•Bionanocomposites were prepared as coating materials for Ras cheese.•Different ratios of TiO2 nanoparticle were used during bionanocomposite preparation.•The TiO2-NPs and bionanocomposites were ...characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM.•The obtained CS/PVA/TiO2 bionanocomposites displayed good WVTR, mechanical and barrier properties.•The cheese was kept free from surface mould growth up to 3 months by using the developed coating material.
The aim of the present study was to prepare and characterize bionanocomposite materials, and to evaluate its use in the coating of Ras cheese. The bionanocomposite materials were made from mixture of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol with loading of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) from (0.5–2%). The prepared nanoparticles as well as the bionanocomposites were evaluated using, XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR and final contact angle. Furthermore, the mechanical properties and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of the fabricated bionanocomposites were evaluated. The impacts of coating Ras cheese with the prepared bionanocomposite on weight losses and microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics of the Ras cheese were assessed during ripening in comparison to the uncoated cheese. Coating of cheese decreased the weight and moisture losses but didn't affect the normal ripening changes in the microbiological, chemical and textural properties of Ras cheese. Coating cheese with film containing 2% TiO2-NPs eliminated mold growth on the cheese surface.
Electrostatic arch micro-tweezers Alneamy, Ayman M.; Khater, Mahmoud E.; Abdel-Aziz, Ahmed K. ...
International journal of non-linear mechanics,
January 2020, 2020-01-00, 20200101, Letnik:
118
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This paper presents a novel electrostatic micro-tweezers to manipulate particles with diameters up to 14 μm. The tweezers consist of two grip-arms mounted to an electrostatically actuated initially ...curved micro-beam. It exploits bistable equilibria, resulting from a snap-through instability, to close the separation distance between the two arms allowing them to grasp a large range of objects. The tweezers offer further control beyond the snap-through point, via electrostatic actuation, to increase pressure on larger objects or grasp smaller objects. The tweezers are fabricated in a p-type Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafer. Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is utilized to derive the governing equation of motion taking into account the arms' rotary inertia and the electrostatic fringing field. A reduced-order model (ROM) is developed utilizing two, three and five symmetric modes in a Galerkin expansion. A finite element model (FEM) is also developed to validate the ROM and to study the arm tips' separation as a function of actuation voltage. The five-mode ROM is found to be convergent and accurate except in the vicinity of the snap-through saddle-node bifurcation. Our analysis shows that the tweezers can manipulate micro-particles with diameters ranging from 5 to 12μm with an operating voltage range limited by the snap-back voltage 100.2V and the pull-in voltage 153.2V.
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A series of quinazolinone-based rhodanine-3-acetic acids was synthesized and tested for in vitro aldose reductase inhibitory activity. All the target compounds displayed nanomolar ...activity against the target enzyme. Compounds 3a, 3b, and 3e exhibited almost 3-fold higher activity as compared to the only marketed reference drug epalrestat. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that bulky substituents at the 3-phenyl ring of the quinazolinone moiety are generally not tolerated in the active site of the enzyme. Insertion of a methoxy group on the central benzylidene ring was found to have a variable effect on ALR-2 activity depending on the nature of peripheral quinazolinone ring substituents. Removal of the acetic acid moiety led to inactive or weakly active target compounds. Docking and molecular dynamic simulations of the most active rhodanine-3-acetic acid derivatives were also carried out, to provide the basis for further structure-guided design of novel inhibitors.
In this work, dioctyl phthalate (Dop) was used as a highly plasticizing material to coat and link the surface of basic cellulose (Cel) with baker's yeast for the formation of a novel modified ...cellulose biosorbent (Cel-Dop-Yst). Characterization was accomplished by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) measurements. The feasibility of using Cel-Dop-Yst biosorbent as an efficient material for removal of Co(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions was explored using the batch equilibrium technique along with various experimental controlling parameters. The optimum pH values for removal of these metal ions were characterized in the range of 5.0-7.0. Cel-Dop-Yst was identified as a highly selective biosorbent for removal of the selected divalent metal ions. The Cel-Dop-Yst biosorbent was successfully implemented in treatment and removal of these divalent metal ions from industrial wastewater, sea water and drinking water samples using a multistage microcolumn technique.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and the second cause of cancer related mortality. Treatment options for patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) expanded ...during the last two decades, with introduction of new chemotherapeutic and targeted agents. Egypt is a lower middle-income country; Egyptian health care system is fragmented with wide diversity in drug availability and reimbursement policies across different health care providing facilities. We report the results of consensus recommendations for treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer developed by Egyptian Foundation of Medical Sciences (EFMS), aiming to harmonize clinical practice through structured expert consensus-based recommendations consistent with the national status. EFMS recommendations could be utilized in other countries with similar economic status.
EFMS recommendations were developed using a modified Delphi process, with three rounds of voting till the final recommendations were approved. A non-systematic review of literature was conducted before generating the provisional statements. Content experts were asked to vote on some recommendations in two different resource groups (restricted resources and non-restricted resources). External review board of experts from a low income and lower-middle countries voted on the applicability of EFMS recommendations in their countries.
The current recommendations highlighted the discrepancy in health care between restricted and non-restricted resources with expected survival loss and quality of life deterioration. Access to targeted agents in first line is very limited in governmental institutions, and no access to agents approved for third line in patients who failed oxaliplatin and irinotecan containing regimens for patients treated in restricted resource settings.
Management of mCRC in developing countries is a challenge. The currently available resource-stratified guidelines developed by international cancer societies represent a valuable decision-making tool, adaptation to national status in each country based on healthcare system status is required.
The precise analysis of the contents of the red carrot is still ambiguous and its role in the maintenance of male fertility needs to be further reconnoitered. Hence, this study targets the ...physiological impacts of either red carrot methanolic extract (RCME) or vitamin E (Vit. E), co-administrated with cadmium chloride (CdCl2) on rat testes, specifically those concerned with apoptosis and oxidative challenge. Four groups of adult male rats (n = 12) are used; control, CdCl2, CdCl2 + Vit. E and CdCl2 + RCME. LC-MS analysis of RCME reveals the presence of 20 different phytochemical compounds. Our data clarify the deleterious effects of CdCl2 on testicular weights, semen quality, serum hormonal profile, oxidative markers and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Histopathological changes in testicular, prostatic and semen vesicle glandular tissues are also observed. Interestingly, our data clearly demonstrate that co-administration of either RCME or Vit. E with CdCl2 significantly succeeded in the modulation (p < 0.05) of all of these negative effects. The most striking is that they were potent enough to modulate the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as having the ability to correct the impaired semen picture, oxidant status and hormonal profile. Thus, RCME and Vit. E could be used as effective prophylactic treatments to protect the male reproductive physiology against CdCl2 insult.
Because of altered airway microbiome in asthma, we analysed the bacterial species in sputum of patients with severe asthma.
Whole genome sequencing was performed on induced sputum from non-smoking ...(SAn) and current or ex-smoker (SAs/ex) severe asthma patients, mild/moderate asthma (MMA) and healthy controls (HC). Data were analysed by asthma severity, inflammatory status and transcriptome-associated clusters (TACs).
α-diversity at the species level was lower in SAn and SAs/ex, with an increase in Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei, respectively, compared to HC. In neutrophilic asthma, there was greater abundance of Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis and in eosinophilic asthma, Tropheryma whipplei was increased. There was a reduction in α-diversity in TAC1 and TAC2 that expressed high levels of Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei, and Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, respectively, compared to HC. Sputum neutrophils correlated positively with Moraxella catarrhalis and negatively with Prevotella, Neisseria and Veillonella species and Haemophilus parainfluenzae. Sputum eosinophils correlated positively with Tropheryma whipplei which correlated with pack-years of smoking. α- and β-diversities were stable at one year.
Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis were more abundant in severe neutrophilic asthma and TAC2 linked to inflammasome and neutrophil activation, while Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma whipplei were highest in SAs/ex and in TAC1 associated with highest expression of IL-13 type 2 and ILC2 signatures with the abundance of Tropheryma whipplei correlating positively with sputum eosinophils. Whether these bacterial species drive the inflammatory response in asthma needs evaluation.
Background
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that is mediated by elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Surfactant proteins (SPs) play an important role in host defense ...mechanisms. They are thought to have a potential role in some inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis.
Objective
The aim of the study was to evaluate SP-A and SP-B immunohistochemical staining in skin of psoriatic patients before and after narrow-band UV radiation type B (NB-UVB) phototherapy.
Study Design
Immunohistochemical staining for SP-A and SP-B was performed on tissues from 20 psoriatic patients before and after NB-UVB. Results were compared with the degree of improvement assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and duration of treatment.
Results
In unaffected skin, SP-A and SP-B were restricted to the basal layer; however, in psoriatic skin, they appeared in suprabasal layers in 80% and 85% of cases, respectively. Dermal inflammatory cells showed SP-A in 11 cases (55%) and SP-B in only one case (5%). After treatment by NB-UVB, SP-A and SP-B staining showed predilection to the basal layer. Absence of SP-A staining in suprabasal layers after NB-UVB therapy was correlated to better response to therapy (p = 0.003) and shorter duration of treatment (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions
SP-A and SP-B positivity is increased in psoriatic skin and reduced after NB-UVB therapy. Absence of SP-A in suprabasal layers after NB-UVB therapy is associated with better response and shorter duration of treatment.
A new series of 2,6-substituted-quinazolin-4-ones was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro DHFR inhibition, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities. Compounds
22,
33–37,
39–43, and
...45 proved to be active DHFR inhibitors with IC
50 range of 0.4–1.0
μM. Compound
18 showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity comparable to the known antibiotic gentamicin. Compounds
34 and
36 showed antitumor activity at GI
50 (MG-MID) concentrations of 11.2, and 24.2
μM, respectively. Molecular modeling study including flexible alignment; electrostatic, hydrophobic mappings; and pharmacophore prediction were performed. A main featured pharmacophore model was developed which justifies the importance of the main pharmacophoric groups as well as of their relative distances. The substitution pattern and spatial considerations of the π-systems in regard to the quinazoline nucleus proved critical for biological activity.
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