Surveying the utilization of aluminum chloride in water treatment

Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is an inorganic coagulant and the preset study is aimed as surveying its usage for water treatment purposes. The keywords �poly aluminum chloride�, water treatment�, and �coagulant� were searched in Google Scholar, SID, Iran Medix, and Magiran databases between 2006 and 2017. The found articles were summarized afterward. The results showed that poly aluminum chloride (PAC) can be used as an effective coagulant if the standards with regard to concentration of PAC are observed in the process of treatment. PAC can be also used to remove extra fluoride content from water resources. To have better results, adjusting PH value of the coagulation process, avoiding higher doses of PAC, adequate stirring with proper speed (to facilitate coagulation process), efficient filtration (to remove aluminum clods), using chitosan (as aid coagulant of PAC), adding bentonites (to reduce optimum concentration of PAC needed) are recommended. © 2018, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

Albumin binding, antioxidant and antibacterial effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles

Herein, the interaction of CeO2 NPs with HSA was explored by fluorescence, CD, UVevis and molecular docking studies. Afterwards, the antioxidant activity of CeO2 NPs against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in BM-MSCs were explored by MTT, ROS and apoptosis assays. Antibacterial assay was also done on two Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Fluorescence study showed that the interaction of CeO2 NPs with HSA occurs through static quenching and hydrophilic interactions are involved in the spontaneous complex formation. The theoretical study also revealed that the distribution of hydrophilic residues of HSA is dominant in the binding site. CD and UVevis techniques also revealed that the ellipticity changes and Tm of HSA, respectively did not alter significantly in the presence of CeO2 NPs. Cellular assays depicted that CeO2 NPs did not induce cytotoxicity against BM-MSC up to 50 mg/ml for 24 h and pretreatment of cells with CeO2 NPs can reduce the cell mortality, ROS production and apoptosis in BM-MSC exposed to oxidative stress. The antibacterial assay revealed that CeO2 NPs have a significant antibacterial effect against all studied bacterial strains. This study may provide useful details about the biomedical applications of CeO2 NPs

Silymarin-albumin nanoplex: preparation and its potential application as an antioxidant in nervous system in vitro and in vivo

In this study, we formulated silymarin-HSA nanoplex and assayed its ability to reduce LPSinduced toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Silymarin molecules were encapsulated into HSA nanoplex and the loading efficiency and characterization of fabricated nanoplex were performed by using HPLC, TEM, SEM, DLS, FTIR analysis, and theoretical studies. Afterwards, their protective effect against LPS (20 µg/ml) -induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells was investigated by MTT, ROS, and apoptosis assays. For in vivo experiments, rats were pre-treated with either silymarin or silymarin -HSA nanoplex (200 mg/kg) orally for 3 days and at third day received LPS by IP at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg, 150 min before scarification followed by SOD and CAT activity assay. The formulation of silymarin-HSA nanoplex showed a spherical shape with an average diameter between 50 nm to 150 nm, hydrodynamic radius of 188.3 nm, zeta potential of -26.6 mV, and a drug loading of 97.3%. In LPS-treated cells, pretreatments with silymarin-HSA noncomplex recovered the cell viability and decreased the ROS level and corresponding apoptosis more significantly than free silymarin. In rats, it was also depicted that, silymarin-HSA noncomplex can increase the SOD and CAT activity in brain tissue at LPS-triggered oxidative stress model more significantly than free counterpart. Nanoformulation of silymarin improved its capability to reduce LPS-induced oxidative stress by restoring cell viability and elevation of SOD and CAT activity in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Therefore, formulation of silymarin may hold a great promise in the field of antioxidant agent development

Comprehensive analysis of epigenetic clocks reveals associations between disproportionate biological ageing and hippocampal volume

The concept of age acceleration, the difference between biological age and chronological age, is of growing interest, particularly with respect to age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Whilst studies have reported associations with AD risk and related phenotypes, there remains a lack of consensus on these associations. Here we aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between five recognised measures of age acceleration, based on DNA methylation patterns (DNAm age), and cross-sectional and longitudinal cognition and AD-related neuroimaging phenotypes (volumetric MRI and Amyloid-β PET) in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Significant associations were observed between age acceleration using the Hannum epigenetic clock and cross-sectional hippocampal volume in AIBL and replicated in ADNI. In AIBL, several other findings were observed cross-sectionally, including a significant association between hippocampal volume and the Hannum and Phenoage epigenetic clocks. Further, significant associations were also observed between hippocampal volume and the Zhang and Phenoage epigenetic clocks within Amyloid-β positive individuals. However, these were not validated within the ADNI cohort. No associations between age acceleration and other Alzheimer’s disease-related phenotypes, including measures of cognition or brain Amyloid-β burden, were observed, and there was no association with longitudinal change in any phenotype. This study presents a link between age acceleration, as determined using DNA methylation, and hippocampal volume that was statistically significant across two highly characterised cohorts. The results presented in this study contribute to a growing literature that supports the role of epigenetic modifications in ageing and AD-related phenotypes

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Human interaction targets of SARS-COV-2 spike protein: A systematic review

Objectives: The development of effective targeted therapy and drug-design approaches against the SARS-CoV-2 is a universal health priority. Therefore, it is important to assess possible therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2 via its most interaction targets. The present study aimed to perform a systematic review on clinical and experimental investigations regarding SARS-COV-2 interaction targets for human cell entry. Methods: A systematic search using relevant MeSH terms and keywords was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science (ISI) databases up to July 2021. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of the studies, extracted the data, and evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies. Additionally, a narrative synthesis was done as a qualitative method for data gathering and synthesis of each outcome measure. Results: A total of 5610 studies were identified, and 128 articles were included in the systematic review. Based on the results, spike antigen was the only interaction protein from SARS-CoV-2. However, the interaction proteins from humans varied including different spike receptors and several cleavage enzymes. The most common interactions of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 for cell entry were ACE2 (entry receptor) and TMPRSS2 (for spike priming). A lot of published studies have mainly focused on the ACE2 receptor followed by the TMPRSS family and furin. Based on the results, ACE2 polymorphisms as well as spike RBD mutations affected the SARS-CoV-2 binding affinity. Conclusion: The included studies shed more light on SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry mechanisms and detailed interactions, which could enhance the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and the development of new and comprehensive therapeutic approaches. © The Author(s) 2022

Enzyme immobilization onto the nanomaterials: Application in enzyme stability and prodrug-activated cancer therapy

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used for immobilization of wide ranges of enzymes. However, the stabilization of enzymes on NPs is a major challenge, crucial for regulating enzymatic activity and their medical applications. To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to explore how enzymes attach to nanomaterials and their properties are affected by such interactions. In this review we present an overview on the different strategies of the enzyme immobilization into the NPs and their corresponding stability against temperature and pH. The effects of surface charge, particle size, morphology, and aggregation of NPs on the stability of immobilized enzymes were summarized. The activity of immobilized enzyme into the NPs was reviewed to disclose more detail regarding the interaction of biomolecules with NPs. The combination of enzyme immobilization with prodrugs was also reviewed as a promising approach for biomedical application of enzyme in cancer therapy. Finally, the current challenges and future applications of NPs in enzyme immobilization and the utilization of immobilized enzyme toward prodrug activation in cytoplasm of cancer cells were presented. In conclusion, this review may pave the way for providing a perspective on development to the industrial and clinical translation of immobilized enzymes.Scopu