Search results for: biological treatment

Authors: Maria Medeiros, Suren Surenthiran, Abitha Muralithar, Soushma Seeburuth, Mohammed Mohammed

Abstract:

Introduction: Appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency globally and can have devastating consequences. Diagnostic imaging in acute appendicitis has become increasingly common in aiding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Computerized tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) are the most commonly used imaging modalities for diagnosing acute appendicitis. Pre-operative imaging has contributed to a reduction of negative appendicectomy rates from between 10-29% to 5%. Literature report CT scan has a diagnostic sensitivity of 94% in acute appendicitis. This clinical audit was conducted to establish if the CT scan's diagnostic yield for acute appendicitis matches the literature. CT scan has a high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing acute appendicitis and its use can result in a lower negative appendicectomy rate. The aim of this study is to compare the pre-operative imaging findings from CT scans to the histopathology results post-operatively and establish the accuracy of CT scans in aiding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Methods: This was a retrospective study focusing on adult presentations to the general surgery department in a district general hospital in central London with an impression of acute appendicitis. We analyzed all patients from July 2022 to December 2022 who underwent a CT scan preceding appendicectomy. Pre-operative CT findings and post-operative histopathology findings were compared to establish the efficacy of CT scans in diagnosing acute appendicitis. Our results were also cross-referenced with pre-existing literature. Data was collected and anonymized using CERNER and analyzed in Microsoft Excel. Exclusion criteria: Children, age <16. Results: 65 patients had CT scans in which the report stated acute appendicitis. Of those 65 patients, 62 patients underwent diagnostic laparoscopies. 100% of patients who underwent an appendicectomy with a pre-operative CT scan showing acute appendicitis had acute appendicitis in histopathology analysis. 3 of the 65 patients who had a CT scan showing appendicitis received conservative treatment. Conclusion: CT scans positive for acute appendicitis had 100% sensitivity and a positive predictive value, which matches published research studies (sensitivity of 94%). The use of CT scans in the diagnostic work-up for acute appendicitis can be extremely helpful in a) confirming the diagnosis and b) reducing the rates of negative appendicectomies and consequently reducing unnecessary operative-associated risks for patients, reducing costs and reducing pressure on emergency theatre lists.

Keywords: acute apendicitis, CT scan, general surgery, imaging

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Suehyun Cho, Darrell Harrington, Florent Cros, Olin Palmer, John Caputo, Michael Kardosh, Eran Oren, William Loudon, Alex Kiselyov, Michael Shpigelmacher

Abstract:

Bionaut Labs, LLC is developing a minimally invasive robotic microdevice designed to treat non-communicating hydrocephalus in both adult and pediatric patients. The device utilizes biocompatible microsurgical particles (Bionaut™) that are specifically designed to safely and reliably perform accurate fenestration(s) in the 3rd ventricle, aqueduct of Sylvius, and/or trapped intraventricular cysts of the brain in order to re-establish normal cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics and thereby balance and/or normalize intra/intercompartmental pressure. The Bionaut™ is navigated to the target via CSF or brain tissue in a minimally invasive fashion with precise control using real-time imaging. Upon reaching the pre-defined anatomical target, the external driver allows for directing the specific microsurgical action defined to achieve the surgical goal. Notable features of the proposed protocol are i) Bionaut™ access to the intraventricular target follows a clinically validated endoscopy trajectory which may not be feasible via ‘traditional’ rigid endoscopy: ii) the treatment is microsurgical, there are no foreign materials left behind post-procedure; iii) Bionaut™ is an untethered device that is navigated through the subarachnoid and intraventricular compartments of the brain, following pre-designated non-linear trajectories as determined by the safest anatomical and physiological path; iv) Overall protocol involves minimally invasive delivery and post-operational retrieval of the surgical Bionaut™. The approach is expected to be suitable to treat pediatric patients 0-12 months old as well as adult patients with obstructive hydrocephalus who fail traditional shunts or are eligible for endoscopy. Current progress, including platform optimization, Bionaut™ control, and real-time imaging and in vivo safety studies of the Bionauts™ in large animals, specifically the spine and the brain of ovine models, will be discussed.

Keywords: Bionaut™, cerebrospinal fluid, CSF, fenestration, hydrocephalus, micro-robot, microsurgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 170

Authors: V. Agostini, S. Gino, S. Inturri, A. Piccinini

Abstract:

In cases of corpse identification or parental testing performed on exhumed alleged dead father, usually, we seek and acquire organic samples as bones and/or bone fragments, teeth, nails and muscle’s fragments. The DNA analysis of these cadaveric matrices usually leads to identifying success, but it often happens that the results of the typing are not satisfactory with highly degraded, partial or even non-interpretable genetic profiles. To aggravate the interpretative panorama deriving from the analysis of such 'classical' organic matrices, we must add a long and laborious treatment of the sample that starts from the mechanical fragmentation up to the protracted decalcification phase. These steps greatly increase the chance of sample contamination. In the present work, instead, we want to report the use of 'unusual' cadaveric matrices, demonstrating that their forensic genetics analysis can lead to better results in less time and with lower costs of reagents. We report six case reports, result of on-field experience, in which eyeswabs and cartilage were sampled and analyzed, allowing to obtain clear single genetic profiles, useful for identification purposes. In all cases we used the standard DNA tissue extraction protocols (as reported on the user manuals of the manufacturers such as QIAGEN or Invitrogen- Thermo Fisher Scientific), thus bypassing the long and difficult phases of mechanical fragmentation and decalcification of bones' samples. PCR was carried out using PowerPlex® Fusion System kit (Promega), and capillary electrophoresis was carried out on an ABI PRISM® 310 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems®), with GeneMapper ID v3.2.1 (Applied Biosystems®) software. The software Familias (version 3.1.3) was employed for kinship analysis. The genetic results achieved have proved to be much better than the analysis of bones or nails, both from the qualitative and quantitative point of view and from the point of view of costs and timing. This way, by using the standard procedure of DNA extraction from tissue, it is possible to obtain, in a shorter time and with maximum efficiency, an excellent genetic profile, which proves to be useful and can be easily decoded for later paternity tests and/or identification of human remains.

Keywords: DNA, eye swabs and cartilage, identification human remains, paternity testing

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: Zena F. Mushtaq, Iqbal M. Abbas

Abstract:

Background: Diabetes mellitus during pregnancy is one of the major medical and social problems with increasing prevalence in last decades and may lead to more vulnerable to dental problems and increased risk for periodontal diseases. Objectives: To assess oral hygiene behaviors among pregnant women with diabetes who attended primary health care centers and find out the relationship between oral hygiene behaviors and studied variables. Methodology: A cross sectional design was conducted from 7 July to 30 September 2014 on non probability (convenient sample) of 150 pregnant women with diabetes was selected from twelve Primary Health Care Centers at Baghdad city. Questionnaire format is tool for data collection which had designed and consisted of three main parts including: socio demographic, reproductive characteristics and items of oral hygiene behaviors among pregnant women with diabetes. Reliability of the questionnaire was determined through internal consistency of correlation coefficient (R= 0.940) and validity of content was determined through reviewing it by (12) experts in different specialties and was determined through pilot study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze collected data. Result: Result of study revealed that (35.3%) of study sample was (35-39) years old with mean and SD is (X & SD = 33.57 ± 5.54) years, and (34.7%) of the study sample was graduated from primary school and less, half of the study sample was government employment and self employed, (42.7%) of the study sample had moderate socioeconomic status, the highest percentage (70.0%) of the study sample was nonsmokers, The result indicates that oral hygiene behaviors have moderate mean score in all items. There are no statistical significant association between oral hygiene domain and studied variables. Conclusions: All items related to health behavior concerning oral hygiene is in moderate mean of score, which may expose pregnant women with diabetes to high risk of periodontal diseases. Recommendations: Dental care provider should perform a dental examination at least every three months for each pregnant woman with diabetes, explanation of the effect of DM on periodontal health, oral hygiene instruction, oral prophylaxis, professional cleaning and treatment of periodontal diseases(scaling and root planing) when needed.

Keywords: diabetes, health behavior, pregnant women, oral hygiene

Procedia PDF Downloads 286

Authors: Michail Milas, Aikaterini Dafni Tegiou, Nickolas Rigopoulos, Eustathios Giaouris, Zaharias Loannou

Abstract:

Nanotechnology, a relatively new scientific field, addresses the manipulation of nanoscale materials and devices, which are governed by unique properties, and is applied in a wide range of industries, including food packaging. The incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer matrices used for food packaging is a field that is highly researched today. One such combination is silver nanoparticles with polypropylene. In the present study, the synthesis of the silver nanoparticles was carried out by a natural method. In particular, a ripe banana peel extract was used. This method is superior to others as it stands out for its environmental friendliness, high efficiency and low-cost requirement. In particular, a 1.75 mM AgNO₃ silver nitrate solution was used, as well as a BPE concentration of 1.7% v/v, an incubation period of 48 hours at 70°C and a pH of 4.3 and after its preparation, the polypropylene films were soaked in it. For the PP films, random PP spheres were melted at 170-190°C into molds with 0.8cm diameter. This polymer was chosen as it is suitable for plastic parts and reusable plastic containers of various types that are intended to come into contact with food without compromising its quality and safety. The antimicrobial test against Escherichia coli DFSNB1 and Staphylococcus epidermidis DFSNB4 was performed on the films. It appeared that the films with silver nanoparticles had a reduction, at least 100 times, compared to those without silver nanoparticles, in both strains. The limit of detection is the lower limit of the vertical error lines in the presence of nanoparticles, which is 3.11. The main reasons that led to the adsorption of nanoparticles are the porous nature of polypropylene and the adsorption capacity of nanoparticles on the surface of the films due to hydrophobic-hydrophilic forces. The most significant parameters that contributed to the results of the experiment include the following: the stage of ripening of the banana during the preparation of the plant extract, the temperature and residence time of the nanoparticle solution in the oven, the residence time of the polypropylene films in the nanoparticle solution, the number of nanoparticles inoculated on the films and, finally, the time these stayed in the refrigerator so that they could dry and be ready for antimicrobial treatment.

Keywords: antimicrobial control, banana peel extract, E. coli, natural synthesis, microbe, plant extract, polypropylene films, S.epidermidis, silver nano, random pp

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: Suzanne Giasson, Alberto Guerron

Abstract:

Stimuli-responsive polymer coatings can be used as functional elements in nanotechnologies, such as valves in microfluidic devices, as membranes in biomedical engineering, as substrates for the culture of biological tissues or in developing nanomaterials for targeted therapies in different diseases. However, such coatings usually suffer from major shortcomings, such as a lack of selectivity and poor environmental stability. The study will present multi-responsive hierarchical and hybrid polymer-based coatings aiming to overcome some of these limitations. Hierarchical polymer coatings, consisting of two-dimensional arrays of thermo-responsive cationic PNIPAM-based microgels and surface-functionalized with non-responsive or pH-responsive polymers, were covalently grafted to substrates to tune the surface chemistry and the elasticity of the surface independently using different stimuli. The characteristic dimensions (i.e., layer thickness) and surface properties (i.e., adhesion, friction) of the microgel coatings were assessed using the Surface Forces Apparatus. The ability to independently control the swelling and surface properties using temperature and pH as triggers were investigated for microgels in aqueous suspension and microgels immobilized on substrates. Polymer chain grafting did not impede the ability of cationic PNIPAM microgels to undergo a volume phase transition above the VPTT, either in suspension or immobilized on a substrate. Due to the presence of amino groups throughout the entirety of the microgel polymer network, the swelling behavior was also pH dependent. However, the thermo-responsive swelling was more significant than the pH-triggered one. The microgels functionalized with PEG exhibited the most promising behavior. Indeed, the thermo-triggered swelling of microgel-co-PEG did not give rise to changes in the microgel surface properties (i.e., surface potential and adhesion) within a wide range of pH values. It was possible for the immobilized microgel-co-PEG to undergo a volume transition (swelling/shrinking) with no change in adhesion, suggesting that the surface of the thermal-responsive microgels remains rather hydrophilic above the VPTT. This work confirms the possibility of tuning the swelling behavior of microgels without changing the adhesive properties. Responsive surfaces whose swelling properties can be reversibly and externally altered over space and time regardless of the surface chemistry are very innovative and will enable revolutionary advances in technologies, particularly in biomedical surface engineering and microfluidics, where advanced assembly of functional components is increasingly required.

Keywords: responsive materials, polymers, surfaces, cell culture

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Davod Ahmadigheidari, Isabel Alvarez, Kate Sinclair, Marnie Davidson, Patrick Cortbaoui, Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez

Abstract:

The burden of collecting water tends to disproportionately fall on women and girls in low-income countries. Specifically, women spend between one to eight hours per day fetching water for domestic use in Sub-Saharan Africa. While there has been research done on the global time burden for collecting water, it has been mainly focused on water quality parameters; leaving the relationship between water fetching and health outcomes understudied. There is little available evidence regarding the relationship between water fetching and maternal child care practices. The main objective of this study was to help fill the aforementioned gap in the literature. Data from two surveys in Ethiopia and Malawi conducted by CARE Canada in 2016-2017 were used. Descriptive statistics indicate that women were predominantly responsible for collecting water in both Ethiopia (87%) and Malawi (99%) respectively, with the majority spending more than 30 minutes per day on water collection. With regards to child care practices, in both countries, breastfeeding was relatively high (77% and 82%, respectively); and treatment for malnutrition was low (15% and 8%, respectively). However, the same consistency was not found for weighing; in Ethiopia only 16% took their children for weighting in contrast to 94% in Malawi. These three practices were summed to create one variable for regressions analyses. Unadjusted logistic regression findings showed that only in Ethiopia was time fetching water significantly associated with child care practices. Once adjusted for covariates, this relationship was no longer found to be significant. Adjusted logistic regressions also showed that the factors that did influence child care practices differed slightly between the two countries. In Ethiopia, a lack of access to community water supply (OR= 0.668; P=0.010), poor attitudes towards gender equality (OR= 0.608; P=0.001), no access to land and (OR=0.603; P=0.000), significantly decreased a women’s odd of using positive childcare practices. Notably, being young women between 15-24 years (OR=2.308; P=0.017), and 25-29 (OR=2.065; P=0.028) increased probability of using positive childcare practices. Whereas in Malawi, higher maternal age, low decision-making power, significantly decreased a women’s odd of using positive childcare practices. In conclusion, this study found that even though amount of time spent by women fetching water makes a difference for childcare practices, it is not significantly related to women’s child care practices when controlling the covariates. Importantly, women’s age contributes to child care practices in Ethiopia and Malawi.

Keywords: time fetching water, community water supply, women’s child care practices, Ethiopia, Malawi

Procedia PDF Downloads 202

Authors: V. S. Bessa, I. S. Moreira, S. Murgolo, C. Piccirillo, G. Mascolo, P. M. L. Castro

Abstract:

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment has been a topic of increasing concern. Pharmaceuticals are not completely mineralized in the human body and are released on the sewage systems as the pharmaceutical itself and as their “biologically active” metabolites through excretion, as well as by improper elimination and disposal. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not designed to remove these emerging pollutants and they are thus released into the environment. The antiepileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ) and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory diclofenac (DCF) are two widely used pharmaceuticals, frequently detected in water bodies, including rivers and groundwater, in concentrations ranging from ng L 1 to mg L 1. These two compounds were classified as medium to high-risk pollutants in WWTP effluents and surface waters. Also, CBZ has been suggested as a molecular marker of wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater and the European Union included DCF in the watch list of substances Directive to be monitored. In the present study, biodegradation of CBZ and DCF by the bacterial strain Labrys portucalensis F11, a strain able to degrade other pharmaceutical compounds, was assessed; tests were performed with F11 as single carbon and energy source, as well as in presence of 5.9mM of sodium acetate. In assays supplemented with 2.0 and 4.0 µM of CBZ, the compound was no longer detected in the bulk medium after 24hr and 5days, respectively. Complete degradation was achieved in 21 days for 11.0 µM and in 23 days for 21.0 µM. For the highest concentration tested (43.0 µM), 95% of degradation was achieved in 30days. Supplementation with acetate increased the degradation rate of CBZ, for all tested concentrations. In the case of DCF, when supplemented as a single carbon source, approximately 70% of DCF (1.7, 3.3, 8.4, 17.5 and 34.0 µM) was degraded in 30days. Complete degradation was achieved in the presence of acetate for all tested concentrations, at higher degradation rates. The detection of intermediates produced during DCF biodegradation was performed by UPLC-QTOF/MS/MS, which allowed the identification of a range of metabolites. Stoichiometric liberation of chorine occurred and no metabolites were detected at the end of the biodegradation assays suggesting a complete mineralization of DCF. Strain Labrys portucalensis F11 proved to be able to degrade these two top priority environmental contaminants and may be potentially useful for biotechnological applications/environment remediation.

Keywords: biodegradation, carbamazepine, diclofenac, pharmaceuticals

Procedia PDF Downloads 273

Authors: Larry O. Awo, George N. Duru

Abstract:

There are growing public and mental health concerns over the availability of gambling platforms and shops in Nigeria and the high level of youth involvement in gambling. Early theorizing maintained that gambling involvement was driven by a quest for resource gains. However, evidence shows that the economic model of gambling tends to explain the involvement of the gambling business owners (sport lottery operators: SLOs) as most gamblers lose more than they win. This loss, according to the law of effect, ought to discourage decisions to gamble. However, the quest to recover losses has often initiated prolonged gambling sessions. Therefore, the need to investigate mental contemplations (such as counterfactual reasoning (upward versus downward) of what “would, should, or could” have been, and feeling of the illusion of control; IOC) over gambling outcomes as risk or protective factors in gambling decisions became pertinent. The present study sought to understand the differential contributions and conditional effects of upward versus downward counterfactual reasoning as pathways through which the association between IOC and gambling decisions of Nigerian youths (N = 120, mean age = 18.05, SD = 3.81) could be explained. The study adopted a randomized group design, and data were obtained by means of stimulus material (the Gambling Episode; GE) and self-report measures of IOC and Gambling Decision. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) result showed that participants in the upward counterfactual reasoning group (M = 22.08) differed from their colleagues in the downward counterfactual reasoning group (M = 17.33) on the decision to gamble, and this difference was significant [F(1,112) = 23, P < .01]. HAYES PROCESS macro moderation analysis results showed that 1) IOC and upward counterfactual reasoning were positively associated with the decision to gamble (B = 14.21, t = 6.10, p < .01 and B = 7.22, t = 2.07, p <.05, respectively), 2) downward counterfactual reasoning was negatively associated with the decision to gamble more to recover losses (B = 10.03, t = 3.21, p < .01), 3) upward counterfactual reasoning did not moderate the association between IOC and gambling decision (p > .05), and 4) downward counterfactual reasoning negatively moderated the association between IOC and gambling decision (B = 07, t = 2.18, p < .05) such that the association was strong at the low level of downward counterfactual, but wane at high levels of downward counterfactual reasoning. The implication of these findings is that IOC and upward counterfactual reasoning were risk factors and promoted gambling behavior, while downward counterfactual reasoning protects individuals from gambling activities. Thus, it is concluded that downward counterfactual reasoning strategies should be included in gambling therapy and treatment packages as it could diminish feelings of both IOC and negative feelings of missed positive outcomes and the urge to gamble.

Keywords: counterfactual reasoning, gambling cognition, gambling decision, Nigeria, youths

Procedia PDF Downloads 90

Authors: Abadi Berhane, Walelign Worku, Berhanu Abrha, Gebre Hadgu

Abstract:

Sesame is an important oilseed crop in Ethiopia, which is the second most exported agricultural commodity next to coffee. However, there is poor soil fertility management and a research-led farming system for the crop. The AquaCrop model was applied as a decision-support tool, which performs a semi-quantitative approach to simulate the yield of crops under different soil fertility levels. The objective of this experiment was to calibrate and validate the AquaCrop model for simulating the growth and yield of sesame under different nitrogen fertilizer levels and to test the performance of the model as a decision-support tool for improved sesame cultivation in the study area. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a factorial arrangement in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 main cropping seasons. In this experiment, four nitrogen fertilizer rates, 0, 23, 46, and 69 Kg/ha nitrogen, and three improved varieties (Setit-1, Setit-2, and Humera-1). In the meantime, growth, yield, and yield components of sesame were collected from each treatment. Coefficient of determination (R2), Root mean square error (RMSE), Normalized root mean square error (N-RMSE), Model efficiency (E), and Degree of agreement (D) were used to test the performance of the model. The results indicated that the AquaCrop model successfully simulated soil water content with R2 varying from 0.92 to 0.98, RMSE 6.5 to 13.9 mm, E 0.78 to 0.94, and D 0.95 to 0.99, and the corresponding values for AB also varied from 0.92 to 0.98, 0.33 to 0.54 tons/ha, 0.74 to 0.93, and 0.9 to 0.98, respectively. The results on the canopy cover of sesame also showed that the model acceptably simulated canopy cover with R2 varying from 0.95 to 0.99 and a RMSE of 5.3 to 8.6%. The AquaCrop model was appropriately calibrated to simulate soil water content, canopy cover, aboveground biomass, and sesame yield; the results indicated that the model adequately simulated the growth and yield of sesame under the different nitrogen fertilizer levels. The AquaCrop model might be an important tool for improved soil fertility management and yield enhancement strategies of sesame. Hence, the model might be applied as a decision-support tool in soil fertility management in sesame production.

Keywords: aquacrop model, normalized water productivity, nitrogen fertilizer, canopy cover, sesame

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Shorena Sadzaglishvili, Teona Gotsiridze, Ketevan Lekishvili, Darejan Javakhishvili, Alida Bouris

Abstract:

Globally, adolescents and young people experience high levels of HIV vulnerability and risk. Estimates suggest that AIDS-related deaths among young people are increasing, suggesting poor prioritization of adolescents in national plans for HIV testing and treatment services. HIV/AIDS is currently the sixth leading cause of death in people aged 10-24 years. Among young people, street connected youth are clearly distinguished as being among the most at risk for HIV infection. The present study recognizes the urgent need to scale up effective HIV responses that are tailored to the unique needs of street connected youth for the global HIV agenda and especially, the former Soviet country - Georgia, where 'street kids' are a new phenomenon and estimated to be about 2,500. During two months trained interviewers conducted individual semi-structured qualitative interviews with 22 key informants from the local governmental and nongovernmental service organizations, including psychologists, social workers, peer educators, mobile health workers, and managers. Informants discussed social network characteristics influencing street connected youth’s sexual risk behaviors. Data were analyzed using Dedoose. It was revealed that there are three types of homogeneous networks of street-connected youth aged 10-19 based on ethnical background: (1) Georgians; (2) migrant kids of Azeri-Kurdish origin, and (3) local Roma-Moldavian kids. These networks are distinguished with various HIV risk through both risky sexual and drug-related behaviors. In addition, there are several cases of HIV infection identified through reactive social services. Street connected youth do not have basic information about the HIV related sexual, alcohol and drug behaviors nor there are any systematic programs providing HIV testing and consultation for reducing the vulnerability of HIV infection. There is a need to systematically examine street-connected youth risk-taking behaviors by applying an integrated, multilevel framework to a population at great risk of HIV. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG) [#FR 17_31], Ilia State University.

Keywords: street connected youth, social networks, HIV/AIDS, HIV testing

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Pierre-Louis Lucas, Corinne Loutelier-Bourhis, Narimane Mati-Baouche, Philippe Chan Tchi-Song, Patrice Lerouge, Elodie Mathieu-Rivet, Muriel Bardor

Abstract:

N-glycosylation is a post-translational modification taking place in the Endoplasmic Reticulum and the Golgi apparatus where defined glycan features are added on protein in a very specific sequence Asn-X-Thr/Ser/Cys were X can be any amino acid except proline. Because it is well-established that those N-glycans play a critical role in protein biological activity, protein half-life and that a different N-glycan structure may induce an immune response, they are very important in Biopharmaceuticals which are mainly glycoproteins bearing N-glycans. From now, most of the biopharmaceuticals are produced by mammalian cells like Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO) for their N-glycosylation similar to the human, but due to the high production costs, several other species are investigated as the possible alternative system. In this purpose, the green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was investigated as the potential production system for Biopharmaceuticals. This choice was influenced by the facts that C. reinhardtii is a well-study microalgae which is growing fast with a lot of molecular biology tools available. This organism is also producing N-glycan on its endogenous proteins. However, the analysis of the N-glycan structure of this microalgae has revealed some differences as compared to the human. Rather than in Human where the glycans are processed by key enzymes called N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and II (GnTI and GnTII) adding GlcNAc residue to form a GlcNAc₂Man₃GlcNAc₂ core N-glycan, C. reinhardtii lacks those two enzymes and possess a GnTI independent glycosylation pathway. Moreover, some enzymes like xylosyltransferases and methyltransferases not present in human are supposed to act on the glycans of C. reinhardtii. Furthermore, the recent structural study by mass spectrometry shows that the N-glycosylation precursor supposed to be conserved in almost all eukaryotic cells results in a linear Man₅GlcNAc₂ rather than a branched one in C. reinhardtii. In this work, we will discuss the new released MS information upon C. reinhardtii N-glycan structure and their impact on our attempt to modify the glycan in a Human manner. Two strategies will be discussed. The first one consisted in the study of Xylosyltransferase insertional mutants from the CLIP library in order to remove xyloses from the N-glycans. The second will go further in the humanization by transforming the microalgae with the exogenous gene from Toxoplasma gondii having an activity similar to GnTI and GnTII with the aim to synthesize GlcNAc₂Man₃GlcNAc₂ in C. reinhardtii.

Keywords: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, N-glycosylation, glycosyltransferase, mass spectrometry, humanization

Procedia PDF Downloads 177

Authors: Chiou-Shiue Ko

Abstract:

As is explicitly stipulated in Article 7 of the Enforcement Rules of the Special Education Act as amended in 1998, "in principle, children with disabilities should be integrated with normal children for preschool education". Since then, all cities and counties have been committed to promoting preschool inclusive education. The Education Department, New Taipei City Government, has been actively recruiting advisory groups of professors to assist in the implementation of inclusive education in preschools since 2001. Since 2011, the author of this study has been guiding Preschool Rainbow to implement inclusive education. Through field observations, meetings, and teaching demonstration seminars, this study explored the process of how inclusive education has been successfully implemented in collaboration with teachers of special education classes and regular classes in Preschool Rainbow. The implementation phases for inclusive education in a single academic year include the following: 1) Preparatory stage. Prior to implementation, teachers in special education and regular classes discuss ways of conducting inclusive education and organize reading clubs to read books related to curriculum modifications that integrate the eight education strategies, early treatment and education, and early childhood education programs to enhance their capacity to implement and compose teaching plans for inclusive education. In addition to the general objectives of inclusive education, the objective of inclusive education for special children is also embedded into the Individualized Education Program (IEP). 2) Implementation stage. Initially, a promotional program for special education is implemented for the children to allow all the children in the preschool to understand their own special qualities and those of special children. After the implementation of three weeks of reverse inclusion, the children in the special education classes are put into groups and enter the regular classes twice a week to implement adjustments to their inclusion in the learning area and the curriculum. In 2013, further cooperation was carried out with adjacent hospitals to perform development screening activities for the early detection of children with developmental delays. 3) Review and reflection stage. After the implementation of inclusive education, all teachers in the preschool are divided into two groups to record their teaching plans and the lessons learned during implementation. The effectiveness of implementing the objective of inclusive education is also reviewed. With the collaboration of all teachers, in 2015, Preschool Rainbow won New Taipei City’s “Preschool Light” award as an exceptional model for inclusive education. Its model of implementing inclusive education can be used as a reference for other preschools.

Keywords: collaboration, inclusive education, preschool, teachers, special education classes, regular classes

Procedia PDF Downloads 429

Authors: Yuliya Kovalenko

Abstract:

Given the social nature of people, it is interesting to explore strategies of responding to psycho-traumatic situations in individuals of different ethnic and religious identity. This would allow to substantially expand the idea of human behavior in general, and coping behavior, in particular. This paper investigated the weighted impact of ethnic and religious identities on the patterns of coping behavior. This cross-cultural research empirically revealed intergroup differences in coping strategies and behavior in the samples of young students and teachers of different ethnic identities (Egyptians N=216 and Ukrainians N=109) and different religious identities (Egyptian Muslims N=147 and Christians, including Egyptian Christians N=68 and Ukrainian Christians N = 109). The empirical data were obtained using the questionnaires SACS and COPE. Statistical analysis and interpretation of the results were performed with IBM SPSS-23.0. It was found that, compared to the religious identity, the ethnic identity of the subjects appeared more predictive of coping behavior. It was shown that the constant exchange of information and the unity of biological and social contributed to a more homogeneous picture in the society where Christians and Muslims were integrated into a single cultural space. It was concluded that depending on their ethnic identity, individuals would form a specific hierarchy of coping strategies resulting in a specific pattern of coping with certain stressors. The Egyptian subjects revealed the following pattern of coping with various kinds of academic stress: 'seeking social support', 'problem solving', 'adapting', 'seeking information'. The coping pattern demonstrated by the Ukrainian subjects could be presented as 'seeking information', 'adapting', 'seeking social support', 'problem solving'. There was a tendency in the group of Egyptians to engage in more collectivist coping strategies (with the predominant coping strategy 'religious coping'), in contrast to the Ukrainians who displayed more individualistic coping strategies (with 'planning' and 'active coping' as the mostly used coping strategies). At the same time, it was obvious that Ukrainians should not be unambiguously attributed to the individualistic coping behavior due to their reliance on 'seeking social support' and 'social contact'. The final conclusion was also drawn from the peculiarities of developing religious identity, including religiosity, in Egyptians (formal religious education of both Muslims and Christians) and Ukrainians (more spontaneous process): Egyptians seem to learn to resort to the religious coping, which could be an indication that, in principle, it is possible and necessary to train individuals in desirable coping behavior.

Keywords: coping behavior, cross-cultural research, ethnic and religious identity, hierarchical pattern of coping

Procedia PDF Downloads 162

Authors: Khadijeh Abhari, Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush, Saeid Hosseinzadeh

Abstract:

Probiotics have been considered as an approach to treat and prevent a wide range of inflammatory diseases. The spore forming probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects in both animals and humans. The prebiotic, inulin, also potentially affects the immune system as a result of the change in the composition or fermentation profile of the gastrointestinal microbiota. An in vivo trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotic B. coagulans, and inulin, either separately or in combination, on down regulate immune responses and progression of rheumatoid arthritis using induced arthritis rat model. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups and fed as follow: 1) control: Normal healthy rats fed by standard diet, 2) Disease control (RA): Arthritic induced (RA) rats fed by standard diet, 3) Prebiotic (PRE): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin, 4) Probiotic (PRO): RA+ 109 spores/day B. coagulans by orogastric gavage, 5) Synbiotic (SYN): RA+ 5% w/w long chain inulin and 109 spores/day B. coagulans and 6) Treatment control: (INDO): RA+ 3 mg/kg/day indomethacin by orogastric gavage. Feeding with mentioned diets started on day 0 and continued to the end of study. On day 14, rats were injected with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) to induce arthritis. Arthritis activity was evaluated by biochemical parameters and paw thickness. Biochemical assay for Fibrinogen (Fn), Serum Amyloid A (SAA), TNF-α and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (α1AGp) was performed on day 21, 28 and 35 (1, 2 and 3 weeks post RA induction). Pretreatment with PRE, PRO and SYN diets significantly inhibit SAA and Fn production in arthritic rats (P < 0.001). A significant decrease in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, was seen in PRE, PRO and SYN groups (P < 0.001) which was similar to the effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Indomethacin. Further, there were no significant anti-inflammatory effects observed following different treatments using α1AGp as a RA indicator. Pretreatment with all supplied diets significantly inhibited the development of paw swelling induced by CFA (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Results of this study support that oral intake of probiotic B. coagulans and inulin are able to improve biochemical and clinical parameters of induced RA in rat.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, bacillus coagulans, inulin, animal model

Procedia PDF Downloads 356

Authors: Joudia Akil, Stephane Siffert, Laurence Pirault-Roy, Renaud Cousin, Christophe Poupin

Abstract:

Oxyfuel combustion is a promising method that enables to obtain a CO2 rich stream, with water vapor ( ̴10%), unburned components such as CO and NO, which must be cleaned before the use of CO2. Our objective is then the final treatment of CO and NO by catalysis. Three-way catalysts are well-developed material for simultaneous conversion of NO, CO and hydrocarbons. Pt and/or Rh ensure a quasi-complete removal of NOx, CO and HC and there is also a growing interest in partly replacing Pt with less-expensive Pd. The use of alumina and ceria as support ensures, respectively, the stabilization of such species in active state and discharging or storing oxygen to control the oxidation of CO and HC and the reduction of NOx. In this work, we will compare different metals (Pd, Rh and Pt) supported on Al2O3 and CeO2, for CO2 purification from oxyfuel combustion. The catalyst must reduce NO by CO in an oxidizing environment, in the presence of CO2 rich stream and resistant to water. In this study, Al2O3 and CeO2 were used as support materials of the catalysts. 1wt% M/Support where M = Pd, Rh or Pt catalysts were obtained by wet impregnation on supports with a precursor of palladium [Pd(acac)2], rhodium [Rh(NO3)3] and platinum [Pt(NO2)2(NO3)2]. Materials were characterized by BET surface area, H2 chemisorption, and TEM. Catalytic activity was evaluated in CO2 purification which is carried out in a fixed-bed flow reactor containing 150 mg of catalyst at atmospheric pressure. The flow of the reactant gases is composed of: 20% CO2, 10% O2, 0.5% CO, 0.02% NO and 8.2% H2O (He as eluent gas) with a total flow of 200 mL.min−1, with same GHSV (2.24x104 h-1). The catalytic performances of the samples were investigated with and without water. It shows that the total oxidation of CO occurred over the different materials. This study evidenced an important effect of the nature of the metals, supports and the presence or absence of H2O during the reduction of NO by CO in oxyfuel combustions conditions. Rh based catalysts show that the addition of water has a very positive influence especially on the Rh catalyst on CeO2. Pt based catalysts keep a good activity despite the addition of water on the both supports studied. For the NO reduction, addition of water act as a poison with Pd catalysts. The interesting results of Rh based catalysts with water can be explained by a production of hydrogen through the water gas shift reaction. The produced hydrogen acts as a more effective reductant than CO for NO removal. Furthermore, in TWCs, Rh is the main component responsible for NOx reduction due to its especially high activity for NO dissociation. Moreover, cerium oxide is a promotor for WGSR.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, environmental chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 182

Authors: Deeba N. Baig, Ateeqa Ijaz, Saloome Rafiq

Abstract:

Camel is a religious and culturally significant animal in Asian and African regions. In Pakistan Dromedary and Bactrian are common camel breeds. Other than the transportation use, it is a pivotal source of milk and meat. The quality of its milk and meat is predominantly dependent on the geographical location and variety of vegetation available for the diet. Camel milk (CM) is highly nutritious because of its reduced cholesterol and sugar contents along with enhanced minerals and vitamins level. The absence of beta-lactoglobulin (like human milk), makes CM a safer alternative for infants and children having Cow Milk Allergy (CMA). In addition to this, it has a unique probiotic profile both in raw and fermented form. Number of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) including lactococcus, lactobacillus, enterococcus, streptococcus, weissella, pediococcus and many other bacteria have been detected. From these LAB Lactobacilli, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus are widely used commercially for fermentation purpose. CM has high therapeutic value as its effectiveness is known against various ailments like fever, arthritis, asthma, gastritis, hepatitis, Jaundice, constipation, postpartum care of women, anti-venom, dropsy etc. It also has anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, antitumor potential along with its robust efficacy in the treatment of auto-immune disorders. Recently, the role of CM has been explored in brain-gut axis for the therapeutics of neurodevelopmental disorders. In this connection, a lot of grey area was available to explore the probiotics and therapeutics latent in the CM available in Pakistan. Thus, current study was designed to explore the predominant probiotic flora and antimicrobial potential of CM from different local breeds of Pakistan. The probiotics have been identified through biochemical, physiological and ribo-typing methods. In addition to this, bacteriocins (antimicrobial-agents) were screened through PCR-based approach. Results of this study revealed that CM from different breeds of camel depicted a number of similar probiotic candidates along with the range of limited variability. However, the nucleotide sequence analysis of selected anti-listerial bacteriocins exposed least variability. As a conclusion, the CM has sufficient probiotic availability and significant anti-microbial potential.

Keywords: bacteriocins, camel milk, probiotics potential, therapeutics

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: Mariia Timofeeva, Andrew Ooi, Eric K. W. Poon, Peter Barlis

Abstract:

Atherosclerotic plaque build-up, commonly known as stenosis, limits blood flow and hence oxygen and nutrient supplies to the heart muscle. Thus, assessment of its severity is of great interest to health professionals. Numerical simulation of the fractional flow reserve (FFR) has proved to be well correlated with invasively measured FFR used for physiological assessment of the severity of coronary stenosis in arteries. Atherosclerosis may impact the diseased artery in several locations causing serial stenoses, which is a complicated subset of coronary artery disease that requires careful treatment planning. However, hemodynamic of the serial sequential stenoses in coronary arteries has not been extensively studied. The hemodynamics of the serial stenoses is complex because the stenoses in the series interact and affect the flow through each other. To address this, serial stenoses in a 3.4 mm left anterior descending (LAD) artery are examined in this study. Two diameter stenoses (DS) are considered, 30 and 50 percent of the reference diameter. Serial stenoses configurations are divided into three groups based on the order of the stenoses in the series, spacing between them, and deviation of the stenoses’ symmetry (eccentricity). A patient-specific pulsatile waveform is used in the simulations. Blood flow within the stenotic artery is assumed to be laminar, Newtonian, and incompressible. Results for the FFR are reported. Based on the simulation results, it can be deduced that the larger drop in pressure (smaller value of the FFR) is expected when the percentage of the second stenosis in the series is bigger. Varying the distance between the stenoses affects the location of the maximum drop in the pressure, while the minimal FFR in the artery remains unchanged. Eccentric serial stenoses are characterized by a noticeably larger decrease in pressure through the stenoses and by the development of the chaotic flow downstream of the stenoses. The largest drop in the pressure (about 4% difference compared to the axisymmetric case) is obtained for the serial stenoses, where both the stenoses are highly eccentric with the centerlines deflected to the different sides of the LAD. In conclusion, varying configuration of the sequential serial stenoses results in a different distribution of FFR through the LAD. Results presented in this study provide insight into the clinical assessment of the severity of the coronary serial stenoses, which is proved to depend on the relative position of the stenoses and the deviation of the stenoses’ symmetry.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics, coronary artery, fractional flow reserve, serial stenoses

Procedia PDF Downloads 182

Authors: K. L. Pan, M. B. Chang

Abstract:

Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) is regarded as one of the most important air pollutants. It not only causes adverse environmental effects but also harms human lungs and respiratory system. As a post-combustion treatment, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) possess the highest NO removal efficiency ( ≥ 85%), which is considered as the most effective technique for removing NO from gas streams. However, injection of reducing agent such as NH₃ is requested, and it is costly and may cause secondary pollution. Reduction of NO with carbon monoxide (CO) as reducing agent has been previously investigated. In this process, the key step involves the NO adsorption and dissociation. Also, the high performance mainly relies on the amounts of oxygen vacancy on catalyst surface and redox ability of catalyst, because oxygen vacancy can activate the N-O bond to promote its dissociation. Additionally, perfect redox ability can promote the adsorption of NO and oxidation of CO. Typically, noble metals such as iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), and palladium (Pd) are used as catalyst for the reduction of NO with CO; however, high cost has limited their applications. Recently, transition metal oxides have been investigated for the reduction of NO with CO, especially CuₓOy, CoₓOy, Fe₂O₃, and MnOₓ are considered as effective catalysts. However, deactivation is inevitable as oxygen (O₂) exists in the gas streams because active sites (oxygen vacancies) of catalyst are occupied by O₂. In this study, Cu-Ce-Fe-Co is prepared and supported on activated carbon by impregnation method to form 10% wt. Cu-Ce-Fe-Co/activated carbon catalyst. Generally, addition of activated carbon on catalyst can bring several advantages: (1) NO can be effectively adsorbed by interaction between catalyst and activated carbon, resulting in the improvement of NO removal, (2) direct NO decomposition may be achieved over carbon associated with catalyst, and (3) reduction of NO could be enhanced by a reducing agent over carbon-supported catalyst. Therefore, 10% wt. Cu-Ce-Fe-Co/activated carbon may have better performance for reduction of NO with CO. Experimental results indicate that NO conversion achieved with 10% wt. Cu-Ce-Fe-Co/activated carbon reaches 83% at 150°C with 300 ppm NO and 10,000 ppm CO. As temperature is further increased to 200°C, 100% NO conversion could be achieved, implying that 10% wt. Cu-Ce-Fe-Co/activated carbon prepared has good activity for the reduction of NO with CO. In order to investigate the effect of O₂ on reduction of NO with CO, 1-5% O₂ are introduced into the system. The results indicate that NO conversions still maintain at ≥ 90% with 1-5% O₂ conditions at 200°C. It is worth noting that effect of O₂ on reduction of NO with CO could be significantly improved as carbon is used as support. It is inferred that carbon support can react with O₂ to produce CO₂ as O₂ exists in the gas streams. Overall, 10% wt. Cu-Ce-Fe-Co/activated carbon is demonstrated with good potential for reduction of NO with CO, and possible mechanisms will be elucidated in this paper.

Keywords: nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), carbon monoxide (CO), reduction of NO with CO, carbon material, catalysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 256

Authors: Emanuela Zilli, Antonella Ruffatto, Davide Bonaldo, Stefano Bevilacqua, Tommaso Caputo, Luisa Fontana, Carmelina Saraceno, Antonio Sturaroo, Teodoro Sava, Antonio Madia

Abstract:

The new Hospital in Cittadella - ULSS 6 Euganea Health Trust, in the North-East of Italy (400 beds, project completion date in 2026), will partially take the place of the existing building. Interesting features have been suggested in order to project a modern, “environmental-friendly” and “people-friendly” building. Specific multidisciplinary meetings (involving stakeholders and professionals with different backgrounds) have been organized on a periodic basis in order to guarantee the appropriate implementation of logistic and organizational solutions related to eco-sustainability, integration with the context, and the concept of “design for all” and “humanization of care.” The resulting building will be composed of organic shapes determined by the external environment (sun movement, climate, landscape, pre-existing buildings, roads) and the needs of the internal environment (areas of care and diagnostic-treatment paths reorganized with experience gained during the pandemic), with extensive use of renewable energy, solar panels, a 4th-generation heating system, sanitised and maintainable surfaces. There is particular attention to the quality of the staff areas, which include areas dedicated to psycho-physical well-being (relax points, yoga gym), study rooms, and a centralized conference room. Outdoor recreational spaces and gardens for music and watercolour therapy will be included; atai-chi gym is dedicated to oncology patients. Integration in the urban and social context is emphasized through window placement toward the gardens (maternal-infant, mental health, and rehabilitation wards). Service areas such as dialysis, radiology, and labs have views of the medieval walls, the symbol of the city’s history. The new building has been designed to pursue the maximum level of eco-sustainability, harmony with the environment, and integration with the historical, urban, and social context; the concept of humanization of care has been considered in all the phases of the project management.

Keywords: environmental-friendly, humanization, eco-sustainability, new hospital

Procedia PDF Downloads 118

Authors: Pampita Chakraborty, Sukumar Mukherjee

Abstract:

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is commonly encountered metabolic disorder in clinical practice. An estimated 25 percent of DM patients develop foot problems. Foot ulceration and infection are one of the major causes of morbidity, hospitalization or even amputation. Objective: To isolate and identify bacterial pathogens in Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) and to observe its antimicrobial sensitivity pattern. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted for a period of 9 months at the Department of Microbiology, GD Hospital & Diabetes Institute, Kolkata. 75 DFU patients were recruited in the study. Specimens for microbiological studies obtained from ulcer base were examined as gram stained smear and was cultured aerobically on Nutrient agar, Blood agar and MacConkey agar plates. Antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed by disc diffusion techniques according to CLSI guidelines. Result: In this study out of 75cases, 73% (55/75) were male and 27% (20/75) were females with mean (SD) age of 51.11(±10) years. Out of 75 pus cultures, 63(84%) showed growth of microorganism making total of 81 bacterial isolates with 71.42% of monomicrobial infection and 28.57% of polymicrobial infection. Out of 81 isolates 53(65.43%) were gram negative and 21(25.92%) were gram positive. E.coli was relatively common isolate 21(26%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus 15(18.5%), Klebsiella pneumonia 14(17.28%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 (14.81%), Proteus spp. 3 (3.70%), and Enterococcus faecalis 6 (7.40%). 75% of Gram-negative microorganism were extended Beta-lactamase enzyme (ESBL) producer and around 20 % of Klebsiella and Proteus spp. were carbapenemase enzyme producer. Among Gram positive, around 50% of S.aureus was MRSA, sensitive only to Vancomycin, Teicoplanin & Linezolid. Conclusion: More prevalence of monomicrobial gram-negative bacteria than gram-positive bacteria in DFU was observed. This study emphasizes that Beta-Lactam group of antibiotics should not be the empirical treatment of choice for Gram-negative isolates; instead alternatives like Carbapenems, Amikacin could be a better option. On the other hand, Vancomycin and Linezolid are preferred for most of the infection with gram-positive aerobes. Continuous surveillance of resistant bacteria is required for empiric therapy.

Keywords: antibiotic resistant, antimicrobial susceptibility, diabetic foot ulcer, surveillance

Procedia PDF Downloads 369

Authors: En-Tzu Wang, Ting-Ann Wang, Yi-Hui Shen, Yu-Min Chou, Chi-Tai Fang, Chin-Hui Yang

Abstract:

Background and purpose: A mass varicella immunization program was established to provide free 1-dose vaccination for all 1-year-old children throughout Taiwan since 2004. The epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of varicella from 2000 to 2012 was investigated and the results will be essential to refine the national immunization policy. Method: We included patients (n = 17,838–164,245) with ICD-9-CM codes 052 (chickenpox) from the 2000 to 2012 National Health Insurance Database. The age, period, and cohort-specific incidence of varicella were calculated. The hospital admission rate, medical costs and indirect costs from the societal perspective of varicella including travel costs to the medical facility, registration fee, productivity losses of the patients and caregivers were also estimated. Result: There were 979,252 patients for medical treatment due to varicella from 2000 to 2012 in Taiwan. The implementation of a routine childhood varicella vaccination program has resulted in 87% decline in morbidity (881.49 to 115.17 per 100,000). The average age of patients increased from 7.9 years to 16.3 years. The overall varicella-related hospital admission rate was 15.5 per 1000 patients, and peaked in the groups of infants younger than 1 year, adults aged from 20 to 39 years and elders over 70 years. Among patients admitted to hospital, 33.5% of them had one or more complications. Patients with underlying diseases had higher admission rate (241.6 per 1,000) and longer duration of hospital stay (6.61 days vs. 4.76 days). The annual varicella-related medical expense declined after 2002 and the proportion of medical costs for admission has increased to 42%. The annual indirect costs from the societal perspective of varicella were 5.29 to 9.63 times higher than varicella-related medical costs. Every one dollar invested in the varicella immunization program, 2.97 dollars of medical and social costs were saved on average. Conclusion: The dramatic decline in morbidity, hospitalization, medical and social costs of varicella can be directly attributed to the implementation of the mass immunization program. Two-dose vaccination is recommended for both children with underlying diseases and susceptible adults to prevent serious complications and hospitalizations.

Keywords: disease burden, epidemiology, medical and social costs, varicella, varicella vaccine

Procedia PDF Downloads 411

Authors: Doron Markel

Abstract:

Water availability in most of the Middle East (especially in Jordan) is among the lowest in the world and has been even further exacerbated by the regional climatic change and the reduced rainfall. The Araba Valley in Israel is disconnected from the national water system. On the other hand, the Araba Valley, both in Israel and Jordan, is an excellent area for solar energy gaining. The Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan) is a hypersaline lake which its level declines at a rate of more than 1 m/y. The decline stems from the increasing use of all available freshwater resources that discharge into the Dead Sea and decreasing natural precipitation due to climate change in the Middle East. As an adaptation tool for this humanmade and Climate Change results, a comprehensive water-energy and environmental project were suggested: The Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance. It is planned to desalinate the Red Sea water, supply the desalinated water to both Israel and Jordan, and convey the desalination brine to the Dead Sea to stabilize its water level. Therefore, the World Bank had led a multi-discipline feasibility study between 2008 and 2013, that had mainly dealt with the mixing of seawater and Dead Sea Water. The possible consequences of such mixing were precipitation and possible suspension of secondary Gypsum, as well as blooming of Dunaliella red algae. Using a comprehensive hydrodynamic-geochemical model for the Dead Sea, it was predicted that while conveying up to 400 Million Cubic Meters per year of seawater or desalination brine to the Dead Sea, the latter would not be stratified as it was until 1979; hence Gypsum precipitation and algal blooms would be neglecting. Using another hydrodynamic-biological model for the Red Sea, it was predicted the Seawater pump from the Gulf of Eilat would not harm the ecological system of the gulf (including the sensitive coral reef), giving a pump depth of 120-160 m. Based on these studies, a pipeline conveyance was recommended to convey desalination brine to the Dead Sea with the use of a hydropower plant, utilizing the elevation difference of 400 m between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. The complementary energy would come from solar panels coupled with innovative storage technology, needed to produce a continuous energy production for an appropriate function of the desalination plant. The paper will describe the proposed project as well as the feasibility study results. The possibility to utilize this water-energy-environmental project as a climate change adaptation strategy for both Israel and Jordan will also be discussed.

Keywords: Red Sea, Dead Sea, water supply, hydro-power, Gypsum, algae

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: Zahra Shokrolahi, Mohammad Reza Atashzar

Abstract:

The goals of treating patients with breast cancer are to cure the disease, prolong survival, and improve quality of life. Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment have an important role in regulating tumor progression. The term of cellular immunotherapy refers to the administration of living cells to a patient; this type of immunotherapy can be active, such as a dendritic cell (DC) vaccine, in that the cells can stimulate an anti-tumour response in the patient, or the therapy can be passive, whereby the cells have intrinsic anti-tumour activity; this is known as adoptive cell transfer (ACT) and includes the use of autologous or allogeneic lymphocytes that may, or may not, be modified. The most important breast cancer cellular immunotherapies involving the use of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in adoptive cell transfer, as well as dendritic cells vaccines. T cell-based therapies including tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), engineered TCR-T cells, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T cell), Gamma-delta (γδ) T cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells. NK cell-based therapies including lymphokine-activated killers (LAK), cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells, CAR-NK cells. Adoptive cell therapy has some advantages and disadvantages some. TILs cell strictly directed against tumor-specific antigens but are inactive against tumor changes due to immunoediting. CIK cell have MHC-independent cytotoxic effect and also need concurrent high dose IL-2 administration. CAR T cell are MHC-independent; overcome tumor MHC molecule downregulation; potent in recognizing any cell surface antigen (protein, carbohydrate or glycolipid); applicable to a broad range of patients and T cell populations; production of large numbers of tumor-specific cells in a moderately short period of time. Meanwhile CAR T cells capable of targeting only cell surface antigens; lethal toxicity due to cytokine storm reported. Here we present the most popular cancer cellular immunotherapy approaches and discuss their clinical relevance referring to data acquired from clinical trials .To date, clinical experience and efficacy suggest that combining more than one immunotherapy interventions, in conjunction with other treatment options like chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted or epigenetic therapy, should guide the way to cancer cure.

Keywords: breast cancer , cell therapy , CAR T cell , CIK cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 130

Authors: Yung-Chih Kuo, Yung-I Lou

Abstract:

Cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (CSLNs) with anti-melanotransferrin (AMT) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) were used to carry antimitotic doxorubicin (Dox) across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment. Dox-loaded CSLNs were prepared in microemulsion, grafted covalently with AMT and ApoE, and applied to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), human astrocytes, and U87MG cells. Experimental results revealed that an increase in the weight percentage of stearyl amine (SA) from 0% to 20% increased the size of AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs. In addition, an increase in the stirring rate from 150 rpm to 450 rpm decreased the size of AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs. An increase in the weight percentage of SA from 0% to 20% enhanced the zeta potential of AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs. Moreover, an increase in the stirring rate from 150 rpm to 450 rpm reduced the zeta potential of AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs. AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs exhibited a spheroid-like geometry, a minor irregular boundary deviating from spheroid, and a somewhat distorted surface with a few zigzags and sharp angles. The encapsulation efficiency of Dox in CSLNs decreased with increasing weight percentage of Dox and the order in the encapsulation efficiency of Dox was 10% SA > 20% SA > 0% SA. However, the reverse order was true for the release rate of Dox, suggesting that AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs containing 10% SA had better-sustained release characteristics. An increase in the concentration of AMT from 2.5 to 7.5 μg/mL slightly decreased the grafting efficiency of AMT and an increase in that from 7.5 to 10 μg/mL significantly decreased the grafting efficiency. Furthermore, an increase in the concentration of ApoE from 2.5 to 5 μg/mL slightly reduced the grafting efficiency of ApoE and an increase in that from 5 to 10 μg/mL significantly reduced the grafting efficiency. Also, AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs at 10 μg/mL of ApoE could slightly reduce the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and increase the permeability of propidium iodide (PI). An incorporation of 10 μg/mL of ApoE could reduce the TEER and increase the permeability of PI. AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs at 10 μg/mL of AMT and 5-10 μg/mL of ApoE could significantly enhance the permeability of Dox across the BBB. AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs did not induce serious cytotoxicity to HBMECs. The viability of HBMECs was in the following order: AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs = AMT-Dox-CSLNs = Dox-CSLNs > Dox. The order in the efficacy of inhibiting U87MG cells was AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs > AMT-Dox-CSLNs > Dox-CSLNs > Dox. A surface modification of AMT and ApoE could promote the delivery of AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs to cross the BBB via melanotransferrin and low density lipoprotein receptor. Thus, AMT-ApoE-Dox-CSLNs have appropriate physicochemical properties and can be a potential colloidal delivery system for brain tumor chemotherapy.

Keywords: anti-melanotransferrin, apolipoprotein E, cationic catanionic solid lipid nanoparticle, doxorubicin, U87MG cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 284

Authors: Kelum N. Manamendra-Arachchi, Kalangi Rodrigo

Abstract:

Bones, teeth, and shells have been acknowledged over the last two centuries as evidence of chronology, Palaeo-environment, and human activity. Faunal traces are valid evidence of past situations because they have properties that have not changed over long periods of time. Sri Lanka has been known as an Island, which has a diverse variation of prehistoric occupation among ecological zones. Defining the Paleoecology of the past societies has been an archaeological thought developed in the 1960s. It is mainly concerned with the reconstruction from available geological and biological evidence of past biota, populations, communities, landscapes, environments, and ecosystems. Sri Lanka has dealt with this subject and considerable research has been already undertaken. The fossil and material record of Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone tropical forests continues from c. 38,000–34,000 ybp. This early and persistent human fossil, technical, and cultural florescence, as well as a collection of well-preserved tropical-forest rock shelters with associated ' on-site ' Palaeoenvironmental records, makes Sri Lanka a central and unusual case study to determine the extent and strength of early human tropical forest encounters. Excavations carried out in prehistoric caves in the low country wet zone has shown that in the last 50,000 years, the temperature in the lowland rainforests has not exceeded 5 degrees. Based on Semnopithecus Priam (Gray Langur) remains unearned from wet zone prehistoric caves, it has been argued that periods of momentous climate changes during the LGM and Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene boundary, with a recognizable preference for semi-open ‘Intermediate’ rainforest or edges. Continuous Genus Acavus and Oligospira occupation along with uninterrupted horizontal pervasive of Canarium sp. (‘kekuna’ nut) have proven that temperatures in the lowland rain forests have not changed by at least 5 oC over the last 50,000 years. Site Catchment or Territorial analysis cannot be no longer defensible, due to time-distance based factors as well as optimal foraging theory failed as a consequences of prehistoric people were aware of the decrease in cost-benefit ratio and located sites, and generally played out a settlement strategy that minimized the ratio of energy expanded to energy produced.

Keywords: palaeo-environment, prehistory, palaeo-ecology, zooarchaeology

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Rammah Abdlbagi, Egmen Tazcan, Kiriti Tripathi, Vinayagam Sudhakar, Thomas Swallow, Aakash Pai

Abstract:

Introduction and Objectives: MRI has an increasing role in the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. Multiparametric MRI includes multiple sequences, including T2 weighting, diffusion weighting, and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE). Administration of DCE is expensive, time-consuming, and requires medical supervision due to the risk of anaphylaxis. Biparametric MRI (bpMRI), without DCE, overcomes many of these issues; however, there is conflicting data on its accuracy. Furthermore, data on the concordance between bpMRI lesion and pathology specimen, as well as the rates of cancer stage upgrading after surgery, is limited within the available literature. This study aims to examine the diagnostic test accuracy of bpMRI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer and radiological assessment of prostate cancer staging. Specifically, we aimed to evaluate the ability of bpMRI to accurately localise malignant lesions to better understand its accuracy and application in MRI-targeted biopsies. Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty patients who underwent bpMRI prior to radical prostatectomy (RP) were retrospectively reviewed from a single institution. Histological grade from the prostate biopsy was compared with surgical specimens from RP. Clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) was defined as Gleason grade group ≥2. bpMRI staging was compared with RP histology. Results: Overall sensitivity of bpMRI in diagnosing csPCa independent of location and staging was 98.87%. Of the 140 patients, 29 (20.71%) had their prostate biopsy histology upgraded at RP. 61 (43.57%) patients had csPca noted on RP specimens in areas that were not identified on the bpMRI. 55 (39.29%) had upstaging after RP from the original staging with bpMRI. Conclusions: Whilst the overall sensitivity of bpMRI in predicting any clinically significant cancer was good, there was notably poor concordance in the location of the tumour between bpMRI and eventual RP specimen. The results suggest that caution should be exercised when using bpMRI for targeted prostate biopsies and validates the continued role of systemic biopsies. Furthermore, a significant number of patients were upstaged at RP from their original staging with bpMRI. Based on these findings, bpMRI results should be interpreted with caution and can underestimate TNM stage, requiring careful consideration of treatment strategy.

Keywords: biparametric MRI, Ca prostate, staging, post prostatectomy histology

Procedia PDF Downloads 70

Authors: Johanna Perdomo, Riki Lamont, Edmund Pickering, Naomi C. Paxton, Maria A. Woodruff

Abstract:

Background: Tissue Engineering (TE) has combined advanced materials, such as biomaterials, to create affordable scaffolds and dynamic systems to generate stimulation of seeded cells on these scaffolds, improving and maintaining the cellular growth process in a cell culture. However, Few TE skin products have been clinically translated, and more research is required to produce highly biomimetic skin substitutes that mimic the native elasticity of skin in a controlled manner. Therefore, this work will be focused on the fabrication of a novel mechanical system to enhance the TE treatment approaches for the reparation of damaged tissue skin. Aims: To archive this, a soft robotic device will be created to emulate different deformation of skin stress. The design of this soft robot will allow the attachment of scaffolds, which will then be mechanically actuated. This will provide a novel and highly adaptable platform for dynamic cell culture. Methods: Novel, low-cost soft robot is fabricated via 3D printed moulds and silicone. A low cost, electro-mechanical device was constructed to actuate the soft robot through the controlled combination of positive and negative air pressure to control the different state of movements. Mechanical tests were conducted to assess the performance and calibration of each electronic component. Similarly, pressure-displacement test was performed on scaffolds, which were attached to the soft robot, applying various mechanical loading regimes. Lastly, digital image correlation test was performed to obtain strain distributions over the soft robot’s surface. Results: The control system can control and stabilise positive pressure changes for long hours. Similarly, pressure-displacement test demonstrated that scaffolds with 5µm of diameter and wavy geometry can displace at 100%, applying a maximum pressure of 1.5 PSI. Lastly, during the inflation state, the displacement of silicone was measured using DIC method, and this showed a parameter of 4.78 mm and strain of 0.0652. Discussion And Conclusion: The developed soft robot system provides a novel and low-cost platform for the dynamic actuation of tissue scaffolds with a target towards dynamic cell culture.

Keywords: soft robot, tissue engineering, mechanical stimulation, dynamic cell culture, bioreactor

Procedia PDF Downloads 96

Authors: Roya Bakhtiar, Alireza Abdolmohammadi, Hadi Hajarian, Zahra Nikousefat, Davood, Kalantar-Neyestanaki

Abstract:

The objective of the present study was to determine the polymorphism in the leptin (332G>A) and its association with biometric traits in Sanjabi sheep. For this purpose, blood samples from 96 rams were taken, and tail length, width tail, circumference tail, body length, body width, and height were simultaneously recorded. PCR was performed using specific primer to amplify 463 bp fragment including exon 3 of leptin gene, and PCR products were digested by Cail restriction enzymes. The 332G>A (at 332th nucleotide of exon 3 leptin gene) that caused an amino acid change from Arg to Gln was detected by Cail (CAGNNNCTG) endonuclease, as the endonuclease cannot cut this region if G nucleotide is located in this position. Three genotypes including GG (463), GA (463, 360and 103 bp) and GG (360 bp and 103 bp) were identified after digestion by enzyme. The estimated frequencies of three genotypes including GG, GA, and AA for 332G>A locus were 0.68, 0.29 and 0.03 and those were 0.18 and 0.82 for A and G alleles, respectively. In the current study, chi-square test indicated that 332G>A positions did not deviate from the Hardy–Weinberg (HW) equilibrium. The most important reason to show HW equation was that samples used in this study belong to three large local herds with a traditional breeding system having random mating and without selection. Shannon index amount was calculated which represent an average genetic variation in Sanjabi rams. Also, heterozygosity estimated by Nei index indicated that genetic diversity of mutation in the leptin gene is moderate. Leptin gene polymorphism in the 332G>A had significant effect on body length (P<0.05) trait, and individuals with GA genotype had significantly the higher body length compared to other individuals. Although animals with GA genotype had higher body width, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). This non-synonymous SNP resulted in different amino acid changes at codon positions111(R/Q). As leptin activity is localized, at least in part, in domains between amino acid residues 106-1406, it is speculated that the detected SNP at position 332 may affect the activity of leptin and may lead to different biological functions. Based to our results, due to significant effect of leptin gene polymorphism on body size traits, this gene may be used a candidate gene for improving these traits.

Keywords: body size, Leptin gene, PCR-RFLP, Sanjabi sheep

Procedia PDF Downloads 341

Authors: Lethukuthula Ngobese, Abin Gupthar, Patrick Govender

Abstract:

The ability of yeast cell wall-derived mannoproteins (glycoproteins) to positively contribute to oenological properties has been a key factor that stimulates research initiatives into these industrially important glycoproteins. In addition, and from a fundamental research perspective, yeast cell wall glycoproteins are involved in a wide range of biological interactions. To date, and to the best of our knowledge, our understanding of the fine molecular structure of these mannoproteins is fairly limited. Generally, the amino acid sequences of their protein moieties have been established from structural and functional analysis of the genomic sequence of these yeasts whilst far less information is available on the glycosyl moieties of these mannoproteins. A novel strategy was devised in this study that entails the genetic engineering of yeast strains that over-express and release cell wall-associated glycoproteins into the liquid growth medium. To this end, the Flo1p mannoprotein was overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains bearing a specific deletion in KNR4 and GPI7 genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis that have been previously shown to extracellularly hyper-secrete cell wall-associated glycoproteins. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) -based cloning strategy was employed to generate transgenic yeast strains in which the native cell wall FLO1 glycoprotein-encoding gene is brought under transcriptional control of the constitutive PGK1 promoter. The modified Helm’s flocculation assay was employed to assess flocculation intensities of a Flo1p over-expressing wild type and deletion mutant as an indirect measure of their abilities to release the desired mannoprotein. The flocculation intensities of the transformed strains were assessed and all the strains showed similar intensities (>98% flocculation). To assess if mannoproteins were released into the growth medium, the supernatant of each strain was subjected to the BCA protein assay and the transformed Δknr4 strain showed a considerable increase in protein levels. This study has the potential to produce mannoproteins in sufficient quantities that may be employed in future investigations to understand their molecular structures and mechanisms of interaction to the benefit of both fundamental and industrial applications.

Keywords: glycoproteins, genetic engineering, flocculation, over-expression

Procedia PDF Downloads 415