December 2015 – Silver Nanoparticles Antimicrobial,Copper Oxide Nanoparticles,Gold Nanopowder

December 29, 2015

How Using Gold Nanoparticles Develop Novel Nanosurgery Technique?

Nanotechnology in today’s society are more and more mature, the future development of new technologies provide a higher standard of living, the scientists are trying hard to explore new areas. A research team led by Professor Michel Meunier from the Polytechnique Montréal has developed a novel transfection technique using gold nanoparticles and a femtosecond laser to change cancer cells’ genetic material.

In this technique, silver nanoparticle and gold nanoparticles are deposited on the cells to concentrate the laser energy and enable it conduct a nano-scale surgery in a highly accurate non-invasive manner. This method is capable of changing the gene expression in the cancer cells to slow down their movement, thus preventing metastases formation. This pioneering achievement in nanosurgery paves the way to advance cancer treatments and other innovative medical applications.

This technique is a promising replacement for traditional cellular transfection techniques like lipofection. In the experiment on malignant human melanoma cells, this method showed an optoporation efficacy of 70% and a transfection performance three folds better than that of lipofection treatment. Moreover, contrary to traditional treatments that destroy the cells’ physical integrity, the novel technique ensures cellular viability with below 1% of toxicity.

This significant scientific advancement opens the door to develop promising applications such as novel therapeutic methods in cardiology, neurology, and oncology. The Polytechnique Montréal team works in partnership with scientists from the Department of Medicine at the McGill University Health Centre.

This project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada Research Chairs program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies.

The research team has reported their findings in the journal Biomaterials.

December 22, 2015

Nanoparticles In Modern Life

Nano-materials with traditional materials do not have the bizarre or unusual physical and chemical properties, such as the original conductive copper to a nanometer limit is not conductive, the original insulation silica, crystal, etc., when in a nanoscale boundaries electrical conduction. This is due to nano-materials with small particle size, surface area, surface energy is high, a large proportion of surface atoms, etc., as well as its unique three effects: surface effect, small size effect and macroscopic quantum tunneling effect.

Nowadays, nanoparticles, one of the “building blocks” of nanotechnology are all around us and have been with us throughout our history. Electron micrograph of gold nanoparticles is a snap shot of tiny gold crystals that are 1/10,000th the diameter of a human hair. In every aspect of our day to day lives, from the size of our personal electronic devices to the way diagnose and treat cancer; all part of the promised nanotechnology revolution, nanoparticles may soon transform it. The very word “nanotechnology” seems to suggest something alien; something that belongs far in the future or in the realm of our favorite sci-fi movies.

Gold nanopowders were with us when human beings began making their first tools, and they are present in products we buy at the grocery store every day. They largely flew under the radar until electron microscopes become commonplace several decades ago, but now, the more we turn our microscopes on everyday objects, the more nanoparticles we seem to find.

Even the most seemingly mundane objects can give rise to nanoparticles; detecting them is simply a matter of being able to look closely enough to see them (no simple matter for such small materials). You could find nanoparticles in your jewelry box or the drawer with your family’s fanciest silverware.

I got to see this first hand while I was working in the Hutchison lab at the University of Oregon several years ago.1 Some of my colleagues were trying to understand why silver nanoparticles change size and shape so rapidly, even when they are just left in storage on the shelf. Because they saw such rapid changes in the size and shape of silver nanoparticles, they thought to look and see if large every day pieces of silver and copper (Sterling silver forks, earrings, and wires) might give off nanoparticles.2 To test this, they simply left the fork (or any of the other items) on an electron microscopy grid for several hours, then took the fork away, and had a peek at what it had left behind. Surprisingly, they found that the silver and copper items had left silver and copper nanoparticles behind all over the grid; a most elegant demonstration that human beings can come into contact with a variety of nanoparticles, even in our own homes. Forks and earrings are merely the tip of the iceberg, though. Wherever we go during our day-to-day routine we can encounter nanoparticles (both synthetic and natural).

Synthetic nanoparticles (sometimes called anthropogenic nanoparticles) fall into two general categories: “incidental” and “engineered” nanoparticles. Incidental nanoparticles are the byproducts of human activities, generally have poorly controlled sizes and shapes, and may be made of a hodge-podge of different elements. Many of the processes that generate incidental nanoparticles are common every day activities: running diesel engines, large-scale mining, and even starting a fire.

Engineered nanoparticles on the other hand, have been specifically designed and deliberately synthesized by human beings. Not surprisingly, they have very precisely controlled sizes, shapes, and compositions. They may even contain “layers” with different chemical compositions(e.g. a core made out of gold, covered in a shell of silica, and coated with specifically chosen antibodies). Although engineered nanoparticles get more sophisticated with each passing year, simple engineered nanoparticles can be created by relatively simple chemical reactions that have been within the scope of chemists and alchemists for many centuries. This means that long before people could “see” a nanoparticle through an electron microscope, human beings were both deliberately and accidentally generating a wide variety of these materials.

December 14, 2015

Some Risk of Tiny Nanoparticles

Nanotechnology poses a question for occupational health and safety professionals. Does this technology, and the tiny nanoparticles that are its tools, pose an unintended risk of illness or injury for workers employed in the industry?

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in an effort to understand the health and safety consequences of nanomaterials forefront of work. A growing number of scientific publications of large research institutions, including just this week, the address of one type of nano-materials, especially Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes issued a new study, and seek to determine whether they have biological behave like asbestos. That is, if inhaled, is likely to cause irreparable nanotubes and deadly effects, such as those associated with asbestos exposure? Effects of asbestos, including severe lung fibrosis, or scarring, lung cancer, including lung or pleura called mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining.

The question of a comparison between carbon nanotubes and asbestos arises for several reasons. Some varieties of carbon nanotubes are similar in shape to asbestos fibers, and like asbestos, some varieties of carbon nanotubes have been shown in laboratory studies to persist in the lungs of laboratory animals. Some animal studies have even shown effects similar to those of asbestos.

Carbon nanotubes are tiny, cylindrical, manufactured forms of carbon. There is no single type of carbon nanotube. One type can differ from another in terms of shape (single-walled or multi-walled) or in chemical composition (pure carbon or containing metals or other materials). Carbon nanotube exposures can potentially occur not only in the process of manufacturing them, but also at the point of incorporating these materials into polymer composites, medical nanoapplications, and electronics.

The question of whether carbon nanotubes pose a toxicological hazard has been investigated since at least 2003. A challenge has been in determining if carbon nanotube materials used in the workplace have the same characteristics as those associated with biological responses in laboratory studies. Earlier studies used materials with high levels of other forms of carbon such as carbon black and high levels of metal catalyst.

Carbon nanotubes can vary widely in diameter, length, number of layers, and structures. They can also vary widely in surface composition, since certain carbon nanotubes may be “coated” with specific metals or other materials in order to perform specific functions. Also, they can clump together or agglomerate, which can affect their potential for settling in the lungs if inhaled, their ability to penetrate the body’s membranes and consequently move from the lungs to other organs, and their interaction with cells and tissue. Such variations bring an additional degree of complexity to risk assessment analysis for carbon nanotubes.

Asbestos-like responses to carbon nanotubes may not be entirely surprising to scientists, given previous toxicological and epidemiological studies of other biopersistent fibers since such studies show that once fibers are deposited in the lung, they stay there.6 However, questions have been raised about using these research findings for risk assessment analysis in the light of study limitations such as use of model animals, artificial administration methods, and sometimes extremely high doses, which are not representative of those exposures usually present in the workplace environment. Such limitations are not unusual for pioneering scientific studies. They simply mean that at this stage of the research, gaps remain that need to be closed by further study before quantitative risk assessment can be conducted.

December 10, 2015

About Antimicrobial Silver Nanoparticles

“Nano Silver” is “silver nanoparticles” is abbreviated or commonly known, refers to the particles of silver atoms, the particle size is generally in the range of 1-100 nm. Silver chunks of material surface having antibacterial properties already well known, the mechanism is located on the surface of the silver atoms in the oxygen environment may be slow oxidation, releasing free silver ions (Ag +), the silver ions with the wall of the bacteria mercapto binding, blocking the bacterial respiratory chain, eventually killing bacteria adhered to the surface of the material. For bulk material is silver, the oxidation process is extremely slow, the amount and rate of release of silver ions very low.

Some people are claiming for Silver Nanoparticles Antimicrobial and solutions to be bad without any proof. Dr. Flavin from the FDA actually stated that silver is in fact safe and can benefit the immune system.

Silver Nanoparticles are tiny particles of silver and are made with a very low application of electricity to pure silver. If the amount of electricity applied is too much, the silver particles will not be nano sized and it’s important that they are nanoparticles because they are small enough to affect viruses.

As far as the claims of silver being “toxic”. Have you ever seen any any effects from holding silver in your hand. The answer to that would be no. If silver were toxic, we couldn’t hold it with our bare hands safely.

In the air there are heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium we breathe in all the time. Most of this comes from industry and past weapons testing in the 1940’s and 1950’s. These metals also show up in our water supply. They are very dangerous metals and are proven to be toxic. Yet we are still alive.

Silver is not proven to be toxic at all.
There is a condition called argyria. This condition is real and used by organizations to scare people away. Argyria turns the skin a blue/gray color. This is caused from large amounts of impure silver build up in the skin. Impure silver has other material in it that is not supposed to be there like proteins, other metals, salt, etc.

The truth about argyria is that it is extremely rare. The only way to get argyria is to take poorly made impure silver solutions. Dr. Flavin, a former science assistant to the Director of Toxicology at the FDA, made a signed statement that says pure silver solutions are not toxic and admits that silver nanoparticles, are in fact proven to help the immune system. The link to this document is below.

All silver solutions should be nano sized and made from.999 pure silver. Any good pure silver nanoparticle solution provider will state the silver particle size and the ppm (parts per million) amount on the bottle or they will tell you if asked. Some companies have effectively made silver particles at.8 microns which is smaller than a nanoparticle.

Most providers will recommend taking 1/2 a teaspoon or smaller. Any silver that is not used by the body will be expelled through the urine when taken in small amounts.

Silver nano particles working the body.
The immune system can be preoccupied with other germs and bacteria. Even more if there is a virus present. When the immune system is working overtime, this can weaken the bodies defenses and allow germs, viruses and bacteria to grow since the immune system can’t keep up and kill them. This makes us sick.

The introduction of silver nanoparticles. Silver with positive charge viruses and harmful bacteria like negatively charged. Thus, when silver nanoparticles come into contact, it inhibits the viruses and bacteria, and kill them with natural anti-bacterial silver, antibiotics and anti-viral properties. When viruses and bacteria are put out of commission, which makes the natural immune system to grow and grow, what then take care of the rest. Very simple, but very effective.

December 2, 2015

Use of Nano Technology

Nano diamond also can be used in medicine for cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, skin disorders. It is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic or change the nature of rust. Nanodiamonds are super active adsorbent and biologically active positioning agent, greatly enhancing drug effect.

The Korea Science and Technology together with the Korea University has made a research that uncovered the effects of the nano-particles in killing bacteria and germs. However, their research showed that the nano-silver particles have microbe particles that are known to damage plants and animal cells that have been exposed to these particles.

Right after the research done, an alarm was raised to many washer companies and one of them was the Samsung Electronics which has been very active in their promotion of the nano diamond powder Health System in washers and their air conditioners.

Gu Man-bok, professor in the bioscience department of Korea University stated that their evaluation of the effects of the silver nano-particles on different organisms as well as the environment is now on going. They further stated that the experiments the department has been doing on rice fishes have shown that the toxic on these organisms has been high in concentration.

Gu further stated that his laboratory has joined hand in hand with the Ministry of Environment to do a research about the silver nano-particles effect on different forms of life and this was considered as a delayed effort due to the fact that many consumers have already purchased washers with this technology and they have already been exposed to these kinds of products. Silver-nano cutlery, electronics, clothes, toys, baby bottles and the face masks are also now being sold in the market.

In lieu of these researches, the government of USA is planning to ban the selling of these products starting next year of evidence of safety is not provided. However, the government of South Korea stated that it was not in their plans to regulate such products.

According to Yoon Jun-won, a researcher of National Institute of Environmental Research said that it is too early to decide whether they are going to regulate certain products or not because as of this time, there aren’t proven bad effects that are coming from these products.

For long, silver has been known to have the antiseptic effect and because of this, many Greeks in the olden days had used silver vessels for drinking water storage. Koreans have also chosen silver to make their chopsticks.

Because of this fact about silver, the modern technology has also maximized the used of silver as antibiotic. Through small particles with bigger surface areas, the particles can react with other materials more actively that is why many companies have taken advantage of the use of sliver particles that measure one nanometer.

In order to know the effects of the size of particles in sterilizing, Gu together with his colleagues has used a bacterium which was genetically modified to alter the damage that was incurred. Amazingly, it was out that super-oxide radical commonly described as deleterious molecules were produced by silver nano-particles and these radicals were not produced from normal silver ions.

LG Electronics as well as Samsung created washers with the silver-nano particles technology because of its power to kill bacteria. In fact, silver nano particles really kill bacteria, however; many scientists are still not certain of the safety it gives to humans. Hwang Ee-taek said that the research field is still in the elementary stage.

Another author who was also a part of the research said that many researchers are starting to become careful and aware of the results of the silver-nano particles to humans simply because of the worries that companies concerned may give them. Accordingly, this issue is such a sensitive one especially for big companies like Samsung.