Optimization of the demineralization process for the extraction of chitin from Omani .

Chitin is an organic polymer and it is the most frequent marine natural polysaccharide after cellulose. The main natural sources of chitin are exoskeletons of insects, mollusks, the cell walls of certain fungi and crustaceans such as crabs, shrimps and lobsters. The waste of these marine exoskeletons are pollutant for the environment, but these waste raw materials could be useful for production of commercial products like chitin.

Isolation and optimization of the method for industrial production of chitin and chitosan from Omani shrimp shell.

Chitosan is an organic compound widely used in biomedical and agricultural fields due to its medicinal values. Chitosan is the largest biopolymer after cellulose and it is used as a food supplement as well as a primary health care product. The focus of the present study is to optimize the method for isolation and characterization of chitosan from Omani shrimp shell.

Glucagon and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptors: Promising Therapeutic Targets for an Effective Management of Diabetes Mellitus.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are membrane-bound proteins, which are responsible for the detection of extracellular stimuli and the origination of intracellular responses. Both glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors belong to G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. Along with insulin, glucagon and GLP-1 are critical hormones for maintaining normal serum glucose within the human body.

Study of the effect of mixing approach on cross-linking efficiency of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel cross-linked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether.

Regardless of various strategies reported for cross-linking hyaluronic acid (HA) with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE), seeking new strategies that enhance cross-linking efficiency with a low level of cross-linker is essential. In this work, we studied the influence of mixing approach on two cross-linked BDDE-HA hydrogels prepared by two different mixing approaches; the large-batch mixing approach in which the hydrogel quantities were all mixed as a single lump in one container (hydrogel 1), and the small-batches mixing approach in which the hydrogel quantities were divided into smaller batches, mixed separately at various HA/BDDE ratios then combined in one reaction mixture (hydrogel 2). The result showed that the cross-linking reaction was mixing process-dependent.