It is reported in literature that zinc (Zn2+) has antidepressant activity. In present study Zn2+ was analyzed in blood serum of male patients having various psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, ...depression, bipolar). As it is usually present in trace levels. Hence a novel, environmental friendly, dual-cloud point extraction (d-CPE) method was developed for the enrichment of its trace levels in acid digested serum samples. In the first step of d-CPE, Zn2+ was complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN), and the complex was entrapped in a nonionic surfactant (Triton X-114). After achieving cloud point by heating, the mixture was separated into two layers i.e. aqueous and surfactant-rich by centrifugation. In second step of d-CPE, the analyte complex in the surfactant-rich phase was treated wih acid to extract back the metal analytes in acidic aqueous phase, the mixture was again heated upto cloud point and the whole procedure was repeated. This time the aqueous phase, having the metals, was taken and subjected to FAAS using conventional nebulization. The accuracy of the developed methodologies (conventional and d-CPE), were verified by their application to certified reference material of serum (CRM). Reliability of the method was checked by relative standard deviation (%RSD), which was found to be <5%. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated for the proposed method as 1.09μg/L, and 3.63 respectively and enhancement factor was found to be 40. The developed procedure was successfully applied to the serum samples of patients (male) having different psychiatric disorders and non-psychiatric control subjects for the determination of Zn2+.
Cannabinoids are a group of bioactive compounds abundantly present in
plant. The active components of cannabis with therapeutic potential are known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are divided into ...three groups: plant-derived cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids), endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), and synthetic cannabinoids. These compounds play a crucial role in the regulation various physiological processes including the immune modulation by interacting with the endocannabinoid system (A complex cell-signaling system). Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) stimulates the binding of orexigenic peptides and inhibits the attachment of anorexigenic proteins to hypothalamic neurons in mammals, increasing food intake. Digestibility is unaffected by the presence of any cannabinoids in hemp stubble. Endogenous cannabinoids are also important for the peripheral control of lipid processing in adipose tissue, in addition to their role in the hypothalamus regulation of food intake. Regardless of the kind of synaptic connection or the length of the transmission, endocannabinoids play a crucial role in inhibiting synaptic transmission through a number of mechanisms. Cannabidiol (CBD) mainly influences redox equilibrium through intrinsic mechanisms. Useful effects of cannabinoids in animals have been mentioned e.g., for disorders of the cardiovascular system, pain treatment, disorders of the respiratory system or metabolic disorders. Dietary supplementation of cannabinoids has shown positive effects on health, growth and production performance of small and large animals. Animal fed diet supplemented with hemp seeds (180 g/day) or hemp seed cake (143 g/kg DM) had achieved batter performance without any detrimental effects. But the higher level of hemp or cannabinoid supplementation suppress immune functions and reduce productive performance. With an emphasis on the poultry and ruminants, this review aims to highlight the properties of cannabinoids and their derivatives as well as their significance as a potential feed additive in their diets to improve the immune status and health performance of animals.
•Gas bubbles in a non-Newtonian fluid under the influence of an external acoustic.•It transforms the generalized RP-equation for viscoelastic fluids.•A wide range of physical parameter values to ...address convergence issues.•Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is employed to investigate.•Rheological fluid on the pressure threshold required for inertial cavitation.
Ultrasound imaging, or sonography, utilizes high-frequency sound waves to create images of the internal structures of the human body. It is widely applied in medical diagnostics due to its non-invasive nature and real-time capabilities. Ultrasound waves are emitted into the body, and their reflections are captured to generate detailed images of organs, tissues, fetuses during pregnancy, and more. The interaction between sound waves and biological tissues and issues related to propagation, reflection, and absorption of ultrasound are crucial considerations for improving image quality and safety. It is frequently used to keep an eye on the health and development of the fetus throughout pregnancy. The examination of several organs, including the heart, liver, kidneys, and blood arteries, is also done to look for anomalies, tumors, and other diseases. The dynamics of spherical gas bubbles within a non-Newtonian fluid exposed to an external sonic field are examined in this paper. The mathematical model offers a useful foundation for examining bubble behavior since it incorporates the additional stress tensor of a tangent hyperbolic fluid. The generalized RP problem may be transformed into an ordinary differential equation that can be solved using numerical methods, allowing a large range of parameter values to be investigated and resolving convergence difficulties. Particularly noteworthy are the numerical results for long acoustic cycles. The link between input and output variables is also investigated using an experimental methodology closely related to sensitivity analysis, which is important for possible device development. This innovative approach offers a fresh perspective on the subject.
The electrochemical reduction reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2-ERR) holds tremendous potential as a key approach for achieving carbon neutrality by harnessing renewable resources.
However, the current ...state of CO2-ERR encounters challenges in terms of efficiency and selectivity. Overcoming these obstacles requires the development of a robust electrocatalyst capable of enhancing process efficiency and improving selectivity towards desired products. In recent years, 2D materials have garnered significant attention as efficient catalysts. Among them, MXene stands out of high interest due to unique multilayered structure and presence of surface functional moieties. The MXene material offers high electrical conductivity, versatile surface chemistry, and tunable interface designs. This comprehensive review explores the utilization of MXene-based catalysts for CO2-ERR into valuable products. It covers fundamental aspects of electrochemical conversion, including CO2 adsorption on MXene Ti3C2Tx, the mechanism of CO2-ERR on MXene (Mo2CS2) single-atom catalysts, applications, synthesis methods of MXene production, and future prospects. Additionally, the review highlights the significance of modern artificial intelligence techniques, particularly machine learning, in screening and activating CO2, making it a pioneering scientific endeavor.
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•CO2 electro-reduction is a practical solution for greenhouse challenges.•MXene's modifiable features and adaptable gaps make it versatile for electrochemical applications.•MXene nanosheets with modified surfaces enhance electrochemical CO2 reduction efficiency.•The Ti3C2Tx adsorbent shows high CO2 selectivity over N2, indicating its potential as a CO2 conversion catalyst.•Machine learning is used in CO2-ERR research on MXene electrocatalysts to improve cost and time efficiency.
A numerical study of boundary-layer flow past on a moving flat plate in
nanofluid with variable wall temperature and viscous dissipation is
presented. The PDE containing model for flow phenomena are ...transformed to
ODE with the aid of appropriate similarity transformations. The transformed
equations are then solved numerically by using the built-in bvp4c scheme of
MATLAB. After the validation of the scheme, numerical solutions are
determined for the temperature and nanoparticle concentration profiles along
with physical quantities of interest. The effects of involved parameters
such as variable temperature index, Prandtl number, Eckert number, Lewis
number, plate moving parameter, thermophoresis motion, and Brownian
parameters are examined and reported through graphs and tables
A green tunable dispersive liquid-liquid micro extraction (TDLLME) technique was established for the simultaneous enrichment of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) from different lakes water before analysis ...by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). A solvent known as tunable polarity solvent (TPS), mixture of 1,8-diazabicyclo-5.4.0-undec-7-ene (DBU) and 1-decanol, has been employed as extractant in aqueous medium. In first step this mixture can be made polar by slowly bubbling the antisolvent trigger (CO2) through the solution, which makes a monophasic solution. During this step hydrophobic complexes of the metals with 8-hydroxy quinoline (8-HQ) were extracted by TPS. Then the mixture was switched back to hydrophobic one by heating and/or bubbling nitrogen, turning the mixture into two phases again. In second phase the metals were leached out from the complexes entrapped in TPS, by treating with a solution of nitric acid and exposing the mixture to CO2, which switched the mixture into single phase. Then N2 purging and/or heating again turned the mixture into two phases. The acidic aqueous phase containing the metals was introduced to FAAS for analysis, whereas TPS was recycled for next experiment. Different parameters, affecting the efficiency the technique, were optimized by multivariate approach. The method was applied to certified reference material of water and to a real sample spiked with standards of known concentration, to confirm its validity and accuracy. LOD obtained for Pb and Cd were 0.560 and 0.056μgL−1 respectively. The developed method was applied successfully to the real water samples of two lakes of Sindh, Pakistan.
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•A tunable/switchable polarity solvents (TPS) was used to develop an enrichment method for trace levels of Pb and Cd.•Mixture of 1,8-diazabicyclo-5.4.0-undec-7-ene (DBU) and 1-decanol were used as TPS and CO2 as antisolvent trigger.•Optimization of the affecting parameters has been carried out by a multivariate strategy.•The method of TDLLME gives >97% recovery when applied to certified reference material of water.
It was studied that cancer-causing processes are related with the disproportions of essential and toxic elements in body tissues and fluid. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the levels ...of magnesium (Mg) and cadmium (Cd) in serum and blood samples of smokers and nonsmokers who have chronic myeloid (CML) and lymphocytic (CLL) leukemia, age ranged 31–50 years. For comparative study, age-matched smokers and nonsmoker males were chosen as controls/referents. The levels of elements in patient were analyzed before any treatment by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, after microwave assisted acid digestion. The validation of the method was done by using certified reference materials of serum and blood samples. The resulted data indicated that the adult male smokers and nonsmokers have two- to fourfold higher levels of Cd in the blood and sera samples as compared to the referents (
p
< 0.01), whereas two- to threefold lower levels of Mg was found in blood and serum samples of both types of leukemia patients as related to referent values. The resulted data indicates significant negative correlation among Mg and Cd in leukemia patients and smoker referents. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of these elements in pathogenesis of chronic leukemia.
Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety profile of sitagliptin vs. glimepiride in type 2 diabetic patients. Study Design: Comparative study. Setting: At Islam Central Hospital, Sialkot at its ...Medical outdoor unit. Period: 16 week from September to December 2018. Materials & Methods: In which Type 2 diabetic patients (n=220) were randomly placed into interventional groups to prescribed either sitagliptin or glimepiride for an interval of 16 weeks. A blood sugar level was maintained by dose titration in both groups. The main end point was change in FBG & HbA1C while additional end point was change in body weight, hypoglycemic episodes and gastrointestinal adverse effects from baseline by using SPPS 16. Results: After 16 weeks of treatment both sitagliptin and glimepiride caused a significant improvement (P<0.001) in glycemic control by reducing FBG (-22±3.2 &-33.5±4.4) & HbA1c (0.78±0.3 & 1.12±0.25) respectively. However when comparison was done between two group, glimepiride has more pronounced effect on glycemic control as compared to sitagliptin (P<0.001). Net BMI reduced to 0.8±0.68 in sitagliptin group while net BMI increased to 1.1±0.78 in glimepiride treated group with (P<0.001). There were no adverse effects reported in sitagliptin treated group while 25 hypoglycemic episodes were noticed in glimepiride treated group. Conclusion: Glimepiride has more pronounced effect on glycemic control as compared to sitagliptin. However this pronounced effect was associated with more hypoglycemic episodes and weight gain. Euglycemic effect and weight reducing property of sitagliptin precludes that it has better safety and tolerability profile in comparison with glimepiride.
The pervasive smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption and diseases related to its use is a hot topic for the public discussion. In this study, concentrations of chromium (Cr) were measured in different ...SLT products snuff (dry and moist), mainpuri, and
gutkha
offered and used in Pakistan. The current study was also designed to assess the Cr levels in the biological (scalp hair and blood) samples of male and female subjects, age ranged from 25 to 60 years, chewing different SLT products. For comparative purpose, the healthy persons of the same age group, who did not consume any SLT products, were selected as referents. The concentrations of Cr in SLT products and biological samples were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology were checked by certified reference materials (CRMs). The resulted data indicated that the adult persons, who consumed different SLT products, have 2–3 fold higher levels of Cr in biological samples as compared to referent subjects (
p
< 0.01). The persons, who chew/sniff different SLT products, have 50–80 and 42–82 % higher levels of Cr in their scalp hair and blood samples as related to referents. The daily intake of Cr is lower as compared to the recommended value of 50–200 μg/day. It was expected that 10 g consumption of various kinds of SLT products (snuff, mainpuri, and
gutkha
) may subsidize 21.2–220, 17.7–122, and 18.4–273 % of the recommended daily intake of Cr, respectively.
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