Microemulsion Based Nanostructures for Drug Delivery

Most of the active pharmaceutical compounds are often prone to display low bioavailability and biological degradation represents an important drawback. Due to the above, the development of a drug delivery system (DDS) that enables the introduction of a pharmaceutical compound through the body to achieve a therapeutic effect in a controlled manner is an expanding application. Henceforth, new strategies have been developed to control several parameters considered essential for enhancing delivery of drugs. Nanostructure synthesis by microemulsions (ME) consist of enclosing a substance within a wall material at the nanoscale level, allowing to control the size and surface area of the resulting particle. This nanotechnology has shown the importance on targeted drug delivery to improve their stability by protecting a bioactive compound from an adverse environment, enhanced bioavailability as well as controlled release. Thus, a lower dose administration could be achieved by minimizing systemic side effects and decreasing toxicity. This review will focus on describing the different biocompatible nanostructures synthesized by ME as controlled DDS for therapeutic purposes.

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF OPTICAL TRANSMISSION OF GERMANIUM SINGLE CRYSTALS

Проведены исследования оптического пропускания в диапазоне длин волн 2 - 14 мкм монокристаллов германия, легированных донорными и акцепторными примесями (удельное сопротивление германия 1 - 3 Ом⋅см), в интервале температур от 86 К до 523 К. Рассчитаны значения коэффициентов ослабления α для исследуемых кристаллов; минимальные значения коэффициентов ослабления (0,0015 - 0,0231 см) в интервале температур от 86 К до 323 К характерны для монокристаллов германия, легированных сурьмой, в диапазоне 2 - 11 мкм. Исследования показали, что низкие значения α и коэффициента пропускания на длине волны 3,39 мкм для кристаллов Ge: Sb и Ge: Bi позволяют применять эти низкоомные кристаллы германия для газовых гелий-неоновых лазеров при температурах от 86 К до 323 К. Исследованы температурные изменения геометрии поверхности кристалла на наноразмерном уровне. Показано, что нагрев кристаллического германия приводит к увеличению диффузного отражения излучения от поверхности. Сделан вывод о возможности использования низкоомных кристаллов германия, легированных сурьмой, в качестве элементов инфракрасной оптики в интервале температур 86 - 373 К. In this work, we investigated optical transmission in the wavelength range of 2-14 μm of low-resistance germanium crystals (1 - 3 Ω⋅cm) doped with donor and acceptor impurities in the temperature range from 86 K to 523 K. The values of the attenuation coefficients for investigated crystals are obtained. Minimum attenuation coefficients α of 0,0015 - 00231 cm in the temperature range from 86 K to 323 K are characteristic for germanium single crystals doped with antimony in the range 2,1-11 μm. Studies have shown that the low values of α and the transmittance at a wavelength of 3,39 pm for Ge: Bi and Ge: Sb crystals make it possible to use these low-resistance germanium crystals for gas helium-neon lasers at temperatures from 86 K to 323 K. The temperature changes in the geometry of the crystal surface are investigated at the nanoscale level. It is shown that heating crystalline germanium leads to an increase in the diffuse reflection of radiation from the surface. The possibility of using the low-resistance germanium crystals doped with antimony as elements of infrared optics in the temperature range 86 - 373 K has been demonstrated.

Carbon Nanotubes-Based Hydrogels for Bacterial Eradiation and Wound-Healing Applications

Biocompatible nanomaterials have attracted enormous interest for biomedical applications. Carbonaceous materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have been widely explored in wound healing and other applications because of their superior physicochemical and potential biomedical properties to the nanoscale level. CNTs-based hydrogels are widely used for wound-healing and antibacterial applications. CNTs-based materials exhibited improved antimicrobial, antibacterial, adhesive, antioxidants, and mechanical properties, which are beneficial for the wound-healing process. This review concisely discussed the preparation of CNTs-based hydrogels and their antibacterial and wound-healing applications. The conductive potential of CNTs and their derivatives is discussed. It has been observed that the conductivity of CNTs is profoundly affected by their structure, temperature, and functionalization. CNTs properties can be easily modified by surface functionalization. CNTs-based composite hydrogels demonstrated superior antibacterial potential to corresponding pure polymer hydrogels. The accelerated wound healing was observed with CNTs-based hydrogels.

Applications of Nanomaterials in Agrifood and Pharmaceutical Industry

Nanotechnology recently emerged among the most exciting science-related innovations. Nanotechnology-produced metal nanoparticles got a lot of attention. This is emerging as a rapidly developing field due to its effective applications that targeted the manufacturing of new materials at the nanoscale level. There is considerable interest in the application of nanomaterials in many areas of industry including agrifood and biomedical products. In the agrifood area, nanomaterials have benefits in diverse areas which include fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, sensors, and quality stimulants, among other food processing, food packaging, and nutraceuticals to improve nutritional value. These applications in agriculture result in enhanced quality and crop yield, reduction in pollution caused by various chemicals, etc. In the pharmaceutical area, nanomaterials are claimed to ameliorate drug safety and efficacy, as well as bioavailability. They are utilized for targeting various drugs to a specific location in the body. However, there are also concerns that some nanoparticles may have adverse effects on human health. These include titanium dioxide, copper oxides, and other nanomaterials which lead to liver damage, skin damage, lung damage, and various other human health-related problems. This review is aimed at presenting a briefing on the state of the art in the application of nanotechnology in food and human nutrition and drug administration, consumer attitudes, and their challenges and opportunities with future perspectives.

Computational Modeling of Chromatin Fiber to Characterize Its Organization Using Angle-Resolved Scattering of Circularly Polarized Light

Understanding the structural organization of chromatin is essential to comprehend the gene functions. The chromatin organization changes in the cell cycle, and it conforms to various compaction levels. We investigated a chromatin solenoid model with nucleosomes shaped as cylindrical units arranged in a helical array. The solenoid with spherical-shaped nucleosomes was also modeled. The changes in chiral structural parameters of solenoid induced different compaction levels of chromatin fiber. We calculated the angle-resolved scattering of circularly polarized light to probe the changes in the organization of chromatin fiber in response to the changes in its chiral parameters. The electromagnetic scattering calculations were performed using discrete dipole approximation (DDA). In the chromatin structure, nucleosomes have internal interactions that affect chromatin compaction. The merit of performing computations with DDA is that it takes into account the internal interactions. We demonstrated sensitivity of the scattering signal’s angular behavior to the changes in these chiral parameters: pitch, radius, the handedness of solenoid, number of solenoid turns, the orientation of solenoid, the orientation of nucleosomes, number of nucleosomes, and shape of nucleosomes. These scattering calculations can potentially benefit applying a label-free polarized-light-based approach to characterize chromatin DNA and chiral polymers at the nanoscale level.

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF EPOXY-BASED HYBRID COMPOSITES REINFORCED WITH CARBON FIBERS AND FUNCTIONALIZED GRAPHENE NANOPLATELETS

The impact on the mechanical properties of unidirectional carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy composites reinforced with pristine graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), highly concentrated graphene oxide (GO), and Functionalized Graphene Oxide (FGO) are investigated in this study. The localized reinforcing effect of each of the graphene nanoplatelet types on the epoxy matrix is predicted at the nanoscale-level by molecular dynamics. The bulk-level mechanical properties of unidirectional CF/epoxy hybrid composites are predicted using micromechanics techniques considering the reinforcing function, content, and aspect ratios for each of the graphene nanoplatelets. In addition, the effect of nanoplatelets dispersion level is also investigated for the pristine graphene nanoplatelets considering a lower dispersion level with four layers of graphene nanoplatelets (4GNP). The results indicate that the shear and transverse properties are significantly affected by the nanoplatelet type, loading and aspect ratio. The results of this study can be used in the design of hybrid composites to tailor specific laminate properties by adjusting nanoplatelet parameters.

Design and Implementation of Novel Efficient Full Adder/Subtractor Circuits Based on Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata Technology

One of the emerging technologies at the nanoscale level is the Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata (QCA) technology, which is a potential alternative to conventional CMOS technology due to its high speed, low power consumption, low latency, and possible implementation at the atomic and molecular levels. Adders are one of the most basic digital computing circuits and one of the main building blocks of VLSI systems, such as various microprocessors and processors. Many research studies have been focusing on computable digital computing circuits. The design of a Full Adder/Subtractor (FA/S), a composite and computing circuit, performing both the addition and the subtraction processes, is of particular importance. This paper implements three new Full Adder/Subtractor circuits with the lowest number of cells, lowest area, lowest latency, and a coplanar (single-layer) circuit design, as was shown by comparing the results obtained with those of the best previous works on this topic.

Nanoscale Engineering of Inorganic Composite Scintillation Materials

This review article considers the latest developments in the field of inorganic scintillation materials. Modern trends in the improvement of inorganic scintillation materials are based on engineering their features at the nanoscale level. The essential challenges to the fundamental steps of the technology of inorganic glass, glass ceramics, and ceramic scintillation materials are discussed. The advantage of co-precipitation over the solid-state synthesis of the raw material compositions, particularly those which include high vapor components is described. Methods to improve the scintillation parameters of the glass to the level of single crystals are considered. The move to crystalline systems with the compositional disorder to improve their scintillation properties is justified both theoretically and practically. A benefit of the implementation of the discussed matters into the technology of well-known glass and crystalline scintillation materials is demonstrated.

Atomic force microscopy analysis of native infectious and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virions

SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here, single viruses were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) operating directly in a level 3 biosafety (BSL3) facility, which appeared as a fast and powerful method to assess at the nanoscale level and in 3D infectious virus morphology in its native conformation, or upon inactivation treatments. AFM imaging reveals structurally intact infectious and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 upon low concentration of formaldehyde treatment. This protocol combining AFM and plaque assays allows the preparation of intact inactivated SARS-CoV-2 particles for safe use of samples out of level 3 laboratory to accelerate researches against the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, we illustrate how adapted BSL3-AFM is a remarkable toolbox for rapid and direct virus analysis based on nanoscale morphology.

Nanomaterials and Essential Oils as Candidates for Developing Novel Treatment Options for Bovine Mastitis

Nanomaterials have been used for diagnosis and therapy in the human medical field, while their application in veterinary medicine and animal production is still relatively new. Nanotechnology, however, is a rapidly growing field, offering the possibility of manufacturing new materials at the nanoscale level, with the formidable potential to revolutionize the agri-food sector by offering novel treatment options for prevalent and expensive illnesses such as bovine mastitis. Since current treatments are becoming progressively more ineffective in resistant bacteria, the development of innovative products based on both nanotechnology and phytotherapy may directly address a major global problem, antimicrobial resistance, while providing a sustainable animal health solution that supports the production of safe and high-quality food products. This review summarizes the challenges encountered presently in the treatment of bovine mastitis, emphasizing the possibility of using new-generation nanomaterials (e.g., biological synthesized nanoparticles and graphene) and essential oils, as candidates for developing novel treatment options for bovine mastitis.