Gliomas are the most common malignant brain tumors with different grades that highly determine the rate of survival in patients. Tumor segmentation and grading using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ...are common and essential for diagnosis and treatment planning. To achieve this clinical need, a deep learning approach that combines convolutional neural networks (CNN) based on the U-net for tumor segmentation and transfer learning based on a pre-trained convolution-base of Vgg16 and a fully connected classifier for tumor grading was developed. The segmentation and grading models use the same pipeline of T1-precontrast, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and T1-postcontrast MRI images of 110 patients of lower-grade glioma (LGG) for training and evaluations. The mean dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and tumor detection accuracy achieved by the segmentation model are 0.84 and 0.92, respectively. The grading model classifies LGG into grade II and grade III with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.89, 0.87, and 0.92, respectively at the MRI images' level and 0.95, 0.97, and 0.98 at the patients’ level. This work demonstrates the potential of using deep learning in MRI images to provide a non-invasive tool for simultaneous and automated tumor segmentation, detection, and grading of LGG for clinical applications.
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•Magnetic resonance imaging can provide non-invasive detailed images of the brain.•Automatic tumor segmentation and grading are beneficial for treatment planning.•Deep learning using U-net shows promise for automatic brain tumor segmentation.•Transfer learning using Vgg16 can be used for grading gliomas of brain tumors.•Tumor segmentation, detection, and grading are essential tools for clinical use.
Quercetin (QtN) displays low systemic bioavailability caused by poor water solubility and instability. Consequently, it exerts limited anticancer action in vivo. One solution to increase the ...anticancer efficacy of QtN is the use of appropriate functionalized nanocarriers that preferentially target and deliver the drug to the tumor location. Herein, a direct advanced method was designed to develop water-soluble hyaluronic acid (HA)-QtN-conjugated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). HA-QtN reduced silver nitrate (AgNO
) while acting as a stabilizing agent to produce AgNPs. Further, HA-QtN#AgNPs served as an anchor for folate/folic acid (FA) conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The resulting PEG-FA-HA-QtN#AgNPs (further abbreviated as PF/HA-QtN#AgNPs) were characterized both in vitro and ex vivo. Physical characterizations included UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size (PS) and zeta potential (ZP) measurements, and biopharmaceutical evaluations. The biopharmaceutical evaluations included analyses of the cytotoxic effects on the HeLa and Caco-2 cancer cell lines using the MTT assay; cellular drug intake into cancer cells using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy; and blood compatibility using an automatic hematology analyzer, a diode array spectrophotometer, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The prepared hybrid delivery nanosystem was hemocompatible and more oncocytotoxic than the free, pure QtN. Therefore, PF/HA-QtN#AgNPs represent a smart nano-based drug delivery system (NDDS) and could be a promising oncotherapeutic option if the data are validated in vivo.
Different types of central venous catheters (CVCs) have been used in clinical practice to improve the quality of life of chronically and critically ill patients. Unfortunately, indwelling devices are ...usually associated with microbial biofilms and eventually lead to catheter-related bloodstream infections (CLABSIs).An estimated 250,000-400,000 CLABSIs occur every year in the United States, at a rate of 1.5 per 1,000 CVC days and a mortality rate of 12-25 %. The annual cost of caring for patients with CLABSIs ranges from 296 million to 2.3 billion dollars.Biofilm formation occurs on biotic and abiotic surfaces in the clinical setting. Extensive studies have been conducted to understand biofilm formation, including different biofilm developmental stages, biofilm matrix compositions, quorum-sensing regulated biofilm formation, biofilm dispersal (and its clinical implications), and multi-species biofilms that are relevant to polymicrobial infections.When microbes form a matured biofilm within human hosts through medical devices such as CVCs, the infection becomes resistant to antibiotic treatment and can develop into a chronic condition. For that reason, many techniques have been used to prevent the formation of biofilm by targeting different stages of biofilm maturation. Other methods have been used to diagnose and treat established cases of CLABSI.Catheter removal is the conventional management of catheter associated bacteremia; however, the procedure itself carries a relatively high risk of mechanical complications. Salvaging the catheter can help to minimize these complications.In this article, we provide an overview of microbial biofilm formation; describe the involvement of various genetic determinants, adhesion proteins, organelles, mechanism(s) of biofilm formation, polymicrobial infections, and biofilm-associated infections on indwelling intravascular catheters; and describe the diagnosis, management, and prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections.
The aim of the present study was to investigate alterations in gut microbiota associated with hypercholesterolemia and treatment with atorvastatin, a commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug. In ...this study, seven experimental groups of rats were developed based on diets high-fat diet (HFD) and normal chow diet (NCD) and various doses of atorvastatin in HFD and NCD groups. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbiota. Atorvastatin significantly reduced the cholesterol level in treated rats. Bacterial diversity was decreased in the drug-treated NCD group compared to the NCD control, but atorvastatin-treated HFD groups showed a relative increase in biodiversity compared to HFD control group. Atorvastatin promoted the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and reduced the abundance of Firmicutes in drug-treated HFD groups. Among the dominant taxa in the drug-treated HFD groups, Oscillospira, Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus, unclassified CF231, YRC22 (Paraprevotellaceae), and SMB53 (Clostridiaceae) showed reversion in population distribution toward NCD group relative to HFD group. Drug-treated HFD and NCD groups both showed an increased relative abundance of Helicobacter. Overall, bacterial community composition was altered, and diversity of gut microbiota increased with atorvastatin treatment in HFD group. Reversion in relative abundance of specific dominant taxa was observed with drug treatment to HFD rats.
is a common dangerous pathogen for humans and animals and is widely present in the digestive system. The genus
is ubiquitous, as it is endemic to surface water, soil, and sewage. In this study, 70 ...samples were obtained from soil-dwelling invertebrates from September 2021 to March 2022 from Taif and Shafa in different altitudinal regions of Saudi Arabia. Fifteen of these samples were identified as
spp. The
isolates were genetically identified as
using rDNA sequencing. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the
isolates was determined. Amplification of virulence genes was performed using PCR. In this study, 16S rDNA sequencing showed a similarity from 98% to 100% with related
from the NCBI database, and the sequences were deposited in the NCBI GenBank under accession numbers ON077036 to ON077050. The growth inhibition properties of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the medicinal plant
's leaves against
strains using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method and disc diffusion were evaluated. In addition, the biofilm inhibitory potential of these extracts was investigated using crystal violet. HPLC analysis identified 19 components divided into 6 flavonoids, 11 phenolic acids, stilbene (resveratrol), and quinol, and revealed variations in the number of components and their quantities between extracts. Both extracts demonstrated interesting antibacterial properties against
isolates. The 2 extracts also showed strong biofilm inhibitory activities, with percentages of inhibition extending from 81.5% to 98.7% and from 35.1% to 85.8% for the ethanolic and methanolic extracts, respectively.
leaf extract revealed powerful antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against
isolates and could be a good candidate for the treatment or prevention of
-related infections.
Biofilm formation by enterococci Mohamed, Jamal A; Huang, David B
Journal of Medical Microbiology/Journal of medical microbiology,
12/2007, Letnik:
56, Številka:
Pt 12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Enterococci are an important global cause of nosocomial infections, being increasingly associated with urinary tract infections, endocarditis, intra-abdominal and pelvic infections, catheter-related ...infections, surgical wound infections, and central nervous system infections. The two most common enterococci species are Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Both are capable of producing biofilms, which consist of a population of cells attached irreversibly on various biotic and abiotic surfaces, encased in a hydrated matrix of exopolymeric substances. Many environmental and genetic factors are associated or have been proposed to be associated with the production of biofilm. This review discusses recent advances in knowledge about the biology and genetics of biofilm formation and the role of biofilms in enterococci pathogenesis.
The use of waste materials has gained attention as a sustainable approach in various industries. Cigarette waste, which is typically discarded as a non-recyclable material, poses a significant ...environmental challenge due to its toxicity and slow decomposition rate. However, by incorporating this waste into ceramic bricks, new approaches for waste management and resource utilization are explored. This research work provides a detailed evaluation of the possibility of utilizing natural zeolite tuff incorporated with cigarette waste to produce sustainable ceramic bricks. Uniform powders are produced by milling various combinations of zeolitic tuff and cigarette waste using a planetary ball mill. The substitution ratios ranged from 0% to 12% by weight of the zeolitic tuff, with increments of 2%. Ceramic discs were formed by dry pressing and then subjected to sintering at different heat treatment temperatures (950–1250 °C). The impact of the inclusion of cigarette waste on the microstructural and technical features of zeolite tuff-based ceramic bricks has been thoroughly investigated. The results of the experiments demonstrate that incorporating cigarette waste into the development of ceramic bricks leads to improved thermal insulation properties, with thermal conductivity ranging from 0.33 to 0.93 W/m·K. Additionally, these bricks exhibit a lighter weight in a range of 1.45 to 1.96 g/cm3. Although the inclusion of cigarette waste slightly reduces the compressive strength, with values ranging from 6.96 to 58.6 MPa, it still falls within the acceptable range specified by standards. The inclusion of cigarette waste into zeolite tuff is an innovative approach and sustainable practice for reducing energy consumption in buildings while simultaneously addressing the issue of waste disposal and pollution mitigation.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with unmet medical need, and is the leading cause of age-related dementia affecting millions of people worldwide. This work aims ...at developing small, high-drug loading capacity (DL) and -entrapment efficiency (EE) memantine hydrochloride (MEM)/chitosan nanocrystals (CS-NCs) to treat moderate to severe dementia associated with AD. MEM-loaded chitosan nanocrystals (MEM/CS-NCs, further abbreviated as MEM-NCs) were prepared by the ionic gelation method. Different formulations were prepared by varying the concentrations of CS and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). The prepared MEM-NCs formulations (n = 8) were evaluated for their particle size (PS), polydispersibility index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), DL, EE and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, in vitro (i.e., release behavior, cytotoxicity) and ex vivo studies (i.e., histopathology) studies were carried out. The results show that the DL was over 92% and the EE was higher than 73%, while the particles were relatively small with nanometric PS (152.63 ± 12.95 to 310.23 ± 10.49 nm), uniform with acceptable PDI (0.336 ± 0.05 to 0.534 ± 0.02), and stable with positive ZP (23.8 ± 0.4 mV to 54.0 ± 0.5 mV). The optimal formulation (MEM-NC3) was selected mainly based on the PS (152.63 ± 12.95 nm), DL (98.44 ± 3.31%), and EE (78.7 ± 3.11%). Interestingly, it does not elicit any cytotoxic and tissue damage when examining at goat nasal mucosa. The selected formulation was subjected to surface morphological studies such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that the NCs were spherical in shape and small (100 nm). Interestingly, the selected formulation was able to sustain the drug release for up to 24 h with an initial burst release (86.51 %). We conclude that the prepared MEM-NCs represent a promising drug formulation for further in vivo studies (in animal models and in a clinical setting) to prevent and treat AD.
Abstract
Three-phase induction motors (TIMs) are widely used for machines in industrial operations. As an accurate and robust controller, fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is crucial in designing TIMs ...control systems. The performance of FLC highly depends on the membership function (MF) variables, which are evaluated by heuristic approaches, leading to a high processing time. To address these issues, optimisation algorithms for TIMs have received increasing interest among researchers and industrialists. Here, we present an advanced and efficient quantum-inspired lightning search algorithm (QLSA) to avoid exhaustive conventional heuristic procedures when obtaining MFs. The accuracy of the QLSA based FLC (QLSAF) speed control is superior to other controllers in terms of transient response, damping capability and minimisation of statistical errors under diverse speeds and loads. The performance of the proposed QLSAF speed controller is validated through experiments. Test results under different conditions show consistent speed responses and stator currents with the simulation results.
Many years back, during Islamic civilization, truffle (Kama'ah) was mentioned by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) to be well recognized as a therapeutic for eye diseases. (“In the Sahihain, it is narrated ...that the Prophet said: “The Kama'ah (truffle) is among the manna (which is a food mentioned in the Qura'n, Surah al-Baqarah), and its water (extract or juice) cures the eye diseases”). Truffles represent a large group of soil fungi belonging to Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. Because of their exceptionally profitable protein, fat, polysaccharide, carbohydrate, ash, mineral, phenolic and other organic molecule contents, truffles have been appreciated as food, nutritional and therapeutic sources for many years.
The main aim of this review is to highlight a comprehensive compile of truffles traditional uses, mycochemistry, pharmacological properties and nutritional value with special focus on desert truffles. Such review represents a good candidate reference for future truffle research.
In this review, we discuss the traditional aspects of truffles with reference to Prophetic Traditional Medicine (al-Tibb al-Nabawi) to cure aliments such as trachoma. The use of truffles is justified by many recent research findings with regards to their anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer properties. Although the molecular mechanism and functions of the different truffle species have been intensively studied, we look forward to translating these traditional remedies into preclinical and clinical applications.
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•During Islamic civilization, truffle (Kama'ah) was mentioned by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) to be therapeutic for eye diseases.•Truffles have been appreciated as food, nutritional and therapeutic sources for many years.•The recent studies have shown that truffles have many biological activities, i.e., anti-oxidants, anti-cancer, cytotoxic, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activities.•The traditional uses of truffles should be translated clinical application.
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