This review focuses on the recent development and various strategies in the preparation, microstructure, and magnetic properties of bare and surface functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs); their corresponding biological application was also discussed. In order to implement the practical in vivo or in vitro applications, the IONPs must have combined properties of high magnetic saturation, stability, biocompatibility, and interactive functions at the surface. Moreover, the surface of IONPs could be modified by organic materials or inorganic materials, such as polymers, biomolecules, silica, metals, etc. The new functionalized strategies, problems and major challenges, along with the current directions for the synthesis, surface functionalization and bioapplication of IONPs, are considered. Finally, some future trends and the prospects in these research areas are also discussed.

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A novel flame-retardant composite was prepared by introducing a phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant and DOPO-SiO 2 into PA6. DOPO-SiO 2 was synthesized successfully in a one-step process. PA6/OP1314/DOPO-SiO 2 achieved a UL 94 V-0 rating with an LOI value of 31%. The maximum mass loss rate of decomposition decreased significantly and char residue increased to 11.6 wt % compared with that of pure PA6. The compacted and dense char was formed due to the combination of the P-N flame retardant and DOPOSiO 2 . The complex viscosity of PA6/OP1314/DOPO-SiO 2 increased considerably which tend to prevent the dripping phenomenon. The flame-retardant mechanism of PA6/OP1314/DOPO-SiO 2 was also investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR at different temperatures and the pyrolysis products were investigated by pyrolysis gas chromatography/ mass spectrum (Py-GC/MS). It was assumed that DOPO-SiO 2 and the hypophosphite of OP1314 possess excellent flame retardancy during the gaseous phase. Meanwhile, melamine and phosphate reacted with the pyrolytic products of PA6 to protect the matrix during the condensed phase. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42932.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease of knee joints involving pain and inflammation. Rhoifolin is a plant flavonoid known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was taken to identify the effect of rhoifolin on complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in the rat model. Treatment with rhoifolin (10 and 20 mg/kg) showed a significant improvement in the overall health parameters such as paw edema and weight loss. This improvement in morphological parameters corroborated the findings with gross morphological changes observed in the histopathological analysis. Rhoifolin treatment also caused a significant decrease in oxidative stress, evident from changes in intracellular levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase in the articular cartilage tissue. Moreover, proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, interleukin(IL)-1b, and IL-6 showed a significant downregulation of gene expression and intracellular protein concentration levels. The NF-kB pathway showed a significant attenuation as evident in the significant reduction in the levels of NF-kB p65 and p-IkB-a. These results indicated that rhoifolin can be a natural therapeutic alternative to the extant regimens, which include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants. Additionally, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action of rhoifolin was probably mediated by the NF-kB pathway. However, the exact target molecules of this pathway need to be determined in further studies.