Search results for: data-driven decision making in public health

Authors: Marcela Parra-Vargas, Ana Sandoval-Rodriguez, Roberto Rodriguez-Echevarria, Jose Dominguez-Rosales, Juan Armendariz-Borunda

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by an excess of hepatic lipids, and it is to author’s best knowledge, the most prevalent chronic liver disorder. Anthocyanin-rich food consumption is linked to health benefits in metabolic disorders associated with obesity and NAFLD, although the precise functional role of anthocyanidin delphinidin (Dp) has yet to be established. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Dp in NAFLD metabolic alterations by evaluating prevention or amelioration of hepatic lipid accumulation, as well as molecular mechanisms in two experimental obesity-related models of NALFD. In vitro: HepG2 cells were incubated with sodium palmitate (PA, 1 mM) to induce lipotoxic damage, and concomitantly treated with Dp (180 uM) for 24 h. Subsequently, total lipid accumulation was measured by colorimetric staining with Oil Red O, and total intrahepatic triglycerides were determined by an enzymatic assay. To assess molecular mechanisms, cells were pre-treated with PA for 24 h and then exposed to Dp for 1 h. In vivo: four-week-old male C57BL/6Nhsd mice were allocated in two main groups. Mice were fed with standard diet (control) or high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (45% fat, HFD) for 16 wk to induce NAFLD. Then HFD was divided into subgroups: one treated orally with Dp (15 mg/kg bw, HFD-Dp) every day for 4 wk, while HFD group treated with vehicle (DMSO). Weight and fasting glucose were recorded weekly, while dietary ingestion was measured daily. Insulin tolerance test was performed at the end of treatment. Liver histology was evaluated with H&E and Masson’s trichrome stain. RT-PCR was used to evaluate gene expression and Western Blot to determine levels of protein in both experimental models. Parametric data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc test. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric data, and P < 0.5 were considered significant. Dp prevented hepatic lipid accumulation by PA in HepG2 hepatocytes. Furthermore, Dp down-regulated gene expression of SREBP1c, FAS, and CPT1a without modifying AMPK phosphorylation levels. In vivo, Dp oral administration did not ameliorate lipid metabolic alterations raised by HFD. Adiposity, dietary ingestion, fasting glucose, and insulin sensitivity after Dp treatment remained similar to HFD group. Histological analysis showed hepatic damage in HFD groups and no differences between HFD and HFD-Dp groups were found. Hepatic gene expression of ACC and FAS were not altered by HFD. SREBP1c was similar in both HFD and HFD-Dp groups. No significant changes were observed in SREBP1c, ACC, and FAS adipose tissue gene expression by HFD or Dp treatment. Additionally, immunoblotting analysis revealed no changes in pathway SIRT1-LKB-AMPK and PPAR alpha by both HFD groups compared to control. In conclusion, the antioxidant Dp may provoke beneficial effects in the prevention of hepatic lipid accumulation. Nevertheless, the oral dose administrated in mice that simulated the total intake of anthocyanins consumed daily by humans has no effect as a treatment on hepatic lipid metabolic alterations and histological abnormalities associated with exposure to chronic HFD. A healthy lifestyle with regular intake of antioxidants such as anthocyanins may prevent metabolic alterations in NAFLD.

Keywords: anthocyanins, antioxidants, delphinidin, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity

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Authors: Batul Kagalwala

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The nervous system is made up of complex delicate structures such as the spinal cord, peripheral nerves and the brain. These are prone to various types of injury ranging from neurodegenerative diseases to trauma leading to diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple system atrophy etc. Unfortunately, because of the complicated structure of nervous system, spontaneous regeneration, repair and healing is seldom seen due to which brain damage, peripheral nerve damage and paralysis from spinal cord injury are often permanent and incapacitating. Hence, innovative and standardized approach is required for advance treatment of neurological injury. Nigella sativa (N. sativa), an annual flowering plant native to regions of southern Europe and Asia; has been suggested to have neuroprotective and anti-seizures properties. Neuroregeneration is found to occur in damaged cells when treated using extract of N. sativa. Due to its proven health benefits, lots of experiments are being conducted to extract all the benefits from the plant. The flowers are delicate and are usually pale blue and white in color with small black seeds. These seeds are the source of active components such as 30–40% fixed oils, 0.5–1.5% essential oils, pharmacologically active components containing thymoquinone (TQ), ditimoquinone (DTQ) and nigellin. In traditional medicine, this herb was identified to have healing properties and was extensively used Middle East and Far East for treating diseases such as head ache, back pain, asthma, infections, dysentery, hypertension, obesity and gastrointestinal problems. Literature studies have confirmed the extract of N. sativa seeds and TQ have inhibitory effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase and production of nitric oxide as well as anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. Experimental investigation will be conducted to understand which ingredient of N. sativa causes neuroregeneration and roots to its healing property. An aqueous/ alcoholic extract of N. sativa will be made. Seed oil is also found to have used by researchers to prepare such extracts. For the alcoholic extracts, the seeds need to be powdered and soaked in alcohol for a period of time and the alcohol must be evaporated using rotary evaporator. For aqueous extracts, the powder must be dissolved in distilled water to obtain a pure extract. The mobile phase will be the extract while the suitable stationary phase (substance that is a good adsorbent e.g. silica gels, alumina, cellulose etc.) will be selected. Different ingredients of N. sativa will be separated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for treating damaged cells. Damaged brain cells will be treated individually and in different combinations of 2 or 3 compounds for different intervals of time. The most suitable compound or a combination of compounds for the regeneration of cells will be determined using DOE methodology. Later the gene will also be determined and using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) it will be replicated in a plasmid vector. This plasmid vector shall be inserted in the brain of the organism used and replicated within. The gene insertion can also be done by the gene gun method. The gene in question can be coated on a micro bullet of tungsten and bombarded in the area of interest and gene replication and coding shall be studied. Investigation on whether the gene replicates in the organism or not will be examined.

Keywords: black cumin, brain cells, damage, extract, neuroregeneration, PCR, plasmids, vectors

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Authors: Asma'u Mahe, Abdullahi A. Imam, Adamu J. Alhassan, Nasiru Abdullahi, Sadiya A. Bichi, Nura Lawal, Kamaluddeen Babagana

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Malaria is a disease with global health significance. It is caused by parasites and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Increase in insecticide resistance threatens the disease vector control. The strength of selection pressure acting on a mosquito population in relation to insecticide resistance can be assess by determining the genetic diversity of a fragment spanning exon- 20 of IIS6 of the voltage gated sodium channel (VGSC). Larval samples reared to adulthood were identified and kdr (knock down resistance) profile was determined. The DNA sequences were used to assess the patterns of genetic differentiation by determining the levels of genetic variability between the Anopheles mosquitoes. Genetic differentiation of the Anopheles mosquitoes based on a portion of the voltage gated sodium channel gene was obtained. Polymorphisms were detected; sequence variation and analysis were presented as a phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic tree of VGSC haplotypes was constructed for samples of the Anopheles mosquitoes using the maximum likelihood method in MEGA 6.0 software. DNA sequences were edited using BioEdit sequence editor. The edited sequences were aligned with reference sequence (Kisumu strain). Analyses were performed as contained in dnaSP 5.10. Results of genetic parameters of polymorphism and haplotype reconstruction were presented in count. Twenty sequences were used for the analysis. Regions selected were 1- 576, invariable (monomorphic) sites were 460 while variable (polymorphic) sites were 5 giving the number of total mutations observed in this study. Mutations obtained from the study were at codon 105: TTC- Phenylalanine replaces TCC- Serine, codon 513: TAG- Termination replaces TTG- Leucine, codon 153, 300 and 553 mutations were non-synonymous. From the constructed phylogenetic tree, some groups were shown to be closer with Exon20Gambiae Kisumu (Reference strain) having some genetic distance, while 5-Exon20Gambiae-F I13.ab1, 18-Exon20Gambiae-F C17.ab1, and 2-Exon20Gambiae-F C13.ab1 clustered together genetically differentiated away from others. Mutations observed in this study can be attributed to the high insecticide resistance profile recorded in the study areas. Haplotype networks of pattern of genetic variability and polymorphism for the fragment of the VGSC sequences of sampled Anopheles mosquitoes revealed low haplotypes for the present study. Haplotypes are set of closely linked DNA variation on X-chromosome. Haplotypes were scaled accordingly to reflect their respective frequencies. Low haplotype number, four VGSC-1014F haplotypes were observed in this study. A positive association was previously established between low haplotype number of VGSC diversity and pyrethroid resistance through kdr mechanism. Significant values at (P < 0.05) of Tajima D and Fu and Li D’ were observed for some of the results indicating possible signature of positive selection on the fragment of VGSC in the study. This is the first report of VGSC-1014F in the study site. Based on the results, the mutation was present in low frequencies. However, the roles played by the observed mutations need further investigation. Mutations, environmental factors among others can affect genetic diversity. The study area has recorded increase in insecticide resistance that can affect vector control in the area. This finding might affect the efforts made against malaria. Sequences were deposited in GenBank for Accession Number.

Keywords: anopheles mosquitoes, insecticide resistance, kdr, malaria, voltage gated sodium channel

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Authors: Afrah S. M. Al-Mahfadi

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Climate change is a global issue that has significant impacts on water resources, resulting in environmental, economic, and political consequences. Groundwater reserves, particularly in coastal areas, are facing depletion, leading to serious problems in regions such as Yemen. This study focuses on the western coastal region of Yemen, which already faces risks such as water crises, food insecurity, and widespread poverty. Climate change exacerbates these risks by causing high temperatures, sea level rise, inadequate sea level rise, and inadequate environmental policies. Research Aim: The aim of this research is to provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of climate change on the western coastal region of Yemen. Specifically, the study aims to analyze the relationship between climate change and the loss of fresh groundwater resources in this area. Methodology: The research utilizes a combination of a literature review and three case studies conducted through site visits. Arch-GIS mapping is employed to analyze and visualize the relationship between climate change and the depletion of fresh groundwater resources. Additionally, data on precipitation from 1981 to 2020 and scenarios of projected sea level rise (SLR) are considered. Findings: The study reveals several future issues resulting from climate change. It is projected that the annual temperature will increase while the rainfall rate will decrease. Furthermore, the sea level is expected to rise by approximately 0.30 to 0.72 meters by 2100. These factors contribute to the loss of wetlands, the retreat of shorelines and estuaries, and the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifer, rendering drinking water from wells increasingly saline. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: Data for this research are collected through a literature review, including studies on climate change impacts in coastal areas and the hydrogeology of the study region. Furthermore, three case studies are conducted through site visits. Arch-GIS mapping techniques are utilized to analyze the relationship between climate change and the loss of fresh groundwater resources. Historical precipitation data from 1981 to 2020 and scenarios of projected sea level rise are also analyzed. Questions Addressed: (1) What is the impact of climate change on the western coastal region of Yemen? (2) How does climate change affect the availability of fresh groundwater resources in this area? Conclusion: The study concludes that the western coastal region of Yemen is facing significant challenges due to climate change. The projected increase in temperature, decrease in rainfall, and rise in sea levels have severe implications, such as the loss of wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. Additionally, the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifer further exacerbates the issue of saline drinking water. Urgent measures are needed to address climate change, including improving water management, implementing integrated coastal zone planning, raising awareness among stakeholders, and implementing emergency projects to mitigate the impacts. Recommendations: To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, several recommendations are provided. These include improving water management practices, developing integrated coastal zone planning strategies, raising awareness among all stakeholders, improving health and education, and implementing emergency projects to combat climate change. These measures aim to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of future climate change impacts.

Keywords: climate change, groundwater, coastal wetlands, Yemen

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Authors: Victor Kang, Sirene Bellahnid, Amy Al-Simaani

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Efficient documentation and completion of clerical tasks are pillars of efficient patient-centered care in acute settings such as the emergency department (ED). Medical scribes aid physicians with documentation, navigation of electronic health records, results gathering, and communication coordination with other healthcare teams. However, the use of medical scribes is not widespread, with some hospitals even continuing to discontinue their programs. One reason for this could be the lack of studies that have outlined concrete improvements in efficiency and patient and provider satisfaction in emergency departments before and after incorporating scribes. Methods: We conducted a review of the literature concerning the implementation of a medical scribe program and emergency department performance. For this review, a narrative synthesis accompanied by textual commentaries was chosen to present the selected papers. PubMed was searched exclusively. Initially, no date limits were set, but seeing as the electronic medical record was officially implemented in Canada in 2013, studies published after this date were preferred as they provided insight into the interplay between its implementation and scribes on quality improvement. Results: Throughput, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness were the most commonly used parameters in evaluating scribes in the Emergency Department. Important throughput metrics, specifically door-to-doctor and disposition time, were significantly decreased in emergency departments that utilized scribes. Of note, this was shown to be the case in community hospitals, where the burden of documentation and clerical tasks would fall directly upon the attending physician. Academic centers differ in that they rely heavily on residents and students; so the implementation of scribes has been shown to have limited effect on these metrics. However, unique to academic centers was the provider’s perception of incrased time for teaching was unique to academic centers. Consequently, providers express increased work satisfaction in relation to time spent with patients and in teaching. Patients, on the other hand, did not demonstrate a decrease in satisfaction in regards to the care that was provided, but there was no significant increase observed either. Of the studies we reviewed, one of the biggest limitations was the lack of significance in the data. While many individual studies reported that medical scribes in emergency rooms improved relative value units, patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and increased number of patients seen, there was no statistically significant improvement in the above criteria when compiled in a systematic review. There is also a clear publication bias; very few studies with negative results were published. To prove significance, data from more emergency rooms with scribe programs would need to be compiled which also includes emergency rooms who did not report noticeable benefits. Furthermore, most data sets focused only on scribes in academic centers. Conclusion: Ultimately, the literature suggests that while emergency room physicians who have access to medical scribes report higher satisfaction due to lower clerical burdens and can see more patients per shift, there is still variability in terms of patient and provider satisfaction. Whether or not this variability exists due to differences in training (in-house trainees versus contractors), population profile (adult versus pediatric), setting (academic versus community), or which shifts scribe work cannot be determined based on the studies that exist. Ultimately, more scribe programs need to be evaluated to determine whether these variables affect outcomes and prove whether scribes significantly improve emergency room efficiency.

Keywords: emergency medicine, medical scribe, scribe, documentation

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Authors: Glauco M. M. M. Lustosa, João Paulo C. Costa, Sonia M. Zanetti, Mario Cilense, Leinig Antônio Perazolli, Maria Aparecida Zaghete

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The contamination of the environment has been one of the biggest problems of our time, mostly due to developments of many industries. SnO2 is an n-type semiconductor with band gap about 3.5 eV and has its electrical conductivity dependent of type and amount of modifiers agents added into matrix ceramic during synthesis process, allowing applications as sensing of gaseous pollutants on ambient. The chemical synthesis by polymeric precursor method consists in a complexation reaction between tin ion and citric acid at 90 °C/2 hours and subsequently addition of ethyleneglycol for polymerization at 130 °C/2 hours. It also prepared polymeric resin of zinc, cobalt and niobium ions. Stoichiometric amounts of the solutions were mixed to obtain the systems (Zn, Nb)-SnO2 and (Co, Nb) SnO2 . The metal immobilization reduces its segregation during the calcination resulting in a crystalline oxide with high chemical homogeneity. The resin was pre-calcined at 300 °C/1 hour, milled in Atritor Mill at 500 rpm/1 hour, and then calcined at 600 °C/2 hours. X-Ray Diffraction (XDR) indicated formation of SnO2 -rutile phase (JCPDS card nº 41-1445). The characterization by Scanning Electron Microscope of High Resolution showed spherical ceramic powder nanostructured with 10-20 nm of diameter. 20 mg of SnO2 -based powder was kept in 20 ml of isopropyl alcohol and then taken to an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) system. The EPD method allows control the thickness films through the voltage or current applied in the electrophoretic cell and by the time used for deposition of ceramics particles. This procedure obtains films in a short time with low costs, bringing prospects for a new generation of smaller size devices with easy integration technology. In this research, films were obtained in an alumina substrate with interdigital electrodes after applying 2 kV during 5 and 10 minutes in cells containing alcoholic suspension of (Zn, Nb)-SnO2 and (Co, Nb) SnO2 of powders, forming a sensing layer. The substrate has designed integrated micro hotplates that provide an instantaneous and precise temperature control capability when a voltage is applied. The films were sintered at 900 and 1000 °C in a microwave oven of 770 W, adapted by the research group itself with a temperature controller. This sintering is a fast process with homogeneous heating rate which promotes controlled growth of grain size and also the diffusion of modifiers agents, inducing the creation of intrinsic defects which will change the electrical characteristics of SnO2 -based powders. This study has successfully demonstrated a microfabricated system with an integrated micro-hotplate for detection of CO and NO2 gas at different concentrations and temperature, with self-heating SnO2 - based nanoparticles films, being suitable for both industrial process monitoring and detection of low concentrations in buildings/residences in order to safeguard human health. The results indicate the possibility for development of gas sensors devices with low power consumption for integration in portable electronic equipment with fast analysis. Acknowledgments The authors thanks to the LMA-IQ for providing the FEG-SEM images, and the financial support of this project by the Brazilian research funding agencies CNPq, FAPESP 2014/11314-9 and CEPID/CDMF- FAPESP 2013/07296-2.

Keywords: chemical synthesis, electrophoretic deposition, self-heating, gas sensor

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Authors: Shuai Yuan, Minxia Shi, Xu Zhang, Jianzhi Yang, Kangqi Tian, Yuzheng Ma

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The precise measurement of muscle activities is essential for understanding the function of various body movements. This work aims to develop a muscle magnetic field signal detection system based on mathematical analysis. Medical research has underscored that early detection of muscle atrophy, coupled with lifestyle adjustments such as dietary control and increased exercise, can significantly enhance muscle-related diseases. Currently, surface electromyography (sEMG) is widely employed in research as an early predictor of muscle atrophy. Nonetheless, the primary limitation of using sEMG to forecast muscle strength is its inability to directly measure the signals generated by muscles. Challenges arise from potential skin-electrode contact issues due to perspiration, leading to inaccurate signals or even signal loss. Additionally, resistance and phase are significantly impacted by adipose layers. The recent emergence of optically pumped magnetometers introduces a fresh avenue for bio-magnetic field measurement techniques. These magnetometers possess high sensitivity and obviate the need for a cryogenic environment unlike superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). They detect muscle magnetic field signals in the range of tens to thousands of femtoteslas (fT). The utilization of magnetometers for capturing muscle magnetic field signals remains unaffected by issues of perspiration and adipose layers. Since their introduction, optically pumped atomic magnetometers have found extensive application in exploring the magnetic fields of organs such as cardiac and brain magnetism. The optimal operation of these magnetometers necessitates an environment with an ultra-weak magnetic field. To achieve such an environment, researchers usually utilize a combination of active magnetic compensation technology with passive magnetic shielding technology. Passive magnetic shielding technology uses a magnetic shielding device built with high permeability materials to attenuate the external magnetic field to a few nT. Compared with more layers, the coils that can generate a reverse magnetic field to precisely compensate for the residual magnetic fields are cheaper and more flexible. To attain even lower magnetic fields, compensation coils designed by Biot-Savart law are involved to generate a counteractive magnetic field to eliminate residual magnetic fields. By solving the magnetic field expression of discrete points in the target region, the parameters that determine the current density distribution on the plane can be obtained through the conventional target field method. The current density is obtained from the partial derivative of the stream function, which can be represented by the combination of trigonometric functions. Optimization algorithms in mathematics are introduced into coil design to obtain the optimal current density distribution. A one-dimensional linear regression analysis was performed on the collected data, obtaining a coefficient of determination R2 of 0.9349 with a p-value of 0. This statistical result indicates a stable relationship between the peak-to-peak value (PPV) of the muscle magnetic field signal and the magnitude of grip strength. This system is expected to be a widely used tool for healthcare professionals to gain deeper insights into the muscle health of their patients.

Keywords: muscle magnetic signal, magnetic shielding, compensation coils, trigonometric functions.

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: Siddhant Yadav, Rylea Ranum, Hannah Alberts, Abdul Kalaiger, Brent Bauer, Ryan Hurt, Ann Vincent, Loren Toussaint, Sanjeev Nanda

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Background and significance: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder also characterized by chronic fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep, and cognitive symptoms, psychological disturbances (anxiety, depression), and is comorbid with multiple medical and psychiatric conditions. It has an incidence of 2-4% in the general population and is reported more commonly in women. Oxidative stress and inflammation are thought to contribute to pain in patients with FM, and the adoption of an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory diet has been suggested as a modality to alleviate symptoms. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of specialized diets (ketogenic, gluten free, Mediterranean, and low carbohydrate) in improving FM symptoms. Methodology: A comprehensive search of the following databases from inception to July 15th, 2021, was conducted: Ovid MEDLINE and Epub ahead of print, in-process and other non-indexed citations and daily, Ovid Embase, Ovid EBM reviews, Cochrane central register of controlled trials, EBSCO host CINAHL with full text, Elsevier Scopus, website and citation index, web of science emerging sources citation and clinicaltrials.gov. We included randomized controlled trials, non-randomized experimental studies, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, case series, and case reports in adults with fibromyalgia. The risk of bias was assessed with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality designed, specific recommended criteria (AHRQ). Results: Thirteen studies were eligible for inclusion. This included a total of 761 participants. Twelve out of the 13 studies reported improvement in widespread body pain, joint stiffness, sleeping pattern, mood, and gastrointestinal symptoms, and one study reported no changes in symptomatology in patients with FM on specialized diets. None of the studies showed the worsening of symptoms associated with a specific diet. Most of the patient population was female, with the mean age at which fibromyalgia was diagnosed being 48.12 years. Improvement in symptoms was reported by the patient's adhering to a gluten-free diet, raw vegan diet, tryptophan- and magnesium-enriched Mediterranean diet, aspartame- and msg- elimination diet, and specifically a Khorasan wheat diet. Risk of bias assessment noted that 6 studies had a low risk of bias (5 clinical trials and 1 case series), four studies had a moderate risk of bias, and 3 had a high risk of bias. In many of the studies, the allocation of treatment (diets) was not adequately concealed, and the researchers did not rule out any potential impact from a concurrent intervention or an unintended exposure that might have biased the results. On the other hand, there was a low risk of attrition bias in all the trials; all were conducted with an intention-to-treat, and the inclusion/exclusion criteria, exposures/interventions, and primary outcomes were valid, reliable, and implemented consistently across all study participants. Concluding statement: Patients with fibromyalgia who followed specialized diets experienced a variable degree of improvement in their widespread body pain. Improvement was also seen in stiffness, fatigue, moods, sleeping patterns, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, the majority of the patients also reported improvement in overall quality of life.

Keywords: fibromyalgia, specialized diet, vegan, gluten free, Mediterranean, systematic review

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Authors: Fatemeh Modirzare

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Smart interior design represents a transformative approach to creating living spaces that integrate technology seamlessly into our daily lives, enhancing comfort, convenience, and sustainability. This paper explores the concept of smart interior design, its principles, benefits, challenges, and future prospects. It also highlights various examples and applications of smart interior design to illustrate its potential in shaping the way we live and interact with our surroundings. In an increasingly digitized world, the boundaries between technology and interior design are blurring. Smart interior design, also known as intelligent or connected interior design, involves the incorporation of advanced technologies and automation systems into residential and commercial spaces. This innovative approach aims to make living environments more efficient, comfortable, and adaptable while promoting sustainability and user well-being. Smart interior design seamlessly integrates technology into the aesthetics and functionality of a space, ensuring that devices and systems do not disrupt the overall design. Sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, and eco-friendly practices are central to smart interior design, reducing environmental impact. Spaces are designed to be adaptable, allowing for reconfiguration to suit changing needs and preferences. Smart homes and spaces offer greater comfort through features like automated climate control, adjustable lighting, and customizable ambiance. Smart interior design can significantly reduce energy consumption through optimized heating, cooling, and lighting systems. Smart interior design integrates security systems, fire detection, and emergency response mechanisms for enhanced safety. Sustainable materials, energy-efficient appliances, and waste reduction practices contribute to a greener living environment. Implementing smart interior design can be expensive, particularly when retrofitting existing spaces with smart technologies. The increased connectivity raises concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity, requiring robust measures to protect user information. Rapid advancements in technology may lead to obsolescence, necessitating updates and replacements. Users must be familiar with smart systems to fully benefit from them, requiring education and ongoing support. Residential spaces incorporate features like voice-activated assistants, automated lighting, and energy management systems. Intelligent office design enhances productivity and employee well-being through smart lighting, climate control, and meeting room booking systems. Hospitals and healthcare facilities use smart interior design for patient monitoring, wayfinding, and energy conservation. Smart retail design includes interactive displays, personalized shopping experiences, and inventory management systems. The future of smart interior design holds exciting possibilities, including AI-powered design tools that create personalized spaces based on user preferences. Smart interior design will increasingly prioritize factors that improve physical and mental health, such as air quality monitoring and mood-enhancing lighting. Smart interior design is revolutionizing the way we interact with our living and working spaces. By embracing technology, sustainability, and user-centric design principles, smart interior design offers numerous benefits, from increased comfort and convenience to energy efficiency and sustainability. Despite challenges, the future holds tremendous potential for further innovation in this field, promising a more connected, efficient, and harmonious way of living and working.

Keywords: smart interior design, home automation, sustainable living spaces, technological integration, user-centric design

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Authors: Zdravko Trivic, Kelvin E. Y. Low, Darko Radovic, Raymond Lucas

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Our understanding and experience of the built environment are primarily shaped by multi‐sensory, emotional and symbolic modes of exchange with spaces. Associated sensory and cognitive declines that come with ageing substantially affect the overall quality of life of the elderly citizens and the ways they perceive and use urban environment. Reduced mobility and increased risk of falls, problems with spatial orientation and communication, lower confidence and independence levels, decreased willingness to go out and social withdrawal are some of the major consequences of sensory declines that challenge almost all segments of the seniors’ everyday living. However, contemporary urban environments are often either sensory overwhelming or depleting, resulting in physical, mental and emotional stress. Moreover, the design and planning of housing neighbourhoods hardly go beyond the passive 'do-no-harm' and universal design principles, and the limited provision of often non-integrated eldercare and inter-generational facilities. This paper explores and discusses the largely neglected relationships between the 'hard' and 'soft' aspects of housing neighbourhoods and urban experience, focusing on seniors’ perception and multi-sensory experience as vehicles for design and planning of high-density housing neighbourhoods that are inclusive and empathetic yet build senior residents’ physical and mental abilities at different stages of ageing. The paper outlines methods and key findings from research conducted in two high-density housing neighbourhoods in Singapore with aims to capture and evaluate multi-sensorial qualities of two neighbourhoods from the perspective of senior residents. Research methods employed included: on-site sensory recordings of 'objective' quantitative sensory data (air temperature and humidity, sound level and luminance) using multi-function environment meter, spatial mapping of patterns of elderly users’ transient and stationary activity, socio-sensory perception surveys and sensorial journeys with local residents using eye-tracking glasses, and supplemented by walk-along or post-walk interviews. The paper develops a multi-sensory framework to synthetize, cross-reference, and visualise the activity and spatio-sensory rhythms and patterns and distill key issues pertinent to ageing-friendly and health-supportive neighbourhood design. Key findings show senior residents’ concerns with walkability, safety, and wayfinding, overall aesthetic qualities, cleanliness, smell, noise, and crowdedness in their neighbourhoods, as well as the lack of design support for all-day use in the context of Singaporean tropical climate and for inter-generational social interaction. The (ongoing) analysis of eye-tracking data reveals the spatial elements of senior residents’ look at and interact with the most frequently, with the visual range often directed towards the ground. With capacities to meaningfully combine quantitative and qualitative, measured and experienced sensory data, multi-sensory framework shows to be fruitful for distilling key design opportunities based on often ignored aspects of subjective and often taken-for-granted interactions with the familiar outdoor environment. It offers an alternative way of leveraging the potentials of housing neighbourhoods to take a more active role in enabling healthful living at all stages of ageing.

Keywords: ageing-friendly neighbourhoods, eye-tracking, high-density environment, multi-sensory approach, perception

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Authors: Abbas Ahmadi, Nasser Aliasgharzad, Ali Asghar Jafarzadeh

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Nowadays, drying of the Urmia Lake as a largest saline lake in the world and emerging its saline bed from water has caused the risk of salty dune storms, which threats the health of human society and also plants and animal communities living in the region. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) as a dust stabilizer attracted the attention of Soil conservation experts in recent years. Although the presence of water by the impenetrable lake bed and endorheic basin can be an advantage to create BSCs, but the extraordinary of the lake bed salinity is a factor for prevention of its establishment in the region. Therefore, the present research work has been carried out to investigate the effects of inoculating the Cyanobacteria, algae and their combination to create BSCs for dust control. In this study, an algae attributed to Chlamydomonas sp and a cyanobacteria attributed to Anabaena sp isolated from the soils of Urmia Lake margin were used to create BSC in four soil samples which collected from 0-10 cm of the current margin (A), the previous bed (B), affected lands by lake (C) and Quomtappe sand dune (D). The main characteristics of the A, B and C soil samples are their highly salinity (their ECe are 108, 140 and 118 dS/m, respectively) and sodicity. Also, texture class of the soil A was loamy sand, and other two soils had clay textures. Soil D was Non-saline, but it was sodic with a sandy texture class. This study was conducted separately in each soil in a completely randomized design under four inoculation treatments of non-inoculated (T0), Algae (T1), cyanobacteria (T2) and equal mixture of algae and cyanobacteria (T3) with three replications. In the experiment, the soil was placed into wind tunnel trays, and a suspension containing microorganisms mixed with the trays surface soil. During the experiment, water was sprayed to the trays at the morning and evening of every day. After passing the incubation period (30 days), some characteristics of samples such as pH, EC, cold water extractable carbohydrate (CWEC), hot water extractable carbohydrate (HWEC), sulfuric acid extractable carbohydrate (SAEC), organic matter, crust thickness, penetration resistance, wind erosion threshold velocity and soil loss in the wind tunnel were measured, and Correlation between the measured characteristics was obtained through the SPSS software. Analysis of variance and so comparison between the means of treatments were analyzed with MSTATC software. In this research, Chlorophyll, an amount, was used as an indicator of the microorganism's population in the samples. Based on obtained results, the amount of Chlorophyll a in the T2 treatment of soil A and all treatments of soil D was significantly increased in comparison to the control and crust thickness showed increase in all treatments by microorganism’s inoculation. But effect of the treatments was significant in soils A and D. At all treatment’s inoculation of microorganisms in soil A caused to increase %46, %34 and %55 of the wind erosion threshold velocity in T1, T2 and T3 treatments in comparison to the control, respectively, and in soil D all treatments caused wind erosion threshold velocity became two times more than control. However, soil loss in the wind tunnel experiments was significant in T2 and T3 treatments of these soils and T1 treatment had no effect in reducing soil loss. Correlation between Chlorophyll a and salinity shows the important role of salinity in microbial growth prevention and formation of BSCs in the studied samples. In general, according to the obtained results, it can be concluded that salinity reduces the growth of microorganisms in saline soils of the region, and in soils with fine textures, salinity role in prevention of the microbial growth is clear. Also, using the mix of algae and cyanobacteria together caused the synergistic growth of them and consequently, better protection of the soil against wind erosion was provided.

Keywords: wind erosion, algae, cyanobacteria, carbohydrate

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Authors: Bailey Houghtaling, Elena Serrano, Vivica Kraak, Samantha Harden, George Davis, Sarah Misyak

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United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants are low-income Americans receiving federal dollars for supplemental food and beverage purchases. Participants use a variety of (traditional/non-traditional) SNAP-authorized stores for household dietary purchases - also representing food access points for all Americans. Importantly consumers' food and beverage purchases from non-traditional store formats tend to be higher in saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium when compared to purchases from traditional (e.g., grocery/supermarket) formats. Overconsumption of energy-dense and low-nutrient food and beverage products contribute to high obesity rates and adverse health outcomes that differ in severity among urban/rural U.S. locations and high/low-income populations. Little is known about the SNAP-authorized food store format landscape nationally, regionally, or by urban-rural status, as traditional formats are currently used as the gold standard in food access research. This research utilized publicly available U.S. databases to fill this large literature gap and to provide insight into modes of food access for vulnerable U.S. populations: (1) SNAP Retailer Locator which provides a list of all authorized food stores in the U.S., and; (2) Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) that categorize U.S. counties as urban (RUCC 1-3) or rural (RUCC 4-9). Frequencies were determined for the highest occurring food store formats nationally and within two regionally diverse U.S. states – Virginia in the east and California in the west. Store format codes were assigned (e.g., grocery, drug, convenience, mass merchandiser, supercenter, dollar, club, or other). RUCC was applied to investigate state-level differences in urbanity-rurality regarding prevalent food store formats and Chi Square test of independence was used to determine if food store format distributions significantly (p < 0.05) differed by region or rurality. The resulting research sample that represented highly prevalent SNAP-authorized food stores nationally included 41.25% of all SNAP stores in the U.S. (N=257,839), comprised primarily of convenience formats (31.94%) followed by dollar (25.58%), drug (19.24%), traditional (10.87%), supercenter (6.85%), mass merchandiser (1.62%), non-food store or restaurant (1.81%), and club formats (1.09%). Results also indicated that the distribution of prevalent SNAP-authorized formats significantly differed by state. California had a lower proportion of traditional (9.96%) and a higher proportion of drug (28.92%) formats than Virginia- 11.55% and 19.97%, respectively (p < 0.001). Virginia also had a higher proportion of dollar formats (26.11%) when compared to California (10.64%) (p < 0.001). Significant differences were also observed for rurality variables (p < 0.001). Prominently, rural Virginia had a significantly higher proportion of dollar formats (41.71%) when compared to urban Virginia (21.78%) and rural California (21.21%). Non-traditional SNAP-authorized formats are highly prevalent and significantly differ in distribution by U.S. region and rurality. The largest proportional difference was observed for dollar formats where the least nutritious consumer purchases are documented in the literature. Researchers/practitioners should investigate non-traditional food stores at the local level using these research findings and similar applied methodologies to determine how access to various store formats impact obesity prevalence. For example, dollar stores may be prime targets for interventions to enhance nutritious consumer purchases in rural Virginia while targeting drug formats in California may be more appropriate.

Keywords: food access, food store format, nutrition interventions, SNAP consumers

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Authors: Jia H. Wong, Jingli Zhang, Habsah Mohamad, Iswatun H. Abdullah Ripain, Muhammad Bilal, Amelia J. Lloyd, Abdul A. Mohamed Yusoff, Jafri M. Abdullah

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Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting more than 50 million of people worldwide. Epilepsy is a state of recurrent, spontaneous seizures with multiple syndromes and symptoms of different causes of brain dysfunction, prognosis, and treatments; characterized by transient, occasional and stereotyped interruptions of behavior whereby the excitatory-inhibitory activities within the central nervous system (CNS) are thrown out of balance due to various kinds of interferences. The goal of antiepileptic treatment is to enable patients to be free from seizures or to achieve control of seizures through surgical treatment and/or pharmacotherapy. Pharmacotherapy through AED plays an important role especially in countries with epilepsy treatment gap due to costs and availability of health facilities, skills and resources, yet there are about one-third of the people with epilepsy have drug-resistant seizures. Hence, this poses considerable challenges to the healthcare system and the effort in providing cost-effective treatment as well as the search for alternatives to treatment and management of epilepsy. Enhancement of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission is one of the key mechanisms of actions of antiepileptic drugs. GABA type > a receptors (GABAAR) are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate rapid inhibitory neurotransmission upon the binding of GABA with a heteropentameric structure forming a central pore that is permeable to the influx of chloride ions in its activated state. The major isoform of GABAA receptors consists of two α1, two β2, and one γ2 subunit. It is the most abundantly expressed combinations in the brain and the most commonly researched through Xenopus laevis oocytes. With the advancing studies on ethnomedicine and traditional treatments using medicinal plants, increasing evidence reveal that spice and herb plants with medicinal properties play an important role in the treatment of ailments within communities across different cultures. Capsaicin is the primary natural capsaicinoid in hot peppers of plant genus Capsicum, consist of an aromatic ring, an amide linkage and a hydrophobic side chain. The study showed that capsaicins conferred neuroprotection in status epilepticus mouse models through anti-ictogenic, hypothermic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic actions in a dose-dependent manner. In this study, five capsaicin derivatives were tested for their ability to increase the GABA-induced chloride current on α1β2γ2S of GABAAR expressed on Xenopus laevis oocytes using the method of two-microelectrode voltage clamp. Two of the capsaicin derivatives, IS5 (N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-3-methylbutyramide) and IS10 (N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-decanamide) at a concentration of 30µM were able to significantly increase the GABA-induced chloride current with p=0.002 and p=0.026 respectively. This study were able to show the enhancement effect of two capsaicin derivatives with moderate length of hydrocarbon chain on this receptor subtype, revealing the promising inhibitory activity of capsaicin derivatives through enhancement of GABA-induced chloride current and further investigations should be carried out to verify its antiepileptic effects in animal models.

Keywords: α1β2γ2 GABAA receptors, α1β2γ2S, antiepileptic, capsaicin derivatives, two-microelectrode voltage clamp, Xenopus laevis oocytes

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Authors: Nada Al-Qallaf, Aisha Al-Barood, Djamel Lekmine, Srinivasan Vedhapuri

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Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) under the supervision of Kuwait National Focal Point (KNFP) is planning to remediate 26 million (M) m3 of oil-contaminated soil in oil fields of Kuwait as a direct and indirect fallout of the Gulf War during 1990-1991. This project is funded by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) under the Kuwait Environmental Remediation Program (KERP). Oil-contamination of the soil occurred due to the destruction of the oil wells and spilled crude oil across the land surface and created ‘oil lakes’ in low lying land. Aerial fall-out from oil spray and combustion products from oil fires combined with the sand and gravel on the ground surface to form a layer of hardened ‘Tarcrete’. The unique fresh groundwater lenses present in the Raudhatain and Sabriya subsurface areas had been impacted by the discharge and/or spills of dissolved petroleum constituents. These fresh groundwater aquifers were used for drinking water purposes until 1990, prior to invasion. This has significantly damages altered the landscape, ecology and habitat of the flora and fauna and in Kuwait Desert. Under KERP, KOC is fully responsible for the planning and execution of the remediation and restoration projects in KOC oil fields. After the initial recommendation of UNCC to construct engineered landfills for containment and disposal of heavily contaminated soils, two landfills were constructed, one in North Kuwait and another in South East Kuwait of capacity 1.7 million m3 and 0.5 million m3 respectively. KOC further developed the Total Remediation Strategy in conjunction with KNFP and has obtained UNCC approval. The TRS comprises of elements such as Risk Based Approach (RBA), Bioremediation of low Contaminated Soil levels, Remediation Treatment Technologies, Sludge Disposal via Beneficial Recycling or Re-use and Engineered landfills for Containment of untreatable materials. Risk Based Assessment as a key component to avoid any unnecessary remedial works, where it can be demonstrated that human health and the environment are sufficiently protected in the absence of active remediation. This study demonstrates on the risks of tarcrete materials spread over areas 20 Km2 on the fresh Ground water lenses/catchment located beneath the Sabriyah and Raudhatain oil fields in North Kuwait. KOC’s primary objective is to provide justification of using RBA, to support a case with the Kuwait regulators to leave the tarcrete material in place, rather than seek to undertake large-scale removal and remediation. The large-scale coverage of the tarcrete in the oil fields and perception that the residual contamination associated with this source is present in an environmentally sensitive area essentially in ground water resource. As part of this assessment, conceptual site model (CSM) and complete risk-based and fate and transport modelling was carried out which includes derivation of site-specific assessment criteria (SSAC) and quantification of risk to identified waters resource receptors posed by tarcrete impacted areas. The outcome of this assessment was determined that the residual tarcrete deposits across the site area shall not create risks to fresh groundwater resources and the remedial action to remove and remediate the surficial tarcrete deposits is not warranted.

Keywords: conceptual site model, fresh groundwater, oil-contaminated soil, tarcrete, risk based assessment

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Benjamin J. Kuo, Silvia D. Vaca, Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci, Catherine A. Staton, Linda Xu, Michael Muhumuza, Hussein Ssenyonjo, John Mukasa, Joel Kiryabwire, Lydia Nanjula, Christine Muhumuza, Henry E. Rice, Gerald A. Grant, Michael M. Haglund

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Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is disproportionally concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the odds of dying from TBI in Uganda more than 4 times higher than in high income countries (HICs). The disparities in the injury incidence and outcome between LMICs and resource-rich settings have led to increased health outcomes research for TBIs and their associated risk factors in LMICs. While there have been increasing TBI studies in LMICs over the last decade, there is still a need for more robust prospective registries. In Uganda, a trauma registry implemented in 2004 at the Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) showed that RTI is the major contributor (60%) of overall mortality in the casualty department. While the prior registry provides information on injury incidence and burden, it’s limited in scope and doesn’t follow patients longitudinally throughout their hospital stay nor does it focus specifically on TBIs. And although these retrospective analyses are helpful for benchmarking TBI outcomes, they make it hard to identify specific quality improvement initiatives. The relationship among epidemiology, patient risk factors, clinical care, and TBI outcomes are still relatively unknown at MNRH. Objective: The objectives of this study are to describe the processes of care and determine risk factors predictive of poor outcomes for TBI patients presenting to a single tertiary hospital in Uganda. Methods: Prospective data were collected for 563 TBI patients presenting to a tertiary hospital in Kampala from 1 June – 30 November 2016. Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) was used to systematically collect variables spanning 8 categories. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to determine significant predictors of mortality. Results: 563 TBI patients were enrolled from 1 June – 30 November 2016. 102 patients (18%) received surgery, 29 patients (5.1%) intended for surgery failed to receive it, and 251 patients (45%) received non-operative management. Overall mortality was 9.6%, which ranged from 4.7% for mild and moderate TBI to 55% for severe TBI patients with GCS 3-5. Within each TBI severity category, mortality differed by management pathway. Variables predictive of mortality were TBI severity, more than one intracranial bleed, failure to receive surgery, high dependency unit admission, ventilator support outside of surgery, and hospital arrival delayed by more than 4 hours. Conclusions: The overall mortality rate of 9.6% in Uganda for TBI is high, and likely underestimates the true TBI mortality. Furthermore, the wide-ranging mortality (3-82%), high ICU fatality, and negative impact of care delays suggest shortcomings with the current triaging practices. Lack of surgical intervention when needed was highly predictive of mortality in TBI patients. Further research into the determinants of surgical interventions, quality of step-up care, and prolonged care delays are needed to better understand the complex interplay of variables that affect patient outcome. These insights guide the development of future interventions and resource allocation to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords: care continuum, global neurosurgery, Kampala Uganda, LMIC, Mulago, prospective registry, traumatic brain injury

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Authors: Jana Chakrabarti, Madhushrita Das, Ankhi Haldar, Roshni Chatterjee, Tanmoy Dey, Pubali Dhar

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High incidences of Protein Energy Malnutrition as a consequence of low protein intake are quite prevalent among the children in developing countries. Thus prevention of under-nutrition has emerged as a critical challenge to India’s developmental Planners in recent times. Increase in population over the last decade has led to greater pressure on the existing animal protein sources. But these resources are currently declining due to persistent drought, diseases, natural disasters, high-cost of feed, and low productivity of local breeds and this decline in productivity is most evident in some developing countries. So the need of the hour is to search for efficient utilization of unconventional low-cost animal protein resources. Molluscs, as a group is regarded as under-exploited source of health-benefit molecules. Bivalve is the second largest class of phylum Mollusca. Annual harvests of bivalves for human consumption represent about 5% by weight of the total world harvest of aquatic resources. The freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis is widely distributed in ponds and large bodies of perennial waters in the Indian sub-continent and well accepted as food all over India. Moreover, ethno-medicinal uses of the flesh of Lamellidens among the rural people to treat hypertension have been documented. Present investigation thus attempts to evaluate the potential of Lamellidens marginalis as functional food. Mussels were collected from freshwater ponds and brought to the laboratory two days before experimentation for acclimatization in laboratory conditions. Shells were removed and fleshes were preserved at- 20oC until analysis. Tissue homogenate was prepared for proximate studies. Fatty acids and amino acids composition were analyzed. Vitamins, Minerals and Heavy metal contents were also studied. Mussel Protein hydrolysate was prepared using Alcalase 2.4 L and degree of hydrolysis was evaluated to analyze its Functional properties. Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and DPPH Antioxidant assays were performed. Anti-hypertensive property was evaluated by measuring Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibition assay. Proximate analysis indicates that mussel meat contains moderate amount of protein (8.30±0.67%), carbohydrate (8.01±0.38%) and reducing sugar (4.75±0.07%), but less amount of fat (1.02±0.20%). Moisture content is quite high but ash content is very low. Phospholipid content is significantly high (19.43 %). Lipid constitutes, substantial amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which have proven prophylactic values. Trace elements are found present in substantial amount. Comparative study of proximate nutrients between Labeo rohita, Lamellidens and cow’s milk indicates that mussel meat can be used as complementary food source. Functionality analyses of protein hydrolysate show increase in Fat absorption, Emulsification, Foaming capacity and Protein solubility. Progressive anti-oxidant and anti-hypertensive properties have also been documented. Lamellidens marginalis can thus be regarded as a functional food source as this may combine effectively with other food components for providing essential elements to the body. Moreover, mussel protein hydrolysate provides opportunities for utilizing it in various food formulations and pharmaceuticals. The observations presented herein should be viewed as a prelude to what future holds.

Keywords: functional food, functional properties, Lamellidens marginalis, protein hydrolysate

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Authors: Juergen Orasche, Vesta Kohlmeier, George C. Dragan, Gert Jakobi, Patricia Forbes, Ralf Zimmermann

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Underground mining poses a difficult environment for both man and machines. At more than 1000 meters underneath the surface of the earth, ores and other mineral resources are still gained by conventional and motorised mining. Adding to the hazards caused by blasting and stone-chipping, the working conditions are best described by the high temperatures of 35-40°C and high humidity, at low air exchange rates. Separate ventilation shafts lead fresh air into a mine and others lead expended air back to the surface. This is essential for humans and machines working deep underground. Nevertheless, mines are widely ramified. Thus the air flow rate at the far end of a tunnel is sensed to be close to zero. In recent years, conventional mining was supplemented by mining with heavy diesel machines. These very flat machines called Load Haul Dump (LHD) vehicles accelerate and ease work in areas favourable for heavy machines. On the other hand, they emit non-filtered diesel exhaust, which constitutes an occupational hazard for the miners. Combined with a low air exchange, high humidity and inorganic dust from the mining it leads to 'black smog' underneath the earth. This work focuses on the air quality in mines employing LHDs. Therefore we performed personal sampling (samplers worn by miners during their work), stationary sampling and aethalometer (Microaeth MA200, Aethlabs) measurements in a platinum mine in around 1000 meters under the earth’s surface. We compared areas of high diesel exhaust emission with areas of conventional mining where no diesel machines were operated. For a better assessment of health risks caused by air pollution we applied a separated gas-/particle-sampling tool (or system), with first denuder section collecting intermediate VOCs. These multi-channel silicone rubber denuders are able to trap IVOCs while allowing particles ranged from 10 nm to 1 µm in diameter to be transmitted with an efficiency of nearly 100%. The second section is represented by a quartz fibre filter collecting particles and adsorbed semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC). The third part is a graphitized carbon black adsorber – collecting the SVOCs that evaporate from the filter. The compounds collected on these three sections were analyzed in our labs with different thermal desorption techniques coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). VOCs and IVOCs were measured with a Shimadzu Thermal Desorption Unit (TD20, Shimadzu, Japan) coupled to a GCMS-System QP 2010 Ultra with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Shimadzu). The GC was equipped with a 30m, BP-20 wax column (0.25mm ID, 0.25µm film) from SGE (Australia). Filters were analyzed with In-situ derivatization thermal desorption gas chromatography time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (IDTD-GC-TOF-MS). The IDTD unit is a modified GL sciences Optic 3 system (GL Sciences, Netherlands). The results showed black carbon concentrations measured with the portable aethalometers up to several mg per m³. The organic chemistry was dominated by very high concentrations of alkanes. Typical diesel engine exhaust markers like alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected as well as typical lubrication oil markers like hopanes.

Keywords: diesel emission, personal sampling, aethalometer, mining

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Authors: Aisha Musaazi Sebunya Nakitto, Anika E. Wagner, Yusuf B. Byaruhanga, John H. Muyonga

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The prevalence and burden of diabetes are rapidly increasing globally, stemming from changes in lifestyle and dietary habits. Although several drugs are available to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), many are accompanied by several side effects and are often costly. Solanum anguivi Lam. fruits (SALF) are bitter berries that commonly grow in the wild and are traditionally cultivated by many globally as a remedy for T2DM. This effect is likely attributable to the presence of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and vitamin C in SALF. In this study, we investigated the morphological characteristics of different SALF accessions and the effect of ripeness stages and thermal treatments on the bioactive compounds contents (BCC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of SALF accessions. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) model, we explored the potential impact of dietary SALF in preventing and treating T2DM phenotypes. Morphological characterization was conducted based on descriptors of Solanum species. The BCC and AA of SALF at different ripeness stages (unripe, yellow, orange, and red) and after thermal treatments were determined using spectrophotometry, HPLC, and gravimetry. Male and female fruit flies were fed a high-sugar diet (HSD) to induce a T2DM-like phenotype, while control flies were fed on SY10 medium for up to 24 days. Experimental flies were exposed to HSD supplemented with 5 or 10 mg/ml SALF. The therapeutic and prevention effect of SALF in T2DM-like phenotype was investigated on weight, climbing activity, glucose and triglyceride contents, survival, and gene expression of PPARγ co-activator 1α fly homolog Srl and Drosophila insulin-like peptides. Methods in fly studies included Gustatory assay, Climbing assay, Glucose GOD-PAP assay, Triglyceride GPO-PAP assay, Roti-Quant®, and Real Time-PCR analysis. The ripeness stage significantly influenced SALF BCC and AA, and this was dependent on the accession. The unripe stage had the highest AA and total phenolics and flavonoids; the orange stage was rich in saponins, while the red stage had the highest alkaloid contents. Boiling and steaming increased the total phenolics and AA up to 4-fold and 3-fold, respectively. Drying at low temperatures resulted in higher phenolics and AA than the control. In the therapeutic model, the HSD-fed female flies exhibited elevated glucose levels, which exhibited a dose-dependent reduction upon exposure to a SALF-supplemented diet. Female flies fed on a SALF+ HSD exhibited a significant increase in survival compared to HSD-fed and control diet-fed flies. SALF supplementation did not alter the weights, fitness, and triglyceride levels of female flies in comparison with HSD-only-fed flies. The mRNA levels of Srl decreased in HSD-fed flies compared to the control-fed, with no effect observed in females exposed to HSD+SALF. Similarly, in the preventative model, the SALF diet resulted in higher survival of supplemented flies compared to controls. Consumption of boiled unripe SALF may result in the highest health benefits due to the high phenolic contents and antioxidant activity observed. Dietary intake of SALF significantly lowered glucose levels and increased survival of the D. melanogaster model. Additional studies in higher organisms are needed to explore the preventative and therapeutic potential of SALF in T2DM.

Keywords: antioxidant activity, bioactive compounds, bitter berries, Drosophila melanogaster, Solanum anguivi, type 2 diabetes mellitus, survival

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Authors: Ananya Barui, Provas Banerjee, Jyotirmoy Chatterjee

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Application of optical technology in medicine and biology has a long track-record. In this endeavor, OCT is able to attract both engineers and biologists to work together in the field of photonics for establishing a striking non-invasive imaging technology. In contrast to other in vivo imaging modalities like Raman imaging, confocal imaging, two-photon microscopy etc. which can perform in vivo imaging upto 100-200 micron depth due to limitation in numerical aperture or scattering, however, OCT can achieve high-resolution imaging upto few millimeters of tissue structures depending on their refractive index in different anatomical location. This tomographic system depends on interference of two light waves in an interferometer to produce a depth profile of specimen. In wound healing, frequent collection of biopsies for follow-up of repair process could be avoided by such imaging technique. Real time skin OCT (the optical biopsy) has efficacy in deeper and faster illumination of cutaneou tissue to acquire high resolution cross sectional images of their internal micro-structure. Swept Source-OCT (SS-OCT), a novel imaging technique, can generate high-speed depth profile (~ 2 mm) of wound at a sweeping rate of laser with micron level resolution and optimum coherent length of 5-6 mm. Normally multi-layered skin tissue depicts different optical properties along with variation in thickness, refractive index and composition (i.e. keratine layer, water, fat etc.) according to their anatomical location. For instance, stratum corneum, the upper-most and relatively dehydrated layer of epidermis reflects more light and produces more lucid and a sharp demarcation line with rest of the hydrated epidermal region. During wound healing or regeneration, optical properties of cutaneous tissue continuously altered with maturation of wound bed. More mature and less hydrated tissue component reflects more light and becomes visible as a brighter area in comparison to immature region which content higher amount water or fat that depicts as a darker area in OCT image. Non-healing wound possess prolonged inflammation and inhibits nascent proliferative stage. Accumulation of necrotic tissues also prevents the repair of non-healing wounds. Due to high resolution and potentiality to reflect the compositional aspects of tissues in terms of their optical properties, this tomographic method may facilitate in differentiating non-healing and acute wounds in addition to clinical observations. Non-invasive OCT offers better insight regarding specific biological status of tissue in health and pathological conditions, OCT images could be associated with histo-pathological ‘gold standard’. This correlated SS-OCT and microscopic evaluation of the wound edges can provide information regarding progressive healing and maturation of the epithelial components. In the context of searching analogy between two different imaging modalities, their relative performances in imaging of healing bed were estimated for probing an alternative approach. Present study validated utility of SS-OCT in revealing micro-anatomic structure in the healing bed with newer information. Exploring precise correspondence of OCT images features with histo-chemical findings related to epithelial integrity of the regenerated tissue could have great implication. It could establish the ‘optical biopsy’ as a potent non-invasive diagnostic tool for cutaneous pathology.

Keywords: histo-pathology, non invasive imaging, OCT, wound healing

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Authors: Mian Huang, Chi Ma, Junyu Lin, William Lu

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Introduction: Bone health attracts more attention recently and an intelligent question and answer (QA) chatbot for osteoporosis is helpful for science popularization. With Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) technology developing, we build an osteoporosis corpus dataset and then fine-tune LLaMA, a famous open-source GPT foundation large language model(LLM), on our self-constructed osteoporosis corpus. Evaluated by clinical orthopedic experts, our fine-tuned model outperforms vanilla LLaMA on osteoporosis QA task in Chinese. Three-dimensional quantitative computed tomography (QCT) measured bone mineral density (BMD) is considered as more accurate than DXA for BMD measurement in recent years. We develop an automatic Phantom-less QCT(PL-QCT) that is more efficient for BMD measurement since no need of an external phantom for calibration. Combined with LLM on osteoporosis, our PL-QCT provides efficient and accurate BMD measurement for our chatbot users. Material and Methods: We build an osteoporosis corpus containing about 30,000 Chinese literatures whose titles are related to osteoporosis. The whole process is done automatically, including crawling literatures in .pdf format, localizing text/figure/table region by layout segmentation algorithm and recognizing text by OCR algorithm. We train our model by continuous pre-training with Low-rank Adaptation (LoRA, rank=10) technology to adapt LLaMA-7B model to osteoporosis domain, whose basic principle is to mask the next word in the text and make the model predict that word. The loss function is defined as cross-entropy between the predicted and ground-truth word. Experiment is implemented on single NVIDIA A800 GPU for 15 days. Our automatic PL-QCT BMD measurement adopt AI-associated region-of-interest (ROI) generation algorithm for localizing vertebrae-parallel cylinder in cancellous bone. Due to no phantom for BMD calibration, we calculate ROI BMD by CT-BMD of personal muscle and fat. Results & Discussion: Clinical orthopaedic experts are invited to design 5 osteoporosis questions in Chinese, evaluating performance of vanilla LLaMA and our fine-tuned model. Our model outperforms LLaMA on over 80% of these questions, understanding ‘Expert Consensus on Osteoporosis’, ‘QCT for osteoporosis diagnosis’ and ‘Effect of age on osteoporosis’. Detailed results are shown in appendix. Future work may be done by training a larger LLM on the whole orthopaedics with more high-quality domain data, or a multi-modal GPT combining and understanding X-ray and medical text for orthopaedic computer-aided-diagnosis. However, GPT model gives unexpected outputs sometimes, such as repetitive text or seemingly normal but wrong answer (called ‘hallucination’). Even though GPT give correct answers, it cannot be considered as valid clinical diagnoses instead of clinical doctors. The PL-QCT BMD system provided by Bone’s QCT(Bone’s Technology(Shenzhen) Limited) achieves 0.1448mg/cm2(spine) and 0.0002 mg/cm2(hip) mean absolute error(MAE) and linear correlation coefficient R2=0.9970(spine) and R2=0.9991(hip)(compared to QCT-Pro(Mindways)) on 155 patients in three-center clinical trial in Guangzhou, China. Conclusion: This study builds a Chinese osteoporosis corpus and develops a fine-tuned and domain-adapted LLM as well as a PL-QCT BMD measurement system. Our fine-tuned GPT model shows better capability than LLaMA model on most testing questions on osteoporosis. Combined with our PL-QCT BMD system, we are looking forward to providing science popularization and early morning screening for potential osteoporotic patients.

Keywords: GPT, phantom-less QCT, large language model, osteoporosis

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Authors: Adela Diepoltova, Klara Konecna, Ondrej Jandourek, Petr Nachtigal

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A loss of control over antibiotic-resistant pathogens has become a global issue due to severe and often untreatable infections. This state is reflected in complicated treatment, health costs, and higher mortality. All these factors emphasize the urgent need for the discovery and development of new anti-infectives. One of the most common pathogens mentioned in the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance are bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus. These bacterial agents have developed several mechanisms against the effect of antibiotics. One of them is biofilm formation. In staphylococci, biofilms are associated with infections such as endocarditis, osteomyelitis, catheter-related bloodstream infections, etc. To author's best knowledge, no validated and standardized methodology evaluating candidate compound activity against staphylococcal biofilms exists. However, a variety of protocols for in vitro drug activity testing has been suggested, yet there are often fundamental differences. Based on our experience, a key methodological step that leads to credible results is to form a robust biofilm with appropriate attributes such as firm adherence to the substrate, a complex arrangement in layers, and the presence of extracellular polysaccharide matrix. At first, for the purpose of drug antibiofilm activity evaluation, the focus was put on various conditions (supplementation of cultivation media by human plasma/fetal bovine serum, shaking mode, the density of initial inoculum) that should lead to reproducible and robust in vitro staphylococcal biofilm formation in microtiter plate model. Three model staphylococcal reference strains were included in the study: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 35983). The total biofilm biomass was quantified using the Christensen method with crystal violet, and results obtained from at least three independent experiments were statistically processed. Attention was also paid to the viability of the biofilm-forming staphylococcal cells and the presence of extracellular polysaccharide matrix. The conditions that led to robust biofilm biomass formation with attributes for biofilms mentioned above were then applied by introducing an alternative method analogous to the commercially available test system, the Calgary Biofilm Device. In this test system, biofilms are formed on pegs that are incorporated into the lid of the microtiter plate. This system provides several advantages (in situ detection and quantification of biofilm microbial cells that have retained their viability after drug exposure). Based on our preliminary studies, it was found that the attention to the peg surface and substrate on which the bacterial biofilms are formed should also be paid to. Therefore, further steps leading to the optimization were introduced. The surface of pegs was coated by human plasma, fetal bovine serum, and L-polylysine. Subsequently, the willingness of bacteria to adhere and form biofilm was monitored. In conclusion, suitable conditions were revealed, leading to the formation of reproducible, robust staphylococcal biofilms in vitro for the microtiter model and the system analogous to the Calgary biofilm device, as well. The robustness and typical slime texture could be detected visually. Likewise, an analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed a complex three-dimensional arrangement of biofilm forming organisms surrounded by an extracellular polysaccharide matrix.

Keywords: anti-biofilm drug activity screening, in vitro biofilm formation, microtiter plate model, the Calgary biofilm device, staphylococcal infections, substrate modification, surface coating

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Authors: Hilary Modir, Kyle Dutton, Michelle Swab, Shabnam Asghari

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Since its emergence, the cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 have been documented in the literature. However, the majority are case reports with significant limitations in appraisal quality, thus leaving the role of dermatological manifestations of COVID-19 erroneously underexplored. The primary aim of this review was to systematically examine clinical patterns of dermatological manifestations as reported in the literature. This study was designed as a systematic review of case reports. The inclusion criteria consisted of all published reports and articles regarding COVID-19 in English, from September 1st, 2019, until June 22nd, 2020. The population consisted of confirmed cases of COVID-19 with associated cutaneous signs and symptoms. Exclusion criteria included research in planning stages, protocols, book reviews, news articles, review studies, and policy analyses. With the collaboration of a librarian, a search strategy was created consisting of a mixture of keyword terms and controlled vocabulary. Electronic databases searched were MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, PsycINFO, WHO Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease, Cochrane Library, Campbell Collaboration, Prospero, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, U.S. Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register, AAD Registry, OSF preprints, SSRN, MedRxiV and BioRxiV. The study selection featured an initial pre-screening of titles and abstracts by one independent reviewer. Results were verified by re-examining a random sample of 1% of excluded articles. Eligible studies progressed for full-text review by two calibrated independent reviewers. Covidence was used to store and extract data, such as citation information and findings pertaining to COVID-19 and cutaneous signs and symptoms. Data analysis and summarization methodology reflect the framework proposed by PRISMA and recommendations set out by Cochrane and Joanna Brigg’s Institute for conducting systematic reviews. The Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine’s level of evidence was used to appraise the quality of individual studies. The literature search revealed a total of 1221 articles. After the abstract and full-text screening, only 95 studies met the eligibility criteria, proceeding to data extraction. Studies were divided into 58% case reports and 42% series. A total of 833 manifestations were reported in 723 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The most frequent lesions were 23% maculopapular, 15% urticarial and 13% pseudo-chilblains, with 46% of lesions reporting pruritus, 16% erythema, 14% pain, 12% burning sensation, and 4% edema. The most common lesion locations were 20% trunk, 19.5% lower limbs, and 17.7% upper limbs. The time to resolution of lesions was between one and twenty-one days. In conclusion, over half of the reported cutaneous presentations in COVID-19 positive patients were maculopapular, urticarial and pseudo-chilblains, with the majority of lesions distributed to the extremities and trunk. As this review’s sample size only contained COVID-19 confirmed cases with skin presentations, it becomes difficult to deduce the direct relationship between skin findings and COVID-19. However, it can be correlated that acute onset of skin lesions, such as chilblains-like, may be associated with or may warrant consideration of COVID-19 as part of the differential diagnosis.

Keywords: COVID-19, cutaneous manifestations, cutaneous signs, general dermatology, medical dermatology, Sars-Cov-2, skin and infectious disease, skin findings, skin manifestations

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Authors: Claudio Clemente, Valentina Gargiulo, Alessio Occhicone, Giovanni Piero Pepe, Giovanni Ausanio, Michela Alfè

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Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions represent a serious risk to human health and the integrity of the ecosystems, especially at high concentrations. For this reason, it is very important to continuously monitor environmental quality and develop fast and reliable portable sensors to allow analysis on site. Chemiresistors have become promising candidates for VOC sensing as their ease of fabrication, variety of suitable sensitive materials, and simple sensing data. A chemoresistive gas sensor is a transducer that allows to measure the concentration of an analyte in the gas phase because the changes in resistance are proportional to the amount of the analyte present. The selection of the sensitive material, which interacts with the target analyte, is very important for the sensor performance. The most used VOC detection materials are metal oxides (MOx) for their rapid recovery, high sensitivity to various gas molecules, easy fabrication. Their sensing performance can be improved in terms of operating temperature, selectivity, and detection limit. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted a lot of attention also in the field of gas sensing due to their high porosity, high surface area, tunable morphologies, structural variety. MOFs are generated by the self-assembly of multidentate organic ligands connecting with adjacent multivalent metal nodes via strong coordination interactions, producing stable and highly ordered crystalline porous materials with well-designed structures. However, most MOFs intrinsically exhibit low electrical conductivity. To improve this property, MOFs can be combined with organic and inorganic materials in a hybrid fashion to produce composite materials or can be transformed into more stable structures. MOFs, indeed, can be employed as the precursors of metal oxides with well-designed architectures via the calcination method. The MOF-derived MOx partially preserved the original structure with high surface area and intrinsic open pores, which act as trapping centers for gas molecules, and showed a higher electrical conductivity. Core-shell heterostructures, in which the surface of a metal oxide core is completely coated by a MOF shell, forming a junction at the core-shell heterointerface, can also be synthesized. Also, nanocomposite in which MOF structures are intercalated with graphene related materials can also be produced, and the conductivity increases thanks to the high mobility of electrons of carbon materials. As MOF structures, zinc-based MOFs belonging to the ZIF family were selected in this work. Several Zn-based materials based and/or derived from MOFs were produced, structurally characterized, and arranged in a chemo resistive architecture, also exploring the potentiality of different approaches of sensing layer deposition based on PLD (pulsed laser deposition) and, in case of thermally labile materials, MAPLE (Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation) to enhance the adhesion to the support. The sensors were tested in a controlled humidity chamber, allowing for the possibility of varying the concentration of ethanol, a typical analyte chosen among the VOCs for a first survey. The effect of heating the chemiresistor to improve sensing performances was also explored. Future research will focus on exploring new manufacturing processes for MOF-based gas sensors with the aim to improve sensitivity, selectivity and reduce operating temperatures.

Keywords: chemiresistors, gas sensors, graphene related materials, laser deposition, MAPLE, metal-organic frameworks, metal oxides, nanocomposites, sensing performance, transduction mechanism, volatile organic compounds

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Authors: Eduardo Lanzagorta Garcia, Chaitra Venkatesh, Romina Pezzoli, Laura Gabriela Rodriguez Barroso, Declan Devine, Margaret E. Brennan Fournet

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New antimicrobial interventions are urgently required to combat rising global health and medical infection challenges. Here, an innovative antimicrobial technology, providing price competitive alternatives to antibiotics and readily integratable with currently technological systems is presented. Two cutting edge antimicrobial materials, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and uncompromised sustained Ag+ action from triangular silver nanoplates (TSNPs) reservoirs, are merged for versatile effective antimicrobial action where current approaches fail. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exist widely in nature and have recently been demonstrated for broad spectrum of activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. TSNP’s are highly discrete, homogenous and readily functionisable Ag+ nanoreseviors that have a proven amenability for operation within in a wide range of bio-based settings. In a design for advanced antimicrobial sustainable plastics, antimicrobial TSNPs are formulated for processing within biodegradable biopolymers. Histone H5 AMP was selected for its reported strong antimicrobial action and functionalized with the TSNP (AMP-TSNP) in a similar fashion to previously reported TSNP biofunctionalisation methods. A synergy between the propensity of biopolymers for degradation and Ag+ release combined with AMP activity provides a novel mechanism for the sustained antimicrobial action of biopolymeric thin films. Nanoplates are transferred from aqueous phase to an organic solvent in order to facilitate integration within hydrophobic polymers. Extrusion is used in combination with calendering rolls to create thin polymerc film where the nanoplates are embedded onto the surface. The resultant antibacterial functional films are suitable to be adapted for food packing and biomedical applications. TSNP synthesis were synthesized by adapting a previously reported seed mediated approach. TSNP synthesis was scaled up for litre scale batch production and subsequently concentrated to 43 ppm using thermally controlled H2O removal. Nanoplates were transferred from aqueous phase to an organic solvent in order to facilitate integration within hydrophobic polymers. This was acomplised by functionalizing the TSNP with thiol terminated polyethylene glycol and using centrifugal force to transfer them to chloroform. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and Polylactic acid (PLA) were individually processed through extrusion, TSNP and AMP-TSNP solutions were sprayed onto the polymer immediately after exiting the dye. Calendering rolls were used to disperse and incorporate TSNP and TSNP-AMP onto the surface of the extruded films. Observation of the characteristic blue colour confirms the integrity of the TSNP within the films. Antimicrobial tests were performed by incubating Gram + and Gram – strains with treated and non-treated films, to evaluate if bacterial growth was reduced due to the presence of the TSNP. The resulting films successfully incorporated TSNP and AMP-TSNP. Reduced bacterial growth was observed for both Gram + and Gram – strains for both TSNP and AMP-TSNP compared with untreated films indicating antimicrobial action. The largest growth reduction was observed for AMP-TSNP treated films demonstrating the additional antimicrobial activity due to the presence of the AMPs. The potential of this technology to impede bacterial activity in food industry and medical surfaces will forge new confidence in the battle against antibiotic resistant bacteria, serving to greatly inhibit infections and facilitate patient recovery.

Keywords: antimicrobial, biodegradable, peptide, polymer, nanoparticle

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Authors: B.L. España-Sánchez, E. Luna-Hernández, R.A. Mauricio-Sánchez, M.E. Cruz-Soto, F. Padilla-Vaca, R. Muñoz, L. Granados-López, L.R. Ovalle-Flores, J.L. Menchaca-Arredondo, G. Luna-Bárcenas

Abstract:

Treatment of burn injured has been considered an important clinical problem due to the fluid control and the presence of microorganisms during the healing process. Conventional treatment includes antiseptic techniques, topical medication and surgical removal of damaged skin, to avoid bacterial growth. In order to accelerate this process, different alternatives for tissue regeneration have been explored, including artificial skin, polymers, hydrogels and hybrid materials. Some requirements consider a nonreactive organic polymer with high biocompatibility and skin adherence, avoiding bacterial infections. Chitin-derivative biopolymer such as chitosan (CS) has been used in skin regeneration following third-degree burns. The biological interest of CS is associated with the improvement of tissue cell stimulation, biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. In particular, antimicrobial properties of CS can be significantly increased when is blended with nanostructured materials. Silver-based nanocomposites have gained attention in medicine due to their high antibacterial properties against pathogens, related to their high surface area/volume ratio at nanomolar concentrations. Silver nanocomposites can be blended or synthesized with chitin-derivative biopolymers in order to obtain a biodegradable/antimicrobial hybrid with improved physic-mechanical properties. In this study, nanocomposites based on chitosan/silver nanoparticles (CS/nAg) were synthesized by the in situ chemical reduction method, improving their antibacterial properties against pathogenic bacteria and enhancing the healing process in thermal burn injuries produced in an animal model. CS/nAg was prepared in solution by the chemical reduction method, using AgNO₃ as precursor. CS was dissolved in acetic acid and mixed with different molar concentrations of AgNO₃: 0.01, 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 M. Solutions were stirred at 95°C during 20 hours, in order to promote the nAg formation. CS/nAg solutions were placed in Petri dishes and dried, to obtain films. Structural analyses confirm the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (nAg) by means of UV-Vis and TEM, with an average size of 7.5 nm and spherical morphology. FTIR analyses showed the complex formation by the interaction of hydroxyl and amine groups with metallic nanoparticles, and surface chemical analysis (XPS) shows low concentration of Ag⁰/Ag⁺ species. Topography surface analyses by means of AFM shown that hydrated CS form a mesh with an average diameter of 10 µm. Antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa was improved in all evaluated conditions, such as nAg loading and interaction time. CS/nAg nanocomposites films did not show Ag⁰/Ag⁺ release in saline buffer and rat serum after exposition during 7 days. Healing process was significantly enhanced by the presence of CS/nAg nanocomposites, inducing the production of myofibloblasts, collagen remodelation, blood vessels neoformation and epidermis regeneration after 7 days of injury treatment, by means of histological and immunohistochemistry assays. The present work suggests that hydrated CS/nAg nanocomposites can be formed a mesh, improving the bacterial penetration and the contact with embedded nAg, producing complete growth inhibition after 1.5 hours. Furthermore, CS/nAg nanocomposites improve the cell tissue regeneration in thermal burn injuries induced in rats. Synthesis of antibacterial, non-toxic, and biocompatible nanocomposites can be an important issue in tissue engineering and health care applications.

Keywords: antibacterial, chitosan, healing process, nanocomposites, silver

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Authors: Shreya Saxena, Felix Miller-Molloy, Phillipa Bowen, Greg Fellows, Elizabeth Bowen

Abstract:

Background: Complex fluid balance abnormalities are well-established post-neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The triple-phase response requires fluid management strategies reactive to urine output and sodium homeostasis as patients shift between Diabetes Insipidus (DI) and Syndrome of Inappropriate ADH (SIADH). It was observed, at a tertiary paediatric center, a relatively high prevalence of the above complications within a cohort of paediatric post-neurosurgical and TBI patients. An audit of the clinical practice against set institutional guidelines was undertaken and analyzed to understand why this was occurring. Based on those results, new guidelines were developed with structured educational packages for the specialist teams involved. This was then reaudited, and the findings were compared. Methods: Two independent audits were conducted across two time periods, pre and post guideline change. Primary data was collected retrospectively, including both qualitative and quantitative data sets from the CQUIN neurosurgical database and electronic medical records. All paediatric patients post posterior fossa (PFT) or supratentorial surgery or with a TBI were included. A literature review of evidence-based practice, initial audit data, and stakeholder feedback was used to develop new clinical guidelines and nursing standard operation procedures. Compliance against these newly developed guidelines was re-assessed and a thematic, trend-based analysis of the two sets of results was conducted. Results: Audit-1 January2017-June2018, n=80; Audit-2 January2020-June2021, n=30 (reduced operative capacity due to COVID-19 pandemic). Overall, improvements in the monitoring of both fluid balance and electrolyte trends were demonstrated; 51% vs. 77% and 78% vs. 94%, respectively. The number of clear fluid management plans documented postoperatively also increased (odds ratio of 4), leading to earlier recognition and management of evolving fluid-balance abnormalities. The local paediatric endocrine team was involved in the care of all complex cases and notified sooner for those considered to be developing DI or SIADH (14% to 35%). However, significant Na fluctuations (>12mmol in 24 hours) remained similar – 5 vs six patients – found to be due to complex pituitary hypothalamic pathology – and the recommended adaptive fluid management strategy was still not always used. Qualitative data regarding useability and understanding of fluid-balance abnormalities and the revised guidelines were obtained from health professionals via surveys and discussion in the specialist teams providing care. The feedback highlighted the new guidelines provided a more consistent approach to the post-operative care of these patients and was a better platform for communication amongst the different specialist teams involved. The potential limitation to our study would be the small sample size on which to conduct formal analyses; however, this reflects the population that we were investigating, which we cannot control. Conclusion: The revised clinical guidelines, based on audited data, evidence-based literature review and stakeholder consultations, have demonstrated an improvement in understanding of the neuro-endocrine complications that are possible, as well as increased compliance to post-operative monitoring of fluid balance and electrolytes in this cohort of patients. Emphasis has been placed on preventative rather than treatment of DI and SIADH. Consequently, this has positively impacted patient safety for the center and highlighted the importance of educational awareness and multi-disciplinary team working.

Keywords: post-operative, fluid-balance management, neuro-endocrine complications, paediatric

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Authors: Kyriaki Hatziagapiou, Eleni Kakouri, Konstantinos Bethanis, Alexandra Nikola, Eleni Koniari, Charalabos Kanakis, Elias Christoforides, George Lambrou, Petros Tarantilis

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Medulloblastoma is a highly invasive tumour, as it tends to disseminate throughout the central nervous system early in its course. Despite the high 5-year-survival rate, a significant number of patients demonstrate serious long- or short-term sequelae (e.g., myelosuppression, endocrine dysfunction, cardiotoxicity, neurological deficits and cognitive impairment) and higher mortality rates, unrelated to the initial malignancy itself but rather to the aggressive treatment. A strong rationale exists for the use of Crocus sativus L (saffron) and its bioactive constituents (crocin, crocetin, safranal) as pharmaceutical agents, as they exert significant health-promoting properties. Crocins are water soluble carotenoids. Unlike other carotenoids, crocins are highly water-soluble compounds, with relatively low toxicity as they are not stored in adipose and liver tissues. Crocins have attracted wide attention as promising anti-cancer agents, due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects, interference with transduction pathways implicated in tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and metastasis (disruption of mitotic spindle assembly, inhibition of DNA topoisomerases, cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis or cell differentiation) and sensitization of cancer cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The current research aimed to study the potential cytotoxic effect of crocins on TE671 medulloblastoma cell line, which may be useful in the optimization of existing and development of new therapeutic strategies. Crocins were extracted from stigmas of saffron in ultrasonic bath, using petroleum-ether, diethylether and methanol 70%v/v as solvents and the final extract was lyophilized. Identification of crocins according to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was determined comparing the UV-vis spectra and the retention time (tR) of the peaks with literature data. For the biological assays crocin was diluted to nuclease and protease free water. TE671 cells were incubated with a range of concentrations of crocins (16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 mg/ml) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. Analysis of cell viability after incubation with crocins was performed with Alamar Blue viability assay. The active ingredient of Alamar Blue, resazurin, is a blue, nontoxic, cell permeable compound virtually nonfluorescent. Upon entering cells, resazurin is reduced to a pink and fluorescent molecule, resorufin. Viable cells continuously convert resazurin to resorufin, generating a quantitative measure of viability. The colour of resorufin was quantified by measuring the absorbance of the solution at 600 nm with a spectrophotometer. HPLC analysis indicated that the most abundant crocins in our extract were trans-crocin-4 and trans-crocin-3. Crocins exerted significant cytotoxicity in a dose and time-dependent manner (p < 0.005 for exposed cells to any concentration at 48, 72 and 96 hours versus cells not exposed); as their concentration and time of exposure increased, the reduction of resazurin to resofurin decreased, indicating reduction in cell viability. IC50 values for each time point were calculated ~3.738, 1.725, 0.878 and 0.7566 mg/ml at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, respectively. The results of our study could afford the basis of research regarding the use of natural carotenoids as anticancer agents and the shift to targeted therapy with higher efficacy and limited toxicity. Acknowledgements: The research was funded by Fellowships of Excellence for Postgraduate Studies IKY-Siemens Programme.

Keywords: crocetin, crocin, medulloblastoma, saffron

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Authors: Tianqiao Zhang, Ye Tian, Yanliang Yin, Yichao Tian, Suzhai Tian, Weige Sun, Shuhui Gong, Limei Tang, Ruoliang Tang

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Introduction: Healthcare workers, especially the nurses all over the world, are highly vulnerable to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), experiencing high rates of neck, shoulder, and low back injuries, due to the unfavorable working conditions. To reduce WMSDs among nursing personnel, many workplace interventions have been developed and implemented. Unfortunately, the ongoing Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has posed great challenges to the ergonomic practices and interventions in healthcare facilities, particularly the hospitals, since current Covid-19 mitigation measures, such as social distancing and working remotely, has substantially minimized in-person gatherings and trainings. On the other hand, hospitals throughout the world have been short-staffed, resulting in disturbance of shift scheduling and more importantly, the increased job demand among the available caregivers, particularly the doctors and nurses. With the latest development in communication technology, remote intervention measures have been developed as an alternative, without the necessity of in-person meetings. The Omaha System (OS) is a standardized classification system for nursing practices, including a problem classification system, an intervention system, and an outcome evaluation system. This paper describes the development of an OS-based ergonomic intervention program. Methods: First, a comprehensive literature search was performed among worldwide electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), between journal inception to May 2020, resulting in a total of 1,418 scientific articles. After two independent screening processes, the final knowledge pool included eleven randomized controlled trial studies to develop the draft of the intervention program with Omaha intervention subsystem as the framework. After the determination of sample size needed for statistical power and the potential loss to follow-up, a total of 94 nurses from eight clinical departments agreed to provide written, informed consent to participate in the study, which were subsequently assigned into two random groups (i.e., intervention vs. control). A subgroup of twelve nurses were randomly selected to participate in a semi-structured interview, during which their general understanding and awareness of musculoskeletal disorders and potential interventions was assessed. Then, the first draft was modified to reflect the findings from these interviews. Meanwhile, the tentative program schedule was also assessed. Next, two rounds of consultation were conducted among experts in nursing management, occupational health, psychology, and rehabilitation, to further adjust and finalize the intervention program. The control group had access to all the information and exercise modules at baseline, while an interdisciplinary research team was formed and supervised the implementation of the on-line intervention program through multiple social media groups. Outcome measures of this comparative study included biomechanical load assessed by the Quick Exposure Check and stresses due to awkward body postures. Results and Discussion: Modification to the draft included (1) supplementing traditional Chinese medicine practices, (2) adding the use of assistive patient handling equipment, and (3) revising the on-line training method. Information module should be once a week, lasting about 20 to 30 minutes, for a total of 6 weeks, while the exercise module should be 5 times a week, each lasting about 15 to 20 minutes, for a total of 6 weeks.

Keywords: ergonomic interventions, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), omaha system, nurses, Covid-19

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Authors: Purna Prasad Acharya, Madhav Karki, Sunta B. Tamang, Uttam Basnet, Chhatra Katwal

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The paper outlines the idea behind achieving sustainable lifestyles based on the spiritual values and teachings of Lord Buddha. This objective is to be achieved by spreading the tenets and teachings of Buddhism throughout the Asia Pacific region and the world from the sacred birth place of Buddha - Lumbini, Nepal. There is an urgent need to advance the relevance of Buddhist philosophy in tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature’s decline, and pollution. Today, the world is facing an existential crisis due to the above crises, exasperated by hunger, poverty and armed conflict. To address multi-dimensional impacts, the global communities have to adopt simple life styles that respect nature and universal human values. These were the basic teachings of Gautam Buddha. Lumbini, Nepal has the moral obligation to widely disseminate Buddha’s teaching to the world and receive constant feedback and learning to develop human and ecosystem resilience by molding the lifestyles of current and future generations through adaptive learning and simplicity across the geography and nationality based on spirituality and environmental stewardship. By promoting Buddhism, Nepal has developed a pro-nature tourism industry that focuses on both its spiritual and bio-cultural heritage. Nepal is a country rich in ancient wisdom, where sages have sought knowledge, practiced meditation, and followed spiritual paths for thousands of years. It can spread the teachings of Buddha in a way people can search for and adopt ways to live, creating harmony with nature. Using tools of natural sciences and social sciences, the team will package knowledge and share the idea of community well-being within the framework of environmental sustainability, social harmony and universal respect for nature and people in a more holistic manner. This notion takes into account key elements of sustainable development such as food-energy-water-biodiversity interconnections, environmental conservation, ecological integrity, ecosystem health, community resiliency, adaptation capacity, and indigenous culture, knowledge and values. This inclusive concept has garnered a strong network of supporters locally, regionally, and internationally. The key objectives behind this concept are: a) to leverage expertise and passion of a network of global collaborators to advance research, education, and policy outreach in the areas of human sustainability based on lifestyle change using the power of spirituality and Buddha’s teaching, resilient lifestyles, and adaptive living; b) help develop creative short courses for multi-disciplinary teaching in educational institutions worldwide in collaboration with Lumbini Buddha University and other relevant partners in Nepal; c) help build local and regional intellectual and cultural teaching and learning capacity by improving professional collaborations to promote nature based and Buddhist value-based lifestyles by connecting Lumbini to Nepal’s rich nature; d) promote research avenues to provide policy relevant knowledge that is creative, innovative, as well as practical and locally viable; and e) connect local research and outreach work with academic and cultural partners in South Korea so as to open up Lumbini based Buddhist heritage and Nepal’s Karnali River basin’s unique natural landscape to Korean scholars and students to promote sustainable lifestyles leading to human living in harmony with nature.

Keywords: triple planetary crisis, spirituality, sustainable lifestyles, living in harmony with nature, resilience

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Authors: H. M. El-Askary, S. A. Abd El-Mawla, M. Allali, M. M. El-Hattab, M. El-Raey, A. M. Farahat, M. Kafatos, S. Nickovic, S. K. Park, A. K. Prasad, C. Rakovski, W. Sprigg, D. Struppa, A. Vukovic

Abstract:

A clear distinction between weather and climate is a necessity because while they are closely related, there are still important differences. Climate change is identified when we compute the statistics of the observed changes in weather over space and time. In this work we will show how the changing climate contribute to the frequency, magnitude and extent of different extreme events using a multi sensor approach with some synergistic modeling activities. We are exploring satellite observations of dust over North Africa, Gulf Region and the Indo Gangetic basin as well as dust versus anthropogenic pollution events over the Delta region in Egypt and Seoul through remote sensing and utilize the behavior of the dust and haze on the aerosol optical properties. Dust impact on the retreat of the glaciers in the Himalayas is also presented. In this study we also focus on the identification and monitoring of a massive dust plume that blew off the western coast of Africa towards the Atlantic on October 8th, 2012 right before the development of Hurricane Sandy. There is evidence that dust aerosols played a non-trivial role in the cyclogenesis process of Sandy. Moreover, a special dust event "An American Haboob" in Arizona is discussed as it was predicted hours in advance because of the great improvement we have in numerical, land–atmosphere modeling, computing power and remote sensing of dust events. Therefore we performed a full numerical simulation to that event using the coupled atmospheric-dust model NMME–DREAM after generating a mask of the potentially dust productive regions using land cover and vegetation data obtained from satellites. Climate change also contributes to the deterioration of different marine habitats. In that regard we are also presenting some work dealing with change detection analysis of Marine Habitats over the city of Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt. The motivation for this work came from the fact that coral reefs at Hurghada have undergone significant decline. They are damaged, displaced, polluted, stepped on, and blasted off, in addition to the effects of climate change on the reefs. One of the most pressing issues affecting reef health is mass coral bleaching that result from an interaction between human activities and climatic changes. Over another location, namely California, we have observed that it exhibits highly-variable amounts of precipitation across many timescales, from the hourly to the climate timescale. Frequently, heavy precipitation occurs, causing damage to property and life (floods, landslides, etc.). These extreme events, variability, and the lack of good, medium to long-range predictability of precipitation are already a challenge to those who manage wetlands, coastal infrastructure, agriculture and fresh water supply. Adding on to the current challenges for long-range planning is climate change issue. It is known that La Niña and El Niño affect precipitation patterns, which in turn are entwined with global climate patterns. We have studied ENSO impact on precipitation variability over different climate divisions in California. On the other hand the Nile Delta has experienced lately an increase in the underground water table as well as water logging, bogging and soil salinization. Those impacts would pose a major threat to the Delta region inheritance and existing communities. There has been an undergoing effort to address those vulnerabilities by looking into many adaptation strategies.

Keywords: remote sensing, modeling, long range transport, dust storms, North Africa, Gulf Region, India, California, climate extremes, sea level rise, coral reefs

Procedia PDF Downloads 486