroying the Human HepG2 Liver Cancer Cell

In this approach, Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is originated from hepatocytes cell, which can spread several parts in the body. It increases the death rate of cancer patients and more common in men rather than female. Patients having large tumor are growing through expensive treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. Nano medicine such as nano-dimensional particles as well as quantum dots might be an alternative treatment with greater efficiency in cancer biology field. Modification of surface and chemical properties of cadmium groups quantum dots can easily penetrate into the cancer cell without harming normal tissues. Here, Cadmium-Selenium Quantum Dot nanomaterials (CdSe QDs) have been prepared in solution phase with 0.1 M concentration, which was potentially applied for the destroying of HepG2 cancer cell with 24 hour and 36 hour of incubation. Due to their size, surface properties, lower cost, QDs can easily attached to the cell and able to damage the cells more rapidly in vitro process. For cell death, gene expression and morphological changing analysis were completed MTT, Flow Cytometry, qRT-PCR assay. Finally, the cell deaths were observed by cell shrinkage, rupture of membrane and expression of apoptotic gene (Bcl2, Beta catenin, Bax) were positive comparing untreated HepG2 cell line.

Impact of Annealing Temperature on the Morphological, Optical and Photoelectrochemical Properties of Cauliflower-like CdSe0.6Te0.4 Photoelectrodes; Enhanced Solar Cell Performance

We are reporting on the impact of air annealing temperatures on the physicochemical properties of electrochemically synthesized cadmium selenium telluride (CdSe0.6Te0.4) samples for their application in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cell. The CdSe0.6Te0.4 samples were characterized with several sophisticated techniques to understand their characteristic properties. The XRD results presented the pure phase formation of the ternary CdSe0.6Te0.4 nanocompound with a hexagonal crystal structure, indicating that the annealing temperature influences the XRD peak intensity. The XPS study confirmed the existence of Cd, Se, and Te elements, indicating the formation of ternary CdSe0.6Te0.4 compounds. The FE-SEM results showed that the morphological engineering of the CdSe0.6Te0.4 samples can be achieved simply by changing the annealing temperatures from 300 to 400 °C with intervals of 50 °C. The efficiencies (ƞ) of the CdSe0.6Te0.4 photoelectrodes were found to be 2.0% for the non-annealed and 3.1, 3.6, and 2.5% for the annealed at 300, 350, and 400 °C, respectively. Most interestingly, the PEC cell analysis indicated that the annealing temperatures played an important role in boosting the performance of the photoelectrochemical properties of the solar cells.

Hydrogeochemistry and surface water quality assessment of IB valley coalfield area, India

Coal mining and ancillary activities have the potential to cause water pollution characterized by acid mine drainage, acid mine leachates, extreme pH conditions and heavy metal contaminations. In the present work, 33 water samples in premonsoon and 34 water samples in monsoon were collected from the surface water bodies of Ib Valley coalfield, India for hydrogeochemical analysis. In premonsoon, pH, TSS, Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, Magnesium, Cadmium, Selenium, Nickel, Aluminum and in monsoon, pH, TSS, Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, Iron, Cadmium, Selenium, Nickel and Aluminum were nonconforming to the permissible limit set by the Bureau of Indian Standards, World Health Organisation and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The average BOD/COD ratio of less than 0.6 in both seasons indicated Ib valley coalfield water was not fairly biodegradable. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that significant seasonal variation (p < 0.05) was observed in the hydro-chemical parameters viz. TSS, turbidity, redox potential, acidity, total hardness, bicarbonate alkalinity, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, cadmium, chromium and magnesium during the entire sampling period. Whereas, no significant seasonal variation (p > 0.05) was observed in pH, EC, TDS, DO, BOD, residual chlorine, COD, oil and grease, fluoride, potassium, zinc, copper, selenium, nickel, aluminum, boron, silica, temperature, salinity, cyanide and phenol. Water Quality Index revealed that 39.39% and 35.29% samples belong to poor water quality category in premonsoon and monsoon, respectively. As per Heavy Metal Pollution Index, Degree of Contamination (Cd) and Heavy metal evaluation index, medium degree of pollution were exhibited by 51.52%, 30.30% and 45.45% samples in premonsoon and 20.59%, 35.29% and 26.47% samples in monsoon. Whereas, 5.88%, 2.94% and 5.88% samples were having high degree of pollution in monsoon and 15.15% samples caused high degree of pollution with respect to Cd in premonsoon. However, EC, Na%, PI, SAR and RSC values suggested that the water can be used for irrigation. Water type of the region had been found to be Ca–Mg–Cl–SO4 by Piper diagram.

Deciphering the Multi-Dimensional Abilities of Indigenous Bacteria Enterobacter Cloacae Isolated from Arsenic Contaminated Industrial Sites

Arsenic (As) is a quintessential toxic metalloid and it has been classified as Group 1 human carcinogen. The evolution of arsenic defense mechanisms due to the omnipresent nature of arsenic has resulted in its alteration to less toxic forms. The present study deals with the isolation of arsenic remediating microbial strains from soil samples and their integration into bioremediation strategy. From the metal contaminated site, 118 different bacterial strains were isolated from heavy metal contaminated site. Twenty-five strains were tolerant to arsenic and one bacterial strain Enterobacter cloacae (RSC3) demonstrated maximum growth at high concentration of arsenate (6000ppm). The cell growth kinetics of RSC3revealed the specific growth rate (µ) to be 0.55 h-1. The The bacteria hosts arsC gene in the genome involved in the reduction of arsenate to arsenite. AAS, SEM, TEM and EDX studies confirmed the arsenate transportation and efflux of arsenic by the bacteria. Furthermore, the strain showed multi-resistance to other heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, selenium and nickel and several antibiotics indicating its application for facilitating bioremediation of toxic metal contaminated sites.

Theoretical and practical aspects in determining the current geochemical status of the Crimean peninsula and anthropogenic risk to public health

&lt;p&gt;The implementation of basic principles of medical and ecological monitoring programs in Crimea previously reported in EGU proceedings consists of determining the content of a wide range of toxic, essential and rare earth elements in various biological substrates: soil, plants, water, human body. Biosubstrates are sampled in different locations with contrast natural and anthropogenic conditions: urbanized-rural, industrial-agricultural, natural resources. Lichens and poplar leaves are used as indicators of environmental contamination, particularly atmospheric pollution; liquid precipitation is used as an indicator showing the negative impact of air pollution on ecosystems; hair is used as an indicator of the total body intake of chemical elements. The update of databases, on some of the territories (Simferopol, Sevastopol, geographical regions with different soil characteristics, etc.) with regard to some of the elements (mercury, lead, cadmium, selenium, etc.) at this stage allowed to determine their biogeochemical status in conditions of intensive growth of anthropogenic load in recent years, and to compare it with the elemental status of the humans living in this territory. The databases for other types of territories continue to be extended, the relationship between morbidity to estimate of the environmental burden of disease for environmentally determined diseases (neurodegenerative, endocrine, respiratory, etc.) and chemical load on the territories, based on USEtox model; the functional state of target systems (nervous, immune, cardiovascular) and level of chemical elements in the human body and the overall elemental imbalance, is established. This has provided us with a degree of understanding on how the degree of population and individual health risk could be determined.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mercury analysis was funded by RFBR according to the research project &amp;#8470; 18-29-24212\19 entitled &amp;#8220;Development of neutralization of mercury-containing waste without heating and the formation of wastewater&amp;#8221;, 2018&amp;#8211;2021 years; elemental composition was possible to determine due to RFBR project &amp;#8470; 18-45-920042\20 entitled &amp;#8220;Bioecological monitoring of heavy metals at board of Black Sea of Crimea&amp;#8221;, 2018&amp;#8211;2020 years. Physiological part of research was possible to accomplish due to funds by the V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (Project No VG2019/15, &amp;#1040;&amp;#1040;&amp;#1040;&amp;#1040;-&amp;#1040;20-120012090158-7).&lt;/p&gt;

A study of the microbiological and physico-chemical quality of drinking water intended for human consumption in the town of Kenitra

The quality of drinking water is highly dependent on physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics. This study envisaged to determine the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of the water consumed by the population of the town of Kenitra by analyzing the following parameters: Conductivity, Turbidity, Temperature, pH, Sulphates, Cadmium, Selenium, Arsenic, Fluorides, Total Iron, Manganese, Chloride Ions, Nitrates, Nitrites, Cadmium, Boron, Nickel, Trihalomethanes, Ammonium and Potassium Permanganate. On the other hand by analyzing the following microbiological parameters: Escherichia coli, intestinal enterococci, coliforms and revivifiable microorganisms at 22 ̊C and 37 ̊C. In general, biological contamination was not detected in the samples collected from Kenitra. At the same time, the results of some physico-chemical elements do not also show contamination in drinking water, which implies that the concentrations of these elements are perfectly in line with WHO requirements.Indeed, the physico-chemical parameters that were considered non-compliant in this work are temperature, pH, dissolved O2 and sulfate (SO42-) represent an impact on water. The results obtained were found to be below the values required by the Moroccan standard.

Monolayer Quantum-Dot Based Light-Sensor by a Photo-Electrochemical Mechanism

Monolayer nanocrystal-based light sensors with cadmium-selenium thin film electrodes have been investigated using electrochemical cyclic voltammetry tests. An indium tin oxide electrode system, with a monolayer of homogeneously deposited cadmium-selenium quantum dots was proven to work as a photo-sensor via an electrochemical cell mechanism; it was possible to tune current densities under light illumination. Electrochemical tests on a quantum dot capacitor, using different sized (red, yellow and green) cadmium-selenium quantum dots on indium tin oxide substrates, showed typical capacitive behavior of cyclic voltammetry curves in 2M H2SO4 aqueous solutions. This arrangement provides a beneficial effect in, both, charge separation and light sensory characteristics. Importantly, the photocurrent density depended on quantum yield rendering tunable photo-sensing properties.