A series of core-shell materials with 'spiky' surfaces are prepared through the self-assembly of gold nanorods onto polystyrene microspheres. Loading of the nanorods is finely tuned and the assemblies exhibit surface plasmon resonance properties. The 'spiky' surface topography of the assembled structures could serve as a versatile substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based sensing applications.
The surface functionalization of nanoparticles (NPs) is of great interest for improving the use of NPs in, for example, therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The conjugation of specific molecules with NPs through the formation of covalent linkages is often sought to provide a high degree of colloidal stability and biocompatibility, as well as to provide functional groups for further surface modification. NPs of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) have been explored for use in second–harmonic-generation (SHG)-based bioimaging, expanding the applications of SHG-based microscopy techniques. The efficient use of SHG-active LiNbO3 NPs as probes will, however, require the functionalization of their surfaces with molecular reagents such as polyethylene glycol and fluorescent molecules to enhance their colloidal and chemical stability and to enable a correlative imaging platform. Herein, we demonstrate the surface functionalization of LiNbO3 NPs through the covalent attachment of alcohol-based reagents through a silanol–alcohol condensation reaction. Alcohol-based reagents are widely available and can have a range of terminal functional groups such as carboxylic acids, amines, and aldehydes. Attaching these molecules to NPs through the silanol–alcohol condensation reaction could diversify the reagents available to modify NPs, but this reaction pathway must first be established as a viable route to modifying NPs. This study focuses on the attachment of a linear alcohol functionalized with carboxylic acid and its use as a reactive group to further tune the surface chemistry of LiNbO3 NPs. These carboxylic acid groups were reacted to covalently attach other molecules to the NPs using copper-free click chemistry. This derivatization of the NPs provided a means to covalently attach polyethylene glycols and fluorescent probes to the NPs, reducing NP aggregation and enabling multimodal tracking of SHG nanoprobes, respectively. This extension of the silanol–alcohol condensation reaction to functionalize the surfaces of LiNbO3 NPs can be extended to other types of nanoprobes for use in bioimaging, biosensing, and photodynamic therapies.
Recent years have seen a rapidly increasing presence of nanoparticles not only in research applications, but also in industries such as medical and manufacturing. Since nanoparticles often exhibit properties unlike those of their bulk counterparts, they should be treated as unknown substances with potentially dangerous collateral effects until long-term assessments are completed. The field of nanotoxicity has recently received much attention from governments and public agencies, with the establishment of national and international infrastructures targeted at studies on safe use of nanomaterials (for example, the EU funded QualityNano research infrastructure). We propose here a methodology to monitor and remediate spills of nanoparticles in the workplace, with the aim to develop a policy on safe usage and handling of nanomaterials in general. Ideally, the methods developed should be easy to apply, inexpensive and non-destructive to the workplace.
Gold nanomaterials are of widespread interest for the potential to assist in applications that include the delivery and selective release of drugs, hyperthermia based treatment of cancers, and enhanced image contrast in biological systems. 1 These nanomaterials can be prepared in a variety of shapes, sizes, and surface chemistries as appropriate for these and other applications. One reason to tune these parameters is to adjust their plasmon resonant properties [1]. For example, tuning the longitudinal band of their plasmon resonance, one can tune the overlap between this resonance and an incident laser source. Both can be tuned to fit in the so-called "water window" of absorbance in biological tissues; this region of low absorbance by tissues and water spans much of the near-infrared wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Nanomaterials have become common place in the laboratory, as well as in product development. Examples include new formulations of materials with enhanced antimicrobial properties, increased efficiency of energy conversion (whether for catalysis or for photochemical processes), and a utility in creating new formulations for delivery and release of drugs. There are, however, a number of unknowns surrounding nanomaterials. We are just beginning to understand the various pathways that nanomaterials take within biological and ecological systems as we seek to understand their ultimate fate when encountered in either type of system. At the forefront of this challenge is, however, to better understand the safety of workers who are initially creating, processing or otherwise coming into contact with these materials. Further science is needed to understand the potential for exposure to nanomaterials in the workplace environment.
Cadaver dissection has long been considered the gold standard pedagogical approach in anatomical education for its ability to teach students not only anatomy knowledge, but also non‐traditional discipline‐independent skills that are pertinent to professional training programs in healthcare. With the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020, many medical schools were forced to adopt remote or blended teaching formats, reducing students’ dissection time in the anatomy laboratory. Some have raised concerns about how having limited interaction with body donors in anatomical education may dehumanize medical students’ learning experiences and alter their learning outcomes, but there is a paucity of research in this area. To examine how reduced exposure to cadavers during the COVID‐19 pandemic may impact the student experience, a pre‐pandemic assessment must first be made. Halfway through the first year of medical school, McGill University medical students consider the meaning of their anatomy laboratory experience and how it has contributed to their future career through a written reflective assignment. The present study aimed to describe how students reflected on their laboratory experience and its importance in their training as both individuals and future healthcare professionals, prior to the onset of COVID‐19. Reflections written by the McGill University medical class of 2023, whose time in the anatomy laboratory was not limited by the pandemic, were analyzed through the six‐step framework to thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006). Three undergraduate research students (BB, MR, IG) inductively coded students’ reflections (n = 134) using NVivo software to identify preliminary themes. Themes were reviewed, defined, and named through discussion with the entire research team (all listed authors). Three central themes were identified: (1) philosophical reflections, (2) perceived outcomes of the anatomy laboratory and (3) reflections on the body donor or body donation. Notable sub‐themes included: (1.1) reflections on the body and soul, (2.1) reflections on the current medical curriculum and (3.1) the dichotomy of objectification and personification during student‐donor interaction. The presence of these themes and example quotes drawn from the reflections confirm that donor‐dissection not only teaches students anatomical knowledge but enables them to realize the importance of dissection to the medical curriculum, consider the gift that is body donation, and explore philosophical ideas of life and death. A thematic analysis of the reflections written by McGill University’s 2024 medical class, who were subject to a blended learning format during the COVID‐19 pandemic, is currently underway to determine the degree to which decreased laboratory exposure influenced the students’ reflections on their laboratory experience.
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