Effect of thermal annealing on a bilayer polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid electrospun hydrogel nanofibres loaded with doxorubicin and clarithromycin for a synergism effect against osteosarcoma cells

Polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid (PVA/PAA) bilayer hydrogel nanofibres were successfully fabricated by electrospinning and physically crosslinked via heat treatment. The effects of the thermal annealing process on the structure, morphology, swelling, thermal properties and hydrophilicity of electrospun nanofibres were investigated. In addition, these membranes were also used to incorporate doxorubicin and clarithromycin for osteosarcoma treatment, one in each layer. These drugs were used because it is hypothesized in this work that a synergism occurs between both drugs. So, these membranes were analyzed towards their dual-drug release and potential cytotoxicity towards the U2OS human osteosarcoma cell line. Moreover, the water contact angle, disintegration, swelling and weight loss studies confirmed the rapid swelling and improved water stability of the annealed PVA/PAA bilayer nanofibres. The annealed bilayer nanofibres exhibited an increase in the average diameter and degree of crystallinity. In addition, the results revealed that a variation occurred in the degree of hydrophilicity of annealed PVA/PAA bilayer nanofibres. The PAA nanofibres surface exhibited higher hydrophilicity than the PVA nanofibres surface. Drug delivery presented to be as fast rate release for clarithromycin and slow-rate release for doxorubicin, which may be advantageous because both drugs exhibited to be synergetic for certain dosages presenting the combination of the drugs higher than 50% of cell inhibition, while these membranes had higher inhibition values (up to 90%), which was attributed to the PAA but also the drugs. These unique properties are of potential interest in drug delivery applications for dual drug delivery where the tunability of surfaces is desirable.     

A Novel Carbon Nitride Nanosheets-based Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Hydroxychloroquine in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Synthetic Urine Samples

This study introduces modified carbon paste electrodes with carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS) and outlines their application for the determination of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) in tablets and synthetic urine samples. CNNS were synthesized by hydrothermal route (200 °C, 10 h) using melamine and citric acid as their precursors. The carbon nitride nanosheets-based electrode (CNNS/E) presented a linear dynamic range for HCQ (LDR), ranging from 10.0 nmol l⁻¹ to 6.92 μmol l⁻¹, and detection (LOD) and quantification limits (LOQ) of 0.16 nmol l⁻¹ and 0.52 nmol l⁻¹, respectively. LOD and LOQ were calculated by the equations: LOD=3(S_d/b), and LOQ=10(S_d/b). The modified sensor presented excellent relative standard deviations for parameters such as repeatability (2.39 % and 1.87 %) and reproducibility (3.22 % and 2.32 %) in HCQ oxidation peaks (1 and 2). The CNNS/E has not shown significant variations in its anodic signal intensity in the presence of some organic and inorganic substances. It is worth bearing in mind that CNNS/E can be easily manufactured and the sensor has the lowest HCQ detection limits reported so far. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for HCQ determination in tablets and synthetic urine, showing good recovery values and an error of 0.60 % about comparative method in tablet samples, assuring the quality of the method.     

Structural and electronic properties of amorphous bismuth calcium borate from first-principle calculations

Structural Chemistry - We investigatethe electronic and structural properties of two new amorphous materials, Bi6Ca2O28B12 and Bi6Ca2 O28B11:Tm, using density functional theory with a short-range...     

The harmonic inversion of the field-swept fixed-frequency resonance spectrum

When the spin Hamiltonian is a linear function of the magnetic field intensity the resonance fields can be determined, in principle, by an eigenfield equation. In this report, we show a new technical approach to the resonance field problem where the eigenfield equation leads to a dynamic equation or, more specifically, to a first order differential equation of a variable L(x), where x is associated with the magnetic field h. Such differential equation has the property that: its stationary solution is the eigenfield equation and the spectral information contained in L(x) is directly related to the resonance spectrum. Such procedure, known as the "harmonic inversion problem" (HIP), can be solved by the "filter diagonalization method" (FDM) providing sufficient precision and resolution for the spectral analysis of the dynamic signals. Some examples are shown where the resonance fields are precisely determined in a single procedure, without the need to solve eigenvalue equations.     

Sr(NO_3)_2·DCH18C6配合物晶体结构与辐射稳定性

二环己基-18-冠-6(DCH18C6)可以有效地从高放废液中分离90Sr,对于减小放射性废物的危害和实现高放废物的减容有重要意义.由于在实际应用中DCH18C6处于射线照射下,其结构可能会被破坏并引起络合能力的变化,因此有必要对该配合物的辐射稳定性进行研究.本文合成了Sr(NO3)2?DCH18C6配合物晶体,并通过单晶X射线衍射(XRD)与扩展X射线吸收精细结构谱(EXAFS)等方法进行了表征,确定Sr2+与周围氧原子的配位数为10,Sr―O平均键长约为0.268 nm/0.266 nm(XRD/EXAFS).配位原子来自DCH18C6的六个氧原子以及两个作为双齿配体的硝酸根的四个氧原子.对该配合物晶体在空气中进行γ辐照,EXAFS结果表明吸收剂量为400 kGy时,Sr―O键长及配位数没有发生变化,配位结构没有被破坏,具有很好的耐辐照稳定性.显微红外光谱(Micro-FTIR)结果进一步证明辐照后冠醚环的部分C―H键氧化为羟基或羰基,但并不影响DCH18C6与Sr2+的配位结构.     

静电纺丝工艺制备纳米抗菌敷料的研究与应用进展

与传统敷料相比,静电纺丝纳米抗菌敷料具有极大的比表面积和孔隙率,既有益于细胞呼吸,又可阻止细菌感染伤口,并能有效增大抗菌药物与伤口中细菌的作用面积而高效杀菌。此外,纳米敷料还能最大程度仿生细胞外基质的结构,有利于加快细胞和组织的生长,促进受损皮肤的恢复,因而非常适合用做皮肤敷料。本文对静电纺丝纳米抗菌敷料的特点,各类基体材料、抗菌药物在静纺抗菌敷料制备中的应用,以及静纺敷料的抑菌效果做了介绍,并对静电纺丝纳米抗菌敷料的应用前景做了展望。     

A comparative multi-reference configuration interaction study of the low-lying states of two thione isomers of thiophenol

Multi-reference configuration interaction, MR-CI (including extensivity corrections, named +Q), calculations were performed on the S₀–S₃ states of cyclohexa-2,4-diene-1-thione (thione 24 ) and cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1-thione (thione 25 ), which are thione isomers of thiophenol. Several types of uncontracted MR-CIS and MR-CISD wavefunctions were employed, comprising MR-CI expansions as large as ~365 × 10⁶ configuration state functions. The nature of the studied excited states was characterized. Vertical excitation energies (ΔE) and oscillator strengths (f) were computed. The most intense transitions (S₀ → S₂ for 24 and S₀ → S₃ for 25 ) did not change with the wavefunction, although a variation as large as ~1 eV was obtained for the S₃ state of 24 , at the highest (MR-CI+Q) level. On the other hand, ΔE changed at most by ~0.56 eV for 25 as the wavefunction changes, at the same level. The S₁ state of both thiones was found to have nπ* character and is in the visible region. For 24 , S₂ and S₃ are ππ* and nπ* states, respectively, while for 25 the reverse order is obtained. S₂ and S₃ are in the range ~3.5 to 5.2 eV, again at the highest level. It is the first time that the excited states of the title molecules are studied. The computed results agree with the experimental onset of photoreactions of thiones 24 and 25 found by Reva et al (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015 , 17, 4888).     

射频等离子制备石墨烯负载Co3O4催化剂及其析氧性能研究

氢能的引入能有效提升配电网的供电可靠性,而电解水制氢是实现低碳转型的关键技术,开发高效的电解水催化剂势在必行。过渡金属氧化物储量大、催化活性高,是具有广阔应用前景的析氧反应催化剂。本文通过射频等离子体处理制备石墨烯上负载Co₃O₄析氧催化剂,XRD、Raman和XPS测试结果显示,二维结构石墨烯的引入加速表面电子迁移,增大了反应面积。等离子体处理促进了纳米粒子在石墨烯上的负载,利用等离子体刻蚀作用在催化剂表面制造出大量碳结构缺陷和氧空位结构,改善了活性位点分布,有效调控Co₃O₄电子结构,提高析氧催化活性。电化学测试表明,本文中合成的Co₃O₄@rGO在电流密度为50 mA·cm^-2时的过电位为410 mV,动力学反应速率较快,表现出优于商业IrO₂的析氧催化活性。     

Vitamin C and Phenolic Antioxidants of Jua (Ziziphus joazeiro M.) Pulp: A Rich Underexplored Brazilian Source of Ellagic Acid Recovered by Aqueous Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction

Jua (juá in Portuguese) is an underexplored fruit from Brazil’s northeast. This fruit is rich in antioxidant substances. However, there is a dearth of information about jua’s bioactive potential. The present study evaluated two extraction methods (continuous agitation and ultrasound-assisted extraction—UAE) and employed three different solvents (water, ethanol, and acetone) to efficiently recover soluble phenolic compounds. Aqueous extracts obtained by UAE showed the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antiradical activity. Besides being an eco-friendly procedure, extraction and/or solubility in an aqueous medium is also important for food application. Ellagic acids were the predominant phenolics (80%) found in aqueous jua pulp extract obtained by UAE, as determined by HPLC, while its TPC was 405.8 gallic acid equivalent per gram of fruit. This extract also exhibited a higher scavenging activity towards peroxyl radicals when compared to that of several other fruits from the literature, including grape, strawberry, cranberry, and walnuts, which are known references in terms of antioxidants. This is the first report that demonstrates jua pulp’s potential as an alternative source of ellagic acid and other phenolic acids and flavonoids. Therefore, the outcome of this study provides new information that can be useful for functional food and nutraceutical industries.     

Ti含量对溶胶-凝胶法制备Ti、Ga共掺ZnO薄膜性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶旋涂法在玻璃衬底上沉积纳米结构Ti、Ga共掺ZnO薄膜(TGZO,Ga掺杂量为1.0;(原子分数,下同)),用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、分光光度计(UV-Vis)、四探针测试仪、霍尔效应测试仪研究了Ti含量对TGZO薄膜的物相组成、表面形貌、电学和光学性能的影响.结果表明:所有TGZO薄膜均表现出六方纤锌矿的多晶结构,并具有(002)择优取向生长,在380～780 nm波长范围内具有良好的透射率(>86;);随着Ti含量的增加,TGZO薄膜的晶粒尺寸和可见光平均透射率均先增加后减小,而光学带隙和电阻率先减小后增加;Ti掺杂量为1.0;时,具有最高的可见光透射率92.82;,最窄的光学带隙3.249 eV,以及最低电阻率2.544×10-3Ω·cm.