New three-dimensional poly(decanediol-co-tricarballylate) elastomeric fibrous mesh fabricated by photoreactive electrospinning for cardiac tissue engineering applications

Reactive electrospinning is capable of efficiently producing in situ crosslinked scaffolds resembling the natural extracellular matrix with tunable characteristics. In this study, we aimed to synthesize, characterize, and investigate the in vitro cytocompatibility of electrospun fibers of acrylated poly(1,10-decanediol-co-tricarballylate) copolymer prepared utilizing the photoreactive electrospinning process with ultraviolet radiation for crosslinking, to be used for cardiac tissue engineering applications. Chemical, thermal, and morphological characterization confirmed the successful synthesis of the polymer used for production of the electrospun fibrous scaffolds with more than 70% porosity. Mechanical testing confirmed the elastomeric nature of the fibers required to withstand cardiac contraction and relaxation. The cell viability assay showed no significant cytotoxicity of the fibers on cultured cardiomyoblasts and the cell-scaffolds interaction study showed a significant increase in cell attachment and growth on the electrospun fibers compared to the reference. This data suggests that the newly synthesized fibrous scaffold constitutes a promising candidate for cardiac tissue engineering applications

A Novel P@SiO2 Nano-Composite as Effective Adsorbent to Remove Methylene Blue Dye from Aqueous Media

This work aims to prepare a novel phosphate-embedded silica nanoparticles (P@SiO2) nanocomposite as an effective adsorbent through a hydrothermal route. Firstly, a mixed solution of sodium silicate and sodium phosphate was passed through a strong acidic resin to convert it into hydrogen form. After that, the resultant solution was hydrothermally treated to yield P@SiO2 nanocomposite. Using kinetic studies, methylene blue (MB) dye was selected to study the removal behavior of the P@SiO2 nanocomposite. The obtained composite was characterized using several advanced techniques. The experimental results showed rapid kinetic adsorption where the equilibrium was reached within 100 s, and the pseudo-second-order fitted well with experimental data. Moreover, according to Langmuir, one gram of P@SiO2 nanocomposite can remove 76.92 mg of the methylene blue dye. The thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous, exothermic, and ordered at the solid/solution interface. Finally, the results indicated that the presence of NaCl did not impact the adsorption behavior of MB dye. Due to the significant efficiency and promising properties of the prepared P@SiO2 nanocomposite, it could be used as an effective adsorbent material to remove various cationic forms of pollutants from aqueous solutions in future works

Chitosan-Functionalized-Graphene Oxide (GO@CS) Beads as an Effective Adsorbent to Remove Cationic Dye from Wastewater

In this study, the preparation of graphene oxide@chitosan (GO@CS) composite beads was investigated via continuous dropping techniques to remove methylene blue (MB)-dye from an aqueous media. The prepared beads were characterized using various techniques before and after the adsorption of MB. The experimental results showed that the adsorption processes fit the kinetic pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models. Moreover, the GO@CS beads achieve maximum adsorption capacities of 23.26 mg g$^{−1}$, which was comparable with other adsorbents in the literature. An important advantage of our adsorbent is that the GO@CS can remove 82.1% of the real sample color within 135 min

A systematic review of deep learning microalgae classification and detection

Algae represent the majority of the diversity on Earth and are a large group of organisms that have photosynthetic properties that are important to life. The species of algae are estimated to be more than 1 million, they play an important role in many fields such as agriculture, industry, food, and medicine. It is important to determine the type of algae, to determine if it is harmful or useful, and to indicate the health of the ecosystem, water quality, health, and safety risks. The conventional process of classifying algae is difficult, tedious, and time-consuming. Recently various computer vision techniques have been used to classify algae to overcome challenges and automate the process of classification. This paper presents a review of research done on image classification for microorganism algae using machine learning and deep learning techniques. The paper focuses on three important research questions to highlight the challenges of classifying microalgae. A systematic literature review or SLR has been conducted to determine how deep learning and machine learning have improved and enhanced automatic microalgae classification rather than manual classification. 51 articles have been included from well-known databases. The outcome of this SLR is beneficial due to the detailed analysis and comprehensive overview of the algorithms and the architectures and information about the dataset used in each included article. The future work focuses on getting a large dataset with high resolution, trying different methods to manage imbalance problems, and giving more attention to the fusion of deep learning techniques and traditional machine learning techniques

Overview of Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications of Reactive Electrospinning and Crosslinking Techniques of Polymeric Nanofibers with Highlights on Their Biocompatibility Testing and Regulatory Aspects

Traditional electrospinning is a promising technique for fabricating nanofibers for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. The method is highly efficient in producing nanofibers with morphology and porosity similar to the extracellular matrix. Nonetheless, and in many instances, the process has faced several limitations, including weak mechanical strength, large diameter distributions, and scaling-up difficulties of its fabricated electrospun nanofibers. The constraints of the polymer solution's intrinsic properties are primarily responsible for these limitations. Reactive electrospinning constitutes a novel and modified electrospinning techniques developed to overcome those challenges and improve the properties of the fabricated fibers intended for various biomedical applications. This review mainly addresses reactive electrospinning techniques, a relatively new approach for making in situ or post-crosslinked nanofibers. It provides an overview of and discusses the recent literature about chemical and photoreactive electrospinning, their various techniques, their biomedical applications, and FDA regulatory aspects related to their approval and marketing. Another aspect highlighted in this review is the use of crosslinking and reactive electrospinning techniques to enhance the fabricated nanofibers' physicochemical and mechanical properties and make them more biocompatible and tailored for advanced intelligent drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.This project was made possible by NPRP13S-0126-200173 from Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) through its National Priorities Research Program granted to H. M. Younes. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu

KCNQ1 Haplotypes Associate with Type 2 Diabetes in Malaysian Chinese Subjects

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes of potassium voltage-gated channel, KQT-like subfamily, member 1 (KCNQ1) with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Malaysian Chinese subjects. The KCNQ1 SNPs rs2237892, rs2283228 and rs2237895 were genotyped in 300 T2D patients and 230 control subjects without diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Two logistic regression models of analysis were applied, the first adjusted for age and gender while the second adjusted for age, gender and body mass index. The additive genetic analysis showed that adjusting for body mass index (BMI) even strengthened association of rs2237892, rs2283228 and rs2237895 with T2D (OR = 2.0, P = 5.1 × 10−5; OR = 1.9, P = 5.2 × 10−5; OR = 1.9, P = 7.8 × 10−5, respectively). The haplotype TCA containing the allele of rs2237892 (T), rs2283228 (C) and rs2237895 (A) was highly protective against T2D (Second model; OR = 0.17, P = 3.7 × 10−11). The KCNQ1 rs2237892 (TT), and the protective haplotype (TCA) were associated with higher beta-cell function (HOMA-B) in normal subjects (P = 0.0002; 0.014, respectively). This study found that KCNQ1 SNPs was associated with T2D susceptibility in Malaysian Chinese subjects. In addition, certain KCNQ1 haplotypes were strongly associated with T2D

Author Correction: Limits to the strain engineering of layered square-planar nickelate thin films

Correction to: Nature Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37117-4, published online 16 March 2023 In the Acknowledgements section of this article the grant number relating to NSF was incorrectly given as DMR 2045826 and should have been DMR-2045826. The original article has been corrected

Cathine and cathinone disposition kinetics and neurotransmitter profile in several organs of rats exposed to a single dose of Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl. extract

Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl. (Khat) is a stimulant plant that contains cathine and cathinone, which its abuses induce euphoria, alertness, and motor activity. Since the toxicokinetics of these substances remain unclear, this study was carried out to investigate the disposition kinetics of cathine and cathinone, the neurotransmitter profile, following a single dose of C. edulis extract in rats. Twenty-four adult male Wistar albino rats (250-300 g) were randomly selected and divided into six groups of four rats each. All groups received a single oral dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight, and blood and tissue samples from the brain, lung, heart, liver, and kidney were obtained at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 12, and 24 h. The cathine and cathinone concentrations were identified and quantified using ion trap ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-IT/MS). The neurotransmitter profile was detected using the quadrupole time of flight UPLC-QTOF/MS method. The lung, liver, and heart tissues attained the highest levels of cathine, while the highest level of cathinone was determined in the heart. Cathine and cathinone concentrations in the blood and heart peaked at 0.5 h. The concentrations peaked in the brain 2.5 h later, indicating that the heart had an immediate effect, whereas the brain had a longer-lasting one. They have longer half-lives (2.68 and 5.07 h, respectively) and may remain in the brain for longer durations (3.31 and 2.31 h, respectively). The neurotransmitters epinephrine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin were detected in a delayed, prolonged and organ-specific manner. Cathine and cathinone were deposited in considerable concentrations in all tissues analyzed, with the highest Cmax in the lung and Tmax in the heart tissues but not in the brain. In addition, neurotransmitters such as adrenaline, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin were differentially detected in all tested samples in a organ-specific fashion. More study is needed to identify cathine and cathinone's effects on neurotransmitter profiles. Nevertheless, these findings provided a further basis for experimental, clinical, and forensic investigations

Antiferromagnetic metal phase in an electron-doped rare-earth nickelate

Long viewed as passive elements, antiferromagnetic materials have emerged as promising candidates for spintronic devices due to their insensitivity to external fields and potential for high-speed switching. Recent work exploiting spin and orbital effects has identified ways to electrically control and probe the spins in metallic antiferromagnets, especially in noncollinear or noncentrosymmetric spin structures. The rare earth nickelate NdNiO3 is known to be a noncollinear antiferromagnet where the onset of antiferromagnetic ordering is concomitant with a transition to an insulating state. Here, we find that for low electron doping, the magnetic order on the nickel site is preserved while electronically a new metallic phase is induced. We show that this metallic phase has a Fermi surface that is mostly gapped by an electronic reconstruction driven by the bond disproportionation. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to write to and read from the spin structure via a large zero-field planar Hall effect. Our results expand the already rich phase diagram of the rare-earth nickelates and may enable spintronics applications in this family of correlated oxides.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figure

Relating circulating thyroid hormone concentrations to serum interleukins-6 and -10 in association with non-thyroidal illnesses including chronic renal insufficiency

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Because of the possible role of cytokines including interleukins (IL) in systemic non-thyroidal illnesses' (NTI) pathogenesis and consequently the frequently associated alterations in thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations constituting the euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS), we aimed in this research to elucidate the possible relation between IL-6 & IL-10 and any documented ESS in a cohort of patients with NTI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty patients and twenty healthy volunteers were recruited. The patients were subdivided into three subgroups depending on their underlying NTI and included 20 patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), congestive heart failure (CHF), and ICU patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Determination of the circulating serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as total T4 and T3 was carried out.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the whole group of patients, we detected a significantly lower T3 and T4 levels compared to control subjects (0.938 ± 0.477 vs 1.345 ± 0.44 nmol/L, p = 0.001 and 47.9 ± 28.41 vs 108 ± 19.49 nmol/L, p < 0.0001 respectively) while the TSH level was normal (1.08+0.518 μIU/L). Further, IL-6 was substantially higher above controls' levels (105.18 ± 72.01 vs 3.35 ± 1.18 ng/L, p < 0.00001) and correlated negatively with both T3 and T4 (r = -0.620, p < 0.0001 & -0.267, p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly was IL-10 level (74.13 ± 52.99 vs 2.64 ± 0.92 ng/ml, p < 0.00001) that correlated negatively with T3 (r = -0.512, p < 0.0001) but not T4. Interestingly, both interleukins correlated positively (r = 0.770, p = <0.001). Moreover, IL-6 (R²= 0.338, p = 0.001) and not IL-10 was a predictor of low T3 levels with only a borderline significance for T4 (R²= 0.082, p = 0.071).</p> <p>By subgroup analysis, the proportion of patients with subnormal T3, T4, and TSH levels was highest in the MI patients (70%, 70%, and 72%, respectively) who displayed the greatest IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations (192.5 ± 45.1 ng/L & 122.95 ± 46.1 ng/L, respectively) compared with CHF (82.95 ± 28.9 ng/L & 69.05 ± 44.0 ng/L, respectively) and CRI patients (40.05 ± 28.9 ng/L & 30.4 ± 10.6 ng/L, respectively). Surprisingly, CRI patients showed the least disturbance in IL-6 and IL-10 despite the lower levels of T3, T4, and TSH in a higher proportion of them compared to CHF patients (40%, 45%, & 26% vs 35%, 25%, & 18%, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>the high prevalence of ESS we detected in NTI including CRI may be linked to IL-6 and IL-10 alterations. Further, perturbation of IL-6 and not IL-10 might be involved in ESS pathogenesis although it is not the only key player as suggested by our findings in CRI.</p