The binding of divalent copper ions to the full-length recombinant murine prion protein PrP23-231 at neutral pH was studied using vibrational Raman optical activity (ROA) and ultraviolet circular dichroism (UV CD). The effect of the Cu2+ ions on PrP structure depends on whether they are added after refolding of the protein in water or are present during the refolding process. In the first case ...

We evaluated the concentrations of chromium and cobalt ions in blood after metal-on-metal surface replacement arthroplasty using a wrought-forged, high carbon content chromium-cobalt alloy implant in 64 patients. At one year, mean whole blood ion levels were 1.61 microg/L (0.4 to 5.5) for chromium and 0.67 microg/L (0.23 to 2.09) for cobalt. The pre-operative ion levels, component size, female ...

The effect of cupric ions on the activity, fluorescence, and absorbance, and on the sulfhydryl and flavin adenine dinucleotide contents, of lipoyl dehydrogenase has been examined. The changes take place in two phases during the reaction of the enzyme with copper ions. In the first phase, the lipoic activity of the enzyme decreases to about 10% of its initial value, while its diaphorase activity...

Ultrasonic-assisted method was applied for preparation of Cu+2-doped ZnS nanoparticles (mole fractions of Cu+2 ions are 0.000, 0.015, 0.030 and 0.060) in water as a template-free and green method at 30 min. The prepared nanoparticles were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS)...

The reason for these questions lies in the fact that the pH, or degree of acidity of the soil, often is a symptom of some disorder in the chemical condition of the soil as it relates to plant nutrition. A measurement of soil acidity or alkalinity is like a doctor's measurement of a patient's temperature. It reveals that something naay be wrong but it does not tell the exact nature of the troubl...

Silver ions are a strong antiseptic with a broad spectrum. Treatment of textiles and leather with nanosilver particles is a new idea for real clean wear. The nanometer-size particles have a large specific surface resulting in the release of silver ions in antiseptic concentration. One way to investigate nanosilver treated leather is the intrinsic fluorescence of organic material. This fluoresce...

BACKGROUND Environmental control to reduce the amount of allergens in a living place is thought to be important to avoid sensitization to airborne allergens. However, efficacy of environmental control on inactivation of airborne allergens is not fully investigated. We have previously reported that positively- and negatively-charged plasma cluster ions (PC-ions) reduce the IgE-binding capacity o...