48 research outputs found
Recent Advances in Nanomaterials of Group XIV Elements of Periodic Table in Breast Cancer Treatment
No full textBreast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. The elements of group XIV in the periodic table exhibit a wide range of chemical manners. Recently, there have been remarkable developments in the field of nanobiomedical research, especially in the application of engineered nanomaterials in biomedical applications. In this review, we concentrate on the recent investigations on the antiproliferative effects of nanomaterials of the elements of group XIV in the periodic table on breast cancer cells. In this review, the data available on nanomaterials of group XIV for breast cancer treatment has been documented, providing a useful insight into tumor biology and nano–bio interactions to develop more effective nanotherapeutics for cancer patients
The Effects of Silver Nanoparticles Coatings in Effective Drug Delivery: Human Serum Albumin Interaction
No full textBackground & Objective: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in nanomedicine and pharmacy due to their valuable properties. AgNPs are synthesized in various ways. The amount of drug binding to Human Serum Albumin (HSA) as the most abundant protein in the circulatory system would affect the drug’s therapeutic concentration and its availability for intracellular targets. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of coating in the synthesis of AgNPs on their ability to interact with HSA.
Materials & Methods: Fluorescence emission spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and Zeta potential analysis were used to study the structural effects of HSA after interaction with AgNPs with ethylene glycol dispersion matrix. AgNPs contains sodium citrate stabilizer and uncoated AgNPs.
Results: The fluorescence quenching indicated that AgNPs with ethylene glycol dispersion matrix interacted with HSA with a higher binding constant value compared with two other AgNPs. The CD spectra indicated a reduction in α-helix content of HSA especially after the addition of AgNPs with ethylene glycol dispersion matrix (from 51.45% to 41.71%). The zeta potential analysis showed that the surface charge of HSA was reduced especially after the addition of AgNPs with ethylene glycol dispersion matrix (from -16.73 mV to -11.79 mV).
Conclusion: This study showed that AgNPs with ethylene glycol dispersion matrix interact with HSA more strongly compared with two other AgNPs. This study indicated that the type of coating of AgNPs affects the HSA interaction and consequently affects the nanoparticles transportation and distribution in the blood
Child Development and Mental Health
No full textIn this doctoral thesis, Dr. Hekmat Alrouh investigates the interplay of genetic, environmental, and intergenerational factors that shape child development, physical health, and mental wellbeing across childhood and adolescence. Spanning multiple empirical studies, the work addresses themes such as enduring mental health (EMH), intergenerational transmission of body mass index (BMI), educational attainment, and the unique impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth wellbeing. Data are drawn primarily from large twin and family samples, leveraging genetically informative designs to disentangle the relative contributions of genes and environments. Early chapters introduce the concept of EMH, which is defined as a state in which individuals display no clinically significant mental health problems across key developmental stages. The thesis presents evidence that EMH occurs in only a minority of children and adolescents, emphasizing that experiencing at least some degree of mental health difficulty is more common than previously assumed. These chapters also highlight the crucial roles that parental education, child academic performance, and subjective wellbeing (as measured by life satisfaction scales) play in fostering positive mental health trajectories. Mid-thesis chapters explore how BMI and educational attainment transmit across generations. By analyzing parent-offspring data, the thesis shows that parental BMI is the strongest predictor of a child’s BMI—both in childhood and adolescence—and that higher parental education correlates with children’s scholastic success. Yet, the work clarifies that the association between parental education and offspring BMI can often be explained by parents’ own BMI, cautioning against oversimplified claims that lower parental education, in itself, causes childhood obesity. Later chapters assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on children’s mental health and wellbeing. Employing a multi-cohort and multi-informant approach, the author observes that the pandemic had heterogeneous impacts, with some youth experiencing exacerbated behavioral or emotional problems. This disruption also enabled the study of how environmental stress interacts with genetic predispositions for mental health, providing insights into gene–environment interplay during a global crisis. Furthermore, the thesis highlights how survey framing—for example, mentioning COVID-19 before asking about wellbeing—can subtly shift parental reports of a child’s mental state, underlining the importance of measurement context when interpreting mental health data. Overall, the dissertation underscores that child mental health is shaped by a dynamic, complex set of influences that span genetic vulnerabilities, parental characteristics, and contextual stressors such as the pandemic. The research ultimately advocates a more integrated, preventative approach to youth mental health, stressing that early identification of risk and resilience factors—such as parental BMI and education—can inform strategies to support child development and psychological wellbeing
Connectivity Maintenance for mmWave WPANs
No full textRecently the need for ultra high data rate wireless networks has increased. With the improvement of CMOS technologies, 60 GHz WPANs has become more interesting commercially. 60 GHz radio operates at wave lengths in the order of millimeters at a frequency band between 57 and 64 GHz. The 802.15.3 MAC is specified to provide high data rate and also have QoS capabilities. Because of physical properties of 60 GHz radio, humans and other object are sources for blocking and shadowing of the wireless channel. The 802.15.3 MAC does not specify how these kind of connection issues can be solved. To overcome problem of shadowing and blocking, changes have to be made to the 803.15.3 MAC and route discovery is needed in case two node lose their peer-to-peer connection. This thesis provides a solution for blocking of a connection between two devices in a piconet by using a multi-hop solution. First a route discovery process is initialised. If needed intermediate nodes are used to reconnect the devices. In case either the source or the destination is excluded from the piconet, a new piconet is formed, creating a mesh network. The newly created piconet contains devices which are in reach of the source and the destination. A measurement for the performance of the route discovery process is the time needed to find the optimal route between the source and the destination. A mathematical model has been derived for route discovery during the CAP using directional antennas. In Opnet Modeler the route discovery has also been simulated using the 802.15.3 MAC extended with directional antennas. The mathematical models do not exactly produce the same values for the delay as the simulation. However, the mathematical model and the simulations show the same behaviour. Furthermore, both the mathematical model and the simulation show that for small networks initialising a route discovery process is quick enough to overcome blocking.TelecommunicationsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Fundamental Properties of Wireless Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
No full textWireless mobile ad-hoc networks are formed by mobile devices that set up a possibly short-lived network for communication needs of the moment. Ad-hoc networks are decentralized, self-organizing networks capable of forming a communication network without relying on any fixed infrastructure. Each node in an ad-hoc network is equipped with a radio transmitter and receiver which allows it to communicate with other nodes over wireless channels. All nodes can function, if needed, as relay stations for data packets to be routed to their final destination. In other words, ad-hoc networks allow for multi-hop transmission of data between nodes outside the direct radio reach of each other. Ad-hoc networks have distinct advantages over traditional communication networks. For example, ad-hoc networks can be more economical as they eliminate fixed infrastructure costs, and they can be more robust because of their non-hierarchical distributed control and management mechanisms. Ad-hoc networks increase mobility and flexibility, as they can be brought up and torn down in a very short time. Ad-hoc networks form a relatively new and very diverse field of research. In this thesis we focus our attention on the fundamental properties of ad-hoc networks. For an ad-hoc network to function properly in the first place it must be connected, or mostly connected. Otherwise the network would consist of scattered isolated islands and could not support networking applications. Secondly, the ad-hoc network must have enough capacity to transport the required amount of data between network nodes. By fundamental properties we mean those properties of the network that directly and substantially affect the connectivity or the capacity of the network. In this thesis we have introduced a new mathematical model for ad-hoc networks which is based on realistic assumptions for radio propagation. By using this model we were able to modify connectivity theorems for wireless ad-hoc networks, and have contributed substantially to a better understanding of degree distribution and hopcount in ad-hoc networks. Another novel aspect in this thesis is a new method proposed for the calculation of interference statistics. Also, we have shown that interference in ad-hoc networks is upper bounded and have derived a mathematical formula for this upper bound. Our interference calculation methods have allowed us to investigate the capacity of ad-hoc networks. We have found capacity limits for ad-hoc networks and have established that in multi-hop ad-hoc networks there is a trade-off between the network size and the maximum input bit rate possible per node. Large ad-hoc networks, consisting of thousands of nodes, can only support low-bit-rate applications.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
The effects of TiO2 nanoparticles and doxorubicin complexes on the structure of DNA and inducing of apoptosis in MCF7 cell line
No full textThe Impacts of Simulated Microgravity on The Cell Viability and Claudin-1 and Claudin-3 Expression of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
No full textIt has been believed that microgravity directly can alter the structure, morphology, and function of biosystems and numerous research have been performed to recognize these alterations. Claudin proteins are the tight junctions’ main components. Additionally, they are crucial for the protection of the differentiated state of epithelial cells as well as for cell-cell interaction. This study aimed to explore the probable correlation between the claudin-1 and claudin-3 expression and microgravity condition. Additionally, examined the impacts of microgravity condition on cell morphology and viability. The gene expression in MCF-7 cells were assessed by real-time quantitative RT PCR. Afterward, the morphology and cellular viability of the cells were evaluated by an inverted microscope, MTT assay, and flow cytometry analysis. After 72 h of simulated microgravity, the claudin-1 and claudin-3 expression increased significantly (P<0.05). Also, MCF-7 cells after 72 h exposure to microgravity simulation comprised rounded cells, which were grouped and linked to each other making multicellular spheroids. However, microgravity simulation after 24 or 72 h did not have a remarkable effect on the viability of cells. The consequence of this research lied in the fact that simulated microgravity could not be a direct cure for breast cancer treatment. However, microgravity research can offer a unique in vitro tool to explore biomechanical effects in the biology of cancer. The findings obtained from this investigation can open fascinating research lines in astrobiology, biophysics, and cancer biology and can be utilized to improve survivability and life quality for malignancy patients
Synthesis and Characterization of Amyloid Beta-Lactoglobulin-Mumijo-Nanohydroxyapatite Complex: A New Composite for Bone Regeneration: Synthesis and characterization of fibrillar BLG-Mumijo-nHA complex
No full textMumijo is a traditional drug that has been used in traditional medicine for a long time and its aqueous extract is used for the treatment of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Besides, in modern medicine, nano-sized hydroxyapatite (nHA) has achieved immense attention for bone integration and regeneration of bony defects treatment. Since the frequency of accidental bone disorders and damage is growing worldwide, the need for artificial bone implants is increasing. Thus, in this study, the fibrillar beta-lactoglobulin (BLG)-Mumijo-nHA complex was synthesized and characterized by UV–Visible, fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared, circular dichroism spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and zeta potential analysis. The results showed that the fibrillar BLG-Mumijo-nHA complex was formed. The results also confirmed that the complex had a negative surface charge and was moderately stable. Cell viability assays indicated that fibrillar BLG-Mumijo-nHA complex induced bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell growth at higher concentrations. Although further experiments are warranted to draw firm conclusions, it could be proposed that the fibrillar BLG-Mumijo-nHA complex could be a good candidate for the treatment of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Highlights
The fibrillar BLG-Mumijo-nHA complex was synthesized in detail.
UV-Visible, fluorescence emission, and CD spectroscopy as well as z-potential value confirmed the formation of a complex.
The complex could be a good candidate for tissue engineering
