To construct a sensing interface, in the present work, a conjugated polymer and core-shell magnetic nanoparticle containing biosensor was constructed for the pesticide analysis. The monomer 4,7-di(furan-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (FBThF) and core-shell magnetic nanoparticles were designed and synthesized for fabrication of the biosensing device. The magnetic nanoparticles were first treated with silica and then modified using carboxyl groups, which enabled binding of the biomolecules covalently. For the construction of the proposed sensor a two-step procedure was performed. First, the poly(FBThF) was electrochemically generated on the electrode surface. Then, carboxyl group modified magnetic nanoparticles (f-MNPs) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the model enzyme, were co-immobilized on the polymer-coated surface. Thereby, a robust and novel surface, conjugated polymer bearing magnetic nanoparticles with pendant carboxyl groups, was constructed, which was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle measurements. This novel architecture was then applied as an immobilization platform to detect pesticides. To the best of our knowledge, a sensor design that combines both conjugated polymer and magnetic nanoparticles was attempted for the first time, and this approach resulted in improved biosensor characteristics. Hence, this approach opens a new perspective in the field of enzyme immobilization and sensing applications. Paraoxon and trichlorfon were selected as the model toxicants. To obtain best biosensor performance, optimization studies were performed. Under optimized conditions, the biosensor in concern revealed a rapid response (5 s), a low detection limit (6.66 × 10(-3) mM), and high sensitivity (45.01 μA mM(-1) cm(-2)). The KM(app) value of poly(FBThF)/f-MNPs/AChE were determined as 0.73 mM. Furthermore, there was no considerable activity loss for 10 d for poly(FBThF)/f-MNPs/AChE biofilm.

Objective: patient rights are defined as the rules of conduct between the people who benefit from health services and the health institutions and personnel who provide them. As the protection and provision of these rights are closely related to the nursing trade, these professionals must have thorough knowledge about this issue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acquaintance and attitudes of working nurses in Corum/Turkey regarding patient rights and to create the basis for a planned educational program. Methods: sample selection was not performed in this study, but all nurses (n=939) who were working in the course of this study constituted the sample. Survey forms were used as data collection tools. Results: the study revealed that 92.3% had received education about patient rights, 2.2% had never heard anything about this term and 86.6% became aware of it through sources from outside of school. It was established that the attitudes of nurses regarding patient rights differ for every patient and that this rate ranges from 35.8 to 98.1%. Conclusion: there is a requirement for more studies on the subject of patient rights, as they play an important role in the development of health services. In that regard, patient rights centers should be established and carried out according to the foreseen model set by national and international health systems. Studies aiming to teach health personnel, patients and their relatives about patient rights must be carried out.

Aim: To investigate the role of EF2K in BRCA1-mutated breast cancer. Materials & methods: We developed silica coated cobalt-ferrite (CoFe) nanoparticles for in vivo delivery of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into BRCA1-mutated breast cancer. Results: Expression of EF2K is highly upregulated in the majority (78.5%) of BRCA1-mutated patients and significantly associated with poor patient survival and metastasis. Silencing of EF2K reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion of the cancer cells. In vivo therapeutic targeting of EF2K by CoFe-siRNA-nanoparticles leads to sustained EF2K gene knockdown and suppressed tumor growth in orthotopic xenograft models of BRCA1-mutated breast cancer. Conclusion: EF2K is a potential novel molecular target in BRCA1-mutated tumors and CoFe-based siRNA nanotherapy may be used as a novel approach to target EF2K.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been increasingly used for many years as MRI agents and for gene delivery and hyperthermia therapy, although there have been conflicting results on their safety. In this study, cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (CoFe-MNPs) were prepared by the co-precipitation method and their surfaces were modified with silica by the sol-gel method. The particle and hydrodynamic sizes, morphology and crystal structure of the bare and silica-coated CoFe-MNPs were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The size of the bare CoFe-MNPs was in the range 8-20 nm and they were homogeneously coated with 3-4 nm silica shells. The bare and silica-coated CoFe-MNPs were agglomerated at physiological pH. However, the sizes of the agglomerates were below 200 nm both in water and complete medium. The cytotoxic and genotoxic potentials of the bare and silica-coated CoFe-MNPs were evaluated in a metastatic breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, as well as a noncancerous mammary epithelial cell line, MCF-10A, by using XTT cytotoxicity, single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet), and cytokinesis-blocked (CB) micronucleus (CBMN) assays. Characterization studies with TEM, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Prussian blue staining indicated that the CoFe-MNPs were internalized into the cells by energy-dependent endocytosis. The highest amount of uptake was observed in the cancer cells and the uptake of the silica-coated CoFe-MNPs was higher than that of the bare ones in both cell lines. The bare CoFe-MNPs showed higher levels of both cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than the silica-coated CoFe-MNPs. Moreover, the cancer cells seemed to be more susceptible to the CoFe-MNPs' toxicity compared to the noncancerous cells. There was a concentration and time-dependent increase in DNA damage and the micronucleus (MN) frequency, which was statistically significant starting with the lowest concentration of bare CoFe-MNPs ( < 0.05), while no significance was observed below the concentration of 250 μg mL for the silica-coated MNPs. Also, the extent of both DNA damage and MN frequency was much higher in the cancer cells compared to the noncancerous cells. According to our results, the silica coating ameliorated both the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity as well the internalization of the CoFe-MNPs.