Volume 1, Issue 3

Radiation Dose Enhancement Using Bi2S3 Nanoparticles in Cultured Mouse PC3 Prostate and B16 Melanoma Cells

Merfat Algethami, Moshi Geso, Terrence Piva, Anton Blencowe, Lehui Lu, Kelong Ai, Peter Harty and Emily Gan
Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have been extensively investigated as contrast and dose enhancing agents. Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3)-NPs have recently been investigated as contrast agents in radiology. In this study the dose enhancing effects of Bi2S3-NPs on radiated mouse PC3 prostate and B16 melanoma cells were examined. Equimolar concentrations of both Au and Bi2S3-NPs displayed equal dose enhancement with B16 cells, while the latter provided higher values with PC3 cells.

A Worldwide Strategy for Energy, Environment and Space Should Emerge in Paris as the Priority of Humanity: A Review

Claudio Nicolini
Climate change, need for alternative energy and increasing asteroids in size and number represent key issues yielding growing challenges that must be tackled with more determination by the world community. The meeting set in Paris for December by the United Nations represents an unique opportunity to outline a common strategy for them as here outlined.

Strategies towards Novel Carbon Fiber Precursors: the Research Results on the Synthesis of PAN Copolymers via AGET ATRP and on Lignin as a Precursor

Spyridon Soulis, Stavros Anagnou, Eleni Milioni, Costas Mpalias, Ioannisa Kartsonakis, Irene Kanellopoulou, Vassilis Markakis, Elias P. Koumoulos, Evangelia Kontou and Costas A. Charitidis
The aim of this work is the presentation of two different approximations for improving the production of carbon fibers through the introduction of alternative precursors. The first approach concerns the development of novel polyacrylonitrile block copolymers through activators’ generated by electron transfer-atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET-ATRP) reaction mechanism in microemulsion; the novel polymers are envisaged to contain a structure that will be more efficiently oxidatively stabilized and/or carbonized, with the ultimate target of CFs with improved properties.

Cancer Stem Cells: Foe or Reprogrammable Cells for Efficient Cancer Therapy?

Carlo Ventura, Elena Olivi, Claudia Cavallini, Riccardo Tassinari and Francesca Bianchi
Embryonic development and carcinogenesis share many molecular pathways and regulatory molecules. While the induction of a pluripotent state involves a significant oncogenic risk, as in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the embryonic environment in vivo has been shown to suppress tumor development. In this review, we discuss the subtle equilibrium between the nanotopography (niche) of the hosting tissue resident stem cells and their biological dynamics, including the transformation in cancer stem cells.

Protein Micro-Crystallography: Nanotechnology Challenges Ahead

Christian Riekel
The status and prospects of protein microcrystallography (MPX) at high brilliance synchrotron radiation sources are reviewed. We discuss emerging trends in miniaturizing sample environments for serial crystallography (SX) experiments allowing manipulation and positioning of biological objects down to nanoscale dimensions with low contact forces.