Statistical Analysis and Modeling of Trivalent Chromium Ion Adsorption by Green-Mediated Iron Nanoparticles

In this study, the adsorption of trivalent chromium ions by green-mediated iron nanoparticles was studied statistically. The effect of independent variables such as pH, temperature, time, adsorbent dosage, and initial metal ion concentration on uptake capacity and removal efficiency were examined. Multiple linear regression (MLR), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares (PLS), and principal component regression (PCR) are effectively applied for the analysis and modeling of adsorption data. The value of p in Bartlett’s sphericity test was proved to be less than 0.05 which indicates that the principal component analysis could be useful for adsorption data. The AHC analysis showed that among all variables, the contribution of pH was high in the adsorption of trivalent chromium ions by ZVIN and MIN nanoparticles. The value of R2 in statistical modeling of adsorption of trivalent chromium ions by ZVIN particles was high in PCR (0.981) than in MLR (0.945) and PLS (0.752) models. Similarly, for MIN particles, the R2 value of PCR (0.982) was higher than the MLR (0.943) and PLS (0.742) models. The analysis of goodness of fit statistics showed that the PCR model effectively predicted the uptake capacity and removal efficiency more than MLR and PLS models

Association between thrombocytes count and Plasmodium falcipurum infection among children under five years attending Kombewa Sub-County Hospital

Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality especially among children, expectant women and continues to be a global health burden. Haematological changes mark some of the most common complications in malaria as they play a major role in malaria pathology. Thrombocytes in particular, have been shown to bind infected erythrocytes and kill intracellular malaria parasites thereby indicating a protective function of platelets in the early stages. However, the mechanism that leads to low thrombocytes count in malaria infected individuals is not clear. Understanding the mechanism of platelet reduction during pathogenesis of malaria infection will be fundamental in malaria severity classification, monitoring of platelet count during infection and prompt initiation of anti-malarial therapy. In trying to understand these facts, this study sort to establish the association between platelet count and P. falciparum infection amongst children less than five years. This was a retrospective case-control study, n=549. Children below the age of five years that attending Kombewa Sub -County Hospital were recruited. Study participants were identified using the inclusion criteria and followed horizontally to retrieve platelet count from complete blood count results. The respective malaria blood film reads were then recorded, stratified to give case and control from which random sampling was done. Chi-square test and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests from Graph pad prism 5 were used in the analysis. The odds of exposure to low platelet count were then established with a confidence level of 95%. We found significant difference between the cases and controls in regard to parasite density (Chi square=157.5, p value <0.05), mean parasite density in controls =2042.1/?l compared to cases= 142880/?l. The odds of cases being exposed to malaria was 12 times more than controls (OR=12.382, 95%). We also found no variation in thrombocytes counts in relation to gender, children with thrombocytopenia were having higher parasite density, parasite density as a result of P.falciparum infection is not dependent on gender and children that suffered malarial infection were twelve times likely to develop thrombocytopenia. Further studies are then recommended to establish the effects of incorporation of platelet aggregation inhibitors such as aspirin in malaria treatment.Key Words: Plasmodium falciparum, thrombocytopenia, infectio

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in North Africa

This book is a day-to-day account of the air war over Tunisia and Algeria told through war diaries and first-hand accounts from both the German and Allied pilots who flew in the theater. Includes appendices with loss and victory lists, camouflage and markings of Fw 190s in North Africa, and Fw 190 captured in Tunisia. Including over 100 photos, many from private collections, plus illustrations and profiles, the authors describe the story of the air war fought over Tunisia and Algeria from the view of the Fw 190 pilots

A prospective study of study to assess awareness amongst pregnant women about the effects of drugs on the fetus and self-medication

Introduction: Self-medication as defined by World Health Organization is the “use of medicinal products by the consumer to treat self-recognized disorders or symptoms, or the intermittent or continued use of a medication prescribed by a physician for chronic or recurring diseases or symptoms.” Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study conducted on randomly selected 100 pregnant women attending tertiary care hospital. The study was conducted in department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sri Venkateswaraa Medical College and Research Center, Ariyur, Puducherry. Data was collected by means of a pre-designed semi structured questionnaire composed of 26 questions. The questionnaire used was a modified form of a previously validated survey carried out by Nordeng et al, the modifications made in the questionnaire were discussed in the Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pharmacology department of Sri Venkateswaraa Medical College and Research Center, Ariyur, Puducherry before administering the same to the participants. Results: There were total 100 participants selected in the study. The average age of the participants was 23.7±3.68 years. Not a single participant was below 18 years of age. It was evident from the Table 1 that more than 90% of the participants were in the age group of 18-29 yrs. Only one participant was of the age group 40 and above. Educational status of the participants was as shown in Table 2. It was found that 74% of participants were taking iron and folic acid supplements but only 38.5% participants were aware about the purpose of taking iron and folic acid supplement and only 16% were aware about the duration to which this supplement is to be taken (Table 6). There were only 51% of the participants who were taking these supplements on regular basis. Conclusion: There is a lack of awareness amongst the pregnant women regarding the effect of the drugs on the health of foetus. More than half of the women take medication on regular basis. However, low proportion of self-medication during pregnancy suggests that during pregnancy women preferred to take advice of physician for medication rather than taking self-medication

VHL Promotes E2 Box-Dependent E-Cadherin Transcription by HIF-Mediated Regulation of SIP1 and Snail

The product of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL) acts as the substrate-recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that ubiquitylates the catalytic α subunit of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) for oxygen-dependent destruction. Although emerging evidence supports the notion that deregulated accumulation of HIF upon the loss of VHL is crucial for the development of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC), the molecular events downstream of HIF governing renal oncogenesis remain unclear. Here, we show that the expression of a homophilic adhesion molecule, E-cadherin, a major constituent of epithelial cell junctions whose loss is associated with the progression of epithelial cancers, is significantly down-regulated in primary CC-RCC and CC-RCC cell lines devoid of VHL. Reintroduction of wild-type VHL in CC-RCC (VHL(−/−)) cells markedly reduced the expression of E2 box-dependent E-cadherin-specific transcriptional repressors Snail and SIP1 and concomitantly restored E-cadherin expression. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of HIFα in CC-RCC (VHL(−/−)) cells likewise increased E-cadherin expression, while functional hypoxia or expression of VHL mutants incapable of promoting HIFα degradation attenuated E-cadherin expression, correlating with the disengagement of RNA polymerase II from the endogenous E-cadherin promoter/gene. These findings reveal a critical HIF-dependent molecular pathway connecting VHL, an established “gatekeeper” of the renal epithelium, with a major epithelial tumor suppressor, E-cadherin