Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a serious complication of pregnancy involving nausea and vomiting which affects all facets of the lives of many women.
infection has been linked to HG in some regions ...of the world. However, the prevalence of
in Saudi Arabian pregnant women and its link to HG has not been the subject of previous research. Detecting and treating
infection in women early in their pregnancies may lower the likelihood of adverse maternal outcomes. This study aims to assess the connection between the pathogenesis of HG and
infection in this population.
Forty-five pregnant women with HG were recruited from the outpatient clinic for antenatal care in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Forty-five pregnant women without HG were matched as controls. Both groups underwent testing for the
antigen in stool samples.
A statistically significant difference (
< 0.05) was observed between the cases and controls in terms of the occurrence of
. Thirty-eight women in the HG group (84.4%) tested positive for
, while the same was true of only 20 of the controls (44.4%). The mean level of blood hemoglobin in positive cases was significantly lower than that in negative cases (9.56 ± 1.29 vs. 11.90 ± 1.18 g/dl,
= 0.012).
may play a contributing role in the presence of HG in the study population. It may be included with other investigations of HG, especially with cases that do not respond to conventional management and continue into the second trimester. Women with
were also more likely to suffer from anemia compared to those without the infection. For this reason, those working with pregnant women should pay close attention to those infected with
. Additional large case-control studies are necessary to better understand the part
plays and the pathogenesis of HG.
The aim of this retrospective study was to determine if penicillin allergy and/or clindamycin therapy may contribute to a higher incidence of postsurgical infections after bone augmentation.
This ...retrospective study analyzed patients between 2014 and 2019 who received bone augmentation procedures (socket grafting SG; ridge augmentation RA) prior to placement of dental implants. All the grafting procedures were performed under preoperative and postoperative oral antibiotic coverage with either amoxicillin or clindamycin for patients who reported penicillin allergy. Infections associated with the bone augmentation procedures were recorded.
In this study, 1,814 patients received 2,961 bone augmentation procedures (2,530 SG, 431 RA). In the 2,530 SG procedures, 270 (10.7%) were associated with a penicillin allergy. Infections occurred in 91 of the 2,530 SG sites (3.6%). However, the infection rate was 10.7% (29 SG sites) for clindamycin and only 2.7% (62 SG sites) for amoxicillin (P < .02). In the 431 RA procedures, 71 (16.5%) were associated with a penicillin allergy. Overall infections occurred in 31 of the 431 sites (7.2%). However, the infection rate was 22.5% (16 RA sites) for clindamycin and only 4.2% for amoxicillin (15 RA sites; P < .01). Penicillin-allergic patients taking clindamycin demonstrated a higher risk of infection with a risk ratio of 6.9 (95% CI) and 4.5 (95% CI) compared with nonallergic patients taking amoxicillin for RA and SG, respectively.
Penicillin allergy and the use of clindamycin following SG and RA procedures was associated with a higher rate of infection and may be a risk factor for bone augmentation complications.
Dialysis therapy has remarkably evolved through the innovation in dialyzers and hemodialysis modalities, enhancing patients' quality of life. The efficacy of dialysis can be determined by measuring ...the reduction ratio (RR) of middle molecules such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Procalcitonin. In our study, we tested a high-flux dialyzer, BIOPURE (Biorema) 260 HF, with a surface area (SA) of 2.6 m2, in terms of IL-6 and Procalcitonin removal while performing high-flux hemodialysis (HF-HD) and post-dilution online hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF). This crossover study comprised 25 patients who received a session of HF-HD using the BIOPURE (Biorema) 260 H, followed by a session of post-dilution OL-HDF. A washout period of 2 weeks was instilled between the two sessions, during which the patients received HF-HD using high-flux dialyzers (maximum SA 2.0 m2). All patients' pre/post dialysis concentrations of IL-6 and procalcitonin were measured. The dialyzer used in this study resulted in a significant IL-6 RR of 44.92±5.11% (p <0.001) with HDF and 32.48±5.72% (p <0.001) with HF-HD; and a procalcitonin RR of 50.32±3.94% (p <0.001) with HDF and 41.80±4.32% (p <0.001) with HF-HD. In conclusion, the dialyzer BIOPURE (Biorema) 260 HF (SA 2.6 m2) is efficient in eliminating IL-6 and procalcitonin, especially with OL-HDF compared to HF-HD, with acceptable albumin loss in the dialysate.
In this study Fe-Cu supported on Alginate-limestone (Fe-Cu/Alg-LS) was prepared. The increase in surface area was the main motivation for the synthesis of ternary composites. Scanning electronic ...microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the surface morphology, particle size, percentage of crystallinity, and elemental content of the resultant composite. Fe-Cu/Alg-LS was used as an adsorbent for the removal of drugs such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LEV)from contaminated medium. The adsorption parameters were computed using kinetic and isotherm models. The maximum removal efficiency of CIP (20 ppm) and LEV (10 ppm) was found to be 97.3% and 100%, respectively. The optimal conditions were pH 6 and 7 for CIP and LEV, optimum contact time 45, 40 min for CIP and LEV, and temperature of 303 K. The pseudo-second-order model, which confirmed the chemisorption properties of the process, was the most appropriate kinetic model among the ones used, and the Langmuir model, which was the most appropriate isotherm model. Moreover, the parameters of thermodynamics were also assessed. The results imply that the synthesized nanocomposites can be used to remove hazard materials from aqueous solutions.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of self-evaluation, professional status and several demographic factors in predicting burnout among nurses in Jordan. This study was performed on ...a stratified convenience sample of 350 nurses from 6 hospitals. Modified versions of burnout inventory, self-evaluation scale, and professional status scale were developed, validated and used in this study. Burnout, self-evaluation, and professional status are all found to be at moderate levels. Furthermore, self-evaluation and professional status are found to be important predictors of burnout. On the other hand, although type of hospital and educational level are found to be associated with the level of burnout, overall none of the studied demographic factors was found to be a significant predictor of burnout among nurses in Jordan.
Nano-ZnO and Co–ZnO supported algae (
Sargassum
species) were synthesized as a novel composite of promising photocatalytic activities in decolorization of malachite green dye under a visible light ...source. The composites were characterized by different analytical techniques, and the results confirmed the loading process and the formation of composites of low band gap energies for ZnO/algae composite (2.45 eV) and Co–ZnO/algae composite (2.32 eV). The composites were used as photocatalysts for the rapid degradation of malachite green dye (MG) within the visible light zone. The synthetic catalysts showed stunning photocatalytic activities reflected in the complete degradation of 5 mg/L of MG after 10 min using 0.06 g of ZnO/algae and 0.05 g of Co–ZnO/algae at pH 7. Also, the studied composites showed high efficiency in the degradation of higher MG concentration (10 mg/L and 15 mg/L). The photocatalytic performances were enhanced by 58% for ZnO/algae and about 75% for Co–ZnO/algae as compared to pure ZnO without support. Moreover, they have high reusability properties and are applied effectively in seven cycles of MG degradation reusing tests. The active species trapping tests reflected the dominance of the electron–hole pairs in the visible light degradation of MG by ZnO/algae. For Co–ZnO/algae composite, the degradation mechanism appears to be controlled by both the electron–hole pairs and hydroxyl radicals with a similar effect.
Graphic abstract
Background
Nanomaterials have emerged as a fascinating class of materials in high demand for a variety of practical applications. They are classified based on their composition, dimensions, or ...morphology. For the synthesis of nanomaterials, two approaches are used: top-down approaches and bottom-up approaches.
Main body of the abstract
Nanoscale materials and structures have the potential to be used in the production of newly developed devices with high efficiency, low cost, and low energy demand in a variety of applications. There are several contributions in renewable energy conversion and storage in the energy sector, such as solar photovoltaic systems, fuel cells, solar thermal systems, lithium-ion batteries, and lighting. Furthermore, nanofluid-based solar collectors are a new generation of solar collectors based on the use of nanotechnology. It has the potential to increase collector efficiency by up to 30%.
Short conclusion
Graphene and graphene derivatives are known as more efficient energy-saving materials, with the ability to maximize heat transfer efficiency and save up to 30% of energy in water desalination. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are a powerful antibacterial material that can kill a wide variety of microorganisms. They are commonly used in water treatment and are incorporated into polyethersulfone (PES) microfiltration membranes. The use of an Ag-PES membrane improved the antibiofouling performance of PES membranes. From the industrial application of nanotechnology, applications of TiO
2
-based nanocoatings that can be used as dust-repellent coatings for solar panels improve their efficiency and reduce the amount of required maintenance. Furthermore, the nanoscale dimension of these particles facilitates their movement in various body parts, resulting in serious diseases such as cancer and organ damage. As a result, it is suggested to focus in our incoming research on the disposal of nanomaterial waste and their safe application.
Mercury (Hg), especially in organic form, is a highly toxic pollutant affecting plants, animals, and man. In plants, the primary target of Hg damage is the chloroplast; Hg inhibits electron transport ...and photosynthesis. In the present study, chloroplast genetic engineering is used for the first time to our knowledge to enhance the capacity of plants for phytoremediation. This was achieved by integrating a native operon containing the merA and merB genes (without any codon modification), which code for mercuric ion reductase (merA) and organomercurial lyase (merB), respectively, into the chloroplast genome in a single transformation event. Stable integration of the merAB operon into the chloroplast genome resulted in high levels of tolerance to the organomercurial compound, phenylmercuric acetate (PMA) when grown in soil containing up to 400 μM PMA; plant dry weights of the chloroplast transformed lines were significantly higher than those of wild type at 100, 200, and 400 μM PMA. That the merAB operon was stably integrated into the chloroplast genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern-blot analyses. Northern-blot analyses revealed stable transcripts that were independent of the presence or absence of a 3′-untranslated region downstream of the coding sequence. The merAB dicistron was the more abundant transcript, but less abundant monocistrons were also observed, showing that specific processing occurs between transgenes. The use of chloroplast transformation to enhance Hg phytoremediation is particularly beneficial because it prevents the escape of transgenes via pollen to related weeds or crops and there is no need for codon optimization to improve transgene expression. Chloroplast transformation may also have application to other metals that affect chloroplast function.
Dendritic cells (DCs) control the strength and quality of antigen-specific adaptive immune responses. This is critical for launching a robust immunity against invading pathogens while maintaining a ...state of tolerance to self-antigens. However, this also represents a fundamental barrier to anti-tumor immune responses and cancer immunotherapy. DCs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a key role in this process. The factors in the TME and signaling networks that program DCs to a regulatory state are not fully understood. Recent advances point to novel mechanisms by which the canonical Wnt signaling cascade in DCs regulates immune suppression, and the same pathway in tumors is associated with the evasion of anti-tumor immunity. Here, we review these recent advances in the context of the pleiotropic effects of the Wnts in shaping anti-tumor immune responses by modulating DC functions. In addition, we will discuss how Wnt/β-catenin pathway in DCs can be targeted for successful cancer immunotherapy.
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