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Topic Review
Optical Biosensing of Cancer Antigen 125
Cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) is a well-known oncomarker in ovarian cancer (OC) that has been widely used. CA-125 is a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein (>200 kDa) generated by normal cells in adult tissues derived from coelomic and Müllerian epithelia. CA-125 levels of less than 35 U/mL in the human body are acceptable for normal cells. Women with advanced stages of OC often show an elevated level of CA-125. Some early-stage cancers can be diagnosed via detecting the cancer antigen CA-125, such as ovarian cancer, and required treatments can be applied more efficiently. Thus, detection of CA-125 by employing various optical or electrochemical biosensors is a preliminary and crucial step to treating cancers. 
  • 401
  • 28 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Opportunities of Bio-Based Adhesives for Packaging Applications
Global economy depends on fossil resources, which provide raw materials for the production of a range of chemicals and materials for the manufacture of commercial products such as paper and packaging. Since there is growing environmental awareness and the need to reduce dependence on petroleum-based products, the attention has been paid to the possibilities of synthesizing polymeric materials from bio-based renewable resources. The paper and packaging segment dominates the market and is expected to grow further during the forecast period due to robust growth in demand for packaging materials from food and beverage manufacturers and e-retail companies. In the paper industry, biomass, such as wood and other species, is undergoing constant change due to countries' efforts to decarbonize, the rise of bio-based materials, and so on. The recent shortage of paper for various media, due to the shift from fiber to packaging applications, opens the space for alternative solutions. Recently, interest in the use of agricultural residues has increased. Environmentally friendly packaging, so called green packaging, based on biodegradable, recyclable or compostable materials, is currently attracting a great deal of attention in many disciplines because of its unique properties compared to traditional petrochemical-based plastics. Green packaging materials play an important role in preserving and protecting the product. To fulfil these benefits, the bio-based material for green packaging should be made from materials that enhance the biopolymer properties of the packaging material and meet the requirements of the global market. In addition, to ensure the recyclability or biodegradability of the above packaging, bio-based adhesives should be included in the packaging process. Lately, the adhesive production is still based on by-products of petroleum processing and with increasing concerns about environmental threats and sustainable development, the use of biomass and bio-based materials will play an important role.
  • 549
  • 30 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic or opioids crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the next two decades. The increase in opioid overdose deaths has been dramatic, and opioids are now responsible for 49,000 of the 72,000 drug overdose deaths overall in the US in 2017. A recent report indicated that the rate of prolong opioid use is increasing globally. Opioids are a diverse class of moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin. The potency and availability of these substances, despite their high risk of addiction and overdose, have made them popular both as medical treatments and as recreational drugs. Due to their sedative effects on the part of the brain which regulates breathing, the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata, opioids in high doses present the potential for respiratory depression, and may cause respiratory failure and death. In a 2015 report, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stated that "overdose deaths, particularly from prescription drugs and heroin, have reached epidemic levels.":iii Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involved prescription opioids. From 1999 to 2008, overdose death rates, sales, and substance abuse treatment admissions related to opioid pain relievers all increased substantially. By 2015, there were more than 50,000 annual deaths from drug overdose, causing more deaths than either car accidents or guns. Drug overdoses have since become the leading cause of death of Americans under 50, with two-thirds of those deaths from opioids. In 2016, the crisis decreased overall life expectancy of Americans for the second consecutive year. Overall life expectancy fell from 78.7 to 78.6 years. Men were disproportionately more affected due to higher overdose death rates, with life expectancy declining from 76.3 to 76.1 years. Women's life expectancy remained stable at 81.1 years. In 2016, over 64,000 Americans died from overdoses, 21 percent more than the almost 53,000 in 2015. By comparison, the figure was 16,000 in 2010, and 4,000 in 1999. While death rates varied by state, public health experts estimate that nationwide over 500,000 people could die from the epidemic over the next 10 years. In Canada , half of the overdoses were accidental, while a third were intentional. The remainder were unknown. Many of the deaths are from an extremely potent opioid, fentanyl, which is trafficked from Mexico. The epidemic cost the United States an estimated $504 billion in 2015. CDC former director Thomas Frieden said that "America is awash in opioids; urgent action is critical." The crisis has changed moral, social, and cultural resistance to street drug alternatives such as heroin. Many state governors have declared a "state of emergency" to combat the opioid epidemic or undertook other major efforts against it. In July 2017, opioid addiction was cited as the "FDA's biggest crisis". In October 2017, President Donald Trump concurred with his Commission's report and declared the country's opioid crisis a "public health emergency". Federal and state interventions are working on employing health information technology in order to expand the impact of existing drug monitoring programs. Recent research shows promising results in mortality and morbidity reductions when a state integrates drug monitoring programs with health information technologies and shares data through centralized platform.
  • 924
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Opal
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·nH2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt. The name opal is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word upala (उपल), which means 'jewel', and later the Greek derivative opállios (ὀπάλλιος), which means 'to see a change in color'. There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color (iridescence); common opal does not. Play-of-color is defined as "a pseudo chromatic optical effect resulting in flashes of colored light from certain minerals, as they are turned in white light." The internal structure of precious opal causes it to diffract light, resulting in play-of-color. Depending on the conditions in which it formed, opal may be transparent, translucent, or opaque, and the background color may be white, black, or nearly any color of the visual spectrum. Black opal is considered the rarest, while white, gray, and green opals are the most common.
  • 1.6K
  • 24 Oct 2022
Topic Review
One-Dimensional (1D) Nanostructured Materials
At present, the world is at the peak of production of traditional fossil fuels. Much of the resources that humanity has been consuming (oil, coal, and natural gas) are coming to an end. The human being faces a future that must necessarily go through a paradigm shift, which includes a progressive movement towards increasingly less polluting and energetically viable resources. In this sense, nanotechnology has a transcendental role in this change. For decades, new materials capable of being used in energy processes have been synthesized, which undoubtedly will be the cornerstone of the future development of the planet.
  • 4.6K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
On-Surface Synthesis of sp-Carbon Nanostructures
Over the centuries, carbon allotropes have been playing a significant role in material science and engineering due to their outstanding electric, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. Compared to traditional carbon materials such as diamond and graphite, carbon nanomaterials consist of carbons with different hybridization types, namely linear (sp), planar (sp2), or tetrahedral (sp3) bond configurations, or even a combination of several types. Owning to the development of STM (scanning tunneling microscope) and nc-AFM (noncontact atomic force microscope), a wide variety of low-dimensional carbon nanostructures have been synthesized and characterized at the atomic scale on surfaces, such as linear polymers comprising of hydrocarbons, graphene nanoribbons, porous graphene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In particular, nanostructures containing sp-hybridized carbons are of great advantage for their structural linearity and small steric demands as well as intriguing electronic and mechanical properties. 
  • 446
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
On-Site Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of interest in many different fields. Among them are food and fragrance analysis, environmental and atmospheric research, industrial applications, security or medical and life science. In the past, the characterization of these compounds was mostly performed via sample collection and off-site analysis with gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as the gold standard. While powerful, this method also has several drawbacks such as being slow, expensive, and demanding on the user. For decades, intense research has been dedicated to find methods for fast VOC analysis on-site with time and spatial resolution. The working principles of the most important, utilized are presented, and researched technologies for this purpose and highlight important publications from the last five years. 
  • 376
  • 17 Mar 2023
Topic Review
On-Demand Drug Delivery Systems Using Nanofibers
On-demand drug-delivery systems using nanofibers are extensively applicable for customized drug release based on target location and timing to achieve the desired therapeutic effects. A nanofiber formulation is typically created for a certain medication and changing the drug may have a significant impact on the release kinetics from the same delivery system. Nanofibers have several distinguishing features and properties, including the ease with which they may be manufactured, the variety of materials appropriate for processing into fibers, a large surface area, and a complex pore structure. Nanofibers with effective drug-loading capabilities, controllable release, and high stability have gained the interest of researchers owing to their potential applications in on-demand drug delivery systems.
  • 646
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
On-Chip Liquid Chromatography
On-chip liquid chromatography (LC) refers to LC technology that is miniaturized to fit on a microchip to enable fast, high-throughput analysis, with small sample volumes and low reagent consumption. Four different on-chip LC approaches have been developed to date: use of open-tubular, packed-particle, monolithic, and pillar array columns. These methods have been applied to proteomics as well as the analysis of small molecules and drugs in various biological samples. Recent advances in on-chip LC are summarized herein.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Omega-3 PUFAs and OvCa
Different strategies have been investigated for a more satisfactory treatment of advanced breast cancer, including the adjuvant use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These nutritional compounds have been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic activities, the capacity to affect transduction pathways/receptors involved in cell growth and to reprogram tumor microenvironment. Omega-3 PUFA-containing nanoformulations designed for drug delivery in breast cancer were shown to potentiate the effects of enclosed drugs, enhance drug delivery to target sites, and minimize drug-induced side effects.
  • 542
  • 03 Feb 2023
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