Further validity testing of the Abu-Saad Paediatric Pain Assessment Tool

This paper reports on the results of two studies conducted to further validate the Abu-Saad Paediatric Pain Assessment Tool, a Dutch-language questionnaire developed to assess pain in school-age children. Children of 5 to 15 years of age reported in the first study their post-operative pain before and after the administration of analgesic medication using word descriptors of pain, the 10-cm scale, the Oucher, and a visual analogue scale (VAS). Lower mean pain scores at 4-hourly intervals post-analgesia supported the construct validity of the tool. Convergent validity was supported in both studies when scores on all concurrently administered measures positively correlated with the pain tool. In the second study, the correlations between pain and fear, a concurrently used measure with the pain instruments, were low, substantiating the discriminant validity of the pain tool. The significance of the results in relation to instrument development and multidimensional pain assessment in children are further discussed and elaborated.

Quercetin conjugated silica particles as novel biofunctional hybrid materials for biological applications

The aim of this work is to formulate biofunctional hybrid materials (HMs) with quercetin (QC) and silica particles (SiPs) by simple methods such as sol-gel and QC conjugation. Physicochemical characterization included particle size, zeta potential (ζ), FTIR and SEM imaging. Spherical particles with ca. 115 nm in diameter were produced, ζ and FTIR demonstrated that QC conjugation was successfully achieved. Electrochemical analyses performed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) suggested that potential binding sites between QC and SiPs may be at functional groups from A ring or C ring, affecting the transfer electron of resorcinol moiety. Iron chelating activity and lipid peroxidation assays showed that after conjugation to SiPs, QC decreased its metal chelating activity, but anti-radical properties is maintained. Our results demonstrated that our proposed method is simple and effective to obtain bio-functional HMs. Our findings prove to be useful in the design of protective approaches against lipid oxidation in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics fields.

In vitro toxicity assessment of fungal-synthesized cadmium sulfide quantum dots using bacteria and seed germination models

There is currently controversy over the use of quantum dots (QDs) in biological applications due to their toxic effects. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the toxic effect of chemical and biogenic (synthesized by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici) cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdSQDs) using a bacterial model of Escherichia coli and sprouts of Lactuca sativa L. with the aim to foresee its use in the near future in biological systems. Physicochemical properties of both types of CdSQDs were determined by TEM, XRD, zeta potential and fluorescence spectroscopy. Both biogenic and chemical CdSQDs showed agglomerates of spherical CdSQDs with diameters of 4.14 nm and 3.2 nm, respectively. The fluorescence analysis showed a band around 361 nm in both CdSQDs, the zeta potential was -1.81 mV for the biogenic CdSQDs and -5.85 mv for the chemical CdSQDs. Results showed that chemical CdSQDs, presented inhibition in the proliferation of E. coli cell in a dose-dependent manner, unlike biogenic CdSQDs, that only at its highest concentration showed an antibacterial activity. Also, it was observed that after incubation with chemical and biogenic CdSQDs of L. sativa L. seeds, only the biogenic CdSQDs showed no inhibition on seed germination. In summary, our results suggest that the production route has a significant effect on the toxicity of QDs; in addition, it seems that the biological coating of the CdSQDs from F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici inhibit their toxic effect on bacterial strains and plant seeds.

A young man with diabetes

A diagnosis of diabetes seems catastrophic to most young people. Not only do they have to learn about the complexities of the disease, they also have to come to terms with the fact that their lifestyle has changed forever.

Biogenic silver nanoparticles and stressors generate synergistic growth inhibition in Candida species through cell wall damage, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress

BACKGROUND

The need to combat and reduce the incidence, virulence, and drug resistance of species belonging to Candida genus, has led to the development of new strategies. Nanotechnology, through the implementation of nanomaterials, has emerged as an infallible tool to treat various diseases caused by pathogens, where its mechanisms of action prevent the development of undesirable pharmacological resistance.

OBJECTIVE

The antifungal activity and adjuvant properties of biogenic silver nanoparticles in different Candida species (C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, and C. albicans) are evaluated.

METHODS

The biogenic metallic nanoparticles were developed by quercetin-mediated biological synthesis. The physicochemical properties were studied by light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, UV-vis and infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The elucidation of mechanisms of antifungal action was carried out under stress conditions in Candida species at the cell wall and response to oxidative stress.

RESULTS

Small silver nanoparticles (≈16.18 nm) with irregular morphology, and negative surface electrical charge (≈ -48.99 mV), were obtained through quercetin-mediated biosynthesis. Infrared spectra showed that the surface of silver nanoparticles is functionalized with the quercetin molecule. The antifungal activity of biogenic nanoparticles had efficacy in the following trend C. glabrata ≥ C. parapsilosis > C. albicans. Biogenic nanoparticles and stressors showed synergistic and potentiated antifungal effects through cell damage, osmotic stress, cell wall damage, and oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Silver nanoparticles synthesized by quercetin-mediated biosynthesis could be implemented as a powerful adjuvant agent to enhance the inhibition effects of diverse compounds over different Candida species.

Salvia connivens Methanolic Extract Against Spodoptera frugiperda and Tenebrio molitor and Its Effect on Poecilia reticulata and Danio rerio

Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are two prominent pests of maize and its stored grains, respectively. Botanical pesticides have been proposed as an alternative for their management. This study evaluated the insecticidal activity of Salvia connivens (Lamiaceae) methanolic extract and rosmarinic acid against S. frugiperda and T. molitor by adding them to an artificial diet, as well as their ecotoxicological effects on Poecilia reticulata (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) and Danio rerio (Cypriniformes: Danionidae) through acute toxicity tests. The methanolic extract showed higher mortality activity against S. frugiperda (LC50 = 874.28 ppm) than against T. molitor (LC50 = 1856.94 ppm) and was non-toxic to fish. Rosmarinic acid, the most abundant compound in the extract (80.45 mg g-1), showed higher activity against S. frugiperda (LC50 = 176.81 ppm). This compound did not cause a toxic effect on adult P. reticulata at the tested concentrations. However, in P. reticulata fingerlings and D. rerio adults, it was non-toxic, except in D. rerio embryos, where it was slightly toxic. These findings suggest that S. connivens methanolic extract has potential as a botanical product for the management of S. frugiperda and T. molitor with low ecotoxicological impact, while rosmarinic acid may be a useful compound for the management of S. frugiperda.

Development of genistein-PEGylated silica hybrid nanomaterials with enhanced antioxidant and antiproliferative properties on HT29 human colon cancer cells

The anticancer use of genistein (Gen) has been severely limited due to its low water solubility, low bioavailability, and instability under experimental conditions. To overcome these limitations, we propose a formulation of a hybrid nanomaterial (HNM) based upon the incorporation of Gen into PEGylated silica nanoparticles (PEG-SiNPs) (Gen-PEG-SiHNM), where their physicochemical and biological effects on HT29 cells were evaluated. Genistein-loaded PEGylated silica hybrid nanomaterials were obtained by a simple end effective aqueous dispersion method. Physicochemical properties were determined by its mean particle size, surface charge, amount of cargo, spectroscopic properties, release profiles and aqueous solubility. In vitro biological performance was carried out by evaluating its antioxidant capacity and elucidating its antiproliferative mechanistic. Results showed that small (ca. 33 nm) and spherical particles were obtained with positive surface charge (+9.54 mV). Infrared analyses determined that encapsulation of genistein was successfully achieved with an efficiency of 51%; it was observed that encapsulation process enhanced the aqueous dispersibility of genistein and cumulative release of genistein was pH-dependent. More important, after encapsulation data showed that Gen potentiated its antioxidant and antiproliferative effects on HT29 human colon cancer cells by the modulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and H₂O₂ production, which simultaneously activated two different processes of cell death (apoptosis and autophagy), unlike free genistein that only activated one (apoptosis) in a lower proportion. Overall, our data support that Gen-PEG-SiHNM could be potentially used as alternative treatment for colorectal cancer in a near future.