Biosorptive removal of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+ ions from water by agenaria vulgaris shell

Lagenaria vulgaris (LV) shell was used as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions, Pb2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, from aqueous solutions. Experiments were carried out under batch conditions. The effects of contact time, initial pH, temperature and stirring speed on removal efficiency are presented. Sorption of the investigated metals was fast, reaching equilibrium after about 5 to 10 min, depending on the metal. Biosorption was highly pH-dependent, and the optimal pH for investigated metals was in the range of 4.5 to 6.0. The effects of temperature demonstrated that biosorption of the metals is a chemical process. SEM analysis revealed interesting morphological changes after acid refinement of the raw biosorbent and metal uptake that is related to the chemical nature of the biosorption process. EDX analysis of Lagenaria vulgaris biosorbent(LVB) before and after metal sorption revealed that the ion exchange mechanism was the principal sorption process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis has shown that major functional groups (carboxyl and hydroxyl) on the biosorbent surface took part in the metal ion uptake process as active sites. The results obtained showed that Lagenaria vulgaris based biosorbent could be used as an effective and low-cost pre-treatment step for removal of toxic metals from wastewaters

Seeding hESCs to achieve optimal colony clonality

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have promising clinical applications which often rely on clonally-homogeneous cell populations. To achieve this, it is important to ensure that each colony originates from a single founding cell and to avoid subsequent merging of colonies during their growth. Clonal homogeneity can be obtained with low seeding densities; however, this leads to low yield and viability. It is therefore important to quantitatively assess how seeding density affects clonality loss so that experimental protocols can be optimised to meet the required standards. Here we develop a quantitative framework for modelling the growth of hESC colonies from a given seeding density based on stochastic exponential growth. This allows us to identify the timescales for colony merges and over which colony size no longer predicts the number of founding cells. We demonstrate the success of our model by applying it to our own experiments of hESC colony growth; while this is based on a particular experimental set-up, the model can be applied more generally to other cell lines and experimental conditions to predict these important timescales

Efecto del injerto en las propiedades antioxidantes del tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The use of grafted plants in vegetable crop production is now being expanded greatly. However, few data are available on the nutritional composition of grafted vegetables with emphasis on antioxidant properties. Therefore, the major objective of this study was to evaluate antioxidant components of tomatoes influenced by grafting technique. The tomato plants were grown in a greenhouse located at Kriz˘evci, Croatia. The cultivars ‘Efialto’, ‘Heman’, and ‘Maxifort’ were used as rootstocks, while ‘Tamaris’ was used as scion. Grafting resulted in increase of number of marketable fruits per plant by 30%. Content of total vitamin C and total phenolics significantly decreased after grafting. The concentration of total extractable phenolics in tomatoes ranged from 287.1 to 977.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) kg–1 fresh weight, whereas lycopene content ranged from 11.44 to 60.99 mg kg–1 fresh weight. Antioxidant activities determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method of grafts were significantly different compared to their respective rootstocks. The overall results showed that tomato grafting on suitable rootstocks has positive effects on the cultivation performance, but decreases nutritional quality of tomatoes. En la producción de cultivos hortícolas se está expandiendo actualmente de forma considerable el uso de plantas injertadas. Sin embargo, hay pocos datos disponibles sobre la composición nutricional de las hortícolas injertadas, especialmente sobre sus propiedades antioxidantes. El principal objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los componentes antioxidantes de tomates influenciados por la técnica de injerto. Se cultivaron plantas de tomate en un invernadero de Kriz˘evcii, Croacia. Se utilizaron como portainjertos los cultivares ‘Efialto’, ‘Heman’, y ‘Maxifort’, mientras que ‘Tamaris’ fue utilizado como injerto. El resultado del injerto fue un aumento del 30% en el número de frutos comerciales por planta, mientras que el contenido de vitamina C y de fenoles totales disminuyó significativamente. La concentración del total de fenoles extraíbles en los tomates varió entre 287,1 y 977,4 mg de equivalentes de ácido gálico (GAE) por kilo sobre la base de peso fresco, mientras que el contenido de licopeno varió desde 11,44 hasta 60,99 mg kg–1 de peso fresco. Las actividades antioxidantes determinadas por el método DPPH (2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazilo) de los injertos fueron significativamente diferentes respecto de sus respectivos patrones. Los resultados globales muestran que el injerto de tomate sobre patrones adecuados tiene efectos positivos sobre el rendimiento de cultivo, pero la calidad nutricional de los frutos disminuye

Audit Sistem Informasi Pada Perusahaan Dagang Aneka Gemilang Bandar Lampung Menggunakan Framework Cobit 4.1

Aneka Gemilang Trade Enterprises is a trading company that engaged in the trade field, particularly in learning tool needs from primary school to college. Now days, there are many the same type of business, it is certainty tighten the competition, as well as in the product quality side until the quality of services to customers. To measure the quality and service which are provided by the Aneka Gemilang Trade Enterprises can be focused and balanced with the company business objectives, it is needed to determine the alignment level of TI objectives with company objectives. In order to achieve the alignment between TI objectives and company objectives, it is required a measurement of balance level between company objectives with TI objectives using COBIT 4.1. By this audit decision, it is expected there is a significant progress toward the company. The optimum of service and provide of qualified goods are the activities that must be priority to strengthen the available business partner and try to add the business partner in the future, therefore Aneka Gemilang Trade Enterprise be able to open the branches in other potential district

Differences in the Activity of Endogenous Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling Impact on the Ability of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Differentiate to Corneal Epithelial-Like Cells

Cornea is a clear outermost layer of the eye which enables transmission of light onto the retina. The transparent corneal epithelium is regenerated by limbal stem cells (LSCs), whose loss/dysfunction results in LSCs deficiency (LSCD). Ex vivo expansion of autologous LSCs obtained from patient's healthy eye followed by transplantation onto the LSCs damaged/deficient eye, has provided a successful treatment for unilateral LSCD. However, this is not applicable to patient with total bilateral LSCD, where LSCs are lost/damaged from both eyes. We investigated the potential of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) to differentiate into corneal epithelial-like cells as a source of autologous stem cell treatment for patients with total bilateral LSCD. Our study showed that combined addition of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), all trans-retinoic acid and epidermal growth factor for the first 9 days of differentiation followed by cell-replating on collagen-IV-coated surfaces with a corneal-specific-epithelial cell media for an additional 11 days, resulted in step wise differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to corneal epithelial progenitors and mature corneal epithelial-like cells. We observed differences in the ability of hiPSC lines to undergo differentiation to corneal epithelial-like cells which were dependent on the level of endogenous BMP signaling and could be restored via the activation of this signaling pathway by a specific transforming growth factor β inhibitor (SB431542). Together our data reveal a differential ability of hiPSC lines to generate corneal epithelial cells which is underlined by the activity of endogenous BMP signaling pathway

Does Day-to-Day Variability in Stool Consistency Link to the Fecal Microbiota Composition?

Microbiota fecal; Microbioma intestinal; Consistencia de las hecesMicrobiota fecal; Microbioma intestinal; Consistència de les femtesFecal microbiota; Intestinal microbiome; Stool consistencyIntroduction: Stool consistency has been associated with fecal microbial composition. Stool consistency often varies over time, in subjects with and without gastrointestinal disorders, raising the question whether variability in the microbial composition should be considered in microbiota studies. We evaluated within-subject day-to-day variability in stool consistency and the association with the fecal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy subjects, over seven days. Methods: Twelve IBS patients and 12 healthy subjects collected fecal samples during seven consecutive days. Stool consistency was determined by the patient-reported Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) and fecal dry weight percentage. 16S rRNA V4 gene sequencing was performed and microbial richness (alpha diversity; Chao1 index, observed number of species, effective Shannon index) and microbial community structure (beta diversity; Bray-Curtis distance, generalized UniFrac, and taxa abundance on family level) were determined. Results: Linear mixed-effects models showed significant associations between stool consistency and microbial richness, but no time effect. This implies that between-subject but not within-subject variation in microbiota over time can partially be explained by variation in stool consistency. Redundancy analysis showed a significant association between stool consistency and microbial community structure, but additional linear mixed-effects models did not demonstrate a time effect on this. Conclusion: This study supports an association between stool consistency and fecal microbiota, but no effect of day-to-day fluctuations in stool consistency within seven days. This consolidates the importance of considering stool consistency in gut microbiota research, though confirms the validity of single fecal sampling to represent an individual’s microbiota at a given time point. NCT00775060.This manuscript results in part from collaboration and network activities promoted under the frame of the international network GENIEUR (Genes in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Research Network Europe), which has been funded by the COST program (BM1106, www.GENIEUR.eu) and is currently supported by the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM, www.ESNM.eu)

Cost-effectiveness of the Perioperative Pain Management Bundle a registry-based study.

INTRODUCTION The Perioperative Pain Management Bundle was introduced in 10 Serbian PAIN OUT network hospitals to improve the quality of postoperative pain management. The Bundle consists of 4 elements: informing patients about postoperative pain treatment options; administering a full daily dose of 1-2 non-opioid analgesics; administering regional blocks and/or surgical wound infiltration; and assessing pain after surgery. In this study, we aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Bundle during the initial 24 h after surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The assessment of cost-effectiveness was carried out by comparing patients before and after Bundle implementation and by comparing patients who received all Bundle elements to those with no Bundle element. Costs of postoperative pain management included costs of the analgesic medications, costs of labor for administering these medications, and related disposable materials. A multidimensional Pain Composite Score (PCS), the effectiveness measurement, was obtained by averaging variables from the International Pain Outcomes questionnaire evaluating pain intensity, interference of pain with activities and emotions, and side effects of analgesic medications. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated as the incremental change in costs divided by the incremental change in PCS and plotted on the cost-effectiveness plane along with the economic preference analysis. RESULTS The ICER value calculated when comparing patients before and after Bundle implementation was 181.89 RSD (1.55 EUR) with plotted ICERs located in the northeast and southeast quadrants of the cost-effectiveness plane. However, when comparing patients with no Bundle elements and those with all four Bundle elements, the calculated ICER was -800.63 RSD (-6.82 EUR) with plotted ICERs located in the southeast quadrant of the cost-effectiveness plane. ICER values differ across surgical disciplines. CONCLUSION The proposed perioperative pain management Bundle is cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness varies depending on the number of implemented Bundle elements and fluctuates across surgical disciplines

Association of acute Babesia canis infection and serum lipid, lipoprotein, and apoprotein concentrations in dogs

Background Babesia canis infection induces a marked acute phase response (APR) that might be associated with alteration in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and disease prognosis. Hypothesis Dogs with B. canis-induced APR develop dyslipidemia with altered lipoprotein concentration and morphology. Animals Twenty-nine client-owned dogs with acute B. canis infection and 10 clinically healthy control dogs. Methods Observational cross-sectional study. Serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured using ELISA. Cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides were determined biochemically. Lipoproteins were separated using agarose gel electrophoresis. Lipoprotein diameter was assessed by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis; correlation with ApoA-1 (radioimmunoassay) and SAA was determined. Results Dogs with B. canis infection had a marked APR (median SAA, 168.3 mu g/mL; range, 98.1-716.2 mu g/mL) compared with controls (3.2 mu g/mL, 2.0-4.2 mu g/mL) (P < .001). Dogs with B. canis infection had significantly lower median cholesterol (4.79 mmol/L, 1.89-7.64 mmol/L versus 6.15 mmol/L, 4.2-7.4 mmol/L) (P = .02), phospholipid (4.64 mmol/L, 2.6-6.6 mmol/L versus 5.72 mmol/L, 4.68-7.0 mmol/L) (P = .02), and alpha-lipoproteins (77.5%, 27.7%-93.5% versus 89.2%, 75.1%-93.5%) (P = .04), and higher ApoA-1 (1.36 U, 0.8-2.56 U versus 0.95 U, 0.73-1.54 U) concentrations (P = .02). Serum amyloid A correlated with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) diameter (rho = .43; P = .03) and ApoA-1 (rho = .63, P < .001). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Major changes associated with B. canis-induced APR in dogs are related to concentration, composition, and morphology of HDL particles pointing to an altered reverse cholesterol transport. Parallel ApoA-1 and SAA concentration increase is a unique still unexplained pathophysiological finding