Sharif Digital Repository

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of biocompatible nanomaterials with high specific surface area, which provide the possibility of loading various therapeutic agents. Considering the few studies on the use of MOFs in melanoma cancer treatment, the main goal of this research is to investigate the loading and controlling the release of dacarbazine (DTIC) and also the interaction of DTIC and MOF structure in aqueous environments. Based on this, this study was done in three main parts. In the first part, several types of well-known and often used structures in the drug delivery field, including ZIF-8 (based on zinc), MIL-101-NH2(Fe), and MIL-100(Fe) (both based on iron), were... 

Developing a simple, cost effective and accurate detection method for L-lysine (Lys), L-leucine (Leu) and glycine (Gly) as the important analytes in clinical diagnostics, biological processes and food industries is of great interest. Therefore, in the first part of this research, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were coated on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) surface by spin coating to achieve a QCM biodetector for Gly. Thus, the two-layer CNFs coating was selected as sensing film and was applied for following experiments. In the next step, the coated QCMs were carefully characterized before and after interaction with Gly using water contact angle (WCA), Fourier transform infrared... 

Developing a simple, cost effective and accurate detection method for L-lysine (Lys), L-leucine (Leu) and glycine (Gly) as the important analytes in clinical diagnostics, biological processes and food industries is of great interest. Therefore, in the first part of this research, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were coated on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) surface by spin coating to achieve a QCM biodetector for Gly. Thus, the two-layer CNFs coating was selected as sensing film and was applied for following experiments. In the next step, the coated QCMs were carefully characterized before and after interaction with Gly using water contact angle (WCA), Fourier transform infrared... 

Isolation and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) found in blood samples of cancer patients have been considered as a reliable source for cancer prognosis and diagnosis. A new continuous microfluidic platform has been designed in this investigation for simultaneous capture and characterization of CTCs based on their deformability. The deformability-based chip (D-Chip) consists of two sections of separation and characterization where slanted weirs with a gap of 7 μm were considered. Although sometimes CTCs and leukocytes have the same size, the deformability differs in such a way that can be exploited for enrichment purposes. MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines were used for the... 

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as insulin-dependent diabetes, may present at any age, but is the most common type of diabetes affecting children and adolescents. People with type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin. This type accounts for 5-10% of all types of diabetes. In this type of diabetes, beta cell destruction occurs in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not secrete any insulin; insulin is a hormone that enables the body to convert glucose in food into energy. If sugar in the blood cannot enter the cells, it accumulates in the arteries and results in high blood sugar. High blood sugar over time can have irreversible effects on various parts of the body. Curcumin... 

Combined composites consisting of nanofibers and hydrogels were fabricated to grow cells in an environment that mimicked the extracellular matrix. Electrospan nanofibers were spun and hydrolyzed under optimized conditions consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin and then incorporated into alginate and gelatin hydrogels. Nanofibril-containing (NF / hydrogel) hydrogel hybrids were ligated by calcium chloride in the presence of encapsulated beta cells. The mechanical properties of NF / hydrogel scaffolds were significantly increased in proportion to the NF content in NF / hydrogels. Beta cells killed in NF / hydrogels showed higher adhesion to the matrix compared to samples without NF.... 

Due to the high cost and destructive effects of fossil fuels, the biogas production as a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel attracted much attention. In this regard, several targets are considered in this research. First, in order to increase of biogas production yield and accelerating the rate limiting steps in anaerobic digestion of wheat straw (lignocellulosic feedstock), the effect of additives containing trace elements (Fe and Ni) in form of nanoparticles and their salts was investigated through batch experiments. The results showed that addition of nanoparticles or salts resulted in the increase of methane production rate during the first 4 days of experiments. Then, a... 

In recent years, it is expected that the fabrication of multilayer scaffolds and the use of different methodologies in one product can be a new progressing method in skin substitute production. Accordingly, this project aims to fabricate a bilayered composite scaffold with a combination of hydrogel and electrospinning method. We have tried to prepare a scaffold made of oxidized alginate (OAL), gelatin (G), and silk fibroin (SF) without using corrosive solvents and toxic crosslinking agents as a scaffold and drug delivery system. As different biological, chemical, physical, and mechanical factors play a vital role in the healing process, we have characterized the proposed scaffold via DSC,... 

In the last half century, the recording of the electrophysiological activities of the neurons has been one of the most effective methods for neuroscience development. One of the techniques used to record the activity of the nerve cells is the use of multi-electrode arrays (MEAs). Current MEAs still face limitations such as low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and low spatial resolution. There is a need to develop arrays that are smaller in size and have less impedance to achieve better spatial resolution and lower noise levels. The main focus of this research is on the designing and fabrication of multi-electrode arrays and improvement of their properties using nanostructures and conductive... 

In this research, immobilization method was employed to increase the thermal stability of Chondroitinase ABC I (cABC I) enzyme. In first step, magnetite nanoparticle (Fe3O4) was selected as a support and cABC I enzyme was attached via the adsorption method. The results showed that pH=6.5, temperature 15 ˚C, enzyme-to-support mass ratio 0.75, and incubation time 4.5 hr were the appropriate conditions for immobilizing cABC I enzyme on Fe3O4 nanoparticle. It was also found that the optimum pH for free and immobilized enzymes was 7.6 and 8.0, respectively. The maximum activity of free enzyme was obtained at 25 ˚C, whereas the activity of immobilized enzyme was almost constant in the temperature... 

The best method for stabilizing sludge is anaerobic digestion, In addition to reducing the amount of volatile solids; it produces biogas, which can be considered as a sustainable energy source for wastewater treatment plants. However, the most important factor limiting the process of digestion is the sludge hydrolysis, the best way to increase the speed of hydrolysis is to pre-treatment the sludge before entering the digester; One of the most effective pretreatment methods is pre-treatment by ozone gas, This gas, which is highly unstable, quickly reacts with the wall of the bacterial cell and oxidizes it due to its high oxidizing properties And accelerates the process of sludge hydrolysis.... 

Fabrication and characterization of different surface charged cellulose electrospun scaffolds including cellulose acetate, cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose and quaternary ammonium cationic cellulose for biomedical applications have been reported in this research. We describe preparation of cellulosic nanofibers through the electrospinning following deacetylation cellulose acetate. Moreover, surface modification of electrospun cellulose nanofibers is carried out to obtain carboxymethyl cellulose and quaternized cellulose nanofibers, respectively. At last, the structural, morphological, mechanical, swelling, wettability and the cell culture properties of the scaffolds were analyzed and... 

Textile dyes are a major category of organic pollutants and release of them in the environment causes serious problems. Among the most commonly used methods for colored wastewater, advanced oxidation processes, especially the photocatalytic process, are rapidly developing as a new and effective solution. However, there is still a need for high-level photocatalytic activity and improvement of this process to increase removal efficiency. In this study, we have tried to provide a higher performance for color removal using carbon nitride photocatalyst. Accordingly, two approaches have been proposed to improve the removal of rhodamine b, as one of the common dyes in the textile industries. The... 

Considering the limitations of fossil fuels in recent years, as well as increasing demand for biofuels, it is anticipated that future attention to biofuels will increase further. Among biofuels, due to some disadvantages of bioethanol and biodiesel fuel, there is a tendency to use biobutanol, which does not have the disadvantages of the mentioned fuels. The cost of chemical production of butanol also led researchers to use biotechnology production of butanol. According to studies, butanol production can be achieved by fermenting some sugars such as glucose, xylose, and ... by anaerobic microorganism, but the cost of using these sugars has resulted in the use of natural sources of these... 

MOFs are new class of materials that are used in different scientific fields because of their hybrid structure. In this project, focused on two specific applications, and aim is synthesis of a nanostructure which has antibacterial and photocatalytic activity. ZIF-8 because of its chemical and physical stability has been studied. For improving antibacterial influence and photocatalytic activity, silver nanoparticles are added to the structure. Magnetic nanoparticles covered by silica were used as core to facilitate separation process, ZIF-8 structure was constructed as shell on SiO2@Fe2O3 nano spheres. Magnetic nanoparticles improving stability of ZIF-8 in aqueous solutions. Synthetic nano... 

In this research, an adsorptive affinity membrane has been prepared based on the combination of the nanofiber structure’s intrinsic characteristic in the dye adsorption and its membrane filtration properties. Electrospinning method has been used to prepare chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers. The morphology and properties of the prepared nanofibrous membranes were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), image processing, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Also, the major drawback of electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs) is their low mechanical resistance. So,... 

Physical processes such as adsorption and membrane filtration are in progress and considered as efficient methods in separation and treatment of organic pollutants from petrochemical and colored wastewaters. The advantages of these methods include high energy efficiency, low cost, facile process, and regeneration and implementation ability for a wide range of contaminants. Nevertheless,requirement of suitable materials as adsorbents with high adsorption capacity, capability of preparing membranes based on these materials, optimization of process conditions and removal improvement have still remained as the main challenges; therefore, these topics have been mentioned as main aims of this... 

Treatment of critical-size bone defects caused by sport injuries, accidents, trauma, infection, and osteoporosis remains a major clinical challenge. In order to repair or regenerate large bone defects, bioactive three-dimensional scaffolds play a key role due to their multilevel porous structure, high surface area, enhanced mass transport and diffusion. Many studies reported that macropore diameters greater than 500 µm can lead to vascularized bone tissue. In this study, a hierarchically porous composite scaffold was prepared. Hierarchically porous silk fibroin- bioactive glass composite and fibroin scaffold were fabricated with controlled architecture and interconnected structure with... 

Due to the increased public awareness about the role of food on health, an increased interest of consuming fortified food has grown rapidly. Probiotic bacteria and DHA poly-unsaturated fatty acid are two major bioactive ingredients becoming increasingly popular in food fortification industry due to their beneficial effects. However, high susceptibility of probiotic bacteria during production, maintenance and digestion in acidic and enzymatic conditions of gastrointestinal tract results in decreasing the survivability and therefore reducing health effects in body. Besides, having multiple double bonds in the structure of DHA fatty acid leads to oxidative degradation that produces volatile... 

The present study is aimed at the development of a novel approach based on the magnetically improvement of DNA-directed immobilization to prepare a highly efficient sensor for prostate diagnosis. The novelty of this work is in the use of antibody conjugated magnetic nanoparticles via DDI. DNA-modified magnetic nanoparticles are added in solution to capture DNA-conjugated, fluorescently-labeled immunocomplexes formed in solution free of steric constraints. The DDI-based nanoconstructs are then concentrated and immobilized using a magnetic field. Compared to a process in which the immunocomplex directly forms on the sensing surface, the proposed approach provides higher mass transfer and lower...