Innovative technique for patterning Nd-Fe-B arrays and development of a microfluidic device with high trapping efficiency.

Trapping/separating bio-entities via magnetic field gradients created a vast number of possibilities to develop biosensors for the early detection of diseases without the need for expensive equipment or physician/lab technicians. Thus, opening a window for at-home disposable rapid test kits. In the scope of the current work, an innovative and cost-effective technique to form well-organized arrays of Nd-Fe-B patterns was successfully developed. High aspect ratio Nd-Fe-B flakes were synthesized by surfactant-assisted ball milling technique. Nd-Fe-B flakes were distributed and patterned into a PDMS matrix by the aforementioned technique. A microfluidic channel was integrated on the fabricated Nd-Fe-B/PDMS patch with a high magnetic field gradient to form a microfluidic device. Fe nanoparticles, suspended in hexane, were flowed through the microfluidic channel, and trapping of the magnetic nanoparticles was observed. More experiments would be needed to quantitatively study efficiency. Ergo, the microfluidic device with high trapping efficiency was developed. The established technique has the potential to outperform the precedents in trapping efficiency, cost, and ease of production. The developed device could be integrated into disposable test kits for the early detection of various diseases.

Effects of PEGylated Fe-Fe3O4 core-shell nanoparticles on NIH3T3 and A549 cell lines.

Magnetic nanoparticles are key components in many fields of science and industry. Especially in cancer diagnosis and therapy, they are involved in targeted drug delivery and hyperthermia applications due to their ability to be controlled remotely. In this study, a PEG-coated Fe/Fe3O4 core-shell nanoparticle with an average size of 20 nm and 13 nm and high room temperature coercivity (350 Oe) has been successfully synthesized. These nanoparticles were further tested for their effect on cellular toxicity (IC50) and proliferation by WST assay. In addition, their potential as anti-cancer agents were assessed using scratch assay in NIH3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast and A549 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. In previous reports, the IC50 values of the magnetite nanoparticles are reported at concentrations of 100 µg/ml and higher. In this study, IC50 value is observed to be at 1 µg/ml, which is significantly lower when compared to similar studies. In scratch assay, the Fe/Fe3O4 core-shell nanoparticle showed a higher inhibitory potential on cell motility in A549 lung cancer cells in comparison to the NIH3T3 cells mouse embryonic fibroblasts. This could be due to the accelerated release of free Fe ion from the Fe core, resulting in cell death. Consequently, data obtained from this study suggest that the synthesized nanoparticles can be a potential drug candidate with anti-cancer activity for chemotherapeutic treatment.

Serum IL-36α, IL-36ß, and IL-36γ levels in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: association with disease characteristics, smoking, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and relapsing skin disease. Pathogenesis of the disease is not well understood, but many studies revealed the potential role of cytokines and interleukins. IL-36 expression was increased in tissue samples of HS patients with conflicting result regarding serum levels. To investigate serum IL-36 levels in HS patients and evaluate their relation to disease characteristics, 44 patients diagnosed with HS and 44 age and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure serum IL-36 concentrations. Serum levels of IL-36α, IL-36ß, and IL-36γ were significantly elevated in HS patients compared to healthy controls (all three p < 0.001). IL-36α, IL-36ß, and IL-36γ levels were significantly higher in current smokers compared to non-smokers and positively correlated with number of packs/year (p = 0.002, r = 0.402; p = 0.042, r = 0.242 and p = 0.001, r = 0.391, respectively). IL-36α, IL-36ß, and IL-36γ levels were also elevated in obese patients and patients with metabolic syndrome (p = 0.007, < 0.001, 0.038, 0.004, 0.006, and 0.048, respectively). After stratified and restricted analyses for smoking, obesity, and metabolic syndrome IL-36α, IL-36ß, and IL-36γ increased the risk of HS 11.0, 1.79, and 4.5 time, respectively (95% CI 1.7-71.28, p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.04-3.06, p = 0.005 and, 95% CI 1.007-20.106, p = 0.040, respectively). Elevated serum IL-36 levels may contribute to pathogenesis of HS and may be a candidate for future biological treatment of the disease.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: an unusual association.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH) is an extremely rare clonal proliferative disorder of dendritic cells which presents with skin lesions in the majority of cases. Although extra-cutaneous manifestations are very rare, ICH may involve the mucosa, cornea, and conjunctiva as well as the visceral organs. Since the clinical appearance of cutaneous lesions of ICH is not distinctive, it is diagnosed with histopathological and immunohistochemical findings after clinical suspicion. Herein, we report a 27-year-old man with a two-year history of asymptomatic reddish papules and papulonecrotic lesions on his face, arms and buttocks. He was previously diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), and he had been treated with hydroxychloroquine and low-dose aspirin. Diffuse dermal infiltration of a mixture of histiocytes and lymphocytes accompanied with multinuclear giant cells, the positive CD68 and Factor XIIIa and negative Langerin immunoreactions, along with the positive staining with CD1a and S100, led us to the diagnosis of ICH. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of ICH associated with SLE and APS.

Role of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in patients with rosacea: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has significant effects on the immune system and thereby on the pathogenesis of rosacea. However, there is a lack of information on the vitamin D status and vitamin D receptors (VDRs) of patients with rosacea. AIM: To evaluate the role of vitamin D in rosacea susceptibility. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted, enrolling patients with rosacea and healthy controls (HCs). Five VDR gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (Cdx2, FokI, ApaI, BsmI and TaqI) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3 ] levels were compared between patients and HCs. RESULTS: The study enrolled 60 patients (M/F: 14/46) and 60 age- and sex-matched HCs (M/F: 14/46). Age (mean ± SD) was 48 ± 11 years for both groups. The serum 25(OH)D3 levels (median ± interquartile range) were higher in patients with rosacea (12.9 ± 6.8 ng/mL) than in HCs (10.5 ± 3.7 ng/mL) (P < 0.001). Subjects with high serum 25(OH)D3 levels had a 1.36-fold increased risk of rosacea (95% CI 1.17-1.58). Heterozygous and mutant ApaI polymorphisms increased rosacea risk by 5.26-fold (95% CI 1.51-18.35) and 3.69-fold (95% CI 1.19-11.48), respectively, whereas mutant TaqI polymorphisms decreased the risk by 4.69 times (95% CI 1.37-16.67). Heterozygosity for Cdx2 alleles increased rosacea risk, whereas wildtype ApaI and mutant TaqI alleles decreased it. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that an increase in vitamin D levels may contribute to the development of rosacea. ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms, and heterozygous Cdx2, wildtype ApaI and mutant TaqI alleles were significantly associated with rosacea. These results indicate a possible role of vitamin D and VDR pathways in the pathogenesis of rosacea, although causality could not be assessed.

Rare earth-cobalt hard magnetic nanoparticles and nanoflakes by high-energy milling.

High-energy ball milling has been shown to be a promising method for large-scale fabrication of rare earth-transition metal nanoparticles. In this work, we report crystallographically anisotropic SmCo(5), PrCo(5) and Sm(2)(Co, Fe)(17) nanoparticles (particle size smaller than 10 nm) obtained by surfactant-assisted ball milling and study their size and properties as a function of the milling conditions. By milling nanocrystalline precursor alloys, we obtained SmCo(5) platelets (flakes) approximately 100 nm thick with an aspect ratio as high as 10(2)-10(3). The unusual shape evolution of this brittle material is attributed to its increased plasticity in the nanocrystalline state. The nanoflakes are susceptible to re-crystallization annealing and exhibit a room-temperature coercivity of up to 19 kOe. The successful fabrication of rare earth-cobalt nanoparticles and ultra-thin flakes provides hope for the development of nanocomposite permanent magnets with an enhanced energy product.