Search results for: recommended summary plan for emergency care and treatment

Authors: Chalachew Kassaw, Henok Ababu, Bethelhem Sileshy, Lulu Abebe, Birhanie Mekuriaw

Abstract:

Background: Psychological discomfort is a state of emotional distress caused by everyday stressors and obligations that are difficult to manage. Orthopedic trauma has a wide range of effects on survivors' physical health, as well as a variety of mental health concerns that impede recovery. Psychiatric and behavioral conditions are 3-5 times more common in people who have undergone physical trauma, and they are a predictor of poor outcomes. Despite the above facts, there is a shortage of research done on the subject. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of psychological distress and associated factor among patients attending orthopedic treatment at Gedeo zone, South Ethiopia 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken at Dilla University Referral Hospital from October –November 2022. The data was collected via a face-to-face interview, and the Kessler psychological distress scale (K-10) was used to assess psychological distress. A total of 386 patients receiving outpatient and inpatient services at the orthopedic unit were chosen using a simple random selection technique. A Statistical Package for the Social Science version 21 (SPSS-21) was used to enter and evaluate the data. To find related factors, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regressions were used. Variables having a p-value of less than 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. Result: A total of 386 participants with a response rate of 94.8% were included in the study. Out of all respondents, 114 (31.4%) of the individuals have experienced psychological distress. Independent variables such as Females [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=5.8, 95%CI=(4.6-15.6)], Average monthly income of <3500 birrs [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =4.8, 95% CI=(2.4-9.8) ], Current history of substance use [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =2.6, 95% CI=(1.66-4.7)], Strong social support [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.4, 95% CI= 0.4(0.2-0.8)], and Poor sleep quality (PSQI score>5) [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.0, 95%CI= 2.0(1.2-2.8)] were significantly associated with psychological distress. Conclusion: The prevalence of psychological distress was high. Being female, having poor social support, and having a high PSQI score were significantly associated factors with psychological distress. It is good if clinicians emphasize orthopedic patients, especially females and those having poor social support and low sleep quality symptoms.

Keywords: psychological distress, orthopedic unit, Dilla University hospital, Dilla Town, Southern Ethiopia

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Vasiliki Kolake, Christos Kavalaris, Sofia Megoudi, Maria Maxouri, Panagiotis A. Karas, Aris Kyparissis, Efi Levizou

Abstract:

Conservation agriculture (CA), is a production system approach that can tackle the challenges of climate change mainly through facilitating carbon storage into the soil and increasing crop resilience. This is extremely important for the vulnerable Mediterranean agroecosystems, which already face adverse environmental conditions. The agronomic practices used in CA, i.e. permanent soil cover and no-tillage, result in reduced soil erosion and increased soil organic matter, preservation of water and improvement of quality and fertility of the soil in the long-term. Thus the functional characteristics and processes of the soil are considerably affected by the implementation of CA. The aim of the present work was to assess the effects of CA on soil nitrification potential and mycorrhizal colonization about the above-ground production in a wheat field. Two adjacent but independent field sites of 1.5ha each were used (Thessaly plain, Central Greece), comprising the no-till and conventional tillage treatments. The no-tillage site was covered by residues of the previous crop (cotton). Potential nitrification and the nitrate and ammonium content of the soil were measured at two different soil depths (3 and 15cm) at 20-days intervals throughout the growth period. Additionally, the leaf area index (LAI) was monitored at the same time-course. The mycorrhizal colonization was measured at the commencement and end of the experiment. At the final harvest, total yield and plant biomass were also recorded. The results indicate that wheat yield was considerably favored by CA practices, exhibiting a 42% increase compared to the conventional tillage treatment. The superior performance of the CA crop was also depicted in the above-ground plant biomass, where a 26% increase was recorded. LAI, which is considered a reliable growth index, did not show statistically significant differences between treatments throughout the growth period. On the contrary, significant differences were recorded in endomycorrhizal colonization one day before the final harvest, with CA plants exhibiting 20% colonization, while the conventional tillage plants hardly reached 1%. The on-going analyses of potential nitrification measurements, as well as nitrate and ammonium determination, will shed light on the effects of CA on key processes in the soil. These results will integrate the assessment of CA impact on certain below and above-ground processes during wheat cultivation under the Mediterranean climate.

Keywords: conservation agriculture, LAI, mycorrhizal colonization, potential nitrification, wheat, yield

Procedia PDF Downloads 130

Authors: Bruno R. Mendes, Francisco J. Caldeira, Rita S. Luís

Abstract:

Population ageing is directly correlated to an increase in medicine consumption. Beyond the latter and the polymedicated profile of elderly, it is possible to see a need for pharmacotherapeutic monitoring due to cognitive and physical impairment. In this sense, the tracking, organization and administration of medicines become a daily challenge and the pill-box dispenser system a solution. The pill-box dispenser (system) consists in a small compartmentalized container to unit dose organization, which means a container able to correlate the patient’s prescribed dose regimen and the time schedule of intake. In many European countries, this system is part of pharmacist’s role in clinical pharmacy. Despite this simple solution, therapy compliance is only possible if the patient adheres to the system, so it is important to establish a qualitative and quantitative analysis on the perception of the patient on the benefits and risks of the pill-box dispenser as well as the identification of the ideal system. The analysis was conducted through an observational study, based on the application of a standardized questionnaire structured with the numerical scale of Likert (5 levels) and previously validated on the population. The study was performed during a limited period of time and under a randomized sample of 188 participants. The questionnaire consisted of 22 questions: 6 background measures and 16 specific measures. The standards for the final comparative analysis were obtained through the state-of-the-art on the subject. The study carried out using the Likert scale afforded a degree of agreement and discordance between measures (Sample vs. Standard) of 56,25% and 43,75%, respectively. It was concluded that the pill-box dispenser has greater acceptance among a younger population, that was not the initial target of the system. However, this allows us to guarantee a high adherence in the future. Additionally, it was noted that the cost associated with this service is not a limiting factor for its use. The pill-box dispenser system, as currently implemented, demonstrates an important weakness regarding the quality and effectiveness of the medicines, which is not understood by the patient, revealing a significant lack of literacy when it concerns with medicine area. The characteristics of an ideal system remain unchanged, which means that the size, appearance and availability of information in the pill-box continue to be indispensable elements for the compliance with the system. The pill-box dispenser remains unsuitable regarding container size and the type of treatment to which it applies. Despite that, it might be a future standard for clinical pharmacy, allowing a differentiation of the pharmacist role, as well as a wider range of applications to other age groups and treatments.

Keywords: clinical pharmacy, medicines, patient safety, pill-box dispenser

Procedia PDF Downloads 197

Authors: Mayuva Youngsabanant, Chanikarn Srinark, Supanyika Sengsai, Soratorn Kerdkriangkrai, Nongnuch Gumlungpat, Mayuree Pumipaiboon

Abstract:

The follicular fluid proteins of healthy medium size follicles (4-6 mm in diameters) and large size follicles (7-8 mm in diameter) of large white pig ovaries were collected by using sterile technique. They were used for testing the effect on primary in vitro cell culture growth of porcine oviductal epithelial cells (pOEC). Porcine oviductal epithelial cells of luteal phase was culture in M199 and added with 10% fetal calf serum 2.2 mg/mL, NaHCO₃, 0.25 mM pyruvate, 15 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL, gentamycin sulfate at high humidified atmosphere with 5% CO₂ in 95% air atmosphere at 37°C for 96 h before testing. The optimized concentration of pFF of two follicle sizes (at concentration of 2, 4, 20, 40, 200, 400, 500, and 600 µg proteins) in culture medium was observed for 24 h using MTT assay. Results were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA in SPSS statistic. Moreover, pOEC was also studied in morphological characteristic on long-term culture. The results of long-term study revealed that pOEC showed 70-80 percentage of healthy morphology on epithelial-like character and contained 30 percentage of an elongated shape (fibroblast-like morphology) at 4 weeks of culture time. MTT assay reviewed an increase in the percentage of viability of pOEC in 2 treated of follicular fluid groups. Two treatment concentration groups were higher than control group (p < 0.05) but not in positive control group. Interestingly, at 200 µg protein of 2 treated follicular fluid groups were reached the highest cell viability which is higher than a positive control and it is significantly different form control group (P < 0.05). These cells are developed and had fibroblast elongate shape which is longer than the cells in control group and positive control group. This report implies that pFF of medium follicle size at 200 µg proteins and large follicle size at 200 and 500 µg proteins could be optimized concentration for using as a supplement in culture medium to promote cell growth and development instead of growth hormone from fetal calf serum. It could be applied in cell biotechnology researches. Acknowledgements: The project was funded by a grant from Silpakorn University Research and Development Institute (SURDI) and Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand.

Keywords: in vitro, porcine follicular fluid protein (pFF), porcine oviductal epithelial cells (pOEC), MTT

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: M. S. Alatas, H. D. Umucalilar

Abstract:

SARA is a common and serious metabolic disorder in early lactation in dairy cattle and in finishing beef cattle, caused by diets with high inclusion of cereal grain. This experiment was performed to determine the efficacy of Megasphaera elsdenii, a major lactate-utilizing bacterium in prevention/treatment of SARA in vivo. In vivo experimentation, it was used eight ruminally cannulated rams and it was applied the rapid adaptation with the mixture of grain based on wheat (%80 wheat, %20 barley) and barley (%80 barley, %20 wheat). During the systematic adaptation, it was followed the probability of SARA formation by being measured the rumen pH with two hours intervals after and before feeding. After being evaluated the data, it was determined the ruminal pH ranged from 5,2-5,6 on the condition of feeding with 60 percentage of grain mixture based on barley and wheat, that assured the definite form of subacute acidosis. In four days SARA period, M. elsdenii (1010 cfu ml-1) was inoculated during the first two days. During the SARA period, it was observed the decrease of feed intake with M. elsdenii inoculation. Inoculation of M. elsdenii was caused to differentiation of rumen pH (P < 0,0001), while it was found the pH level approximately 5,55 in animals applied the inoculation, it was 5,63 pH in other animals. It was observed that total VFA with the bacterium inoculation tended to change in terms of grain feed (P < 0,07). It increased with the effect of total VFA inoculation in barley based diet, but it was more stabilized in wheat based diet. Bacterium inoculation increased the ratio of propionic acid (18,33%-21,38%) but it caused to decrease the butyric acid, and acetic/propionic acid. During the rapid adaptation, the concentration of lactic acid in the rumen liquid increased depending upon grain level (P<0,0001). On the other hand bacterium inoculation did not have an effect on concentration of lactic acid. M. elsdenii inoculation did not affect ruminal ammonia concentration. In the group that did not apply inoculation, the level of ruminal ammonia concentration was higher than the others applied inoculation. M. elsdenii inoculation did not changed protozoa count in barley-based diet whereas it decreased in wheat-based diet. In the period of SARA, it was observed that the level of blood glucose, lactate and hematocrit increased greatly after inoculation (P < 0,0001). When it is generally evaluated, it is seen that M. elsdenii inoculation has not a positive impact on rumen parameters. Therefore, to reveal the full impact of the inoculation with different strains, feedstuffs and animal groups, further research is required.

Keywords: In vivo, Subactute ruminal acidosis, Megasphaera elsdenii, Rumen fermentation

Procedia PDF Downloads 645

Authors: Najeebullah Soomro, Habib Noorbhai, Mariam Soomro, Ross Sanders

Abstract:

The demands on cricketers are increasing with more matches being played in a shorter period of time with a greater intensity. A ten year report on injury incidence for Australian elite cricketers between the 2000- 2011 seasons revealed an injury incidence rate of 17.4%.1. In the 2009–10 season, 24 % of Australian fast bowlers missed matches through injury. 1 Injury rates are even higher in junior cricketers with an injury incidence of 25% or 2.9 injuries per 100 player hours reported. 2 Traditionally, injury surveillance has relied on the use of paper based forms or complex computer software. 3,4 This makes injury reporting laborious for the staff involved. The purpose of this presentation is to describe a smartphone based mobile application as a means of improving injury surveillance in cricket. Methods: The researchers developed CricPredict mobile App for the Android platforms, the world’s most widely used smartphone platform. It uses Qt SDK (Software Development Kit) as IDE (Integrated Development Environment). C++ was used as the programming language with the Qt framework, which provides us with cross-platform abilities that will allow this app to be ported to other operating systems (iOS, Mac, Windows) in the future. The wireframes (graphic user interface) were developed using Justinmind Prototyper Pro Edition Version (Ver. 6.1.0). CricPredict enables recording of injury and training status conveniently and immediately. When an injury is reported automated follow-up questions include site of injury, nature of injury, mechanism of injury, initial treatment, referral and action taken after injury. Direct communication with the player then enables assessment of severity and diagnosis. CricPredict also allows the coach to maintain and track each player’s attendance at matches and training session. Workload data can also be recorded by either the player or coach by recording the number of balls bowled or played in a day. This is helpful in formulating injury rates and time lost due to injuries. All the data are stored at a secured password protected data server. Outcomes and Significance: Use of CricPredit offers a simple, user friendly tool for the coaching or medical staff associated with teams to predict, record and report injuries. This system will assist teams to capture injury data with ease thus allowing better understanding of injuries associated with cricket and potentially optimize the performance of such cricketers.

Keywords: injury, cricket, surveillance, smartphones, mobile

Procedia PDF Downloads 459

Authors: Glykeria A. Visvini, George N. Mathioudakis, Amaia Soto Beobide, Aris E. Giannakas, George A. Voyiatzis

Abstract:

Polymeric nanocomposites have generated considerable interest in both academic research and industry because their properties can be tailored by adjusting the type & concentration of nano-inclusions, resulting in complementary and adaptable characteristics. The exceptional and/or unique properties of the nanocomposites, including the high mechanical strength and stiffness, the ease of processing, and their lightweight nature, are attributed to the high surface area, the electrical and/or thermal conductivity of the nano-fillers, which make them appealing materials for a wide range of engineering applications. Polymeric «breathable» membranes enabling water vapor permeability (WVP) can be designed either by using micro/nano-fillers with the ability to interrupt the continuity of the polymer phase generating micro/nano-porous structures or/and by creating micro/nano-pores into the composite material by uniaxial/biaxial stretching. Among the nanofillers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit particular high WVP and for this reason, they have already been proposed for gas separation membranes. In a similar context, they could prove to be promising alternative/complementary filler nano-materials, for the development of "breathable" products. Polypropylene (PP) is a commonly utilized thermoplastic polymer matrix in the development of composite films, due to its easy processability and low price, combined with its good chemical & physical properties. PP is known to present several crystalline phases (α, β and γ), depending on the applied treatment process, which have a significant impact on its final properties, particularly in terms of WVP. Specifically, the development of the β-phase in PP in combination with stretching is anticipated to modify the crystalline behavior and extend the microporosity of the polymer matrix exhibiting enhanced WVP. The primary objective of this study is to develop breathable nano-carbon based (functionalized MWCNTs) PP composite membranes, potentially also avoiding the stretching process. This proposed alternative is expected to have a better performance/cost ratio over current stretched PP/CaCO3 composite benchmark membranes. The focus is to investigate the impact of both β-nucleator(s) and nano-carbon fillers on water vapor transmission rate properties of relevant PP nanocomposites.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes, nanocomposites, nucleating agents, polypropylene, water vapor permeability

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Eugene Y. J. Aw, J. W. Koh, S. H. Chew, K. E. Chua, P. L. Goh, Grace H. B. Foo, M. L. Leong

Abstract:

This paper presents the evaluation of various soil testing methods such as the four-probe soil electrical resistivity method and cone penetration test (CPT) that can complement a newly developed novel rapid soil classification scheme using computer vision, to improve the accuracy and productivity of on-site classification of excavated soil. In Singapore, excavated soils from the local construction industry are transported to Staging Grounds (SGs) to be reused as fill material for land reclamation. Excavated soils are mainly categorized into two groups (“Good Earth” and “Soft Clay”) based on particle size distribution (PSD) and water content (w) from soil investigation reports and on-site visual survey, such that proper treatment and usage can be exercised. However, this process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Thus, a rapid classification method is needed at the SGs. Four-probe soil electrical resistivity and CPT were evaluated for their feasibility as suitable additions to the computer vision system to further develop this innovative non-destructive and instantaneous classification method. The computer vision technique comprises soil image acquisition using an industrial-grade camera; image processing and analysis via calculation of Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) textural parameters; and decision-making using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). It was found from the previous study that the ANN model coupled with ρ can classify soils into “Good Earth” and “Soft Clay” in less than a minute, with an accuracy of 85% based on selected representative soil images. To further improve the technique, the following three items were targeted to be added onto the computer vision scheme: the apparent electrical resistivity of soil (ρ) measured using a set of four probes arranged in Wenner’s array, the soil strength measured using a modified mini cone penetrometer, and w measured using a set of time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes. Laboratory proof-of-concept was conducted through a series of seven tests with three types of soils – “Good Earth”, “Soft Clay,” and a mix of the two. Validation was performed against the PSD and w of each soil type obtained from conventional laboratory tests. The results show that ρ, w and CPT measurements can be collectively analyzed to classify soils into “Good Earth” or “Soft Clay” and are feasible as complementing methods to the computer vision system.

Keywords: computer vision technique, cone penetration test, electrical resistivity, rapid and non-destructive, soil classification

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Abel Sichinava

Abstract:

The need for organ transplantation is vigorously increasing worldwide. The numbers on the waiting lists grow, but the number of donors is not keeping up with the demand even though there is a legal possibility of decreasing the gap between the demand and supply. Most countries around the globe are facing an organ donation problem (living or deceased); however, the extent of the problem differs based on how well developed a country is. The determining issues seem to be centered on how aware the society is about the concept of organ donation, as well as cultural and religious factors. Even if people are aware of the benefits of organ donation, they may still have fears that keep them from being in complete agreement with the idea. Some believe that in the case of deceased organ donation: “the brain dead human body may recover from its injuries” or “the sick might get less appropriate treatment if doctors know they are potential donors.” In the case of living organ donations, people sometimes fear that after the donation, “it might reduce work efficiency, cause health deterioration or even death.” Another major obstacle in the organ shortage is a lack of a well developed ethical framework. In reality, there are truly an immense number of people on the waiting list, and they have only two options in order to receive a suitable organ. First is the legal way, which is to wait until their turn. Sadly, numerous patients die while on the waiting list before an appropriate organ becomes available for transplant. The second option is an illegal way: seeking an organ in a country where they can possibly get. To tell the truth, in people’s desire to live, they may choose the second option if their resources are sufficient. This process automatically involves “organ brokers.” These are people who get organs from vulnerable poor people by force or betrayal. As mentioned earlier, the high demand and low supply leads to human trafficking. The subject of the study was the large number of society from different backgrounds of their belief, culture, nationality, level of education, socio-economic status. The great majority of them interviewed online used “Google Drive Survey” and others in person. All statistics and information gathered from trusted sources annotated in the reference list and above mentioned considerable testimonies shared by the respondents are the fundamental evidence of a lack of the well developed ethical framework. In conclusion, the continuously increasing number of people on the waiting list and an irrelevant ethical framework, lead people to commit to atrocious, dehumanizing crimes. Therefore, world society should be equally obligated to think carefully and make vital decisions together for the advancement of an organ donations and its ethical framework.

Keywords: donation, ethical framwork, organ, transplant

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: Shohei Matsuo, Saki Mikai, Hiroshi Morita

Abstract:

Objectives: Shochu is a popular Japanese distilled spirits. In the production of shochu, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus kawachii has traditionally been used. A. kawachii produces two types of starch hydrolytic enzymes, α-amylase (enzymatic liquefaction) and glucoamylase (enzymatic saccharification). Liquid culture system is a relatively easy microorganism to ferment with relatively low cost of production compared for solid culture. In liquid culture system, acid-unstable α-amylase (α-A) was produced abundantly, but, acid-stable α-amylase (Aα-A) was not produced. Since there is high enzyme productivity, most in shochu brewing have been adopted by a solid culture method. In this study, therefore, we investigated production of Aα-A in liquid culture system. Materials and methods: Microorganism Aspergillus kawachii NBRC 4308 was used. The mold was cultured at 30 °C for 7~14 d to allow formation of conidiospores on slant agar medium. Liquid Culture System: A. kawachii was cultured in a 100 ml of following altered SLS medium: 1.0 g of rice flour, 0.1 g of K2HPO4, 0.1 g of KCl, 0.6 g of tryptone, 0.05 g of MgSO4・7H2O, 0.001 g of FeSO4・7H2O, 0.0003 g of ZnSO4・7H2O, 0.021 g of CaCl2, 0.33 of citric acid (pH 3.0). The pH of the medium was adjusted to the designated value with 10 % HCl solution. The cultivation was shaking at 30 °C and 200 rpm for 72 h. It was filtered to obtain a crude enzyme solution. Aα-A assay: The crude enzyme solution was analyzed. An acid-stable α-amylase activity was carried out using an α-amylase assay kit (Kikkoman Corporation, Noda, Japan). It was conducted after adding 9 ml of 100 mM acetate buffer (pH 3.0) to 1 ml of the culture product supernatant and acid treatment at 37°C for 1 h. One unit of a-amylase activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that yielded 1 mmol of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl 6-azide-6-deoxy-b-maltopentaoside (CNP) per minute. Results and Conclusion: We experimented with co-culture of A. kawachii and lactobacillus in order to get control of pH in altered SLS medium. However, high production of acid-stable α-amylase was not obtained. We experimented with yoghurt or milk made an addition to liquid culture. The result indicated that high production of acid-stable α-amylase (964 U/g-substrate) was obtained when milk made an addition to liquid culture. Phosphate concentration in the liquid medium was a major cause of increased acid-stable α-amylase activity. In liquid culture, acid-stable α-amylase activity was enhanced by milk, but Fats and oils in the milk were oxidized. In addition, Tryptone is not approved as a food additive in Japan. Thus, alter SLS medium added to skim milk excepting for the fats and oils in the milk instead of tryptone. The result indicated that high production of acid-stable α-amylase was obtained with the same effect as milk.

Keywords: acid-stable α-amylase, liquid culture, milk, shochu

Procedia PDF Downloads 284

Authors: Y. I. Tretyakova, S. G. Shulkina, T. Y. Kravtsova, A. A. Antipova, N. Y. Kolomeets

Abstract:

The research aimed to assess the functional significance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene polymorphism at the -308G/A (rs1800629) region and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene polymorphism at the -634G/C (rs 2010963) region in the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), focusing on patients from the Perm region, Russia. We examined 70 UC patients and 50 healthy donors during the active phase of the disease. Our focus was on TNF-α and VEGF concentration in the blood serum, as well as TNF-α and VEGFA gene polymorphisms at the -308G/А and -634G/C regions, respectively. We found that TNF-α and VEGF levels were significantly higher in patients with severe UC and high endoscopic activity compared to those with milder forms of the disease and low endoscopic activity. These tests could serve as additional non-invasive markers for assessing mucosal damage in the large intestine of UC patients. The frequency of allele variations in the TNF-α gene -308G/A (rs1800629) revealed a significantly higher occurrence of the unfavorable homozygote AA in UC patients compared to donors. Additionally, the major allele G and the allele pair GG were more frequent in patients with mild to moderate disease and 1-2 degree of endoscopic activity than in those with severe UC and 3-4 degree of endoscopic activity (χ2=14.19; p=0.000). We also observed a mutant allele A and the unfavorable homozygote AA associated with severe progressive UC. The occurrence of the mutant allele increased the risk of severe UC by 5 times (OR 5.03; CI 12.07-12.21). We did not find any significant differences in the frequency of the CC homozygote (χ2=1.02; p=0.6; OR=1.32) and the mutant allele C of the VEGFA gene -634G/C (rs 2010963) (χ2=0.01; p=0.913; OR=0.97) between groups of UC patients and healthy individuals. However, we detected that the mutant allele C and the unfavorable homozygote CC of the VEGFA gene were associated with more severe endoscopic changes in the colonic mucosa of UC patients (χ2=25,76; р=0,000; OR=0,15). The presence of the mutant allele increased the risk of severe UC by 6 times (OR 6,78; CI 3,13–14,7). We found a direct correlation between TNF-α and VEGFA gene polymorphisms, increased production of the same factors, disease severity, and endoscopic activity (р=0.000). Therefore, the presence of the mutant allele A and homozygote AA of the TNF-α gene at the -308G/A region and the mutant allele C and homozygote CC of the VEGFA gene at the -634G/C region are associated with risks related to an unfavorable clinical course of UC, frequent recurrences, and rapid progression. These findings should be considered when making prognoses regarding the clinical course of the disease and selecting treatment strategies. The presence of the homozygote AA in the TNF-α gene (rs1800629) is considered a sign of genetic predisposition to UC.

Keywords: gene polymorphism, TNF-α, ulcerative colitis, VEGF

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Mingxia Zhu, Matthew Tingchi Liu

Abstract:

AI grows gradually in the market with its efficiency and accuracy, influencing people’s perceptions, attitude, and even consequential behaviors. Current study extends prior research by focusing on AI’s impact on consumers’ morality. First, study 1 tested individuals’ believes about AI and human’s moral perceptions and people’s attribution of moral worth to AI and human. Moral perception refers to a computational system an entity maintains to detect and identify moral violations, while moral worth here denotes whether individual regard an entity as worthy of moral treatment. To identify the effect of AI on consumers’ morality, two studies were employed. Study 1 is a within-subjects survey, while study 2 is an experimental study. In the study 1, one hundred and forty participants were recruited through online survey company in China (M_age = 27.31 years, SD = 7.12 years; 65% female). The participants were asked to assign moral perception and moral worth to AI and human. A paired samples t-test reveals that people generally regard that human has higher moral perception (M_Human = 6.03, SD = .86) than AI (M_AI = 2.79, SD = 1.19; t(139) = 27.07, p < .001; Cohen’s d = 1.41). In addition, another paired samples t-test results showed that people attributed higher moral worth to the human personnel (M_Human = 6.39, SD = .56) compared with AIs (M_AI = 5.43, SD = .85; t(139) = 12.96, p < .001; d = .88). In the next study, two hundred valid samples were recruited from survey company in China (M_age = 27.87 years, SD = 6.68 years; 55% female) and the participants were randomly assigned to two conditions (AI vs. human). After viewing the stimuli of human versus AI, participants are informed that one insurance company would determine the price purely based on their declaration. Therefore, their open-ended answers were coded into ethical, honest behavior and unethical, dishonest behavior according to the design of prior literature. A Chi-square analysis revealed that 64% of the participants would immorally lie towards AI insurance inspector while 42% of participants reported deliberately lower mileage facing with human inspector (χ^2 (1) = 9.71, p = .002). Similarly, the logistic regression results suggested that people would significantly more likely to report fraudulent answer when facing with AI (β = .89, odds ratio = 2.45, Wald = 9.56, p = .002). It is demonstrated that people would be more likely to behave unethically in front of non-human agents, such as AI agent, rather than human. The research findings shed light on new practical ethical issues in human-AI interaction and address the important role of human employees during the process of service delivery in the new era of AI.

Keywords: AI agent, consumer morality, ethical behavior, human-AI interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 82

Authors: Chia-Jung Chen, Yu-Chi Hsu, June-Dong Lin, Kun-Chen Chan, Chieh-Tien Wang, Li-Ching Wu, Chung-Feng Liu

Abstract:

With fast advances in healthcare technology, various total laboratory automation (TLA) processes have been proposed. However, adopting TLA needs quite high funding. This study explores an early adoption experience by Taiwan’s large-scale hospital group, the Chimei Hospital Group (CMG), which owns three branch hospitals (Yongkang, Liouying and Chiali, in order by service scale), based on the five stages of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion Decision Process. 1.Knowledge stage: Over the years, two weaknesses exists in laboratory department of CMG: 1) only a few examination categories (e.g., sugar testing and HbA1c) can now be completed and reported within a day during an outpatient clinical visit; 2) the Yongkang Hospital laboratory space is dispersed across three buildings, resulting in duplicated investment in analysis instruments and inconvenient artificial specimen transportation. Thus, the senior management of the department raised a crucial question, was it time to process the redesign of the laboratory department? 2.Persuasion stage: At the end of 2013, Yongkang Hospital’s new building and restructuring project created a great opportunity for the redesign of the laboratory department. However, not all laboratory colleagues had the consensus for change. Thus, the top managers arranged a series of benchmark visits to stimulate colleagues into being aware of and accepting TLA. Later, the director of the department proposed a formal report to the top management of CMG with the results of the benchmark visits, preliminary feasibility analysis, potential benefits and so on. 3.Decision stage: This TLA suggestion was well-supported by the top management of CMG and, finally, they made a decision to carry out the project with an instrument-leasing strategy. After the announcement of a request for proposal and several vendor briefings, CMG confirmed their laboratory automation architecture and finally completed the contracts. At the same time, a cross-department project team was formed and the laboratory department assigned a section leader to the National Taiwan University Hospital for one month of relevant training. 4.Implementation stage: During the implementation, the project team called for regular meetings to review the results of the operations and to offer an immediate response to the adjustment. The main project tasks included: 1) completion of the preparatory work for beginning the automation procedures; 2) ensuring information security and privacy protection; 3) formulating automated examination process protocols; 4) evaluating the performance of new instruments and the instrument connectivity; 5)ensuring good integration with hospital information systems (HIS)/laboratory information systems (LIS); and 6) ensuring continued compliance with ISO 15189 certification. 5.Confirmation stage: In short, the core process changes include: 1) cancellation of signature seals on the specimen tubes; 2) transfer of daily examination reports to a data warehouse; 3) routine pre-admission blood drawing and formal inpatient morning blood drawing can be incorporated into an automatically-prepared tube mechanism. The study summarizes below the continuous improvement orientations: (1) Flexible reference range set-up for new instruments in LIS. (2) Restructure of the specimen category. (3) Continuous review and improvements to the examination process. (4) Whether installing the tube (specimen) delivery tracks need further evaluation.

Keywords: innovation decision process, total laboratory automation, health care

Procedia PDF Downloads 419

Authors: Falana Yetunde Olaitan, Ijah U. J. J, Solebo Shakirat O.

Abstract:

Genetically modified crops are already phenomenally successful and are grown worldwide in more than eighteen countries on more than 67 million hectares. Nigeria, in October 2018, approved Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and maize; therefore, the need to carry out environmental risk assessment studies. A total of 15 4L octagonal ceramic pots were filled with 4kg of soil and placed on the bench in 2 rows of 10 pots each and the 3rd row of 5 pots, 1st-row pots were used to plant GM cotton seeds, while the 2nd-row pots were used for non-GM cotton seeds and the 3rd row of 5 pots served as control, all in the screen house. Soil samples for metagenomic DNA extraction were collected at random and at the monthly interval after planting at a distance of 2mm from the plant’s root and at a depth of 10cm using a sterile spatula. Soil samples for physicochemical analysis were collected before planting and after harvesting the GM and non-GM crops as well as from the control soil. The DNA was extracted, quantified and sequenced; Sample 1A (DNA from GM cotton Soil at 1st interval) gave the lowest sequence read with 0.853M while sample 2B (DNA from GM cotton Soil at 2nd interval) gave the highest with 5.785M, others gave between 1.8M and 4.7M. The samples treatment were grouped into four, Group 1 (GM cotton soil from 1 to 3 intervals) had between 800,000 and 5,700,000 strains of microbes (SOM), Group 2 (non GM cotton soil from 1 to 3 intervals) had between 1,400,600 and 4,200,000 SOM, Group 3 (control soil) had between 900,000 and 3,600,000 SOM and Group 4 (initial soil) had between 3,700,000 and 4,000,000 SOM. The microbes observed were predominantly bacteria (including archaea), fungi, dark matter alongside protists and phages. The predominant bacterial groups were the Terrabacteria (Bacillus funiculus, Bacillus sp.), the Proteobacteria (Microvirga massiliensis, sphingomonas sp.) and the Archaea (Nitrososphaera sp.), while the fungi were Aspergillus fischeri and Fusarium falciforme. The comparative analysis between groups was done using JACCARD PERMANOVA beta diversity analysis at P-value not more than 0.76 and there was no significant pair found. The pH for initial, GM cotton, non-GM cotton and control soil were 6.28, 6.26, 7.25, 8.26 and the percentage moisture was 0.63, 0.78, 0.89 and 0.82, respectively, while the percentage Nitrogen was observed to be 17.79, 1.14, 1.10 and 0.56 respectively. Other parameters include, varying concentrations of Potassium (0.46, 1,284.47, 1,785.48, 1,252.83 mg/kg) and Phosphorus (18.76, 17.76, 16.87, 15.23 mg/kg) were recorded for the four treatments respectively. The soil consisted mainly of silt (32.09 to 34.66%) and clay (58.89 to 60.23%), reflecting the soil texture as silty – clay. The results were then tested with ANOVA at less than 0.05 P-value and no pair was found to be significant as well. The results suggest that the GM crops have no significant effect on microbial ecology and physicochemical properties of the soil and, in turn, no direct or indirect effects on human health.

Keywords: genetically modified crop, microbial ecology, physicochemical properties, metagenomics, DNA, soil

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Tadesse Kebede, Orkun Baris Kovanci

Abstract:

Tomatoes leaf minor (Tutaabasoluta) is one of the most economically important insect pest in tomatoes production. The use of biological control such as entomopathogen fungi isolates would be a long-term and cost-effective solution to control insects pest. Therefore, identifying the most virulent and pathogenic entomopathogen fungi is one of the basic requirements for effective management options to combat Tomatoes leaf minor (Tutaabasoluta). Furthermore, the pathogenicity and virulence difference among entomopathogenfungus strains is not widely well investıgated. The current study was therefore initiated to test the pathogenicity of some entomopathogenic fungus isolates against Tutaabsoluta. The experiment was conducted at Bursa Uludag University, Agiculutre faculty, horticulture department glasshouse in 2020/2021. Tutabasoluta adult were collected, and masslarvae were reared in a growth chamber. Then, ten third instar larvae were inoculated with four entomopathogen fungi isolates (Beuaveriabassania Ak-10, Beuaveriabassania Ak-14, Metarhziumanisoplai Ak-11, and Metarhziumanisoplai Ak-12) with different inoculum suspension (0, 1x10⁶, 1x10⁷,,4 × 10⁸, 4× 10⁹ and 1×10¹⁰ conidia /ml) in a factorial experiment arranged in randomized complete block design with three replication. Mortality data assessment was done on the 3rd, 5thand 7th days after treatment and analyzed. The analysis of variance for mortality rate revealed significant variations (p<0.05) among entomoptahogen fungi isolates and conidia concentrations. The results revealed thatMetarhziumanisoplai Ak-12was found to show the lowest mortality percentage80.77%, highest LC50 2.3x108, and the longest incubation period, LT50, 4.9 and LT90, 9.9daysand considered to be less pathogenic fungi. On the other hand, Beuaveriabassania Ak-10 isolate showed the highest mortality percentage, 91%, and the lowest LT50, 4, and LT90, 7.6 values at 1×10¹⁰ conidia /ml, followed by Beuaveriabassania Ak-14 and being considered as the most aggressive bio-agent. Metarhziumanisoplai Ak-11 was determined as moderately virulent, having a mortality rate 27-81%. Results also revealed that among conidia concentrations, 1x10⁹ and 1x10¹⁰ suspensions is the most effective, while 1x10⁶ conidia/ml concentration is the least effective. Hence, results indicated that EPF tested were effective against T. absoluta larvae. As the current work revealed the potential variation among entomopathogen fungi isolates and concentration against third instar larvae.

Keywords: tuta absoluta, tomato, metarhizium anisopliae, beauveria bassiana, biological control

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Zarina Chokparova, Ighor Uzhinsky

Abstract:

Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from burning of the fossil fuels on large scales, such as oil industry or power plants, leads to a plenty of severe implications including global temperature raise, air pollution and other adverse impacts on the environment. Besides some precarious and costly ways for the alleviation of CO₂ emissions detriment in industrial scales (such as liquefaction of CO₂ and its deep-water treatment, application of adsorbents and membranes, which require careful consideration of drawback effects and their mitigation), one physically and commercially available technology for its capture and disposal is supersonic system for inertial extraction of CO₂ in after-combustion streams. Due to the flue gas with a carbon dioxide concentration of 10-15 volume percent being emitted from the combustion system, the waste stream represents a rather diluted condition at low pressure. The supersonic system induces a flue gas mixture stream to expand using a converge-and-diverge operating nozzle; the flow velocity increases to the supersonic ranges resulting in rapid drop of temperature and pressure. Thus, conversion of potential energy into the kinetic power causes a desublimation of CO₂. Solidified carbon dioxide can be sent to the separate vessel for further disposal. The major advantages of the current solution are its economic efficiency, physical stability, and compactness of the system, as well as needlessness of addition any chemical media. However, there are several challenges yet to be regarded to optimize the system: the way for increasing the size of separated CO₂ particles (as they are represented on a micrometers scale of effective diameter), reduction of the concomitant gas separated together with carbon dioxide and provision of CO₂ downstream flow purity. Moreover, determination of thermodynamic conditions of the vapor-solid mixture including specification of the valid and accurate equation of state remains to be an essential goal. Due to high speeds and temperatures reached during the process, the influence of the emitted heat should be considered, and the applicable solution model for the compressible flow need to be determined. In this report, a brief overview of the current technology status will be presented and a program for further evaluation of this approach is going to be proposed.

Keywords: CO₂ sequestration, converging diverging nozzle, fossil fuel power plant emissions, inertial CO₂ extraction, supersonic post-combustion carbon dioxide capture

Procedia PDF Downloads 141

Authors: Jovie Esquivias Nicolas, Ron Aldrin Lontoc Austria, Crisabelle Belleza Bautista, Mariane Chiho Espinosa Bundalian, Owwen Kervy Del Rosario Castillo, Mary Angelyn Mercado Dela Cruz, Heinrich Theraja Recana De Luna, Chriscell Gipanao Eustaquio, Desiree Laine Lauz Gilbas, Jordan Ignacio Legaspi, Larah Denise David Madrid, Charles Linelle Malapote Mendoza, Hazel Maxine Manalad Reyes, Carl Justine Nabora Saberdo, Claire Mae Rendon Santos

Abstract:

In response to the global race in discovering the next advanced sustainable material that will reduce our ecological footprint, the researchers aimed to create a masonry unit which is competent in physical edifices and other constructional facets. From different proven researches, mycelium has been concluded that when dried can be used as a robust and waterproof building material that can be grown into explicit forms, thus reducing the processing requirements. Hypothesizing inclusive measures to attest fungi’s impressive structural qualities and absorbency, the researchers projected to perform comparative analyses in creating mycelium bricks from mushroom spores of G. lucidum. Three treatments were intended to classify the most ideal concentration of clay and substrate fixings. The substrate bags fixed with 30% clay and 70% mixings indicated highest numerical frequencies in terms of full occupation of fungal mycelia. Subsequently, sorted parts of white portions from the treatment were settled in a thermoplastic mold and burnt. Three proportional concentrations of cultivated substrate and cement were also prioritized to gather results of variation focused on the weights of the bricks in the Water Absorption Test and Durability Test. Fungal inoculums with solutions of cement showed small to moderate amounts of decrease and increase in load. This proves that the treatments did not show any significant difference when it comes to strength, efficiency and absorption capacity. Each of the concentration is equally valid and could be used in supporting the worldwide demands of creating numerous bricks while also taking into consideration the recovery of our nature.

Keywords: mycelium, fungi, fungal mycelia, durability test, water absorption test

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Zorica Tomičić, Ružica Tomičić, Peter Raspor

Abstract:

Growing resistance of pathogenic yeast Candida glabrata to many classes of antifungal drugs has stimulated efforts to discover new agents to combat a rising number of invasive C. glabrata infections, which deserves a great deal of concern due to the high mortality rate in immunocompromised populations. One promising strategy is the use of probiotic microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confers a health benefit. A selected number of probiotic organisms, Saccharomyces boulardii among them, have been tested as potential biotherapeutic agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the probiotic yeast S. boulardii on the adhesion of clinical isolates of C. glabrata at different temperatures, pH values, and in the presence of three clinically important antifungal drugs, such as fluconazole, itraconazole and amphotericin B. The method used to assess adhesion was crystal violet staining. The selection of antimycotics concentrations used in the adhesion assay was based on minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) obtained by the preliminarily performed microdilution modification of the Reference method for broth dilution antifungal susceptibility testing of yeast (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), standard M27-A2). the results showed that despite the nonadhesiveness of S. boulardii cells, probiotic yeast significantly suppressed the adhesion of C. glabrata strains. Besides, at specific strain ratios, a slight stimulatory effect was observed in some C. glabrata strains, which highlights the importance of strain specificity and opens up further research interests. When environmental conditions are considered, temperature and pH significantly influenced co-culture adhesion of C. glabrata and S. boulardii. The adhesion of C. glabrata strains was relatively equally reduced over all tested temperature range (28°C, 37°C, 39°C and 42°C) in the presence of S. boulardii cells, while the adhesion of a few C. glabrata strains were significantly stimulated at 28°C and suppressed at 42°C. Further, the adhesion was highly dependent on pH, with the highest adherence at pH 4 and lowest at pH 8.5. It was observed that S. boulardii did not manage to suppress the adhesion of C. glabrata strains at high pH. Antimycotics on the other hand showed a greater impact, since S. boulardii failed to affect co-culture adhesion at higher antimycotics concentrations. As expected, exposure to various concentrations of amphotericin B significantly reduced the adherence ability of C.glabrata strains both in a single culture and co-culture with S. boulardii. Therefore, it can be speculated that S. boulardii could substitute the effect of antimycotics in a range concentrations and with specific type of strains. This would certainly change the view on the treatment of yeast infections in the future.

Keywords: adhesion, antimycotics, candida glabrata, saccharomyces boulardii

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Nezha Badi

Abstract:

It has been shown in the literature that Algerian university students suffer from low levels of reading comprehension proficiency, which hinder their overall proficiency in English. This low level is mainly related to the methodology of teaching reading which is employed by the teacher in the classroom (a teacher-centered environment), as well as students’ poor sense of self-efficacy to undertake reading comprehension activities. Arguably, what is needed is an approach necessary for enhancing students’ self-beliefs about their abilities to deal with different reading comprehension activities. This can be done by providing them with opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning (learners’ autonomy). As a result of learning autonomy, learners’ beliefs about their abilities to deal with certain language tasks may increase, and hence, their language learning ability. Therefore, this experimental research study attempts to assess the extent to which an integrated approach combining one particular reading approach known as ‘collaborative strategic reading’ (CSR), and teacher’s attributional feedback (on students’ reading performance and strategy use) can improve the reading comprehension skill and the sense of self-efficacy of EFL Algerian university students. It also seeks to examine students’ main reasons for their successful or unsuccessful achievements in reading comprehension activities, and whether students’ attributions for their reading comprehension outcomes can be modified after exposure to the instruction. To obtain the data, different tools including a reading comprehension test, questionnaires, an observation, an interview, and learning logs were used with 105 second year Algerian EFL university students. The sample of the study was divided into three groups; one control group (with no treatment), one experimental group (CSR group) who received a CSR instruction, and a second intervention group (CSR Plus group) who received teacher’s attribution feedback in addition to the CSR intervention. Students in the CSR Plus group received the same experiment as the CSR group using the same tools, except that they were asked to keep learning logs, for which teacher’s feedback on reading performance and strategy use was provided. The results of this study indicate that the CSR and the attributional feedback intervention was effective in improving students’ reading comprehension proficiency and sense of self-efficacy. However, there was not a significant change in students’ adaptive and maladaptive attributions for their success and failure d from the pre-test to the post-test phase. Analysis of the perception questionnaire, the interview, and the learning logs shows that students have positive perceptions about the CSR and the attributional feedback instruction. Based on the findings, this study, therefore, seeks to provide EFL teachers in general and Algerian EFL university teachers in particular with pedagogical implications on how to teach reading comprehension to their students to help them achieve well and feel more self-efficacious in reading comprehension activities, and in English language learning more generally.

Keywords: attributions, attributional feedback, collaborative strategic reading, self-efficacy

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Ana M. Lara, Manuela Llano, Felipe Gaitán, Rosa H. Bustos, Ana Maria Perdomo-Arciniegas, Ximena Bonilla

Abstract:

Umbilical cord blood is used as a source of progenitor and stem cells for the regeneration of the hematopoietic and immune system to treat patients with different hematological or non-hematological diseases. This stem cell source represents an advantage over the use of bone marrow or mobilized peripheral blood because it has a lower incidence rate of graft-versus-host disease, probably due to fewer immunological compatibility restrictions. However, its low cellular dose limits its use in pediatric patients. This work proposes the standardization of a cell expansion technique to compensate for the dose of infused cells through the ex-vivo manipulation of hematopoietic progenitor cells from umbilical cord blood before transplantation. The expansion model is carried out through co-cultures with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from bone marrow (BM) and less explored fetal tissues such as Wharton's jelly (WJ) and umbilical cord blood (UCB). Initially, a master cell bank of primary mesenchymal stem cells isolated from different sources was established and characterized following International Society of Cell Therapies (ISCT) indications. Additionally, we assessed the effect of a short 25 Gy cycle of gamma irradiation on cell cycle arrest of mesenchymal cells over the support capacity for the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood was evaluated. The results show that co-cultures with MSC from WJ and UCB allow the cellular dose of HSPC to be maximized between 5 and 16 times having a similar support capacity as BM. In addition, was evaluated the hematopoietic stem progenitor cell's HSPC functionality through the evaluation of migration capacity, their differentiation capacity during culture time by flow cytometry to evaluate the expression of membrane markers associated with lineage-committed progenitors, their clonogenic potential, and the evaluation of secretome profile in the expansion process was evaluated. So far, the treatment with gamma irradiation maintains the hematopoietic support capacity of mesenchymal stem cells from the three sources studied compared to treatments without irradiation, favoring the use of fetal tissues that are generally waste to obtain mesenchymal cell lines for ex-vivo expansion systems. With the results obtained, a standardized protocol that will contribute to the development of ex-vivo expansion with MSC on a larger scale will be achieved, enabling its clinical use and expanding its application in adults.

Keywords: ex-vivo expansion, hematopoietic stem cells, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mesenchymal stem cells, umbilical cord blood

Procedia PDF Downloads 115

Authors: Manohar Salla, Mark S. Butler, Ruby Pelingon, Geraldine Kaeslin, Daniel E. Croker, Janet C. Reid, Jong Min Baek, Paul V. Bernhardt, Elizabeth M. J. Gillam, Matthew A. Cooper, Avril A. B. Robertson

Abstract:

MCC950 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome that shows early promise for treatment of inflammatory diseases. The identification of major metabolites of lead molecule is an important step during drug development process. It provides an information about the metabolically labile sites in the molecule and thereby helping medicinal chemists to design metabolically stable molecules. To identify major metabolites of MCC950, the compound was incubated with human liver microsomes and subsequent analysis by (+)- and (−)-QTOF-ESI-MS/MS revealed a major metabolite formed due to hydroxylation on 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacene moiety of MCC950. This major metabolite can lose two water molecules and three possible regioisomers were synthesized. Co-elution of major metabolite with each of the synthesized compounds using HPLC-ESI-SRM-MS/MS revealed the structure of the metabolite (±) N-((1-hydroxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacen-4-yl)carbamoyl)-4-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)furan-2-sulfonamide. Subsequent synthesis of individual enantiomers and coelution in HPLC-ESI-SRM-MS/MS using a chiral column revealed the metabolite was R-(+)- N-((1-hydroxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacen-4-yl)carbamoyl)-4-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)furan-2-sulfonamide. To study the possible cytochrome P450 enzyme(s) responsible for the formation of major metabolite, MCC950 was incubated with a panel of cytochrome P450 enzymes. The result indicated that CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C18, CYP2C19, CYP2J2 and CYP3A4 are most likely responsible for the formation of the major metabolite. The biological activity of the major metabolite and the other synthesized regioisomers was also investigated by screening for for NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity. The major metabolite had 170-fold less inhibitory activity (IC50-1238 nM) than MCC950 (IC50-7.5 nM). Interestingly, one regioisomer had shown nanomolar inhibitory activity (IC50-232 nM). However, no evidence of cytotoxicity was observed with any of these synthesized compounds when tested in human embryonic kidney 293 cells (HEK293) and human liver hepatocellular carcinoma G2 cells (HepG2). These key findings give an insight into the SAR of the hexahydroindacene moiety of MCC950 and reveal a metabolic soft spot which could be blocked by chemical modification.

Keywords: Cytochrome P450, inflammasome, MCC950, metabolite, microsome, NLRP3

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Valeria T. Dilcheva, Svetlozara L. Petkova, Ivelin Vladov

Abstract:

Trichinellosis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella which are zoonotic parasites with cosmopolitan distribution and major socio-economic importance. Human infection is acquired through consumption of undercooked meat from domestic or wild animal. Penetration of Trichinella larvae into striated skeletal muscle cells results in ultrastructural and metabolic changes. Migration of larvae causes the typical symptoms and signs of the disease. The severity of the symptoms depends on the number of ingested Trichinella larvae and the immune response of the host. Eosinophilia is present, with few exceptions, in most cases of human trichinellosis, inasmuch as it is the earliest and most important host response. Even in human asymptomatic cases, increases in eosinophilia of up to 15% have been observed. Eosinophilia appears at an early stage of infection between the second and fifth weeks of infection. By 2005 it was considered that only two species of Trichinella genus were found in the country. After routine trichinelloscopy procedure disseminated single muscle larvae in samples of wild boars and badger were PCR-identified as T. pseudospiralis. The study aimed to observed hematological changes occurring during experimentally induced infection with Trichinella spiralis, T. britovi and T. pseudospiralis in mice. We performed hematological blood profile, tracking 15 blood indicators. In statistical analysis made by Two-way ANOVA, there were significant differences of HGB, MCHC, PLT, Lymph%, Gran% in all three types of trichinellosis compared to control animals. Capsule-forming T. spiralis showed statistically significant differences in HGB, MCHC, Lymph% and PLT compared to the other two species. Non capsule-forming T. pseudospiralis showed statistically significant differences in Lymph%, Gran% relative to the control and in Gran% relative to T. spiralis. It appears rather substantial the process of capsule formation for prolonged immune response and retention of high content of percentage of lymphocytes(Lymph%) and low of granulocyte(Gran%) in T. pseudospiralis, which is contrary to studies for T. spiralis and eosinophilia. Studies and analyzes of some specific blood profile parameters can provide additional data in favor of early diagnosis and adequate treatment as well as provide a better understanding of acute and chronic trichinosis.

Keywords: hematological test, T. britovi, T. spiralis, T. pseudospiralis

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Shao-Ying Wang, Shin-I Shih, Chi-Cheng Wu

Abstract:

Background: By following to the maturity theory about age, the manifestation of depression in different age groups under occupational stressors still remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the depression within four main symptoms clusters: cognition, affect, physical complaints and interpersonal difficulty among the different age groups. Additionally, this study also used the stress appraisal theory, through the examination of challenge and hindrance appraisals, the effects of cognitive factors were expected to give therapeutic indication for the future treatment of depression under abusive leadership. Methods (Participants and Procedure): The data were collected in two waves from employees of local companies in Taiwan. The participants (58 males and 167 females) were native Chinese speakers, ranging in age from 20 to 59 years (M= 36.51). Up to 80% educational level of participants were above senior high. The married population was approximately at 43%. Measures; 1. Abusive Leadership: To measure abusive leadership, we used 15-item scale of abusive supervision which anchored on a 7-point Likert-type scale. (α= .96) 2. Depression: We used Taiwanese Depression Scale to measure the 4 clusters (cognition, affect, physical complaints and interpersonal difficulty) of symptoms. Participants responded for depression anchored on a 7-point Likert-type scale (α= .96). 3. Stress Appraisal Scale: To measure challenge and hindrance types of appraisal, participants responded to 33-item measure anchored on a 7-point Likert-type scale. (Challenge appraisal; α= .90; hindrance appraisal α= .87). Results: The results of correlation showed that there was a significant and negative correlation between abusive leadership and age (r = - .21, p < .01). Abusive leadership was positive correlated significantly with hindrance appraisal (r = .52, p < .01) and depression (r = .20, p < .01). The results also showed that hindrance appraisal was correlated to depression positively (r = .36, p < .01). A one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of lower/middle/order age groups on each cluster of depressive symptoms. The results showed that the effect of age groups on cognition was significant F (2, 157) =3.66, P < .05. Older age group (M=13.43 SD=6.84) reported less cognitive symptoms of depression than the middle (M=16.77 SD=7.49) and lower age (M=16.91 SD=6.97) groups. Besides, the effect of age groups on affect was also significant F (2,157)= 4.09 P < .05. Older age group (M=18.68 SD=8.98) reported less affective symptoms of depression than the middle (M=22.01 SD=7.96) and lower age (M=23.56 SD=7.67) groups. Moreover, the main effect of hindrance appraisal was found F (2, 157) =3.81, P < .05. Older age group (M=9.44 SD=2.89) reported fewer score on hindrance appraisals than the middle (M=11.06 SD=4.02) and lower age (M=9.62 SD=3.17) groups. To conclude, the severity of depression symptoms varies across different age groups. Maturity seems to be the protective factor to depression, accompanying with lower hindrance appraisals.

Keywords: abusive leadership, affective commitment, depression symptoms, psychological well-being

Procedia PDF Downloads 203

Authors: Yihenew Simegniew Birhan, Hsieh Chih Tsai

Abstract:

The recent advancements in synthetic chemistry and nanotechnology fostered the development of different nanocarriers for enhanced intracellular delivery of pharmaceutical agents to tumor cells. Polymeric micelles (PMs), characterized by small size, appreciable drug loading capacity (DLC), better accumulation in tumor tissue via enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, and the ability to avoid detection and subsequent clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte (MNP) system, are convenient to improve the poor solubility, slow absorption and non-selective biodistribution of payloads embedded in their hydrophobic cores and hence, enhance the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, redox-responsive polymeric micelles have gained significant attention for the delivery and controlled release of anticancer drugs in tumor cells. In this study, we synthesized redox-responsive diselenide bond containing amphiphilic polymer, Bi(mPEG-PLGA)-Se₂ from mPEG-PLGA, and 3,3'-diselanediyldipropanoic acid (DSeDPA) using DCC/DMAP as coupling agents. The successful synthesis of the copolymers was verified by different spectroscopic techniques. Above the critical micelle concentration, the amphiphilic copolymer, Bi(mPEG-PLGA)-Se₂, self-assembled into stable micelles. The DLS data indicated that the hydrodynamic diameter of the micelles (123.9 ± 0.85 nm) was suitable for extravasation into the tumor cells through the EPR effect. The drug loading content (DLC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of DOX-loaded micelles were found to be 6.61 wt% and 54.9%, respectively. The DOX-loaded micelles showed initial burst release accompanied by sustained release trend where 73.94% and 69.54% of encapsulated DOX was released upon treatment with 6mM GSH and 0.1% H₂O₂, respectively. The biocompatible nature of Bi(mPEG-PLGA)-Se₂ copolymer was confirmed by the cell viability study. In addition, the DOX-loaded micelles exhibited significant inhibition against HeLa cells (44.46%), at a maximum dose of 7.5 µg/mL. The fluorescent microscope images of HeLa cells treated with 3 µg/mL (equivalent DOX concentration) revealed efficient internalization and accumulation of DOX-loaded Bi(mPEG-PLGA)-Se₂ micelles in the cytosol of cancer cells. In conclusion, the intelligent, biocompatible, and the redox stimuli-responsive behavior of Bi(mPEG-PLGA)-Se₂ copolymer marked the potential applications of diselenide-linked mPEG-PLGA micelles for the delivery and on-demand release of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer cells.

Keywords: anticancer drug delivery, diselenide bond, polymeric micelles, redox-responsive

Procedia PDF Downloads 110

Authors: S. Pradhan, D. Pradhan, G. Tripathy

Abstract:

Anti-estrogen treatment resistant is a noteworthy reason for disease relapse and mortality in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)- positive breast cancers. Tamoxifen or estrogen withdrawal increases the dependance of breast malignancy cells on INT3 signaling. Here, we researched the contribution of Quercetin and INT3 signaling in endocrine resistant breast cancer cells. Methods: We utilized two models of endocrine therapies resistant (ETR-) breast cancer: tamoxifen-resistant (TamR) and long term estrogen-deprived (LTED) MCF7 cells. We assessed the migratory and invasive limit of these cells by Transwell assay. Expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) controllers and in addition INT3 receptors and targets were assessed by real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Besides, we tried in vitro anti-Quercetin monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and gamma secretase inhibitors (GSIs) as potential EMT reversal therapeutic agents. At last, we created stable Quercetin over expessing MCF7 cells and assessed their EMT features and response to tamoxifen. Results:We found that ETR cells acquired an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype and showed expanded levels of Quercetin and INT3 targets. Interestingly, we detected higher level of INT3 however lower levels of INT31 and INT32 proposing a switch to targeting through distinctive INT3 receptors after obtaining of resistance. Anti-Quercetin monoclonal antibodies and the GSI PF03084014 were effective in obstructing the Quercetin/INT3 axis and in part inhibiting the EMT process. As a consequence of this, cell migration and invasion were weakened and the stem cell like population was considerably decreased. Genetic hushing of Quercetin and INT3 prompted proportionate impacts. Finally, stable overexpression of Quercetin was adequate to make MCF7 lethargic to tamoxifen by INT3 activation. Conclusions: ETR cells express abnormal amounts of Quercetin and INT3, whose actuation eventually drives invasive conduct. Anti-Quercetin mAbs and GSI PF03084014 lessen expression of EMT molecules decreasing cellular invasiveness. Quercetin overexpression instigates tamoxifen resistance connected to obtaining of EMT phenotype. Our discovering propose that focusing on Quercetin and/or INT3 warrants further clinical assessment as substantial therapeutic methodologies in endocrine-resistant breast cancer.

Keywords: quercetin, INT3, mesenchymal transition, MCF7 breast cancer cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 311

Authors: Luz Stella Cadavid-Rodriguez, Viviana E. Castro-Lopez

Abstract:

Fish waste (FW) has a high content of potentially biodegradable components, so it is amenable to be digested anaerobically. In this line, anaerobic digestion (AD) of FW has been studied for biogas production. Nevertheless, intermediate products such as volatile fatty acids (VFA), generated during the acidogenic stage, have been scarce investigated, even though they have a high potential as a renewable source of carbon. In the literature, there are few studies about the Inoculum-Substrate (I/S) ratio on acidogenesis. On the other hand, it is well known that pH is a critical factor in the production of VFA. The optimum pH for the production of VFA seems to change depending on the substrate and can vary in a range between 5.25 and 11. Nonetheless, the literature about VFA production from protein-rich waste, such as FW, is scarce. In this context, it is necessary to deepen on the determination of the optimal operating conditions of acidogenic fermentation for VFA production from protein-rich waste. Therefore, the aim of this research was to optimize the volatile fatty acid production from artisanal fishing waste, studying the effect of pH and the I/S ratio on the acidogenic process. For this research, the inoculum used was a methanogenic sludge (MS) obtained from a UASB reactor treating wastewater of a slaughterhouse plant, and the FW was collected in the port of Tumaco (Colombia) from the local artisanal fishers. The acidogenic fermentation experiments were conducted in batch mode, in 500 mL glass bottles as anaerobic reactors, equipped with rubber stoppers provided with a valve to release biogas. The effective volume used was 300 mL. The experiments were carried out for 15 days at a mesophilic temperature of 37± 2 °C and constant agitation of 200 rpm. The effect of 3 pH levels: 5, 7, 9, coupled with five I/S ratios, corresponding to 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, 0.05, 0.00 was evaluated taking as a response variable the production of VFA. A complete randomized block design was selected for the experiments in a 5x3 factorial arrangement, with two repetitions per treatment. At the beginning and during the process, pH in the experimental reactors was adjusted to the corresponding values of 5, 7, and 9 using 1M NaOH or 1M H2SO4, as was appropriated. In addition, once the optimum I/S ratio was determined, the process was evaluated at this condition without pH control. The results indicated that pH is the main factor in the production of VFA, obtaining the highest concentration with neutral pH. By reducing the I/S ratio, as low as 0.05, it was possible to maximize VFA production. Thus, the optimum conditions found were natural pH (6.6-7.7) and I/S ratio of 0.05, with which it was possible to reach a maximum total VFA concentration of 70.3 g Ac/L, whose major components were acetic acid (35%) and butyric acid (32%). The findings showed that the acidogenic fermentation of FW is an efficient way of producing VFA and that the operating conditions can be simple and economical.

Keywords: acidogenesis, artisanal fishing waste, inoculum to substrate ratio, volatile fatty acids

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Yasmeen Jamal Alabdallat, Almutazballlah Bassam Qablan, Obada Ahmad Al Jayyousi, Ihdaa Mahmoud Bani Khalaf, Eman E. Alshial

Abstract:

Background: Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental health status that leads to extreme mood swings that include emotional lows (depression) and highs (mania or hypomania). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of lithium versus valproate among bipolar patients. Methods: A computer literature search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted from inception until June 2022. Studies comparing lithium versus valproate among bipolar patients were selected for the analysis, and all relevant outcomes were pooled in the meta-analysis using Review Manager Software. Results: 11 Randomized Clinical Trials were included in this meta-analysis with a total of 4159 patients. Our meta showed that lithium was superior to valproate in terms of Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) (MD = 0.00 with 95% CI, (-0.55 – 0.55; I2 = 0%), P = 1.00). The results of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) showed that the overall effect favored the valproate treated group (MD = 1.41 with 95% CI, (-0.15 – 2.67; I2 = 0%), P = 0.03). Concerning the results of the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the results showed that the lithium was superior to valproate (MD = 0.03 with 95% CI, (-0.80 to 0.87; I2 = 40%), P = 0.94). In terms of the sexual side effect, we found that the valproate was superior to lithium (RR 1.19 with 95% CI, (0.74 to 1.91; I2 = 0%), P = 0.47). The lithium-treated group was superior in comparison to valproate treated group in terms of Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) (MD = -0.03 with 95% CI (-0.38 to 0.32; I2 = 0%), P = 0.87). The lithium was more favorable in terms of Simpson-Agnes scale (MD = -0.40 with 95% CI, (-0.86 to 0.06; I2 = 0%), P = 0.09). The results of the Barnes akathisia scale showed that the overall effect of the valproate was more favorable in comparison to lithium (MD = 0.05 with 95% CI, (-0.12 to 0.22; I2 = 0%), P = 0.57). Conclusion: Our study revealed that on the scales of efficacy Lithium treated group surpassed Valproate treated group in terms of Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) and Simpson-Agnes scale, but valproate surpassed it in Barnes Akathisia scale. Furthermore, on the scales of depression Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) showed that the overall effect favored Valproate treated group, but Lithium surpassed valproate in terms of Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Valproate surpassed Lithium in terms of sexual side effects.

Keywords: bipolar, mania, bipolar-depression, sexual dysfunction, sexual side effects, treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Yiqi Zhu, Jean Francois Trani, Rameez Ulhassan

Abstract:

Extreme weather phenomena increased by 46% between 2007 and 2017 and have become more intense with the rise in global average temperatures. This increased intensity of climate variations often induces humanitarian crises and particularly affects vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Expectant and lactating mothers are among the most vulnerable groups. Pakistan ranks 10th among the most affected countries by climate disasters. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country, causing the loss of 1,500 lives. Approximately 650,000 expectant and lactating mothers faced systematic stress from climatic disasters. Our study used participatory methods to investigate the systematic impact of climatic disasters on maternal health. In March 2023, we conducted six Group Model Building (GMB) workshops with healthcare workers, fathers, and mothers separately in two of the most affected areas in Pakistan. This study was approved by the Islamic Relief Research Review Board. GMB workshops consist of three sessions. In the first session, participants discussed the factors that impact maternal health. After identifying the factors, they discussed the connections among them and explored the system structures that collectively impact maternal health. Based on the discussion, a causal loop diagram (CLD) was created. Finally, participants discussed action ideas that could improve the system to enhance maternal health. Based on our discussions and the causal loop diagram, we identified interconnected factors at the family, community, and policy levels. Mothers and children are directly impacted by three interrelated factors: food insecurity, unstable housing, and lack of income. These factors create a reinforcing cycle that negatively affects both mothers and newborns. After the flood, many mothers were unable to produce sufficient breastmilk due to their health status. Without breastmilk and sufficient food for complementary feeding, babies tend to get sick in damp and unhygienic environments resulting from temporary or unstable housing. When parents take care of sick children, they miss out on income-generating opportunities. At the community level, the lack of access to clean water and sanitation (WASH) and maternal healthcare further worsens the situation. Structural failures such as a lack of safety nets and programs associated with flood preparedness make families increasingly vulnerable with each disaster. Several families reported that they had not fully recovered from a flood that occurred ten years ago, and this latest disaster destroyed their lives again. Although over twenty non-profit organizations are working in these villages, few of them provide sustainable support. Therefore, participants called for systemic changes in response to the increasing frequency of climate disasters. The study reveals the systematic vulnerabilities of mothers and children after climatic disasters. The most vulnerable populations are often affected the most by climate change. Collaborative efforts are required to improve water and forest management, strengthen public infrastructure, increase access to WASH, and gradually build climate-resilient communities. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and the community should work together to develop and implement effective strategies to prevent, mitigate, and adapt to climate change and its impacts.

Keywords: climatic disasters, maternal health, Pakistan, systematic impact, flood, disaster relief.

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Elif Gencturk, Ekin Yurdakul, Ahmet Y. Celik, Senol Mutlu, Kutlu O. Ulgen

Abstract:

Yeast cells are generally used as a model system of eukaryotes due to their complex genetic structure, rapid growth ability in optimum conditions, easy replication and well-defined genetic system properties. Thus, yeast cells increased the knowledge of the principal pathways in humans. During fermentation, carbohydrates (hexoses and pentoses) degrade into some toxic by-products such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF or HMF) and furfural. HMF influences the ethanol yield, and ethanol productivity; it interferes with microbial growth and is considered as a potent inhibitor of bioethanol production. In this study, yeast single cell behavior under HMF application was monitored by using a continuous flow single phase microfluidic platform. Microfluidic device in operation is fabricated by hot embossing and thermo-compression techniques from cyclo-olefin polymer (COP). COP is biocompatible, transparent and rigid material and it is suitable for observing fluorescence of cells considering its low auto-fluorescence characteristic. The response of yeast cells was recorded through Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP) tagged Nop56 gene product, which is an essential evolutionary-conserved nucleolar protein, and also a member of the box C/D snoRNP complexes. With the application of HMF, yeast cell proliferation continued but HMF slowed down the cell growth, and after HMF treatment the cell proliferation stopped. By the addition of fresh nutrient medium, the yeast cells recovered after 6 hours of HMF exposure. Thus, HMF application suppresses normal functioning of cell cycle but it does not cause cells to die. The monitoring of Nop56 expression phases of the individual cells shed light on the protein and ribosome synthesis cycles along with their link to growth. Further computational study revealed that the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory or inductive effects of HMF on growth are enriched in functional categories of protein degradation, protein processing, DNA repair and multidrug resistance. The present microfluidic device can successfully be used for studying the effects of inhibitory agents on growth by single cell tracking, thus capturing cell to cell variations. By metabolic engineering techniques, engineered strains can be developed, and the metabolic network of the microorganism can thus be manipulated such that chemical overproduction of target metabolite is achieved along with the maximum growth/biomass yield.  

Keywords: COP, HMF, ribosome biogenesis, thermoplastic microbioreactor, yeast

Procedia PDF Downloads 171

Authors: Amin Akbari, Dongcai Wang, Huiru Li, Xiaoping Du, Jie Chen

Abstract:

The effect of vibrational force (VF) on accelerating orthodontic tooth movement depends on the level of delivered stimulation to the tooth in terms of peak load (PL), which requires contacts between the tooth and the VF device. A personalized device ensures the contacts, but the resulting PL distribution on the teeth is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the PL on particular teeth can be adjusted to the prescribed values. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of apersonalized VF device in controlling the level of stimulation on two teeth, the mandibular canines and 2nd molars. A 3-D finite element (FE) model of human dentition, including teeth, PDL, and alveolar bone, was created from the cone beam computed tomography images of an anonymous subject. The VF was applied to the teeth through a VFdevice consisting of a mouthpiece with engraved tooth profile of the subject and a VF source that applied 0.3 N force with the frequency of 30 Hz. The dentition and mouthpiece were meshed using 10-node tetrahedral elements. Interface elements were created at the interfaces between the teeth and the mouthpiece. The upper and lower teeth bite on the mouthpiece to receive the vibration. The depth of engraved individual tooth profile could be adjusted, which was accomplished by adding a layer of material as an interference or removing a layer of material as a clearance to change the PL on the tooth. The interference increases the PL while the clearance decreases it. Fivemouthpiece design cases were simulated, which included a mouthpiece without interference/clearance; the mouthpieces with bilateral interferences on both mandibular canines and 2nd molars with magnitudes of 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2-mm, respectively; and mouthpiece with bilateral 0.3-mm clearances on the four teeth. Then, the force distributions on the entire dentition were compared corresponding to these adjustments. The PL distribution on the teeth is uneven when there is no interference or clearance. Among all teeth, the anterior segment receives the highest level of PL. Adding 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2-mm interferences to the canines and 2nd molars bilaterally leads to increase of the PL on the canines by 10, 62, and 73 percent and on the 2nd molar by 14, 55, and 87 percent, respectively. Adding clearances to the canines and 2nd molars by removing the contactsbetween these teeth and the mouthpiece results in zero PL on them. Moreover, introducing interference to mandibular canines and 2nd molarsredistributes the PL on the entireteeth. The share of the PL on the anterior teeth are reduced. The use of the personalized mouthpiece ensures contactsof the teeth to the mouthpiece so that all teeth can be stimulated. However, the PL distribution is uneven. Adding interference between a tooth and the mouthpiece increases the PL while introducing clearance decreases the PL. As a result, the PL is redistributed. This study confirms that the level of VF stimulation on the individual tooth can be adjusted to a prescribed value.

Keywords: finite element method, orthodontic treatment, stress analysis, tooth movement, vibrational force

Procedia PDF Downloads 224