The association of metformin use with vitamin B12 deficiency and peripheral neuropathy in Saudi individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: To compare the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency and peripheral neuropathy between two groups of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients treated with or without metformin, and to determine factors associated with vitamin B12 deficiency therapy and dietary intake of vitamin B12.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we recruited 412 individuals with T2DM: 319 taking metformin, and 93 non-metformin users. Demographics, dietary assessment for vitamin B12 intakes, and medical history were collected.

Nanosilver crystals capped with Bauhinia acuminata phytochemicals as new antimicrobials and mosquito larvicides.

To develop novel nanoformulated insecticides and antimicrobials, herein we produced Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the Bauhinia acuminata leaf extract. This unexpensive aqueous extract acted as a capping and reducing agent for the formation of AgNPs. We characterized B.

Increased oxidative stress in the cerebellum and peripheral immune cells leads to exaggerated autism-like repetitive behavior due to deficiency of antioxidant response in BTBR T + tf/J mice.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social cognitive abilities resulting in communication or sensory deficits, and stereotyped behaviors in millions of people worldwide. Oxidant-antioxidant imbalance contributes significantly to the neurobehavioral dysregulations and severity of symptoms in patients with autism, however it has not been explored earlier whether it affects autism-like behavior directly. Therefore, we investigated oxidant-antioxidant balance in peripheral immune cells (neutrophils and CD3+ T cells) and cerebellum of BTBR T + tf/J (BTBR) mice which show autism-like behavior and the social C57BL/6 J (C57) mice.

IL-17A-induced neutrophilic airway inflammation is mediated by oxidant-antioxidant imbalance and inflammatory cytokines in mice.

IL-17 A is produced by several innate and adaptive immune cells which include Th17, and innate lymphoid 3 cells in the lung. IL-17 A can activate airway epithelial cells (AECs), through IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) leading to production of chemokines/cytokines. Inflammatory nature of IL-17 A and its signaling has been assessed by several studies using IL-17 A/IL-17R knockout mice which show attenuated inflammation in different disease models.

Poxviral promoters for improving the immunogenicity of MVA delivered vaccines.

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a replication-deficient poxvirus, attenuated in chick embryo fibroblast primary cells. It has been utilised as a viral vector to develop many vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, influenza, and tuberculosis, MERS-CoV, and Ebola virus infection. There is accumulating data from many preclinical and clinical studies that highlights the excellent safety and immunogenicity of MVA.

Dysregulated enzymatic antioxidant network in peripheral neutrophils and monocytes in children with autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder where immune cells play an important role. Oxidants and pro-inflammatory cytokines generated by innate immune cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ASD. Many previous reports have shown the role of various enzymatic antioxidants in the plasma/red blood cells of ASD subjects, however no study so far has evaluated them in peripheral immune cells of innate origin (neutrophils and monocytes) in ASD patients and typically developing control (TDC) children.

Apremilast prevent doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and inflammation in heart through inhibition of oxidative stress mediated activation of NF-κB signaling pathways.

Background: Doxorubicin is an effective, potent and commonly used anthracycline-related anticancer drug; however, cardiotoxicity compromises its therapeutic potential. Apremilast, a novel phosphodiesterase type 4-inhibitor, reported to have anti-inflammatory effects and modulating many inflammatory mediators.

Methods: The present study investigated the influence of apremilast against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in male Wistar rats.

Molecular Tools for Monitoring in Agricultural Environments.

Various species possess significance in agricultural systems as biofertilizers or biocontrol agents (BCAs). Besides these beneficial features, certain species can also act as agricultural pests, causing the green mold disease of cultivated mushrooms. This double-faced nature of the genus in agricultural environments points at the importance of proper monitoring tools, which can be used to follow the presence and performance of candidate as well as patented and/or registered biocontrol strains, to assess the possible risks arising from their application, but also to track harmful, unwanted species like the green molds in mushroom growing facilities.

Correction to: Brevibacillus laterosporus isolated from the digestive tract of honeybees has high antimicrobial activity and promotes growth and productivity of honeybee's colonies.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake. The correct affiliation no. 3 is shown in this paper.

The Impact of Patient Online Access to Computerized Medical Records and Services on Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review.

Background: Online access to computerized medical records has the potential to improve convenience, satisfaction, and care for patients, and to facilitate more efficient organization and delivery of care.

Objective: The objective of this review is to explore the use and impact of having online access to computerized medical records and services for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care.

Methods: Multiple international databases including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library were searched between 2004 and 2016.

Investigation of the adsorption mechanisms of Pb(II) and 1-naphthol by β-cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide nanosheets from aqueous solution.

β-cyclodextrin decorated graphene oxides (β-CD-GO) was prepared by using an in-situ aggregation treatment, and used to remove inorganic (Pb(II)) and organic pollutants (1-naphthol) from water environment. The batch adsorption experiments of as-prepared β-CD-GO were carried out as a function of pH values, initial Pb(II) and 1-naphthol concentration, ionic strength, contact time and temperature. β-CD-GO kinetic results indicated that the adsorption was dominated by chemisorptions and followed a pseudo-second order model.

Influence of agro-environmental pollutants on a biocontrol strain of Bacillus velezensis.

Metal- and pesticide-tolerant biocontrol agents are preferred in integrated pest management, as such strains can be applied in combination with different pesticides. The Bacillus velezensis strain SZMC 6161J proved to be sensitive to copper, nickel, zinc, and cadmium, while manganese elevated its growth. At concentrations higher than 1 mmol L , zinc and iron inhibited the chymotrypsin-like activity of this strain.

Near-saturated red emitters: four-coordinate copper(i) halide complexes containing 8-(diphenylphosphino)quinoline and 1-(diphenylphosphino)naphthalene ligands.

Recently, highly emissive neutral copper halide complexes have received much attention. Here, a series of four-coordinate mononuclear Cu(i) halide complexes, [CuX(dpqu)(dpna)] (dpqu = 8-(diphenylphosphino)quinoline, dpna = 1-(diphenylphosphino)naphthalene, X = I (1), Br (2) and Cl (3)), were synthesized, and their molecular structures and photophysical properties were investigated. These complexes exhibit near-saturated red emission in the solid state at room temperature and have peak emission wavelengths at 669-691 nm with microsecond lifetimes (τ = 0.

Formation of uniform magnetic C@CoNi alloy hollow hybrid composites with excellent performance for catalysis and protein adsorption.

Metallic nickel- or cobalt-based composites with hollow nanostructures such as nanocages can serve as both advanced catalysts and protein adsorbents owing to their high surface area and increased active sites; hence, they have aroused great interest. Herein, we report a facile route to synthesize hollow carbon spheres (HCS) embedded with bimetallic NiCo nanoparticles (NPs) with hollow structures by using NiCo hydroxide layered nanosheet functionalized carboxyl polystyrene spheres (CPS) as a template and polydopamine (PDA) as both the carbon precursor and reductant. This unique hierarchical architecture, including meso- and macro-pores, provides a large specific surface area (244 m2 g-1) and efficient channels for the diffusion of small molecules and biomacromolecules (protein).

Biocompatible properties of nano-drug carriers using TiO-Au embedded on multiwall carbon nanotubes for targeted drug delivery.

Nanomaterial-based drug carriers have become a hot spot of research at the interface of nanotechnology and biomedicine because they allow efficient loading, targeted delivery, controlled release of drugs, and therefore are promising for biomedical applications. The current study made an attempt to decorate the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with titanium dioxide‑gold nanoparticles in order to enhance the biocompatibility for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. The successful synthesis of nano drug carrier (NDC) was confirmed by XRD, XPS and UV-Visible spectroscopy.

Osseointegration of porous apatite-wollastonite and poly(lactic acid) composite structures created using 3D printing techniques.

A novel apatite-wollastonite/poly(lactic acid) (AW/PLA) composite structure, which matches cortical and cancellous bone properties has been produced and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The composites structure has been produced using an innovative combination of 3D printed polymer and ceramic macrostructures, thermally bonded to create a hybrid composite structure. In vitro cell assays demonstrated that the AW structure alone, PLA structure alone, and AW/PLA composite were all biocompatible, with the AW structure supporting the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells.

Imaging photonic crystals using hemispherical digital condensers and phase-recovery techniques.

We describe experiments where Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) and dual-space microscopy (DSM) are implemented for imaging photonic crystals using a hemispherical digital condenser (HDC). Phase-recovery imaging simulations show that both techniques should be able to image photonic crystals with a period below the Rayleigh resolution limit. However, after processing the experimental images using both phase-recovery algorithms, we found that DSM can, but FPM cannot, image periodic structures with a period below the diffraction limit.

Inhibition of BET bromodomains restores corticosteroid responsiveness in a mixed granulocytic mouse model of asthma.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by different endotypes/phenotypes. Th2/Th17 driven mixed granulocytic asthma is one of them and shows resistance to corticosteroid therapy. Bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins are required for differentiation of Th17 cells which play a pivotal role in neutrophilic inflammation.

Sargassum wightii-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles - from antibacterial and insecticidal activity to immunostimulatory effects on the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus.

The green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using phytochemical from marine seaweeds is a fast-growing research field in nanotechnology. Here, the biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles was achieved using the hot water extract of Sargassum wightii. The hot water extract prepared from S.

Structural characterization of Bacillus licheniformis Dahb1 exopolysaccharide-antimicrobial potential and larvicidal activity on malaria and Zika virus mosquito vectors.

Microbial polysaccharides produced by marine species play a key role in food and cosmetic industry, as they are nontoxic and biodegradable polymers. This investigation reports the isolation of exopolysaccharide from Bacillus licheniformis Dahb1 and its biomedical applications. Bacillus licheniformis Dahb1 exopolysaccharide (Bl-EPS) was extracted using the ethanol precipitation method and structurally characterized.

Retraction Note: SNPs in genes implicated in radiation response are associated with radiotoxicity and evoke roles as predictive and prognostic biomarkers.

The authors are retracting this article [1] because the data have already been published in [2] making this a redundant publication. Ghazi Alsbeih, Najla Al-Harbi, Khaled Al-Hadyan, Mohamed Shoukri and Nasser Al-Rajhi agree with this retraction. Medhat El-Sebaie did not respond to our correspondence.

Sorption of 17β-estradiol to the dissolved organic matter from animal wastes: effects of composting and the role of fulvic acid-like aggregates.

Steroid estrogens, such as 17β-estradiol (E2), in animal manure pose a potential threat to the aquatic environment. The transport and estrogenicity of estrogens influence the sorption of estrogens to dissolved organic matter (DOM) in animal manure, and composting treatment alters the structure and composition of the manure. The objectives of the present study were to identify the contribution of the molecular composition of DOM of composted manure to the sorption of E2 and then elucidate the dominant mechanisms involved in the interaction of E2 with manure-derived DOM.

Phenoloxidase activation, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm properties of β-glucan binding protein from Scylla serrata crab hemolymph.

In this study, we purified β-GBP from hemolymph of Scylla serrata crabs using affinity chromatography. The purified S. serrata β-GBP (Ss-β-GBP) had 100kDa molecular mass in the SDS-PAGE.

Plasticizer, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) enhances cockroach allergen extract-driven airway inflammation by enhancing pulmonary Th2 as well as Th17 immune responses in mice.

In recent decades, there has been a gradual increase in the prevalence of asthma. Various factors including environmental pollutants have contributed to this phenomenon. Plasticizer, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is one of the commonest environmental pollutants due to its association with plastic products.

Short chain fatty acid, acetate ameliorates sepsis-induced acute kidney injury by inhibition of NADPH oxidase signaling in T cells.

Sepsis affects millions of people worldwide and is associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Innate and adaptive immune cells have been shown to play an important role in AKI through release of various inflammatory mediators which include reactive oxidant species (ROS). Acetate, a short chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria has anti-inflammatory properties and has also been shown to modulate oxidative stress in different immune cells.