A self-healing crosslinked-xanthan gum/soy protein based film containing halloysite nanotube and propolis with antibacterial and antioxidant activity for wound healing

Traumatic multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are the most threat to wound healing. Lower extremity wounds under diabetic conditions display a significant delay during the healing process. To overcome these challenges, the utilization of protein-based nanocomposite dressings is crucial in implementing a successful regenerative medicine approach. These dressings hold significant potential as polymer scaffolds, allowing them to mimic the properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). So, the objective of this study was to develop a nanocomposite film using dialdehyde-xanthan gum/soy protein isolate incorporated with propolis (PP) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) (DXG-SPI/PP/HNTs). In this protein-polysaccharide hybrid system, the self-healing capability was demonstrated through Schiff bonds, providing a favorable environment for cell encapsulation in the field of tissue engineering. To improve the properties of the DXG-SPI film, the incorporation of polyphenols found in PP, particularly flavonoids, is proposed. The synthesized films were subjected to investigations regarding degradation, degree of swelling, and mechanical characteristics. Additionally, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were introduced into the DXG-SPI/PP nanocomposite films as a reinforcing filler with varying concentrations of 3 %, 5 %, and 7 % by weight. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis confirmed the proper embedding and dispersion of HNTs onto the DXG-SPI/PP nanocomposite films, leading to functional interfacial interactions. The structure and crystallinity of the synthesized nanocomposite films were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Moreover, the developed DXG-SPI/PP/HNTs nanocomposite films significantly improved cell growth of NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells in the presence of PP and HNTs, indicating their cytocompatibility. The antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite was evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. Coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. Aureus), which are commonly associated with wound infections. Overall, our findings suggest that the synthesis of DXG-SPI/PP/HNTs nanocomposite scaffolds holds great promise as a clinically relevant biomaterial and exhibits strong potential for numerous challenging biomedical applications.

Encapsulation of thymol and menthol loaded N/S co-doped carbon dots derived from a mixture of herbal extracts as theranostic agents with anticancer properties

This research was conducted by synthesizing carbon dots MNE-CDs (mixed natural extract-carbon dots) based on mixed natural extract (ginger, garlic, turmeric) through the hydrothermal routh. Menthol and thymol were loaded as multi-therapeutic drugs with the addition of the bio-enhancer loaded on MNE-CDs with the hydrothermal method during a separate stage. These nanostructures were successfully encapsulated in chitosan by the nanospray drying method to enhance sustainability and release control. This study answered three of these issues by fabricating novel carbon dots for anticancer potential, release behavior and bioimaging at the same time. Preparation carbon dots are characterized using UV-vis, PL, FE-SEM, DLS, EDX, and FT-IR analysis. A moderate and sustained release profile of encapsulated carbon dots was noticed in comparison to the free carbon dots over 48 h of study in both simulated physicological environment (pH 7.4) and tumor tissue (pH 5.2) conditions. It was found that the release of bioactive substances from encapsulated samples was significantly attenuated. The cell viability assay showed all the samples, including free and encapsulated carbon dots, offered acceptable cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Despite this, the toxicity of free carbon dots is more than the encapsulated samples, and also the enhancement in anticancer potential was not observed for carbon dots loaded with menthol and thymol. Upon the obtained results, the synthesized fluorescence N/S co-doped carbon dots hold great anticancer potential and biological fluorescent labeling.

Enhancing the properties of electrospun polyvinyl Alcohol/Oxidized sodium alginate nanofibers with fluorescence carbon Dots: Preparation and characterization

The objective of this study was to develop fluorescence nanofibrous polyvinyl alcohol/oxidized sodium alginate (PVA-OSA) incorporated with carbon dots (CDs) through Schiff-base interaction. The carbon dots used in this study were derived from the polyphenol-enriched extract of pomegranate peel, as established in previous work, as the reinforcing and antioxidant agent to enhance the physicochemical and biological properties of the nanofibers were used. The fabricated nanofibers were characterized using FE-SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and DSC analysis. The FE-SEM results revealed that an increase in the number of CDs in the nanofibers led to a decrease in diameter (809.6 ± 77.1 nm to 273.16 ± 41.1 nm). Furthermore, surface modification caused a significant reduction in the amount of surface roughness of the nanofibers. Incorporating CDs not only reduced the scaffold diameter but also improved its mechanical properties and promoted the growth of fibroblast cells. The ultimate tensile strength of scaffolds with and without CDs was 2.15 ± 0.02 MPa and 1.53 ± 0.74 MPa respectively. The influence of CDs amount on the properties of nanofibers showed that the swelling capacity and degradability of nanofibers can be adjusted by changing the range of CDs. Apart from the aforementioned benefits of incorporating CDs in improving nanofiber properties, their exceptional antioxidant properties can be harnessed for protecting nanofibers against oxidation and as a healing agent in wound dressings.

Investigation of wound healing efficiency of multifunctional eudragit/soy protein isolate electrospun nanofiber incorporated with ZnO loaded halloysite nanotubes and allantoin

One significant aspect of the current therapeutic agents employed in wound healing involves the engineering of nano polymeric scaffolds to mimic the properties of extracellular matrix (ECM). The present work aimed to prepare and evaluate Eudragit® L100 (EU) nanofibers in combination with soy protein isolate (SPI). Allantoin (Ala) with a 2 wt% was encapsulated as a model drug renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. Moreover, the synthesized ZnO-halloysite nanotubes (ZHNTs) with different concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt% were incorporated into the EU/SPI/Ala nanofiber as a reinforcing filler and a remarkable antibacterial agent. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed that by increasing the weight percentage of SPI from 1 % to 2.5 %, the average diameter of nanofibers decreased from 132.3 ± 51.3 nm to 126.7 ± 47.2 nm. It was 223.5 ± 95.6 nm for nanofibers containing 5 wt% ZHNTs (the optimal sample). The evaluation of in vitro release kinetics of Ala for 24 h, showed a burst release during the first 2 h and a sustained release during the subsequent times. Moreover, the structure, crystallinity, and thermal stability of synthesized nanofibers were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. In vitro degradation and mechanical characteristics of these nanofibers were studied. Furthermore, the capability of the nanofibers for cell proliferation was revealed through the MTT test and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of cell attachment. The antimicrobial activity of EU/SPI/Ala/ZHNTs showed that this sample with high ZHNTs content (5 w%t) had the most remarkable antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The results revealed that EU/SPI/Ala/ZHNTs mats could be promising potential wound dressings.

The Catalytic Reduction of Nitroanilines Using Synthesized CuFe2 O4 Nanoparticles in an Aqueous Medium

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the reduction of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) and 2-nitroaniline (2-NA) using synthesized copper ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) via facile one-step hydrothermal method as a heterogeneous nano-catalyst. Nitroanilines were reduced in the presence and without the catalyst with a constant amount (100 mg) of reducing agent of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄ ) at room temperature in water to amino compounds. To characterize the functional groups, size, structure, and morphology of as-prepared magnetic NPs, FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM were employed. The UV-Vis spectrum was utilized to explore the catalytic effect of CuFe₂ O₄ . The outcomes revealed that the synthesized CuFe₂ O₄ as a heterogeneous magnetic nano-catalyst catalyzed the reduction of 4-NA and 2-NA significantly faster than other candidate catalysts. The outcomes demonstrated that the catalyst catalyzed 4-nitroaniline to para-phenylenediamine (p-PDA) and 2-nitroaniline to ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PDA) with a constant rate of 7.49×10^-2  s^-1 and 3.19×10^-2  s^-1 , and conversion percentage of 96.5 and 95.6, in 40 s and 90 s, sequentially. Furthermore, the nanoparticles could be recovered by a magnetic separation method and reused for six consecutive cycles without remarkable loss of catalytic ability.

Safranin-O cationic dye removal from wastewater using carboxymethyl cellulose-grafted-poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) nanocomposite hydrogel

Copolymer of acrylic acid (AA) and itaconic acid (IA) grafted onto sodium carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel (CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA)) was successfully synthesized as an adsorbent to remove safranin-O from wastewater. The swelling and removal efficiencies of CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA) were enhanced by increasing IA/AA molar ratio as well as by incorporation of montmorillonite clay nano-sheets (MMT). The surface area of MMT, CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA), and CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA) samples was 15.632, 0.61452, and 0.66584 m²/g, respectively, indicating the effectiveness of MMT nano-sheets in improving hydrogel surface area. The maximum removal efficiency of CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA)/MMT under optimum conditions i.e., pH of 8, initial concentration of 10 mg/L, adsorbent dose of 2 g/L, and contact time of 40 min was ascertained 99.78% using a response surface methodology-central composite design (RSM-CCD). Pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models giving the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 18.5185 mg/g and 19.1205 mg/g for CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA) and CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA)/MMT samples, respectively are the best-fitted models for kinetic and equilibrium data. Thermodynamically, safranin-O decontamination was spontaneous, exothermic, and entropy decreasing. Moreover, ad (de)sorption behavior study showed that CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA)/MMT performance was not changed after multiple recovery steps. Therefore, CMC-g-poly (AA-co-IA)/MMT was considered as a highly potential adsorbent for safranin-O removal from wastewater.

Crystal violet dye sorption over acrylamide/graphene oxide bonded sodium alginate nanocomposite hydrogel

The synthesis of acrylamide bonded sodium alginate (AM-SA) hydrogel and acrylamide/graphene oxide bonded sodium alginate (AM-GO-SA) nanocomposite hydrogel was successfully performed using the free radical method. The AM-SA and AM-GO-SA hydrogels were applied as composited adsorbents in crystal violet (CV) dye removal. The adsorption process experiments were performed discontinuously and the acquired data showed that the efficiency is more dependent on pH than other factors. The C-O, CO, and CC groups were detected in the produced hydrogels. The amount of surface area was computed to be 44.689 m²/g, 0.0392 m²/g, and 6.983 m²/g for GO, AM-SA, and AM-GO-SA nanocomposite hydrogel, respectively. The results showed that the experimental data follow the Redlich-Peterson isotherm model. Also, the maximum adsorption capacity of monolayer for CV dye adsorption was determined using AM-SA hydrogel and AM-GO-SA nanocomposite hydrogel 62.07 mg/g and 100.30 mg/g, respectively. In addition, the parameters R_L, n, and E showed that the processes of adsorption of CV dye using both types of adsorbents are physical and desirable. Thermodynamically, the CV elimination was exothermic and spontaneous. Besides, thermodynamic results showed that the adsorption process is better proceeding at low temperatures. The experimental data followed a pseudo- second- order (PSO) kinetic model. Also, the Elovich model showed that AM-GO-SA nanocomposite hydrogel has more ability to absorb CV dye. Therefore, according to the obtained results, it can be stated that the produced hydrogels are efficient and viable composited adsorbent in removing CV dye from aqueous solution.

Microwave-assisted and one-step synthesis of PEG passivated fluorescent carbon dots from gelatin as an efficient nanocarrier for methotrexate delivery

A green and simple process for preparing the polyethylene glycol passivated fluorescent carbon dots (CDs-PEG) have been studied by a microwave pyrolysis method, using gelatin and PEG as starting materials. This method is very effective for development of carbon-based quantum dots from gelatin with high quantum yield (QY). The synthesized CDs-PEG were found to emit blue photoluminescence (PL) with a maximum QY of 34%. At the following research, we investigated the effect of the presence of PEG on PL intensity, and the result showed that CDs-PEG becomes stronger PL properties than pure CDs from gelatin. The synthesized CDs-PEG were characterized by FTIR, TEM, UV-vis, PL, zeta potential and XRD analyses. The anticancer performance of developed CDs-PEG was evaluated by in vitro tests such as MTT assay and fluorescence microscopy analyses. The examination of CDs-PEG as an anti-cancer drug nanocarrier for methotrexate (MTX) illustrated a better antitumor efficacy than free MTX due to its enhanced nuclear delivery in vitro, which resulting in highly effective tumour growth inhibition and improving targeted cancer therapy in clinical medicine.

Facile synthesis of a MnFe2O4/rGO nanocomposite for an ultra-stable symmetric supercapacitor

A symmetric supercapacitor based on a MnFe₂O₄/rGO nanocomposite prepared from expanded graphite.

Nano graphene oxide: a novel carrier for oral delivery of flavonoids

The interesting physical and chemical properties of graphene oxide (GO) have led to much excitement among biomedical scientists in recent years. It is known that many potent, often aromatic medicines are water insoluble, and this has hindered their administration to treat diseases. Nano GO was synthesized and investigated for its biological application as a carrier for quercetin, a focused bioactive flavonoid widely used as a health supplement and a drug candidate. Different techniques were used to fully evaluate the synthesis, cytotoxicity, and quercetin loading capacity of nano GO. AFM and TEM results confirmed the preparation of planar nanoparticles without aggregation which was verified by reported size results (30 nm) obtained with a particle size analyzer. FTIR and DSC results proved the drug-carrier interaction. In vitro cytotoxicity assays showed that nano GO had no cytotoxicity on A549 cells in different amounts after incubation for 72 h, confirming its suitability as a drug carrier. Our results showed that nano GO can be proposed as a new carrier due to its small size, large specific surface area, low cost, and useful non-covalent interactions with aromatic low-soluble flavonoids such as quercetin. Moreover, it may find widespread applications in biomedicine.

Iranian nursing staff's self-reported general and mental health related to working conditions and family situation

BACKGROUND

There is increasing global evidence that today's work environment results in higher risk of adverse health among nursing staff than among other professions.

AIM

To investigate self-reported general and mental health among Iranian nursing staff, and associations with organizational, physical and psychosocial working conditions and family situation.

METHODS

520 nursing personnel from 10 university hospitals in Tehran participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire in the Persian language, containing the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, physical items from the Nurse Early eXit Study and two scales relating to general health and mental health from the Short Form-36. The Chi-square test with P<0.05 and logistic regression were used to analyse data.

RESULTS

Three out of four nursing staff reported overtime work. The self-reported general and mental health rates of participants were poor/fair (38%, 41%), good (44%, 39%) and very good/excellent (18%, 20%), respectively. Family demands were associated with general health but were not associated with mental health. Adverse physical and psychosocial work conditions gave an elevated odds ratio for poor health.

CONCLUSION

Poor general and mental health was associated with adverse working conditions and family demands. Physical and psychosocial working conditions of nursing personnel should be improved. Social facilities such as daycare for children and care for the elderly should be available during work shifts to help Iranian nurses play their family roles.

Magnetoliposomes as multimodal contrast agents for molecular imaging and cancer nanotheragnostics

In the emerging field of molecular and cellular imaging, flexible strategies to synthesize multimodal contrast agents with targeting ligands are required. Liposomes have the ability to combine with a large variety of nanomaterials, including superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, to form magnetoliposomes (MLs). MLs can be used as highly efficient MRI contrast agents. Owing to their high flexibility, MLs can be associated with other imaging modality probes to be used as multimodal contrast agents. By using a thermosensitive lipid bilayer in the ML structure, these biocompatible systems offer many possibilities for targeting and delivering therapeutic agents for ‘theragnostics’, a coincident therapy and diagnosis strategy. This article deals with the fast-growing field of MLs as biomedical diagnostic tools. Different kinds of MLs, their preparation methods, as well as their surface modification with different imaging probes, are discussed. ML applications as multimodal contrast agents and in theragnostics are reviewed. Some important issues for the biomedical uses of magnetic liposomes, such as toxicity, are summarized.