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Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2022The zeolite clinoptilolite (CLI) is known to be a very good ion exchanger, as it consists of a three-dimensional structure formed of AlO and SiO tetrahedral, which are...
The zeolite clinoptilolite (CLI) is known to be a very good ion exchanger, as it consists of a three-dimensional structure formed of AlO and SiO tetrahedral, which are connected by a common oxygen atom. The micropores formed by this structure (with free diameters in the range of 0.40 nm and 0.72 nm) are fine enough to allow cations and water molecules to enter and be exchanged. CLI is a suitable, inexpensive, and globally available material for removing ammonium from highly-concentrated wastewater and is proven to be selective in ammonium uptake and regeneration since no effect of the provenance of the ammonium (matrix-free NHCl solution or sludge water) could be found. However, regeneration of the clinoptilolite is necessary to recover the adsorbed ammonium for further use and restore its capability for ion exchange. Within this work, the method by which clinoptilolite, loaded with ammonium ( = 8.1-16.6 mg/g) from different sludge waters and ammonium chloride solution, can be regenerated to yield a stoichiometric ammonium sulfate solution (ASS), that could be used, e.g., as a fertilizer, was investigated. A regeneration solution containing NaSO (0.25 n(NaSO)/n(NH)) with a varying NaOH ratio (0-2.14 n(NaOH)/n(NH)) was tested. To obtain a high ammonium concentration in the eluate, a large mass fraction ω of 284 g/kg of CLI in the regeneration solution was applied. The effects of different ammonium loads, different origins of the ammonium, and residual moisture on the necessary components of the regeneration solution, in which an ASS is obtained within a contact time of 10 min at 22 °C, were studied. A stoichiometric ASS from CLI loaded up to a maximum of 13.5 mg/g was obtained with a mixture of 0.25 n(NaSO)/n(NH) together with 0.8-1.0 n(NaOH)/n(NH) for dry CLI, and 0.75 n(NaOH)/n(NH) for CLI with residual moisture.
PubMed: 35159870
DOI: 10.3390/nano12030525 -
International Journal of Biological... Nov 2022The immunogenicity and toxicity of N-2-Hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan/N, O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (N-2-HACC/CMCS NPs) as a universal...
The immunogenicity and toxicity of N-2-Hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan/N, O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (N-2-HACC/CMCS NPs) as a universal vaccine adjuvant/delivery system remains unclear. The present study indicated that the positively charged N-2-HACC/CMCS NPs showed a regular spherical morphology, with a particle size of 219 ± 13.72 nm, zeta potential of 37.28 ± 4.58 mV, had hemocompatibility and biodegradation. Acute toxicity, repeated dose toxicity, abnormal toxicity, muscle stimulation, whole body allergic reaction evaluation in vitro, and cytotoxicity in vivo confirmed N-2-HACC/CMCS NPs is safe and non-toxic. N-2-HACC/OVA/CMCS NPs were prepared to evaluate the immunogenicity, which showed a particle size of 248.1 ± 15.53 nm, zeta potential of 17.24 ± 1.28 mV, encapsulation efficiency of 92.43 ± 0.96 %, and loading capacity of 42.97 ± 0.07 %. Oral or intramuscular route with the N-2-HACC/OVA/CMCS NPs in mice not only induced higher IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and sIgA antibody titers, but also significantly produced higher levels of IL-6, IL-4, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, demonstrating that the N-2-HACC/OVA/CMCS NPs enhance humoral, cellular, and mucosal immune responses. Our results not only support the N-2-HACC/CMCS NPs to be a safe and potential universal nano adjuvant/delivery system in vaccine development, especially mucosal vaccines, but also rich the database knowledge of adjuvant/delivery systems, and provide new direction to introduce more licensed adjuvants.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Ammonium Chloride; Animals; Chickens; Chitosan; Hypromellose Derivatives; Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; Immunoglobulin G; Interleukin-4; Interleukin-6; Mice; Nanoparticles; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Viral Vaccines
PubMed: 35981671
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.073 -
Journal of Functional Biomaterials Oct 2022Current dental adhesives lack antibacterial properties. This study aimed to explore the effect of incorporating benzyldimethyldodecyl ammonium chloride (BDMDAC) on the...
Current dental adhesives lack antibacterial properties. This study aimed to explore the effect of incorporating benzyldimethyldodecyl ammonium chloride (BDMDAC) on the degree of conversion, contact angle, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), microtensile bond strength (µTBS), cytotoxicity, antibacterial and bonding performance after artificial aging. A dental adhesive was doped with BDMDAC in the concentration range of 1-5 wt.%. For antibacterial assays, the BDMDAC compound was subject to planktonic cells of Streptococcus mutans. Then, after incorporation into the dental adhesive, an S. mutans biofilm model was used to grow 48 h-mature biofilms. The biofilms grown over the formulated materials were assessed by colony-forming unit (CFU) counting assay and fluorescence microscopy staining. In addition, the cytotoxicity was evaluated. Samples were subjected to 10,000 thermal cycles for aging and evaluated by UTS, µTBS, and CFU. Incorporating BDMDAC did not increase the cytotoxicity or change the physical properties when the mass fraction of the BDMDAC was 1-5 wt.%. The UTS of BDMDAC-doped adhesives was not impaired immediately or over time. A significant bacterial reduction was obtained for the mass fraction of the BDMDAC greater than 3 wt.%. However, the BDMDAC-doped adhesives did not offer an antibacterial effect after artificial aging. The overall results indicate that the BDMDAC strategy has the potential to control of microbial growth of cariogenic planktonic cells and biofilms. However, other new technological approaches are needed to overcome the deleterious effect of BDMDAC release over time such as those based on the principle of drug delivery systems whereby the BDMDAC is transported on microparticles or core shells, providing tangible benefits to oral health over time.
PubMed: 36278659
DOI: 10.3390/jfb13040190 -
Frontiers in Bioengineering and... 2023Ammonia (Amm), and its aqueous solved state, ammonium, which is produced from glutamine (Gln) metabolism, is a known inhibitor of stem cell proliferation . In the...
Ammonia (Amm), and its aqueous solved state, ammonium, which is produced from glutamine (Gln) metabolism, is a known inhibitor of stem cell proliferation . In the context of cultivated beef, primary bovine fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) need to be grown and differentiated for several weeks for the production of cultivated fat. In this study, the ammonium sensitivity of these cells was investigated by introducing ammonium chloride, which was found to inhibit their proliferation when above 5 mM and their adipogenic differentiation when above 2 mM. Novel serum-free proliferation and differentiation media were hence developed with the aim to suppress Amm production during expansion and adipogenesis. Glutamine substitutes, such as a-ketoglutarate (aKG), glutamate (Glt) and pyruvate (Pyr) were investigated. It was found that aKG based proliferation medium (PM) was the most effective in promoting and maintaining FAPs growth over several passages while the specific Amm production rate was reduced more than 5-fold. In terms of differentiation capacity, the substitution of glucose (Gluc) and Gln with galactose (Gal) and Pyr was shown to be the most effective in promoting FAPs differentiation into mature adipocytes, resulting in over 2-fold increase of fat volume per cell, while suppressing Amm production. Our findings suggest that FAPs do not require Gln as an essential nutrient but, on the contrary, possess all the necessary metabolic pathways to proliferate and subsequently differentiate in a Gln-free medium, resulting in decreased Amm production rates and seemingly synthesising glutamine . These findings are important for prolonging the lifespan of culture medium, allowing for reduced costs and process interventions.
PubMed: 37555077
DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1202165 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Dec 2020Disinfectant quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats) have diverse uses in a variety of consumer and commercial products, particularly cleaning products. With the emergence... (Review)
Review
Disinfectant quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats) have diverse uses in a variety of consumer and commercial products, particularly cleaning products. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become a primary tool to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus on surfaces. Disinfectant Quats have very low vapor pressure, and following the use phase of the products in which they are found, disposal is typically "down-the-drain" to wastewater treatment systems. Consequently, the potential for the greatest environmental effect is to the aquatic environment, from treated effluent, and potentially to soils, which might be amended with wastewater biosolids. Among the earliest used and still common disinfectant Quats are the alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) compounds and the dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC) compounds. They are cationic surfactants often found in consumer and commercial surface cleaners. Because of their biocidal properties, disinfectant Quats are heavily regulated for human and environmental safety around the world. Consequently, there is a robust database of information regarding the ecological hazards and environmental fate of ADBAC and DDAC; however, some of the data presented are from unpublished studies that have been submitted to and reviewed by regulatory agencies (i.e., EPA and European Chemicals Agency) to support antimicrobial product registration. We summarize the available environmental fate data and the acute and chronic aquatic ecotoxicity data for freshwater species, including algae, invertebrates, fish, and plants using peer-reviewed literature and unpublished data submitted to and summarized by regulatory agencies. The lower limit of the range of the ecotoxicity data for disinfectant Quats tends to be lower than that for other surface active agents, such as nonionic or anionic surfactants. However, ecotoxicity is mitigated by environmental fate characteristics, the data for which we also summarize, including high biodegradability and a strong tendency to sorb to wastewater biosolids, sediment, and soil. As a result, disinfectant Quats are largely removed during wastewater treatment, and those residues discharged in treated effluent are likely to rapidly bind to suspended solids or sediments, thus mitigating their toxicity.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Biodegradation, Environmental; COVID-19; Disinfectants; Ecotoxicology; Humans; Pandemics; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Risk Assessment; SARS-CoV-2; Wastewater; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Purification
PubMed: 32890921
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111116 -
EFSA Journal. European Food Safety... Apr 2022Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific...
Safety and efficacy of the feed additive consisting of ammonium chloride (Ammonium Chloride AF) for all ruminants, dogs and cats for the renewal of its authorisation (BASF SE).
Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the assessment of the application for renewal of authorisation of the feed additive consisting of ammonium chloride (tradename: Ammonium chloride AF) as a zootechnical additive for ruminants, cats and dogs. In 2012, the FEEDAP Panel delivered an opinion on the safety and efficacy of the additive and subsequently the additive was authorised in the EU. The additive is authorised as 'ammonium chloride with a content of ammonium chloride ≥ 99% and sodium chloride ≤ 0.5% in the active substance' for ruminants, cats and dogs under the category 'zootechnical additives' and functional group 'other zootechnical additives'. The evidence provided by the applicant indicates that the additive currently in the market complies with the conditions of authorisation. No new evidence was found that would make the FEEDAP Panel reconsider its previous conclusions on the safety for target species, consumers and environment. The FEEDAP Panel concludes that ammonium chloride is considered an eye and skin irritant and a potential respiratory sensitiser, but is not a dermal sensitiser. The present application for renewal of the authorisation does not include a proposal for amending or supplementing the conditions of the original authorisation that would have an impact on the efficacy of the additive.
PubMed: 35497378
DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7255 -
The Science of the Total Environment Dec 2023Lignin-based flocculants are widely used for wastewater purification, but their application in sludge dewatering has not yet been documented. In this study, a novel...
Lignin-based flocculants are widely used for wastewater purification, but their application in sludge dewatering has not yet been documented. In this study, a novel cationic lignin-based flocculant named LS-g-CPA was prepared by grafting cationic polyacrylamide (CPA) synthesized from methacryloyloxy ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) and acrylamide (AM) onto sodium lignosulfonate (LS), and its roles and underlying mechanisms in sludge conditioning were investigated. The results showed that LS-g-CPA effectively improved the dewaterability of sludge, reducing the filtration resistance and filter cake moisture content of sludge from 0.61 ± 0.05 × 10 m/kg to 0.14 ± 0.02 × 10 m/kg and 85.64 ± 0.25 % to 76.84 ± 0.41 %, respectively. The dewatering performance of LS-g-CPA was positively correlated with the DMC/AM ratio. The quaternary ammonium groups brought by DMC disrupted the reticular structure of extracellular polymeric substances, exposing hydrophobic residues and releasing bound water. Nevertheless, the key to LS-g-CPA for improving sludge dewatering lies more in the amphoteric flocculant properties that enhance sludge flocculation and the octopus-type structure that provides good drainage channels. This study reveals that lignin-based flocculants are effective in improving the dewaterability of sludge, which provides direct evidence for their application in sludge dewatering.
PubMed: 37696410
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166958 -
Biotechnic & Histochemistry : Official... Jan 2023We induced experimental nephrolithiasis in female rats using ethylene glycol (EG) and ammonium chloride (AC). We investigated the effects of carvacrol, an essential oil...
We induced experimental nephrolithiasis in female rats using ethylene glycol (EG) and ammonium chloride (AC). We investigated the effects of carvacrol, an essential oil with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on nephrolithiasis using histopathology, immunohistochemistry and biochemistry. We used 40 female rats divided into four equal groups: control group, administered olive oil; carvacrol group, administered carvacrol in olive oil; nephrolithiasis group, administered EG and AC to induce experimental nephrolithiasis; treatment group with induced nephrolithiasis and administered carvacrol in olive oil. We observed no significant difference in crystal accumulation in the treatment group compared to the nephrolithiasis group. We found a significant reduction in hydropic degeneration of tubules and degree of inflammatory cell infiltration of intertubule areas. We also found a significant reduction in immunohistochemical staining of macrophage- and monocyte-specific antigens. Carvacrol treatment reversed the induced nephrolithiasis, increased malondialdehyde and urea, and decreased levels of glutathione peroxidase and catalase. Although carvacrol did not decrease crystal accumulation, it reduced pathological and biochemical damage, and improved kidney function by lowering the serum urea level.
Topics: Female; Rats; Animals; Olive Oil; Rats, Wistar; Nephrolithiasis; Antioxidants; Ethylene Glycol; Urea; Oxidative Stress; Thymol
PubMed: 36444536
DOI: 10.1080/10520295.2022.2147218 -
Asian Journal of Psychiatry Nov 2023The paper describes the introduction, and early use of chemically and electrically induced convulsive therapies, at the Mysore Government Mental Hospital (MGMH), now the...
OBJECTIVE
The paper describes the introduction, and early use of chemically and electrically induced convulsive therapies, at the Mysore Government Mental Hospital (MGMH), now the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India. Cardiazol and ammonium chloride were used at MGMH before the introduction of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The study examines the early history, clinical correlates and outcome of convulsive therapies and attempts to contextualize how local conditions influenced implementation.
METHOD
Three sets of archival case-records from 1938 to 1948, each of a period of 9 months following the implementation of a particular mode of convulsive therapy were reviewed.
RESULTS
During the examined timeframe, 40 patients received cardiazol, 95 ammonium chloride and 50 unmodified ECT. Schizophrenia was the commonest clinical indication for convulsive therapy across all modalities of treatment. When outcomes were examined, 45%, 48.4% and 62% of patients were clinically reported to have been either cured/improved after receiving cardiazol, ammonium chloride and ECT respectively. Those receiving cardiazol had a high mortality of 22.5%, compared to 3.1% for ammonium chloride and 4% with ECT.
CONCLUSIONS
Convulsive therapies were one of the first somatic psychiatric treatments, introduced around 1930s and 1940s all over the world, including in India. Our archival records suggest that many international ideas about somatic treatments were quickly adopted in India. Electroconvulsive therapy and other novel neuromodulatory interventions continue to be used and actively researched in India.
Topics: Humans; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Pentylenetetrazole; Ammonium Chloride; India; Convulsive Therapy; Electroconvulsive Therapy
PubMed: 37647785
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103747 -
Polymers Nov 2023New citrus pectin derivatives carrying pendant ,-dimethyl--alkyl--(2-hydroxy propyl) ammonium chloride groups were achieved via polysaccharide derivatization with a...
New citrus pectin derivatives carrying pendant ,-dimethyl--alkyl--(2-hydroxy propyl) ammonium chloride groups were achieved via polysaccharide derivatization with a mixture of ,-dimethyl--alkyl amine (alkyl = ethyl, butyl, benzyl, octyl, dodecyl) and epichlorohydrin in aqueous solution. The structural characteristics of the polymers were examined via elemental analysis, conductometric titration, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and 1D (H and C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Capillary viscosity measurements allowed for the study of viscometric behavior as well as the determination of viscosity-average molar mass for pristine polysaccharide and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) values for pectin and its derivatives. Dynamic light scattering measurements (DLS) showed that pectin-based polymers formed aggregates in aqueous solution with a unimodal distribution. Critical aggregation concentration () for the hydrophobic pectin derivatives were determined using fluorescence spectroscopy. Atom force microscopy (AFM) images allowed for the investigation of the morphology of polymeric populations obtained in aqueous solution, consisting of flocs and aggregates for crude pectin and its hydrophilic derivatives and well-organized aggregates for lipophilic pectin derivatives. Antimicrobial activity, examined using the disc diffusion method, proved that all polymers were active against bacterium and yeast.
PubMed: 38231903
DOI: 10.3390/polym15234492