Determination and identification of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in confectionery foods,marketed in South Korea,using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy

Food-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a common and widespread food additive in many processed foods, personal care products, and other industrial categories as it boosts the brightness and whiteness of colours. Although it is generally recognised as safe for humans, there is a growing interest in the health risks associated with its oral intake. This study quantified and identified TiO₂ nanoparticles present in confectionery foods, which are children’s favourite foods, with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A reliable digestion method using hot sulphuric acid and a digestion catalyst (K₂SO₄:CuSO₄ = 9:1) was suggested for titanium analysis. Validations of the experimental method were quite acceptable in terms of linearity, recoveries, detection limits, and quantification limits. Of all the 88 analysed foods, TiO₂ was detected in 19 products, all except three declared TiO₂ in their labelling. The mean TiO₂ content of candies, chewing gums, and chocolates were 0.36 mg g^?1, 0.04 mg g^?1, and 0.81 mg g^?1, respectively. Whitish particles isolated from the confectionery foods were confirmed as TiO₂ nanoparticles via TEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), in which nanosized particles (<100 nm) were identified.     

Chemical Stability of α‐Tocopherol in Colloidal Lipid Particles with Various Morphologies

Colloidal lipid particles (CLPs) are promising encapsulation systems for lipophilic bioactives, such as oil‐soluble antioxidants that are applied in food and pharmaceutical formulations. Currently, there is no clear consensus regarding the relation between particle structure and the chemical stability of such bioactives. Using α‐tocopherol as a model antioxidant, it is shown that emulsifier type (Tween 20 or 40, or sodium caseinate) and lipid composition (tripalmitin, tricaprylin, or combinations thereof) modulated particle morphology and antioxidant stability. The emulsifier affects particle shape, with the polysorbates facilitating tripalmitin crystallization into highly ordered lath‐like particles, and sodium caseinate resulting in less ordered spherical particles. The fastest degradation of α‐tocopherol is observed in tripalmitin‐based CLPs, which may be attributed to its expulsion to the particle surface induced by lipid crystallization. This effect is stronger in CLPs stabilized by Tween 40, which may act as a template for crystallization. This work not only shows how the architecture of CLPs can be controlled through the type of lipid and emulsifier used, but also gives evidence that lipid crystallization does not necessarily protect entrapped lipophilic bioactives, which is an important clue for encapsulation system design. Practical Applications: Interest in enriching food and pharmaceutical products with lipophilic bioactives such as antioxidants through encapsulation in lipid particles is growing rapidly. This research suggests that for efficient encapsulation, the particle architecture plays an important role; to tailor this, the contribution of both the lipid carrier and the emulsifier needs to be considered.     

Impact of an Engineered Copper-Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposite and Parent Substrates on the Bacteria Viability,Antioxidant Enzymes and Fatty Acid Profiling

Due to the systematic increase in the production of nanomaterials (NMs) and their applications in many areas of life, issues associated with their toxicity are inevitable. In particular, the performance of heterogeneous NMs, such as nanocomposites (NCs), is unpredictable as they may inherit the properties of their individual components. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to assess the biological activity of newly synthesized Cu/TiO₂-NC and the parent nanoparticle substrates Cu-NPs and TiO₂-NPs on the bacterial viability, antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of the reference Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains. Based on the toxicological parameters, it was found that B. subtilis was more sensitive to NMs than E. coli. Furthermore, Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs had an opposite effect on both strains, while TiO₂-NPs had a comparable mode of action. Simultaneously, the tested strains exhibited varied responses of the antioxidant enzymes after exposure to the NMs, with Cu-NPs having the strongest impact on their activity. The most considerable alternations in the fatty acid profiles were found after the bacteria were exposed to Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs. Microscopic images indicated distinct interactions of the NMs with the bacterial outer layers, especially in regard to B. subtilis. Cu/TiO₂-NC generally proved to have less distinctive antimicrobial properties on B. subtilis than E. coli compared to its parent components. Presumably, the biocidal effects of the tested NMs can be attributed to the induction of oxidative stress, the release of metal ions and specific electrochemical interactions with the bacterial cells.     

Metallic Nanoparticle-Enabled Sensing of a Drug-of-Abuse: An Attempt at Forensic Application

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) functions as a depressant on the central nerve system and serves as a pharmaceutical agent in the treatment of narcolepsy and alcohol withdraw. In recent years, GHB has been misused as a recreational drug due to its ability to induce euphoric feelings. Moreover, it has gained increasing attention as a popular drug of abuse that is frequently related to drug-facilitated sexual assaults. At the moment, detection methods based on chromatography exhibit extraordinary sensitivity for GHB sensing. However, such techniques require complicated sample treatment prior to analysis. Optical sensors provide an alternative approach for rapid and simple analysis of GHB samples. Unfortunately, currently reported probes are mostly based on hydrogen bonding to recognize GHB, and this raises concerns about, for example, the lack of specificity. In this work, we report a bioinspired strategy for selective sensing of GHB. The method is based on specific enzyme recognition to allow highly selective detection of GHB with minimum interference, even in a complex sample matrix (e. g., simulated urine). In addition, the result can be obtained by either quantitative spectroscopy analysis or colorimetric change observed by the naked-eye, thus demonstrating its potential application in drug screening and forensic analysis.     

辊式涂布法构建纸基牢固超疏水表面

采用辊式涂布的方法在纸基材料上构建超疏水表面，并对超疏水表面的牢固性、自清洁性和疏水性能进行评价。用γ-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷和1H,1H,2H,2H-全氟辛基三乙氧基硅烷（POTS）对微米级和纳米级两种尺寸的TiO₂粒子进行疏水改性处理，然后将改性后的微/纳米TiO₂涂布在纸基材料表面。采用红外光谱（FTIR）对改性后的微/纳米TiO₂的化学组成进行了分析，采用扫描电镜（SEM）对涂布纸表面结构进行了表征，通过接触角、耐磨性和自洁净测试评价了涂层表面的超疏水性、牢固性和自清洁性。改性TiO₂的FTIR分析显示在1000～1500cm^-1之间出现多个C—F键的伸缩振动峰，表明POTS通过化学键与TiO₂表面发生了结合。涂布纸表面的SEM分析可以看出，纸基材料表面上均匀分布了微米和纳米尺寸的TiO₂颗粒，具备了类似荷叶表面微-纳结构的粗糙表面。涂层表面的水接触角为153°±1.5°，滚动角为3.5°±0.5°，水滴在涂层表面呈球形，极易滑落，涂层在水中浸泡7天后，接触角没有发生明显变化，表明纸张表面具备了优异的超疏水性能，且疏水稳定性较好。涂层表面经过10次循环磨损试验后，接触角仍能达到150°，滚动角为9°，表明机械摩擦没有对涂布纸表面的化学成分和粗糙结构造成明显的破坏，超疏水表面的牢固性较好。自洁净测试表明，涂布纸表面具有良好的自清洁和防污性能。该工艺过程操作简单，易于实现工业化生产，为在纸基表面构建综合性能优异的超疏水表面提供了一种新的便利途径。     

Aptamer/Peptide-Functionalized Genome-Editing System for Effective Immune Restoration through Reversal of PD-L1-Mediated Cancer Immunosuppression

Effective reversal of tumor immunosuppression is of critical importance in cancer therapy. A multifunctional delivery vector that can effectively deliver CRISPR-Cas9 plasmid for β-catenin knockout to reverse tumor immunosuppression is constructed. The multi-functionalized delivery vector is decorated with aptamer-conjugated hyaluronic acid and peptide-conjugated hyaluronic acid to combine the tumor cell/nuclear targeting function of AS1411 with the cell penetrating/nuclear translocation function of TAT-NLS. Due to the significantly enhanced plasmid enrichment in malignant cell nuclei, the genome editing system can induce effective β-catenin knockout and suppress Wnt/β-catenin pathway, resulting in notably downregulated proteins involved in tumor progression and immunosuppression. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) downregulation in edited tumor cells not only releases the PD-1/PD-L1 brake to improve the cancer killing capability of CD8⁺ T cells, but also enhances antitumor immune responses of immune cells. This provides a facile strategy to reverse tumor immunosuppression and to restore immunosurveillance and activate anti-tumor immunity.     

Magnetic nanoparticles: recent developments in drug delivery system

Nanostructured functional materials have demonstrated their great potentials in medical applications, attracting increasing attention because of the opportunities in cancer therapy and the treatment of other ailments. This article reviews the problems and recent advances in the development of magnetic NPs for drug delivery.     

Highly Stable COF‐Supported Co/Co(OH)2 Nanoparticles Heterogeneous Catalyst for Reduction of Nitrile/Nitro Compounds under Mild Conditions

Ordered nanoporosity in covalent organic framework (COF) offers excellent opportunity for property development. Loading nanoparticles (nPs) onto them is one approach to introducing tailor‐made properties into a COF. Here, a COF–Co/Co(OH)₂ composite containing about 16 wt% of <6 nm sized Co/Co(OH)₂ nPs is prepared on a N‐rich COF support that catalyzes the release of theoretical equivalence of H₂ from readily available, safe, and cheap NaBH₄. Furthermore, the released H₂ is utilized for the hydrogenation of nitrile and nitro compounds to amines under ambient conditions in a facile one‐pot reaction. The COF “by choice” is built from “methoxy” functionalized dialdehydes which is crucial in enabling the complete retention of the COF structure under the conditions of the catalysis, where the regular Schiff bonds would have hydrolyzed. The N‐rich binding pockets in the COF ensure strong nP–COF interactions, which provides stability and enables catalyst recycling. Modeling studies reveal the crucial role played by the COF in exposing the active facets and thereby in controlling the activation of the reducing agent. Additionally, via density functional theory, we provide a rational explanation for how these COFs can stabilize nanoparticles which grow beyond the limiting pore size of the COF and yet result in a truly stable heterogeneous catalyst – a ubiquitous observation. The study underscores the versatility of COF as a heterogeneous support for developing cheap and highly active nonnoble metal catalysts.     

Marangoni convective nanofluid flow over an electromagnetic actuator in the presence of first‐order chemical reaction

The present study aims to investigate Marangoni‐forced convective nanofluid flow over an electromagnetic actuator (Riga plate). A first‐order homogeneous chemical reaction is considered. The thermocapillary and solutocapillary Marangoni effect developed by the surface tension is considered as a driving force for the nanofluid. In addition, Grinberg‐term is accounted to involve the impact of Lorentz force impinged by the actuator in the model. A set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is obtained via suitable transformations for a nonsimilar analysis. Series solutions are achieved through homotopy to discuss the behavior of the velocity field, thermal distribution, and concentration of the nanoparticles graphically. The variation in Nusselt and Sherwood numbers is discussed. The outcomes declared that the flow parallel to the surface of the plate is assisted by the Lorentz forces generated by electromagnetic bars of the actuator resulting in an enhancement in the fluid motion. Furthermore, the stronger Marangoni effect resulted in the declining trend of the temperature profile. The concentration of nanoparticles near the surface reduced intensive chemical reaction inside the nanofluid.