Sustainable treatment of tanneries wastewater using low-cost and highly efficient materials

Chromium sulfate salt (Cr2(SO4)3) is the tanning agent used in the chrome tanning process, but during the process around 30 or 40% of the chromium is discharged as chromium III residues in the tannery\u27s wastewater resulting in serious health and environmental problem in case of discharging to the environment without appropriate treatment. The main objective of this study is to investigate the efficiency of using solid waste materials for low-cost trivalent chromium removal from tanneries wastewater. This study was conducted in 5 phases: phase I, phase II, phase III, phase IV and phase V. In phase I, two groups of waste materials, organic and inorganic waste materials, were tested for the removal of trivalent chromium from aqueous solution and the results indicated that the group of inorganic waste materials, including marble powder (MP) and cement bypass kiln dust (CKD), showed better removal efficiency of chromium III. In phase II, the optimum mixing conditions, best removal efficiency and the energy required in the treatment process for both MP and CKD were studied. The results indicated that CKD showed better removal efficiency and lower energy consumption. In phase III, CKD was selected to carry further investigation on the treatment performance, operating conditions and the mechanisms for the removal of trivalent chromium. In phase IV, real samples wastewater was collected from a tannery in Egypt and it was tested for chromium III removal using CKD under the mixing and operating conditions obtained in phases II and III. The results recorded removal efficiency of chromium III of 99.97%. Finally, in phase V, chromium III recovery from the precipitated sludge using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) were studied. The best chromium III recovery efficiency was found to be 96.13 % using 7.75% H2SO4 solution and sludge dose of 2.5g

Loading celecoxib into solid lipid nanoparticles significantly enhanced the anticancer activity

Introduction: Celecoxib (CXB), COX-2 enzyme inhibitor, has been approved recently for the treatment of colorectal polyps. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) have turned out to be an attractive carrier alternative to liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles due to superior stability and biocompatibility. This work aimed to optimize CXB-loaded SLN for colon delivery with high potential toward enhancing the anticancer activity. Methods: An ultrasonic melt-emulsification method was employed in this work for the preparation of SLN. Briefly, an emulsion was formed after mixing melted lipid with heated aqueous surfactant solution heated to equal temperature by probe-sonication and dispersed in chilled distilled water for 10 minutes. The physical attributes were characterized for their particle sizes, charges, morphology, and entrapment efficiency (%EE), in addition to DSC and FTIR. The in vitro drug release profiles were evaluated and the anticancer activity was examined utilizing MTT assay in three cancer-cell-lines; HT29, Daoy, and HepG2. Results: All the prepared SLN formulations exhibited particle sizes in the nano scale ranging from 238nm to 757nm. There was dependence on the type and ratio of the surfactant used and the nature of lipid combination. The zeta-potential values (mv) were mostly in the -30s mv indicating higher stability potential of all SLN formulations. The minimum %EE was found equal to 86.76% (F9) which is advantageous of the method for large scale production. The disappearance of CXB characteristic melting peak from DSC thermograms of all formulations elucidates the amorphous nature of the SLN-entrapped CXB. The SEM images indicated the spherical nature of the SLN and CXB loading. The in vitro release profile showed a slow constant rate with no burst release which is uncommon with SLN. Both F9 and F14 showed a complete CXB release within 24-hour with only 25% within the first 5 hours. This makes them suitable for colonic targeting. F9 exhibited a significant % cell death in the three tested cancer cell lines after only 24 hours incubation and maintained the effect for 72 hours. In the case of F14, the significant % cell death was achieved with HT29 cell line after 24 hours and only after 72 hours for HepG cells, while non-significant effect was observed with Doay cells. Conclusion/Implications: The produced CXB-loaded SLN showed unique properties of slow release with no burst in addition to high %EE. The anticancer activity was extremely significant for one formulation in both HepG and HT29 cells which is highly promising

The outcome of ultrasound-guided insertion of central hemodialysis catheter

Objective: To point out our experience and assess the efficacy and safety of real-time ultrasound-guided central internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization in the treatment of hemodialysis patients. Methods: This retrospective study comprised 150 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who had real-time ultrasonography (US)-guided IJV HD catheters placed in our hospital between March 2019 and March 2021. Patients were examined for their demographic data, etiology, site of catheter insertion, type (acute or chronic) of renal failure, technical success, operative time, number of needle punctures, and procedure-related complications. Patients who have had multiple catheter insertions, prior catheterization challenges, poor compliance, obesity, bony deformity, and coagulation disorders were considered at high-operative risk. Results: All patients experienced technical success. In terms of patient clinical features, an insignificant difference was observed between the normal and high-risk groups (p-value > 0.05). Of the 150 catheters, 62 (41.3%) were placed in high-risk patients. The first-attempt success rate was 89.8% for the normal group and 72.5% for the high-risk group (p = 0.006). IJV cannulation took less time in the normal-risk group compared to the highrisk group (21.2 ± 0.09) minutes vs (35.4 ± 0.11) minutes, (p < 0.001). There were no serious complications. During the placing of the catheter in the internal jugular vein, four patients (6.4%) experienced arterial puncture in the high-risk group. Two participants in each group got a small neck hematoma. One patient developed a pneumothorax in the high-risk group, which was managed with an intercostal chest tube insertion. Conclusions: Even in the high-risk group, the real-time US-guided placement of a central catheter into the IJV is associated with a low complication rate and a high success rate. Even under US guidance, experience lowers complication rates. Real-time USguided is recommended to be used routinely during central venous catheter insertion

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Intraocular bleeding:Intraoperative suprachoroidal hemorrhage

An advanced dynamic impact extension module, used to protect occupants of vehicles from the adverse effects of instantaneous deacceleration of a vehicle when the vehicle impacts an end of a concrete barrier wall is disclosed. According to the invention, a composite barrier is provided which has an upper, low density, crushable component and a lower, substantially non-crushable, base component. The height of the base component will increase from the front of the barrier to the back of the barrier, located proximate the end of the concrete barrier wall, so that a vehicle impacting the barrier will first crush the upper, low-density, crushable material. If a vehicle has sufficient impact force or velocity to crush the upper crushable front component of the barrier, the undercarriage of the vehicle will coact with raised non-crushable base components of the barrier in order to bring the vehicle safely to rest before it impacts the end of a concrete barrier wall. The non-crushable base component of intermediate sections of the barrier will increase in height in step wise fashion so that as a vehicle passes through the barrier, the raised base portions of the barrier coact with the bottom, or undercarriage, of the vehicle to create friction and drag between the bottom of the vehcle and the base component of the barrier to thereby bring the vehicle to rest before it impacts the end of a concrete barrier wall.U

Severe retinal degeneration at an early age in Usher syndrome type 1B associated with homozygous splice site mutations in MYO7A gene

Purpose: Usher syndrome is the most common cause of deafness associated with visual loss of a genetic origin. The purpose of this paper is to report very severe phenotypic features of type 1B Usher syndrome in a Saudi family affected by positive homozygous splice site mutation in MYO7A gene. Methods: Affected siblings went through detailed history. Complete ophthalmic examination was done. Imaging with colour fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence (AF), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans was performed. Full field electroretinogram (ffERG) was recorded. Molecular genetic testing was done using next-generation sequencing. Results: Visual acuity was more reduced (range 20/300–20/40) in older siblings (age>30 years), than in younger (age A in intron 5 of the MYO7A gene was detected in all affected siblings. Conclusions: This mutation manifested with advanced retinal degeneration at a young age. This may have implications regarding future gene therapy in Usher syndrome cases with this genotype