SALDI-MS analysis of pharmaceutical drug molecules (amitriptyline, imipramine and promazine) using carbon-based substrates, namely, activated charcoal (AC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black (CB), graphene (rGO), graphene oxide (GO) and graphite, was explored and compared with the conventional organic matrix of MALDI. CB exhibited superior performance with respect to the other substrates in terms of detection sensitivity. Despite the effectiveness of CB to detect all drug molecules, it demonstrated a number of background signals, which may be an issue for the analysis of other molecules in the future.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, a simple approach based on tailoring the surface charge of nanoparticles, NPs, during the preparation to boost the electrostatic attraction between NPs and the organic pollutant was investigated. In this study, chargeable titania nanoparticles (TiΟ NPs) were synthesized via a hydrothermal route under different pH conditions (pH = 1.6, 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA range of microporous, imide-based polymers were newly synthesized using two-step poly-condensation reactions of bis(carboxylic anhydride) and various aromatic diamines for CO gas capture and storage applications. In this report, we attempted to assess the relative significance of molecular structural aspects through the manipulation of the conformational characteristics of the building blocks of the polymeric structures, the spiro-containing acid anhydride and the aromatic amines, to induce greater intrinsic microporosity and higher surface areas for the resulting solids. Results obtained from this study were thus used to outline a working relationship between the structural diversity of the constructed porous solids and their performance as CO sorbents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To accurately calculate the risk for postoperative complications and death after surgery in the preoperative period using machine-learning modeling of clinical data.
Background: Postoperative complications cause a 2-fold increase in the 30-day mortality and cost, and are associated with long-term consequences. The ability to precisely forecast the risk for major complications before surgery is limited.
Unlike animals, plants are sessile organisms, lacking circulating antibodies and specialized immune cells and are exposed to various harsh environmental conditions that make them at risk of being attacked by different pathogens and herbivores. Plants produce chemo-signals to respond to the surroundings and be able to distinguish between harmless and harmful signals. In this study, the production of phytochemicals as plant signaling mechanisms and their defensive roles in disease resistance and repelling herbivores are examined in Calligonum comosum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical and experimental observations have long suggested that elevated levels of estrogen associate with increased serum iron availability. Additionally, recent work has shown that estrogen can downregulate hepcidin synthesis in vitro. This study aims at assessing whether the ability of estrogen to downregulate hepcidin synthesis translates into changes in serum iron status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study assessed sperm quality declining on relation to paternal age and its impact on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in order to estimate the APA (Advanced Paternal Age) cutoff. For this, 83 couples undergoing IVF treatment for male factor infertility were enrolled. The women age was ≤39 years, whereas the men were divided in two groups: APA (n = 41; age ≥ 40 years) and young (Y) (n = 42; age < 40 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA methylation was reported as a possible stress-adaptation mechanism involved in the transcriptional regulation of stress responsive genes. Limited data are available on effects of psychological stress and early-life nutritional stress on DNA methylation regulators [DNMTs: DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), DNMT1 associated protein (DMAP1), DNMT 3 alpha (DNMT3A) and beta (DNMT3B)] in avian species. The objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate changes in expression of DNMT1, DMAP1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B following acute (AS) or chronic immobilization stress (CS); (2) test immediate effect of early-life nutritional stress [food deprivation (FD) for 12 h (12hFD) or 36 h (36hFD) at the post-hatching period] on expression of DNA methylation regulators and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and the long-term effect of early-life nutritional stress at 6 weeks of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlcohol intake and cigarette smoking are the major lifestyle factors with negative impact on fertility. We were interested to evaluate the negative impact of these factors on oxidative stress (OS), enzymatic antioxidant activity (EAO) of spermatozoa and on its DNA damage. This study included 108 male infertile patients with normal range of sperm conventional parameters but with unexplained infertility in assisted reproductive technologies programme.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we report the synthesis of chromium oxide nanoparticles, α -CrO NPs, followed by full characterization via XRD, SEM, XPS, and N sorptiometry. The synthesized nanoparticles were tested as catalysts toward the oxidation of CO. The impact of calcination temperature on the catalytic activity was also investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe discussions on the nanoconfinement effect on the glass transition and glassy dynamics phenomena have yielded many open questions. Here, the thickness dependence of the thermal glass transition temperature of thin films of a PVME/PS blend is investigated by ellipsometry. Its thickness dependence was compared to that of the dynamic glass transition (measured by specific heat spectroscopy) and the deduced Vogel temperature ().
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
October 2017
Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) was employed to investigate the glassy dynamics of thin films (7-200 nm) of a poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)/polystyrene (PS) blend (50:50 wt %). For BDS measurements, nanostructured capacitors (NSCs) were employed, where films are allowed a free surface. This method was applied for film thicknesses up to 36 nm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel Sphingomonas strain was isolated from a sample of desert soil collected near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. A polyphasic approach was performed to characterize this strain, initially designated as G39. Cells of strain G39 are motile, Gram-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Criminal offenders have a fundamental goal not to leave any traces at the crime scene. Some may suppose that items recovered underwater will have no forensic value, therefore, they try to destroy the traces by throwing items in water. These traces are subjected to the destructive environmental effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew single dose interactive extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking nanofibrous wound dressings based on polylactic acid (PLA) and cellulose acetate (CA) were developed, characterized and investigated for wound treatment. The antimicrobial agent, thymoquinone (TQ) was selected and incorporated into the scaffolds for preventing common clinical infections, and to accelerate the rate of wound closure and re-epithelialization. The newly fabricated TQ-loaded PLA/CA wound dressings offered many advantages such as mimicking the ECM via the 3D nanofibrous structure, and promoted the cell proliferation due to the hydrophilicity and bioactivity of CA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how parental relationship quality (communication frequency, time spent together, and closeness) during early adulthood is related to heavy episodic drinking (HED) during this developmental period and whether effects vary according to age, youth sex, or parent sex.
Methods: National data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Transition to Adulthood Study were analyzed. Youth participated in up to four interviews (2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011; n = 1,320-1,489) between ages 18-25 years.
Specific heat spectroscopy (SHS) employing AC nanochip calorimetry was used to investigate the glassy dynamics of ultra-thin films (thicknesses: 10 nm-340 nm) of a polymer blend, which is miscible in the bulk. In detail, a Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)/Polystyrene (PS) blend with the composition of 25/75 wt. % was studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The main aim of this study was to improve fungal resistance in bread wheat via transgenesis. Transgenic wheat plants harboring barley () gene, driven by maize promoter, were obtained using biolistic bombardment, whereas the herbicide resistance gene, driven by the promoter was used as a selectable marker.
Results: Molecular analysis confirmed the integration, copy number, and the level of expression of the gene in four independent transgenic events.
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that hemoglobin-haptoglobin (Hb-Hp) complex plays a role in developing vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The complexes bind with Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), affecting the function of Lecithin:Cholesterol Acyltransferase (LCAT), and impairing the reverse cholesterol transport mechanism (RCT). This study investigated the influence of Hp phenotypes on serum levels of ApoA1 and LCAT in patients with T2DM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Chronic liver disease is a worldwide common pathology characterized by inflammatory and fibrotic processes that may lead to progressive evolution from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis. Peripheral blood monocytes may play an important role in the pathogenesis and resolution of liver fibrosis. These cells may offer new approaches for better understanding the pathogenesisof liver fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To develop a mucosal inactivated vaccines for Newcastle disease (ND) and H9N2 viruses to protect against these viruses at sites of infections through mucosal immunity.
Materials And Methods: In this study, we prepared two new formulations for mucosal bivalent inactivated vaccine formulations for Newcastle and Avian Influenza (H9N2) based on the use of nanoparticles and polymer adjuvants. The prepared vaccines were delivered via intranasal and spray routes of administration in specific pathogen-free chickens.
Objectives: With a worrisome surge of carbapenem-resistant bacterial isolates, the diagnostic arsenal has become in dire need of affordable and timely assays to detect the rapidly transmissible carbapenemases. Employing multiplex PCR as a reference method, the purpose of the present study was to compare the performance of the carbapenem inactivation method (CIM) and the Carba NP test in the detection of carbapenemase-producers.
Methods: A panel of 203 Gram-negative bacterial isolates screened for carbapenem resistance were subjected to the CIM and Carba NP test.
Aims: Occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rising steadily, with subsequent increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies have shown that PCSK9 plays a substantial role in atherogenic dyslipidemia. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess level of PCSK9 and its relationship with MetS components among young adult females.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Microbiol Biotechnol
March 2017
This review shall provide support for the suitability of arid environments as preferred location to search for unknown lipid-accumulative bacteria. Bacterial lipids are attracting more and more attention as sustainable replacement for mineral oil in fuel and plastic production. The development of prokaryotic microorganisms in arid desert habitats is affected by its harsh living conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA combination of nanosized dielectric relaxation (BDS) and thermal spectroscopy (SHS) was utilized to characterize the dynamics of thin films of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) (thicknesses: 7-160 nm). For the BDS measurements, a recently designed nanostructured electrode system is employed. A thin film is spin-coated on an ultraflat highly conductive silicon wafer serving as the bottom electrode.
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