Montmorillonite (MMT) clay mineral is widely used as filler for several organic coatings. Its activity is increased by exfoliation via chemical modification to produce nanomaterials. In the present work, the modification of MMT to form nanogel composites is proposed to increase the dispersion of MMT into epoxy matrices used to fill cracks and holes produced by the curing exotherms of epoxy resi...

Selenium (Se) phytovolatilization, the process by which plants metabolize various inorganic or organic species of Se (e.g. selenate, selenite, and Se-methionine [Met]) into gaseous Se forms (e.g. dimethylselenide), is a potentially important means of removing Se from contaminated environments. Before attempting to genetically enhance the efficiency of Se phytovolatilization, it is essential to ...

BACKGROUND In Switzerland, general practitioners (GPs) manage most of the patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). METHODS Using a cross-sectional postal survey of GPs who treat MMT patients and GPs who do not, we studied the difficulties encountered in the out-patient management of drug-addicted patients. We sent a questionnaire to every GP with MMT patients (556) in the Fre...

BACKGROUND Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been the 'gold standard' pharmacotherapy treatment for illicit opioid dependence for over 30 years. It has been widely evaluated, and is generally claimed to be 'effective'. METHODS The objective of this paper is to review the rationale of MMT as an intervention for a biomedical disorder with primary social objectives as well as the methodo...

- Methadone, a synthetic opioid agonist, is commonly used for the treatment of heroin dependence. Depending on how alcohol addiction is defined, rates of alcoholism vary among those attending methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programmes. Most of the current literature has shown that alcohol consumption increases during medium- or long-term MMT. However, up to now, no data have been reported...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of a small size were successfully synthesized using the wet chemical reduction method into the lamellar space layer of montmorillonite/chitosan (MMT/Cts) as an organomodified mineral solid support in the absence of any heat treatment. AgNO3, MMT, Cts, and NaBH4 were used as the silver precursor, the solid support, the natural polymeric stabilizer, and the chemical r...

OBJECTIVES Metals such as iron are needed for physiological functions of the body. However, their excess may cause serious damage including poisoning. The effects of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions on human plasma cholinesterase activity were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plasma were obtained (n = 24) from healthy male volunteers, and treated with five various concentrations of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. Ac...

Under iron-limited conditions, Pseudomonas putida WCS358 produces a siderophore, pseudobactin 358, which is essential for the plant growth-stimulating ability of this strain. Cells of strain WCS358, provided that they have been grown under Fe3+ limitation, take up 55Fe3+ from the 55Fe3+-labeled pseudobactin 358 complex with Km and Vmax values of 0.23 microM and 0.14 nmol/mg of cell dry weight p...

Our former study reported that Fe-Sn spinel (Fe3-xSnxO4) was easily formed when SnO2 and Fe3O4 were roasted under CO-CO2 atmosphere at 900-1100 °C. However, the formation procedure is still unclear and there is a lack of theoretical research on the formation mechanism of the Fe-Sn spinel. In this work, the reaction mechanisms between SnO2 and Fe3O4 under CO-CO2 atmosphere were determined using ...