Kinetic investigation of nanophotocatalytic reaction (ZnO-Ag-Zr) in the degradation of reactive red dyes (RR198)

In this research, a photocatalytic reactor made of quartz was designed and built. Then ZnO nanophotocatalysts modified with different percentages of Ag and Zr were synthesized by combustion method and using microwave. Photocatalytic experiments showed that nanophotocatalysts with a mass ratio of 0.093 Ag and 0.04 Zr are more efficient. The characteristics of this catalyst were evaluated by XRD, SEM and FT-IR analyses. Then the photocatalytic activities of ZnO-Ag-Zr in the degradation of reactive red dye 198 were investigated and the effective factors such as pH of the solution, amount of catalyst and initial concentration of the solution were investigated. Experiments showed that the optimal conditions for decolorization of the dye at a concentration of 20 mg/liter are: pH=10 and the amount of catalyst is 0.3 g/liter, and under these conditions, decolorization is above 92%. Also, in the study of the kinetics of the aforementioned reaction, it was shown that the removal rate of Reactive Red 198 dyes is in good agreement with the pseudo-first-order Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation, and therefore, the kinetic parameters were determined using this model

Performance of electrophysiologic study in an asymptomatic patient with type 2 intermittent Brugada syndrome: To do or not to do

Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited channelopathy, which is associated with sudden cardiac death due to rapid polymorphic VT or VF. There is no definite consensus regarding the management of asymptomatic patients. Some experts advocate close follow-up; others propose the programmed stimulation for risk stratification. We aimed to evaluate the benefit of complete atrial and ventricular stimulation in patients with BrS and palpitation. Case Presentation: A 30-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of a family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD) at age less than 45 years. He complained of self-terminated episodes of palpitation with no history of syncope. Baseline ECG showed incomplete right bundle branch block (RBBB) and saddle-back-like ST deviation in V1. Flecainide challenge test (FCT) revealed Brugada pattern. Complete EPS was done for evaluation of VT/VF inducibility and probable concomitant supraventricular arrhythmias. Programmed atrial stimulation showed inducible typical slow-fast AVNRT with AH jump 75 msec. Successful slow pathway ablation was done. There was no inducible ventricular arrhythmia. Conclusions: Patients with drug-induced BrS, positive family history of SCD and also episodes of palpitation, benefit from complete EPS. However, ICD implementation is not recommended in asymptomatic patients with drug-induced BrS and negative EPS for ventricular stimulation

Clinical Study The Effects of Beta-Glucan Rich Oat Bread on Serum Nitric Oxide and Vascular Endothelial Function in Patients with Hypercholesterolemia

Introduction. Oats are high in soluble fibers and effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We assessed the effects of beta-glucan from oat bran on serum nitric oxide (NO) endothelial function in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Method. Sixty hypercholesterolemic patients were randomly divided to receive an experimental bread rich in beta-glucan from oat bran (intervention) or bread rich in wheat fiber (control) for four weeks. All subjects had the same diet for two-week baseline period and hypocaloric diet for four weeks of intervention. Serum NO concentration and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were determined before and after the experiment. Results. Mean age of the participants was 51.1 ± 9.3 years and 65% ( = 39) were female. After intervention, serum NO concentration increased by 50.2 ± 19.8 mol/lit in the intervention group ( = 0.017), but no change was observed in the control group (17.5 ± 27.5 mol/lit; = 0.530). No change of FMD was observed in the intervention (0.48 ± 0.78%; = 0.546) or in the control group (0.59 ± 0.92%; = 0.533). Conclusion. Consumption of oat bread for four weeks increases serum NO concentration but has no effect on FMD. Further studies are warranted in this regard

Metal oxide nanofluids on heavy metals removal by the electrochemical method from refinery wastewater

The electrochemical coagulation process, or EC, is an electrochemical process that direct electrical current was used to remove pollutants from solution. In this paper, the effect of nanofluids of iron, copper, and zinc metal oxides on electrochemical reaction of heavy cobalt metal removal from the refinery wastewater was investigated. Different tests were performed to achieve the best performance with maximum efficiency. In the meantime, the best performance was achieved at 30 volts and 60 minutes having efficiency up to 52%. In the next step, the tests were performed using iron, copper, and zinc nanoparticles oxides that they could been reduced cobalt values to 73%, 87% and 61% of the initial amounts, respectively. Between used metal oxides, the results show iron oxide nanoparticles could reached to maximum cobalt removal from the wastewater, and after that copper and zinc oxides nanoparticles have high removal efficiency, respectively. Surface response method used to determining the optimum cobalt removal conditions. A quadratic statistical model was presented in terms of experimental parameters. The statistical model predictions from experimental design are in good agreement with experimental data for cobalt removal in this work

Synthesis of novel polymeric nanoparticles (methoxy-polyethylene glycol-chitosan/hyaluronic acid) containing 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin for colon cancer therapy: in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo investigation

The goal of the current study was to target 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38) orally to colon tumours by synthesizing a targeting polymer. To achieve the optimum delivery for SN38, initially methoxy-polyethylene glycol (mPEG)-chitosan was synthesized and then nanoparticles were developed through ionic gelation between mPEG-chitosan and hyaluronic acid as a ligand for cell-surface glycoprotein CD44 receptor. The SN38 was loaded in nanoparticles (SN38-NPs) using the non-covalent physical adsorption method. The size of the optimized SN38-NPs was 226.7 nm, encapsulation efficiency was 89.23% and drug content was 7.98 ± 0.54% in the optimum formulation. The attachment of mPEG to chitosan was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transforms infra-red analysis indicated that SN38 existed in amorphous form and functional groups of SN38 protected in the formulations which could be a sign of suitable encapsulation of SN38 in SN38-NPs. In vitro study indicated that SN38-NPs were more potent against the cancer cells than free SN38. The cellular uptake of SN38-NPs improved up to 1.6-fold against human colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells. Moreover, SN38-NPs remarkably demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy in contrary to pure SN38. This suggests the advantage of SN38-NPs as a potent oral drug carrier which could be further explored for clinical investigations

Synthesis, characterization and degradation activity of Methyl orange Azo dye using synthesized CuO/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite

This study investigated the photo-degradation of methyl orange (MO) as a type of azo dye using a CuO/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite. A CuO/α-Fe2O3 powder with a crystalline size in the range of 27-49 nm was successfully prepared using simple co-precipitation along with a sonication method. The characterization of the synthesized sample was done via XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, FTIR and DRS analyses. The Tauc equation revealed that the band gap of the nano composite in the direct mood was 2.05 ev, which is in the visible light range. The effect of operating factors containing dye concentration, photocatalyst dosage and pH on dye degradation efficiency was measured. Response Surface Method (RSM) was employed to specify the parameter effects. The photocatalytic activity of the CuO/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposite was evaluated by degradation of MO under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the pH value played a very effective role in the dye degradation process efficiency. Also, the photocatalytic degradation of MO obtained was equal to 88.47% in the optimal values

Extraction of Cherryâs Anthocyanin using Amberlite XAD-7 Resin

Anthocyanin is known as natural pigments of fruits. These pigments are among the best natural pigments to be used in food industry. In this study, the method for extraction of cherryâs pigment (Anthocyanin) using an Amberlite XAD-7 resin is discussed. Amberlite XAD-7 has got an excellent condition for extraction of Anthocyanin due to its lack of charged groups and great porosity. After completion of adsorption process of Anthocyanin on Amberlite resin, desorption process was performed by acidic methanol which was able to extract about 90 percent of Anthocyanin compounds. Furthermore, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied for explanation of Anthocyanin adsorption which finally indicated that Langmuir model has a better consistenc