Synthesis and application of zeolite and glass fiber supported zero valent iron nanoparticles as membrane component for removal nitrate and Cr (+6) ions

In the present paper the synthesis and characterization of zeolite and glass fiber supported zero valent iron nanoparticles (Ze-ZVI, GF-ZVI NPs) are reported.ZVI, Ze-ZVI and GF-ZVI NPs size, composition and morphology were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Synthesized nanostructures were tested as reducing agents of nitrate and hexavalent Chromium. Batch experiments were carried for revealing of efficacy of prepared nanomaterials (ZE-ZVI NPs and GF-ZVI NPs). Nitrate removal efficiency (at initial concentration 50 mg/mL) was rapidly increased from 26% to 76% for GF-ZVI NPs at 60-240 min time interval for and from 34% to 90% for ZE-ZVI NPs at the same time interval.Also was studied the efficacy of prepared nanostructures ZE-ZVI and ZE-ZVI NPs as membrane component with 5% of ZVI NPS weight contentfor the removal of nitrate from water solution that made 85% for ZE-ZVI NPs and 76% for GF-ZVI NPs, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the application of GF-ZVI and ZE-ZVI NPs as membrane component is advantageous because it allows to prevent the additional pollution of treated solution caused by unreacted ZVI NPs

Cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy: current status and future prospects

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the prominent phytocannabinoids found in Cannabis sativa, differentiating from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for its non-intoxicating profile and its antianxiety/antipsychotic effects. CBD is a multi-target drug whose anti-convulsant properties are supposed to be independent of endocannabinoid receptor CB1 and might be related to several underlying mechanisms, such as antagonism on the orphan GPR55 receptor, regulation of adenosine tone, activation of 5HT1A receptors and modulation of calcium intracellular levels. CBD is a lipophilic compound with low oral bioavailability (6%) due to poor intestinal absorption and high first-pass metabolism. Its exposure parameters are greatly influenced by feeding status (ie, high fatcontaining meals). It is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P 450 (CYP) 3A4 and 2C19, which it strongly inhibits. A proprietary formulation of highly purified, plant-derived CBD has been recently licensed as an adjunctive treatment for Dravet syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), while it is being currently investigated in tuberous sclerosis complex. The regulatory agencies’ approval was granted based on four pivotal double-blind, placebocontrolled, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on overall 154 DS patients and 396 LGS ones, receiving CBD 10 or 20 mg/kg/day BID as active treatment. The primary endpoint (reduction in monthly seizure frequency) was met by both CBD doses. Most patients reported adverse events (AEs), generally from mild to moderate and transient, which mainly consisted of somnolence, sedation, decreased appetite, diarrhea and elevation in aminotransferase levels, the last being documented only in subjects on concomitant valproate therapy. The interaction between CBD and clobazam, likely due to CYP2C19 inhibition, might contribute to some AEs, especially somnolence, but also to CBD clinical effectiveness. Cannabidivarin (CBDV), the propyl analogue of CBD, showed anti-convulsant properties in pre-clinical studies, but a plant-derived, purified proprietary formulation of CBDV recently failed the Phase II RCT in patients with uncontrolled focal seizures

Role of structure of the Pp/magnetite nanocomposites on their thermal properties

The thermal degradation behaviour of polypropylene and its magnetite composites have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Distribution of magnetite nanoparticles in a polymer matrix has been studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and also atomic force microscopy. The thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites based on polypropylene and magnetite nanoparticles have also been investigated. It has shown that, the introduction of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in polypropylene increases its thermal stability of about 1000C. The maximum increase in the thermal stability of PP was observed in the case of a 20% weight content of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in polypropylene

An Update on Circular RNA in Pediatric Cancers

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of single-stranded closed noncoding RNA molecules which are formed as a result of reverse splicing of mRNAs. Despite their relative abundance, only recently there appeared an increased interest in the understanding of their regulatory importance. Among their most relevant characteristics are high stability, abundance and evolutionary conservation among species. CircRNAs are implicated in several cellular functions, ranging from miRNA and protein sponges to transcriptional modulation and splicing. Additionally, circRNAs’ aberrant expression in pathological conditions is bringing to light their possible use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Their use as indicator molecules of pathological changes is also supported by their peculiar covalent closed cyclic structure which bestows resistance to RNases. Their regulatory role in cancer pathogenesis and metastasis is supported by studies involving human tumors that have investigated different expression profiles of these molecules. As endogenous competitive RNA, circRNAs can regulate tumor proliferation and invasion and they arouse great consideration as potential therapeutic biomarkers and targets for cancer. In this review, we describe the most recent findings on circRNAs in the most common pediatric solid cancers (such as brain tumors, neuroblastomas, and sarcomas) and in more rare ones (such as Wilms tumors, hepatoblastomas, and retinoblastomas)

The characterization, management, and future considerations for ErbB-family TKI-associated diarrhea.

PurposeDiarrhea is recognized as a common adverse event associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), with those targeting the ErbB family of receptors being associated with the highest rate of diarrhea.MethodsThis paper reviews data on the incidence, timing, and duration of diarrhea associated with US Food and Drug Administration-approved ErbB family-targeted TKIs from the published literature, and sets forth recommendations for management.ResultsIn the absence of anti-diarrheal prophylaxis the incidence of any-grade diarrhea varies and typically occurs early during the course of treatment. Although it is difficult to determine if the incidence and severity of diarrhea is related to inhibition of a particular kinase target because of the multi-targeted and overlapping activity of many agents, evidence suggests that second-generation TKIs with broader target profiles (i.e., afatinib, lapatinib, neratinib) result in a higher incidence of diarrhea compared with highly specific first- (erlotinib, gefitinib) or third- (osimertinib) generation agents. The mechanisms responsible for TKI-associated diarrhea are not fully understood and are likely multi-factorial, involving dysregulated ion transport, inflammation, and mucosal injury. Management strategies have been developed-and continue to be refined-to prevent and reduce the severity and duration of TKI-associated diarrhea. For agents associated with more significant symptoms, anti-diarrheal prophylaxis reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhea, and ongoing studies are evaluating specific strategies to further reduce incidence and duration of TKI-associated diarrhea.ConclusionsContinued investigations into risk factors and pharmacogenomic markers for diarrhea may further improve management of this common toxicity

Three–way compositional data: a multi–stage trilinear decomposition algorithm

The CANDECOMP/PARAFAC model is an extension of bilinear PCA and has been designed to model three-way data by preserving their multidimensional configuration. The Alternating Least Squares (ALS) procedure is the preferred estimating algorithm for this model because it guarantees stable results. It can, however, be slow at converging and sensitive to collinearity and over-factoring. Dealing with these issues is even more pressing when data are compositional and thus collinear by definition. In this talk the solution proposed is based on a multistage approach. Here parameters are optimized with procedures that work better for collinearity and over-factoring, namely ATLD and SWATLD, and then results are refined with ALS

Information-flux approach to multiple-spin dynamics

We introduce and formalize the concept of information flux in a many-body register as the influence that the dynamics of a specific element receive from any other element of the register. By quantifying the information flux in a protocol, we can design the most appropriate initial state of the system and, noticeably, the distribution of coupling strengths among the parts of the register itself. The intuitive nature of this tool and its flexibility, which allow for easily manageable numerical approaches when analytic expressions are not straightforward, are greatly useful in interacting many-body systems such as quantum spin chains. We illustrate the use of this concept in quantum cloning and quantum state transfer and we also sketch its extension to non-unitary dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX