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Povzetek: Commercially available graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are promising nanomaterials for applications in research and preclinical diagnostics, drug delivery, and bioimaging. Their bioactivity is highly dependent on dose, route of exposure, duration, cell type, uptake mechanisms, tissue and cellular distribution, and physicochemical properties. This study aimed to evaluate genotoxic, cytotoxic, and cytostatic endpoints of blue- (B-GQDs) and greenemitting (G-GQDs) GQDs in human blood and salivary leukocytes. GQDs were tested at concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 100 μg/mL using distinct treatment periods. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), trypan blue exclusion, comet, and cytokinesisblock micronucleus cytome (CBMN cyt) assays were performed. FTIR analysis revealed that G-GQDs, unlike B-GQDs, exhibit an absorption band typically associated with amine functional groups, which may contribute to their pronounced genotoxic effects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and salivary leukocytes showed higher sensitivity to G-GQDs compared to whole blood samples. Although no cytotoxic effects were observed, both GQDs induced significant DNA damage, with G-GQDs demonstrating greater genotoxic potential. These findings demonstrate that GQDs can induce DNA damage in the absence of detectable cytotoxic effects under the conditions tested, highlighting the importance of considering both physicochemical properties and cellular models in the safety assessment of nanomaterials.
Ključne besede: GQDs, FTIR, DNA damage, cell viability, micronuclei
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.06.2026; Ogledov: 8; Prenosov: 7
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Povzetek: Objectives: There are still limited or lacking data on the association of trace elements (TEs) with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This case–control study aimed to determine levels of essential TEs (manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo)) and non-essential TEs (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb)) in urine, whole blood, and serum to investigate a possible association with kidney and liver function, endocrine and metabolic parameters, and environmental and lifestyle sources of potential exposure and provide possible recommendations. Methods: In our case–control study, women with PCOS (n = 35) and healthy controls (n = 35) underwent clinical and ultrasonographic examination, filled in questionnaires targeting general, lifestyle, and environmental information, and provided fasting venous blood samples and first morning urine for biochemical, hormonal, and TE analysis. Multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between TE levels and data obtained through questionnaires. Results: In women with PCOS, lower Mo levels in whole blood (p = 0.024) and serum (p = 0.011) and higher serum Cu levels (p = 0.026) were detected when compared to healthy controls. Results of this study show that amendments in Cu and Mo levels might be related to altered kidney and liver function and disrupted hormonal balance in PCOS women. Cu levels positively correlated with leukocyte count. There was a negative correlation of Mo levels with proteinuria and luteinizing hormone levels. Regarding liver function, Mo negatively correlated with urinary bilirubin levels, and there was a positive association with alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, respectively. Dietary supplement consumption and certain diet habits appeared to be important predictors of exposure to Cu (beef consumption) or Mo (cereal and boiled vegetable consumption) and modify Mo and Cu levels in women. Conclusions: Concentrations of the chemical elements Mo and Cu in biological samples of women appear to be related to PCOS and nutrition. To our knowledge, this is a novel finding for Mo. Additional research is needed to provide more insights into the causality of the PCOS relationship with Mo and Cu in humans.
Ključne besede: essential elements, non-essential elements, polycystic ovary syndrome, endocrine disruptors, hepatic damage, trace elements
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 16.04.2026; Ogledov: 190; Prenosov: 129
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Povzetek: Given the growing interest in nanosized spinel-type ferrite nanoparticles for biomedical applications and the limited information on their safety, this study aimed to assess their cellular and genotoxic effects in an in vitro 3D human hepatic cell model (HepG2 spheroids). Ferrite nanoparticles – γFe2O3 (FeNPs; 14 ± 4 nm), Zn0.7Fe2.3O4 (ZnNPs; 14 ± 5 nm), and Mn0.4Fe2.6O4 (MnNPs; 7 ± 2 nm) – were synthesised through a microwave-assisted polyol route, functionalized with citric acid, and characterised using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Nanoparticle uptake was analysed using TEM, cytotoxicity was measured with CellTiter-Glo®, and oxidative stress induction was assessed using the 2′,7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay. Genotoxic effects were evaluated using the comet, γH2AX and p-H3 assays. Cellular stress responses were assessed using toxicogenomic analysis. Significant cytotoxicity of the tested nanoparticles (0.1–250 µg/mL) was observed; however, TEM analysis revealed limited penetration to the outermost cell layers of spheroids. Notably, only FeNPs induced ROS generation, while MDA levels remained unchanged in all tested samples. Low DNA damage was detected at 24 h, but a significant increase was observed at 96 h (5–50 µg/mL). No increase in γH2AX or p-H3 was found. No substantial alterations in DNA damage or oxidative stress-response gene expression were detected. Altogether, our findings suggest that the effects of ferrite nanoparticles are time- and composition-dependent, underlining the importance of further mechanistic and chronic exposure evaluations in 3D cell models.
Ključne besede: DNA damage, genotoxicity, HepG2 spheroids, magnetic ferrite-based nanoparticles, ROS induction, safety assessment, toxicogenomics
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 27.01.2026; Ogledov: 502; Prenosov: 668
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Povzetek: Scour erosion continues to cause significant issues for the stability and lifespan of bridges worldwide. In Slovenia, extreme flooding in 2023 caused the collapse or failure of many bridges, primarily due to scour, which was exacerbated by debris accumulation. Despite advances in predicting and monitoring scour, it remains among the top reasons for the failure of bridges during flooding. Recent advances in vibration-based health monitoring suggest that scour erosion can be detected using methods such as changes in natural frequency, mode shapes, flexibility-based deflection, and other approaches using offline sensors such as passing vehicle responses. Many of these methods have been trialled numerically where scour is implemented as a reduction in the soil level (or stiffness) around a given bridge foundation. The most common way to model scour is to lower the soil level around a foundation, however, this ignores any contribution that the scour hole shape makes to the stiffness and strength of the soil beneath the scour hole. This paper investigates how the shape of scour holes influences the stiffness and strength of the remaining soil to understand the impact on the modal behaviour of a bridge. A numerical model of a bridge is developed where scour is implemented by removing Winkler springs from the model, and different scour hole shapes are considered in terms of how the remaining overburden influences the stiffness and strength of the soil springs. Scour hole shape properties are considered by means of varying the depth, width, and slope angle of the hole around a given foundation element. For the analyses in this paper, different scour hole shapes are implemented on an example bridge corresponding to local scour holes with narrow width; wider local scour holes; and general scour, where the full soil layer is removed (infinite width). The changes in the modal periods and mode shapes of the bridge in the traffic and river flow directions are assessed to understand the impact of the different scour types on the vibration characteristics.
Ključne besede: scour, dynamics, overburden, frequency, damage, bridges, scour hole shape
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 13.01.2026; Ogledov: 404; Prenosov: 739
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Povzetek: The influence of grain boundaries (GBs) on the deuterium (D) transport and the creation of defects in nanocrystalline tungsten (W) films deposited on a W substrate was studied. Samples with three different grain sizes were produced for this purpose: a sample with a film having nanometer-size grains, a sample with hundred nanometer-grained film and a sample with micrometer-grained film. Samples were irradiated by 20 MeV W ions at 300 K to create displacement damage and exposed to 300 eV D ions at 450 K to populate the created and any pre-existing defects. The D transport and retention was assessed by measuring D depth profiles after certain exposure times by nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) using a 3He ion beam. From the final D concentration in the damaged area we could determine the concentration of defects that trap hydrogen, showing that the sample with the smallest grain size had the highest D concentration and it decreases with the increase of the grain size. Therefore, in nanocrystalline tungsten irradiated at 300 K, GBs do not improve radiation resistance, which would lead to fewer defects. For the first time, we show experimentally, that D transport is faster inside the nanometer-grained sample as compared to the micrometer-grained sample, meaning that D atoms have enhanced bulk diffusion along GBs. Accidentally, the film thickness was so thin that the W irradiation reached the interface between the W film and substrate, where NRA showed enhanced retention of oxygen. At that depth, two times higher D concentration was observed compared to D concentration in the damaged area in the middle of the film indicating on defect stabilization due to the presence of oxygen.
Ključne besede: grain boundaries, deuterium, tungsten, transport, displacement damage
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.12.2025; Ogledov: 630; Prenosov: 353
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