Cytotoxicity screening of 23 engineered nanomaterials using a test matrix of ten cell lines and three different assays

Background  

Engineered nanomaterials display unique properties that may have impact on human health, and thus require a reliable evaluation of their potential toxicity. Here, we performed a standardized in vitro screening of 23 engineered nanomaterials. We thoroughly characterized the physicochemical properties of the nanomaterials and adapted three classical in vitro toxicity assays to eliminate nanomaterial interference. Nanomaterial toxicity was assessed in ten representative cell lines.     

Parent-Adolescent Disagreement Regarding Psychopathology in Adolescents From the General Population as a Risk Factor for Adverse Outcome.

This study investigated whether parent-adolescent disagreement regarding adolescents' behavioral and emotional problems predicted adverse outcome. A Dutch sample of 15- to 18-year-olds was prospectively followed across a 4-year interval. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: T. M. Achenbach, 1997) and Youth Self-Report (YSR; T. M. Achenbach, 1991b) were administered at initial assessment, and the following signs of poor outcome were assessed 4 years later: police/judicial contacts, expulsion from school/job, suicidal ideation, unwanted pregnancy, suicide attempts, deliberate self-harm, referral to mental health services, report of having a behavioral or emotional problem, and feeling the need for professional help without actually receiving help. Twenty CBCL syndrome scores, 23 YSR syndrome scores, and 16 discrepancy scores were significant predictors of poor outcome. It was concluded that to determine the prognosis of psychopathology in adolescents, discrepancies between informants may be important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postoperative pneumonia

Thoracic surgical patients are susceptible to pneumonia because of impaired systemic and lung host defenses. The incidence of pneumonia is higher with more extensive lung resections. Current prophylactic antibiotic therapy is based primarily on general surgical experience with emphasis on wound infection, not pneumonia. With expansion of indications for lung resection to include higher risk patients, there is a need to render antibiotic prophylaxis more specific to bacteria causative of pneumonia.     

Dissolution rates of poly(methyl methacrylate) films in mixed solvents

A laser interferometer has been used to measure in situ the dissolution rates of thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The most significant finding is that addition of small amounts of a low-molecular weight nonsolvent can increase the rate obtained with a higher molecular weight solvent. In this study, silicon wafers were coated with polymer (about 1 μm thick) and annealed at 155°C for 1 h. The dissolution rates were measured at 17.5, 22.5, and 27.5°C. All the mixtures contained methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) (2-butanone), as the major component. The minor component was water, methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, or ethylene glycol. Water and methanol showed the greatest effects. Both were able to increase the dissolution rate as much as two-fold. All the mixtures exhibit the same activation energy (25 kcal/mol) despite their wide differences in dissolution rate.