Recently, a renewed interest arises in the application of nanotechnology for the upstream petroleum industry. In particular, adding nanoparticles to fluids may drastically benefit enhanced oil recovery and improve well drilling, by changing the properties of the fluid, rocks wettability alteration, advanced drag reduction, strengthening the sand consolidation, reducing the inter-facial tension and...

The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of hydrotrope and surfactant on poor solubility of atorvastatin calcium. Excipients screening followed by factorial design was performed to study effect of excipients and manufacturing methods on solubility of drug. Three independent factors (carrier, surfactant and manufacturing method) were evaluated at two levels using solubility as a d...

The pulmonary route represents one of the most important portals of entry for nanoparticles into the body. However, the in vivo interactions of nanoparticles with biomolecules of the lung have not been sufficiently studied. Here, using an established mouse model of pharyngeal aspiration of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), we recovered SWCNTs from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf),...

Because of the primary aminic character of asulam, it is readily labelled with fluorescamine. A study of the variables affecting the derivatization reaction has been made. Two analytical approaches, that is, direct, synchronous spectrofluorimetry have been tested, and they both show good analytical performances. The linear dynamic range of the synchronous approach is 0.043-0.214 mug/ml and the ...

Surfactant enhanced bioremediation (SEB) of oil is an approach adopted to overcome the bioavailability constraints encountered in biotransformation of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pollutants. Fuel oils contain n-alkanes and other aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatics, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although hydrocarbon degrading cultures are abundant in nature, complete biodegr...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination of the environment represents a serious threat to the health of humans and ecosystems. Given the human health effects of PAHs, effective and cost-competitive remediation technologies are required. Bioremediation has shown promise as a potentially effective and low-cost treatment option, but concerns about the slow process rate and bioavailabil...

The interaction of a light-responsive surfactant with lysozyme at pH 5.0 has been investigated as a means to control protein structure and enzymatic activity with light illumination. The cationic azobenzene surfactant undergoes a reversible photoisomerization upon exposure to the appropriate wavelength of light, with the visible-light (trans) form being more hydrophobic and, thus, inducing a gr...

Mutations in the surfactant protein C gene (SFTPC) were recently reported in patients with interstitial lung disease. In a 13-month-old infant with severe respiratory insufficiency, a lung biopsy elicited combined histological patterns of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses showed an intra-alveolar accumulation of s...

Intracellular killing of Staphylococcus aureus by alveolar macrophages is known to be enhanced by exposure to alveolar lining material. Because this material may have a role in pulmonary host defenses, we have studied its effect on pneumococci and other nonstaphylococcal organisms. Alveolar lining material from rats caused rapid killing and lysis of pneumococci. The antipneumococcal activity wa...

PURPOSE Human meibomian lipids are the major part of the lipid layer of the tear film. Their surfactant properties enable their spread across the aqueous layer and help maintain a stable tear film. The purpose of this study was to investigate surfactant properties of human meibomian lipids in vitro and to determine effects of different physical conditions such as temperature and increased osmol...