Ionic-physical-chemical triple cross-linked all-biomass-based aerogel for thermal insulation applications.

Aerogels, as a unique porous material, are expected to be used as insulation materials to solve the global environmental and energy crisis. Using chitosan, citric acid, pectin and phytic acid as raw materials, an all-biomass-based aerogel with high modulus was prepared by the triple strategy of ionic, physical and chemical cross-linking through directional freezing technique. Based on this three-dimensional network, the aerogel exhibited excellent compressive modulus (24.89 ± 1.76 MPa) over a wide temperature range and thermal insulation properties. In the presence of chitosan, citric acid and phytic acid, the aerogel obtained excellent fire safety (LOI value up to 31.2%) and antibacterial properties (antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli reached 81.98% and 67.43%). In addition, the modified aerogel exhibited excellent hydrophobicity (hydrophobic angle of 146°) and oil-water separation properties. More importantly, the aerogel exhibited a biodegradation rate of up to 40.31% for 35 days due to its all-biomass nature. This work provides a green and sustainable strategy for the production of highly environmentally friendly thermal insulation materials with high strength, flame retardant, antibacterial and hydrophobic properties.

Reconstruction of Segmental Bone Defect in Canine Tibia Model Utilizing Bi-Phasic Scaffold: Pilot Study.

The reunion and restoration of large segmental bone defects pose significant clinical challenges. Conventional strategies primarily involve the combination of bone scaffolds with seeded cells and/or growth factors to regulate osteogenesis and angiogenesis. However, these therapies face inherent issues related to immunogenicity, tumorigenesis, bioactivity, and off-the-shelf transplantation. The biogenic micro-environment created by implanted bone grafts plays a crucial role in initiating the bone regeneration cascade. To address this, a highly porous bi-phasic ceramic synthetic bone graft, composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) and alumina (Al), was developed. This graft was employed to repair critical segmental defects, involving the creation of a 2 cm segmental defect in a canine tibia. The assessment of bone regeneration within the synthetic bone graft post-healing was conducted using scintigraphy, micro-CT, histology, and dynamic histomorphometry. The technique yielded pore sizes in the range of 230-430 µm as primary pores, 40-70 µm as secondary inner microchannels, and 200-400 nm as tertiary submicron surface holes. These three components are designed to mimic trabecular bone networks and to provide body fluid adsorption, diffusion, a nutritional supply, communication around the cells, and cell anchorage. The overall porosity was measured at 82.61 ± 1.28%. Both micro-CT imaging and histological analysis provided substantial evidence of robust bone formation and the successful reunion of the critical defect. Furthermore, an histology revealed the presence of vascularization within the newly formed bone area, clearly demonstrating trabecular and cortical bone formation at the 8-week mark post-implantation.

Advanced ethylene-absorbing and cushioning depending on the 3D porous-structured fruit packaging: Toward polyurethane foam manipulation using zein and soybean oil polyol substrates.

Fruits are essential sources of nutrients in our daily diet; however, their spoilage is often intensified by mechanical damage and the ethylene phytohormone, resulting in significant economic losses and exacerbating hunger issues. To address these challenges, this study presented a straightforward in situ synthesis protocol for producing Z/SOPPU foam, a 3D porous-structured fruit packaging. This innovative packaging material offered advanced ethylene-adsorbing and cushioning capabilities achieved through stirring, heating, and standing treatments. The results demonstrated that the Z/SOPPU foam, with its porous structure, served as an excellent packaging material for fruits, maintaining the intact appearance of tomatoes even after being thrown 72 times from a height of 1.5 m. Additionally, it exhibited desirable hydrophobicity (contact angle of 114.31 ± 0.82°), degradability (2.73 ± 0.88 % per 4 weeks), and efficient ethylene adsorption (adsorption rate of 13.2 ± 1.7 mg/m3/h). These remarkable characteristics could be attributed to the unique 3D micron-porous configuration, consisting of soybean oil polyol polyurethane foam for mechanical strain cushioning and zein for enhanced ethylene adsorption efficiency. Overall, this research offers an effective and original approach to the rational design and fabrication of advanced bio-based fruit packaging.

Magnetically modified-mitoxantrone mesoporous organosilica drugs: an emergent multimodal nanochemotherapy for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy, the mainstay treatment for metastatic cancer, presents serious side effects due to off-target exposure. In addition to the negative impact on patients' quality of life, side effects limit the dose that can be administered and thus the efficacy of the drug. Encapsulation of chemotherapeutic drugs in nanocarriers is a promising strategy to mitigate these issues. However, avoiding premature drug release from the nanocarriers and selectively targeting the tumour remains a challenge. RESULTS: In this study, we present a pioneering method for drug integration into nanoparticles known as mesoporous organosilica drugs (MODs), a distinctive variant of periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMOs) in which the drug is an inherent component of the silica nanoparticle structure. This groundbreaking approach involves the chemical modification of drugs to produce bis-organosilane prodrugs, which act as silica precursors for MOD synthesis. Mitoxantrone (MTO), a drug used to treat metastatic breast cancer, was selected for the development of MTO@MOD nanomedicines, which demonstrated a significant reduction in breast cancer cell viability. Several MODs with different amounts of MTO were synthesised and found to be efficient nanoplatforms for the sustained delivery of MTO after biodegradation. In addition, Fe3O4 NPs were incorporated into the MODs to generate magnetic MODs to actively target the tumour and further enhance drug efficacy. Importantly, magnetic MTO@MODs underwent a Fenton reaction, which increased cancer cell death twofold compared to non-magnetic MODs. CONCLUSIONS: A new PMO-based material, MOD nanomedicines, was synthesised using the chemotherapeutic drug MTO as a silica precursor. MTO@MOD nanomedicines demonstrated their efficacy in significantly reducing the viability of breast cancer cells. In addition, we incorporated Fe3O4 into MODs to generate magnetic MODs for active tumour targeting and enhanced drug efficacy by ROS generation. These findings pave the way for the designing of silica-based multitherapeutic nanomedicines for cancer treatment with improved drug delivery, reduced side effects and enhanced efficacy.

Designing of a new transdermal antibiotic delivery polymeric membrane modified by functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous filler.

A new drug delivery system using an asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) membrane modified by SBA-15 and glutamine-modified SBA-15 (SBA-Q) was prepared in this study by the aim of azithromycin delivery enhancement in both in vitro and ex vivo experiments. The research focused on optimizing membrane performance by adjusting critical parameters including drug concentration, membrane thickness, modifier percentage, polymer percentage, and pore maker percentage. To characterize the fabricated membranes, various techniques were employed, including scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle, and tensile strength assessments. Following optimization, membrane composition of 17% PES, 2% polyvinylpyrrolidone, 1% SBA-15, and 0.5% SBA-Q emerged as the most effective. The optimized membranes demonstrated a substantial increase in drug release (906 mg/L) compared to the unmodified membrane (440 mg/L). The unique membrane structure, with a dense top layer facilitating sustained drug release and a porous sub-layer acting as a drug reservoir, contributed to this improvement. Biocompatibility assessments, antibacterial activity analysis, blood compatibility tests, and post-diffusion tissue integrity evaluations confirmed the promising biocompatibility of the optimized membranes. Moreover, long-term performance evaluations involving ten repeated usages underscored the reusability of the optimized membrane, highlighting its potential for sustained and reliable drug delivery applications.

Loading cinnamon oil into pH-sensitive chitosan grafted mesoporous silica nanoparticles via supercritical carbon dioxide.

Stimulus-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have displayed great potentiality for controlled-release and targeted drug delivery. In the current work, a supercritical fluid method was utilized to successfully prepare cinnamon oil loaded into chitosan grafted MSNs (CO@CS-MSNs). The influencing factors of drug loads, such as pressure, temperature, impregnation time and depressure time, were investigated. The structure of CO@CS-MSNs was demonstrated with Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD). The drug release assays in vitro at various pH conditions displayed that CO@CS-MSNs had an excellent pH-responsive release behavior, which confirmed that CO was loaded successfully into the CO@CS-MSNs. The findings indicated that the supercritical fluid approach is a non-destructive and efficient approach for stimulus-responsive MSNs, which is expected to further expand its application range.

Physiomimetic Fluidic Culture Platform on Microwell-Patterned Porous Collagen Scaffold for Human Pancreatic Islets.

Pancreatic islet transplantation is one of the clinical options for certain types of diabetes. However, difficulty in maintaining islets prior to transplantation limits the clinical expansion of islet transplantations. Our study introduces a dynamic culture platform developed specifically for primary human islets by mimicking the physiological microenvironment, including tissue fluidics and extracellular matrix support. We engineered the dynamic culture system by incorporating our distinctive microwell-patterned porous collagen scaffolds for loading isolated human islets, enabling vertical medium flow through the scaffolds. The dynamic culture system featured four 12 mm diameter islet culture chambers, each capable of accommodating 500 islet equivalents (IEQ) per chamber. This configuration calculates > five-fold higher seeding density than the conventional islet culture in flasks prior to the clinical transplantations (442 vs 86 IEQ/cm2). We tested our culture platform with three separate batches of human islets isolated from deceased donors for an extended period of 2 weeks, exceeding the limits of conventional culture methods for preserving islet quality. Static cultures served as controls. The computational simulation revealed that the dynamic culture reduced the islet volume exposed to the lethal hypoxia (< 10 mmHg) to ~1/3 of the static culture. Dynamic culture ameliorated the morphological islet degradation in long-term culture and maintained islet viability, with reduced expressions of hypoxia markers. Furthermore, dynamic culture maintained the islet metabolism and insulin-secreting function over static culture in a long-term culture. Collectively, the physiological microenvironment-mimetic culture platform supported the viability and quality of isolated human islets at high-seeding density. Such a platform has a high potential for broad applications in cell therapies and tissue engineering, including extended islet culture prior to clinical islet transplantations and extended culture of stem cell-derived islets for maturation.

Silk-Based 3D Porous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering.

Silk fibroin, extracted from the silk of the Bombyx mori silkworm, stands out as a biomaterial due to its nontoxic nature, excellent biocompatibility, and adjustable biodegradability. Porous scaffolds, a type of biomaterial, are crucial for creating an optimal microenvironment that supports cell adhesion and proliferation, thereby playing an essential role in tissue remodeling and repair. Therefore, this review focuses on 3D porous silk fibroin-based scaffolds, first summarizing their preparation methods and then detailing their regenerative effects on bone, cartilage, tendon, vascular, neural, skin, hepatic, and tracheal epithelial tissue engineering in recent years.

3D-printed porous tantalum artificial bone scaffolds: fabrication, properties, and applications.

Porous tantalum scaffolds offer a high degree of biocompatibility and have a low friction coefficient. In addition, their biomimetic porous structure and mechanical properties, which closely resemble human bone tissue, make them a popular area of research in the field of bone defect repair. With the rapid advancement of additive manufacturing, 3D-printed porous tantalum scaffolds have increasingly emerged in recent years, offering exceptional design flexibility, as well as facilitating the fabrication of intricate geometries and complex pore structures that similar to human anatomy. This review provides a comprehensive description of the techniques, procedures, and specific parameters involved in the 3D printing of porous tantalum scaffolds. Concurrently, the review provides a summary of the mechanical properties, osteogenesis and antibacterial properties of porous tantalum scaffolds. The use of surface modification techniques and the drug carriers can enhance the characteristics of porous tantalum scaffolds. Accordingly, the review discusses the application of these porous tantalum materials in clinical settings. Multiple studies have demonstrated that 3D-printed porous tantalum scaffolds exhibit exceptional corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and osteogenic properties. As a result, they are considered highly suitable biomaterials for repairing bone defects. Despite the rapid development of 3D-printed porous tantalum scaffolds, they still encounter challenges and issues when used as bone defect implants in clinical applications. Ultimately, a concise overview of the primary challenges faced by 3D-printed porous tantalum scaffolds is offered, and corresponding insights to promote further exploration and advancement in this domain are presented.

Mesoporous MOFs with ROS scavenging capacity for the alleviation of inflammation through inhibiting stimulator of interferon genes to promote diabetic wound healing.

Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation are the key problems that impede diabetic wound healing. In particular, dressings with ROS scavenging capacity play a crucial role in the process of chronic wound healing. Herein, Zr-based large-pore mesoporous metal-organic frameworks (mesoMOFs) were successfully developed for the construction of spatially organized cascade bioreactors. Natural superoxide dismutase (SOD) and an artificial enzyme were spatially organized in these hierarchical mesoMOFs, forming a cascade antioxidant defense system, and presenting efficient intracellular and extracellular ROS scavenging performance. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the SOD@HMUiO-MnTCPP nanoparticles (S@M@H NPs) significantly accelerated diabetic wound healing. Transcriptomic and western blot results further indicated that the nanocomposite could inhibit fibroblast senescence and ferroptosis as well as the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway activation in macrophages mediated by mitochondrial oxidative stress through ROS elimination. Thus, the biomimetic multi-enzyme cascade catalytic system with spatial ordering demonstrated a high potential for diabetic wound healing, where senescence, ferroptosis, and STING signaling pathways may be potential targets.

Numerical investigation of fluid flow behavior in steel cord with lattice Boltzmann methodology: The impacts of microstructure and loading force.

Steel cord materials were found to have internal porous microstructures and complex fluid flow properties. However, current studies have rarely reported the transport behavior of steel cord materials from a microscopic viewpoint. The computed tomography (CT) scanning technology and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) were used in this study to reconstruct and compare the real three-dimensional (3D) pore structures and fluid flow in the original and tensile (by loading 800 N force) steel cord samples. The pore-scale LBM results showed that fluid velocities increased as displacement differential pressure increased in both the original and tensile steel cord samples, but with two different critical values of 3.3273 Pa and 2.6122 Pa, respectively. The original steel cord sample had higher maximal and average seepage velocities at the 1/2 sections of 3D construction images than the tensile steel cord sample. These phenomena should be attributed to the fact that when the original steel cord sample was stretched, its porosity decreased, pore radius increased, flow channel connectivity improved, and thus flow velocity increased. Moreover, when the internal porosity of tensile steel cord sample was increased by 1 time, lead the maximum velocity to increase by 1.52 times, and the average velocity was increased by 1.66 times. Furthermore, when the density range was determined to be 0-38, the pore phase showed the best consistency with the segmentation area. Depending on the Zou-He Boundary and Regularized Boundary, the relative error of simulated average velocities was only 0.2602 percent.

Human coronavirus 229E inactivation on porous and nonporous materials using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma.

Viruses can spread through contaminated aerosols and contaminated surface materials, and effective disinfection techniques are essential for virus inactivation. Nonthermal plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can effectively inactivate the coronavirus. We aim to interpret the coronavirus inactivation level and mechanism of surface interaction with materials with and without dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment. Nonthermal plasma, particularly surface-type DBD plasma, can inactivate human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) on porous (paper, wood, mask) and nonporous (plastic, stainless steel, glass, Cu) materials. Virus inactivation was analyzed using a 50% tissue culture infectivity dose (TCID50) using cell line, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. Surfaces contaminated with HCoV-229E were treated at different time intervals (0-5 h) with and without plasma exposure (natural decay in ambient air conditions). HCoV-229E persistence conformed to the following order: plastic > cover glass > stainless steel > mask > wood > paper > Cu with and without plasma exposure. HCoV-229E was more stable in plastic, cover glass, and stainless steel in 5 h, and the viable virus titer gradually decreased from its initial log10 order of 6.892 to 1.72, 1.53, and 1.32 TCID50/mL, respectively, under plasma exposure. No virus was observed in Cu after treatment for 5 h. The use of airflow, ambient nitrogen, and argon did not promote virus inactivation. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated a low expression level of spike protein (fluorescence intensity) during plasma treatment and in E and M genes expression compared with the virus control.

Effects of hexagonal boron nitride on mechanical properties of bone cement (Polymethylmethacrylate).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adding hexagonal boron nitride at four different concentrations to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement, which is commonly used in orthopedic surgeries, on the mechanical properties and microarchitecture of the bone cement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included an unaltered control group and groups containing four different concentrations (40 g of bone cement with 0.5 g, 1 g, 1.5 g, 2 g) of hexagonal boron nitride. The samples used for mechanical tests were prepared at 20±2ºC in operating room conditions, using molds in accordance with the test standards. As a result of the tests, the pressure values at which the samples deformed were determined from the load-deformation graphs, and the megapascal (MPa) values at which the samples exhibited strength were calculated. RESULTS: The samples with 0.5 g boron added to the bone cement had significantly increased mechanical strength, particularly in the compression test. In the group where 2 g boron was added, it was noted that, compared to the other groups, the strength pressure decreased and the porosity increased. The porosity did not change particularly in the group where 0.5 g boron was added. CONCLUSION: Our study results demonstrate that adding hexagonal boron nitride (HBN) to bone cement at a low concentration (0.5 g / 40 g PPMA) significantly increases the mechanical strength in terms of MPa (compression forces) without adversely affecting porosity. However, the incorporation of HBN at higher concentrations increases porosity, thereby compromising the biomechanical properties of the bone cement, as evidenced by the negative impact on compression and four-point bending tests. Boron-based products have gained increased utilization in the medical field, and HBN is emerging as a promising chemical compound, steadily growing in significance.

Progressive enhanced photodynamic therapy and enhanced chemotherapy fighting against malignant tumors with sequential drug release.

During the process of malignant tumor treatment, photodynamic therapy (PDT) exerts poor efficacy due to the hypoxic environment of the tumor cells, and long-time chemotherapy reduces the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs due to the presence of drug-resistant proteins on the cell membranes for drug outward transportation. Therefore, we reported a nano platform based on mesoporous silica coated with polydopamine (MSN@PDA) loading PDT enhancer MnO2, photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) and chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) (designated as DMPIM) to achieve a sequential release of different drugs to enhance treatment of malignant tumors. MSN was first synthesized by a template method, then DOX was loaded into the mesoporous channels of MSN, and locked by the PDA coating. Next, ICG was modified by π-π stacking on PDA, and finally, MnO2layer was accumulated on the surface of DOX@MSN@PDA- ICG@MnO2, achieving orthogonal loading and sequential release of different drugs. DMPIM first generated oxygen (O2) through the reaction between MnO2and H2O2after entering tumor cells, alleviating the hypoxic environment of tumors and enhancing the PDT effect of sequentially released ICG. Afterwards, ICG reacted with O2in tumor tissue to produce reactive oxygen species, promoting lysosomal escape of drugs and inactivation of p-glycoprotein (p-gp) on tumor cell membranes. DOX loaded in the MSN channels exhibited a delay of approximately 8 h after ICG release to exert the enhanced chemotherapy effect. The drug delivery system achieved effective sequential release and multimodal combination therapy, which achieved ideal therapeutic effects on malignant tumors. This work offers a route to a sequential drug release for advancing the treatment of malignant tumors.

Induced Formation of Plasma Membrane Protrusions with Porous Materials as Instructive Surfaces.

The plasma membrane is a vital component in cellular processes, and its structure has a significant impact on cellular behavior. The physical characteristics of the extracellular environment, along with the presence of surface pores, can influence the formation of membrane protrusions. Nanoporous surfaces have demonstrated their capacity to induce membrane protrusions in both adherent and non-adherent cells. This chapter presents a methodology that utilizes a nanoporous substrate with nanotopographical constraints to effectively stimulate the formation of membrane protrusions in cells.

Spatially confined CuFe2O4 nanosphere in N/O-codoped porous carbon mimetics for triple-mode sensing of antibiotics and visual detection of neurotransmitters in biofluids.

BACKGROUND: Carbon-based nanozymes have recently received enormous concern, however, there is still a huge challenge for inexpensive and large-scale synthesis of magnetic carbon-based "Two-in-One" mimics with both peroxidase (POD)-like and laccase-like activities, especially their potential applications in multi-mode sensing of antibiotics and neurotransmitters in biofluids. Although some progresses have been made in this field, the feasibility of biomass-derived carbon materials with both POD-like and laccase-like activities by polyatomic doping strategy is still unclear. In addition, multi-mode sensing platform can provide a more reliable result because of the self-validation, self-correction and mutual agreement. Nevertheless, the use of magnetic carbon-based nanozyme sensors for the multi-mode detection of antibiotics and neurotransmitters have not been investigated. RESULTS: We herein report a shrimp shell-derived N, O-codoped porous carbon confined magnetic CuFe2O4 nanosphere with outstanding laccase-like and POD-like activities for triple-mode sensing of antibiotic d-penicillamine (D-PA) and chloramphenicol (CPL), as well as colorimetric detection of neurotransmitters in biofluids. The magnetic CuFe2O4/N, O-codoped porous carbon (MCNPC) armored mimetics was successfully fabricated using a combined in-situ coordination and high-temperature crystallization method. The synthesized MCNPC composite with superior POD-like activity can be used for colorimetric/temperature/smartphone-based triple-mode detection of D-PA and CPL in goat serum. Importantly, the MCNPC nanozyme can also be used for colorimetric analysis of dopamine and epinephrine in human urine. SIGNIFICANCE: This work not only offered a novel strategy to large-scale, cheap synthesize magnetic carbon-based "Two-in-One" armored mimetics, but also established the highly sensitive and selective platforms for triple-mode monitoring D-PA and CPL, as well as colorimetric analysis of neurotransmitters in biofluids without any tanglesome sample pretreatment.

Surface-Area Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of DNA in Porous Silica: A Quantitative and Reproducible Alternative to Plasmonic-Based SERS.

Despite the success of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for detecting DNA immobilized on plasmonic metal surfaces, its quantitative response is limited by the rapid falloff of enhancement with distance from the metal surface and variations in sensitivity that depend on orientation and proximity to plasmonic "hot spots". In this work, we assess an alternative approach for enhancing detection by immobilizing DNA on the interior surfaces of porous silica particles. These substrates provide over a 1000-fold greater surface area for detection compared to a planar support. The porous silica substrate is a purely dielectric material with randomly oriented internal surfaces, where scattering is independent of proximity and orientation of oligonucleotides relative to the silica surface. We characterize the quantitative response of Raman scattering from DNA in porous silica particles with sequences used in previous SERS investigations of DNA for comparison. The results show that Raman scattering of DNA in porous silica is independent of distance of nucleotides from the silica surface, allowing detection of longer DNA strands with constant sensitivity. The surface area enhancement within particles is reproducible (<4% particle-to-particle variation) owing to the uniform internal pore structure and surface chemistry of the silica support. DNA immobilization with a bis-thiosuccinimide linker provides a Raman-active internal standard for quantitative interpretation of Raman scattering results. Despite the high (30 mM) concentrations of immobilized DNA within porous silica particles, they can be used to measure nanomolar binding affinities of target molecules to DNA by equilibrating a very small number of particles with a sufficiently large volume of low-concentration solution of target molecules.

Physicochemical Properties of Inorganic and Hybrid Hydroxyapatite-Based Granules Modified with Citric Acid or Polyethylene Glycol.

This study delves into the physicochemical properties of inorganic hydroxyapatite (HAp) and hybrid hydroxyapatite-chitosan (HAp-CTS) granules, also gold-enriched, which can be used as aggregates in biomicroconcrete-type materials. The impact of granules' surface modifications with citric acid (CA) or polyethylene glycol (PEG) was assessed. Citric acid modification induced increased specific surface area and porosity in inorganic granules, contrasting with reduced parameters in hybrid granules. PEG modification resulted in a slight increase in specific surface area for inorganic granules and a substantial rise for hybrid granules with gold nanoparticles. Varied effects on open porosity were observed based on granule type. Microstructural analysis revealed increased roughness for inorganic granules post CA modification, while hybrid granules exhibited smoother surfaces. Novel biomicroconcretes, based on α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) calcium phosphate cement and developed granules as aggregates within, were evaluated for compressive strength. Compressive strength assessments showcased significant enhancement with PEG modification, emphasizing its positive impact. Citric acid modification demonstrated variable effects, depending on granule composition. The incorporation of gold nanoparticles further enriched the multifaceted approach to enhancing calcium phosphate-based biomaterials for potential biomedical applications. This study demonstrates the pivotal role of surface modifications in tailoring the physicochemical properties of granules, paving the way for advanced biomicroconcretes with improved compressive strength for diverse biomedical applications.

Optimization of Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) Sorption onto Mesoporous Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

The techniques used to detect and quantify cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) vary considerably in terms of detection sensitivity, from the most sensitive, based on radioisotopes and mass spectrometry (MS) with limits of detection (LOD) in fg mL-1, to fluorescence (FL) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors with LOD values in the range of a few µg mL-1. For accurate quantification of an analyte present at trace levels in complex biological matrices, a selective separation and enrichment step is required to overcome matrix interferences and ensure sufficient detection sensitivity. In this study, iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) were used for the extraction and initial preconcentration of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12). In the dependence of the magnetization on the H-field (hysteresis loop), no coercivity and remanence values were found at 300 K, indicating the superparamagnetic properties of the tested IONPs. Perfluorinated acids were used as amphiphilic agents to allow the sorption of cyanocobalamin onto the IONPs. FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy was used to confirm the sorption of cyanocobalamin on the IONPs. The influence of the addition of a homologous series of perfluorinated acids such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA), heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA), and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) to the extraction mixture was tested considering their type, mass, and time required for effective sorption. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm, described by the Freundlich and Langmuir equations, were analyzed. The maximum adsorption capacity (qm) exceeded 6 mg g-1 and was 8.9 mg g-1 and 7.7 mg g-1 for HFBA and TCAA, respectively, as the most efficient additives. After the desorption process using aqueous KH2PO4 solution, the sample was finally analyzed spectrophotometrically and chromatographically. The IONP-based method was successfully applied for the isolation of cyanocobalamin from human urine samples. The results showed that the developed approach is simple, cheap, accurate, and efficient for the determination of traces of cyanocobalamin in biological matrices.

Cu-BTC Derived Mesoporous CuS Nanomaterial as Nanozyme for Colorimetric Detection of Glutathione.

In this paper, Cu-BTC derived mesoporous CuS nanomaterial (m-CuS) was synthesized via a two-step process involving carbonization and sulfidation of Cu-BTC for colorimetric glutathione detection. The Cu-BTC was constructed by 1,3,5-benzenetri-carboxylic acid (H3BTC) and Cu2+ ions. The obtained m-CuS showed a large specific surface area (55.751 m2/g), pore volume (0.153 cm3/g), and pore diameter (15.380 nm). In addition, the synthesized m-CuS exhibited high peroxidase-like activity and could catalyze oxidation of the colorless substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine to a blue product. Peroxidase-like activity mechanism studies using terephthalic acid as a fluorescent probe proved that m-CuS assists H2O2 decomposition to reactive oxygen species, which are responsible for TMB oxidation. However, the catalytic activity of m-CuS for the oxidation of TMB by H2O2 could be potently inhibited in the presence of glutathione. Based on this phenomenon, the colorimetric detection of glutathione was demonstrated with good selectivity and high sensitivity. The linear range was 1-20 µM and 20-300 µM with a detection limit of 0.1 µM. The m-CuS showing good stability and robust peroxidase catalytic activity was applied for the detection of glutathione in human urine samples.