A preservative with bleaching and emulsifying effects

In cosmetic products, additives are substances that aren’t consumed as main ingredients, actually, they are added to these products in the processes of preparation, packaging or storage in order to make them safer, improve their appearance, help to present a stable, attractive and easier to apply the product, without being stricken by environmental conditions [1, 2]. The protection and quality of toiletries or medicine products are important elements in regards to the health of the consumers. Adding preservatives to the formulations helps the cosmetic manufacturer achieve the first objective of products i.e. meeting the requirements of the users while being safe under normal conditions of use. Despite advances in manufacturing conditions (raw materials with exhaustive bacteriological controls and manufacturing in sterile areas), and the containers used (single-dose ampoules, opaque and hermetic bottles which are used for precise amount), there is still the possibility of colonizing cosmetics without a preservative in their composition. Principally adding extra compounds as emulsifier and blanching agent causes more noxious compounds in the products, which should be avoided. Hence, it is desirable that some components of the formulation fulfill this function [3]. In our study, a combination of sodium thiosulfate and Citric acid contains emulsifiers and bleaching substances. When this mixture was added to Azadirachta indica (Neem) gum or Acacia Senegal (Gum Arabic), besides the above-mentioned properties, turned these gums into a thickener and stabilizer agent. This formulation can prevent the spreading of microorganisms. It will be shown from the findings and results that this formula can be used as a preservative agent in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry with significant emulsifying and bleach potential. The rare side effect of this additive is mild skin hypersensitivity reaction only in sensitive individuals. Objective: The purpose of the study was to develop a powerful preservative based on synthetic and naturalingredients, with bleaching and emulsifying effects

Stable and simple quantitative phase-contrast imaging by Fresnel biprism

Digital holographic (DH) microscopy has grown into a powerful nondestructive technique for the real-time study of living cells including dynamic membrane changes and cell fluctuations in nanometer and sub-nanometer scales. The conventional DH microscopy configurations require a separately generated coherent reference wave that results in a low phase stability and a necessity to precisely adjust the intensity ratio between two overlapping beams. In this work, we present a compact, simple, and very stable common-path DH microscope, employing a self-referencing configuration. The microscope is implemented by a diode laser as the source and a Fresnel biprism for splitting and recombining the beams simultaneously. In the overlapping area, linear interference fringes with high contrast are produced. The frequency of the interference pattern could be easily adjusted by displacement of the biprism along the optical axis without a decrease in fringe contrast. To evaluate the validity of the method, the spatial noise and temporal stability of the setup are compared with the common off-axis DH microscope based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. It is shown that the proposed technique has low mechanical noise as well as superb temporal stability with sub-nanometer precision without any external vibration isolation. The higher temporal stability improves the capabilities of the microscope for studying micro-object fluctuations, particularly in the case of biological specimens. Experimental results are presented using red blood cells and silica microspheres to demonstrate the system performance

The Prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus Infection and Its High Risk Genotypes among Healthy Women in 28 Provinces in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Human Papilloma Virus infection (HPV) high-risk genotypes are responsible for up to 70% of invasive cervical cancers. It was aimed to determine the national and provincial prevalence of the total HPV and its high-risk genotypes including HPV genotype 16 (HPV16) and HPV genotype 18 (HPV18), and HPV genotypes other than genotypes of 16 and 18 (HPV other genotypes) among Iranian healthy women. Methods: Iran with 28 provinces locates at latitude and longitude of 32° 00' north and 53° 00' east. All Persian and English studies reporting HPV infection based on cervical specimens were selected through searching the PubMed, Magiran, Scopus, Irandoc databases, and Google Scholar research search engine. Sample size and event rates were used to compute the overall event rates and 95% confidence interval (95% C.I); Fixed or random effects model, heterogeneity indices including Q-statistics (p-value), and degree of heterogeneity (I2) were reported. The search was done up to February 29, 2022. Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2.2.064 and ArcGIS 10.8.2 software tools were used at a significance level of <0.05. Results: The meta-analysis included nineteen studies with 258839 participants. The national meta-analysis resulted in a total HPV prevalence of 0.025 (95% C.I 0.016, 0.039); those of HPV16, HPV18, and HPV other genotypes were 0.032 (95% C.I 0.019, 0.051), 0.028 (95% C.I 0.019, 0.040), and 0.048 (95% C.I 0.033, 0.069), respectively. The provincial meta-analysis showed that the total HPV prevalence was highest in Zanjn and Kerman (0.323 and 0.240, respectively); that of HPV16 was highest in Boushehr and Khozestan (0.298 and 0.253, respectively); that of HPV18 was highest in Tehran (0.089) and that of HPV other genotypes was highest in Khozestan (0.542). Conclusion: The current results would help policymakers and health managers accentuate on further implementation of screening strategies and health services in needier areas such as Zanjan, Kerma, Khozestan, and Tehran

Innovative AVR-LFC design for a multi-area power system using hybrid fractional-order PI and PIDD2 controllers based on dandelion optimizer

In this article, the problem of voltage and frequency stability in a hybrid multi-area power system including renewable energy sources (RES) and electric vehicles has been investigated. Fractional order systems have been used to design innovative controllers for both load frequency control (LFC) and automatic voltage regulator (AVR) based on the combination of fractional order proportional-integral and proportional-integral-derivative plus double derivative (FOPI–PIDD2). Here, the dandelion optimizer (DO) algorithm is used to optimize the proposed FOPI–PIDD2 controller to stabilize the voltage and frequency of the system. Finally, the results of simulations performed on MATLAB/Simulink show fast, stable, and robust performance based on sensitivity analysis, as well as the superiority of the proposed optimal control strategy in damping frequency fluctuations and active power, exchanged between areas when faced with step changes in load, the changes in the generation rate of units, and the uncertainties caused by the wide changes of dynamic values

Optimal operation of microgrids with demand-side management based on a combination of genetic algorithm and artificial bee colony

An important issue in power systems is the optimal operation of microgrids with demand-side management. The implementation of demand-side management programs, on the one hand, reduces the cost of operating the power system, and on the other hand, the implementation of such programs requires financial incentive policies. In this paper, the problem of the optimal operation of microgrids along with demand-side management (DSM) is formulated as an optimization problem. Load shifting is considered an effective solution in demand-side management. The objective function of this problem is to minimize the total operating costs of the power system and the cost of load shifting, and the constraints of the problem include operating constraints and executive restrictions for load shifting. Due to the dimensions of the problem, the simultaneous combination of a genetic algorithm and an ABC is used in such a way that by solving the OPF problem with an ABC algorithm and applying it to the structure of the genetic algorithm, the main problem will be solved. Finally, the proposed method is evaluated under the influence of various factors, including the types of production units, the types of loads, the unit uncertainty, sharing with the grid, and electricity prices all based on different scenarios. To confirm the proposed method, the results were compared with different algorithms on the IEEE 33-bus network, which was able to reduce costs by 57.01%.Web of Science1411art. no. 675

Testing natural biomaterials in animal models

Animal models have been extensively developed in the last decades in biomedical field. Their use has shown particular relevance in fields such as cell biology, genetics, anatomy and development, biochemistry, infection and immunity, cancer research, drugs and vaccine development, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The induced host tissue trauma and the inflammatory process resulting from the implantation of a medical device are of utmost importance for a successful outcome. Features of a chronic inflammation are usually attributed to the host response towards the implant, while an early acute inflammatory response is mainly endorsed by the implantation procedure. Animal testing comprises a midway step between in vitro studies and human clinical trials, which precede real clinical application. As every animal model has its advantages and disadvantages, a comprehensive analysis of each available species needs to be conducted when planning an animal study.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Natural-based nanocomposites for bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: a review

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been providing exciting technologies for the development of functional substitutes aimed to repair and regenerate damaged tissues and organs. Inspired by the hierarchical nature of bone, nanostructured biomaterials are gaining a singular attention for tissue engineering, owing their ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation, and hence new bone growth, compared with conventional microsized materials. Of particular interest are nanocomposites involving biopolymeric matrices and bioactive nanosized fi llers. Biodegradability, high mechanical strength, and osteointegration and formation of ligamentous tissue are properties required for such materials. Biopolymers are advantageous due to their similarities with extracellular matrices, specifi c degradation rates, and good biological performance. By its turn, calcium phosphates possess favorable osteoconductivity, resorbability, and biocompatibility. Herein, an overview on the available natural polymer/calcium phosphate nanocomposite materials, their design, and properties is presented. Scaffolds, hydrogels, and fi bers as biomimetic strategies for tissue engineering, and processing methodologies are described. The specifi c biological properties of the nanocomposites, as well as their interaction with cells, including the use of bioactive molecules, are highlighted. Nanocomposites in vivo studies using animal models are also reviewed and discussed.  The research leading to this work has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS, and from QREN (ON.2 - NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016) cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Program (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The use of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair and regeneration: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The management of articular cartilage defects presents many clinical challenges due to its avascular, aneural and alymphatic nature. Bone marrow stimulation techniques, such as microfracture, are the most frequently used method in clinical practice however the resulting mixed fibrocartilage tissue which is inferior to native hyaline cartilage. Other methods have shown promise but are far from perfect. There is an unmet need and growing interest in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to improve the outcome for patients requiring cartilage repair. Many published reviews on cartilage repair only list human clinical trials, underestimating the wealth of basic sciences and animal studies that are precursors to future research. We therefore set out to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the translation of stem cell therapy to explore what research had been carried out at each of the stages of translation from bench-top (in vitro), animal (pre-clinical) and human studies (clinical) and assemble an evidence-based cascade for the responsible introduction of stem cell therapy for cartilage defects. This review was conducted in accordance to PRISMA guidelines using CINHAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Knowledge databases from 1st January 1900 to 30th June 2015. In total, there were 2880 studies identified of which 252 studies were included for analysis (100 articles for in vitro studies, 111 studies for animal studies; and 31 studies for human studies). There was a huge variance in cell source in pre-clinical studies both of terms of animal used, location of harvest (fat, marrow, blood or synovium) and allogeneicity. The use of scaffolds, growth factors, number of cell passages and number of cells used was hugely heterogeneous. SHORT CONCLUSIONS: This review offers a comprehensive assessment of the evidence behind the translation of basic science to the clinical practice of cartilage repair. It has revealed a lack of connectivity between the in vitro, pre-clinical and human data and a patchwork quilt of synergistic evidence. Drivers for progress in this space are largely driven by patient demand, surgeon inquisition and a regulatory framework that is learning at the same pace as new developments take place