Synthesis of MRGO nanocomposites as a potential photocatalytic demulsifier for crude oil-in-water emulsion

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion has been a major concern for the petroleum industry. A cost-effective magnetite-reduced graphene oxide (MRGO) nanocomposite was synthesized to study the demulsification process of emulsion using said nanocomposite under solar illumination. Characterization data show that the magnetite was successfully deposited on reduced graphene oxide through redox reaction at varying loading amounts of magnetite. Demulsification of the O/W emulsion using MRGO nanocomposite shows that in general the demulsification efficiency was dependent on the loading amount of Fe3 O4 on the RGO sheet. It was proposed that the surfactant hydroxyl groups have an affinity towards Fe3 O4, which the loading amount was directly proportionate to available active site in Fe3 O4. As the loading amount increases, charge recombination centers on the RGO sheet would increase, effectively affecting the charge distribution within MRGO structure

A pioneer experience in Malaysia on In-house Radio-labelling of 131I-rituximab in the treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a case report of high dose 131I-rituximab-BEAM conditioning autologous transplant

Radioimmunotherapy is an established treatment modality in Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The only two commercially available radioimmunotherapies – 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan is expensive and 131I-tositumomab has been discontinued from commercial production. In resource limited environment, self-labelling 131I-rituximab might be the only viable practical option. We reported our pioneer experience in Malaysia on self-labelling 131I-rituximab, substituting autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and a patient, the first reported case, received high dose 131I-rituximab (6000 MBq/163 mCi) combined with BEAM conditioning for autologous HSCT

In-House Radio-Labelling Of 131i-Rituximab In Threatment Of Cd20+ B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A Pioneer Experience In Malaysia

Background Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is an established treatment modality in Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). The only two commercially available RITs - 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin®) is expensive and 131I-tositumomab has been discontinued from commercial production. In resource limited environment, 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) might not be possible. Self-labelling 131I-rituximab might be the only viable practical option. There is no randomized controlled trial comparing RIT versus autologous HSCT in NHL to examine the possibility of RIT substituting autologous HSCT. We reported our pioneer experience in Malaysia on self-labelling 131I-rituximab, substituting autologous HSCT and a patient, whom to our knowledge, is the first reported case received high dose 131I-rituximab (6000 MBq or 163 mCi) combined with BEAM conditioning for autologous HSCT. Clinical Presentation Six patients (Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) (n = 4), Follicular Lymphoma (FL) grade 2 (n = 2)), who were primary refractory/progressive except one and indicated but unable to receive autologous HSCT, and one primary refractory and progressive Primary Mediastinal (thymic) Large B-cell Lymphoma (PMBL), median age 60 (range 26-62), M:F = 6;1, received self-labelling 131I-rituximab from August to October 2014. Six patients received the usual dosage and one patient with PMBL received high dose combined with BEAM conditioning autologous HSCT. Median follow-up was 15.5 months (range 12.5-16.5). They achieved complete response (CR) (except PMBL - partial response (PR)) as the best response. At the latest follow-up, all the DLBCL remained in CR, one FL had slow progressive disease not symptomatic nor requiring intervention, one FL died after three months of 131I-rituximab due to rectal papillary mucinous adenocarcinoma which was symptomatic and diagnosed after 131I-rituximab, and the PMBL remained in PR. In our very limited experience young patients age less than 60 tolerated the treatment well without grade 4 neutropaenia or thrombocytopaenia. Three out of four elderly patients age 60 or above developed grade 4 haematoloigcal toxicity, which might be related to undiagnosed bone marrow infiltration because two of them had FL. Except for the patient who had developed rectal carcinoma and pre-existing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), none developed febrile neutropaenia or required antibiotics. None developed hypothyroidism, myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukaemia, albeit follow-up is still short. Intervention (& Technique) The usual dosage: 5 mCi on Day 0 (dosimetry dose) and total-body dose 0.75 Gy on Day 7 (therapeutic dose). High dose: 6000 MBq (163 mCi) on Day -18 combined with BEAM conditioning, started on Day -8, for autologous HSCT. Discussion/Conclusion Self-labelled 131I-rituximab may be a viable option to substitute autologous HSCT in refractory/relapse NHL, especially when autologous HSCT is not feasible. It is is definitely cheaper and halves the cost of Zevalin®. Its use in PMBL warrants further study

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe

Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19 : time for research to develop adaptation strategies

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPAR gamma:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NF kappa B: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2 alpha:Elongation initiation factor 2 alpha). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT(1)R axis (AT(1)R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity

S-2-hydroxyglutarate regulates CD8+ T-lymphocyte fate.

R-2-hydroxyglutarate accumulates to millimolar levels in cancer cells with gain-of-function isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 mutations. These levels of R-2-hydroxyglutarate affect 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. Both metabolite enantiomers, R- and S-2-hydroxyglutarate, are detectible in healthy individuals, yet their physiological function remains elusive. Here we show that 2-hydroxyglutarate accumulates in mouse CD8+ T cells in response to T-cell receptor triggering, and accumulates to millimolar levels in physiological oxygen conditions through a hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α)-dependent mechanism. S-2-hydroxyglutarate predominates over R-2-hydroxyglutarate in activated T cells, and we demonstrate alterations in markers of CD8+ T-cell differentiation in response to this metabolite. Modulation of histone and DNA demethylation, as well as HIF-1α stability, mediate these effects. S-2-hydroxyglutarate treatment greatly enhances the in vivo proliferation, persistence and anti-tumour capacity of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells. Thus, S-2-hydroxyglutarate acts as an immunometabolite that links environmental context, through a metabolic-epigenetic axis, to immune fate and function

High rise building deformation monitoring with GPS

The timely identification of deformation associated with geologic hazards or ground settlement can save lives, avert large financial liabilities and avoid severe environmental damage. Nowadays, it is tempting to consider whether the GPS technology has an important role to play for monitoring the tall buildings still under normal behavior. The advantage of using GPS technology is that it can detect if the structure has drifted until a few centimeters. Besides that, GPS provides cost effective and 3D information that will useful for engineering geologists. A discussion is presents the study on the suitability of using GPS technology for detecting the displacement of the tall buildings and GPS based methods for the monitoring and modeling of the dynamic structures likes high-rise buildings

Fingers Bending Motion Controlled Electrical Wheelchair by Using Flexible Bending Sensors with Kalman filter Algorithm

Abstract Severely disabled people have difficulties to use joystick in controlling electrical power wheelchair because controlling the joystick requires a large force which is more than the threshold for severely disabled people. It is difficult for them to use joystick to provide precise commands to the electrical system of the wheelchair because they cannot control over the deck tilt angles of joystick precisely. Thus, the idea of using fingers bending motion to control electrical wheelchair provides a solution for this problem. However, trembling fingers motions from disabled people generate signal noise that cause the motion control of the wheelchair not running smoothly. The objective of this paper is to tackle signal noises that are caused by trembling fingers motion. Three filtering methods were conducted which are Moving Average, Low-Pass, and Kalman Filters. The results indicate that Kalman Filter has significantly improved the smoothness of fingers bending command signal to the electrical wheelchair as compared to Moving Average and Low-Pass Filter. 638 Kok Seng Eu et al

Xenobiotics and loss of cell adhesion drive distinct transcriptional outcomes by aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a signal-regulated transcription factor, which is canonically activated by the direct binding of xenobiotics. In addition, switching cells from adherent to suspension culture also activates the AhR, representing a nonxenobiotic, physiological activation of AhR signaling. Here, we show that the AhR is recruited to target gene enhancers in both ligand [isopropyl-2-(1,3-dithietane-2-ylidene)-2-[N-(4-methylthiazol-2-yl)carbamoyl]acetate (YH439)]-treated and suspension cells, suggesting a common mechanism of target gene induction between these two routes of AhR activation. However, gene expression profiles critically differ between xenobiotic- and suspension-activated AhR signaling. Por and Cldnd1 were regulated predominantly by ligand treatments, whereas, in contrast, ApoER2 and Ganc were regulated predominantly by the suspension condition. Classic xenobiotic-metabolizing AhR targets such as Cyp1a1, Cyp1b1, and Nqo1 were regulated by both ligand and suspension conditions. Temporal expression patterns of AhR target genes were also found to vary, with examples of transient activation, transient repression, or sustained alterations in expression. Furthermore, sequence analysis coupled with chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and reporter gene analysis identified a functional xenobiotic response element (XRE) in the intron 1 of the mouse Tiparp gene, which was also bound by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α during hypoxia and features a concatemer of four XRE cores (GCGTG). Our data suggest that this XRE concatemer site concurrently regulates the expression of both the Tiparp gene and its cis antisense noncoding RNA after ligand- or suspension-induced AhR activation. This work provides novel insights into how AhR signaling drives different transcriptional programs via the ligand versus suspension modes of activation.Nan Hao, Kian Leong Lee, Sebastian G. B. Furness, Cecilia Bosdotter, Lorenz Poellinger, and Murray L. Whitela