Combination of bioactive material such as hydroxyapatite (HAp) with antibacterial agents would have great potential to be used as bone implant materials to avert possible bacterial infection that can lead to implant-associated diseases. The present study aimed to develop an antibacterial silver nanoparticle-decorated hydroxyapatite (HAp/AgNPs) nanocomposite using chemical reduction and thermal calcination approaches. In this work, natural HAp that was extracted from chicken bone wastes is used as support matrix for the deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to produce HAp/AgNPs nanocomposite. XRD, FESEM-EDX, HRTEM, and XPS analyses confirmed that spherical AgNPs were successfully synthesized and deposited on the surface of HAp particles, and the amount of AgNPs adhered on the HAp surface increased with increasing AgNO3 concentration used. The synthesized HAp/AgNPs nanocomposites demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, where the antibacterial efficiency is relied on the amount and size of deposited AgNPs. In addition, the in vitro bioactivity examination in Hank’s balanced salt solution showed that more apatite were grown on the surface of HAp/AgNPs nanocomposite when AgNO3 concentration used >1 wt.%. Such nanocomposite with enhanced bioactivity and antibacterial properties emerged as a promising biomaterial to be applied for dentistry and orthopedic implantology.
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are the mainstay of rapid point-of-care diagnostics, with the potential to enable early case management and transform the epidemiology of infectious disease. However, most LFAs only detect single biomarkers. Recognizing the complex nature of human disease, overlapping symptoms and states of co-infections, there is increasing demand for multiplexed systems that can detect multiple biomarkers simultaneously. Due to innate limitations in the design of traditional membrane-based LFAs, multiplexing is arguably limited to a small number of biomarkers. Here, we summarize the need for multiplexed LFA, key technical and operational challenges for multiplexing, inherent in the design and production of multiplexed LFAs, as well as emerging enabling technologies that may be able to address these challenges. We further identify important areas for research in efforts towards developing multiplexed LFAs for more impactful diagnosis of infectious diseases.
Impending health challenges in the formulations of particleboards from cellulosic-based waste particles such as wood chips, sawdust, and veneer boards are of great concern. These wastes are majorly bonded together with synthetic resin or binder in the presence of heat and pressure to produce particleboards of various specifications and sizes depending on the end-use. The qualities of the particleboards depend on the modification of the particle geometry, resin levels, board density, and manufacturing processes. The addition of special additives to enhance the qualitative performance of particleboards such as dimensional stability, fire retardancy enhancement, and moisture resistance is included in the manufacturing process. The milestone in the use of wood particles for particleboard manufacture is the large reduction in the environmental hazard that these abundant wastes cause. Furthermore, this review reports recent research efforts in the use of green adhesives to reduce the health threat related to utilizing formaldehyde-based particleboard. The use of adhesives produced from natural sources has contributed toward the reduction in the impending health challenges and the cost of building construction by using such a particleboard.
Large-scale food-borne outbreaks caused by Salmonella are rarely seen nowadays, thanks to the advanced nature of the medical system. However, small, localised outbreaks in certain regions still exist and could possess a huge threat to the public health if eradication measure is not initiated. This review discusses the progress of Salmonella detection approaches covering their basic principles, characteristics, applications, and performances. Conventional Salmonella detection is usually performed using a culture-based method, which is time-consuming, labour intensive, and unsuitable for on-site testing and high-throughput analysis. To date, there are many detection methods with a unique detection system available for Salmonella detection utilising immunological-based techniques, molecular-based techniques, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, optical phenotyping, and biosensor methods. The electrochemical biosensor has growing interest in Salmonella detection mainly due to its excellent sensitivity, rapidity, and portability. The use of a highly specific bioreceptor, such as aptamers, and the application of nanomaterials are contributing factors to these excellent characteristics. Furthermore, insight on the types of biorecognition elements, the principles of electrochemical transduction elements, and the miniaturisation potential of electrochemical biosensors are discussed.
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