We report experimental and simulation studies on ion specificity in aqueous colloidal suspensions of positively charged, bare magnetite nanoparticles. Magnetite has the largest saturation magnetization among iron oxides and relatively low toxicity, which explain why it has been used in multiple biomedical applications. Bare magnetite is hydrophilic and the sign of the surface charge can be chan...

Two strains of obligate chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were isolated from soda-lake sediments by enrichment culture with thiocyanate and nitrate at pH 9.9. The isolates were capable of growth with thiocyanate or thiosulfate as electron donor, either aerobically or anaerobically, and with nitrate or nitrite as electron acceptor. Cyanate was identified as an intermediate of thioc...

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the cell shrinkage that occurs during apoptosis could be explained by a change of the activity in ion transport pathways. We tested whether sphingolipids, which are potent pro-apoptotic compounds, can activate ionic currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Apoptosis was characterized in our model by a decrease in cell volume, a loss of cell viabil...

In this paper, a novel membrane triiodide sensor based on a charge-transfer complex of (1,3-diphenyldihydro-1H-imidazole-4,5-dionedioxime) with iodine (CTCI) as a membrane carrier is introduced. The best performance was obtained with a membrane containing 30% polyvinylchloride (PVC), 63% dibutylphthalate (DBP), 5% CTCI and 2% hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB). The electrode shows a Nern...

The present interest in the determination of thiocyanate in serum, following the injection or ingestion of its salts, is twofold. First, in order to control hypertension by administering thiocyanate, the dosage must be regulated by frequently checking serum levels, as pointed out by Barker (1) and Wald, Lindberg, and Barker (2). Secondly, the determination of extracellular fluid, as originally ...

Iodine deficiency disorders affect reproductive performance in the afflicted populations. Environmental iodine deficiency (ID) and goitrogens are important in their aetiology. We observed earlier that chronic maternal dietary ID but not goitrogen feeding altered the blood-brain barrier nutrient transport in adult rats. Whether similar differences exist in their effects on reproduction of dams a...

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The aims of this study were to evaluate in-house molecular diagnostic protocols of DNA extraction directly from CSF samples and the targets amplified by qPCR as an accurate and fast diagnosis of TBM. One hundred CSF samples from 68 patients suspected of TBM were studied. Four DNA extraction techniques (phenol-chlorofo...

Glucosinolates (GLSs) are abundant in cruciferous vegetables and reported to have anti thyroidal effects. Four GLSs (sinigrin, progoitrin, glucoerucin, and glucotropaeolin) were administered orally to rats, and the breakdown products of GLSs (GLS-BPs: thiocyanate ions, cyanide ions, organic isothiocyanates, organic nitriles, and organic thiocyanates) were measured in serum. Thiocyanate ions wer...