Direct selective leaching of lithium from industrial-grade black mass of waste lithium-ion batteries containing LiFePO4 cathodes.

Demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is projected to maintain unprecedented acceleration for decades, towards satisfying international climate and source objectives. LIB wastes pose a threat to the environment, but also may be considered a strategic, high-grade resource. Yet, recycling the black mass of waste LIBs, which contains plastic, C, Li, Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, and Al, is very complex. Herein, the direct selective leaching of Li from the industrial-grade black mass powder of waste LIBs is proposed for the first time. Results demonstrated that the leaching efficiency of Li is shown to exceed 97%, while other metals remain below 1%. The mechanism of selective leaching was also investigated in this study. Under the experimental conditions, Fe is not leached out and remains in the form of solid FePO4. As for other impurity metal elements, they are removed from the solution due to the alkaline environment of the post-leaching solution and the adsorption effect of the anodic carbon. Furthermore, the alkaline post-leaching solution can avoid the neutralizing stage before the precipitation of lithium salts. This highly efficient and Li-selective leaching strategy offers a broadly applicable approach to reclaiming critical energy minerals from the black mass of wasted LIBs.

Smart stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems in spotlight of COVID-19.

The world has been dealing with a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) since the end of 2019, which threatens the lives of many people worldwide. COVID-19 causes respiratory infection with different symptoms, from sneezing and coughing to pneumonia and sometimes gastric symptoms. Researchers worldwide are actively developing novel drug delivery systems (DDSs), such as stimuli-responsive DDSs. The ability of these carriers to respond to external/internal and even multiple stimuli is essential in creating "smart" DDS that can effectively control dosage, sustained release, individual variations, and targeted delivery. To conduct a comprehensive literature survey for this article, the terms "Stimuli-responsive", "COVID-19″ and "Drug delivery" were searched on databases/search engines like "Google Scholar", "NCBI", "PubMed", and "Science Direct". Many different types of DDSs have been proposed, including those responsive to various exogenous (light, heat, ultrasound and magnetic field) or endogenous (microenvironmental changes in pH, ROS and enzymes) stimuli. Despite significant progress in DDS research, several challenging issues must be addressed to fill the gaps in the literature. Therefore, this study reviews the drug release mechanisms and applications of endogenous/exogenous stimuli-responsive DDSs while also exploring their potential with respect to COVID-19.

Synthesis of pectin-deoxycholic acid conjugate for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sorafenib (SF) a chemotherapeutic drug is used in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with vast side effects. The aim of the project ahead was synthesis of SF loaded co-polymeric micelles of pectin-deoxycholic acid (P-DOCA) to target the overexpressed asialoglycoprotein receptors of hepatocytes by pectin. DOCA was modified with ethylenediamine and conjugated to pectin. FT-IR and 1HNMR confirmed the bio-conjugation. Pyrene was used to measure critical micelle concentration (CMC) by fluorimetry technique. P-DOCA micelles were loaded with SF and their particle size, zeta potential, drug loading and release efficiency were measured. MTT assay was used for determining cytotoxicity. The cell cycle arrest was studied by flow cytometry analysis and the cellular uptake was studied using cumarin-6 as the fluorophore agent. The micelles capability in preventing the cells migration was tested by Transwell plates. The CMC of P-DOCA micelles was 10.747 µg/mL. The best formulation obtained from SF to polymer ratio of 1:2. SF loaded micelles showed 30% increased cytotoxicity. The micelles cellular uptake was more than the free drug. Relative migration of HepG2 cells treated with SF loaded micelles was reduced to 6.67% compared to free SF which was 26.67%. The designed micelles are promising for antitumor drug targeting to HCC.

One-Year Multicenter Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial on the Efficacy and Safety of Generic Cyclosporine (Iminoral) in De Novo Kidney Transplant Recipients.

OBJECTIVES: Iminoral is the generic microemulsion of cyclosporine. We performed a randomized double-blind multicenter trial to evaluate its efficacy and safety compared with the innovator medication Neoral for preventing acute rejection episodes in adult patients during the first year after renal transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used 221 de novo renal transplant recipients from 6 transplant centers in Iran enrolled between April 2008, and January 2010. They were randomized to receive either Iminoral or Neoral as the calcineurin inhibitor component of the immunosuppressive regimen in addition to mycophenolate mofetil and oral corticosteroids. They were followed-up for 1 year. The primary endpoint was the rate of acute allograft rejection. Secondary endpoints consisted of 1-year graft survival rates, daily dosages of cyclosporine, trough and C2 cyclosporine blood level, serum creatinine levels, patient death rates, discontinuing the study drug, tolerability, and adverse events. RESULTS: The risk of acute rejection episode during the first month after transplant was 9% for Iminoral and 10% for Neoral; these declined to 4% and 2% during next 11 months. One-year graft survival rate was 0.86 for both groups. Renal function stabilized during the first month. Declination of the creatinine levels was similar between the 2 groups and reached a stable value of 114.9 µmol/L five months after the transplant. The frequency of clinical complications was similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Iminoral is safe and effective when used in de novo kidney transplant patients as an immunosuppressive medication.