An in vitro based investigation into the cytotoxic effects of D-amino acids

In the present study, cytotoxic effects of D-Ala, D-Pro and D-Lys are demonstrated. In an effort to study possible mechanisms of the observed cytotoxicity, catalase activity, H2O2 generation, and apoptotic activity were measured in HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. Although D-Lys is a poor substrate for DAO and therefore low H2O2 has been detected, it was shown to provoke severe impairment of cellular integrity and survival. Interestingly, a very good substrate for DAO, such as D-Pro, did not substantially reduce cell viability. On the other hand, a moderate substrate for DAO, represented by D-Ala, was shown to moderately trigger toxicity in the tested cell lines. Although a correlation between the in vitro cytotoxicity of D-amino acids and the amount of H2O2 produced was absent, there was a good agreement between the ability of D-amino acids to trigger apoptosis and to provoke toxicity. Our results indicate that the toxicity of D-amino acids does not appear to be solely mediated by H2O2. Therefore, we hypothesize that other possible contributing apoptosis-mediated pathways might cause the observed toxicity

Pharmacogenetics and the print media:what is the public told?

Background: Pharmacogenetics is a rapidly growing field that aims to identify the genes that influence drug response. This science can be used as a powerful tool to tailor drug treatment to the genetic makeup of individuals. The present study explores the coverage of the topic of pharmacogenetics and its potential benefit in personalised medicine by the UK newsprint media. Methods: The LexisNexis database was used to identify and retrieve full text articles from the 10 highest circulation national daily newspapers and their Sunday equivalents in the UK. Content analysis of newspaper articles which referenced pharmacogenetic testing was carried out. A second researcher coded a random sample (21%) of newspaper articles to establish the inter-rater reliability of coding. Results: Of the 256 articles captured by the search terms, 96 articles (with pharmacogenetics as a major component) met the study inclusion criteria. The majority of articles over-stated the benefits of pharmacogenetic testing while paying less attention to the associated risks. Overall beneficial effects were mentioned 5.3 times more frequently than risks (p < 0.001). The most common illnesses for which pharmacogenetically based personalised medicine was discussed were cancer, cardiovascular disease and CNS diseases. Only 13% of newspaper articles that cited a specific scientific study mentioned this link in the article. There was a positive correlation between the size of the article and both the number of benefits and risks stated (P < 0.01). Conclusion: More comprehensive coverage of the area of personalised medicine within the print media is needed to inform public debate on the inclusion of pharmacogentic testing in routine practice

Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) Desalination and Other Volume Reduction Techniques for Produced Water Treatment

Volume reduction has been suggested as a novel method to tackle the various challenges associated with produced water. The present solution offers an economical and environmentally friendly solution to treat a large bulk of produced water that may overwhelm conventional water treatment methods. The current study provides a review of the various volume reduction technologies including freeze concentration, reverse osmosis, and humidification and dehumidification desalination systems. Focus is concentrated on the general HDH technologies in addition to its integration with refrigeration cycles for conditioned air production, and the power cycles for power generation. The GOR, freshwater yield, and efficiencies of the integrated HDH systems were re-viewed. Lastly, innovation in the HDH desalination technology is discussed with emphasis on its incorporation with the MVC process.Scopu

Biological-Based Produced Water Treatment Using Microalgae: Challenges and Efficiency

Produced water (PW) is the most significant waste stream generated in the oil and gas industries. The generated PW has the potential to be a useful water source rather than waste. While a variety of technologies can be used for the treatment of PW for reuse, biological-based technologies are an effective and sustainable remediation method. Specifically, microalgae, which are a costeffective and sustainable process that use nutrients to eliminate organic pollutants from PW during the bioremediation process. In these treatment processes, microalgae grow in PW free of charge, eliminate pollutants, and generate clean water that can be recycled and reused. This helps to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere while simultaneously producing biofuels, other useful chemicals, and added-value products. As such, this review focuses on PW generation in the oil and gas industry, PW characteristics, and examines the available technologies that can be used for PW remediation, with specific attention to algal-based technologies. In addition, the various aspects of algae growth and cultivation in PW, the effect of growth conditions, water quality parameters, and the corresponding treatment performance are presented. Lastly, this review emphasizes the bioremediation of PW using algae and highlights how to harvest algae that can be processed to generate biofuels for added-value products as a sustainable approach.Scopu

From Waste to Watts: Updates on Key Applications of Microbial Fuel Cells in Wastewater Treatment and Energy Production

Due to fossil fuel depletion and the rapid growth of industry, it is critical to develop environmentally friendly and long-term alternative energy technologies. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a powerful platform for extracting energy from various sources and converting it to electricity. As no intermediate steps are required to harness the electricity from the organic substrate?s stored chemical energy, MFC technology offers a sustainable alternative source of energy production. The generation of electricity from the organic substances contained in waste using MFC technology could provide a cost-effective solution to the issue of environmental pollution and energy shortages in the near future. Thus, technical advancements in bioelectricity production from wastewater are becoming commercially viable. Due to practical limitations, and although promising prospects have been reported in recent investigations, MFCs are incapable of upscaling and of high-energy production. In this review paper, intensive research has been conducted on MFCs? applications in the treatment of wastewater. Several types of waste have been extensively studied, including municipal or domestic waste, industrial waste, brewery wastewater, and urine waste. Furthermore, the applications of MFCs in the removal of nutrients (nitrogen and sulphates) and precious metals from wastewater were also intensively reviewed. As a result, the efficacy of various MFCs in achieving sustainable power generation from wastewater has been critically addressed in this studyScopu

Recent developments and advancements in graphene-based technologies for oil spill cleanup and oil-water separation processes

The vast demand for petroleum industry products led to the increased production of oily wastewaters and has led to many possible separation technologies. In addition to production-related oily wastewater, direct oil spills are associated with detrimental effects on the local ecosystems. Accordingly, this review paper aims to tackle the oil spill cleanup issue as well as water separation by providing a wide range of graphene-based technologies. These include graphene-based membranes; graphene sponges; graphene-decorated meshes; graphene hydrogels; graphene aerogels; graphene foam; and graphene-coated cotton. Sponges and aerogels modified by graphene and reduced graphene oxide demonstrated effective oil water separation owing to their superhydrophobic/superoleophilic properties. In addition, oil particles are intercepted while allowing water molecules to penetrate the graphene-oxide-coated metal meshes and membranes thanks to their superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic properties. Finally, we offer future perspectives on oil water separation that are hindering the advancements of such technologies and their large-scale applications.Scopu

Evaluation of the validity of the pre-marriage mean corpuscular volume value as a predictive test for b-thalassemia carrier status

Background: The national mandatory premarital screening test is based on mean corpuscular volume (MCV) > 80 fL value for the detection of b-thalassemia to provide acceptance for marriage. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of MCV as a screening test for b-thalassemia trait in the present population. Methods: This study was conducted on 418 blood samples collected from adult individuals. The diagnosis of b-thalassemia carrier was given to those having HbA2 values equal to or above 3.5%. The diagnostic reliability of different RBC indices and formulas in discriminating cases of b-thalassemia trait were evaluated. Finally, a new index called "Momani" was determined based on MCV, RDW and RBC count. Results: b-thalassemia trait was identified in 10% of the cases. The measured MCV value was significantly lower in b-thalassemia carrier group compared to non-carrier group (p = <0.001). MCV value and RBC count showed a higher diagnostic reliability than other RBC indices. We found that MCV ≤ 74.45 fL is more suitable cutoff value of MCV with 86.2% specificity, 71.4% sensitivity, 36.6% positive predictive value, and 96.4% negative predictive value. Finally, our index "Momani" was found to be useful in predicting carrier and paralleled the performance of Sirdah, Mentzer, and Ehsani indices. Conclusions: MCV<80 is a useful but not a perfect cutoff point for the screening of b-thalassemia carriers from noncarriers. The diagnostic accuracy of MCV can be improved by selecting a new cutoff value. Moreover, "Momani" index shows good discrimination ability in diagnosing b-thalassemia carrier in our population

Spectral and Structural Properties of High-Quality Reduced Graphene Oxide Produced via a Simple Approach Using Tetraethylenepentamine

A simple temperature-assisted solution interaction technique was used to functionalize and reduce graphene oxide (GO) using tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) with less chemicals, low temperature, and without using other reducing agents. GO nanosheets, produced using a modified Hummers? method, were functionalized using two different GO:TEPA ratios (1:5 and 1:10). The reduction of GO was evaluated and confirmed by different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The FTIR and XPS spectra revealed that most of the oxygenated groups of GO were reduced. The emergence of amide groups in the XPS survey of the rGO-TEPA samples confirmed the successful reaction of TEPA with the carboxyl groups on the edges of GO. The replacement of the oxygenated groups increased the carbon/oxygen (C/O) ratio of GO by approximately 60%, suggesting a good reduction degree. It was found that the I2D/ID+D? ratio and the relative intensity of the D?? band clearly increased after the reduction reaction, suggesting that these bands are good estimators for the reduction degree of GO. The morphological structure of GO was also affected by the reaction with TEPA, which was confirmed by SEM and TEM images. The TEM images showed that the transparent GO sheets became denser and opaque after functionalization with TEPA, indicating an increase in the stacking level of the GO sheets. This was further confirmed by the XRD analysis, which showed a clear decrease in the d-spacing, caused by the removal of oxygenated groups during the reduction reaction.Scopu

Experiences with array-based sequence capture; toward clinical applications

Although sequencing of a human genome gradually becomes an option, zooming in on the region of interest remains attractive and cost saving. We performed array-based sequence capture using 385K Roche NimbleGen, Inc. arrays to zoom in on the protein-coding and immediate intron-flanking sequences of 112 genes, potentially involved in mental retardation and congenital malformation. Captured material was sequenced using Illumina technology. A data analysis pipeline was built that detects sequence variants, positions them in relation to the gene, checks for presence in databases (eg, db single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)) and predicts the potential consequences at the level of RNA splicing and protein translation. In the samples analyzed, all known variants were reliably detected, including pathogenic variants from control cases and SNPs derived from array experiments. Although overall coverage varied considerably, it was reproducible per region and facilitated the detection of large deletions and duplications (copy number variations), including a partial deletion in the B3GALTL gene from a patient sample. For ultimate diagnostic application, overall results need to be improved. Future arrays should contain probes from both DNA strands, and to obtain a more even coverage, one could add fewer probes from densely and more probes from sparsely covered regions