Babassu mesocarp (Orbignya phalerata Mart) nanoparticle-based biosensors for indirect sulfite detection in industrial juices

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The present work proposes a new electrochemical sulfite biosensor based on babassu mesocarp nanoparticles (BMNPs) immobilized on the surface of a pyrolytic...     

Synthesis and characterization of cellulose acetate from cellophane industry residues. Application as acetaminophen controlled-release membranes

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Cellophane film production generates cellulosic residues from scraps, edges, and low-quality films. In this work, cellophane was used as a raw material...     

Synthesis,Characterization and Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Antitumor Activity of HalogenatedSalen Copper (II) Complexes derived from Camphoric Acid

Platinum metal complexes are the most common chemotherapeutics currently used in cancer treatment. However, the frequent adverse effects, as well as acquired resistance by tumor cells, urge the development of effective alternatives. In the recent past, copper complexes with Schiff base ligands have emerged as good alternatives, showing interesting results. Accordingly, and in continuation of previous studies in this area, three new camphoric acid-derived halogenated salen ligands and their corresponding Cu (II) complexes were synthesized and their antitumor activity was evaluated in order to determine the influence of the type and number of halogens present (Br, Cl). The in vitro cytotoxic activity was screened against colorectal WiDr and LS1034 and against breast MCF-7 and HCC1806 cancer cell lines. The results proved the halogenated complexes to be very efficient, the tetrachlorinated Cu (II) complex being the most promising, presenting IC₅₀ of 0.63–1.09 μM for the cell lines studied. The complex also shows selectivity to colorectal cancer cells compared to non-tumor colon cells. It is worth highlighting that the tetrachlorinated Cu (II) complex, our most efficient complex, shows a significantly more powerful antitumor effect than the reference drugs currently used in conventional chemotherapy. The halogenated salen and corresponding complexes were also screened for their antimicrobial activity against four bacterial species-Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa-and four fungal species-Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria alternata. The compounds were found to exhibit moderate to strong antibacterial activity against the bacterial strains studied. NMR studies and theoretical calculations provided some insight into the structure of the ligands and copper complexes. Considering the results presented herein, our work validates the potential use of copper-based chemotherapeutics as alternatives for cancer treatment.     

Green solvent approach for printable large deformation thermoplastic elastomer based piezoresistive sensors and their suitability for biomedical applications

Composites based on biocompatible thermoplastic elastomer styrene‐ethylene/butylene‐styrene (SEBS) as matrix and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as nanofillers show excellent mechanical and piezoresistive properties from low to large deformations. The MWCNT/SEBS composites have been prepared following a green solvent approach, to extend their range of applicability to biomedical applications. The obtained composites with 2, 4, and 5 wt % MWCNT content provide suitable piezoresistive response up to 80% deformation with a piezoresistive sensibility near 2.7, depending on the applied strain and MWCNT content. Composite sensors were also developed by spray and screen printing and integrated with an electronic data acquisition system with RF communication. The possibility to accurately control the composites properties and performance by varying MWCNT content, viscosity, and mechanical properties of the polymer matrix, shows the large potential of the system for the development of large deformation printable piezoresistive sensors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2092–2103     

On the effective potential in higher-derivatives superfield theories

We study the one-loop quantum corrections for higher-derivative superfield theories, generalizing the approach for calculating the superfield effective potential. In particular, we calculate the effective potential for two versions of higher-derivative chiral superfield models. We point out that the equivalence of the higher-derivative theory for the chiral superfield and the one without higher derivatives but with an extended number of chiral superfields occurs only when the mass term is contained in the general Lagrangian. The presence of divergences can be taken as an indication of that equivalence.     

Electrochemical DNA biosensor for human papillomavirus 16 detection in real samples

An electrochemical DNA biosensor for human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 detection has been developed. For this proposed biosensor, l-cysteine was first electrodeposited on the gold electrode surface to form l-cysteine film (CYSFILM). Subsequently, HPV16-specific probe was immobilized on the electrode surface with CYSFILM. Electrochemistry measurement was studied by differential pulse voltammetry method (DPV). The measurement was based on the reduction signals of methylene blue (MB) before and after hybridization either between probe and synthetic target or extracted DNA from clinical samples. The effect of probe concentration was analyzed and the best results were seen at 1000 nM. The hybridization detection presented high sensitivity and broad linear response to the synthetic-target concentration comprised between 18.75 nM and 250 nM as well as to a detection limit of 18.13 nM. The performance of this biosensor was also investigated by checking probe-modified electrode hybridization with extracted DNA from samples. The results showed that the biosensor was successfully developed and exhibited high sensitivity and satisfactory selectivity to HPV16. These results allow for the possibility of developing a new portable detection system for HPVs and for providing help in making an effective diagnosis in the early stages of infection.     

Radiolabeling of low molecular weight d-galactose-based glycodendrimer with technetium-99m and biodistribution studies

Glycodendrimers are neoglycoconjugates that can be considered as bioisosters of glycoproteins, since they can mimic the multivalent interactions of lectin-carbohydrate. The ability of glycodendrimers to present multivalent interactions with lectins as compared to a monovalent ligand is referred to as “cluster effect”. It is expected that, because of the cluster effect, glycodendrimers would result in a better association with lectins than mono-carbohydrate anchored systems. Radioisotopes are useful to evaluate biodistribution of molecules. This study is important to obtain information about molecule–receptor interactions. Indeed, such study can provide an exquisite tool to evaluate the affinity of certain molecules to specific areas in the body, leading to the development of new radiopharmaceuticals and/or drug delivery systems. Herein, we describe a d-galactose coated low molecular weight PAMAM G0 dendrimer that was successfully radiolabeled with technetium-99m. Biodistribution studies and scintigraphic images were performed in healthy mice. It was observed high liver uptake which was significantly reduced in blocking studies, indicating hepatic specificity. Therefore, low molecular weight glycodendrimer can be considered as useful platform for selective targeting of drugs to the liver and to assess hepatic function.     

Growth of Chlorella vulgaris on Sugarcane Vinasse: The Effect of Anaerobic Digestion Pretreatment

Microalgae farming has been identified as the most eco-sustainable solution for producing biodiesel. However, the operation of full-scale plants is still limited by costs and the utilization of industrial and/or domestic wastes can significantly improve economic profits. Several waste effluents are valuable sources of nutrients for the cultivation of microalgae. Ethanol production from sugarcane, for instance, generates significant amounts of organically rich effluent, the vinasse. After anaerobic digestion treatment, nutrient remaining in such an effluent can be used to grow microalgae. This research aimed to testing the potential of the anaerobic treated vinasse as an alternative source of nutrients for culturing microalgae with the goal of supplying the biodiesel industrial chain with algal biomass and oil. The anaerobic process treating vinasse reached a steady state at about 17 batch cycles of 24 h producing about 0.116 m³CH₄ kgCOD_vinasse ^?1. The highest productivity of Chlorella vulgaris biomass (70 mg l^?1 day^?1) was observed when using medium prepared with the anaerobic digester effluent. Lipid productivity varied from 0.5 to 17 mg l^?1 day^?1. Thus, the results show that it is possible to integrate the culturing of microalgae with the sugarcane industry by means of anaerobic digestion of the vinasse. There is also the advantageous possibility of using by-products of the anaerobic digestion such as methane and CO₂ for sustaining the system with energy and carbon source, respectively.     

Synthesis of Some Unusual (1,2,4‐Oxadiazole)‐Linked Hexenopyranosides and Mannopyranosides

A copper‐catalyzed reaction of propargyl 4,6‐di‐O‐acetyl‐2,3‐dideoxy‐α‐D‐erythro‐hex‐2‐enopyranoside with 3‐(4‐azidophenyl)‐1,2,4‐oxadiazoles gave the corresponding hexenopyranosides bearing an 1,2,4‐oxadiazole subunit in the aglyconic part of the molecule. The same reaction between ethyl 4‐azido‐2,3,4‐trideoxy‐α‐D‐erythro‐hex‐2‐enopyranoside and acetylenic 1,2,4‐oxadiazoles afforded the corresponding hexenopyranosides carrying a triazole and a 1,2,4‐oxadiazole ring at C‐4 of the carbohydrate. Combination of the two sequences gave hexenopyranosides displaying two 1,2,4‐oxadiazole subunits, each one being embedded in the C‐1 and C‐4 frameworks, of the carbohydrate moiety. A simple dihydroxylation reaction of these unsaturated carbohydrates yielded a series of mannopyranosides bearing one or two 1,2,4‐oxadiazole subunits at C‐1 or C‐4. These new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against two cell strains: NCI‐H₂₉₂ (lung carcinoma) and Hep‐2 (larynx carcinoma), some of them presenting impressive cell growth inhibitions.