Being a member of the nanofamily, carbon nanomaterials exhibit specific properties that mostly arise from their small size. They have proved to be very promising for application in the technical and biomedical field. A wide spectrum of use implies the inevitable presence of carbon nanomaterials in the environment, thus potentially endangering their whole nature. Although scientists worldwide have conducted research investigating the impact of these materials, it is evident that there are still significant gaps concerning the knowledge of their mechanisms, as well as the prolonged and chronic exposure and effects. This manuscript summarizes the most prominent representatives of carbon nanomaterial groups, giving a brief review of their general physico-chemical properties, the most common use, and toxicity profiles. Toxicity was presented through genotoxicity and the activation of the cell signaling pathways, both including in vitro and in vivo models, mechanisms, and the consequential outcomes. Moreover, the acute toxicity of fullerenol, as one of the most commonly investigated members, was briefly presented in the final part of this review. Thinking small can greatly help us improve our lives, but also obliges us to deeply and comprehensively investigate all the possible consequences that could arise from our pure-hearted scientific ambitions and work.

Fullerenes are molecules that, due to their unique structure, have very specific chemical properties which offer them very wide array of applications in nanomedicine. The most prominent are protection from radiation‐induced injury, neuroprotection, drug and gene delivery, anticancer therapy, adjuvant within different treatments, photosensitizing, sonosensitizing, bone reparation, and biosensing. However, it is of crucial importance to be elucidated how fullerenes immunomodulate human system of defense. In addition, the most current research, merging immunology and nanomedicine, results in development of nanovaccines, which may represent the milestone of future treatment of diseases.

Fullerenol (C ₆₀ (OH) ₂₄ ) is present in aqueous solutions in the form of polyanion nanoparticles with particles’ size distribution within the range from 15 to 42 nm. In this research it is assumed that these features could enable fullerenol nanoparticles (FNPs) to bind positively charged molecules like doxorubicin (DOX) and serve as drug carriers. Considering this, fullerenol/doxorubicin nanocomposite (FNP/DOX) is formed and characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Measurements have shown that DOX did not significantly affect particle size (23 nm). It is also assumed that FNP/DOX could reduce the acute cardiotoxic effects of DOX in vivo (Wistar rats treated i.p. ). In this study, quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction results have shown that treatment with DOX alone caused significant increase in mRNA levels of catalase ( p < 0.05) enzyme indicating the presence of oxidative stress. This effect is significantly reduced by the treatment with FNP/DOX ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, mRNA levels of antiapoptotic enzyme (Bcl-2) are significantly increased ( p < 0.05) in all treated groups, particularly where FNP/DOX was applied, suggesting cell resistance to apoptosis. Moreover, ultrastructural analysis has shown the absence of myelin figures within the mitochondria in the heart tissue with FNP/DOX treatment, indicating reduction of oxidative stress. Hence, our results have implied that FNP/DOX is generally less harmful to the heart compared to DOX.

Research study: According to the World Health Organization, six out of ten global health problems are related to the domain of infectious diseases (WHO, 2019), which inevitably confronts us with an increasing risk of pandemic situations. The global health system has identified solid solutions, with prevention being essential in these situations (Bloom & Cadarette, 2019). Prevention is far better and cheaper, regardless of whether it is a specific prophylaxis (vaccination) or non-specific preventive measures (Bloom & Cadarette, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial that initial education includes prevention against the most common infectious diseases, as well as initial knowledge about them. Numerous preventive measures include patterns of behavior that can be practiced with children of a preschool and early school age, through the immediate educational process. In addition, at this time children successfully develop habits and adopt demonstrated patterns of behavior, via observational learning (Bandura, 1977; Greer, Singer-Dudek, & Gautreaux, 2006). For that reason, it is important that preschool and primary school teachers have awareness of their role in this complex process, as well as enough knowledge, skills and experience regarding psychological protection and mental empowerment of children while preparing them for various epidemic risks. It is crucial to enhance teachers’ capabilities to implement holistic pedagogies and healing-informed teaching (Hill, et al., 2020), in order to mitigate the epidemic/pandemic effects on children. All sudden and unexpected events are opportunities that enable us to address current problems in each crisis and to consider new and innovative approaches in teachers' education (Mutton, 2020). The aim of the research was to evaluate the health-education and psychological competencies of future teachers regarding the circumstances of epidemic/pandemics, and subsequently, using different workshop activities, to improve those competencies and skills. Thus, to enable them to encourage children, through learning and demonstration, to practice behaviours that contribute to the health maintaining and social-emotional wellness. Research methods: Besides the theoretical research and literature review, the realisation of the project began with the construction of a research instrument designed as a survey questionnaire. The survey contained 18 questions intended to examine the levels of knowledge (3 questions) and attitudes (15 for self-assessment of mentioned competencies, according to the Likert-type scale). The questionnaire was anonymous, completed in a paper form and used as an initial test and retest (after the workshop). Conclusion and recommendations: 32 students of education participated in the workshop. They deepened their understanding of the most common infectious diseases, their pathogenesis, Vogralik's chain of infection, the concepts of epidemics/pandemics, and especially the prevention of different infectious diseases, with an emphasis on the current pandemic situation. Their psychological competencies were also improved, including the development and strengthening of resilience and readiness to face various challenges caused by the epidemic threats. The students were presented with ideas, in the form of stories, movies, posters, messages, etc. how, directly in their daily educational praxis to encourage children to practice behaviours that contribute to health maintenance as well as how to preserve mental components of their health during epidemic crises. In that sense, the knowledge on the retest was significantly enhanced by 32.09% (p=0.00000), while positive opinion on the examined competencies was increased by 14.84% (p=0.00001). Furthermore, it was observed that knowledge was considerably improved when compared to attitudes (p=0.0064), in a comparative analysis of the health-education vs psychological attitudes. Taking into account the results in our pilot study and the seriousness and global nature of some health problems, health education is becoming a priority and should be emphasised in an initial education. Since the content in curricula for teachers’ education is inadequate, we believe that, either similar workshop activities or curricula development, can significantly improve their competencies in these domains.

Background and Clinical Significance: Since the prevalence of fungal lung infections is increasing, certain agents, such as Cladosporium spp., have emerged as unexpected causes. Cladosporium spp. fungi are ubiquitous in environments such as soil, fruits, and wine corks; they are a part of the normal human skin flora; and they are known respiratory allergens. Case Presentation: A patient with a history of post-COVID-19 syndrome and AIDS presented with lung pathology indicative of an invasive fungal infection. The initial histopathological examination revealed numerous yeast-like cells with narrow-based budding, which led to a mistaken diagnosis of cryptococcosis. However, further detailed examination revealed sparse hyphae in the lung tissue, suggesting a more complex fungal infection. Molecular analyses and sequence BLAST alignment were performed, ultimately identifying the infectious agent as “Cladosporium species novum”, a rare cause of invasive pulmonary cladosporiasis. Conclusions: Invasive pulmonary cladosporiasis is a rare condition, and the morphological features of the fungus alone were insufficient to establish a correct diagnosis. A comprehensive pathohistological and molecular approach with bioinformatics tools is essential for the correct identification of rare and potentially life-threatening fungal pathogens in immunocompromised patients.