Ultrasound examination is becoming the most popular medical imaging modality because of its low cost and high safety profile. Ultrasound contrast agents enhance the scattering of sound waves, which can improve the clarity and resolution of images. Nanoparticle Ultrasound contrast agents have the characteristics of a large specific surface area and a modifiable surface, which can increase drug loading capacity, prolong circulation time, and enable drug enrichment in specific organs or tissues. This leads to improved therapeutic effects and reducing toxic and side effects. Compared with traditional ultrasound contrast agents, Nano-ultrasound contrast agents overcome the limitation of imaging solely within blood vessels and facilitate imaging within tumor tissues, thereby extending the duration of enhanced imaging. Sonodynamic therapy is an emerging treatment method that has been developed rapidly in recent years, which has the advantages of noninvasive, high spatial and temporal resolution, and low toxicity and side effects. Sonodynamic therapy utilizes a sonosensitizer that, when excited by ultrasound at the tumor site, produces toxic reactive oxygen species, inducing apoptosis or necrosis in tumor cells. Ultrasound-guided sonodynamic therapy allows for real-time observation of lesions, is convenient and flexible, and is free of radiation exposure. With the use of nanomaterials as carriers, ultrasound-guided sonodynamic therapy has made significant strides. This study categorizes and summarizes the current research on acoustic sensitizer carrier materials, including carbon-based, silicon-based, peptide-based, iron-based, metal-organic frameworks, polymers, and liposomes. It concludes by highlighting the current challenges in the integration of ultrasound imaging with sonodynamic therapy and suggests future directions for clinical application development.

BACKGROUND: Surface coating of dental implants with a bioactive biomaterial is one of the distinguished approaches to improve the osseointegration potential, antibacterial properties, durability, and clinical success rate of dental implants. Carbon-based bioactive coatings, a unique class of biomaterial that possesses excellent mechanical properties, high chemical and thermal stability, osteoconductivity, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, have been utilized successfully for this purpose.
OBJECTIVE: This review aims to present a comprehensive overview of the structure, properties, coating techniques, and application of the various carbon-based coatings for dental implant applicationswith a particular focuson Carbon-based nanomaterial (CNMs), which is an advanced class of biomaterials.
UNASSIGNED: Available articles on carbon coatings for dental implants were reviewed using PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar resources. Carbon-based coatings are non-cytotoxic, highly biocompatible, chemically inert, and osteoconductive, which allows the bone cells to come into close contact with the implant surface and prevents bacterial attachment and growth. Current research and advancements are now more focused on carbon-based nanomaterial (CNMs), as this emerging class of biomaterial possesses the advantage of both nanotechnology and carbon and aligns closely with ideal coating material characteristics. Carbon nanotubes, graphene, and its derivatives have received the most attention for dental implant coating. Various coating techniques are available for carbon-based materials, chosen according to substrate type, application requirements, and desired coating thickness. Vapor deposition technique, plasma spraying, laser deposition, and thermal spraying techniques are most commonly employed to coat the carbon structures on the implant surface. Longer duration trials and monitoring are required to ascertain the role of carbon-based bioactive coating for dental implant applications.

Carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and carbon 2D nanosheets (graphene, graphene oxide, and graphdiyne), have shown remarkable potential in various biological applications. CQDs offer tunable photoluminescence and excellent biocompatibility, making them suitable for bioimaging, drug delivery, biosensing, and photodynamic therapy. Additionally, CQDs\' unique properties enable bioimaging-guided therapy and targeted imaging of biomolecules. On the other hand, carbon 2D nanosheets exhibit exceptional physicochemical attributes, with graphene excelling in biosensing and bioimaging, also in drug delivery and antimicrobial applications, and graphdiyne in tissue engineering. Their properties, such as tunable porosity and high surface area, contribute to controlled drug release and enhanced tissue regeneration. However, challenges, including long-term biocompatibility and large-scale synthesis, necessitate further research. Potential future directions encompass theranostics, immunomodulation, neural interfaces, bioelectronic medicine, and expanding bioimaging capabilities. In summary, both CQDs and carbon 2D nanosheets hold promise to revolutionize biomedical sciences, offering innovative solutions and improved therapies in diverse biological contexts. Addressing current challenges will unlock their full potential and can shape the future of medicine and biotechnology.

Nano-scale particles (NPs) have gained increased interest as non-viral vectors for nucleic acid delivery due to their ability to penetrate through unabraded cell membranes. The previous studies performed have evaluated the nanomaterials for their microbial transformation proficiency but have not compared the relative efficacy. The present study aims to identify the most proficient nano-delivery vehicle among the chemically synthesized/functionalized non-metal oxide, metal/metal oxide, and carbon-based (carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene oxide (GO)) nanomaterial(s) (NMs) for the transformation of two gram-negative bacteria, i.e., Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The microscopy and spectroscopy studies helped to identify the interaction, adhesion patterns, transformation efficiencies, better delivery, and expression of the target gfp gene by use of NMs. Loading of pgfp on all NMs imparted protection to DNAse I attack except ZnO NPs with maximum by chitosan, layered double hydroxide (LDH), and GO NM-plasmid DNA conjugates. The CNTs and GO significantly enhanced the extra- and intra-cellular protein content, respectively, in both bacteria. However, GO and CNT significantly decreased the cell viability in a time-dependent manner while AuNPs exhibited negligible cell toxicity. Therefore, this study identified the comparative efficiency of metal/metal oxide, non-metal oxide, and carbon nanomaterials with AuNPs as the most biosafe while LDH and chitosan NPs being the most proficient alternative tools for the genetic transformation of gram-negative bacteria by simple incubation method.

Cementitious composites are ubiquitous in construction, and more and more research is focused on improving mechanical properties and environmental effects. However, the jury is still out on which material can achieve low-carbon and high-performance cementitious composites. This article compares the mechanical and environmental performance of zero-dimensional fullerenes, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs), two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO), and three-dimensional nano-graphite platelets (NGPs) on cementitious composites. The literature review shows that two-dimensional (2D) GO has the best mechanical and environmental performance, followed by 3D NGPs, 1D CNTs, and 0D fullerenes. Specifically, GO stands out for its lower energy consumption (120-140 MJ/kg) and CO2 emissions (0.17 kg/kg). When the optimal dosage (0.01-0.05 wt%) of GO is selected, due to its high specific surface area and strong adhesion to the matrix, the compressive strength of the cementitious composites is improved by nearly 50%. This study will help engineers and researchers better utilize carbon-based nanomaterials and provide guidance and direction for future research in related fields.

Non-toxic carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials based on carbon nanodisks were synthesized and assessed as novel antibacterial agents. Specifically, acid-treated carbon nanodisks (oxCNDs), as a safe alternative material to graphene oxide, interacted through covalent and non-covalent bonding with guanidinylated hyperbranched polyethyleneimine derivatives (GPEI5K and GPEI25K), affording the oxCNDs@GPEI5K and oxCNDs@GPEI25K hybrids. Their physico-chemical characterization confirmed the successful and homogenous attachment of GPEIs on the surface of oxCNDs, which, due to the presence of guanidinium groups, offered them improved aqueous stability. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of oxCNDs@GPEIs was evaluated against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria. It was found that both hybrids exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity, with oxCNDs@GPEI5K being more active than oxCNDs@GPEI25K. Their MIC and MBC values were found to be much lower than those of oxCNDs, revealing that the GPEI attachment endowed the hybrids with enhanced antibacterial properties. These improved properties were attributed to the polycationic character of the oxCNDs@GPEIs, which enables effective interaction with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and cell walls, leading to cell envelope damage, and eventually cell lysis. Finally, oxCNDs@GPEIs showed minimal cytotoxicity on mammalian cells, indicating that these hybrid nanomaterials have great potential to be used as safe and efficient antibacterial agents.

The administration of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs) has been conducted since 1988 by clinicians to enhance the clarity and interpretability of MR images. CAs based on gadolinium chelates are the clinical standard used worldwide for the diagnosis of various pathologies, such as the detection of brain lesions, the visualization of blood vessels, and the assessment of soft tissue disorders. However, due to ongoing concerns associated with the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents, considerable efforts have been directed towards developing contrast agents with better relaxivities, reduced toxicity, and eventually combined therapeutic modalities. In this context, grafting (or encapsulating) paramagnetic metals or chelates onto (within) carbon-based nanoparticles is a straightforward approach enabling the production of contrast agents with high relaxivities while providing extensive tuneability regarding the functionalization of the nanoparticles. Here, we provide an overview of the parameters defining the efficacy of lanthanide-based contrast agents and the subsequent developments in the field of nanoparticular-based contrast agents incorporating paramagnetic species.

Carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNM)have been widely used in various fields due to their excellent physicochemical properties. In particular, in the area of tumor diagnosis and treatment, researchers have frequently reported them for their potential fluorescence, photoacoustic (PA), and ultrasound imaging performance, as well as their photothermal, photodynamic, sonodynamic, and other therapeutic properties. As the functions of CBNM are increasingly developed, their excellent imaging properties and superior tumor treatment effects make them extremely promising theranostic agents. This review aims to integrate the considered and researched information in a specific field of this research topic and systematically present, summarize, and comment on the efforts made by authoritative scholars. In this review, we summarized the work exploring carbon-based materials in the field of tumor imaging and therapy, focusing on PA imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) and discussing their imaging and therapeutic mechanisms and developments. Finally, the current challenges and potential opportunities of carbon-based materials for PA imaging-guided PTT are presented, and issues that researchers should be aware of when studying CBNM are provided.

Seafood product labels with accurate allergen contents can avoid and/or minimize allergic reactions. Therefore, an electrochemical immunosensor for the analysis of β-parvalbumin (β-PV, a major fish allergen) was developed. Screen-printed carbon electrodes were nanostructured with reduced graphene oxide and gold nanoparticles. The platform was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. In a sandwich-type assay (∼75 min), the antigen-antibody interaction was detected by chronoamperometry using horseradish peroxidase and TMB-H2O2. A linear range of 25-3000 ng/mL, a sensitivity of 2.99 µA.mL/ng, and a limit of detection of 9.9 ng/mL (corresponding to 0.40 ng in the analysed aliquot) were obtained. The selectivity and possible interferences were assessed by analysing several other food allergens and a marine toxin. The sensor was applied to the analysis of 17 commercial foods and the effect of culinary processing (e.g., grilled, canned, smoked) on the β-PV concentration was assessed. Traces of β-PV were successfully quantified and ELISA was used to assess the results.

In this work, surface molecularly imprinted polymers based on magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes were prepared for the specific recognition and adsorption of resveratrol. The functionalization of magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes and the synthesis process of surface molecularly imprinted polymers were optimized. Characterizations were performed to demonstrate the successful synthesis of the imprinted materials. The imprinted materials showed satisfactory adsorption capacity of resveratrol (45.73 ± 1.72 mg/g) and excellent selectivity (imprinting factor 2.89 ± 0.15). In addition, the imprinted materials were used as adsorbents in molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for the purification of resveratrol from crude extracts of some food and medicinal resources, achieving recoveries of 93.69%-95.53% with high purities of 88.37%-92.33%. Moreover, the purified products exhibited extremely strong free radical scavenging activity compared with crude extracts. Overall, this work provided a promising approach for the highly selective purification of resveratrol from natural resources, which would contribute to the application of this valuable compound in the food/nutraceutical fields.