Search results for: liver transplant candidates

Authors: Alexandru Grigorescu, Alexandra Protesanu

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Background: Approximately 34-67 percent of cancer patients experience an episode of uncontrolled pain during the course of their disease, depending on the stage. The aim is to provide evidence-based data for pain prevalence, diagnosis and treatment recommendations on an integrative model of medical oncology and palliative care for patients with cancer diagnostic in a day hospital. Patients and method: Consultation registers and electronic records of 166 Patients (Pts) were studied from April 2022 to March 2023. Pts with pain syndrome were selected. The pain was objectified by the visual pain scale. To elucidate the causes of the pain, investigations were carried out: bone scintigraphy, CT scan, and PET-CT. The analgesic treatments were represented by weak and strong morphine, radiotherapy, and bisphosphonates. Result: During the mentioned period, 166 oncological patients (74 women and 92 men) were treated in the oncology day hospitalization service. There were 1,500 consultations, 40 of which were only for pain. The neoplastic locations were: gynecological, malignant melanoma, breast, gastric, bronchopulmonary, colorectal, liver, pancreatic, bladder, and kidney. 70 Pts presented pain syndrome. The causes of the pain were represented by bone metastases, compressive tumors, and post-surgical status. Drug treatment: Tramadol 47 Pts, of which 10 switched to a major opioid (Oxycodonum, Morphine sulfate), 20 Pts were treated with Oxycodonum as the first intention. In 5 patients ry to rotated morphine, 20 Pts received palliative radiotherapy, 10 Pts were treated with bisphosphonates. 2 Pts required neurosurgery consultation for an antalgic intervention. 5 Pts had important adverse reactions to morphine. All patients and their families were advised by a medical oncologist and psychologist for a lifestyle change. Conclusions: The prevalence of pain was similar to that described in the literature. In most cases, the pain could be managed in the day hospital. Weak and strong morphine represented the main pain therapy. Palliative radiotherapy was the second most effective therapy. Treatment with bisphosphonates was useful. Surgical interventions were rarely indicated. Discussions with patients and their families regarding the lifestyle change were important.

Keywords: cancer pain, opioids, medical oncology, palliative care

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Authors: Rajesh Kumar Suman, Ipseeta Ray Mohanty, Manjusha K. Borde, Ujjawala maheswari, Y. A. Deshmukh

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Background: Metabolic syndrome encompasses cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease which includes abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The incidence of metabolic syndrome is on the rise globally. Objective: The present study was designed to develop a unique animal model that will mimic the pathological features seen in a large pool of individuals with diabetes and metabolic syndrome; suitable for pharmacological screening of drugs beneficial in this condition. Material and Methods: A combination of high fat diet (HFD) and low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) at 30, 35 and 40 mg/kg was used to induce metabolic syndrome co-existing with diabetes mellitus in Wistar rats. Results: The 40 mg/kg STZ produced sustained hyperglycemia and the dose was thus selected for our study to induce diabetes mellitus. Rat fed HFD (HF-DC) group showed significant (p < 0.001) increase in body weight on 4th and 7th week as compared with NC (Normal Control) group rats. However, the increase in body weight of HF-DC group rats was not sustained at the end of 10th weeks. Various components of metabolic syndrome such as dyslipidemia {(Increased Triglyceride, total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol and decreased HDL Cholesterol)}, diabetes mellitus (Blood Glucose, HbA1c, Serum Insulin, C-peptide), hypertension {Systolic Blood pressure (p < 0.001)} were mimicked in the developed model of metabolic syndrome co existing with diabetes mellitus. In addition significant cardiac injury as indicated by CPK-MB levels, artherogenic index, hs-CRP. The decline in hepatic function {(p < 0.01) increase in the level of SGPT (U/L)} and renal function {(increase in creatinine levels (p < 0.01)} when compared to NC group rats. The histopathological assessment confirmed presence of edema, necrosis and inflammation in Heart, Pancreas, Liver and Kidney of HFD-DC group as compared to NC. Conclusion: The present study has developed a unique rodent model of metabolic syndrome; with diabetes as an essential component.

Keywords: diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high fat diet, streptozotocin, rats

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Authors: Hanaa M. M. El-Khayat, Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Kadria M. A. Mahmoud, Hanan S. Gaber, Hoda, M. A. Abu Taleb, Hassan E. Flefel

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Snails are considered as suitable diagnostic organisms for heavy metal–contaminated sites. Biomphalaria alexandrina snails are used in this work as pollution bioindicators after exposure to chemical mixtures consisted of heavy metals (HM); zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb); and persistent organic pollutants; Decabromodiphenyl ether 98% (D) and Aroclor 1254 (A). The impacts of these tested chemicals, individual and mixtures, on liver and kidney functions, antioxidant enzymes, complete blood picture, and tissue histology were studied. Results showed that Cu was proved to be the highly toxic against snails than Zn and Pb where LC₅₀ values were 1.362, 213.198 and 277.396 ppm, respectively. Also, B. alexandrina snails exposed to the mixture of HM (¼ LC₅ Cu, Pb and Zn) showed the highest bioaccumulation of Cu and Zn in their whole tissue, the most significant increase in AST, ALT & ALP activities and the highest significant levels of total protein, albumin and globulin. Results showed significant alterations in CAT activity in snail tissue extracts while snail samples exposed to most experimental tests showed significant increase in GST activity. Snail samples that exposed to HM mixtures showed a significant decrease in total hemocytes count while snail samples that exposed to mixtures containing A & D showed a significant increase in total hemocytes and Hyalinocytes. Histopathological alterations in snail samples exposed to individual HM and their mixtures for 4 weeks showed degeneration, edema, hyper trophy and vaculation in head-foot muscle, degeneration and necrotic changes in the digestive gland and accumulation in most tested organs. Also, the hermaphrodite gland showed mature ova with irregular shape and reduction in sperm number. In conclusion, the resulted damage and alterations in B. alexandrina studied parameters can be used as bioindicators to the presence of pollutants in its habitats.

Keywords: Biomphalaria, Zn, Cu, Pb, AST, ALT, ALP, total protein albumin, globulin, CAT, histopathology

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Authors: Malek Makki

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The main purpose of this research study is to assist non-profit organizations (NPOs) to better segment a group of least developing countries and to optimally target the most needier areas, so that the provided aids make positive and lasting differences. We applied international marketing and strategy approaches to segment a sub-group of candidates among a group of 151 countries identified by the UN-G77 list, and furthermore, we point out the areas of priorities. We use reliable and well known criteria on the basis of economics, geography, demography and behavioral. These criteria can be objectively estimated and updated so that a follow-up can be performed to measure the outcomes of any program. We selected 12 socio-economic criteria that complement each other: GDP per capita, GDP growth, industry value added, export per capita, fragile state index, corruption perceived index, environment protection index, ease of doing business index, global competitiveness index, Internet use, public spending on education, and employment rate. A weight was attributed to each variable to highlight the relative importance of each criterion within the country. Care was taken to collect the most recent available data from trusted well-known international organizations (IMF, WB, WEF, and WTO). Construct of equivalence was carried out to compare the same variables across countries. The combination of all these weighted estimated criteria provides us with a global index that represents the level of development per country. An absolute index that combines wars and risks was introduced to exclude or include a country on the basis of conflicts and a collapsing state. The final step applied to the included countries consists of a benchmarking method to select the segment of countries and the percentile of each criterion. The results of this study allowed us to exclude 16 countries for risks and security. We also excluded four countries because they lack reliable and complete data. The other countries were classified per percentile thru their global index, and we identified the needier and the areas where aids are highly required to help any NPO to prioritize the area of implementation. This new concept is based on defined, actionable, accessible and accurate variables by which NPO can implement their program and it can be extended to profit companies to perform their corporate social responsibility acts.

Keywords: developing countries, international marketing, non-profit organization, segmentation

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Authors: Umar Saeed

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Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases Par14 and Par17 in humans play crucial roles in diverse cellular processes, including protein folding, chromatin remodeling, DNA binding, ribosome biogenesis, and cell cycle progression. However, the effects of Par14 and Par17 on viral replication have been explored to a limited extent. We first time discovered their influential roles in promoting Hepatitis B Virus replication. In this study, we observed that in the presence of HBx, either Par14 or Par17 could upregulate HBV replication. However, in the absence of HBx, neither Par14 nor Par17 had any effect on replication. Their mechanism of action involves binding to specific motifs within HBc and HBx proteins. Notably, they target the conserved 133Arg-Pro134 (RP) motif of HBc and the 19RP20-28RP29 motifs of HBx. This interaction is fundamental for the stability of HBx, core particles, and HBc. Par14 and Par17 exhibit versatility by binding both outside and inside core particles, thereby facilitating core particle assembly through their participation in HBc dimer-dimer interactions. NAGE and immunoblotting analyses unveiled the binding of Par14/Par17 to core particles. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments further demonstrated the interaction of Par14/Par17 with core particle assembly-defective and dimer-positive HBc-Y132A. It's essential to emphasize that R133 is the key residue in the HBc RP motif that governs their interaction with Par14/Par17. Chromatin immunoprecipitation conducted on HBV-infected cells elucidated the participation of residues S19 and E46/D74 in Par14 and S44 and E71/D99 in Par17 in the recruitment of 133RP134 motif-containing HBc into cccDNA. Depleting PIN4 in liver cell lines results in a significant reduction in cccDNA levels, pgRNA, sgRNAs, HBc, core particle assembly, and HBV DNA synthesis. Notably, parvulin inhibitors like juglone and PiB have proven to be effective in substantially reducing HBV replication. These inhibitors weaken the interaction between HBV core particles and Par14/Par17, underscoring the dynamic nature of this interaction. It's also worth noting that specific Par14/Par17 inhibitors hold promise as potential therapeutic options for chronic hepatitis B.

Keywords: Par14Par17, HBx, HBc, cccDNA, HBV

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Authors: Esra Polat

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Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) is a statistical method for classification and consists a classical Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) in which the dependent variable is a categorical one expressing the class membership of each observation. PLSDA can be applied in many cases when classical discriminant analysis cannot be applied. For example, when the number of observations is low and when the number of independent variables is high. When there are missing values, PLSDA can be applied on the data that is available. Finally, it is adapted when multicollinearity between independent variables is high. The aim of this study is to determine the economic and/or demographic indicators, which are effective in grouping the 28 European Union (EU) member countries and 7 candidate countries (including potential candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Kosova) by using the data set obtained from database of the World Bank for 2014. Leaving the political issues aside, the analysis is only concerned with the economic and demographic variables that have the potential influence on country’s eligibility for EU entrance. Hence, in this study, both the performance of PLSDA method in classifying the countries correctly to their pre-defined groups (candidate or member) and the differences between the EU countries and candidate countries in terms of these indicators are analyzed. As a result of the PLSDA, the value of percentage correctness of 100 % indicates that overall of the 35 countries is classified correctly. Moreover, the most important variables that determine the statuses of member and candidate countries in terms of economic indicators are identified as 'external balance on goods and services (% GDP)', 'gross domestic savings (% GDP)' and 'gross national expenditure (% GDP)' that means for the 2014 economical structure of countries is the most important determinant of EU membership. Subsequently, the model validated to prove the predictive ability by using the data set for 2015. For prediction sample, %97,14 of the countries are correctly classified. An interesting result is obtained for only BiH, which is still a potential candidate for EU, predicted as a member of EU by using the indicators data set for 2015 as a prediction sample. Although BiH has made a significant transformation from a war-torn country to a semi-functional state, ethnic tensions, nationalistic rhetoric and political disagreements are still evident, which inhibit Bosnian progress towards the EU.

Keywords: classification, demographic indicators, economic indicators, European Union, partial least squares discriminant analysis

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Authors: Seema Sant

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In the 21st century were four generation workforces are working, it’s crucial for organizations to build talent management strategy, as tech-savvy Gen Y has entered the work force. They are more connected to each other than ever – through the internet enabled Social media networks Social media has become important in today’s world. The users of such Social media sites have increased in multiple. From sharing their opinion for a brand/product to researching a company before going for an interview, making a conception about a company’s culture or following a Company’s updates due to sheer interest or for job vacancy, Work force today is constantly in touch with social networks. Thus corporate world has rightly realized its potential uses for business purpose. Companies now use social media for marketing, advertising, consumer survey, etc. For HR professionals, it is used for networking and connecting to the Talent pool- through Talent Community. Social recruiting is the process of sourcing or hiring candidates through the use of social sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook Twitter which provide them with an array of information about potential employee; this study represents an exploratory investigation on the role of social networking sites in recruitment. The primarily aim is to analyze the factors that can enhance the channel of recruitment used by of the recruiter with specific reference to the IT organizations in Mumbai, India. Particularly, the aim is to identify how and why companies use social media to attract and screen applicants during their recruitment processes. It also examines the advantages and limitations of recruitment through social media for employers. This is done by literature review. Further, the papers examine the recruiter impact and understand the various opportunities which have created due to technology, thus, to analyze and examine these factors, both primary, as well as secondary data, are collected for the study. The primary data are gathered from five HR manager working in five top IT organizations in Mumbai and 100 HR consultants’ i.e., recruiter. The data was collected by conducting a survey and supplying a closed-ended questionnaire. A comprehension analysis of the study is depicted through graphs and figures. From the analysis, it was observed that there exists a positive relationship between the level of employee recruited through social media and their organizational commitment. Finally the findings show that company’s i.e. recruiters are currently using social media in recruitment, but perhaps not as effective as they could be. The paper gives recommendations and conditions for success that can help employers to make the most out of social media in recruitment.

Keywords: recruitment, social media, social sites, workforce

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Authors: Yasmin Begum Mohammed

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Ketorolac tromethamine (KTM) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity due to prostaglandin related inhibitory effect of drug. It is a non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor. The drug is currently used orally and intramuscularly in multiple divided doses, clinically for the management arthritis, cancer pain, post-surgical pain, and in the treatment of migraine pain. KTM has short biological half-life of 4 to 6 hours, which necessitates frequent dosing to retain the action. The frequent occurrence of gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, peptic ulceration, and renal failure lead to the development of other drug delivery strategies for the appropriate delivery of KTM. The ideal solution would be to target the drug only to the cells or tissues affected by the disease. Drug targeting could be achieved effectively by liposomes that are biocompatible and biodegradable. The aim of the study was to develop a parenteral liposome formulation of KTM with improved efficacy while reducing side effects by targeting the inflammation due to arthritis. PEG-anchored (stealth) and non-PEG-anchored liposomes were prepared by thin film hydration technique followed by extrusion cycle and characterized for in vitro and in vivo. Stealth liposomes (SLs) exhibited increase in percent encapsulation efficiency (94%) and 52% percent of drug retention during release studies in 24 h with good stability for a period of 1 month at -20°C and 4°C. SLs showed about maximum 55% of edema inhibition with significant analgesic effect. SLs produced marked differences over those of non-SL formulations with an increase in area under plasma concentration time curve, t₁/₂, mean residence time, and reduced clearance. 0.3% of the drug was detected in arthritic induced paw with significantly reduced drug localization in liver, spleen, and kidney for SLs when compared to other conventional liposomes. Thus SLs help to increase the therapeutic efficacy of KTM by increasing the targeting potential at the inflammatory region.

Keywords: biodistribution, ketorolac tromethamine, stealth liposomes, thin film hydration technique

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Authors: Leila Rashki Ghaleno, Mohamad Amin Hajari, Leila Montazeri, Abdolhossein Shahverdi, Mojtaba Rezazadeh Valojerdi

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Background: Spermatogonia stem cells (SSCs) exhibit pluripotency, enabling them to undergo differentiation into many cell lineages, including neurons, glia, endothelial cells, and hepatocytes when cultured in vitro. Although the specific mechanisms are not yet fully understood, it has been observed that biopolymer agents, such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and alginate (Alg), have the potential to induce transdifferentiation of SSCs. The current work aimed to examine the process of in vitro spermatogenesis and the conversion of mouse testicular cells into hepatocytes and erythrocyte-like cells utilizing the HA-Alg hydrogel. Method: After being extracted from the testes of a 5-day postpartum mouse (5 DPP), the testicular cells were separated into two enzymatic stages and then put into a composite hydrogel containing 0.5% HA and 1% alginate. On days 14 and 28 of culture, the colonies' growth, the cells' viability, and their histology were assessed. Result: Despite observing significant cell proliferation on day 14 and the development of circular-shaped organoids on day 28, it was noted that the organoids generated in the HA-Alg medium tended to maintain their circular morphology on day 28. Notably, the testicular cells underwent transdifferentiation into cell types resembling erythrocytes and hepatocytes. The hepatocyte-like cells exhibited the presence of glycogen and lipid deposits, indicating their hepatocyte-like characteristics. Interestingly, immunostaining analysis revealed the secretion of albumin and the presence of VEGFR on day 14. However, on day 28, albumin expression was not detected, while the expression of Sox9 (a marker for hepatocytes), Vegf, CD34, and C-kit (markers for erythrocytes) showed increased levels in the gene expression evaluation. Conclusion: The present findings indicated that HA-Alg could be a potent and effective agent for the transdifferentiation of testis cells into erythrocyte and hepatocyte-like cells, as recent studies have confirmed the transformation of SSCs into hepatocyte cells during in vitro culture.

Keywords: 3D culture, mouse testicular cell, hyaluronic acid, liver organoids

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Authors: Belal Bakheet, John Beardall, Xiwang Zhang, David McCarthy

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The potential risks associated with toxic cyanobacteria have raised growing environmental and public health concerns leading to an increasing effort into researching ways to bring about their removal from water, together with destruction of their associated cyanotoxins. A variety of toxins are synthesized by cyanobacteria and include hepatotoxins, neurotoxins, and cytotoxins which can cause a range of symptoms in humans from skin irritation to serious liver and nerve damage. Therefore drinking water treatment processes should ensure the consumers’ safety by removing both cyanobacterial cells, and cyanotoxins from the water. Cyanobacterial cells and cyanotoxins presented challenges to the conventional water treatment systems; their accumulation within drinking water treatment plants has been reported leading to plants shut down. Thus, innovative and effective water purification systems to tackle cyanobacterial pollution are required. In recent years there has been increasing attention to the electrochemical oxidation process as a feasible alternative disinfection method which is able to generate in situ a variety of oxidants that would achieve synergistic effects in the water disinfection process and toxin degradation. By utilizing only electric current, the electrochemical process through electrolysis can produce reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals from the water, or other oxidants such as chlorine from chloride ions present in the water. From extensive physiological and morphological investigation of cyanobacterial cells during electrolysis, our results show that these oxidants have significant impact on cell inactivation, simultaneously with cyanotoxins removal without the need for chemicals addition. Our research aimed to optimize existing electrochemical oxidation systems and develop new systems to treat water containing toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins. The research covers detailed mechanism study on oxidants production and cell inactivation in the treatment under environmental conditions. Overall, our study suggests that the electrochemical treatment process e is an effective method for removal of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins.

Keywords: toxic cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, electrochemical process, oxidants

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Authors: Matej Patzelt, Jana Mrzilkova, Jan Dudak, Frantisek Krejci, Jan Zemlicka, Zdenek Wurst, Petr Zach, Vladimir Musil

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Introduction: Micro-CT is well used for examination of bone structures and teeth. On the other hand visualization of the soft tissues is still limited. The goal of our study was to elaborate methodology for soft tissue samples imaging in micro-CT. Methodology: We used organs of rats and mice. We either did a preparation of the organs and fixation in contrast solution or we did cannulation of blood vessels and their injection for imaging of the vascular system. First, we scanned native specimens, then we created corrosive specimens by resins. In the next step, we injected vascular system either by Aurovist contrast agent or by Exitron. In the next step, we focused on soft tissues contrast increase. We scanned samples fixated in Lugol solution, samples fixated in pure ethanol and in formaldehyde solution. All used methods were afterwards compared. Results: Native specimens did not provide sufficient contrast of the tissues in any of organs. Corrosive samples of the blood stream provided great contrast and details; on the other hand, it was necessary to destroy the organ. Further examined possibility was injection of the AuroVist contrast that leads to the great bloodstream contrast. Injection of Exitron contrast agent comparing to Aurovist did not provide such a great contrast. The soft tissues (kidney, heart, lungs, brain, and liver) were best visualized after fixation in ethanol. This type of fixation showed best results in all studied tissues. Lugol solution had great results in muscle tissue. Fixation by formaldehyde solution showed similar quality of contrast in the tissues like ethanol. Conclusion: Before imaging, we need to, first, determinate which structures of the soft tissues we want to visualize. In the case of the bloodstream, the best was AuroVist and corrosive specimens. Muscle tissue is best visualized by Lugol solution. In the case of the organs containing cavities, like kidneys or brain, the best way was ethanol fixation.

Keywords: experimental imaging, fixation, micro-CT, soft tissues

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Authors: Kim Kennedy, Daren Gibson, Stephanie Flukes, Chandra Diwakarla, Lisa Spalding, Leanne Pilkington, Andrew Redfern

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Introduction: The mortality gap in Aboriginal Head and Neck Cancer is well known, but the reasons for poorer survival are not well established. Aim: We aimed to evaluate the locoregional and metastatic involvement, and stage at diagnosis, in Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of 320 HNC patients from a single centre in Western Australia, identifying 80 Aboriginal patients and 240 non-Aboriginal patients matched on a 1:3 ratio by sites, histology, rurality, and age. We collected data on the patient characteristics, tumour features, regions involved, stage at diagnosis, treatment history, and survival and relapse patterns, including sites of metastatic and locoregional involvement. Results: Aboriginal patients had a significantly higher incidence of lung metastases (26.3% versus 13.7%, p=0.009). Aboriginal patients also had a numerically but non-statistically significant higher incidence of thoracic nodal involvement (10% vs 5.8%) and malignant pleural effusions (3.8% vs 2.5%). Aboriginal patients also had a numerically but not statistically significantly higher incidence of adrenal and bony involvement. Interestingly, non-Aboriginal patients had an increased rate of cutaneous (2.1% vs 0%) and liver metastases (4.6% vs 2.5%) compared with Aboriginal patients. In terms of locoregional involvement, Aboriginal patients were more than twice as likely to have contralateral neck involvement (58.8% vs 24.2%, p<0.00001), and 30% more likely to have ipsilateral neck lymph node involvement (78.8% vs 60%, p=0.002) than non-Aboriginal patients. Aboriginal patients had significantly more advanced disease at diagnosis (p=0.008). Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal patients were less likely to present with stage I (7.5% vs 22.5%), stage II (11.3% vs 13.8%), or stage III disease (13.8% vs 17.1%), and more likely to present with more advanced stage IVA (42.5% vs 34.6%), stage IVB (15% vs 7.1%), or stage IVC (10% vs 5%) disease (p=0.008). Number of regions of disease involvement was higher in Aboriginal patients (median 3, mean 3.64, range 1-10) compared with non-Aboriginal patients (median 2, mean 2.80, range 1-12). Conclusion: Aboriginal patients had a significantly higher incidence of lung metastases, and significantly more frequent involvement of ipsilateral and contralateral neck lymph nodes. Aboriginal patients also had significantly more advanced disease at presentation with a higher stage at diagnosis. We are performing further analyses to investigate explanations for these findings.

Keywords: head and neck cancer, Aboriginal, metastases, locoregional, pattern of relapse, sites of disease

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Authors: Masome Moeni, Roya Abedizadeh, Elham Aram, Hamid Sadeghi-Abandansari, Davood Sabour, Robert Menzel, Ali Hassanpour

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Significant number of studies and preclinical research in formulation of cancer nano-pharmaceutics have led to an improvement in cancer care. Nonetheless, the antineoplastic agents have ‘failed to live up to its promise’ since their clinical performance is moderately low. For almost ninety years, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPS) have managed to keep its reputation in clinical application due to their low toxicity, versatility and multi-modal capabilities. Drug Administration approved utilization of IONPs for diagnosis of cancer as contrast media in magnetic resonance imaging, as heat mediator in magnetic hyperthermia and for the treatment of iron deficiency. Furthermore, IONPs have high drug-loading capacity, which makes them good candidates as therapeutic agent transporters. There are yet challenges to overcome for successful clinical application of IONPs, including stability of drug and poor delivery, which might lead to (i) drug resistance, (ii) shorter blood circulation time, and (iii) rapid elimination and adverse side effects from the system. In this study, highly stable and super paramagnetic IONPs were prepared for efficient and targeted drug delivery in cancer treatment. The synthesis procedure was briefly involved the production of IONPs via co-precipitation followed by coating with tetraethyl orthosilicate and 3-aminopropylethoxysilane and grafting with folic acid for stability targeted purposes and controlled drug release. Physiochemical and morphological properties of modified IONPs were characterised using different analytical techniques. The resultant IONPs exhibited clusters of 10 nm spherical shape crystals with less than 100 nm size suitable for drug delivery. The functionalized IONP showed mesoporous features, high stability, dispersibility and crystallinity. Subsequently, the functionalized IONPs were successfully loaded with oxaliplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent, for a controlled drug release in an actively targeting cancer cells. FT-IR observations confirmed presence of oxaliplatin functional groups, while ICP-MS results verified the drug loading was ~ 1.3%.

Keywords: cancer treatment, chemotherapeutic agent, drug delivery, iron oxide, multi-functional nanoparticle

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Authors: Getahun Nigusie Demise

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Background; antiretroviral treatment reduce HIV-related morbidity, and prolonged survival of patients however, there is lack of up-to-date information concerning the treatment long term effect on the survival of HIV positive children especially in the study area. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the incidence and predictors of mortality among HIV positive children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in public hospitals of Harer town who were enrolled from 2011 to 2021. Methodology: Institution based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 429 HIV positive children enrolled in ART clinic from January 1st 2011 to December30th 2021. Data were collected from medical cards by using a data extraction form, Descriptive analyses were used to Summarized the results, and life table was used to estimate survival probability at specific point of time after introduction of ART. Kaplan Meier survival curve together with log rank test was used to compare survival between different categories of covariates, and Multivariate Cox-proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate adjusted Hazard rate. Variables with p-values ≤0.25 in bivariable analysis were candidates to the multivariable analysis. Finally, variables with p-values < 0.05 were considered as significant variables. Results: The study participants had followed for a total of 2549.6 child-years (30596 child months) with an overall mortality rate of 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1, 2.04) per 100 child-years. Their median survival time was 112 months (95% CI: 101–117). There were 38 children with unknown outcome, 39 deaths, and 55 children transfer out to different facility. The overall survival at 6, 12, 24, 48 months were 98%, 96%, 95%, 94% respectively. being in WHO clinical Stage four (AHR=4.55, 95% CI:1.36, 15.24), having anemia(AHR=2.56, 95% CI:1.11, 5.93), baseline low absolute CD4 count (AHR=2.95, 95% CI: 1.22, 7.12), stunting (AHR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.11, 15.42), wasting (AHR=4.93, 95% CI: 1.31, 18.76), poor adherence to treatment (AHR=3.37, 95% CI: 1.25, 9.11), having TB infection at enrollment (AHR=3.26, 95% CI: 1.25, 8.49),and no history of change their regimen(AHR=7.1, 95% CI: 2.74, 18.24), were independent predictors of death. Conclusion: more than half of death occurs within 2 years. Prevalent tuberculosis, anemia, wasting, and stunting nutritional status, socioeconomic factors, and baseline opportunistic infection were independent predictors of death. Increasing early screening and managing those predictors are required.

Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus-positive children, anti-retroviral therapy, survival, treatment, Ethiopia

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Authors: Robin Turner

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In the context of the strengthening conservative movements such as “Brexit” and the election of US President Donald Trump, the global political stage was shaken up by the election of Emmanuel Macron to the French presidency, defeating the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. The election itself was a first for the Fifth Republic in which neither final candidate was from the traditional two major political parties: the left Parti Socialiste (PS) and the right Les Républicains (LR). Macron, who served as the Minister of Finance under his predecessor, founded the centrist liberal political party En Marche! in April 2016 before resigning from his post in August to launch his bid for the presidency. Between the time of the party’s creation to the first round of elections a year later, Emmanuel Macron and En Marche! had garnered enough support to make it to the run-off election, finishing far ahead of many seasoned national political figures. Now months into his presidency, the youngest President of the Republic shows no sign of losing fuel anytime soon. His unprecedented success raises a lot of questions with respect to international relations, economics, and the evolving relationship between the French government and its citizens. The effectiveness of Macron’s campaign, of course, relies on many factors, one of which is his manner of communicating his platform to French voters. Using data from oral discourse and primary material from Macron and En Marche! in sources such as party publications and Twitter, the study categorizes linguistic instruments – address, lexicon, tone, register, and syntax – to identify prevailing patterns of speech and communication. The linguistic analysis in this project is two-fold. In addition to these findings’ stand-alone value, these discourse patterns are contextualized by comparable discourse of other 2017 presidential candidates with high emphasis on that of Marine Le Pen. Secondly, to provide an alternative approach, the study contextualizes Macron’s discourse using those of two immediate predecessors representing the traditional stronghold political parties, François Hollande (PS) and Nicolas Sarkozy (LR). These comparative methods produce an analysis that gives insight to not only a contributing factor to Macron’s successful 2017 campaign but also provides insight into how Macron’s platform presents itself differently to previous presidential platforms. Furthermore, this study extends analysis to supply data that contributes to a wider analysis of the defeat of “traditional” French political parties by the “start-up” movement En Marche!.

Keywords: Emmanuel Macron, French, discourse analysis, political discourse

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Authors: Nurjannatul Naim Kamaruddin, Tengku Sifziuzl Tengku Muhammad, Aina Farahiyah Abdul Manan, Habsah Mohamad

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Atherosclerosis which leads to cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, unstable angina (ischemic heart pain), sudden cardiac death and stroke is the principal cause of death worldwide. It has been a very critical issue as current common drug treatment, statin therapy has left bad side effects like rhabdomyolysis, atrial fibrillation, liver disease, abdominal and chest pain. Interestingly, the discoveries of proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 have paved a new way in the treatment of atherosclerosis. This serine protease is believed to involve in the regulation of LDL- uptake by LDL-receptor. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential of Acanthaster plancii fractions to reduce the transcriptional activity of the PCSK9 promoter. In this study, the marine organism which is Acanthaster plancii has been used as the source for marine compounds in inhibiting PCSK9. The cytotoxicity activity of ten fractions from the methanol extracts of Acanthaster plancii was investigated on HepG2 cell lines using MTS assay and dual glo luciferase assay was carried out later to analyses the effects of the samples in reducing the transcriptional activity of the PCSK9 promoter. Both assays used fractions with five different concentrations, 3.13µg/mL, 6.25µg/mL, 12.5µg/mL, 25µg/mL, and 50µg/mL. MTS assay indicated that the fractions are non-cytotoxic towards HepG2 cell lines as their IC50 value is greater than 30µg/mL. Whilst, for the dual glo luciferase assay, among all the fractions, Enhance Fraction 2 (EF2) showed the best potential in reducing the transcriptional activity of the PCSK9 promoter. The results indicated that this EF2 gave the lowest PCSK9 promoter expression at low concentration which is 0.2 fold change at 6.25µg/mL. This finding suggested that further analysis should be done to validate the potential of Acanthaster plancii as the source of anti-atherosclerotic agent.

Keywords: Acanthaster plancii, atherosclerosis, luciferase assay, PCSK9

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Authors: Khairil Ahmad, Jenny Gryzelius, Mohd Helmi Mohd Sobri

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With the waning support for centrist ‘third-way’ politics across the Western world, there has been an increase in political parties and individual candidates relying on populist political discourse and rhetoric in order to capitalize on the sense of frustration apparent within the electorate. What is of note is the divergence in the discourses employed. On the one hand, there is a polarization between a growing wave of populist right-wing parties and politicians, employing a mixture of economic populism with divisive nationalistic ideals such as restricted immigration, for example, the UK’s UKIP and Donald Trump in the US. On the other hand, there are resurgent, often grassroots-led, left-wing movements and politicians, such as Podemos in Spain and Jeremy Corbyn in the UK, focusing on anti-austerity measures and inclusive policies. In general, the concept of populism is often ascribed in a pejorative way. This is despite the success of populist left-wing governments across Latin America in recent times, especially in terms of reducing poverty. Nonetheless, recently, scholars such as Ernesto Laclau have tried to rethink populism as a social scientific concept which is essential in helping us make sense of contemporary political articulations. Using Laclau’s framework, this paper seeks to analyze poverty reduction policies in different iterations in the context of the tenures of three Prime Ministers of Malaysia. The first is Abdul Razak Hussein’s New Economic Policy, which focused on uplifting the economic position of Malaysia’s majority Malay population. The second is Mahathir Mohamad’s state-led neo-liberalization of the Malaysian economy, which focused on the creation of a core group of crony elites in order to spearhead economic development. The third is current Prime Minister Najib Razak’s targeted poverty eradication strategy through a focused program which directly provides benefits to recipients such as through direct cash transfers. The paper employs a discursive approach to trace elements of populism in these cases and highlight instances of how their strategies are articulated in ways that seek to appeal towards particular visions of national unity.

Keywords: discourse analysis, Malaysia, populism, poverty eradication

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Authors: Zdzisław Kobos, Robert Jędrys, Zbigniew Wochyński

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Motor activity and good health are sine qua non determinants of a proper practice of the profession, especially aviation. Therefore, candidates to the aviation are selected according their psychomotor ability by both specialist medical commissions. Moreover, they must past an examination of the physical fitness. During the studies in the air force academy, eye-hand coordination is formed in two stages. The future aircraft pilots besides all-purpose physical education must practice specialist training on SAGI. Training includes: looping, aerowheel, and gyroscope. Aim of the training on the above listed apparatuses is to form eye-hand coordination during the tasks in the air. Such coordination is necessary to perform various figures in the real flight. Therefore, during the education of the future pilots, determinants of the effective ways of this important parameter of the human body functioning are sought for. Several studies of the sport psychology indicate an important role of the temperament as a factor determining human behavior during the task performance and acquiring operating skills> Polish psychologist Jan Strelau refers to the basic, relatively constant personality features which manifest themselves in the formal characteristics of the human behavior. Temperament, being initially determined by the inborn physiological mechanisms, changes in the course of maturation and some environmental factors and concentrates on the energetic level and reaction characteristics in time. Objectives. This study aimed at seeking a relationship between temperamental features and eye-hand coordination formation during training on SAGI. Material and Methods: Group of 30 students of pilotage was examined in two situations. The first assessment of the eye-hand coordination level was carried out before the beginning of a 30-hour training on SAGI. The second assessment was carried out after training completion. Training lasted for 2 hours once a week. Temperament was evaluated with The Formal Characteristics of Behavior − Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI) developed by Bogdan Zawadzki and Jan Strelau. Eye-hand coordination was assessed with a computer version of the Warsaw System of Psychological Tests. Results: It was found that the training on SAGI increased the level of eye-hand coordination in the examined students. Conclusions: Higher level of the eye-hand coordination was obtained after completion of the training. Moreover, a relationship between eye-hand coordination level and selected temperamental features was statistically significant.

Keywords: temperament, eye-hand coordination, pilot, SAGI

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Authors: Mahendran Ganesan, Sanjeet Kumar Verma, Zafar Iqbal, Ashish Chandran, Zakir Husain, Shama Afroz, Sana Shahid, Laiq Ur Rahman

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Highly efficient in vitro regeneration system has been developed for Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst, a high prized traditional medicinal plant to treat numerous ailments such as liver disorders, malaria and diabetes and are reported to have a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties. Its medicinal usage is well-documented in Indian pharmaceutical codex, the British and the American pharmacopeias, and in different traditional medicine such as the Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha medical systems. Nodal explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various phytohormones for multiple shoot induction. The nodal segments failed to respond in growth regulator free medium. All the concentrations of BAP, Kin and TDZ facilitated shoot bud break and multiple shoot induction. Among the various cytokinins tested, BAP was found to be more effective with respect to initiation and subsequent development of shoots. Of the various concentrations BAP tested, BAP at 4.0 mg/L showed the higher average number of shoot regeneration (10.80 shoots per explant). Kin at 4 mg/L and TDZ at 4 mg/L induced 5.70 and 04.5+0 shoots per explant, respectively. Further increase in concentration did not favour an increase in the number of shoots. However, these shoots failed to elongate further. Hence, addition of GA₃ (1 mg/L) was added to the above medium. This treatment resulted in the elongation of shoots (2.50 cm) and a further increase in the number of microshoots (34.20 shoots/explant). Roots were also induced in the same medium containing BAP (4 mg/L) + GA₃ (1 mg/L) + NAA (0.5 mg/L). In vitro derived plantlets with well-developed roots were transferred to the potting media containing garden soil: sand: vermicompost (2:1:1). Plantlets were covered with a polyethylene bag and irrigated with water. The pots were maintained at 25 ± 2ºC, and then the polyethylene cover was gradually loosened, thus dropping the humidity (65–70%). This procedure subsequently resulted in in vitro hardening of the plantlet.

Keywords: micropropagation, nodal explant, plant growth regulators, Swertia chirayita

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Authors: Giancarlo La Marca, Engy Shokry, Fabio Villanelli

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Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 50 million people worldwide. Twenty five percent of the epilepsy population is represented in children under the age of 15 years. For antiepileptic drugs (AED), there is a poor correlation between plasma concentration and dose especially in children. This was attributed to greater pharmacokinetic variability than adults. Hence, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is recommended in controlling toxicity while drug exposure is maintained. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-line AED and the drug of first choice in trigeminal neuralgia. CBZ is metabolised in the liver into carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZE), its major metabolite which is equipotent. This develops the need for an assay able to monitor the levels of both CBZ and CBZE. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of CBZ and CBZE in dried blood spots (DBS). DBS technique overcomes many logistical problems, ethical issues and technical challenges faced by classical plasma sampling. LC-MS/MS has been regarded as superior technique over immunoassays and HPLC/UV methods owing to its better specificity and sensitivity, lack of interference or matrix effects. Our method combines advantages of DBS technique and LC-MS/MS in clinical practice. The extraction process was done using methanol-water-formic acid (80:20:0.1, v/v/v). The chromatographic elution was achieved by using a linear gradient with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water-0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.50 mL/min. The method was linear over the range 1-40 mg/L and 0.25-20 mg/L for CBZ and CBZE respectively. The limit of quantification was 1.00 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L for CBZ and CBZE, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day assay precisions were found to be less than 6.5% and 11.8%. An evaluation of DBS technique was performed, including effect of extraction solvent, spot homogeneity and stability in DBS. Results from a comparison with the plasma assay are also presented. The novelty of the present work lies in being the first to quantify CBZ and its metabolite from only one 3.2 mm DBS disc finger-prick sample (3.3-3.4 µl blood) by LC-MS/MS in a 10 min. chromatographic run.

Keywords: carbamazepine, carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide, dried blood spots, LC-MS/MS, therapeutic drug monitoring

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Authors: Fang Liu, JiaJia Yao, GuanLin Wu, ZuMaoLi, XueYan Yang, HePeng Zhang, ZhiPeng Sun, JunShuai Xue

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The explosive increasing needs of data processing and information storage strongly drive the advancement of the binary logic system to multiple-valued logic system. Inherent negative differential resistance characteristic, ultra-high-speed switching time, and robust anti-irradiation capability make III-nitride resonant tunneling diode one of the most promising candidates for multi-valued logic devices. Here we report the monolithic integration of GaN resonant tunneling diodes in series to realize multiple negative differential resistance regions, obtaining at least three stable operating states. A multiply-by-three circuit is achieved by this combination, increasing the frequency of the input triangular wave from f0 to 3f0. The resonant tunneling diodes are grown by plasma-assistedmolecular beam epitaxy on free-standing c-plane GaN substrates, comprising double barriers and a single quantum well both at the atomic level. Device with a peak current density of 183kA/cm² in conjunction with a peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 2.07 is observed, which is the best result reported in nitride-based resonant tunneling diodes. Microwave oscillation event at room temperature was discovered with a fundamental frequency of 0.31GHz and an output power of 5.37μW, verifying the high repeatability and robustness of our device. The switching behavior measurement was successfully carried out, featuring rise and fall times in the order of picoseconds, which can be used in high-speed digital circuits. Limited by the measuring equipment and the layer structure, the switching time can be further improved. In general, this article presents a novel nitride device with multiple negative differential regions driven by the resonant tunneling mechanism, which can be used in high-speed multiple value logic field with reduced circuit complexity, demonstrating a new solution of nitride devices to break through the limitations of binary logic.

Keywords: GaN resonant tunneling diode, negative differential resistance, multiple-valued logic system, switching time, peak-to-valley current ratio

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Authors: Marwa Elkalla, E. Ali Abdelfadil, Ali. Mohamed. M. Sami, Ali M. Abdel-Monem

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To assess the impact of the blood collection technique on clinical pathology markers and to establish reference intervals, a study was performed using normal, healthy C57BL/6 mice. Both sexes were employed, and they were randomly assigned to different groups depending on the phlebotomy technique used. The blood was drawn in one of four ways: intracardiac (IC), caudal vena cava (VC), caudal vena cava (VC) plus a peritoneal collection of any extravasated blood, or retroorbital phlebotomy (RO). Several serum biochemistries, such as a liver function test, a complete blood count with differentials, and a platelet count, were analysed from the blood and serum samples analysed. Red blood cell count, haemoglobin (p >0.002), hematocrit, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total protein, and creatinine were all significantly greater in female mice. Platelet counts, specific white blood cell numbers (total, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts), globulin, amylase, and the BUN/creatinine ratio were all greater in males. The VC approach seemed marginally superior to the IC approach for the characteristics under consideration and was linked to the least variation among both sexes. Transaminase levels showed the greatest variation between study groups. The aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values were linked with decreased fluctuation for the VC approach, but the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values were similar between the IC and VC groups. There was a lot of diversity and range in transaminase levels between the MC and RO groups. We found that the RO approach, the only one tested that allowed for repeated sample collection, yielded acceptable ALT readings. The findings show that the test results are significantly affected by the phlebotomy technique and that the VC or IC techniques provide the most reliable data. When organising a study and comparing data to reference ranges, the ranges supplied here by collection method and sex can be utilised to determine the best approach to data collection. The authors suggest establishing norms based on the procedures used by each individual researcher in his or her own lab.

Keywords: clinical, pathology, blood, effect

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Authors: Prasamsha Panta, Da Yeon Kim, Ja Yong Jang, Min Jae Kim, Jae Ho Kim, Moon Suk Kim

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Introduction: Among the many anticancer drugs used clinically, doxorubicin (Dox), was one of widely used drugs to treat many types of solid tumors such as liver, colon, breast, or lung. Intratumoral injection of chemotherapeutic agents is a potentially more effective alternative to systemic administration because direct delivery of the anticancer drug to the target may improve both the stability and efficacy of anticancer drugs. Injectable in situ-forming gels have attracted considerable attention because they can achieve site specific drug delivery, long term action periods, and improved patient compliance. Objective: Objective of present study is to confirm clinical benefit of intratumoral chemotherapy using injectable in situ-forming poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polycaprolactone diblock copolymer (MP) and Dox with increase in efficacy and reducing the toxicity in patients with cancer diseases. Methods and methodology: We prepared biodegradable MP hydrogel and measured viscosity for the evaluation of thermo-sensitive property. In vivo antitumor activity was performed with normal saline, MP only, single free Dox, repeat free Dox, and Dox-loaded MP gel. The remaining amount of Dox drug was measured using HPLC after the mouse was sacrified. For cytotoxicity studies WST-1 assay was performed. Histological analysis was done with H&E and TUNEL processes respectively. Results: The works in this experiment showed that Dox-loaded MP have biodegradable drug depot property. Dox-loaded MP gels showed remarkable in vitro cytotoxicity activities against cancer cells. Finally, this work indicates that injection of Dox-loaded MP allowed Dox to act effectively in the tumor and induced long-lasting supression of tumor growth. Conclusion: This work has examined the potential clinical utility of intratumorally injected Dox-loaded MP gel, which shows significant effect of higher local Dox retention compared with systemically administered Dox.

Keywords: injectable in-situ forming hydrogel, anticancer, doxorubicin, intratumoral injection

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Authors: Krupali Mehta, Sandip Bhatt, Umesh Trivedi, Bhavesh Bharatiya, Mukesh Ranjan, Atindra D. Shukla

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Owing to the dominating surface forces and large-scale surface interactions, the nano-scale particles face difficulties in getting suspended in various media. Magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide offer a great deal of promise due to their ease of preparation, reasonable magnetic properties, low cost and environmental compatibility. We intend to modify the surface of magnetic Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with selected surface modifying agents using simple and effective single-step chemical reactions in order to enhance dispersibility of magnetic nanoparticles in non-polar media. Magnetic particles were prepared by hydrolysis of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ chlorides and their subsequent oxidation in aqueous medium. The dried particles were then treated with Octadecyl quaternary ammonium silane (Terrasil™), stearic acid and gallic acid ester of stearyl alcohol in ethanol separately to yield S-2 to S-4 respectively. The untreated Fe₂O₃ was designated as S-1. The surface modified nanoparticles were then analysed with Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (SEM-EDAX). Characterization reveals the particle size averaging 20-50 nm with and without modification. However, the crystallite size in all cases remained ~7.0 nm with the diffractogram matching to Fe₂O₃ crystal structure. FT-IR suggested the presence of surfactants on nanoparticles’ surface, also confirmed by SEM-EDAX where mapping of elements proved their presence. TGA indicated the weight losses in S-2 to S-4 at 300°C onwards suggesting the presence of organic moiety. Hydrophobic character of modified surfaces was confirmed with contact angle analysis, all modified nanoparticles showed super hydrophobic behaviour with average contact angles ~129° for S-2, ~139.5° for S-3 and ~151° for S-4. This indicated that surface modified particles are super hydrophobic and they are easily dispersible in non-polar media. These modified particles could be ideal candidates to be suspended in oil-based fluids, polymer matrices, etc. We are pursuing elaborate suspension/sedimentation studies of these particles in various oils to establish this conjecture.

Keywords: iron nanoparticles, modification, hydrophobic, dispersion

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Authors: Vladimir Hovhannisyan, Chen Yuan Dong

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Recently nanoparticles (NPs) have been introduced in biomedicine as effective agents for cancer-targeted drug delivery and noninvasive tissue imaging. The most important requirements to these agents are their non-toxicity, biocompatibility and stability. In view of these criteria, the zeolite (ZL) nanoparticles (NPs) may be considered as perfect candidates for biomedical applications. ZLs are crystalline aluminosilicates consisting of oxygen-sharing SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedral groups united by common vertices in three-dimensional framework and containing pores with diameters from 0.3 to 1.2 nm. Generally, the behavior and physical properties of ZLs are studied by SEM, X-ray spectroscopy, and AFM, whereas optical spectroscopic and microscopic approaches are not effective enough, because of strong scattering in common ZL bulk materials and powders. The light scattering can be reduced by using of ZL NPs. ZL NPs have large external surface area, high dispersibility in both aqueous and organic solutions, high photo- and thermal stability, and exceptional ability to adsorb various molecules and atoms in their nanopores. In this report, using multiphoton microscopy and nonlinear spectroscopy, we investigate nonlinear optical properties of clinoptilolite type of ZL micro- and nanoparticles with average diameters of 2200 nm and 240 nm, correspondingly. Multiphoton imaging is achieved using a laser scanning microscope system (LSM 510 META, Zeiss, Germany) coupled to a femtosecond titanium:sapphire laser (repetition rate- 80 MHz, pulse duration-120 fs, radiation wavelength- 720-820 nm) (Tsunami, Spectra-Physics, CA). Two Zeiss, Plan-Neofluar objectives (air immersion 20×∕NA 0.5 and water immersion 40×∕NA 1.2) are used for imaging. For the detection of the nonlinear response, we use two detection channels with 380-400 nm and 435-700 nm spectral bandwidths. We demonstrate that ZL micro- and nanoparticles can produce nonlinear optical response under the near-infrared femtosecond laser excitation. The interaction of hypericine, chlorin e6 and other dyes with ZL NPs and their photodynamic activity is investigated. Particularly, multiphoton imaging shows that individual ZL NPs particles adsorb Zn-tetraporphyrin molecules, but do not adsorb fluorescein molecules. In addition, nonlinear spectral properties of ZL NPs in native biotissues are studied. Nonlinear microscopy and spectroscopy may open new perspectives in the research and application of ZL NP in biomedicine, and the results may help to introduce novel approaches into the clinical environment.

Keywords: multiphoton microscopy, nanoparticles, nonlinear optics, zeolite

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Authors: Sengly Sroy, Elodie Arnaud, Adrien Servent, Sokneang In, Sylvie Avallone

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In Cambodia, fish plays an important role for local community in term of food habits, preference and contribution to several nutritional intakes. Consumed on a daily basis, fishes and their derivatives products are good sources of proteins, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. They mainly obtain from the Tonle Sap Lake but, during the last decade, the fish population decreased drastically due to climate change and human activities as well. Contamination by agricultural residues and heavy metals were identified. However, fishes are currently used in several nutrition programs for children and pregnant women to improve their nutritional status. The aim of our work was to characterize the nutritional profile and contamination of 10 fish species consumed near the Tonle Sap Lake with a special attention to fatty acid and fat-soluble vitamin profiles. Fish samples were analyzed for their nutritional profiles (AOAC methods for macronutrients and micronutrients), their lipid content (Folch modified method), their Fatty acid (FAME method), their vitamin A (HPLC) and their heavy metals (ICP-MS). The total lipid contents ranged from 1.43 to 10.00% according to fish species. Lipid profile was mainly dominated by saturated fat (from 47.95 to 57.32%) but some fish species were particularly rich in ω-3 and ω-6 especially eicosapentaenoic acid EPA (3.05%) and docosahexaenoic acid DHA (2.82%). The more the fishes were fats, the more they contained vitamin A, DHA and EPA. Vitamin A is particularly abundant in small fishes (250.10 μg RE/100 g) compare to big ones (13.77 μg RE/100 g) because they are consumed as a whole with their organs (liver) and head. However, the contents of heavy metal in some species are higher than the maximum permitted level (MPL) from codex alimentarius, especially Mn. The results obtained provided important information on the most interesting fish in term of human nutrition and the potential risk of contaminants. The fatty acids are important for child development and pregnant women. These data are useful for supply chain stakeholders and the people in charge of nutrition program.

Keywords: fat-soluble vitamin, fatty acid, freshwater fish, lipid content, Tonle Sap Lake

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Authors: Kun Hua O., Dong Woon Kim, Won Hyung Lee

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Introduction: Neuropathic pain induced by spinal or peripheral nerve injury is highly resistant to common painkillers, nerve blocks, and other pain management approaches. Recently, several new therapeutic drug candidates have been developed to control neuropathic pain. In this study, we used the spinal nerve L5 ligation (SNL) model to investigate the ability of intrathecal or intravenous Evans blue to decrease pain behavior and to study the relationship between Evans blue and the neural structure of pain transmission. Method: Neuropathic pain (allodynia) of the left hind paw was induced by unilateral SNL in Sprague-Dawley rats(n=10) in each group. Evans blue (5, 15, 50μg/10μl) or phosphate buffer saline(PBS,10μl) was injected intrathecally at 3days post-ligation or intravenously(1mg/200 μl) 3days and 5days post-ligation . Mechanical sensitivity was assessed using Von Frey filaments at 3 days post-ligation and at 2 hours, days 1, 2, 3, 5,7 after intrathecal Evans blue injection, and on days 2, 4, 7, and 11 at 14 days after intravenous injection. In the intrathecal group, microglia and glutaminergic neurons in the dorsal horn and VNUT(vesicular nucleotide transporter) in the dorsal root ganglia were tested to evaluate co-staining with Evans blue. The experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the animal care guideline of the Korean Academy of Medical Science(Animal ethic committee of Chungnam National University Hospital: CNUH-014-A0005-1). Results: Tight ligation of the L5 spinal nerve induced allodynia in the left hind paw 3 days post-ligation. Intrathecal Evans blue most significantly(P＜0.001) alleviated allodynia at 2 days after intrathecal, but not an intravenous injection. Glutaminergic neurons in the dorsal horn and VNUT in the dorsal root ganglia were co-stained with Evans blue. On the other hand, microglia in the dorsal horn were partially co-stained with Evans blue. Conclusion: We confirmed that Evans blue might have an analgesic effect through the central nervous system, not another system in neuropathic pain of the SNL animal model. These results suggest Evans blue may be a potential new drug for the treatment of chronic pain. This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2020R1A2C100757512), funded by the Ministry of Education.

Keywords: neuropathic pain, Evas blue, intrathecal, intravenous

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Authors: M. M. Essa, S. Subash, M. Akbar, S. Al-Adawi, A. Al-Asmi, G. J. Guillemein

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Objective: Transgenic (tg) mice which contain an amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene mutation, develop extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition in the brain, and severe memory and behavioural deficits with age. These mice serve as an important animal model for testing the efficacy of novel drug candidates for the treatment and management of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several reports have suggested that oxidative stress is the underlying cause of Aβ neurotoxicity in AD. Pomegranates contain very high levels of antioxidants and several medicinal properties that may be useful for improving the quality of life in AD patients. In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary supplementation of Omani pomegranate extract on the memory, anxiety and learning skills along with inflammation in an AD mouse model containing the double Swedish APP mutation (APPsw/Tg2576). Methods: The experimental groups of APP-transgenic mice from the age of 4 months were fed custom-mix diets (pellets) containing 4% pomegranate. We assessed spatial memory and learning ability, psychomotor coordination, and anxiety-related behavior in Tg and wild-type mice at the age of 4-5 months and 18-19 months using the Morris water maze test, rota rod test, elevated plus maze test, and open field test. Further, inflammatory parameters also analysed. Results: APPsw/Tg2576 mice that were fed a standard chow diet without pomegranates showed significant memory deficits, increased anxiety-related behavior, and severe impairment in spatial learning ability, position discrimination learning ability and motor coordination along with increased inflammation compared to the wild type mice on the same diet, at the age of 18-19 months In contrast, APPsw/Tg2576 mice that were fed a diet containing 4% pomegranates showed a significant improvements in memory, learning, locomotor function, and anxiety with reduced inflammatory markers compared to APPsw/Tg2576 mice fed the standard chow diet. Conclusion: Our results suggest that dietary supplementation with pomegranates may slow the progression of cognitive and behavioural impairments in AD. The exact mechanism is still unclear and further extensive research needed.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, pomegranates, oman, cognitive decline, memory loss, anxiety, inflammation

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Authors: Asif Hasan

Abstract:

Among the reported suitable mariculture species in Bangladesh, seabass and mullet are the two most popular candidates due to their high market values. Several field studies conducted on the culture of seabass in Bangladesh, it still remains a challenge to commercially grow this species due to its exclusive carnivorous nature. In contrast, the grey mullet (M. cephalus) is a fast-growing, omnivorous euryhaline fish that has shown excellent growth in many areas including South Asia. Choice of a sustainable aquaculture technique must consider the productivity and yield as well as their environmental suitability. This study was designed to elucidate the ecologically suitable culture technique of M. cephalus in brakishwater ponds by comparing the biotic and abiotic components of pond ecosystem. In addition to growth parameters (yield, ADG, SGR, weight gain, FCR), Physicochemical parameters (Temperature, DO, pH, salinity, TDS, transparency, ammonia, and Chlorophyll-a concentration) and biological community composition (phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates) were investigated from ponds under Semi-intensive, Improve extensive and Traditional culture system. While temperature were similar in the three culture types, ponds under improve-extensive showed better environmental conditions with significantly higher mean DO and transparency, and lower TDS and Chlorophyll-a. The abundance of zooplankton, phytoplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates were apparently higher in semi-intensive ponds. The Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM) suggested moderate difference in the planktonic community composition. While the fish growth parameters of M. cephalus and total yield did not differ significantly between three systems, M. cephalus yield (kg/decimal) was apparently higher in semi-intensive pond due to high stocking density and intensive feeding. The results suggested that the difference between the three systems were due to more efficient utilization of nutrients in improve extensive ponds which affected fish growth through trophic cascades. This study suggested that different culture system of M. cephalus is an alternative and more beneficial method owing to its ecological and economic benefits in brackishwater ponds.

Keywords: Mugil cephalus, pond ecosystem, mariculture, fisheries management

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Authors: Meng Miao, Jeongwoo Han, Cam Nguyen

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Ultra-wideband (UWB) time-domain impulse communication and radar systems use ultra-short duration pulses in the sub-nanosecond regime, instead of continuous sinusoidal waves, to transmit information. The pulse directly generates a very wide-band instantaneous signal with various duty cycles depending on specific usages. In UWB systems, the total transmitted power is spread over an extremely wide range of frequencies; the power spectral density is extremely low. This effectively results in extremely small interference to other radio signals while maintains excellent immunity to interference from these signals. UWB devices can therefore work within frequencies already allocated for other radio services, thus helping to maximize this dwindling resource. Therefore, impulse UWB technique is attractive for realizing high-data-rate, short-range communications, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and military radar with relatively low emission power levels. UWB antennas are the key element dictating the transmitted and received pulse shape and amplitude in both time and frequency domain. They should have good impulse response with minimal distortion. To facilitate integration with transmitters and receivers employing microwave integrated circuits, UWB antennas enabling direct integration are preferred. We present the development of two UWB antennas operating from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz and 0.3-6 GHz for UWB systems that provide direct integration with microwave integrated circuits. The operation of these antennas is based on the principle of wave propagation on a non-uniform transmission line. Time-domain EM simulation is conducted to optimize the antenna structures to minimize reflections occurring at the open-end transition. Calculated and measured results of these UWB antennas are presented in both frequency and time domains. The antennas have good time-domain responses. They can transmit and receive pulses effectively with minimum distortion, little ringing, and small reflection, clearly demonstrating the signal fidelity of the antennas in reproducing the waveform of UWB signals which is critical for UWB sensors and communication systems. Good performance together with seamless microwave integrated-circuit integration makes these antennas good candidates not only for UWB applications but also for integration with printed-circuit UWB transmitters and receivers.

Keywords: antennas, ultra-wideband, UWB, UWB communication systems, UWB radar systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 238