Relationship between some indices of cardiovascular functions and pulse pressure as a predictor index for heart diseases: A case-control study

Background: Pulse pressure has recently been considered as a predictor of coronary heart disease. The difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure is called pulse pressure. Various factors including increased age, vascular stiffness, stenosis, and hypertension are associated with pulse pressure. The present study, therefore, aimed to investigate the relationship between some cardiovascular function indicators such as vascular stenosis, blood pressure and cardiac output with pulse pressure as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 544 patients who were referred to Imam Ali Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran, from March 2015 to February 2016. In this study, according to the angiographic findings, individuals with artery stenosis were considered as the case group (n=272) and those without artery stenosis were considered as the control group (n=272). Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and odds ratio estimation by SPSS22 software. Results: According to the findings of this study, ages over 50 (OR: 3.3, 95 CI: 2.1-5.2), high systolic blood pressure (OR: 8, 95 CI: 4.3-15.2), high diastolic blood pressure (OR: 4.9, 95 CI: 2.0-11.7), cardiac output less than 50 (OR: 1.8, 95 CI: 1.3-2.7) and vascular stenosis (OR: 3.5, 95 CI: 2.4-5.1) were associated with high pulse pressure. The male gender had a preventive role in increasing of pulse pressure (OR: 0.7, 95 CI: 0.5-0.9). A significant relationship was demonstrated between systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, the chances of having high pulse pressure are high among individuals over 50 years of age, female gender, those with elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and individuals with high coronary artery stenosis. This chance is associated with decreased cardiac output and coronary stenosis. Increased pulse pressure is a predictive indicator of cardiovascular disease and it is recommended that pulse pressure measurements of all referrals, especially those who are being referred to cardiology clinics, are taken into account by medical professionals to prevent adverse clinical outcomes. Copyright © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Biosynthesis of luminescent quantum dots in an earthworm

The synthesis of designer solid-state materials by living organisms is an emerging field in bio-nanotechnology. Key examples include the use of engineered viruses as templates for cobalt oxide (Co3O4) particles1, superparamagnetic cobalt–platinum alloy nanowires2and gold–cobalt oxide nanowires3for photovoltaic and battery-related applications. Here, we show that the earthworm's metal detoxification pathway can be exploited to produce luminescent, water-soluble semiconductor cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots that emit in the green region of the visible spectrum when excited in the ultraviolet region. Standard wild-typeLumbricus rubellusearthworms were exposed to soil spiked with CdCl2and Na2TeO3salts for 11 days. Luminescent quantum dots were isolated from chloragogenous tissues surrounding the gut of the worm, and were successfully used in live-cell imaging. The addition of polyethylene glycol on the surface of the quantum dots allowed for non-targeted, fluid-phase uptake by macrophage cells

Hydrophobin-Encapsulated Quantum Dots

The phase transfer of quantum dots to water is an important aspect of preparing nanomaterials that are suitable for biological applications, and although numerous reports describe ligand exchange, very few describe efficient ligand encapsulation techniques. In this report, we not only report a new method of phase transferring quantum dots (QDs) using an amphiphilic protein (hydrophobin) but also describe the advantages of using a biological molecule with available functional groups and their use in imaging cancer cells in vivo and other imaging applications