Prospective application of carbon-silica derived from SiC-Si sludge as a support for Fe catalysts

A unique carbon-silica (30 wt%) material was prepared by H₂O activation at 700 °C for 8 h with the carbon derived from SiC-Si sludge and the in-situ hydrolysis of the SiCl₄ trapped in the pores of the carbon into silica. The BET surface area of the carbon-silica was 1,750 m²/g and the pore volume by QSDFT was 1.13 cm³/g, 40% of which stemmed from micropores smaller than 2 nm with 60% from mesopores between 2 nm and 50 nm. The activated carbon-silica was loaded with Fe by means of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) and incipient wetness impregnation (IWI). A hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction test showed that the activated carbon-silica is a prospective support material for Fe catalysts and that the dispersion of Fe in the carbon-silica is higher with CVI than with IWI.     

ADA's focus: carving a niche in healthcare reform

Healthcare reform was the pressing topic at the 76th Annual American Dietetic Association (ADA) meeting and exhibition held in Anaheim, California, in late October. Explained ADA President Susan Calvert Finn, Ph.D., R.D., about the program content, "This meeting, by addressing new evidence of the link between diet and disease, as well as the role of nutrition services as a preventive health strategy, is extremely relevant to today's healthcare reform discussions. The connection between diet and disease will be highlighted so policy makers working on the healthcare reform bill will understand the medical importance of our research."     

The flood ... foodservice directors in the Midwest test their endurance during one of the worst floods this century

The summer of 1993 will be remembered as the time when record amounts of rain flooded the Mississippi and its tributary rivers, causing one of the decade's worst natural disasters. Accounts from the hard-hit Des Moines area exemplify what many foodservice operators and their staff did to help their customers and neighbors struck by the disaster.     

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide using Co3O4 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide under visible light irradiation was carried out with Co₃O₄ powders suspended in water. A Pyrex glass batch reactor of 10mL in volume was used with a 21 W LED lamp of 510 to 620 nm in wave length as light source, and the reaction time was held at 4 h. The major products were formic acid and formaldehyde; the production rates were 4.53 μmol g^?1h^?1 and 0.62 μmol g^?1h^?1 for formic acid and formaldehyde, respectively. Carbon monoxide and methane were detected in trace amounts. The occurrence of the photo-reduction with Co₃O₄ is against the expectation from the valence band edge of Co₃O₄ in the literature. Possible causes for the contradictory result are discussed.     

Controlled Release of Epigenetically-Enhanced Extracellular Vesicles from a GelMA/Nanoclay Composite Hydrogel to Promote Bone Repair

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have garnered growing attention as promising acellular tools for bone repair. Although EVs’ potential for bone regeneration has been shown, issues associated with their therapeutic potency and short half-life in vivo hinders their clinical utility. Epigenetic reprogramming with the histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) has been reported to promote the osteoinductive potency of osteoblast-derived EVs. Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels functionalised with the synthetic nanoclay laponite (LAP) have been shown to effectively bind, stabilise, and improve the retention of bioactive factors. This study investigated the potential of utilising a GelMA-LAP hydrogel to improve local retention and control delivery of epigenetically enhanced osteoblast-derived EVs as a novel bone repair strategy. LAP was found to elicit a dose-dependent increase in GelMA compressive modulus and shear-thinning properties. Incorporation of the nanoclay was also found to enhance shape fidelity when 3D printed compared to LAP-free gels. Interestingly, GelMA hydrogels containing LAP displayed increased mineralisation capacity (1.41-fold) (p ≤ 0.01) over 14 days. EV release kinetics from these nanocomposite systems were also strongly influenced by LAP concentration with significantly more vesicles being released from GelMA constructs as detected by a CD63 ELISA (p ≤ 0.001). EVs derived from TSA-treated osteoblasts (TSA-EVs) enhanced proliferation (1.09-fold), migration (1.83-fold), histone acetylation (1.32-fold) and mineralisation (1.87-fold) of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) when released from the GelMA-LAP hydrogel compared to the untreated EV gels (p ≤ 0.01). Importantly, the TSA-EV functionalised GelMA-LAP hydrogel significantly promoted encapsulated hBMSCs extracellular matrix collagen production (≥1.3-fold) and mineralisation (≥1.78-fold) in a dose-dependent manner compared to untreated EV constructs (p ≤ 0.001). Taken together, these findings demonstrate the potential of combining epigenetically enhanced osteoblast-derived EVs with a nanocomposite photocurable hydrogel to promote the therapeutic efficacy of acellular vesicle approaches for bone regeneration.