Regular consumption of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink (Doogh) improved endothelial biomarkers in subjects with type 2 diabetes: a randomized double-blind clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endothelial dysfunction has been proposed as the underlying cause of diabetic angiopathy that eventually leads to cardiovascular disease, the major cause of death in diabetes. We recently demonstrated the ameliorating effect of regular vitamin D intake on the glycemic status of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, the effects of improvement of vitamin D status on glycemic status, lipid profile and endothelial biomarkers in T2D subjects were investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects with T2D were randomly allocated to one of the two groups to receive either plain yogurt drink (PYD; containing 170 mg calcium and no vitamin D/250 mL, n₁= 50) or vitamin D3-fortified yogurt drink (FYD; containing 170 mg calcium and 500 IU/250 mL, n₂= 50) twice a day for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measures, glycemic status, lipid profile, body fat mass (FM) and endothelial biomarkers including serum endothelin-1, E-selectin and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were evaluated at the beginning and after the 12-week intervention period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The intervention resulted in a significant improvement in fasting glucose, the Quantitative Insulin Check Index (QUICKI), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), triacylglycerols, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), endothelin-1, E-selectin and MMP-9 in FYD compared to PYD (<it>P </it>< 0.05, for all). Interestingly, difference in changes of endothelin-1, E-selectin and MMP-9 concentrations in FYD compared to PYD (-0.35 ± 0.63 versus -0.03 ± 0.55, <it>P </it>= 0.028; -3.8 ± 7.3 versus 0.95 ± 8.3, <it>P </it>= 0.003 and -2.3 ± 3.7 versus 0.44 ± 7.1 ng/mL, respectively, <it>P </it>< 0.05 for all), even after controlling for changes of QUICKI, FM and waist circumference, remained significant for endothelin-1 and MMP-9 (<it>P </it>= 0.009 and <it>P </it>= 0.005, respectively) but disappeared for E-selectin (<it>P </it>= 0.092). On the contrary, after controlling for serum 25(OH)D, the differences disappeared for endothelin-1(<it>P </it>= 0.066) and MMP-9 (<it>P </it>= 0.277) but still remained significant for E-selectin (<it>P </it>= 0.011).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ameliorated vitamin D status was accompanied by improved glycemic status, lipid profile and endothelial biomarkers in T2D subjects. Our findings suggest both direct and indirect ameliorating effects of vitamin D on the endothelial biomarkers.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01236846">NCT01236846</a></p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Electrocoagulation as a green technology for phosphate removal from River water

The current study investigates the removal of phosphate from water using a new baffle plates aluminium-based electrochemical cell (PBPR) taking consideration the influence of key operating parameters. This new cell utilises perforated baffle plates as a water mixer rather than magnetic stirrers that require extra power to work. As this unit is new, a comprehensive study has been carried to assess it performance. This study also includes preliminary estimates of the reactor’s operating costs, the amount of H2 gas produced and the yieldable energy from it. SEM (scanning electron microscope) was used to investigate the influence of the electrocoagulation process on the morphology of the surface of aluminium electrodes, and an empirical model developed to reproduce the phosphate removal process. The results showed that 99% of phosphate was removed within 60 minutes of electrolysis at an initial pH (ipH) of 6, inter-electrode distance (ID) of 0.5 cm, current density (J) of 6 mA/cm2, initial concentration of phosphate (IC) of 100 mg/L, and minimum operating cost of 0.503 US $/m3. The electrochemical cell produced enough H2 gas to generate 4.34 kWh/m3 of power. Statistically, it was proved that the influence of the operating parameters on phosphate removal could be modelled with an R2 of 0.882, the influence of these operating parameters on phosphate removal following the order: t>J>IC>ipH >ID. Finally, SEM images showed that after several electrolysing runs, the Al anode became rough and nonuniform which could be related to the production of aluminium hydroxides

One-way FSI analysis of bio-inspired flapping wings

Aerodynamics and structural dynamics of the insect wings are widely considered in flapping wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) applications. In this paper, the aerodynamic characteristics of the three-dimensional flapping wing models mimicked from the bumblebee and hawkmoth wings are numerically investigated under steady flow conditions. This study aims to simulate the one-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of these bio-inspired wings by transferring the aerodynamic load obtained from the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) into the finite element method (FEM) solver as a pressure load. The static aeroelastic responses of the wings under the pressure load are compared for different materials, namely, cuticle, aluminium alloy, and titanium alloy at various angles of attack (alpha = 0 degrees-90 degrees). CFD analysis shows that the hawkmoth wing model at alpha = 5 degrees has the highest lift-to-drag ratio (L/D). FSI analysis demonstrates that the cuticle hawkmoth wing model at alpha = 90 degrees undergoes the highest tip deflection

The Removal of Basic Blue 41 Dye from Aqueous Solutions by Bituminous Shale

The removal of Basic Blue 41 dye from aqueous solutions was investigated using bituminous shale as an adsorbent. The parameters studied in batch experiments were the effect of contact time, temperature, particle size and adsorbate concentration. The adsorption was found to follow a first-order process. Equilibrium adsorption data were obtained at three different temperatures, i.e. 25°C, 40°C and 50°C, and with particle sizes corresponding to the following meshes: 45–120, 120–230, 230–325 and 325–400. The resulting experimental equilibrium data were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm. It was found that the smaller the particle size, the higher the adsorption. The adsorption capacity increased with temperature

Purification and characterization of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases from Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain 12

WOS: 000410907000002In order to characterize two alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases (alpha-L-AFases), Abf1Geo12 and Abf2Geo12, produced by Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain 12, the genes (abf 1 and abf 2) coding for these enzymes were cloned and sequenced. Based on the protein sequence similarities, approximately 57 kDa two alpha-L-AFases were assigned to the glycoside hydrolase family 51. To obtain pure enzymes, the abf 1 and abf 2 genes were cloned into pET28a+ expression vector and recombinant alpha-L-AFases were produced in E. coli BL21(DE3): pLysS. Characterization of recombinant alpha-L-AFases revealed that Abf1Geo12 and Abf2Geo12 were active in a broad temperature range from 50 to 85 degrees C and from 40 to 80 degrees C, respectively. Also, the Abf1Geo12 was active in a broad pH range from 5.0 to 9.0. The optimum pH and temperature for Abf1Geo12 were determined as pH 6.0 and 65 degrees C, respectively, whereas the optimum pH and temperature for Abf2Geo12 were determined as pH 5.5 and 60 degrees C, respectively. Based on characterization studies, it was determined that the Abf1Geo12 was more stable than Abf2Geo12 and previously identified alpha-L-AFases from G. stearothermophilus. Using p-nitrophenyl alpha-L-arabinofuranoside as a substrate, the Km and Vmax values for Abf1Geo12 and Abf2Geo12 were determined as 0.31 mM and 290 U/mg for the former enzyme and 0.19 mM and 213.2 U/mg for the latter enzyme, respectively. The activities of Abf1Geo12 and Abf2Geo12 were strongly inhibited by 1 mM Hg2+. Interestingly, Cu2+ and Co2+ stimulated the activity of Abf1Geo12, but they reduced the activity of Abf2Geo12. The recombinant enzymes released L-arabinose from sugar beet arabinan, arabinobiose, arabinotriose, arabinotetraose and arabinopentaose. Consequently, these characterized two enzymes may be used in industrial fields since they are stable at high temperatures.Scientific and Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [211T116]This work was supported by The Scientific and Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK, Grant No.: 211T116)

Fontibacillus pullulanilyticus sp nov isolated from soil

WOS: 000383677500002PubMed ID: 27112372Gram stain-negative, motile, catalase-, and oxidase-positive strain, designated DSHK107T was isolated from soil of Cukurova University campus in Adana, Turkey. Its taxonomy was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The strain grew at 20-42 degrees C (optimum, 30 degrees C), at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in 0-2.0% NaCl (w/v). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the strain belonged to the genus Fontibacillus; strain DSHK107T showed highest sequence similarity to type strains Fontibacillus aquaticus GPTSA 19T (97.8%) and Fontibacillus panacisegetis P11-6T (97.0%). The major fatty acid of strain DSHK107T was anteiso-C15: 0 (46.7). The polar lipids of strain DSHK107T consisted of dihosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, four unknown phospholipids, four unknown lipids, three unknown glycolipids, two unknown aminophospholipids, an unknown aminolipid, and an unknown aminophosphoglycolipid. The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The DNA G_C content of DSHK107T was 42.1 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization showed that the strain DSHK107T shared low DNA-DNA relatedness with F. aquaticus DSM 17643T, Fontibacillus solani A4STRO4T, and F. panacisegetis DSM 28129T (47, 58, and 59.3%, respectively). Thus, our results support the placement of strain DSHK107T within a separate and previously unrecognized species. On the basis of a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach, strain DSHK107T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Fontibacillus, for which the name Fontibacillus pullulanilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DSHK107T (=NCCB 100560(T)=DSM 100116T).Karadeniz Technical UniversityKaradeniz Teknik University [KTU BAP FBB-2015-5165]This study was supported by Karadeniz Technical University (KTU BAP FBB-2015-5165). We thank Prof. Dr. Fikrettin Sahin (Yeditepe University) for fatty acid analyses. Also we thank Dr. Alvaro Peix (Universidad de Salamanca-IRNA-SACSIC) for providing Fontibacillus solani A4STR04T

A Pilot Study on the Isolation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells, Potential of Forming Colonies and Defining the Content of Stem Cells

Objective: Dental pulp has been used as a source in various stem cells experiments in the recent years. The aim of this study was to isolate dental pulp stem cells in sterilized conditions, to define the content level of stem cells and to optimize the methods that were used in obtaining single cell suspension for cell culture experiments. Material and Methods: In this study, a third molar tooth was used. Dental pulp tissue was digested with collagenase Type 1 (3 mg/mL) in alpha-MEM containing 10% fetal calf serum to obtain single cell suspension. The cells were incubated in 6-well-plates with culture medium at 5% CO(2) for 72 hours at moist conditions. After 72 hours, the cells were examined by inverted microscopy for cell morphology and development of colonies and the ratio of CD34 positive cells were defined with flow cytometry. Results: The development of the cell colonies was observed in culture. Three different cell populations were defined from the culture and the ratios of these populations that expressed CD34 were 10.99%, 12.99% and 2.99%. Conclusion: Considering the high rate of CD34 positive cells and the capability of forming colonies in in vitro culture, dental pulp is a good stem cell source