A butterfly shaped organic heterojunction photocatalyst for effective photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The modification of carbon nitride (CN) for visible light photocatalytic CO₂ reduction is an important issue to explore in the context of energy and environmental challenges.

Nuclear Disaster Preparedness Level of Medical Responders in Pakistan

Pakistan is a country with nuclear capability in a region sharing borders with 2 other nuclear powers-that is, India to the east and China to the northeast. This geographic positioning makes the area a nuclear flash point. It is therefore imperative to have commensurate health-care facilities to meet any eventualities. Although Pakistan is trying to improve medical facilities for the people, health-care facilities are already overwhelmed with patients because of the large population of the country. The current study was conducted to evaluate the level of awareness and preparedness of medical responders for nuclear and radiological disasters in public hospitals in the major cities of Pakistan. Methods: A detailed questionnaire covering all aspects of the study was designed and discussed with the people most concerned, including health-care workers in the field of medicine, nuclear sciences, and disaster management in Pakistan. It was adopted on the basis of early studies on the subject, with necessary modifications to fulfill the requirements at Pakistan's level. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with key personnel of different response agencies in Pakistan. Results: Of 880 surveys, 554 were completed and collected from medical providers in different hospitals across the country. The respondents included doctors, nurses, and medical assistants from emergency and nonemergency departments. They are aware of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear disaster and are willing to respond to these kinds of disasters voluntarily, but they are not satisfied with their level of preparedness and awareness regarding nuclear and radiological disasters. Conclusion: Although medical responders have good educational backgrounds and knowledge in their specific fields and are quite active and energetic in their response to conventional injuries and natural disasters, they feel a dire need to enhance their level of knowledge about and preparedness for unconventional disasters and injuries such as those caused by nuclear or radiological events.

Piroxicam loaded polymer hybrid microspheres based tablets with modified release kinetics: Development, characterization and in vivo evaluation

Piroxicam (PC) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug characterized by poor aqueous solubility and reported to cause and impart crucial GIT irritation, bleeding, peptic and duodenal ulcer. Engineering of PC loaded microcapsules and its surface modification using different polymers has become the popular approach to address the said issues. The purpose of the study was to develop new PC loaded gastro-protective polymer hybrid microspheres (PHM) with subsequent conversion to tablet dosage form having modified dissolution rate and improved bioavailability. The crystallinity of the PC loaded PHM were established through powder X-ray diffraction. The optimised microspheres, PC-M1 with particle size 32±3.0μm, entrapment efficiency 83.78±2.5% and in vitro drug release 87.1±2.6% were further subjected to tablets development and in vivo evaluation. The in vitro drug release study conducted for PHM at pH media 1.2 and 6.8 demonstrated retarded and enhanced drug release rates (P<0.001) respectively. Both accelerated and real time stability studies confirmed stability of the PC loaded PHM based tablets. A substantial improvement in the drug plasma concentration 12.6±2.36 (P<0.001) was observed for the produced tablets compared to the marketed formulations.

Bio-functional hydrogel membranes loaded with chitosan nanoparticles for accelerated wound healing

Wounds are often recalcitrant to traditional wound dressings and a bioactive and biodegradable wound dressing using hydrogel membranes can be a promising approach for wound healing applications. The present research aimed to design hydrogel membranes based on hyaluronic acid, pullulan and polyvinyl alcohol and loaded with chitosan based cefepime nanoparticles for potential use in cutaneous wound healing. The developed membranes were evaluated using dynamic light scattering, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated the novel crosslinking and thermal stability of the fabricated hydrogel membrane. The in vitro analysis demonstrates that the developed membrane has water vapors transmission rate (WVTR) between 2000 and 2500 g/m²/day and oxygen permeability between 7 and 14 mg/L, which lies in the range of an ideal dressing. The swelling capacity and surface porosity to liberate encapsulated drug (cefepime) in a sustained manner and 88% of drug release was observed. The cefepime loaded hydrogel membrane demonstrated a higher zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli and excisional rat model exhibit expeditious recovery rate. The developed hydrogel membrane loaded with cefepime nanoparticles is a promising approach for topical application and has greater potential for an accelerated wound healing process.

Cellulose extraction from methyltrioctylammonium chloride pretreated sugarcane bagasse and its application

Cellulose, the most abundant feedstock of chemicals and energy is extracted from various agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane bagasse (SB). Pretreatment of SB with ionic liquids improves extraction of cellulose, yet the use of ionic liquid is hindered by its high cost. In this study, cellulose was extracted from SB pretreated with methyltrioctylammonium chloride under relatively mild conditions. The extracted cellulose from pretreated SB (PTB) and untreated SB (UTB) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR. Fermentation of cellulose extracted from PTB by a thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus aestuarii UE25, yielded 245.16% higher titers of cellulase than cellulose extracted from UTB. The recyclability of the IL was assessed to make the pretreatment process cost effective and was monitored through TLC and FTIR. The results of this research demonstrated the potential of ionic liquid pretreated SB for cellulose extraction and for its subsequent utilization in thermostable cellulase production.

Combined pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse using alkali and ionic liquid to increase hemicellulose content and xylanase production

BACKGROUND

Lignin in sugarcane bagasse (SB) hinders its utilization by microorganism, therefore, pretreatment methods are employed to make fermentable components accessible to the microbes. Multivariate analysis of different chemical pretreatment methods can aid to select the most appropriate strategy to valorize a particular biomass.

RESULTS

Amongst methods tested, the pretreatment by using sodium hydroxide in combination with methyltrioctylammonium chloride, an ionic liquid, (NaOH+IL) was the most significant for xylanase production by Bacillus aestuarii UE25. Investigation of optimal levels of five significant variables by adopting Box-Behnken design (BBD) predicted 20 IU mL^- 1 of xylanase and experimentally, a titer of 17.77 IU mL^- 1 was obtained which indicated the validity of the model. The production kinetics showed that volumetric productivity of xylanase was much higher after 24 h (833.33 IU L^- 1 h^- 1) than after 48 h (567.08 IU L^- 1 h^- 1). The extracted xylan from SB induced more xylanase in the fermentation medium than pretreated SB or commercially purified xylan. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy of SB indicated removal of lignin and changes in the structure of SB after NaOH+IL pretreatment and fermentation.

CONCLUSION

Combined pretreatment of SB with alkali and methyltrioctylammonium chloride appeared better than other chemical methods for bacterial xylanase production and for the extraction of xylan form SB.

Assessment of Cadmium in Sewage Water Irrigated Soil and its Transfer to Fodder with Respect to Health of Livestock

Heavy metal concentration in sewage water irrigation of fodders, milk, and soil was studied. It was a serious issue because excess of sewage water is used for irrigating crops and due to excessive use of waste-water heavy metals build up in plants and when animals consume these plants metals transfer to their bodies and milk causes different problems. Six samples were collected Trifolium alexandrinum, Avena sativa, Zea mays, Pennisetum glaucum, Sorghum bicolor, Brassica campestris from five sites. All the samples were digested by wet digestion method. After digestion a clear transparent solution of all samples was obtained which was analyzed in atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Different indices were applied including bio concentration factor, daily intake of metals, health risk index, enrichment factor, pollution lad index, correlations of fodders, soil and milk was done. Pollution load index of current study was less than 1 which indicates that soil was less polluted. Health risk for Cd was present higher than 1 which was an indication of risk to health of animals in eating Cd contaminated fodders. Daily intake of metal was lower than 1 it showed there was no risk in consuming fodders to health of animals. In water samples level of Cd was higher above permissible limit. Cd mean concentration was higher in milk than permissible limit which showed that animals graze more contaminated fodder in open areas and drink waste-water that�s why metals accumulate in their tissues and milk causing toxicity.

Two layered strategy for cost effective production of pectinase: immobilization of yeast and utilization of crude substrate

The wide scale application of pectinase is generally hindered by high cost of the enzyme production. In this work, a two dimensional strategy was adopted to reduce cost of pectinase production by Geotrichum candidum AA15. The strain was immobilized in alginate beads. The optimum concentration for bead formation was found to be 3.5% of sodium alginate (NA) with 4% calcium chloride (CaCl₂). Such immobilized cells retained the ability to produce 0.115 IU mL^-1 of pectinase for up to 6^th production cycle in citrus pectin containing medium while free cells produced only 0.046 IU mL^-1 of pectinase. For the cultivation of immobilized cells on orange peels (OP), a combination of 4.5% NA and 4% CaCl₂ was found effective to prepare beads. Geotrichum candidum AA15 produced 0.220 IU mL^-1 pectinase by fermenting OP as a substrate for up to 3^rd production cycle. The results revealed that the process of immobilization can be used as a promising strategy in combination with the use of naturally available waste biomass.

In-Vitro Assessment Of The Therapeutic Potential Of Polymyxins And Tigecycline Against Multidrugresistant Acinetobacter Isolates From Infected Wounds

BACKGROUND

The incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extreme drug resistant (XDR), and pan drug-resistant (PDR) Acinetobacter are increasing throughout the world. The therapeutic management and control of Acinetobacter are difficult due to the emergence of drug resistance and its enduring capacity to survive in the environment. The present study was designed to appraise the efficacy of Polymyxins and Tigecycline against multidrugresistant Acinetobacter isolates from surgical and burn wounds.

METHODS

During the study, the specimens were collected from various types of wounds from inpatients and outpatients of the tertiary care hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan in 2017 and 2018. The bacterial pathogens were isolated and identified using standard microbiological procedures and molecular confirmation of Acinetobacter species was examined by PCR using specific primers. The antibiotic susceptibility profiling of Acinetobacter isolates was studied against 18 antibiotics as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.

RESULTS

The Acinetobacter isolates demonstrated extreme resistance especially to ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam, cephalosporins, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. However, the colistin, polymyxin, and tigecycline remained the most effective antimicrobial agents against Acinetobacter isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight the extent of drug resistance and therapeutic potential of Polymyxins and Tigecycline for wound infections caused by MDR and XDR Acinetobacter species. The wiser use of antimicrobials, incessant surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, and stringent adherence to infection control guidelines are critical to reducing major outbreaks in the future.

Beneficial impact of exogenous arginine, cysteine and methionine on postharvest senescence of broccoli

This study examined the ability of l-arginine, l-cysteine and l-methionine, to inhibit postharvest senescence of broccoli. Florets were dipped in aqueous solutions of the amino acids at concentrations from 1.0 to 100 mM and stored at 10 °C. A 5 mM dip was found to be optimal in delaying senescence as measured by retention of green colour, vitamin C and antioxidant activity, and a lower level of ethylene production, respiration, weight loss, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and ion leakage with the benefits being similar for all three amino acids. Arginine, cysteine and methionine have Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) status and should have few impediments in obtaining regulatory approval for commercial use if similar effects were found for other leafy vegetables.

Laser Synthesis of MOF-Derived Ni@Carbon for High-Performance Pseudocapacitors

Although nanosizing of multiphase pseudocapacitive nanomaterials could dramatically improve their electrochemical properties, a proper way to simultaneously control both the size and the phase of the pseudocapacitive materials is still elusive. Herein, we employed a commercial CO₂ laser engraver to do the transformation of a metal-organic framework (MOF-74(Ni)) into size-controlled Ni nanoparticles (4-12 nm) in porous carbon. The produced Ni@carbon hybrid showed the best specific capacitance of 925 F/g with excellent cycling stability when the particle size is 5.5 nm. We found that the highly redox-active α-Ni(OH)₂ is more predominantly formed than the less redox-active β-Ni(OH)₂ as the particle size becomes smaller. Our results substantiate that various MOFs could be created into high-performance pseudocapacitive materials with the controlled size and phase. It is believed that the laser-based synthesis could also serve as a powerful tool for the discovery of new MOF-derived materials in the field of energy storage and catalysis.

Intestinal knotting: A case report and brief literature review

Ileo-ileal knotting is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction. In this condition, one bowel loop makes a knot with an adjacent bowel loop, resulting in mechanical obstruction and even gangrene of the bowel. We present a case of a young girl with ileo-ileal knotting resulting in a closed-loop obstruction and gangrene of the small bowel loop. This is a difficult condition to diagnose; a high index of suspicion and early surgical intervention are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.

An Astragalus membranaceus based eco-friendly biomimetic synthesis approach of ZnO nanoflowers with an excellent antibacterial, antioxidant and electrochemical sensing effect

Nowadays featuring outstanding eco-friendliness, the phytochemical fabrication method of nanostructures is very popular. Here, we propose to utilize the Astragalus membranaceus extract as the reducing and capping agent to stabilize the metal and to avoid the aggregations of nanoparticles during ZnO nanoflowers synthesis procedure. As a result, the whole fabrication procedure was highly efficient and cost-effective without requiring a special environment of high pressure or elevated temperature and without chemical hazards used or produced. After the fabrication, detailed characterization about material morphology and crystal structure was carried out, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR). Moreover, the ZnO nanoflowers demonstrated distinctive antibacterial, antioxidant and electrochemical sensing effect. Specifically, ZnO nanoflowers had an antibacterial inhibition zone of 19(±0.7) and 15(±0.8) mm in diameter against the concentration of 50 μL (1 mg/mL) Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which is greatly improved compared to the reference drug (Kanamycin). Besides, antioxidant activity was also tested using H₂O₂ free radical scavenging assay and 60% 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) inhibition of 0.5 mg/mL was reported. Finally, controlled by the diffusion process during the charge transfer procedure, 4-nitorphenol was dramatically reduced and a limit of detection of 0.08 μM by ZnO nanoflowers modified electrode was observed during the cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiment. Because the phenolic compounds originating from Astragalus membranaceus helped to facilitate the electron transfer, the limit of detection was lower compared to other materials, such as copper oxide nanoparticles (Cu₂O-NPs), silicon dioxide/silver nanoparticles (SiO₂/Ag-NPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), activated carbon (AC) and cobalt oxide nanocubes (Co₃O₄). Therefore, featuring easy operation, low-cost and eco-friendliness, our proposed ZnO nanoflowers fabrication method will have a great potential in biomedical and electro-catalytic fields.

Pharmacokinetic Profile of Oxaliplatin-Loaded pH-Responsive Hydrogels in Rabbits

BACKGROUND

Oxaliplatin (OXP), a 3rd generation platinum compound, which causes severe side effects due to; impulse high concentration in the bloodstream thereby exposing healthy cells at a high ratio, nonspecific delivery at the target site and non-compliance is administered intravenously.

OBJECTIVE

The project was aimed at the development, characterization, and in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation of pHresponsive hydrogels for oral administration of OXP.

METHODS

Hydrogel formulations were synthesized through a free radical polymerization technique followed by brief characterization using various techniques. The hydrogels were investigated for various in-vitro studies such as sol-gel, drug loading, swelling, drug release, and MTT-assay. While in-vivo studies such as oral tolerability, histopathology, and hematology studies were performed on rabbits. A simple and sensitive HPLC-UV method was optimized and the comparative pharmacokinetic study was performed in rabbits using OXP-oral solution and OXP-loaded hydrogels.

RESULTS

In-vitro characterization confirmed that the reactant was successfully crosslinked to form thermally stable hydrogels with decreased crystallinity and rough surface. Swelling and drug release showed that hydrogels were more responsive to basic pH (6.8 and 7.4) in comparison with pH 1.2. The blank hydrogels were cytocompatible as more than 95% of the cells were viable while free OXP and OXP-loaded hydrogels displayed dosedependent cytotoxic effect. In-vivo studies confirmed that chitosan and gelatin hydrogel suspension was well tolerable up to 3800 mg/kg and 4000 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. Hematology and serum chemistry reports were well within the range suggesting normal liver and kidney functions. Similarly, histopathology slides of rabbit vital organs were also found normal without causing any histopathological change.

CONCLUSION

HPLC-UV method was successfully optimized for OXP detection in oral solution and hydrogels administered to rabbits. A significant difference was found among various pharmacokinetic parameters by comparing the two groups including half-life (t_1/2), t_max, C_max, AUC_tot MRT, V_z, and L_z.

Entropy generation in MHD Casson fluid flow with variable heat conductance and thermal conductivity over non-linear bi-directional stretching surface

This consideration highlights the belongings of momentum, entropy generation, species and thermal dissemination on boundary layer flow (BLF) of Casson liquid over a linearly elongating surface considering radiation and Joule heating effects significant. Transportation of thermal and species are offered by using the temperature-dependent models of thermal conductivity and mass diffusion coefficient. Arising problem appear in the form of nonlinear partial differential equations (NPDEs) against the conservation laws of mass, momentum, thermal and species transportation. Appropriate renovation transfigures the demonstrated problem into ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions of renovated boundary layer ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are attained by a proficient and reliable technique namely optimal homotopy analysis method (OHAM). A graphical and tabular interpretation is given for convergence of analytic solutions through error table and flow behavior of convoluted physical parameters on calculated solutions are presented and explicated in this examination. Reliability and effectiveness of the anticipated algorithm is established by comparing the results of present contemplation as a limiting case of available work, and it is found to be in excellent settlement. Decline in fluid velocity and enhancement in thermal and species transportation is recorded against the fluctuating values of Hartman number. Also reverse comportment of Prandtl number and radiation parameter is portrayed. Moreover, it is conveyed that supplementing values of the magnetic parameter condenses the fluid velocity and upsurges the thermal and concentration distributions. Negative impact of elevating Joule heating phenomenon is noted on the molecular stability of the system via Brinkman number \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( {Br} \right).$$\end{document}Br. Furthermore, the system’s stability at a molecular level is controlled by diminishing values of radiation \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( R \right),$$\end{document}R, temperature difference \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( { \in_{1} } \right),$$\end{document}∈1, concentration difference \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( { \in_{2} } \right),$$\end{document}∈2, diffusion parameters \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( { \in_{3} } \right)$$\end{document}∈3 and Brinkman number \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\left( {Br} \right).$$\end{document}Br.

TrustWalker: An Efficient Trust Assessment in Vehicular Internet of Things (VIoT) with Security Consideration

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a world of connected networks and modern technology devices, among them vehicular networks considered more challenging due to high speed and network dynamics. Future trends in IoT allow these inter networks to share information. Also, the previous security solutions to vehicular IoT (VIoT) much emphasize on privacy protection and security related issues using public keys infrastructure. However, the primary concern about efficient trust assessment, authorized users malfunctioning, and secure information dissemination in vehicular wireless networks have not been explored. To cope with these challenges, we propose a trust enhanced on-demand routing (TER) scheme, which adopts TrustWalker (TW) algorithm for efficient trust assessment and route search technique in VIoT. TER comprised of novel three-valued subjective logic (3VSL), TW algorithm, and ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocol. The simulated results validate the accuracy of the proposed scheme in term of throughput, packet drop ratio (PDR), and end to end (E2E) delay. In the simulation, the execution time of the TW algorithm is analyzed and compared with another route search algorithm, i.e., Assess-Trust (AT), by considering real-world online datasets such as Pretty Good Privacy and Advogato. The accuracy and efficiency of the TW algorithm, even with a large number of vehicle users, are also demonstrated through simulations.

Adipose Tissue Grafting Improves Contour Deformities Related Hyperpigmentation of Face

Contour deformities of face are commonly associated with overlying skin hyperpigmentation. Such hyperpigmentation causes aesthetic problems as well as makes contour deformities more prominent. Conventional surgical and cosmetic approaches to treat hyperpigmentation have limitations and therefore it is imperative to use other innovative techniques to simultaneously heal the contour deformity and also to remove hyperpigmentation. The current study aims to evaluate the effect of autologous adipose tissue in improving contour deformities related hyperpigmentation of face. One hundred patients with contour deformities related hyper-pigmentation of overlying skin were enrolled from February 2017 to January 2018. Adipose tissue was harvested from each patient and processed under sterilized conditions. Purified fat collected in a 10cc Luer-Lok syringe was transferred to 1cc syringes and injected into affected areas of face. The patients were followed for 12 months after adipose tissue injections. Both subjective and objective assessment was performed before treatment and 12 months after adipose tissue injections. Results indicated that after adipose tissue grafting, there was a statistically significant improvement in hyperpigmentation of skin. Most of the patients were highly satisfied after use of adipose tissue injections. Image J scanning also showed significant changes in hyperpigmentation of face after adipose tissue use. In all parameters, the patient exhibited statistically significant improvement. In conclusion, autologous fat grafting is a promising and effective therapeutic approach for hyperpigmentation associated with contour deformities of face.