Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), an obligate intracellular bacterium, requires living cells to replicate. Half of men infected with CT are asymptomatic. CT infection can persist for up to four years ...within couples and affect their fertility. Chlamydia infection in men acts as a reservoir for transmission to women and can cause urinary tract inflammation, sperm DNA damage, and acute epididymitis. Semen samples from 1080 subfertile patients with normal and abnormal spermograms were examined to detect the presence of CT. An ELISA test was used to detect the presence of anti-CT IgA in these patients' seminal plasma. CT infection was also confirmed by molecular investigation using specific primers. In order to evaluate the effect of CT infections on the DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI), 40 CT-infected cases and 20 CT-negative controls were analyzed by a Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay using flow cytometry. Among 1080 patients with poor sperm parameters, 155 (14.3%) patients were diagnosed with CT, 11% among those with semen abnormalities and 26% among those without semen abnormalities patients. The DFI was statistically higher in cases than in controls (p < 0.05). Given the prevalence of infection and also the high frequency of asymptomatic CT infection among infertile individuals with poor sperm parameters, screening for infection in these patients is essential in order to avoid adverse sequelae. We propose that the higher rate of DFI in CT-infected infertile men might be an underlying cause of their infertility and this warrants greater attention.
In this work, we have studied the modification process of polystyrene surface by cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet to achieve a hydrophilic surface. For this purpose, dielectric barrier discharge ...plasma jet with different powers in short times with radio frequency power supply and argon plasma irradiation in atmospheric pressure were used. It was found that polystyrene surface changed from hydrophobic into hydrophilic after 20-s plasma irradiation and the wettability of surface increased with time. Surface evaluation was done by measuring the water contact angle of the samples before and after the modification. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the proof for the induction of oxygen-based functional groups in polystyrene when treated with the argon plasma. Plasma parameters were examined using optical emission spectroscopy, voltage-current (VI), and temperature measurements. The relation between plasma parameters and surface modification of the polymer is also discussed.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract In the general population, obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and decreased survival. In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), however, an “obesity paradox” or ...“reverse epidemiology” (to include lipid and hypertension paradoxes) has been consistently reported, i.e. a higher body mass index (BMI) is paradoxically associated with better survival. This survival advantage of large body size is relatively consistent for hemodialysis patients across racial and regional differences, although published results are mixed for peritoneal dialysis patients. Recent data indicate that both higher skeletal muscle mass and increased total body fat are protective, although there are mixed data on visceral (intra-abdominal) fat. The obesity paradox in ESRD is unlikely to be due to residual confounding alone and has biologic plausibility. Possible causes of the obesity paradox include protein-energy wasting and inflammation, time discrepancy among competitive risk factors (undernutrition versus overnutrition), hemodynamic stability, alteration of circulatory cytokines, sequestration of uremic toxin in adipose tissue, and endotoxin-lipoprotein interaction. The obesity paradox may have significant clinical implications in the management of ESRD patients especially if obese dialysis patients are forced to lose weight upon transplant wait-listing. Well-designed studies exploring the causes and consequences of the reverse epidemiology of cardiovascular risk factors, including the obesity paradox, among ESRD patients could provide more information on mechanisms. These could include controlled trials of nutritional and pharmacologic interventions to examine whether gain in lean body mass or even body fat can improve survival and quality of life in these patients.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the various sociotechnical dimensions of building information modelling (BIM)-induced changes associated with stakeholder management of projects.
...Design/methodology/approach
This paper relies on grounded theory and data collection from two case studies – one in the public sector and one in the private sector – and is underpinned by Leavitt’s (1964) sociotechnical model.
Findings
Findings reveal four new dimensions of stakeholder management as being affected through BIM-induced changes: commitment; transparency; learning and experience; and stakeholder satisfaction, with these extending beyond the dimensions recognised in the existing literature. Another novelty lies in bringing to light the highly context-specific nature of BIM-induced changes pertinent to stakeholder management, with the two case studies demonstrating differences in these changes. Furthermore, a theoretical model of the causal impacts of various identified dimensions is presented, in which the sequence of changes and the causal associations between the identified dimensions are conceptualised.
Originality/value
Through Leavitt’s (1964) Diamond lens, the procedure of change and its evolutionary procedure for various components of the sociotechnical system of stakeholder management are theorised. The tentative conceptualisations presented offer a springboard from which to further investigate the episode of change pertinent to various dimensions of stakeholder management in BIM-enabled projects.
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have lately gained attention as a viable green substitute for traditional ionic liquids (ILs) and hazardous organic solvents, due to their low toxicity, ease of ...synthesis procedures, low-cost, and high biodegradability. The DESs are introduced as a eutectic combination of two or more green components with a high capability to form hydrogen bonds. Following the emergence of DESs, their applications in numerous domains of analytical chemistry, particularly in various extraction approaches, are growing rapidly. The facile synthesis procedures of these solvents based on hydrogen bonding have permitted the development of a number of innovative liquid-liquid microextraction (LLME) strategies based on the in-situ formation or in-situ decomposition of these solvents. To offer up-to-date information in this field, this review is provided a summary of literature dealing with the LLME approaches based on the in-situ formation/decomposition of the DESs.
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•Emerging of in-situ liquid-liquid microextraction (LLME) for analysis of various analytes is critically reviewed.•Principles of the in-situ LLME methods are discussed.•An overview of the in-situ LLME techniques based on DESs is introduced.•Classification of the in-situ LLME procedures is performed.•The available LLME works based on in situ formation/decomposition of the DESs are summarized.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
There has been extensive interest in promoting gender equality within radiology, a predominately male field. In this study, our aim was to quantify gender representation in neuroradiology faculty ...rankings and determine any related factors that may contribute to any such disparity.
We evaluated the academic and administrative faculty members of neuroradiology divisions for all on-line listed programs in the US and Canada. After excluding programs that did not fulfill our selection criteria, we generated a short list of 85 US and 8 Canadian programs. We found 465 faculty members who met the inclusion criteria for our study. We used Elsevier's SCOPUS for gathering the data pertaining to the publications, H-index, citations, and tenure of the productivity of each faculty member.
Gender disparity was insignificant when analyzing academic ranks. There are more men working in neuroimaging relative to women (χ
= 0.46;
= .79). However, gender disparity was highly significant for leadership positions in neuroradiology (χ
= 6.76;
= .009). The median H-index was higher among male faculty members (17.5) versus female faculty members (9). Female faculty members have odds of 0.84 compared with male faculty members of having a higher H-index, adjusting for publications, citations, academic ranks, leadership ranks, and interaction between gender and publications and gender and citations (9).
Neuroradiology faculty members follow the same male predominance seen in many other specialties of medicine. In this study, issues such as mentoring, role models, opportunities to engage in leadership/research activities, funding opportunities, and mindfulness regarding research productivity are explored.
This research describes the spectrophotometric determination of methylene blue (MB) after shaker-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction combined with back-extraction (SALLME-BE). A hydrophobic deep ...eutectic solvent (DES) was used for extraction of MB from alkaline solutions (0.5 M NaOH). Then, the extracted dye was back-extracted into a hydrochloric acid solution (2 M). Decanoic acid and methyltrioctylammonium bromide were used, respectively as hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor constituents of the hydrophobic DES. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 2–170 ng mL−1. The recovery analysis of wastewater and river water samples verified that this method is practical for environmental monitoring.
•Shaker-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction of methylene blue•Application of deep eutectic solvent as environmentally friendly extraction solvent•Spectrophotometric quantification after back-extraction
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Crocin improves spatial memory impairments in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.•Crocin improves hyperglycaemia associated with diabetes.•Crocin reduces lipid peroxidation levels in the cerebral ...cortex of diabetic rats.
The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of crocin on improving spatial memory deficits and cerebral oxidative damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Crocin was administered intraperitoneally daily at doses of 15, 30 and 60mg/kg for 6 weeks. Spatial memory performance was measured in rats by the Morris water maze paradigm. Lipid peroxidation and total thiol levels as parameters of oxidative stress were assessed in the cerebral cortex at the end of week 6. Diabetic rats showed spatial learning and memory deficits in the Morris water maze which was accompanied by increased lipid peroxidation levels in the cerebral cortex. By contrast, chronic treatment with crocin (15, 30 and 60mg/kg, ip, 6 weeks) improved cognitive performance and lowered hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the results suggest that beneficial effects of crocin on streptozotocin-induced memory dysfunction may be attributed to its antidiabetic and antioxidant activity, which could find clinical use in treating cognitive dysfunction in diabetics.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
One-fifth of irrigated agriculture is negatively affected by high soil salinity. The expected population growth, over 9 billion by 2050, enhances the pressure for agricultural production in marginal ...saline lands. Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the staple food for more than half of the world's population, is the most salt-sensitive cereal. The need for salt-tolerant rice varieties able to cope with several other stress conditions obviously puts a lot of pressure on breeders who must better comprehend the physiology and genetic control of salt tolerance. In spite of several good reviews recently published, an integrated vision of current information on rice tolerance to salt stress has been lacking. Here we present the most recent data on the salinity effect on rice physiology and stress adaptation, including implications on growth regulation and reproductive development. We have included an inventory of salt tolerance donors available for breeding programs and a comprehensive survey of current work on QTL detection and cloning as well as marker-assisted selection to introgress favorable alleles into elite rice lines. A schematic view of the rice chromosomes on which salt tolerance QTLs and candidate genes are positioned is also included. Finally, we focus on the most promising candidate genes involved in salt stress response. There, we discuss the available knowledge on salt stress signaling and ion homeostasis, LEAs and other stress-induced proteins, genes with unknown function and transcription regulators as well as the present knowledge on the role of post-translational modifications on the modulation of the response to salinity in rice. We conclude by highlighting still missing clues that could help to design better salt tolerant varieties, and we evaluate the significance of the data presented for the future of rice breeding and sustainability of the culture in marginal saline soils.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
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