Improving Printability of Silk and Polyamide Substrates with Madder Nano-Sized Particles

The possibility of using madder nanoscaled particles, as a natural dye for printing silk and polyamide 6 fabrics, has been investigated. The dried plant is both milled and exposed to ultrasound waves (for a specific period of time), incorporated with urea in the printing paste at an acidic pH value, printed on the pretreated fabrics and eventually the prints are steamed and washed off. The influence of several parameters and measurements affecting K/S values as well as fastness levels of the prints are studied in detail i.e. mordant and urea concentrations, printing paste pH, SEM, TEM and FT-IR analysis and fastness properties. Results show that, printing using nano-scaled particles of the natural dye greatly enhances both: K/S values and fastness levels of the prints. SEM, FT-IR and UV visible spectroscopes are employed to show particle changes after milling as well as sonication

Corrosion Control of Mg-Zn Implant Alloys in Simulated Body Fluid

Magnesium alloys have recently attracted the attention as a new biodegradable material.  In this study, Mg-Zn alloys (1-4wt.% Zn) were fabricated with high purity raw materials using a clean melting process (fluxless method) and a protective atmosphere of CO2 + 0.4 SF6. The as-cast microstructures of the investigated alloys were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopes, EDS and XRD. Corrosion properties of the prepared alloys were examined in simulated body fluid (SBF) by electrochemical techniques and immersion test (hydrogen evolution method).  Surface modification of the prepared alloys was performed using micro arc oxidation (MAO) treatment and hydroxiapatite (HA) coating. The results of the as-cast microstructure showed that Zn up to 2 wt% was completely dissolved in a-Mg matrix. On increasing Zn content (> 2wt%) the grain size decreased and a second MgZn2 phase was observed. Corrosion testing results revealed that Mg-1,2,3 wt% Zn have almost the same corrosion rates (0.025 mm/y) whereas Mg-4Zn has the highest degradation rate. Hydroxiapatite (HA) coating on micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treated magnesium alloys formed a dense and compact layer on the surface of magnesium alloys which had greatly improved surface properties and enhanced corrosion resistance of the prepared alloys. Keywords: Mg alloys, implants, biodegradable, corrosion, surface modificatio

Multicenter, randomized trial of a bionic pancreas in type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Currently available semiautomated insulin-delivery systems require individualized insulin regimens for the initialization of therapy and meal doses based on carbohydrate counting for routine operation. In contrast, the bionic pancreas is initialized only on the basis of body weight, makes all dose decisions and delivers insulin autonomously, and uses meal announcements without carbohydrate counting. METHODS: In this 13-week, multicenter, randomized trial, we randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio persons at least 6 years of age with type 1 diabetes either to receive bionic pancreas treatment with insulin aspart or insulin lispro or to receive standard care (defined as any insulin-delivery method with unblinded, real-time continuous glucose monitoring). The primary outcome was the glycated hemoglobin level at 13 weeks. The key secondary outcome was the percentage of time that the glucose level as assessed by continuous glucose monitoring was below 54 mg per deciliter; the prespecified noninferiority limit for this outcome was 1 percentage point. Safety was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 219 participants 6 to 79 years of age were assigned to the bionic-pancreas group, and 107 to the standard-care group. The glycated hemoglobin level decreased from 7.9% to 7.3% in the bionic-pancreas group and did not change (was at 7.7% at both time points) in the standard-care group (mean adjusted difference at 13 weeks, -0.5 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.6 to -0.3; P\u3c0.001). The percentage of time that the glucose level as assessed by continuous glucose monitoring was below 54 mg per deciliter did not differ significantly between the two groups (13-week adjusted difference, 0.0 percentage points; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.04; P\u3c0.001 for noninferiority). The rate of severe hypoglycemia was 17.7 events per 100 participant-years in the bionic-pancreas group and 10.8 events per 100 participant-years in the standard-care group (P = 0.39). No episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In this 13-week, randomized trial involving adults and children with type 1 diabetes, use of a bionic pancreas was associated with a greater reduction than standard care in the glycated hemoglobin level. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04200313.)

Endettement et revenu : un traitement du réseau d'information comptable agricole dans le département des Côtes-du-Nord en 1980

Diffusion du document : INRA Station d'Economie et Sociologie rurales 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc 35042 Rennes Cedex (FRA)Notre échantillon est composé de 105 exploitations appartenant au Réseau d'Information Comptable Agricole, RICA (SCEES - INSEE), le département des Côtes-du-Nord.Il s'agit d'exploitations professionnelles (c’est-à-dire de dimension économique supérieure à 4000 UCE et utilisant au moins un travailleur à temps complet), Compte tenu de la taille actuelle de son échantillon, le RICA qui nous fournit ces exploitations ne vise pas à être représentatif à l’échelon départemental. Les 105 exploitations qui le constituent seront donc étudiées.ici seulement en tant que groupe ou sous-groupes significatifs d'exploitations pour lesquelleson dispose de données comptables contrôlées et homogènes

Comparative Study: PRP Enhanced Fat Graft Versus Fat Graft Alone in Treatment of Postacne Scars with Clinical and Histopathological Eyes

Fat grafting has a role in rejuvenation owing to its mesenchymal cell precursor content especially with growth factors added. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is known for its high growth factor content. The objective of this study is to compare the effect of PRP when added to fat graft in acne scars. 28 patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A was treated with fat grafting while group B was treated with PRP enhanced fat grafting. All patients received a single treatment session. Assessment was conducted by comparing digital photos and biopsies before and after 6 months of treatment. The results shows that acne scars improved with PRP enhanced fat graft (93%) more than fat graft (64%). The biopsy results also confirmed the significantly better improvement for PRP group (85.7%) than the fat graft group (58%) (p=0.042). PRP has provided an enhancement of fat grafting in treatment of post acne scars. Icepick scars were better treated by fat grafting alone, while rolling and boxcars showed better results with the addition of PRP

Safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) dapagliflozin in combination with standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced, inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A phase 1b observational study

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy. Thus, there is an urgent need for safe and effective novel therapies. PDAC\u27s excessive reliance on glucose metabolism for its metabolic needs provides a target for metabolic therapy. Preclinical PDAC models have demonstrated that targeting the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) with dapagliflozin may be a novel strategy. Whether dapagliflozin is safe and efficacious in humans with PDAC is unclear. METHODS: We performed a phase 1b observational study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04542291; registered 09/09/2020) to test the safety and tolerability of dapagliflozin (5 mg p.o./day × 2 weeks escalated to 10 mg p.o./day × 6 weeks) added to standard Gemcitabine and nab-Paclitaxel (GnP) chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced and/or metastatic PDAC. Markers of efficacy including Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) response, CT-based volumetric body composition measurements, and plasma chemistries for measuring metabolism and tumor burden were also analyzed. RESULTS: Of 23 patients who were screened, 15 enrolled. One expired (due to complications from underlying disease), 2 dropped out (did not tolerate GnP chemotherapy) during the first 4 weeks, and 12 completed. There were no unexpected or serious adverse events with dapagliflozin. One patient was told to discontinue dapagliflozin after 6 weeks due to elevated ketones, although there were no clinical signs of ketoacidosis. Dapagliflozin compliance was 99.4%. Plasma glucagon increased significantly. Although abdominal muscle and fat volumes decreased; increased muscle-to-fat ratio correlated with better therapeutic response. After 8 weeks of treatment in the study, partial response (PR) to therapy was seen in 2 patients, stable disease (SD) in 9 patients, and progressive disease (PD) in 1 patient. After dapagliflozin discontinuation (and chemotherapy continuation), an additional 7 patients developed the progressive disease in the subsequent scans measured by increased lesion size as well as the development of new lesions. Quantitative imaging assessment was supported by plasma CA19-9 tumor marker measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin is well-tolerated and was associated with high compliance in patients with advanced, inoperable PDAC. Overall favorable changes in tumor response and plasma biomarkers suggest it may have efficacy against PDAC, warranting further investigation

Novel anticancer drug delivery system based on zeolite encapsulating Hamelia patens leaf and flower extracts

Nanotechnology had placed an impact in improving the antiproliferative activity of crude leaf (CL) and flower (CF) extracts of Hamelia patens on the liver (HEPG2) and breast (MCF7) carcinoma cell lines, after their encapsulation onto zeolite (ZSM-5) nanopores, which acts as a drug delivery system (DDS). The cytotoxicity of the new formulas showed remarkable improvement in the activities on HEPG2. CL had low activity on HEPG2, at the tested concentrations, but the ZSM-5 loaded one (CLZ) showed enhanced action with IC50=42 μg/mL. Also, the cytotoxicity of CF improved after Zeolite incorporation, where the IC50 has been changed from 48 μg/mL for CF to 25 μg/mL for CFZ. Moreover, the polar fraction of leaves extracted by methanol (Me.L) showed improvement on the cytotoxicity on MCF7 for zeolite loaded formula (Me.Z) (IC50 had changed from 65 to 44.4 μg/mL). Quantitative estimations for polyphenolic contents as well as the phenolic profiles for CF and CL extracts were inspected using HPLC-DAD to explore the bioactive phytochemical compounds. Acute toxicity test showed that LD50 was 1500 and 2333 mg/kg b.wt. for CL and CF, respectively. The cytogenetic study was also done to detect the chromosome aberrations in somatic and germ cells after CL and CF administration to mice. DPPH antioxidant capacity assay revealed that CL has high redox-active effect than CF. This study is a contribution to the development of a creative new DDS that help in cancer treatment

Random subgraphs of properly edge-coloured complete graphs and long rainbow cycles

A subgraph of an edge-coloured complete graph is called rainbow if all its edges have different colours. In 1980 Hahn conjectured that every properly edge-coloured complete graph Kn has a rainbow Hamiltonian path. Although this conjecture turned out to be false, it was widely believed that such a colouring always contains a rainbow cycle of length almost n. In this paper, improving on several earlier results, we confirm this by proving that every properly edge-coloured Kn has a rainbow cycle of length n−O(n^3/4). One of the main ingredients of our proof, which is of independent interest, shows that a random subgraph of a properly edge-coloured Kn formed by the edges of a random set of colours has a similar edge distribution as a truly random graph with the same edge density. In particular it has very good expansion properties