Due to their high X-ray attenuation, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) emerged as preclinical contrast agents by giving high vasculature contrast. For this reason, GNPs are regularly applied for computed tomography (CT) imaging of tumors but not for the visualization of inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and applicability of preclinical GNPs (AuroVist™) of two diff...

Determination of homocysteine (HcySH) is highly beneficial in human physiology and pathophysiology for diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Unfortunately, the practicability of the existing methodologies for the determination of HcySH is limited in terms of sample requirements, preparation time and instrumentation cost. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a new...

Glyco-gold nanoparticles combine in a single entity the peculiar properties of gold nanoparticles with the biological activity of carbohydrates. The result is an exciting nanosystem, able to mimic the natural multivalent presentation of saccharide moieties and to exploit the peculiar optical properties of the metallic core. In this review, we present recent advances on glyco-gold nanoparticle a...

The interaction between localized and propagating surface plasmons is investigated in a structure consisting of a two-dimensional periodic gold nanoparticle array, an SiO2 spacer, and a gold film. The resonance wavelengths of the two types of surface plasmons supported by the structure are tailored by changing the gold nanoparticle size and the array period. An anticrossing of the resonance pos...

Here we report a real-time PCR-based method for determining the surface coverage of dithiol-capped oligonucleotides bound onto gold nanoparticles alone and in tandem with antibody. The detection of gold nanoparticle-bound DNA is accomplished by targeting the oligonucleotide with primer and probe binding sites, amplification of the oligonucleotide by PCR, and real-time measurement of the fluores...

The emission of CdSe quantum dots linked to the 5'-end of a DNA sequence is efficiently quenched by hybridisation with a complementary DNA strand with a gold nanoparticle attached at the 3'-end; contact of the quantum dot and gold nanoparticle occurs.

Nanomaterials are widely used as pseudostationary and stationary phases in electrically driven separations. The advantages of using nanomaterials are numerous including tunable sizes, multiple core compositions, flexible injection schemes, and diverse surface chemistries. Nanomaterials, however, exhibit large surface energies which induce aggregation and may yield unpredictable function in sepa...

INTRODUCTION New therapeutic strategies to modulate the immune response of human and equine allergic asthma are still under extensive investigation. Immunomodulating agents stimulating T-regulatory cells offer new treatment options beyond conventional symptomatic treatment or specific immunotherapy for human and equine allergic airway diseases, with the goal of a homoeostatic T-helper cell bala...

Hydrogenations and hydrodeoxygenations represent two of the most important reactions in production both bulk fine chemicals. Despite wide long use metal-based catalysts for this reaction, there is still some uncertainty with respect to properties governing catalyst activity. Using hydrogenation benzaldehyde as a model paper, we disclose dominant parameters determining activity Pd nanoparticles ...

We have developed a colloidal assembly for the study of plasmon–plasmon interactions between gold nanoparticles. Colloidal aggregates of controlled size and interparticle spacing were synthesized on silica nanoparticle substrates. Following the immobilization of isolated gold nanoparticles onto silica nanoparticles, the surfaces of the adsorbed gold nanoparticles were functionalized with 4-amin...