ABSTRACT
The structural, spectroscopic and electronic properties of Na and K birnessites were investigated from ambient conditions (birA) to complete dehydration, and the involved mechanisms were scrutinized. Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations were employed to derive structural models for lamellar A0.33MnO2·xH2O (A = Na+ or K+, x = 0 or 0.66), subsequently compared with the experimental results obtained for Na0.30MnO2·0.75H2O and K0.22MnO2·0.77H2O materials. Thermal analysis (TGA-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) measurements were conducted for both birnessites. Dehydration under vacuum, annealing, or controlled relative humidity were considered. Results indicated that complete birnessite dehydration was a two-stage process. In the first stage, water removal from the interlayer of fully hydrated birnessite (birA) down to a molar H2O/A ratio of â¼2 (birB) led to the progressive shrinkage of the interlayer distance (3% for Na birnessite, 1% for K birnessite). In the second stage, water-free (birC) domains with a shorter interlayer distance (20% for Na birnessite, 10% for K birnessite) appeared and coexisted with birB domains. Then, birB was essentially transformed into birC when complete dehydration was achieved. The vibrational properties of birA were consistent with strong intermolecular interactions among water molecules, whereas partially dehydrated birnessite (birB) showed a distinct feature, with 3 (for Na-bir) and 2 (for K-bir) vibrations that were reproduced by DFT calculations for organized water into the interlayer (x = 0.66). The study also demonstrated that the electronic structure of Na birnessite depends on the interlayer water content. The external Na+ electronic level (Na 2p) was slightly destabilized (+0.3 eV binding energy) under near ambient conditions (birA) compared to drier conditions (birB and birC).
ABSTRACT
To evaluate the possible role of parasitemia on Chagas' disease reactivation in Chagas' disease/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection cases and the impact of HIV coinfection on Trypanosoma cruzi genetic diversity, 71 patients with Chagas' disease (34 HIV+ and 37 HIV-) were surveyed. Moreover, 92 T. cruzi stocks from 47 chronic chagasic patients (29 HIV+ and 18 HIV-) were isolated and analyzed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and a random amplified polymorphic DNA procedure. High parasitemia appeared to play a major role in cases of Chagas' disease reactivation. In HIV+ patients, the genetic diversity and population structure (clonality) of T. cruzi was similar to that previously observed in HIV- patients, which indicates that immunodepression does not modify drastically genotype repartition of the parasite. There was no apparent association between given T. cruzi genotypes and specific clinical forms of Chagas' disease/HIV associations.
