Effect of fulvic acids on lead-induced oxidative stress to metal sensitive Vicia faba L. plant

Lead (Pb) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant capable to induce various morphological, physiological, and biochemical functions in plants. Only few publications focus on the influence of Pb speciation both on its phytoavailability and phytotoxicity. Therefore, Pb toxicity (in terms of lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide induction, and photosynthetic pigments contents) was studied in Vicia faba plants in relation with Pb uptake and speciation. V. faba seedlings were exposed to Pb supplied as Pb(NO3)2 or complexed by two fulvic acids (FAs), i.e. Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and Elliott Soil fulvic acid (ESFA), for 1, 12, and 24 h under controlled hydroponic conditions. For both FAs, Pb uptake and translocation by Vicia faba increased at low level (5 mg l−1), whereas decreased at high level of application (25 mg l−1). Despite the increased Pb uptake with FAs at low concentrations, there was no influence on the Pb toxicity to the plants. However, at high concentrations, FAs reduced Pb toxicity by reducing its uptake. These results highlighted the role of the dilution factor for FAs reactivity in relation with structure; SRFA was more effective than ESFA in reducing Pb uptake and alleviating Pb toxicity to V. faba due to comparatively strong binding affinity for the heavy metal

Physical complexity to model morphological changes at a natural channel bend

This study developed a two‐dimensional (2‐D) depth‐averaged model for morphological changes at natural bends by including a secondary flow correction. The model was tested in two laboratory‐scale events. A field study was further adopted to demonstrate the capability of the model in predicting bed deformation at natural bends. Further, a series of scenarios with different setups of sediment‐related parameters were tested to explore the possibility of a 2‐D model to simulate morphological changes at a natural bend, and to investigate how much physical complexity is needed for reliable modeling. The results suggest that a 2‐D depth‐averaged model can reconstruct the hydrodynamic and morphological features at a bend reasonably provided that the model addresses a secondary flow correction, and reasonably parameterize grain‐sizes within a channel in a pragmatic way. The factors, such as sediment transport formula and roughness height, have relatively less significance on the bed change pattern at a bend. The study reveals that the secondary flow effect and grain‐size parameterization should be given a first priority among other parameters when modeling bed deformation at a natural bend using a 2‐D model

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Patterns of admitted cases to Respiratory Intensive Care Unit at Zagazig University Hospitals, Egypt

Background: It is well accepted that early appropriate referral of patients to an ICU can significantly reduce early and possibly late mortality in the critically ill. At the same time improper selection of patients for ICU, often limits bed availability in ICUs. This in turn, adversely affects the dynamics of the whole hospital. Objective: To determine the admission pattern and outcome of patients in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) of Zagazig University Hospitals, Egypt. Design: The study was carried out as a prospective analytical study. Patients and methods: All cases admitted to RICU during the period from March 2010 to October 2010. They were 200 cases {126 males (63%) and 74 females (37%)} with an age range from 11 to 86 years. They were classified according to the causes of admission to RICU into 162 cases due to primary respiratory causes (81%) and 38 cases due to secondary respiratory causes (19%). On admission the following were carried out for all patients: full medical history, chest examination, assessment of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APHCHE II) score, arterial blood gases analysis, plain chest and heart X-ray, computerized tomography (CT) electrocardiography (ECG) or echocardiography (ECHO) study when needed and assessment of the outcome. Results: Two hundred cases were admitted during the study period: 57% were referred by chest physicians, 14.5% from other hospitals, 13.5% from other departments and others from chest ward and emergency room (ER). The mean GCS and APHACHE II score were 12.7 ± 3.97 and 14.4 ± 6.5 respectively. The length of stay in RICU was 7.2 ± 7.4 days. Analysis of outcome of the cases showed that 70 patients (35%) were transferred to chest ward, 61patients (30.5%) died and 54 patients (27.0%) were discharged to home. There was a significant difference between cases with primary (1ry) and secondary (2ry) respiratory causes regarding outcome (P < 0.005) with mortality rate (26.6%) among cases with 1ry respiratory causes while in cases with 2ry respiratory causes were 60.4%. Outcome as regards source of admission showed that the highest percentage of death occurred among cases referred from chest ward and non chest physicians (63.7% and 62.5%) respectively. There was a significant association between outcome and duration of stay (P < 0.001). Concerning the outcome on using mechanical ventilation, the mortality rate in mechanically ventilated patients was 52.05% while in non mechanically ventilated patients it was 47.5%. Conclusion: This study showed that the best prognosis of admitted patients to RICU was for those who were transferred earlier especially those transferred by chest physicians and patients with 1ry respiratory diseases than those with 2ry respiratory diseases. Also, cases with high Glasgow Coma Scale and low APACH II score and those with a short duration of stay in RICU, especially without the need for mechanical ventilation had a good prognosis. Therefore, considering those aspects in the clinical practice would be reflected as a better outcome on dealing with RICU patients

Copper based azo dye catalysts for phenoxazinone synthase mimicking efficiency: Structure characterization and bioactivity evaluation

The ligands, 4-(2-Hydroxy-naphthalen-1-ylazo)-N-thiazol-2-yl-benzenesulfonamide (H2TNBS) and N-(3,4-Dimethyl-isoxazol-5-yl)-4-(2-hydroxy-naphthalen-1-ylazo)-benzenesulfonamide (H2INBS), synthesized in the current investigation have been characterized and used for synthesizing divalent copper complexes by their reaction with a number of Cu(II) salts. Spectral and analytical methods have been applied for structures’ investigation. Morphology of the synthesized compounds have been investigated using TEM technique which joint with the results of X-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy confirmed the precipitation of both ligands and their complexes in the nanometric scale. Formation of the synthesized complexes in 1:1 or 2:1 (M:L) ratio was asserted by analytical results. Ultraviolet–visible spectra and magnetic moment were used to demonstrate the geometry around the Cu centers to be 4 coordinated square planar. The compounds under interest have been screened against selected microorganisms including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, unicellular and multicellular fungus showing, in most compounds, enhancement of activity upon chelation. The cell lines A-549 (human lung cancer cell line) and Panc-1 (human pancreatic cancer cell line) have been chosen to check the antitumor efficiency of the synthesized compounds; Vinblastine was used as standard. Finally, the Cu(II) chelates were investigated toward mimicking the protein phenoxazinone synthase using o- aminophenol (OAP) as substrate and DMF is the solvent. The results presented extremely high activity for the chloro complex 4 and nitro complex 6 with TOF numbers from 390.48 and 467.01 h−1, respectively. The least activity afforded by the acetato complexes 2 and 5