Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Clay is unique especially from the perspective of medical geology, that is, the impacts of geologic materials and geologic processes on animal and human health. Clay is the only natural material that can impact human health through all routes of exposure: ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Moreover, these impacts can be harmful as well as b...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Clay minerals, such as layered double hydroxide (LDH) and montmorillonite (MMT), have attracted a great deal of attention for biological applications. Along with the rapid development of nanotechnology, public concern about the potential toxicity of nanoparticles is growing. In the present work, cytotoxicity of LDH and MMT was assessed in terms of ...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Over the past several decades, clay minerals have been applied in various bio-fields such as drug and drug additives, animal medicine and feed additives, cosmetics, biosensors, etc. Among various research areas, however, the medical application of clay minerals is an emerging field not only in academia but also in industry. In particular, cationic ...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Aflatoxin contamination of diets results in disease and death in humans and animals. The objective of the present paper was to review the development of innovative enterosorption strategies for the detoxification of aflatoxins. NovaSil clay (NS) has been shown to decrease exposures to aflatoxins and prevent aflatoxicosis in a variety of animals whe...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Clays have traditionally been linked to health care, being used for centuries in the fight against infections and diseases. Similarly, biohybrids produced by combinations of clays and biological species through ‘bottom-up’ approaches have been evaluated over the past decade for biomedical and pharmaceutical uses. These biohybrids show interesting f...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Antibacterial clays in nature include a variety of clay mineral assemblages that are capable of killing certain human pathogens. Although clays have been used for medicinal applications historically, only in the last decade have analytical methods and instrumentation been developed that allow researchers to evaluate the antibacterial mechanisms of ...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Clays have played an important role in medicine since the dawn of mankind and are still applied widely as active ingredients and/or excipients in pharmaceutical formulations. Due to their outstanding properties of large retention capacity, swelling and rheological properties, and relative low cost, they have been used widely as advanced carriers fo...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Geophagy is the intentional consumption of earth. Although widely documented among vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women, the causes and consequences of geophagy remain poorly understood. Relevant literature was, therefore, reviewed to describe geophagy across species, geographies, life stages, and disease states. After a br...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Tumor theranostics (a portmanteau of therapeutics and diagnostics) is now achieved in various ways with complex nanoparticle systems. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles are effective at drug/gene delivery and as imaging agents in potential tumor theranostics. This mini-review paper summarizes recent progress in developing LDH nanoparticle...
Published in Clays and Clay Minerals
Developing low cost and effective phosphate adsorbents is crucial to prevent eutrophication of natural waters. Here, phosphate removal by a natural and abundant shale from the Ivory Coast was investigated in both batch and column experiments with special attention devoted to understand the adsorption process. Batch experiments were carried out to a...
