Evaluation of the Potential Neurotoxicity of Gold Nanoparticles in the Different Rat Brain Regions

The present study aims to investigate the potential adverse effects of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, midbrain, cerebellum and medulla of adult male Wistar rat through the estimation of some oxidative stress parameters and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Rats were divided into two main experimental groups. Animals of the 1st and 2nd groups were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose (10

Electronic Structures and Optical Properties for Nano Particles: Experimental and Theoretical Calculations

The use of copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (Cu₂O NPs) has increased dramatically both in the medical and industrial fields. In the present study, we have used various techniques like, dynamic light scattering (DLS) for particle size, zeta potential determination, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) for development and characterization of Cu and Cu₂O NPs. We have also performed the ab-initio calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) where the theoretical results are in well accordance with the experimental reports. The Hubbard correction is included over the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for a better description of Cu and Cu₂O NPs. The plot of densities of states (DOS) and energy band structures of Cu and Cu₂O nanocrystals predicts the metallic and semiconducting nature of Cu and Cu₂O, respectively. The energy bands and DOS shows strong hybridization of Cu-O and predicts the metallic nature of Cu and semiconducting nature of Cu₂O. The optical absorption results show that both the Cu₂O and Cu samples are absorbing strongly at the minimum energy. The band structure of Cu Nano crystals reveals a metallic nature where the valence band crosses the Fermi energy level at W point. However, an indirect energy band gap can be seen above the EF.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Física La Plat

Electronic Structures and Optical Properties for Nano Particles: Experimental and Theoretical Calculations

The use of copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (Cu2O NPs) has increased dramaticallyboth in the medical and industrial fields. In the present study, we have used various techniques like, dynamic light scattering(DLS) for particle size, zeta potential determination, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) andscanning electron microscope (SEM) for development and characterization of Cu and Cu2O NPs. We have also performed theab-initio calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) where the theoretical results are in well accordance with theexperimental reports. The Hubbard correction is included over the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for a betterdescription of Cu and Cu2O NPs. The plot of densities of states (DOS) and energy band structures of Cu and Cu2Onanocrystals predicts the metallic and semiconducting nature of Cu and Cu2O, respectively. The energy bands and DOS showsstrong hybridization of Cu-O and predicts the metallic nature of Cu and semiconducting nature of Cu2O. The optical absorptionresults show that both the Cu2O and Cu samples are absorbing strongly at the minimum energy. The band structure of Cu Nanocrystals reveals a metallic nature where the valence band crosses the Fermi energy level at W point. However, an indirectenergy band gap can be seen above the EF.Fil: Aly, Abeer E.. El Salam Higher Institution For Engineering And Tech; EgiptoFil: Fahmy, Heba M.. Faculty Of Science, Cairo University; EgiptoFil: Medina Chanduvi, Hugo Harold. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Gil Rebaza, Arles Víctor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Errico, Leonardo Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Thapa, B.. Kuseong College; Indi

Effectiveness of Structured Nursing Teaching Program on Outcomes of Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation

Background: Chronic low back pain is a full disorder that considers an important health problem. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching program on outcomes of chronic low back pain patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design has been utilized. Setting: Anesthesia and pain management department at the main Assiut University Hospital. Sample: Sixty low back pain patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation. They were randomly assigned in two groups of 30 patients each. Tools: three tools were utilized: Tool I: Structured interview patients' questionnaire. Tool II: Visual analogue pain scale and Tool III: "Modified Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire" in addition, structured nursing teaching program. Results: More than half (53.3%) of the case group their age was from 18 to < 55 years, and the rest of them (46.7%) were older adults aged 55 years and more. 80% of the case group had good knowledge post implementation of the program. (100%) of the case group had worst pain intensity level which decrease to (46.7%) post program. 40% of case group had sever disability, which decreased to 30% post implementation of the program. there were significant relation between pain analogue scale and Oswestry low back pain disability scale in pre and post structured nursing teaching program regarding to occupation Conclusion: Structured nursing teaching program had an effective strategy to improve the patients’ outcomes through increasing patients' knowledge, and decreasing both pain intensity and physical disability in the case group versus the control group. Recommendation: Supervised structured teaching program should be carried out for all patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation about pre-and post-procedure instructions and helpful hints for a healthy back when standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, and lifting. Keywords: Chronic low back pain, Radiofrequency ablation, structured nursing teaching program. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/65-08 Publication date: August 31st 201

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 < 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

Sensitivity of public debt to macroeconomic shocks: An application to the Egyptian economy

This paper aims at assessing the vulnerability of public debt to various shocks in macroeconomic variables in Egypt. This is particularly relevant for the Egyptian economy since it has currently witnessed high levels of public debt and has adopted a structural reform program that encompasses fiscal and monetary reforms to ensure macroeconomic stability. Hence, it is crucial to provide insights to policy makers on the most influential variables that affect the public debt to boost the reform efforts and guarantee fiscal sustainability. Accordingly, this work utilizes a structural vector auto regressive model (SVAR) for the Egyptian economy during the period (2005-2015) to investigate the relationship between gross public debt and a set of macroeconomic, monetary and fiscal variables. The results indicate a positive relationship between government debt and major economic variables - except inflation and government revenues. A positive shock in economic growth, government expenditures, real effective exchange rates or interest rates are all expected to cause a higher level of public debt. This result is consistent with the upward trend of rising public debt through the time interval of the study. Meanwhile, an increase in the inflation rate erodes the real value of public debt, and hence has a negative impact on the debt-to-GDP ratio. Finally, an increase in government revenues leads to a reduction in the debt-to-GDP ratio but after a transitory period of 3 quarters. This negative relationship does not occur instantly, as it takes time to reverse the upward trend in public debt and overcome the inclination to borrow more even if revenues are increasing. Consequently, sufficient measures need to be taken to ensure a sustainable increase in government revenues, while cutting and prioritizing government expenditures to decrease the overall level of public debt

Sensitivity of public debt to macroeconomic shocks: An application to the Egyptian economy

This paper aims at assessing the vulnerability of public debt to various shocks in macroeconomic variables in Egypt. This is particularly relevant for the Egyptian economy since it has currently witnessed high levels of public debt and has adopted a structural reform program that encompasses fiscal and monetary reforms to ensure macroeconomic stability. Hence, it is crucial to provide insights to policy makers on the most influential variables that affect the public debt to boost the reform efforts and guarantee fiscal sustainability. Accordingly, this work utilizes a structural vector auto regressive model (SVAR) for the Egyptian economy during the period (2005-2015) to investigate the relationship between gross public debt and a set of macroeconomic, monetary and fiscal variables. The results indicate a positive relationship between government debt and major economic variables - except inflation and government revenues. A positive shock in economic growth, government expenditures, real effective exchange rates or interest rates are all expected to cause a higher level of public debt. This result is consistent with the upward trend of rising public debt through the time interval of the study. Meanwhile, an increase in the inflation rate erodes the real value of public debt, and hence has a negative impact on the debt-to-GDP ratio. Finally, an increase in government revenues leads to a reduction in the debt-to-GDP ratio but after a transitory period of 3 quarters. This negative relationship does not occur instantly, as it takes time to reverse the upward trend in public debt and overcome the inclination to borrow more even if revenues are increasing. Consequently, sufficient measures need to be taken to ensure a sustainable increase in government revenues, while cutting and prioritizing government expenditures to decrease the overall level of public debt

Non-thermal continuous and modulated electromagnetic radiation fields effects on sleep EEG of rats

In the present study, the alteration in the sleep EEG in rats due to chronic exposure to low-level non-thermal electromagnetic radiation was investigated. Two types of radiation fields were used; 900 MHz unmodulated wave and 900 MHz modulated at 8 and 16 Hz waves. Animals has exposed to radiation fields for 1 month (1 h/day). EEG power spectral analyses of exposed and control animals during slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) revealed that the REM sleep is more susceptible to modulated radiofrequency radiation fields (RFR) than the SWS. The latency of REM sleep increased due to radiation exposure indicating a change in the ultradian rhythm of normal sleep cycles. The cumulative and irreversible effect of radiation exposure was proposed and the interaction of the extremely low frequency radiation with the similar EEG frequencies was suggested

Pomegranate juice as a super-food: A comprehensive review of its extraction, analysis, and quality assessment approaches

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an ancient perennial plant species of the Punicaceae family regarded as the ‘miracle fruit’ for its seeds being consumed as food, juice, and or as a functional food. Significant modern pharmacological and clinical evidence has highlighted the wide medicinal applications of pomegranate fruit parts and its juice. Pomegranate juice (PJ) superior to other fruit juices is a fortified source of dietary polyphenols with potential antioxidant effect attributed to its tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonoids content. The presence of these beneficial phytochemicals is critical for juice quality determination and is directly linked to its favored health benefits viz., obesity/diabetes management, and anti-inflammatory effects. This comprehensive review capitalizes on PJ with emphasis on the interrelationship between extraction methods, holistic chemical composition, sensory characters, and nutritional value. Followed by an overview of the different analytical approaches for PJ analysis and its quality control assessment highlighting their advantages and limitations along with the novel metabolomics approaches employed to insure its highest quality

Nigella sativa as an anti-inflammatory and promising remyelinating agent in the cortex and hippocampus of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis-induced rats

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a well-established animal model of multiple sclerosis. This study aimed to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) seeds (2.8 g/kg body weight) in EAE-induced rats. EAE-induced animals were divided into: (1) EAE-induced animals (“EAE” group). (2) “N. sativa + EAE” group received a daily oral administration of N. sativa 2 weeks prior to EAE induction until the end of the experiment. (3) “EAE + N. sativa” group received a daily oral administration of N. sativa after the appearance of the first clinical signs until the end of the experiment. All animals were sacrificed at the 28th day post EAE-induction. Disease pathogenesis was monitored using a daily clinical scoring, body weight, open field test, histopathological and ultrastructural examination and determination of some oxidative stress parameters in the cortex and hippocampus. N. sativa ameliorated the clinical signs and suppressed inflammation observed in EAE-induced rats. In addition, N. sativa enhanced remyelination in the hippocampus. However, protection of rats with N. sativa administered 2 weeks prior to EAE induction and its continuation until the end of the experiment resulted in a significant increase in the cortical lipid peroxide level with reference to control and “EAE” rats. In conclusion, N. sativa seeds could be used as a protective agent or an adjunct treatment for EAE even when the treatment started after the appearance of the first clinical signs. However, the dose and duration of N. sativa must be taken into consideration to avoid its probable pro-oxidant effect