Search results for: in vivo/vitro exposure

Authors: Juan Santos Garcia

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Introduction: Tuberculosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by a microorganism called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it has the capacity to spread from the lungs to other parts of the body. Globally, the rate per 100 thousand inhabitants has varied from 136 in 2007 to 122 in 2012; while in the region of the Americas has been much lower: 32 cases per 100,000 in 2007, to 29 in 2012. In El Salvador have also varied incidence rates from 2007 to 2012, from 27.4 cases per 100 000 population to 32 in the period indicated. Methods: Screening was performed with smear and chest X-ray at 80 military personnel from Military Brigade # 5 of El Salvador. Besides HIV tests were taken at the positive cases, which are also made interview, investigating demographic, clinical, laboratory and risk factors data. Frequencies, percentages and rates were calculated using Excel page. The rates were calculated for each of the 5 military bedrooms (called A, B, C, D, and E). Results: Attack rate was 18.75% in the bedroom C. the index case was identified and two secondary cases, with an exposure period of 59 days. Only the index case presented symptoms: cough, fever and weight loss. The other two cases had no symptoms. Discussion: We found a rate of tuberculosis 526 times higher than the national rate. He was also 12.5 times higher than that found in other studies in closed populations such as school facilities. It was not possible to make association analysis.

Keywords: tuberculosis, outbreak, military brigade, chronic granulomatous disease

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Authors: Debasish Pradhan, Shaktiprasad Pradhan, Rakesh Kumar Pradhan, Gitanjali Tripathy

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Suppressors of cytokine signalling (SOCS1), a newly indentified antiapoptotic molecule is a downstream effector of the receptor tyrosine kinase-Ras signalling pathway. The current study has uncovered that SOCS1 may have wide and imperative capacities, particularly because of its close correlation with malignant tumors. To investigate the impact of SOCS1 on MDR, we analyzed the expression of P-gp and SOCS1 by immunohistochemistry and found there was a positive correlation between them. At that point, we effectively interfered with RNA translation by the contamination of siRNA of SOCS1 into MCF7/ADM breast cancer cell lines through a lentivirus, and the expression of the target gene was significantly inhibited. After RNAi, the drug resistance was reduced altogether and the expression of MDR1 mRNA and P-gp in MCF7/ADM cell lines demonstrated a significant decrease. Likewise, the expression of P53 protein increased in a statistically significant manner (p ≤ 0.01) after RNAi exposure. Moreover, flow cytometry analysis uncovers that cell cycle and anti-apoptotic enhancing capacity of cells changed after RNAi treatment. These outcomes proposed SOCS1 may take part in breast cancer MDR by managing MDR1 and P53 expression, changing cell cycle and enhancing the anti-apoptotic ability.

Keywords: breast cancer, multidrug resistance, SOCS1 gene, MDR1 gene, RNA interference

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Authors: Farnaz Sadeghi, Moslem Tavakol

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In this study, an attempt has been made to prepare a physically cross-linked gel by cooling of tannic acid (TA)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution that subsequently convert to antibacterial chemically cross-linked hydrogel by using electron beam irradiation. PVA is known for its biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, and TA is known for being a natural compound which can serve as a cross-linking agent and a therapeutic agent. Swelling behavior, gel content, pore size, and mechanical properties of hydrogels which prepared at 14, 28, and 56 (kGy) with different ratios of polymers were investigated. PVA-TA hydrogel showed sustained release of tannic acid as approximately 20% and 50% of loaded TA released from the hydrogel after 4 and 72 h release time. We found that gel content decreased and the moisture retention capability increased by an increase in TA composition. In addition, PVA-TA hydrogels showed a good antibacterial activity against S.aureus. MTT analysis indicated that close to 83% of fibroblast cells remained viable after 48 h exposure to hydrogel extract. Moreover, the cooling of 10% PVA solution containing 0.5 and 0.75% w/v tannic acid to room and refrigerator, respectively, led to formation of physical gel that did not present any flow index after inversion of hydrogel cast. According to the results, the hydrogel prepared by electron beam irradiation of blended PVA-TA solution could be further investigated as a promising candidate for wound healing.

Keywords: poly vinyl alcohol, tannic acid, electron beam irradiation, hydrogel wound dressing

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Authors: Anil Bhandari, Imran Khan Pathan, Peeyush K. Sharma, Rakesh K. Patel, Suresh Purohit

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The purpose of this study was to prepare time and pH dependent release tablets of Ayurvedic Churna formulation and evaluate their advantages as colon targeted drug delivery system. The Vidangadi Churna was selected for this study which contains Embelin and Gallic acid. Embelin is used in Helminthiasis as therapeutic agent. Embelin is insoluble in water and unstable in gastric environment so it was formulated in time and pH dependent tablets coated with combination of two polymers Eudragit L100 and ethyl cellulose. The 150mg of core tablet of dried extract and lactose were prepared by wet granulation method. The compression coating was used in the polymer concentration of 150mg for both the layer as upper and lower coating tablet was investigated. The results showed that no release was found in 0.1 N HCl and pH 6.8 phosphate buffers for initial 5 hours and about 98.97% of the drug was released in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer in total 17 hours. The in vitro release profiles of drug from the formulation could be best expressed first order kinetics as highest linearity (r2= 0.9943). The results of the present study have demonstrated that the time and pH dependent tablets system is a promising vehicle for preventing rapid hydrolysis in gastric environment and improving oral bioavailability of Embelin and Gallic acid for treatment of Helminthiasis.

Keywords: embelin, gallic acid, Vidangadi Churna, colon targeted drug delivery

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Authors: Cesar Torres, Robert Briber, Nam Sun Wang

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Eye drops are the most commonly used treatment for short-term and long-term ophthalmic diseases. However, eye drops could deliver only about 5% of the functional ingredients contained in a burst dosage. To address the limitations of eye drops, the use of therapeutic contact lenses has been introduced. Drug-loaded contact lenses provide drugs a longer residence time in the tear film and hence, decrease the potential risk of side effects. Nevertheless, a major limitation of contact lenses as drug delivery devices is that most of the drug absorbed is released within the first few hours. This fact limits their use for extended release. The present study demonstrates the application of long-alkyl chain ionic surfactants on extending drug release kinetics from commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lenses. In vitro release experiments were carried by immersing drug-containing contact lenses in phosphate buffer saline at physiological pH. The drug concentration as a function of time was monitored using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The results of the study demonstrate that release kinetics is dependent on the ionic surfactant weight percent in the contact lenses, and on the length of the hydrophobic alkyl chain of the ionic surfactants. The use of ionic surfactants in contact lenses can extend the delivery of drugs from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the physicochemical properties of the drugs. Contact lenses embedded with ionic surfactants could be potential biomaterials to be used for extended drug delivery and in the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. However, ocular irritation and toxicity studies would be needed to evaluate the safety of the approach.

Keywords: contact lenses, drug delivery, controlled release, ionic surfactant

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Authors: Youn Young Shim, Ji Hye Kim, Jae Youl Cho, Martin J. T. Reaney

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Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is gaining popularity in the food industry as a superfood due to its health-promoting properties. The flax plant synthesizes an array of biologically active cyclic peptides or linusorbs (LOs, a.k.a. cyclolinopeptides) from three or more ribosome-derived precursors. [1–9-NαC]-linusorb B3 and [1–9-NαC]-linusorb B2, suppress immunity, induce apoptosis in human epithelial cancer cell line (Calu-3) cells, and inhibit T-cell proliferation, but the mechanism of LOs action is unknown. Using gene expression analysis in nematode cultures and human cancer cell lines, we have observed that LOs exert their activity, in part, through induction of apoptosis. Specific LOs’ properties include: 1) distribution throughout the body after flaxseed consumption; 2) induce heat shock protein (HSP) 70A production as an indicator of stress and address the issue in Caenorhabditis elegans (exposure of nematode cultures to [1–9-NαC]-linusorb B3 induced a 30% increase in production of the HSP 70A protein); 3) induce apoptosis in Calu-3 cells; and 4) modulate regulatory genes in microarray analysis. These diverse activities indicate that LOs might induce apoptosis in cancer cells or act as versatile platforms to deliver a variety of biologically active molecules for cancer therapy.

Keywords: flaxseed, linusorb, cyclic peptide, orbitides, heat shock protein, apoptosis, anti-cancer

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Authors: Robin Lok-Wang Ma

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The Center/Unit for Industry Engagement and Collaboration, as well as Internship, play a significant role at university. In general, the Center serves as the official interface between the industry and the School or Department to cultivate students’ early exposure to professional experience. The missions of the Center are not limited to provide a communication channel and collaborative platform for the industries and the university but also to assist students to build up their career paths early while still in the university. In recent years, a cooperative education experience (commonly known as a co-op) has been strongly advocated for students to make the school-to-work transition. The nature of the co-op program is not only consistent with the internships/final year design projects, but it is also more industrial-oriented with academic support from faculty at the university. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach to how cooperative education experience can be integrated into Engineering Curriculum. It provides a mutual understanding and exchange of ideas for the approach between the university and the industry. A suggested format in terms of timeline, duration, selection of candidates, students, and companies’ expectations for the co-op program is described. Also, feedbacks from employers/industries show that a longer-term co-op program is well suited for students compared with a short-term internship. To this end, it provides a new insight into collaboration and/or partnership between the university and the industries to prepare professional work-ready graduates.

Keywords: cooperative education, industry, engagement, collaboration

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Authors: Pooja Rawat, Rakhi Tyagi

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Globally, almost 3 billion people rely on biomass (wood, charcoal, dung and crop residues) and coal as their primary source of domestic energy. Cooking and heating with solid fuels on open fire give rise to major pollutants. Women are primarily affected by these pollutants as they spend most of their time in the house. The WHO World Health Report 2002 estimates that indoor air pollution (IAP) is responsible for 2.7% of the loss of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide and 3.7% in high mortality developing countries. Indoor air pollution has the potential to not only impact health, but also impact the general economic well-being of the household. Exposure to high level of household pollution lead to acute and chronic respiratory conditions (e.g.: pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and cataract). There has been many strategies for reducing IAP like subsidize cleaner fuel technologies, for example use of kerosene rather than traditional biomass fuels. Another example is development, promotion of 'improved cooking stoves'. India, likely ranks second- distributing over 12 million improved stoves in the first seven years of a national program to develop. IAP should be reduced by understanding the welfare effects of reducing IAP within households and to understanding the most cost effective way to reduce it.

Keywords: open fire, indoor pollution, lung diseases, indoor air pollution

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Authors: B. Chandar, M. K. Ramasamy, P. Madasamy

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The discovery and development of newer antibiotics are limited with the increase in resistance of such multi-drug resistant bacteria creating the need for alternative new therapeutic agents. The recently discovered New Delhi Metallo-betalactamase-1 (NDM-1), which confers antibiotic resistance to most of the currently available β-lactams, except colistin and tigecycline, is a global concern. Several antibacterial drugs approved are natural products or their semisynthetic derivatives, but plant extracts remain to be explored to find molecules that are effective against NDM-1 bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the possibility of finding new and effective antibacterial compounds against NDM-1 bacteria. In the present study, we have screened a diverse set South Indian plant species, and report most plant species as a potential source for antimicrobial compounds against NDM-1 bacteria. Ethanol extracts from the leaves of taxonomically diverse South Indian medicinal plants were screened for antibacterial activity against NDM-1 E. coli using streak plate method. Among the plant screened against NDM-1 E. coli, the ethanol extracts from many plant extracts showed minimum bactericidal concentration between 5 and 15 mg /ml and MIC between 2.54 and 5.12 mg/ml. These extracts also showed a potent synergistic effect when combined with antibiotics colistin and tetracycline. Combretum albidum that was effective was taken for further analysis. At 5mg/L concentration, these extracts inhibited the NDM-1 enzyme in vitro, and residual activity for Combretum albidum was 33.09%. Treatment of NDM-1 E. coli with the extracts disrupted the cell wall integrity and caused 89.7% cell death. The plant extract of Combretum albidum that was effective was subjected to fractionation and the fraction was further subjected to HPLC, LC-MS for identification of antibacterial compound.

Keywords: antibacterial activity, combretum albidum, Escherichia coli, NDM-1

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Authors: Raouf Alizadeh, Kadijeh Hemmati

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The aim of this study is to synthesize several series of hydrogels from combination of a natural based polymer (Quince seed mucilage QSD), a synthetic copolymer contained methoxy poly ethylene glycol -polycaprolactone (mPEG-PCL) in the presence of different amount of multi-walled carbon nanotube (f-MWNT). Mono epoxide functionalized mPEG (mP EG-EP) was synthesized and reacted with sodium azide in the presence of NH4Cl to afford mPEG- N3(-OH). Then ring opening polymerization (ROP) of ε–caprolactone (CL) in the presence of mPEG- N3(-OH) as initiator and Sn(Oct)2 as catalyst led to preparation of mPEG-PCL- N3(-OH ) which was grafted onto propagylated f-MWNT by the click reaction to obtain mPEG-PCL- f-MWNT (-OH ). In the presence of mPEG- N3(-Br) and mixture of NHS/DCC/ QSD, hybrid hydrogels were successfully synthesized. The copolymers and hydrogels were characterized using different techniques such as, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The gel content of hydrogels showed dependence on the weight ratio of QSD:mPEG-PCL:f-MWNT. The swelling behavior of the prepared hydrogels was also studied under variation of pH, immersion time, and temperature. According to the results, the swelling behavior of the prepared hydrogels showed significant dependence in the gel content, pH, immersion time and temperature. The highest swelling was observed at room temperature, in 60 min and at pH 8. The loading and in-vitro release of quercetin as a model drug were investigated at pH of 2.2 and 7.4, and the results showed that release rate at pH 7.4 was faster than that at pH 2.2. The total loading and release showed dependence on the network structure of hydrogels and were in the range of 65- 91%. In addition, the cytotoxicity and release kinetics of the prepared hydrogels were also investigated.

Keywords: antioxidant, drug delivery, Quince Seed Mucilage(QSD), swelling behavior

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Authors: Yılmaz Uçar, Fatih Ozogul, Mustafa Durmuş, Yesim Ozogul, Ali Rıza Köşker, Esmeray Kuley Boğa, Deniz Ayas

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The aim of this study was to purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), that are essential oils from trout oil, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, bioconverted EPA and DHA into bioconverted EPA (bEPA), bioconverted DHA (bDHA) extracts by P. aeruginosa PR3. Moreover, in vitro antibacterial activity of bEPA and bDHA was investigated using disc diffusion methods and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). EPA and DHA concentration of 11.1% and 15.9% in trout oil increased in 58.64% and 40.33% after HPLC optimisation, respectively. In this study, EPA and DHA enriched products were obtained which are to be used as valuable supplements for food and pharmaceutical purposes. The bioconverted EPA and DHA exhibited antibacterial activities against two Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7677 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213) and six Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC700603, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Aeromonas hydrophila NCIMB 1135, and Salmonella Paratyphi A NCTC 13). Inhibition zones and MIC value of bEPA and bDHA against bacterial strains ranged from 7 to 12 mm and from 350 to 2350 μg/mL, respectively. Our results suggested that the crude extracts of bioconversion of EPA and DHA by P. aeruginosa PR3 can be considered as promising antimicrobials in improving food safety by controlling foodborne pathogens.

Keywords: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), docosahexaenoic acid, DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PR3

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Authors: Maryam Ghamsari, Mitchell Nye-Wood, Kelvin Wang, Angela Juhasz, Michelle Colgrave, Don Otter, Jun Lu, Nazimah Hamid, Thao T. Le

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Bee venom, a complex mixture of peptides, proteins, enzymes, and other bioactive compounds, has been widely studied for its therapeutic application. This study investigated the proteins present in New Zealand (NZ) honeybee venom (BV) using bottom-up proteomics. Two sample digestion techniques, in-solution digestion and filter-aided sample preparation (FASP), were employed to obtain the optimal method for protein digestion. Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH–MS) analysis was conducted to quantify the protein compositions of NZ BV and investigate variations in collection years. Our results revealed high protein content (158.12 µg/mL), with the FASP method yielding a larger number of identified proteins (125) than in-solution digestion (95). SWATH–MS indicated melittin and phospholipase A2 as the most abundant proteins. Significant variations in protein compositions across samples from different years (2018, 2019, 2021) were observed, with implications for venom's bioactivity. In vitro testing demonstrated immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities, with a viable range for cell growth established at 1.5-5 µg/mL. The study underscores the value of proteomic tools in characterizing bioactive compounds in bee venom, paving the way for deeper exploration into their therapeutic potentials. Further research is needed to fractionate the venom and elucidate the mechanisms of action for the identified bioactive components.

Keywords: honeybee venom, proteomics, bioactivity, fractionation, swath-ms, melittin, phospholipase a2, new zealand, immunomodulatory, antioxidant

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Authors: Igbozuruike Chigozie Jude, Agwu Agwu Ejem

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This study investigated that advertisement has an impact on audience retention on YouTube Comedy skits, which is the most watched content on YouTube in Lagos, Nigeria. The main objective was to determine if the advertisements affect the average number of times they spend watching YouTube comedy skits. The study was anchored on Festinger's (1952) cognitive dissonance theory. The research method for this exercise was a survey to get responses from people in Lagos state on how they react to the advertisements they face when watching YouTube comedy skits in Lagos state. The sample size derived from the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) Table was 384 YouTube users. The instrument that was used to gather data was a questionnaire. The findings showed that the adverts have far-reaching exposure by the target audience, but most of the audience perceived them to be intrusive. It was also found that there is not enough evidence to infer that advertisement is indeed impacting audience retention on YouTube comedy skits in Lagos, Nigeria. The reason is that, for a majority of the audience, adverts do not essentially affect their retention on those skits, but for a considerable percentage (34%), these adverts do break their concentration and affect how much time they end up spending on the YouTube comedy skits. It was recommended that, among others, there should be regular monitoring and adaptation of YouTube advertisements to the audience preferences and behaviors of the audience. Insights on changes or trends in audience preferences can be gained through surveys.

Keywords: advertisement, audience, YouTube, comedy skits, Lagos Nigeria

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Authors: Nancy M. El-Baz, Laila Ziko, Rania Siam, Wael Mamdouh

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Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases, and has over than 10 million new cases annually worldwide. Despite the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents, their systemic toxicity and non-selective anticancer actions represent the main obstacles facing cancer curability. Due to the effective enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of nanomaterials, nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as drug nanocarriers providing targeted cancer drug delivery systems. In addition, several inorganic nanoparticles such as silver (AgNPs) nanoparticles demonstrated a potent anticancer activity against different cancers. The present study aimed at formulating core-shell inorganic NPs-based combinatorial therapy based on combining the anticancer activity of AgNPs along with doxorubicin (DOX) and evaluating their cytotoxicity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These inorganic NPs-based combinatorial therapies were designed to (i) Target and kill cancer cells with high selectivity, (ii) Have an improved efficacy/toxicity balance, and (iii) Have an enhanced therapeutic index when compared to the original non-modified DOX with much lower dosage The in-vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that the NPs-based combinatorial therapy achieved the same efficacy of non-modified DOX on breast cancer cell line, but with 96% reduced dose. Such reduction in DOX dose revealed that the combination between DOX and NPs possess a synergic anticancer activity against breast cancer. We believe that this is the first report on a synergic anticancer effect at very low dose of DOX against MCF-7 cells. Future studies on NPs-based combinatorial therapy may aid in formulating novel and significantly more effective cancer therapeutics.

Keywords: nanoparticles-based combinatorial therapy, silver nanoparticles, doxorubicin, breast cancer

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Authors: Masoumeh Haghbin Nazarpak, Hamidreza Tolabi, Aryan Ekhlasi

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Bone defects are mentioned as one of the most challenging clinical conditions, affecting millions of people each year. A fracture, osteoporosis, tumor, or infection usually causes these defects. At present, autologous and allogeneic grafts are used to correct bone defects, but these grafts have some difficulties, such as limited access, infection, disease transmission, and immune rejection. Bone tissue engineering is considered a new strategy for repairing bone defects. However, problems with scaffolds’ design with unique structures limit their clinical applications. In addition, numerous in-vitro studies have been performed on the behavior of bone cells in two-dimensional environments. Still, cells grow in physiological situations in the human body in a three-dimensional environment. As a result, the controlled design of porous structures with high structural complexity and providing the necessary flexibility to meet specific needs in bone tissue repair is beneficial. For this purpose, a three-dimensional composite scaffold based on gelatin and sodium alginate hydrogels is used in this research. In addition, the antibacterial drug-loaded halloysite nanotubes were introduced into the hydrogel scaffold structure to provide a suitable substrate for controlled drug release. The presence of halloysite nanotubes improved hydrogel’s properties, while the drug eliminated infection and disease transmission. Finally, it can be acknowledged that the composite scaffold prepared in this study for bone tissue engineering seems promising.

Keywords: halloysite nanotubes, bone tissue engineering, composite scaffold, controlled drug release

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Authors: Habila Nuhu

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Natural radionuclides in the environment can significantly contribute to human exposure to ionizing radiation. The knowledge of their levels in an environment can help the radiological protection agencies in policymaking. Measurement of natural radioactivity in major soils in the tin mining state of Perak Malaysia has been conducted using an HPGe detector. Seventy (70) soil samples were collected at widely distributed locations in the state. Six major soil types were sampled, and thirteen districts around the state were covered. The following were the results of the 226Ra (238U), 228Ra (232Th), and 40K activity in the soil samples: 226Ra (238U) has a mean activity concentration of 191.83 Bq kg⁻¹, more than five times the UNSCEAR reference limits of 35 Bq kg⁻¹. The mean activity concentration of 228Ra (232Th) with a value of 232.41 Bq kg⁻¹ is over seven times the UNSCEAR reference values of 30 Bq kg⁻¹. The average concentration of 40K activity was 275.24 Bq kg⁻¹, which was less than the UNSCEAR reference limit of 400 Bq Kg⁻¹. The range of external hazards index (Hₑₓ) values was from 1.03 to 2.05, while the internal hazards index (Hin) was from 1.48 to 3.08. The Hex and Hin should be less than one for minimal external and internal radiation threats as well as secure use of soil material for building construction. The Hₑₓ and Hin results generally indicate that while using the soil types and their derivatives as building materials in the study area, care must be taken.

Keywords: activity concentration, hazard index, soil samples, tin mining

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Authors: Swati Swati, Yuhang Chen, Robert Reuben

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Coronary stents are devices resembling the shape of a tube which are placed in coronary arteries, to keep the arteries open in the treatment of coronary arterial diseases. Coronary stents are routinely deployed to clear atheromatous plaque. The stent essentially applies an internal pressure to the artery because its structure is cylindrically symmetrical and this may introduce some abnormalities in final arterial shape. The goal of the project is to develop segmented circumferential arterial compliance measuring devices which can be deployed (eventually) in vivo. The segmentation of the device will allow the mechanical asymmetry of any stenosis to be assessed. The purpose will be to assess the quality of arterial tissue for applications in tailored stents and in the assessment of aortic aneurism. Arterial distensibility measurement is of utmost importance to diagnose cardiovascular diseases and for prediction of future cardiac events or coronary artery diseases. In order to arrive at some generic outcomes, a preliminary experimental set-up has been devised to establish the measurement principles for the device at macro-scale. The measurement methodology consists of a strain gauge system monitored by LABVIEW software in a real-time fashion. This virtual instrument employs a balloon within a gelatine model contained in a split cylinder with strain gauges fixed on it. The instrument allows automated measurement of the effect of air-pressure on gelatine and measurement of strain with respect to time and pressure during inflation. Compliance simple creep model has been applied to the results for the purpose of extracting some measures of arterial compliance. The results obtained from the experiments have been used to study the effect of air pressure on strain at varying time intervals. The results clearly demonstrate that with decrease in arterial volume and increase in arterial pressure, arterial strain increases thereby decreasing the arterial compliance. The measurement system could lead to development of portable, inexpensive and small equipment and could prove to be an efficient automated compliance measurement device.

Keywords: arterial compliance, atheromatous plaque, mechanical symmetry, strain measurement

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Authors: Shubhita Mathur, Ritika Kar Bahal, Priyanka Chauhan, Anil K. Tyagi

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, is a major cause of mortality. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only licensed vaccine available for protection against tuberculosis confers highly variable protection ranging from 0%-80%. Thus, novel vaccine strains need to be evaluated for their potential as a vaccine against tuberculosis. We had previously constructed a triple gene mutant of M. tuberculosis (MtbΔmms), having deletions in genes encoding for phosphatases mptpA, mptpB, and sapM that are involved in host-pathogen interaction. Though vaccination with Mtb∆mms strain induced protection in the lungs of guinea pigs, the mutant strain was not able to control the hematogenous spread of the challenge strain to the spleens. Additionally, inoculation with Mtb∆mms resulted in some pathological damage to the spleens in the early phase of infection. In order to overcome the pathology caused by MtbΔmms in the spleens of guinea pigs and also to control the dissemination of the challenge strain, MtbΔmms was genetically modified by disrupting bioA gene to generate MtbΔmmsb strain. Further, in vivo attenuation of MtbΔmmsb was evaluated, and its protective efficacy was assessed against virulent M. tuberculosis challenge in guinea pigs. Our study demonstrates that Mtb∆mmsb mutant was highly attenuated for growth and virulence in guinea pigs. Vaccination with Mtb∆mmsb mutant generated significant protection in comparison to sham-immunized animals at 4 and 12 weeks post-infection in lungs and spleens of the infected animals. Our findings provide evidence that deletion of genes involved in signal transduction and biotin biosynthesis severely attenuates the pathogen and the single immunization with the auxotroph was able to provide significant protection as compared to sham-immunized animals. The protection imparted by Mtb∆mmsb fell short in comparison to the protection observed in BCG-immunized animals. This study nevertheless indicates the importance of attenuated multiple gene deletion mutants of M. tuberculosis in generating protection against tuberculosis.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, BCG, MtbΔmmsb, bioA, guinea pigs

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Authors: Hyuk-Hoon Kim, Young Gi Min

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Background: Acute poisoning is the common cause of morbidity and mortality. Characteristics of acute poisoning differ between countries. While other countries operate the database system for poisoning, Korea has not collected the database for acute poisoning. Distribution of incidence of acute poisoning depending on the types of materials have also not studied in Korea. Our aims are to evaluate the etiologic and demographic characteristics of acute poisoning cases and to obtain up-to-date information on acute poisonings. Method: We retrospectively recorded cases of acute poisoning from eight emergency departments of second level or university hospitals from different cities in Gyeonggi province in Korea from April 2006 and March 2015. The distributions of incidence of acute poisoning depending on the types of materials are mapped by geographic information system. Result: A total of 3,449 poisoned cases were analyzed. Mean estimated age of patients was 39.56 ± 22.40 years. Mean male to female ratio of patients was 1:1.4. Mean proportion of intentional poisoning was 57.9%. Common materials are benzodiazepine (16.6%), carbon monoxide (10.5%), pesticide (8.1%) and zolpidem (7.1%) Common route of exposure is ingestion (79.5%) and followed by inhalation (16.5%). Common treatment methods are gastric lavage (20%) and activated charcoal (30%). Most cases had uneventful recovery; 61.4% were treated as outpatients and 0.1% of the poisoning resulted in death in ER. Conclusion: Even though the cases enrolled in our study is not the overall cases of acute poisoning in Korea, our study could be the basis of countermeasures for analysis and prevention of acute poisoning in Korea.

Keywords: acute poisoning, emergency department, epidemiology, Korea

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Authors: Mostafa Mabrouk, Basma E. Abdel-Ghany, Mona Moaness, Bothaina M. Abdel-Hady, Hanan H. Beherei

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Tissue engineering became a promising field for bone repair and regenerative medicine in which cultured cells, scaffolds and osteogenic inductive signals are used to regenerate tissues. The annual cost of treating bone defects in Egypt has been estimated to be many billions, while enormous costs are spent on imported bone grafts for bone injuries, tumors, and other pathologies associated with defective fracture healing. The current study is aimed at developing a more strategic approach in order to speed-up recovery after bone damage. This will reduce the risk of fatal surgical complications and improve the quality of life of people affected with such fractures. 3D scaffolds loaded with cheap nano-particles that possess an osteogenic effect were prepared by nano-electrospinning. The Microstructure and morphology characterizations of the 3D scaffolds were monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The physicochemical characterization was investigated using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The Physicomechanical properties of the 3D scaffold were determined by a universal testing machine. The in vitro bioactivity of the 3D scaffold was assessed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The bone-bonding ability of novel 3D scaffolds was also evaluated. The obtained nanofibrous scaffolds demonstrated promising microstructure, physicochemical and physicomechanical features appropriate for enhanced bone regeneration. Therefore, the utilized nanomaterials loaded with the drug are greatly recommended as cheap alternatives to growth factors.

Keywords: bone regeneration, cheap scaffolds, nanomaterials, active molecules

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Authors: Tsegaye Adane Birhan

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Recently, rapid industrialization has led to the excessive release of heavy metals such as Cr (VI) into the environment. Exposure to chromium (VI) can cause kidney and liver damage, depressed immune systems, and a variety of cancers. Therefore, treatment of Cr (VI) containing wastewater is mandatory. This study aims to optimize the removal of Cr (VI) from an aqueous solution using locally available Teff husk-activated carbon adsorbent. The laboratory-based study was conducted on the optimization of Cr (VI) removal efficiency of Teff husk-activated carbon from aqueous solution. A central composite design was used to examine the effect of the interaction of process parameters and to optimize the process using Design Expert version 7.0 software. The optimized removal efficiency of Teff husk activated carbon (95.597%) was achieved at 1.92 pH, 87.83mg/L initial concentration, 20.22g/L adsorbent dose and 2.07Hrs contact time. The adsorption of Cr (VI) on Teff husk-activated carbon was found to be best fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model of the adsorption. Teff husk-activated carbon can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of chromium (VI) from contaminated water. Column adsorption needs to be studied in the future.

Keywords: batch adsorption, chromium (VI), teff husk activated carbon, response surface methodology, tannery wastewater

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Authors: Wabinyai Fidel Raja, Gideon Lubisa

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Air pollution is becoming a growing concern in Africa due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, leading to implications for public health and the environment. Establishing a comprehensive air quality monitoring network is crucial to combat this issue. However, conventional methods of monitoring are insufficient in African cities due to the high cost of setup and maintenance. To address this, low-cost sensors (LCS) can be deployed in various urban areas through the use of participatory air quality network siting (PAQNS). PAQNS involves stakeholders from the community, local government, and private sector working together to determine the most appropriate locations for air quality monitoring stations. This approach improves the accuracy and representativeness of air quality monitoring data, engages and empowers community members, and reflects the actual exposure of the population. Implementing PAQNS in African cities can build trust, promote accountability, and increase transparency in the air quality management process. However, challenges to implementing this approach must be addressed. Nonetheless, improving air quality is essential for protecting public health and promoting a sustainable environment. Implementing participatory and data-informed air quality monitoring can take a significant step toward achieving these important goals in African cities and beyond.

Keywords: low-cost sensors, participatory air quality network siting, air pollution, air quality management

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Authors: Elias Kodjo Kekesi

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This study seeks to investigate a critical but neglected area in disaster and emergency management in Ghana. It explores aspects of work within one of the safety-critical work environments that expose workers to psychological, social and physical harm. With much attention to crises’ survivors, deceased and their families, this research attempts to answer a key question: ‘What happens to the rescuer’? Emergency response is associated with immense and unprecedented pressure that puts responders’ physical, mental and social well-being at risk. Despite the negative psychological outcomes, scholars argue that being in a traumatic situation may trigger positive outcomes for some people. Thus, the study also focuses on the positive impact of working in a risky crisis environment. Additionally, people’s interpretation of negative experiences or exposure to adverse conditions differ owing to their personal resources which explains why some people may be negatively affected whiles others are positively impacted. To examine these complex nuances, an exploratory sequential mixed method design is adopted. This paper will highlight the findings of study one, which explores the underlying themes emerging from the Ghanaian disaster and emergency response environment regarding psychosocial hazard exposures and the corresponding outcomes.

Keywords: psychosocial hazards, organisational outcomes, qualitative research, Ghana

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Authors: Ihejirika Chinedu Emeka, Njoku John Didacus, Obenade Moses

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This study was aimed at determining the impact of meteorological events (seasonal variations) and sand excavation activities on turbidity and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) of Imo River, Southeastern Nigeria. In-situ measurements of the parameters were carried out at the peaks of two consecutive seasons–dry and rainy season at seven major points of sand excavation along the river, under standard analytical methods. There were significant variations in seasons (P<0.05) for turbidity and TSS at all locations. The average turbidity concentration of locations were 36.71 NTU, during the rainy season, and 17 NTU in a dry season, while the average TSS concentration were 27.14 mg/L, during the rainy season, and 8.86mg/L in a dry season. Turbidity correlated positively (strongly) with TSS (r=0.956) at R–Square=0.91. Turbidity and TSS values were higher during the rainy season than the dry season. Turbidity increased when Total Suspended Solids increased. Sand excavation increased turbidity and TSS values of Imo River. The river had moderate water quality during the rainy season and unimpaired water quality during a dry season. The river was not very clear in both seasons, but clearer in a dry season than in rainy season. The increase in turbidity and TSS can lead to the destruction of aquatic biodiversity and stagnation of ecosystem processes. Exposure of aquatic animals to the recorded turbidity level in a rainy season can lead to stress.

Keywords: biodiversity destruction, meteorological events, pollution, sand excavation

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Authors: Suzan Ghaddar, Aline Pinon, Manuel Gallardo-villagran, Mona Diab-assaf, Bruno Therrien, Bertrand Liagre

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and exhibits a consistently rising incidence worldwide. Despite notable advancements in CRC treatment, frequent occurrences of side effects and the development of therapy resistance persistently challenge current approaches. Eventually, innovations in focal therapies remain imperative to enhance the patient’s overall quality of life. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) emerges as a promising treatment modality, clinically used for the treatment of various cancer types. It relies on the use of photosensitive molecules called photosensitizers (PS), which are photoactivated after accumulation in cancer cells, to induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause cancer cell death. Among commonly used metal-based drugs in cancer therapy, ruthenium (Ru) possesses favorable attributes that demonstrate its selectivity towards cancer cells and render it suitable for anti-cancer drug design. In vitro studies using distinct arene-Ru complexes, encapsulating porphin PS, are conducted on human HCT116 and HT-29 colorectal cancer cell lines. These studies encompass the evaluation of the antiproliferative effect, ROS production, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, molecular localization, and protein expression. Preliminary results indicated that these complexes exert significant photocytotoxicity on the studied colorectal cancer cell lines, representing them as promising and potential candidates for anti- cancer agents.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, photodynamic therapy, photosensitizers, arene-ruthenium complexes, apoptosis

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Authors: Sandy Van Vuuren, Lerato Kose, Annah Moteetee

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Lesotho, a country surrounded by South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) in the world. In fact, the country ranks third highest with respect to infections related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Despite the high prevalence of STI’s, treatment has been a challenge due to limited accessibility to health facilities. An estimated 77% of the population lives in rural areas and more than 60% of the country is mountainous. Therefore, many villages remain accessible only by foot or horse-back. Thus, the Basotho (indigenous people from Lesotho) have a rich cultural heritage of plant use. The aim of this study was to determine what plant species are used for the treatment of STI’s and which of these have in vitro efficacy against pathogens such as Candida albicans, Gardnerella vaginalis, Oligella ureolytica, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. A total of 34 medicinal plants were reported by traditional practitioners for the treatment of STI’s. Sixty extracts, both aqueous and organic (mixture of methanol and dichloromethane), from 24 of the recorded plant species were assessed for antimicrobial activity using the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) micro-titre plate dilution assay. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ATCC 19424) was found to be the most susceptible among the test pathogens, with the majority of the extracts (21) displaying noteworthy activity (MIC values ≤ 1 mg/ml). Helichrysum caespititium was found to be the most antimicrobially active species (MIC value of 0.01 mg/ml). The results of this study support, to some extent, the traditional medicinal uses of the evaluated plants for the treatment of STI’s, particularly infections related to gonorrhoea.

Keywords: Africa, Candida albicans, Gardnerella vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Oligella urealytica

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Authors: Asiful H. Seikh, Jabair A. Mohammed, Ubair A. Samad, Mohammad A. Alam, Saeed M. Al-Zahrani, El-Sayed M. Sherif

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Three coating formulations were fabricated by incorporating different percentages of MIO (micaceous iron oxide ) (1, 2, and wt%) with ball-milled nanocrystalline Al (2 wt%) particles, which was optimized earlier. These coatings were characterized by means of different methods, namely, SEM, TGA, pendulum hardness, scratch test, and nano-indentation. The EIS measurements were carried out to report the effect of adding MIO powder in fabricated coatings on their corrosion behavior in 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions. In order to report the effect of immersion time on the corrosion and degradation of the prepared coatings, the EIS data were also acquired after various exposure periods of time, i.e., 1 h, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, and 30 d in the test chloride solution. It has been found that the obtained EIS data for the fabricated coatings proved that the presence of 2% MIO provided the highest corrosion resistance amongst all coatings and that effect was recorded after all immersion periods of time. But, the MIO-incorporated coatings have less corrosion resistance than Al based epoxy coatings. It was also shown that with prolonged immersion, the resistance to corrosion declined after 7d, then with a longer period of immersion, i.e. 14 d, 21 d, and 30 d increases the resistance to corrosion by forming oxide products on the coatings surface. The results obtained from both mechanical and electrochemical testing confirmed that the fabricated coating with 2 wt% Al exhibited better hardness and higher resistance to corrosion as compared to coatings with 1 wt% Al and 3 wt% Al.

Keywords: epoxy coatings, nanomaterials, corrosion resistance, EIS, nanoindentation

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Authors: Abbas Jafarizad, Duygu Ekinci

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In this work targeted drug delivery is proposed to decrease adverse effect of drugs with concomitant reduces in consumption and treatment outgoings. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be prepared from a variety of materials such as lipid, biodegradable polymer that prevent the drugs cytotoxicity in healthy cells, etc. One of the most important drugs used in chemotherapy is mitoxantrone (MTX) which prevents cell proliferation by inhibition of topoisomerase II and DNA repair; however, it is not selective and has some serious side effects. In this study, mentioned aim is achieved by using several nanocarriers like magnetite (Fe3O4) and their composites with magnetic graphene oxide (Fe3O4@GO). Also, cytotoxic potential of Fe3O4, Fe3O4-MTX, and Fe3O4@GO-MTX nanocomposite were evaluated on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, we reported the synthesis of monodisperse Fe3O4 NPs and Fe3O4@GO nanocomposite and their structures were investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Brauneur Emmet Teller (BET) isotherm and contact angle studies. Moreover, we used 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to evaluate cytotoxic effects of MTX, Fe3O4 NPs, Fe3O4-MTX and Fe3O4@GO-MTX nanocomposite on MSCs. The in-vitro MTT results indicated that all concentrations of MTX and Fe3O4@GO-MTX nanocomposites showed cytotoxic effects while all concentrations of Fe3O4 NPs and Fe3O4-MTX NPs did not show any cytotoxic effect on stem cells. The results from this study indicated that using Fe3O4 NPs as anticancer drug delivery systems could be a trustworthy method for cancer treatment. But for reaching excellent and accurate results, further investigation is necessary.

Keywords: mitoxantrone, magnetite, magnetic graphene oxide, MTT assay, mesenchymal stem cells

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Authors: Yamina Boukari, Nashiru Billa, Andrew Morris, Stephen Doughty, Kevin Shakesheff

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Poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) is a synthetic polymer that can be used in bone tissue engineering with the aim of creating a scaffold in order to support the growth of cells. The formation of microspheres from this polymer is an attractive strategy that would allow for the development of an injectable system, hence avoiding invasive surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to develop a microsphere delivery system for use as an injectable scaffold in bone tissue engineering and evaluate various formulation parameters on its properties. Porous and lysozyme-containing PLGA microspheres were prepared using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method from various molecular weights (MW). Scaffolds were formed by sintering to contain 1 -3mg of lysozyme per gram of scaffold. The mechanical and physical properties of the scaffolds were assessed along with the release of lysozyme, which was used as a model protein. The MW of PLGA was found to have an influence on microsphere size during fabrication, with increased MW leading to an increased microsphere diameter. An inversely proportional relationship was displayed between PLGA MW and mechanical strength of formed scaffolds across loadings for low, intermediate and high MW respectively. Lysozyme release from both microspheres and formed scaffolds showed an initial burst release phase, with both microspheres and scaffolds fabricated using high MW PLGA showing the lowest protein release. Following the initial burst phase, the profiles for each MW followed a similar slow release over 30 days. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that lysozyme can be successfully incorporated into porous PLGA scaffolds and released over 30 days in vitro, and that varying the MW of the PLGA can be used as a method of altering the physical properties of the resulting scaffolds.

Keywords: bone, microspheres, PLGA, tissue engineering

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Authors: Jürgen Keil, Frank Walther

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This article presents two innovative solutions for vertical vibration mitigation barriers including experimental and numerical investigations on the completed barriers. There is a continuing growth of exposure to noise and vibration in people´s daily lives due to the quest for more mobility and flexibility. In previous times neglected, immissions caused by vibrations can lead, for example, to secondary noise or damage in the adjacent buildings. Also people can feel very affected by vibrations. But unlike in new construction, in existing infrastructure and buildings action can be taken almost only on the transmission path of those vibrations. In the following two solutions were shown how vibrations on the transmission path can be mitigated. These are the jet grouting method and a new installation method (patent pending) by means of a prefabricated hollow box which is filled with vibration reducing mats and driven down to depth, are presented. The essential results of the numerical and experimental investigations on the completed wave barriers are included as well. This article is based on the results of a field test with the participation of Keller Holding, which was executed in the context of the European research project RIVAS (Railway Induced Vibration Abatement Solutions), and on a thesis done at the Technical University of Dresden with the involvement of BAUGRUND DRESDEN Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH and the Keller Holding GmbH.

Keywords: jet grouting, rail way lines, vertical vibration mitigation, vibration reducing mats

Procedia PDF Downloads 402