Erythrograms determined from whole blood analyses and serum analyses for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and iron concentration, were used in infected and uninfected cattle to determine the type of anaemia and degree of hepatic damage caused by Fasciola hepatica. Blood samples from 86 infected and 30 uninfected cattle were taken at slaughter. Haematological analyses revealed decreased levels of packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in infected compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). A decrease in the concentration of serum iron was also observed in infected cattle compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). Significant increases in AST, GGT and ALP activities were observed in cattle infected with F. hepatica when compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the anaemia observed in cattle infected with F. hepatica is a normocytic, hypochromic anaemia and the most important aetiology of the anaemia is the chronic blood loss due to the blood-sucking activity of the adult flukes and leakage of blood from the bile duct to the intestine, which results in iron deficiency. The increased activities of serum enzymes indicated chronic hepatic and bile duct injuries associated with chronic infection with F. hepatica.

Radiolabeled metal‐based nanoparticles (MNPs) have drawn considerable attention in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, drug delivery, and radiation therapy, given the fact that they can be potentially used as diagnostic imaging and/or therapeutic agents, or even as theranostic combinations. Here, we present a systematic review on recent advances in the design and synthesis of MNPs with major focuses on their radiolabeling strategies and the determinants of their in vivo pharmacokinetics, and together how their intended applications would be impacted. For clarification, we categorize all reported radiolabeling strategies for MNPs into indirect and direct approaches. While indirect labeling simply refers to the use of bifunctional chelators or prosthetic groups conjugated to MNPs for post‐synthesis labeling with radionuclides, we found that many practical direct labeling methodologies have been developed to incorporate radionuclides into the MNP core without using extra reagents, including chemisorption, radiochemical doping, hadronic bombardment, encapsulation, and isotope or cation exchange. From the perspective of practical use, a few relevant examples are presented and discussed in terms of their pros and cons. We further reviewed the determinants of in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of MNPs, including factors influencing their in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination, and discussed the challenges and opportunities in the development of radiolabeled MNPs for in vivo biomedical applications. Taken together, we believe the cumulative advancement summarized in this review would provide a general guidance in the field for design and synthesis of radiolabeled MNPs towards practical realization of their much desired theranostic capabilities. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

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Single-crystal silver dendrite structures, which possess a high surface area along with narrow gaps and sharp edges, have been widely explored as surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates and for catalytic and biosensing applications. With one of the simplest galvanic reactions, the reaction of AgNO3 with Cu, Ag dendrites can easily be produced. Here, we report new findings about this reaction and dendrite growth mechanisms. A series of experiments revealed a much more complicated reaction mechanism: metal Ag could form through reduction of Ag+ by intermediate nitrite (NO2 –) ions inside the solution on a surface away from Cu. It was also found that Ag dendrites developed through a particle-mediated growth process. This new reaction mechanism can be utilized to generate completely freestanding, pure, and clean single-crystal Ag dendrites at room temperature within a few minutes.

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Over the past decade, metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted extensive attention due to their unique physiochemical properties that make them highly applicable in various fields such as chemical sensing, energy storage, catalysis, medicine, and environmental engineering. Their physiochemical properties depend drastically on the MNP size and morphology, which are largely determined by their synthesis methods. Research on MNPs predominantly focused on coinage metals (Au, Ag and Cu), but in the last decade research on metals with a relatively high melting temperature such as Pd, Co, and Re has seen rapid increases, mainly driven by their potential applications as catalysts. This paper presents the recent advances on different synthesis techniques of Co, Pd, and Re nanoparticles, their resulting nanostructures, as well as existing and potential applications.