Solid-phase extraction of folic acid from pharmaceutical formulations using modified magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

ABSTRACT. A new analytical approach was suggested for the extraction and determination of folic acid in pharmaceutical samples using solid-phase microextraction. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles modified with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (Fe3O4@SDBS) were used for the adsorption of folic acid (FA) from an aqueous solution and determined spectrophotometrically at λmax of 365 nm. The chemical and physical conditions that may affect the efficiency of extraction were studied and optimized, such as the pH of the solution, surfactant and adsorbent amount, extraction time, and desorption factors. A good linearity range of 0.2-6 μg/mL with correlation coefficient higher than 0.999 and limit of detection of 0.08 μg/mL were obtained, in addition to high extraction efficiency of 98% and enrichment factor 15. The method exhibited good accuracy and precision with recoveries ranged 98-102% and intraday precisions of best than 3.5% at all concentrations. The method was successfully applied for the determination of folic acid in pharmaceutical samples within a limited separation time.   KEY WORDS: Folic acid, MNPs, Extraction, SDBS, Spectrophotometry, Solid phase extraction   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2022, 36(2), 291-302.                                                                 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v36i2.

Status of wonder women: challenges for young future women entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous difficulties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study is aimed to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering primary data from Labor Force Survey,(2014-15), UN Women, (2016), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.(2015),The little data book on financial inclusion, (2015), Women Economic Participation and Empowerment Status Report, (2016-2015), this study provides recommendations, assisting the federal and provincial agencies to introduce women friendly laws to reduce gender biases as well as to take notes on gender -specific measure to ease the business environment for women in Pakistan

Status of Wonder Women: Challenges for Young Future Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous difficulties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study aimed is to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering secondary data from Labor Force Survey-2014-15, UN Women (2016), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 2015, the little data book on financial inclusion 2015, Women Economic Participation and Empowerment Status Report, (2016-2015), this study provides recommendations assisting the federal and provincial agencies to introduce women friendly laws to reduce gender biases as well as to take note on gender specific measure to ease the business environment for women in Pakistan.

Development of Metal Matrix Composites Using Microwave Sintering Technique

In this book chapter, aluminum (Al)-based metal matrix composites (AMMCs) with various reinforcing ceramic particles, such as SiC, Si3N4, and Al2O3, were produced by microwave sintering and subsequent hot extrusion processes. The role of various nano/micro-sized reinforcements in altering the structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the microwave-extruded composites was systematically studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that the main components were Al, SiC, Si3N4, and Al2O3 for the studied Al-SiC, Al-Si3N4, and Al-Al2O3 composites, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping confirm the homogeneous distribution of reinforcing particles in the Al matrix. Mechanistic studies revealed that the Al-Si3N4 metal matrix composite exhibited superior hardness, ultimate compression/tensile strength, and Young’s modulus, while having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion compared to other studied Al composites. Findings presented are expected to pave the way to design, develop, and synthesize other aluminum-based metal matrix composites for automotive and industrial applications

Status of Wonder Women: Challenges for Young Future Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous difficulties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study aimed is to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering secondary data from Labor Force Survey-2014-15, UN Women (2016), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 2015, the little data book on financial inclusion 2015, Women Economic Participation and Empowerment Status Report, (2016-2015), this study provides recommendations assisting the federal and provincial agencies to introduce women friendly laws to reduce gender biases as well as to take note on gender specific measure to ease the business environment for women in Pakistan

Using B4C nanoparticles to enhance thermal and mechanical response of aluminum

In this work, Al-B4C nanocomposites were produced by microwave sintering and followed by hot extrusion processes. The influence of ceramic reinforcement (B4C) nanoparticles on the physical, microstructural, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of the extruded Al-B4C nanocomposites was investigated. It was observed that the density decreased and porosity increased with an increase in B4C content in aluminum matrix. The porosity of the composites increased whereas density decreased with increasing B4C content. Electron microscopy analysis reveals the uniform distribution of B4C nanoparticles in the Al matrix. Mechanical characterization results revealed that hardness, elastic modulus, compression, and tensile strengths increased whereas ductility decreases with increasing B4C content. Al-1.0 vol. % B4C nanocomposite exhibited best hardness (135.56 Hv), Young's modulus (88.63 GPa), and compression/tensile strength (524.67/194.41 MPa) among the materials investigated. Further, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composites gradually decreased with an increase in B4C content.Scopu

Generation and Culture of Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells from Human Peripheral Blood.

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in these individuals. However, the recent identification of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), generated from circulating endothelial progenitors in adult peripheral blood, may circumvent this limitation by offering an endothelial-like, primary cell surrogate for patient-derived endothelial cells. Beyond their value to understanding endothelial biology and disease modeling, BOECs have potential uses in endothelial cell transplantation therapies. They are also a suitable cellular substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via nuclear reprogramming, offering a number of advantages over other cell types. We describe a method for the reliable generation, culture and characterization of BOECs from adult peripheral blood for use in these and other applications. This approach (i) allows for the generation of patient-specific endothelial cells from a relatively small volume of adult peripheral blood and (ii) produces cells that are highly similar to primary endothelial cells in morphology, cell signaling and gene expression

A BMPR2/YY1 Signaling Axis Is Required for Human Cytomegalovirus Latency in Undifferentiated Myeloid Cells.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) presents a major health burden in the immunocompromised and in stem cell transplant medicine. A lack of understanding about the mechanisms of HCMV latency in undifferentiated CD34+ stem cells, and how latency is broken for the virus to enter the lytic phase of its infective cycle, has hampered the development of essential therapeutics. Using a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) model of HCMV latency and patient-derived myeloid cell progenitors, we demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2) is necessary for HCMV latency. In addition, we define a crucial role for the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in HCMV latency; high levels of YY1 are maintained in latently infected cells as a result of BMPR2 signaling through the SMAD4/SMAD6 axis. Activation of SMAD4/6, through BMPR2, inhibits TGFbeta receptor signaling, which leads to the degradation of YY1 via induction of a cellular microRNA (miRNA), hsa-miR-29a. Pharmacological targeting of BMPR2 in progenitor cells results in the degradation of YY1 and an inability to maintain latency and renders cells susceptible to T cell killing. These data argue that BMPR2 plays a role in HCMV latency and is a new potential therapeutic target for maintaining or disrupting HCMV latency in myeloid progenitors. IMPORTANCE Understanding the mechanisms which regulate HCMV latency could allow therapeutic targeting of the latent virus reservoir from where virus reactivation can cause severe disease. We show that the BMPR2/TGFbeta receptor/YY1 signaling axis is crucial to maintain HCMV latency in undifferentiated cells and that pharmacological reduction of BMPR2 in latently infected cells leads to reactivation of the viral lytic transcription program, which renders the infected cell open to immune detection and clearance in infected individuals. Therefore, this work identifies key host-virus interactions which regulate HCMV latent infection. It also demonstrates a potential new therapeutic approach to reduce HCMV reactivation-mediated disease by the treatment of donor stem cells/organs prior to transplantation, which could have a major impact in the transplant disease setting

CVAK104 is a Novel Regulator of Clathrin-mediated SNARE Sorting

Clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) mediate transport between the plasma membrane, endosomes and the trans Golgi network. Using comparative proteomics, we have identified coated-vesicle-associated kinase of 104 kDa (CVAK104) as a candidate accessory protein for CCV-mediated trafficking. Here, we demonstrate that the protein colocalizes with clathrin and adaptor protein-1 (AP-1), and that it is associated with a transferrin-positive endosomal compartment. Consistent with these observations, clathrin as well as the cargo adaptors AP-1 and epsinR can be coimmunoprecipitated with CVAK104. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of CVAK104 in HeLa cells results in selective loss of the SNARE proteins syntaxin 8 and vti1b from CCVs. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of CVAK104 in Xenopus tropicalis causes severe developmental defects, including a bent body axis and ventral oedema. Thus, CVAK104 is an evolutionarily conserved protein involved in SNARE sorting that is essential for normal embryonic development

Assessing the predictive value of neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio for ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients

BackgroundAcute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains a substantial global health challenge, contributing to increased morbidity, disability, and mortality. This study aimed at investigating the predictive value of the neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio (NPAR) in determining intensive care unit (ICU) admission among AIS patients.MethodsA retrospective observational study was conducted, involving AIS cases admitted to a tertiary hospital in Jordan between 2015 and 2020. Lab data were collected upon admission, and the primary outcome was ICU admission during hospitalization. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 29.ResultsIn this study involving 364 AIS patients, a subset of 77 (21.2%) required admission to the ICU during their hospital stay, most frequently within the first week of admission. Univariable analysis revealed significantly higher NPAR levels in ICU-admitted ischemic stroke patients compared to those who were not admitted (23.3 vs. 15.7, p < 0.001), and multivariable regression models confirmed that higher NPAR (≥19.107) independently predicted ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.85, 95% CI: 1.83–12.83). Additionally, lower GCS scores and higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were also associated with increased likelihood of ICU admission. In terms of predictive performance, NPAR showed the highest accuracy with an AUC of 0.885, sensitivity of 0.805, and specificity of 0.854, using a cutoff value of 19.107. NPAR exhibits an AUC of 0.058, significantly outperforming NLR (Z = 2.782, p = 0.005).ConclusionNPAR emerged as a robust independent predictor of ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients, surpassing the predictive performance of the NLR