In recent years, green synthesized silver nanoparticles have been increasingly investigated for their anti-cancer potential. In the present study, we aimed at the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles ...(AgNPs) using a curcumin derivative, ST06. Although, the individual efficacies of silver nanoparticles or curcumin derivatives have been studied previously, the synergistic cytotoxic effects of curcumin derivative and silver nanoparticles in a single nanoparticulate formulation have not been studied earlier specifically on animal models. This makes this study novel compared to the earlier synthesized curcumin derivative or silver nanoparticles studies. The aim of the study was to synthesize ST06 coated silver nanoparticles (ST06-AgNPs) using ST06 as both reducing and coating agent.
The synthesized nanoparticles AgNPs and ST06-AgNPs were characterised for the particle size distribution, morphology, optical properties and surface charge by using UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Elemental composition and structural properties were studied by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The presence of ST06 as capping agent was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
The synthesized nanoparticles (ST06-AgNPs) were spherical and had a size distribution in the range of 50-100 nm. UV-Vis spectroscopy displayed a specific silver plasmon peak at 410 nm. The in vitro cytotoxicity effects of ST06 and ST06-AgNPs, as assessed by MTT assay, showed significant growth inhibition of human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa). In addition, studies carried out in EAC tumor-induced mouse model (Ehrlich Ascites carcinoma) using ST06-AgNPs, revealed that treatment of the animals with these nanoparticles resulted in a significant reduction in the tumor growth, compared to the control group animals.
In conclusion, green synthesized ST06-AgNPs exhibited superior anti-tumor efficacy than the free ST06 or AgNPs with no acute toxicity under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. The tumor suppression is associated with the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Together, the results of this study suggest that ST06-AgNPs could be considered as a potential option for the treatment of solid tumors.
Since 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has moved rapidly across the United States, resulting in tens of thousands of human cases. Both the number of human cases and the minimum infection rate (MIR) in ...vector mosquitoes vary across time and space and are driven by numerous abiotic and biotic forces, ranging from differences in microclimates to socio-demographic factors. Because the interactions among these multiple factors affect the locally variable risk of WNV illness, it has been especially difficult to model human disease risk across varying spatial and temporal scales. Cook and DuPage Counties, comprising the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs, experience some of the highest numbers of human neuroinvasive cases of WNV in the United States. Despite active mosquito control efforts, there is consistent annual WNV presence, resulting in more than 285 confirmed WNV human cases and 20 deaths from the years 2014-2018 in Cook County alone.
A previous Chicago-area WNV model identified the fifty-five most high and low risk locations in the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District (NWMAD), an enclave ¼ the size of the combined Cook and DuPage county area. In these locations, human WNV risk was stratified by model performance, as indicated by differences in studentized residuals. Within these areas, an additional two-years of field collections and data processing was added to a 12-year WNV dataset that includes human cases, MIR, vector abundance, and land-use, historical climate, and socio-economic and demographic variables, and was assessed by an ultra-fine-scale (1 km spatial x 1 week temporal resolution) multivariate logistic regression model.
Multivariate statistical methods applied to the ultra-fine-scale model identified fewer explanatory variables while improving upon the fit of the previous model. Beyond MIR and climatic factors, efforts to acquire additional covariates only slightly improved model predictive performance.
These results suggest human WNV illness in the Chicago area may be associated with fewer, but increasingly critical, key variables at finer scales. Given limited resources, these findings suggest large variations in model performance occur, depending on covariate availability, and provide guidance in variable selection for optimal WNV human illness modeling.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary Background The topical use of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is intended to reduce bacterial density on patients' skin. Aim To assess the impact of body bath or skin cleansing with ...CHG-impregnated or CHG-saturated washcloths in preventing healthcare-associated infections and colonization. Methods This systematic review included published randomized controlled trials, cross-over trials, cohort studies and before-and-after studies. Studies were included if they compared the use of CHG in washcloths with any of the following; soap and water bathing, routine advice, no intervention. Findings Sixteen published studies and four conference abstracts were included for systematic review. Nine studies reported the impact of CHG on incidence of central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI); the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 0.43 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26–0.71. Five studies assessed the impact of CHG washcloths on incidence of surgical site infection (SSI); the RR was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.17–0.49). Four studies reported the impact on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization; the IRR was 0.43 (95% CI: 0.32–0.59). Three studies reported the impact on meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization rate; the IRR was 0.48 (95% CI: 0.24–0.95). Six studies reported the impact on VRE infection; the IRR was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.42–1.93). Six studies reported the impact on MRSA infection; the IRR was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.51–1.30). There was no reduction in acinetobacter infection rates in the three studies where this was reported. Conclusion These results suggest that the use of non-rinse CHG application significantly reduces the risk of CLABSI, SSI and colonization with VRE or MRSA, but not infection.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Rice paddies are one of the major sources of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions. The alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation management has been shown to reduce CH4 emissions and total ...global warming potential (GWP) (CH4 and nitrous oxide N2O). However, there is limited information about utilizing AWD management to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from commercial‐scale continuous rice fields. This study was conducted for five consecutive growing seasons (2015–2019) on a pair of adjacent fields in a commercial farm in Arkansas under long‐term continuous rice rotation irrigated with either continuously flooded (CF) or AWD conditions. The cumulative CH4 emissions in the growing season across the two fields and 5 years ranged from 41 to 123 kg CH4‐C ha−1 for CF and 1 to 73 kg CH4‐C ha−1 for AWD. On average, AWD reduced CH4 emissions by 73% relative to CH4 emissions in CF fields. Compared to N2O emissions, CH4 emissions dominated the GWP with an average contribution of 91% in both irrigation treatments. There was no significant variation in grain yield (7.3–11.9 Mg ha−1) or growing season N2O emissions (−0.02 to 0.51 kg N2O‐N ha−1) between the irrigation treatments. The yield‐scaled GWP was 368 and 173 kg CO2 eq. Mg−1 season−1 for CF and AWD, respectively, showing the feasibility of AWD on a commercial farm to reduce the total GHG emissions while sustaining grain yield. Seasonal variations of GHG emissions observed within fields showed total GHG emissions were predominantly influenced by weather (precipitation) and crop and irrigation management. The influence of air temperature and floodwater heights on GHG emissions had high degree of variability among years and fields. These findings demonstrate that the use of multiyear GHG emission datasets could better capture variability of GHG emissions associated with rice production and could improve field verification of GHG emission models and scaling factors for commercial rice farms.
Core Ideas
Shifting irrigation practice from continuously flooded to AWD practice reduced CH4 emissions by 73%.
CH4 emissions were mainly influenced by crop, irrigation, and climate‐related factors in continuous rice cropping.
AWD practice showed potential to reduced CH4 emissions without yield penalty in a commercial farm.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Levamisole, an imidazo(2,1-b)thiazole derivative, has been reported to be a potential antitumor agent. In the present study, we have investigated the mechanism of action of one of the recently ...identified analogues, 4a (2-benzyl-6-(4'-fluorophenyl)-5-thiocyanato-imidazo2,1-b1, 3, 4thiadiazole).
ROS production and expression of various apoptotic proteins were measured following 4a treatment in leukemia cell lines. Tumor animal models were used to evaluate the effect of 4a in comparison with Levamisole on progression of breast adenocarcinoma and survival. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting studies were performed to understand the mechanism of 4a action both ex vivo and in vivo.
We have determined the IC(50) value of 4a in many leukemic and breast cancer cell lines and found CEM cells most sensitive (IC(50) 5 µM). Results showed that 4a treatment leads to the accumulation of ROS. Western blot analysis showed upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins t-BID and BAX, upon treatment with 4a. Besides, dose-dependent activation of p53 along with FAS, FAS-L, and cleavage of CASPASE-8 suggest that it induces death receptor mediated apoptotic pathway in CEM cells. More importantly, we observed a reduction in tumor growth and significant increase in survival upon oral administration of 4a (20 mg/kg, six doses) in mice. In comparison, 4a was found to be more potent than its parental analogue Levamisole based on both ex vivo and in vivo studies. Further, immunohistochemistry and western blotting studies indicate that 4a treatment led to abrogation of tumor cell proliferation and activation of apoptosis by the extrinsic pathway even in animal models.
Thus, our results suggest that 4a could be used as a potent chemotherapeutic agent.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The disease late blight is a threat to potato production worldwide, making genetic resistance an important target for breeding. The resistance gene
RB
/
Rpi-blb1
is effective against most strains of ...the causal pathogen,
Phytophthora infestans
. Until now, potato breeders have utilized a Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) marker to screen for
RB
. Our objective was to design and validate a Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) marker, which has advantages for high-throughput screening. First, the accuracy of the SCAR marker was confirmed in two segregating tetraploid populations. Then, using whole genome sequencing data for two
RB
-positive segregants and a diverse set of 23
RB
-negative varieties, a SNP in the 5’ untranslated (UTR) region was identified as unique to
RB
. The KASP marker based on this SNP, which had 100% accuracy in the cultivated diversity panel, was used to generate diploid breeding lines containing
RB
. The KASP marker is publicly available for others to utilize.
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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
Cultivation of bioenergy crops in rewetted peatland (paludiculture) is considered as a possible land use option to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, bioenergy crops like reed canary ...grass (RCG) can have a complex influence on GHG fluxes. Here we determined the effect of RCG cultivation on GHG emission from peatland rewetted to various extents. Mesocosms were manipulated to three different ground water levels (GWLs), i.e. 0, −10 and −20 cm below the soil surface in a controlled semi-field facility. Emissions of CO2 (ecosystem respiration, ER), CH4 and N2O from mesocosms with RCG and bare soil were measured at weekly to fortnightly intervals with static chamber techniques for a period of 1 year. Cultivation of RCG increased both ER and CH4 emissions, but decreased the N2O emissions. The presence of RCG gave rise to 69, 75 and 85% of total ER at −20, −10 and 0 cm GWL, respectively. However, this difference was due to decreased soil respiration at the rising GWL as the plant-derived CO2 flux was similar at all three GWLs. For methane, 70–95% of the total emission was due to presence of RCG, with the highest contribution at −20 cm GWL. In contrast, cultivation of RCG decreased N2O emission by 33–86% with the major reductions at −10 and −20 cm GWL. In terms of global warming potential, the increase in CH4 emissions due to RCG cultivation was more than offset by the decrease in N2O emissions at −10 and −20 cm GWL; at 0 cm GWL the CH4 emissions was offset only by 23%. CO2 emissions from ER were obviously the dominant RCG-derived GHG flux, but above-ground biomass yields, and preliminary measurements of gross photosynthetic production, showed that ER could be more than balanced due to the photosynthetic uptake of CO2 by RCG. Our results support that RCG cultivation could be a good land use option in terms of mitigating GHG emission from rewetted peatlands, potentially turning these ecosystems into a sink of atmospheric CO2.
Studies conducted during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic found that obesity increases the risk of severe influenza including hospitalization and death. In this study, we examined the ...relationship of BMI with having laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza and influenza-related respiratory hospitalization.
We linked a cohort of 246,494 adults aged ≥45 years with data on BMI to subsequent laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications and cause-specific hospitalizations from 2006 to 2015. Cox-proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of incident laboratory-confirmed influenza and influenza-related respiratory hospitalizations according to BMI, adjusting for age, sex and other covariates.
After 1,840,408 person-years of follow-up, 1891 participants had laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications (crude rate 10.3/10,000 person-years) of whom 623 were hospitalized for a respiratory illness. Compared to those with healthy BMI (22.5 to <25.0 kg/m
, influenza incidence was respectively 27% (adjusted HR aHR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.10-1.46) and 69% (aHR: 1.69, 1.24-2.29) greater among obese (BMI: 30 to <40 kg/m
and very obese adults (40 to <50 kg/m
. The equivalent aHRs for hospitalization were 1.57 (95% CI: 1.22-2.01) and 4.81 (95% CI: 3.23-7.17). For every 5-unit BMI increase above 22.5 kg/m
, there was a 15% (aHR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.09-1.22) increase in risk of having a diagnosis of influenza and 42% increase in hospitalization (aHR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.30-1.60). These trends did not differ between the pandemic year (2009) and other years.
Our results suggest that obese adults have a similar risk of hospitalization for seasonal influenza as adults with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and should therefore be equally prioritized for funded interventions such as targeted immunization programs.
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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
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