Mixture of learners for cancer stem cell detection using CD13 and H and e stained images

In this article, algorithms for cancer stem cell (CSC) detection in liver cancer tissue images are developed. Conventionally, a pathologist examines of cancer cell morphologies under microscope. Computer aided diagnosis systems (CAD) aims to help pathologists in this tedious and repetitive work. The first algorithm locates CSCs in CD13 stained liver tissue images. The method has also an online learning algorithm to improve the accuracy of detection. The second family of algorithms classify the cancer tissues stained with H and E which is clinically routine and cost effective than immunohistochemistry (IHC) procedure. The algorithms utilize 1D-SIFT and Eigen-Analysis based feature sets as descriptors. Normal and cancerous tissues can be classified with 92.1% accuracy in H and E stained images. Classification accuracy of low and high-grade cancerous tissue images is 70.4%. Therefore, this study paves the way for diagnosing the cancerous tissue and grading the level of it using H and E stained microscopic tissue images. © 2016 SPIE

Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review

Toy M, Önder FO, Wörmann T, et al. Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review. BMC infectious diseases. 2011;11(1): 337.BACKGROUND: To provide a clear picture of the current hepatitis B situation, the authors performed a systematic review to estimate the age- and region-specific prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 339 studies with original data on the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Turkey and published between 1999 and 2009 were identified through a search of electronic databases, by reviewing citations, and by writing to authors. After a critical assessment, the authors included 129 studies, divided into categories: 'age-specific'; 'region-specific'; and 'specific population group'. To account for the differences among the studies, a generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the overall prevalence across all age groups and regions. For specific population groups, the authors calculated the weighted mean prevalence. RESULTS: The estimated overall population prevalence was 4.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.58, 5.76, and the estimated total number of CHB cases was about 3.3 million. The outcomes of the age-specific groups varied from 2.84, (95% CI: 2.60, 3.10) for the 0-14-year olds to 6.36 (95% CI: 5.83, 6.90) in the 25-34-year-old group. CONCLUSION: There are large age-group and regional differences in CHB prevalence in Turkey, where CHB remains a serious health problem

Treatment of persistent organic pollutants in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation in synergy with advanced oxidation process

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are very tenacious wastewater contaminants. The consequences of their existence have been acknowledged for negatively affecting the ecosystem with specific impact upon endocrine disruption and hormonal diseases in humans. Their recalcitrance and circumvention of nearly all the known wastewater treatment procedures are also well documented. The reported successes of POPs treatment using various advanced technologies are not without setbacks such as low degradation efficiency, generation of toxic intermediates, massive sludge production, and high energy expenditure and operational cost. However, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have recently recorded successes in the treatment of POPs in wastewater. AOPs are technologies which involve the generation of OH radicals for the purpose of oxidising recalcitrant organic contaminants to their inert end products. This review provides information on the existence of POPs and their effects on humans. Besides, the merits and demerits of various advanced treatment technologies as well as the synergistic efficiency of combined AOPs in the treatment of wastewater containing POPs was reported. A concise review of recently published studies on successful treatment of POPs in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation technology in combination with other advanced oxidation processes is presented with the highlight of direction for future research focus

Piperonyl butoxide increases oxidative toxicity of fenthion in the brain of oreochromis niloticus

PubMedID: 24497177The present study was designed to understand the effects of piperonyl butoxide (PBO), modulator of cytochrome P450 (CYP 450), on the neurotoxicity of organophosphate pesticide fenthion in the brain of Oreochromis niloticus used as a model organism. Fish were exposed to one-fourth of the LC50 value of fenthion (0.567 mg/L) and 0.5 mg/L PBO concentration for 24 h, 96 h, and 15 days. Glutathione (GSH)-related antioxidant system, lipid peroxidation, stress proteins, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity were investigated. Our results showed that PBO induced the neurotoxic effect of fenthion with increasing oxidative stress in long-term exposure. GSH-related antioxidant system might take a role in protecting the brain from these oxidative effects. PBO possibly inhibited the biotransformation of fenthion by inhibiting CYP 450; thereby preventing the brain from AChE inhibition in short-term exposure. Changes in parameters indicated that PBO caused biphasic response by affecting CYP 450 in the brain of O. niloticus. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Adsorption of cationic dyes on activated carbon obtained from waste Elaeagnus stone

Activated carbon was obtained from waste Elaeagnus stone by a chemical activation method utilizing ZnCl2. The resultant Elaeagnus activated carbon (EAC) with a high activated specific surface area of 1588 m2/g was characterized using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, Fourier transform infrared spectra, point of zero charge, and scanning electron microscopy. The removals of cationic dyes, i.e., malachite green (MG), rhodamine B (RB), and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions via EAC adsorption were characterized by investigating the effects of adsorbent concentration, contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature. Langmuir model provided the most appropriate fit for all EAC dye adsorption processes, and the adsorption capacities for MB, RB, and MG at 25? were calculated to be 288.18, 281.69, and 432.90 mg/g, respectively. The EAC adsorption curves of MB, RB, and MG follow a pseudo second-order kinetic model, and the calculated thermodynamic parameters, i.e., ?G°, ?H°, and ?S° revealed that the synthetic dye adsorptions from aqueous solution were endothermic and spontaneous. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.2-s2.0-8500947128

Dye sensitized artificial photosynthesis in the gas phase over thin and thick TiO2 films under UV and visible light irradiation

Perylene diimide based organic sensitizers capable of electron generation under illumination were used to initiate gas phase photo reduction reactions on TiO2 thin and thick film surfaces. For comparison [Ru(Bpy)(3)](2+) dye sensitizers were also studied. The photo reduction Of CO2 was carried out under static conditions in the gas phase. TiO2 films were coated on hollow glass beads via a sol-gel procedure. Pt was incorporated on the films either by adding the precursor salt in the sol, Pt(in), or by wet impregnation of calcined film with an aqueous solution of the precursor salt, Pt(on). Organic sensitizers were incorporated on the films by wet impregnation of the film from an aqueous solution. Under UV illumination, the methane yields of platinized TiO2 thin films decreased in the following order: Pt(on).TiO2 > Pt(in).TiO2 > TiO2. The presence of organic sensitizers inhibited the catalytic activity of pure and platinized TiO2 thick films under UV illumination. The relative enhancement of the reaction yields in the presence of the organic sensitizer under visible light illumination depended on the presence of Pt as well as the incorporation method of Pt in the TiO2 structure. The reaction yields were better when Pt was impregnated on the TiO2 film than when Pt was incorporated in the Ti sol. On the other hand, pure or platinized TiO2 under visible light illumination was totally inactive indicating the role of the organic dye in generating catalytically active electrons under visible light