Nanotechnology holds substantial promise in the innovative therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The current study was designed to synthesize and characterize a new graphene titanate nanocomposite ...(GTNc) and explore its anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant potencies against Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats, as well as investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our characterization methods included XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, zeta potential, practical size, and XRF to characterize the novel GTNc. Our findings revealed that arthritic rats treated with GTNc exhibited lower levels of RF, CRP, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17, and ADAMTS-5, and higher levels of IL-4 and TIMP-3. In arthritic rats, GTNc reduced LPO levels while increasing GSH content and GST antioxidant activity. Additionally, GTNc decreased the expression of the TGF-β mRNA gene in arthritic rats. Histopathological investigation showed that GTNc reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, cartilage degradation, and bone destruction in joint injuries caused by CFA in the arthritic rats. Collectively, the anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of GTNc appear promising for future arthritis treatments and bone disability research.
The primary aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that sexual dysfunction is higher in infertile females in relation to normal healthy women through comparing total and sexual domains scores ...in both groups. The secondary objectives were: to determine factors affecting occurrence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in all sample and to determine factors affecting the different sexual domain scores within the infertile group.
This cross sectional study was done at Cairo University Hospital. 200 infertile and 200 control females were evaluated using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Total score less than 26.55 signified sexual dysfunction. Husbands were evaluated by Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) questionnaire. A score less than 22 signified erectile dysfunction (ED).
Proportion of females with sexual dysfunction was higher in the infertile versus control group (47% versus 30%, 95%CI for the difference: 8%, 26%, p-value:<0.001). Total, orgasm, satisfaction and pain scores were significantly lower in infertile versus control group (mean±SD: 26.8±3.8 versus 27.9±3.5, p-value: 0.003; 4.2±0.7 versus 4.6±0.6, p-value: 0.01; 4.9±0.5 versus 5.2±0.5, p-value: 0.004 and 3.9±0.9 versus 4.4±0.7, p-value:<0.001 respectively). Husband SHIM erectile score was significantly lower in the infertile group (median score (range): 19 (5, 25) versus 22 (12, 25), p-value: 0.001). After adjustment for 15factors by logistic regression, the odds ratio of having FSD was 2.6 (95%CI: 1.5, 4.5, p-value: 0.001) in the infertile relative to control females. Secondary (versus primary) infertility was negatively correlated with arousal score (B (95%CI): −0.6 (−0.02, −1.2), p-value: 0.003) while duration of infertility was negatively correlated with arousal, satisfaction and pain domains scores (B (95%CI): −0.2 (−0.08, −0.32), p-value: 0.04; −0.2 (−0.1, −0.3), p-value: 0.005; −0.2 (−0.06, −0.34), p-value: 0.03 respectively).
sexual dysfunction is more prevalent in infertile versus control group. Infertility clinicians should be aware of this problem to assess and treat their patients to improve their quality of life.
Objective
To determine the accuracy of the posterior cervical angle (PCA) compared with the cervical length and the Bishop score in predicting the outcome of induction of labor (IOL).
Methods
The ...present prospective observational study included IOL candidates who had their PCA and cervical length assessed by transvaginal ultrasonography and the Bishop score at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Kasr El‐Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, between April 1 and July 31, 2017. The accuracy of these tests in predicting successful IOL (defined as vaginal delivery) was compared.
Results
The analysis included 49 women with successful IOL and 21 women with unsuccessful IOL. The suggested cutoffs for the prediction of successful IOL were a PCA of more than 99.5°, a cervical length of less than 34 mm, and a Bishop score of more than five. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves for these three measures were not significantly different. However, a PCA of more than 99.5° had the best sensitivity (91.84%), specificity (90.48), positive predictive value (95.7%), negative predictive value (82.6%), positive likelihood ratio (9.64), and negative likelihood ratio (0.09) compared with the other two predictors.
Conclusion
A PCA of more than 99.5° yielded the best accuracy in predicting successful IOL compared with the cervical length and the Bishop score.
ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT03113227.
The posterior cervical angle was a better measure for predicting the success of induction of labor than the cervical length and the traditional Bishop score.
Objective
To evaluate the impact of maternal body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) on labor progress in nulliparous women.
Methods
The ...present prospective cohort study enrolled primigravidae admitted to Kasr Al Ainy hospital, Cairo University, Egypt, during active labor between February 1, 2016, and February 28, 2017. Patients were classified into three equal groups using their BMI at admission: underweight (<18.5), normal weight (18.5–29.9), and obese (≥30). The primary outcome was the rate of cervical dilatation; secondary outcomes included the duration of the second stage of labor, neonatal delivery weight, and the mode of delivery.
Results
Among the 600 primigravidae enrolled (200 in each group), significant differences were recorded in the rates of cervical dilatation (P<0.001), and the duration of the active labor phase (P<0.001) and the whole of labor (P<0.001); in the obese group, the cervical dilatation rate was lowest and the durations of the active phase of labor and the whole of labor were longer. The incidence of intrapartum cesarean delivery (P<0.001) and neonatal delivery weight (P<0.001) also differed between the groups; both were highest in the obese group.
Conclusions
Patterns in labor progress, including cervical dilatation rate and labor duration, differed among patients with different BMI.
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02686073.
Among nulliparous women in Egypt, cervical dilatation rates and labor duration differed with patient body mass index.
Objective
To test the hypothesis that there is a higher rate of unsuccessful induction of labor (IOL) in post-term obese pregnant women compared to non-obese ones.
Methods
In this prospective cohort ...study, 144 obese (BMI > 30) and 144 non-obese (BMI < 29.9) post-term (> 41 weeks) pregnant women were recruited. IOL was done by misoprostol or amniotomy and oxytocin infusion according to the Bishop score. Comparison of percentage of failed IOL in both groups (primary outcome) was performed by the Chi-test. Logistic regression and multivariable regression were performed to assess the odds ratio (OR) of cesarean section (CS) and coefficient of delay in labor till vaginal delivery (VD) in obese versus (vs) non-obese groups. Adjustment for gestational age, parity, Bishop Score, membrane rupture and amniotic fluid index was done in both regression analyses.
Results
CS rate was significantly higher in obese group 26.4 vs 15.9%; difference in proportion (95% CI) 0.1 (0.01, 0.19);
P
value 0.02. 106 (73.6%) obese women and 121 (84.1%) non-obese women delivered vaginally. In addition, the duration till VD was significantly higher in obese group (22 vs 19 h,
P
value 0.01). After adjustment for possible confounding factors, the CS was still higher in the obese group in comparison to non-obese group (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.1, 3.7;
P
value 0.02). This finding suggested that obesity was an independent factor for failure of IOL. In addition, after adjustment for these confounders, obesity had the risk of increasing labor duration by 2.3 h (95% CI 0.1, 4.5) in cases that ended in VD.
Conclusion
Based on our results, we conclude that there is a higher risk of CS in obese postdate pregnant women undergoing IOL in comparison to non-obese counterparts. Therefore, obstetricians should pay more attention to advising pregnant women about optimal weight gain during pregnancy and counseling about the chances of VD in cases of IOL.
ClincalTrial.gov ID
NCT02788305.
Neuroinflammation and cholinergic deficit are key detrimental processes involved in Alzheimer's disease. Hence, in the search for novel and effective treatment strategies, the multi-target-directed ...ligand paradigm was applied to the rational design of two series of new hybrids endowed with anti-inflammatory and anticholinesterase activity via triple targeting properties, namely able to simultaneously hit cholinesterases, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) enzymes. Among the synthesized compounds, triazoles 5b and 5d, and thiosemicarbazide hybrid 6e emerged as promising new hits, being able to effectively inhibit human butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE), COX-2 and 15-LOX enzymes with a higher inhibitory potency than the reference inhibitors tacrine (for hBChE inhibition), celecoxib (for COX-2 inhibition) and both NDGA and Zileuton (for 15-LOX inhibition). In addition, compound 6e proved to be a submicromolar mixed-type inhibitor of human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE). The anti-neuroinflammatory activity of the three most promising hybrids was confirmed in a cell-based assay using PC12 neuron cells, showing decreased expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α. Importantly, despite the structural resemblance to tacrine, they showed ideal safety profiles on hepatic and murine brain cell lines and were safe up to 100 μM when assayed in PC12 cells. All three hybrids were also predicted to have superior BBB permeability than tacrine in the PAMPA assay, and good physicochemical properties, drug-likeness and ligand efficiency indices. Finally, molecular docking studies highlighted key structural elements impacting selectivity and activity toward the selected target enzymes.
To the best of our knowledge, compounds 5b, 5d and 6e are the first balanced, safe and multi-target compounds hitting the disease at the three mentioned hubs.
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•Tetrahydroacridine-triazole and thiosemicarbazide hybrids were synthesized to serve as multi-target directed ligands for Alzheimer’s disease treatment.•Thiosemicarbazide derivative 6e inhibited hAChE, hBChE, COX-2 and 15-LOX enzymes at micromolar concentrations.•Triazoles 5b and 5d selectively inhibited hBChE as well as COX-2 and 15-LOX.•They decreased expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in neuron cell-based assay.•These compounds were safe on both hepatic and neuronal cell lines.
Downy mildew is the most destructive disease of grapevines in the regions of relatively warm and humid climate causing up to 50% yield losses. Application of silicon- (Si-) based products have been ...extensively studied against various oomycete, fungal, bacterial, and viral plant diseases, but studies on Si application in their nanosize are limited. In this study, the field application of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on Thompson Seedless grapevines (H4 strain) infected with downy mildew was evaluated. In addition, molecular, physiological, ultrastructural, and toxicity investigations were also conducted. The obtained results revealed that spraying of grapevines with SiNPs at 150 ppm significantly overexpressed the transcription factor jasmonate and ethylene-responsive factor 3 recording 8.7-fold, and the defense-related genes β-1,3-glucanase (11-fold), peroxidase (10.7-fold) pathogenesis-related-protein 1 (10.6-fold), and chitinase (6.5-fold). Moreover, a reduction up to 81.5% in the disease severity was achieved in response to this treatment. Shoot length and yield per grapevine were considerably enhanced recording up to 26.3 and 23.7% increase, respectively. The berries quality was also improved. Furthermore, this treatment led to an enhancement in the photosynthetic pigments, induction of phenolic and ascorbic acid contents, an increase in the activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes, and a reduction in the cellular electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, and H
2
O
2
content. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed an increase up to 86.6% in the number of closed stomata and a reduction up to 55% in the average stomatal pore area in response to this treatment. Observations of the transmission electron microscopy showed ultrastructural alterations in the cells of a grapevine leaf due to the infection with downy mildew, including plasmolysis and disruption of the cellular components, abnormal chloroplasts, and thickening of the cell wall and cell membrane. These abnormal alterations were reduced in response to SiNPs spray. In contrast, this study also showed that this treatment had considerable cytotoxic and genotoxic effects at this direct dose/concentration. So, additional investigations to determine the SiNPs residue in the produced edible plant parts are urgently needed. In addition, the pre-harvest interval, toxicity index, and risk assessment should be evaluated before any recommendation for use.
To guarantee efficient and stable operation of a microgrid, overcharging and unbalanced state of charge (SOC) of batteries have to be mitigated. An adaptive droop control scheme is proposed in this ...study to provide energy management between distributed batteries having unbalanced SOC and different capacities. The proposed approach suggests using a droop factor proportional to the nth order of SOC in the charging mode and inversely proportional to the nth order of SOC in the discharging mode. Moreover, a modification is proposed to adapt the performance taking into account the battery relative capacity. The relative capacity of an individual battery is defined as the ratio between the maximum capacity of all batteries and the battery capacity. The proposed adaptive droop control scheme is investigated and analysed based on an accurate model of dc microgrid incorporating lithium-ion battery, photovoltaic, permanent-magnet synchronous generator-based wind energy system and constant power loads. Several operating conditions were considered to validate the proposed control approach. The proposed control scheme has been succeeded in keeping the dc bus voltage within limits and equalising SOC of batteries, either having similar or having different capacities.
Seawater desalination powered by solar energy is the most environmentally and economical solution in responding to the global water and energy crisis. However, solar desalination has been negatively ...impacted by intermittent sun radiation that alternates between day and night. In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was recycled
via
the pyrolysis process to biochar as a cost-effective solar absorber. Besides, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material was encapsulated in the abundant pore structure of biochar to store the thermal energy for 24 hours of continuous steam generation. The BDB/1.5 PEG evaporator exhibited an evaporation rate of 2.11 kg m
−2
h
−1
(98.1% efficiency) under 1 sun irradiation. Additionally, the BDB/1.5 PEG evaporator incorporated by the TEC1-12706 module for continuous steam and electricity generation with a power density of 320.41 mW m
−2
. Moreover, 10 continuous hours of evaporation were applied to the composite demonstrating outstanding stability. The composite exhibited high water purification efficiency through solar desalination due to the abundant functional groups on the biochar surface. Finally, the resulting low-cost and highly efficient PCM-based absorber can be used on a wide scale to produce fresh water and energy.
Seawater desalination powered by solar energy is the most environmentally and economical solution in responding to the global water and energy crisis.
Researchers are constantly searching for drugs to combat the coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has lasted for over two years. Natural compounds such as phenolic acids are being tested ...against Mpro and AAK1, which are key players in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. This research work aims to study the ability of a panel of natural phenolic acids to inhibit the virus's multiplication directly through Mpro and indirectly by affecting the adaptor-associated protein kinase-1 (AAK1). Pharmacophore mapping, molecular docking, and dynamic studies were conducted over 50 ns and 100 ns on a panel of 39 natural phenolic acids. Rosmarinic acid (16) on the Mpro receptor (- 16.33 kcal/mol) and tannic acid (17) on the AAK1 receptor (- 17.15 kcal/mol) exhibited the best docking energy against both receptors. These favourable docking score values were found to be superior to those of the co-crystallized ligands. Preclinical and clinical research is required before using them simultaneously to halt the COVID-19 life cycle in a synergistic manner.
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