Addressing Water Contamination and Associated Health Issues through Community-Based Interventions: A Case Study in Khon Kaen Province.

A recent study conducted in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, evaluated the effectiveness of a technology-assisted intervention aimed at improving water quality and addressing related health issues in communities around key water bodies. The intervention targeted health concerns associated with water contamination, including chronic kidney diseases, skin conditions, hypertension, and neurological symptoms. The study included water quality assessments and health evaluations of 586 residents and implemented a Learning Innovation Platform (LIP) across 13 communities. Results showed significant improvements in the community, including a decrease in hypertension and skin-related health issues, as well as enhanced community awareness and proficiency in implementing simple water quality assessments and treatment. The study demonstrated the value of a comprehensive, technology-driven community approach, effectively enhancing water quality and health outcomes, and promoting greater community awareness and self-sufficiency in managing environmental health risks.

Characterizing a visual lateral flow device for rapid SARS-CoV-2 virus protein detection: pre-clinical and system assessment.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have affected more than 769 million individuals worldwide over the last few years. Although the pandemic is transitioning into an endemic, the COVID-19 outbreak is still a global concern. A rapid screening platform is needed for effective preventive and control measures. Herein, a visual rapid lateral flow platform for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein detection is developed. Under optimal conditions, the system demonstrated good detection sensitivity and selectivity against tested respiratory viruses. The system provides direct visual detection with a limit of 0.7 ng of the nucleocapsid protein per mL of a sample (0.7 ng mL-1) within 15 minutes. Further, a correlation between direct visual detection and semi-quantitative analysis using a reader showed a similar detection limit (R2 = 0.9571). The repeatability and reproducibility studies highlighted the potential of the system for the rapid screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with variations within 5% and 10% at high and low protein concentrations, respectively. Subsequent pre-clinical validation to correlate the performance with the standard molecular approach (RT-PCR) using 170 nasopharyngeal swabs demonstrated 98% estimated sensitivity (95% CI, 89.35-99.95%) and 100% specificity (95% CI, 96.38-100%). The positive and negative predictive values were reported to be 100% and 99%, respectively, with an accuracy of 99.3%. With high viral load samples (Ct value ≤25, n = 47), the system demonstrated 100% detection sensitivity and specificity. The proposed technique provides a valuable platform for potential use in rapid screening, particularly during pandemics, where diagnostic capacity and mass screening are crucial.

Development of Biomaterials Based on Biomimetic Trace Elements Co-Doped Hydroxyapatite: Physical, In Vitro Osteoblast-like Cell Growth and In Vivo Cytotoxicity in Zebrafish Studies.

Synthesized hydroxyapatite (sHA)-calcium phosphate (CaP) based biomaterials play a vital role and have been widely used in the process of bone regeneration for bone defect repair, due to their similarities to the inorganic components of human bones. However, for bone tissue engineering purpose, the composite components, physical and biological properties, efficacy and safety of sHA still need further improvements. In this work, we synthesized inhomogeneous hydroxyapatite based on biomimetic trace elements (Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, Mo, Sr, Co, BO33-, and CO32-) co-doped into HA (THA) (Ca10-δMδ(PO4)5.5(CO3)0.5(OH)2, M = trace elements) via co-precipitation from an ionic solution. The physical properties, their bioactivities using in vitro osteoblast cells, and in vivo cytotoxicity using zebrafish were studied. By introducing biomimetic trace elements, the as-prepared THA samples showed nanorod (needle-like) structures, having a positively charged surface (6.49 meV), and showing paramagnetic behavior. The bioactivity studies demonstrated that the THA substrate can induce apatite particles to cover its surface and be in contact with surrounding simulated body fluid (SBF). In vitro biological assays revealed that the osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells were well-attached with growth and proliferation on the substrate's surface. Upon differentiation, enhanced ALP (alkaline phosphatase) activity was observed for bone cells on the surface of the THA compared with that on the control substrates (sHA). The in vivo performance in embryonic zebrafish studies showed that the synthesized THA particles are nontoxic based on the measurements of essential parameters such as survivability, hatching rate, and the morphology of the embryo. The mechanism of the ions release profile using digital conductivity measurement revealed that sustained controlled release was successfully achieved. These preliminary results indicated that the synthesized THA could be a promising material for potential practical applications in bone tissue engineering.

Pre-clinically evaluated visual lateral flow platform using influenza A and B nucleoprotein as a model and its potential applications.

A visual colorimetric rapid screening system based on a lateral flow device for simultaneous detection and differentiation between influenza A and B nucleoprotein as a model was developed. Monoclonal antibodies, specific for either influenza A or B nucleoproteins, were evaluated for their reactivities and were used as targeting ligands. With the best antibody pairs selected, the system exhibited good specificity to both viruses without cross reactivity to other closely related respiratory viruses. Further semi-quantitative analysis using a strip reader revealed that the system is capable of detecting influenza A and B protein content as low as 0.04 and 1 ng per test, respectively, using a sample volume as low as 100 µL, within 10 minutes (R 2 = 0.9652 and 0.9718). With a performance comparison to the commercial tests, the system demonstrated a four-to-eight-fold higher sensitivity. Pre-clinical evaluation with 101 nasopharyngeal swabs reveals correlated results with a standard molecular approach, with 89% and 83% sensitivity towards influenza A and B viruses, and 100% specificity for both viruses.

Fabrication of biocompatible magneto-fluorescence nanoparticles as a platform for fluorescent sensor and magnetic hyperthermia applications.

Multifunctional nanoparticles with special magnetic and optical properties have been attracting a great deal of attention due to their important applications in the bioanalytical and biomedical fields. In this study, we report the fabrication of biocompatible magneto-fluorescence nanoparticles consisting of carbon dots (CDots) and silica-coated cobalt-manganese nanoferrites (Co0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4) (CoMnF@Si@CDots) (MagSiCDots) by a facile hydrothermal method. The as-prepared MagSiCDots have a particle size of 100-120 nm and show a negative zeta potential of -35.50 mV at a neutral pH. The fluorescence spectrum of the MagSiCDots nanoparticles consists of sharp excitation at 365 nm and broad blue light emission with a maximum wavelength of 442.5 nm and the MagSiCDots exhibit superparamagnetic behaviour with a saturation magnetization of 11.6 emu g-1. The potential of MagSiCDots as a fluorescent sensor and be used for magnetic hyperthermia applications. It is seen that the fluorescent intensity of a colloidal solution (a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) solution containing MagSiCDots nanoparticles) has a linear relationship with the H2S concentration range of 0.2-2 µM. The limit of detection (LOD) of H2S by our MagSiCDots particles is 0.26 µM and they remain stable for at least 90 min. To test the suitability of the MagSiCDots nanoparticles for use in hyperthermia application, induction heating using an AMF was done. It was observed that these nanoparticles had a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 28.25 W g-1. The in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity of MagSiCDots were tested on HeLa cells lines. The results show a cell viability of about 85% when exposed to 100 µg mL-1 concentration of the particles. The in vivo cytotoxicity using zebrafish assay also confirmed the non-toxicity and biocompatibility of the nanoparticles to living cells. The reported data demonstrate that by combining CoMnF@Si and fluorescent CDots into a single system, not only nontoxic multifunctional nanomaterials but also multimodal nanoparticles for several applications, such as hazard gas detection and acting as a biocompatible heat source for therapeutic treatment of cancer, are provided.

Hyperthermia evaluation and drug/protein-controlled release using alternating magnetic field stimuli-responsive Mn-Zn ferrite composite particles.

Drug delivery particles in which the release of biomolecules is triggered by a magnetic simulant have attracted much attention and may have great potential in the fields of cancer therapy and tissue regenerative medicine. In this study, we have prepared magnetic Mn-Zn ferrite ((Mn,Zn)Fe2O4) (MZF) nanoparticles coated with chitosan-g-N-isopropylacrylamide (Chi-g-NIPAAm) polymer (MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm) to deliver the anticancer drug (Doxorubicin, DOX) and bioactive proteins (Bone morphogenic protein (BMP-2)-immobilized bovine serum albumin (BSA)) (P//MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm) and be used as chemo-hyperthermia and vector delivering biomolecules. For these purposes, we first show that the as-prepared MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles exhibit super paramagnetic behavior and under certain conditions, they can act as a heat source with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 34.88 W g-1. Under acidic conditions and in the presence of AMF, the fast release of DOX was seen at around 58.9% within 20 min. In vitro evaluations indicated that concurrent thermo-chemotherapy treatment by DOX-MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm using AMF had a better antitumor effect, compared with those using either DOX or DOX-MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm without AMF (89.02% of cells were killed as compared to 71.82% without AMF exposure). Up to 28.18% of the BSA (used as the model protein to determine the controlled release) is released from the P//MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles under AMF exposure for 1 h (only 17.31% was released without AMF). These results indicated that MZF@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles could be used to achieve hyperthermia at a precise location, effectively enhancing the chemotherapy treatments, and have a promising future as drug or bioactive delivering molecules for cancer treatment and cartilage or bone regenerative applications.

Investigation of magnetic silica with thermoresponsive chitosan coating for drug controlled release and magnetic hyperthermia application.

In this study, a drug delivery system for chemo-hyperthermia applications is proposed and fabricated. The delivery system consists of magnetic-silica (MagSi) particles being encapsulated within a pH/thermo-responsive chitosan­g­N­isopropylacrylamide (Chi-g-NIPAAm) polymer matrix. The as-prepared MagSi@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles exhibit superparamagnetic behavior with a saturation magnetization (Ms) of 20.14 emu/g. In addition, the MagSi@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles can act as a heat source when subject to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and have a specific absorptions rate (SAR) of 8.36 Wg-1. The release of the drug DOX from the synthesized particles is sensitive to both the pH and temperature of its environment. We have compared the drug release when the solution is externally heated up and when it is heated up by the AMF (internal heating). For external heating (when the pH/temperature is 4.0/45 °C), 83.30 ±â€¯2.92% of the DOX were released within the first 5 h. The release of the DOX by the particles in pH 7.4 (temperature of 37 °C) was much slower (around 25.87 ±â€¯1.30% after 25 h). The release of the DOX was much higher (under an acidic condition pH = 4.0) around 57.13 ±â€¯2.36% within 1 h in the presence of AMF heating. The in vitro cytotoxicity tests of the of DOX-loaded MagSi@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles towards HeLa cancer cells. In general, the toxicities of the drug DOX as part of a MagSi@Chi-g-NIPAAm particles were less than those of the standalone DOX until the concentration of DOX-loaded particles reached 250 µg/mL, after which the toxicity of DOX in both forms were the same.

Paper-based immunosensor with signal amplification by enzyme-labeled anti-p16INK4a multifunctionalized gold nanoparticles for cervical cancer screening.

The aim of this study was to develop a paper-based immunosensor for cervical cancer screening, with signal amplification by multifunctionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs were functionalized with a highly specific antibody to the p16INK4a cancer biomarker. The signal was amplified using a combination of the peroxidase activity of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme-antibody conjugate and the peroxidase-like activity of the AuNPs. The immune complex of p16INK4a protein and multifunctionalized AuNPs was deposited on the nitrocellulose membrane, and a positive result was generated by catalytic oxidation of peroxidase enzyme substrate 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The entire reaction occurred on the membrane within 30 min. Evaluation in clinical samples revealed 85.2% accuracy with a kappa coefficient of 0.69. This proof of concept study demonstrates the successful development of a highly accurate, paper-based immunosensor that is easy to interpret using the naked eye and that is suitable for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings.

A Simple and Rapid Method Based on Anti-aggregation of Silver Nanoparticles for Detection of Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) in Tap Water.

A simple and rapid method was developed for the detection of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) using citrate-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Detection was based on anti-aggregation of AgNPs in phosphate buffer caused by PDADMAC. Due to its positive charges, PDADMAC was adsorbed onto AgNPs via electrostatic interaction with citrate, which resulted in the charges at the particle surfaces to become positive and caused repulsion among particles. Furthermore, long-chain PDADMAC provided steric hindrance. These two effects promoted the dispersion of AgNPs in the phosphate buffer. A change in the state of dispersion influenced the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AgNPs. Therefore, in this work, the concentration of PDADMAC was determined by monitoring changes in absorbance (at 396 nm) caused by SPR of AgNPs. Under optimal conditions, the calibration was linear over the range of 1 to 100 mg L(-1) with a detection limit of 0.7 mg L(-1). Satisfactory precision was obtained (RSD = 2.8%). This method was successfully applied to the determination of PDADMAC in tap water samples. The recoveries ranged from 86.0 - 107.5%.

Synthesis of doxorubicin-PLGA loaded chitosan stabilized (Mn, Zn)Fe2O4 nanoparticles: Biological activity and pH-responsive drug release.

We have synthesized Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 ((Mn, Zn) ferrite) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) having radius of 25nm to act as platforms for delivering drugs. The Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 MNPs exhibit superparamagnetic behavior with large saturation magnetization (MS). They were encapsulated in polymer so that they can be developed into PLGA-coated chitosan stabilized (Mn, Zn) MNPs, i.e., DOX-PLGA@CS@Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 which can serve as an effective carrier of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) whose release would be controlled by the pH in the environment surrounding the cancer tumor. The structure of the as-prepared particles is of a magnetic core-encapsulated by polymer shell layer of around 50nm thick. At a pH of 4.0, the DOX release within the first 5h is fast (around 57%). It becomes slower (around 46% over the next 25h) when the pH is increased to 7.4. The DOX-PLGA@CS@Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 (for concentrations lower than 125µgmL(-1)) shows lower toxicity against HeLa cells using DOX only. When the DOX-PLGA@CS@Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 is increased to 250µgmL(-1), the DOX-PLGA@CS@Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 shows greater anti-cancer activity and has satisfactory therapeutic effect. The slow sustained release of the DOX by the drug loaded particles when they are in the physiological pH environment (7.4) of normal tissues and mild toxicity of DOX against cancer cell at low concentration point to the DOX loaded PLGA@CS@Mn0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4 being safely used for treating cancer. The higher dosage of DOX needed to kill the cancer cells will be released when the synthesized carriers are subject to the pH stimuli surrounding these cells.

Simultaneous discrimination and detection of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal influenza A viruses using a rapid immunogold biosensor.

A rapid immunogold biosensor for the simultaneous discrimination of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal influenza A viruses was developed successfully. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that were specific for the hemagglutinin protein of the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus were produced, and the best mAb pairs were selected. Using an mAb that was specific for the influenza A nucleoprotein, a rapid immunogold biosensor for the discrimination and detection of A(H1N1)pdm09/seasonal influenza viruses was developed. When tested with 72 virus isolates, the system achieved 100 % detection of the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus without cross-reactivity against seasonal influenza A (H1, H3 subtypes) and B viruses, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, and adenoviruses. The detection limits for A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal strains were 5 × 10(2)-7.5 × 10(3) and 1 × 10(3)-7.5 × 10(5) TCID50/mL, respectively. When tested with 49 clinical specimens, the specificity was high (100 %). The sensitivity for the detection of A(H1N1)pdm09 and seasonal strains was 90 % and 100 %, respectively, which correlated with the results of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction as a reference method. The ability of the system to detect and discriminate the A(H1N1)pdm09 strain from the seasonal strains suggests that this method may be beneficial for investigation of outbreaks and diagnostic applications. Furthermore, this method might be a useful platform for developing a rapid diagnostic system for the simultaneous discrimination of other influenza virus subtypes during future outbreaks.

Developing chemical strategies for the assembly of nanoparticles into mesoscopic objects.

Nanoparticles of Au, Ag, CdS, and CdSe have been linked together by a chemical reaction to form controlled assemblies of similar or different types of nanoparticles through amido or azo linkage. The capping of nanoparticles was exchanged with bifunctional groups containing active functional groups at the tails. The reaction between the tails of the capping agents resulted in the formation of amido or azo linkages. These reactions were carried out under very dilute conditions to control the assembly and avoid the polymerization. The assemblies formed included the dimers, trimers, tetramers, and hexa- or heptamers. These reactions are the first examples for the systematic approach to establish the chemical route for the controlled assembly of nanoparticles and open the way for the fabrication of nanoparticle based devices for various application.

Synthesis of the nickel selenophosphinates [Ni(Se(2)PR(2))(2)] (R = (i)Pr, (t)Bu and Ph) and their use as single source precursors for the deposition of nickel phosphide or nickel selenide nanoparticles.

Nickel phosphide (Ni(2)P and Ni(12)P(5)) or nickel selenide (NiSe) nanoparticles were prepared from the single molecule precursor, dialkyldiselenophosphinato nickel(II), [Ni(Se(2)PR(2))(2)] (R = (i)Pr, (t)Bu and Ph) by thermolysis in trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) or hexadecylamine (HDA). The chemical composition of these nanoparticles depends on the precursors, capping agents, and reaction temperature.