The antimicrobial activity of oil-in-water microemulsions is predicted by their position within the microemulsion stability zone

It has been shown previously that thermodynamically stable oil-in-water microemulsions have significant antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells and biofilm cells over short periods of exposure. It was the aim of this study to identify whether the position of the microemulsion within the microemulsion stability zone of the pseudo-ternary phase structure predicts the efficiency of the antimicrobial action of the microemulsion. Microemulsions were formulated at different points within the microemulsion stability zone. Experiments were performed to observe the kinetics of killing of these microemulsions against selected test microorganisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404). The results indicated that the antimicrobial activity of the microemulsion is dependant upon its position within the zone of stability and is greater nearer the centre of that zone. The results indicate that significant antimicrobial activity can be observed at all points within the zone of microemulsion stability, but that maximal activity is to be found at the centre of that area

Aligned macroporous monoliths with intrinsic microporosity via a frozen-solvent-templating approachd

Aligned macroporous monoliths of an organic cage, a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1), and a metal–organic framework (HKUST-1) are prepared by a controlled freezing approach. In addition to macropores, all the monoliths contain the intrinsic micropores.</p

A protocol for primary isolation and culture of adipose-derived stem cells and their phenotypic profile

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), however, there is no standardized protocol for stem cell isolation and culture. This leads to inconsistency of the results and limits the comparison of the data from different laboratories. Our aim was to provide an applied protocol for ASCS isolation and expansion, study the cell behavior and define their cellular surface markers. ASCs were cultured from both resected adipose tissue (RAT) obtained following abdominoplasty or breast reduction and lipoaspirates (LPA) following laser-free liposuction. Method: the protocol entailed coculturing of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) with RAT as raw pieces using DMEM medium with varying glucose concentration. The coculture protocol aimed to mimic the normal physiological conditions required for cell growth. ASCs were immunophenotyped to define their MSCs surface markers by flowcytometry. Results: ASCs were isolated from coculturing RAT with SVF with fibroblast-like adherent cells morphology. The ASCs yield isolated from LPA was significantly greater than from RAT on day 14 and 28 (p = 0.002, &lt;0.001, respectively). Significant increase in ASCs proliferation rate was detected when ASCs were cultured under high glucose (4.5 g/L) compared to low glucose (1 g/ L) condition on day 7 and 14 (p = 0.04, 0.015, respectively). ASCs isolated from both protocols were positive for CD34, CD49d, CD73, CD90 and CD105 and negative for CD3, CD14, CD19, CD45 and HLA-DR. Conclusion: We concluded that the cells harvested by our protocol were ASCs. Hence, our method can be an efficient isolation tool to obtain primary ASCs under culture conditions mimicking normal physiological status. This will help in providing ASCs which can be similar to cells in human tissue for further study

Comparative antibacterial potential of selected aldehyde-based biocides and surfactants against planktonic Pseudomonas fluorescens

The antimicrobial efficacy of two aldehydebased biocides (glutaraldehyde, GTA, and orthophthalaldehyde, OPA) and two surfactants (cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, CTAB, and sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS) was tested against planktonic Pseudomonas fluorescens. The antimicrobial effects were evaluated by respiratory activity as a measure of the oxygen uptake rate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release, outer membrane proteins (OMP) expression and cellular colour changes. The results were compared with the bacterial characteristics without chemical treatment. Tests in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA), in order to mimic a disinfection process in the real situation under dirty conditions, were performed according to the European Standard EN-1276. P. fluorescens was completely inactivated with OPA (minimum bactericidal concentration, MBC = 0.5 mM) and CTAB (MBC = 5 mM) and was resistant to GTA and SDS. Only CTAB promoted cellular disruption and consequent ATP release. The antimicrobial action of the chemicals tested was significantly reduced when BSA was introduced into the bacterial cultures, increasing markedly the MBC values. Additionally, the presence of BSA acted as a disruption protective agent when CTAB was applied and stimulated the bacterial respiratory activity when lower concentrations of SDS were tested. The OMP of the bacterial cells was affected by the application of both surfactants. OMP expression remained unaltered after biocide treatment. Bacterial colour change was noticed after treatment with biocides and surfactants. In summary, P. fluorescens was extremely resistant to GTA and SDS, with antimicrobial action being quenched markedly by the reaction with BSA.Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - (Project CHEMBIO - POCI/BIO/61872/2004

The male fetal biomarker INSL3 reveals substantial hormone exchange between fetuses in early pig gestation

The peptide hormone INSL3 is uniquely produced by the fetal testis to promote the transabdominal phase of testicular descent. Because it is fetal sex specific, and is present in only very low amounts in the maternal circulation, INSL3 acts as an ideal biomarker with which to monitor the movement of fetal hormones within the pregnant uterus of a polytocous species, the pig. INSL3 production by the fetal testis begins at around GD30. At GD45 of the ca.114 day gestation, a time at which testicular descent is promoted, INSL3 evidently moves from male to female allantoic compartments, presumably impacting also on the female fetal circulation. At later time-points (GD63, GD92) there is less inter-fetal transfer, although there still appears to be significant INSL3, presumably of male origin, in the plasma of female fetuses. This study thus provides evidence for substantial transfer of a peptide hormone between fetuses, and probably also across the placenta, emphasizing the vulnerability of the fetus to extrinsic hormonal influences within the uterus

SOSIALISASI & PENGENALAN PERKULIAHAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI PADA SMK NUSANTARA 1 CIPUTAT

Perkembangan Zaman yang semakin maju membuat kita mau tidak mau harus mengikuti berbagai kemajuan teknologi di era globalisasi ini. Penggunaan teknologi informasi seperti gadget telah membuat segala pekerjaan yang kita lakukan menjadi mudah. Misalnya bertukar informasi, dan berkomunikasi dengan orang lain. Dengan semakin mudahnya memperoleh informasi tersebut baik dari internet maupun media massa, jika tidak diimbangi dengan pemahaman tentang dampak penggunaannya bisa menyebabkan kita terjerumus kedalam hal-hal yang negatif. tidak hanya mengetahui dari segi pemakaian dan pemanfaatan-nya saja namun kita juga harus mengetahui dari segi menciptakan teknologi-teknologi dan informasi yang mengarah kepada hal yang positif. Maka dari itu kami bermaksud dengan diadakan-nya kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini kami bisa memberikan wawasan dan pembelajaran bagaimana dunia perkuliahan dibidang Teknologi Informasi ini&nbsp; berjalan dan supaya siswa – siswa&nbsp; SMK Nusantara 1 Ciputat yang ingin lanjut ke jenjang perkuliahan nantinya sudah mendapatkan gambaran untuk kedepannya. Dan tugas kita mengarahkan agar mereka semua bisa membawa Teknologi Informasi ke hal yang lebih positif ke generasi berikutnya. Metode yang digunakan dalam kegiatan ini yaitu dengan melakukan penyuluhan/Edukasi kepada siswa mengenai penggunaan teknologi. Tujuan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini, tidak hanya untuk memperkanalkan pengenalan dan penyuluhan bagaimana mereka menggunakan&nbsp; Teknlogi Informasi saja , namun ini bisa menjadi contoh dan pedoman mereka dalam menyikapi kemajuan teknologi baik secara nasional saja maupun seluruh dunia pada masa yang akan datang

Effectiveness of Pamidronate Infusion in the Treatment of Charcot Arthropathy

Introduction: The objective of this case series is to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravenous infusion of Pamidronate, a second generation bisphosphonate, in the treatment of active Charcot arthropathy. Materials and methods: All patients with active Charcot arthropathy treated at the medical centre from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2020 were included in the study. Efficacy outcome was evaluated based on time to consolidate findings observed through radiographic examination, while safety outcome was evaluated based on the incidence of adverse event (AE) occurrence. Results: A total of 81 patients (37 male, 44 female) diagnosed with active Charcot arthropathy were included. 64.2% of patients were at stage 1 of Charcot arthropathy whereas 35.8% were at stage 2. The mean time to consolidate for stage 1 and stage 2 was 6.50 ± 4.21 months and 3.63 ± 2.92 months respectively (p-value = 0.139). No significant association was observed between gender, ethnicity and disease stage with the consolidation time (p-value >0.05). The rate of AE incidence was 2.5%, observed in 2 patients who developed a fever during the treatment. No other serious AE was observed in the study. Conclusion: Intravenous Pamidronate infusion is a safe and effective treatment option for Charcot arthropathy

Flow behavior and mechanical properties of multi-pass thermomechanically processed 7075 Al-alloy

Research on multi-pass hot processing of 7075 Al-alloy was rarely discussed. This study aims to design and evaluate different thermomechanical processing strategies (TMPS) to produce 3 mm-thick sheets of 7075 Al-alloy. A physical simulation was performed using the hot compression test of a Gleeble 3500 to study flow mechanisms and microstructural evolution, while an experimental investigation was carried out using a rolling mill to examine the effect of TMPS on the mechanical properties. Four hot forming strategies were designed and tested at a constant strain rate of 0.1 s−1 over a temperature range of 200–450 °C. These strategies involved applying a constant amount of deformation of 65–70% in single (SP), double (DP), triple (TP), and quadruple (QP) passes of thermomechanical processing to study the influence of multi-pass thermomechanical processing on the final mechanical properties and industrial feasibility. The microstructure analysis showed a significant refinement and more uniform distribution of precipitates with an increasing number of passes, as observed through optical micrographs and the full width at half maximum (FWHM)-position relationship of XRD data. The results indicate that QP is the optimum strategy for producing the best mechanical properties in the shortest production time

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations