Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite NiFe2O4@SalenSi and its application in efficient removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution

In this work, nano ferrite spinel NiFe2O4 was synthesized by sol-gel method and characterized by SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and VSM. In second step Schiff base made from salicylaldehyde and amino propyl triethoxy silane was used for modification of the synthesized nano ferrit. In the third step removal of Ni(II) was done using modified adsorbent and 95% efficiency was achieved. The removal rate was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. These studies showed that the Freundlich isotherm model was fitted well with adsorption data. Moreover, the pseudo-second order kinetic model was fitted very well with experimental data. The results demonstrated that NiFe2O4@SalenSi nanoadsorbent can be used for the removal and recovery of metal ions from wastewater over a number of cycles, indicating its suitability for the design of a continuous process.               KEY WORDS: Nano ferrite, Sol-gel method, Schiff base, Removal of Ni(II), Magnetic nanocomposite Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2018, 32(1), 77-88DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v32i1.

The correlation between alexithymia and anxiety, depression in asthma

Background: Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by the inability to identify and describe emotions. Only few researches have studied the correlation between alexithymia and health factors in psychosomatic disorders. This study aimed to determine the correlation between alexithymia and anxiety, depression in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all asthmatic patients referred to Khorram Abad medical centers. Among them 100 cases were chosen using the convenience sampling. The tools were Alexithymia Scale )TAS-20( along with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale )HADS(. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Multivariate Regression. Results: A significant positive relationship was seen between aalexithymia, its factors and anxiety/depression. In addition, multiple multivariate regression analysis showed that difficulty in identifying feelings and describing feelings can predict the anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Findings showed that difficulty in identifying and describing emotions as two factors of Alexithymia in asthmatic patients can predict the depression and anxiety. So, considering the emotional aspects of asthma, effective approaches should be taken into account in the treatment of these patients' mental health problems

Improving proteome coverage for HS578T breast cancer cell-line due to efficient interfering removal

Background: In spite of the wide use, low proteome coverage and fuzzy patterns are the most important deterrents for the clinical applications of gel-based proteomic studies. So herein, we tried to increase the 2-dimentional proteome coverage of Hs578T breast cancer cells via investigating the efficacy of the three common techniques, usually used for interfering removal. Methods: Hs578T cells were incubated in a lysis solution to obtain raw cell extracts. Cellular soups of each extraction were then pooled, homogenized, and aliquoted to be further treated by three different protein-specific purification methods including acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone, each in triplicates. All the purified protein pellets were then dissolved in a standard rehydration buffer solution, loaded into the 17-cm immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, and separated according to their isoelectric points. Proteins were then separated once more according to their molecular weights in an O'Farrell separation system. Finally, by the visualization of the protein spots on the 2-dimentional profiles, quality and quantity of these 2-dimentional proteome patterns were then analyzed using the ImageMaster software. Findings: The obtained proteome recovery yields and total protein counts for acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid-acetone methods were 0.100 ± 0.001, 0.070 ± 0.002, and 0.120 ± 0.005 ng/cell, and 1299 ± 9, 1698 ± 14 and 1973 ± 17, respectively. The results represent data obtained from three independent experiments. Conclusion: Trichloroacetic acid-acetone purification not only represented the highest recovery yield, suitable for expensive assays, but also showed the most suitable proteome coverage. So, the method is recommended for the comparative proteomic studies. However, the acetone-methanol procedure is more recommended for serological proteome analysis (SERPA); since it represents stronger protein spots which are more fitted to the immunoblotting procedure. © 2018, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Improving proteome coverage for HS578T breast cancer cell-line due to efficient interfering removal

Background: In spite of the wide use, low proteome coverage and fuzzy patterns are the most important deterrents for the clinical applications of gel-based proteomic studies. So herein, we tried to increase the 2-dimentional proteome coverage of Hs578T breast cancer cells via investigating the efficacy of the three common techniques, usually used for interfering removal. Methods: Hs578T cells were incubated in a lysis solution to obtain raw cell extracts. Cellular soups of each extraction were then pooled, homogenized, and aliquoted to be further treated by three different protein-specific purification methods including acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-acetone, each in triplicates. All the purified protein pellets were then dissolved in a standard rehydration buffer solution, loaded into the 17-cm immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, and separated according to their isoelectric points. Proteins were then separated once more according to their molecular weights in an O'Farrell separation system. Finally, by the visualization of the protein spots on the 2-dimentional profiles, quality and quantity of these 2-dimentional proteome patterns were then analyzed using the ImageMaster software. Findings: The obtained proteome recovery yields and total protein counts for acetone, acetone-methanol, and trichloroacetic acid-acetone methods were 0.100 ± 0.001, 0.070 ± 0.002, and 0.120 ± 0.005 ng/cell, and 1299 ± 9, 1698 ± 14 and 1973 ± 17, respectively. The results represent data obtained from three independent experiments. Conclusion: Trichloroacetic acid-acetone purification not only represented the highest recovery yield, suitable for expensive assays, but also showed the most suitable proteome coverage. So, the method is recommended for the comparative proteomic studies. However, the acetone-methanol procedure is more recommended for serological proteome analysis (SERPA); since it represents stronger protein spots which are more fitted to the immunoblotting procedure. © 2018, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Initial Assessment of a Suicide Prevention Resource for Vermont Primary Care

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Vermonters ages 10-44. Studies have shown that of those who die from suicide 45% have seen their primary care provider in the month prior to their death and only 20% saw a mental health provider. To help strengthen suicide risk screening in primary care, a group of Larner College of Medicine students partnered with Chittenden Accountable Community for Health to curate a suicide prevention informational resource to be used in Vermont\u27s primary care practices to promote universal suicide screening. We then surveyed users of the tool to assess its utility and identify barriers to suicide screening within their practices.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1310/thumbnail.jp

The influence of vernalization and daylength on expression of flowering-time genes in the shoot apex and leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare).

Responses to prolonged low-temperature treatment of imbibed seeds (vernalization) were examined in barley (Hordeum vulgare). These occurred in two phases: the perception of prolonged cold, which occurred gradually at low temperatures, and the acceleration of reproductive development, which occurred after vernalization. Expression of the VERNALIZATION1 gene (HvVRN1) increased gradually in germinating seedlings during vernalization, both at the shoot apex and in the developing leaves. This occurred in darkness, independently of VERNALIZATION2 (HvVRN2), consistent with the hypothesis that expression of HvVRN1 is induced by prolonged cold independently of daylength flowering-response pathways. After vernalization, expression of HvVRN1 was maintained in the shoot apex and leaves. This was associated with accelerated inflorescence initiation and with down-regulation of HvVRN2 in the leaves. The largest determinant of HvVRN1 expression levels in vernalized plants was the length of seed vernalization treatment. Daylength did not influence HvVRN1 expression levels in shoot apices and typically did not affect expression in leaves. In the leaves of plants that had experienced a saturating seed vernalization treatment, expression of HvVRN1 was higher in long days, however. HvFT1 was expressed in the leaves of these plants in long days, which might account for the elevated HvVRN1 expression. Long-day up-regulation of HvVRN1 was not required for inflorescence initiation, but might accelerate subsequent stages of inflorescence development. Similar responses to seed vernalization were also observed in wheat (Triticum aestivum). These data support the hypothesis that VRN1 is induced by cold during winter to promote spring flowering in vernalization-responsive cereals