Nano-Enriched Self-Powered Wireless Body Area Network for Sustainable Health Monitoring Services

Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the creation of novel materials with specific electrical and physical characteristics. This leads to a significant development in the industry of electronics that can be applied in various fields. In this paper, we propose a fabrication of nanotechnology-based materials that can be used to design stretchy piezoelectric nanofibers for energy harvesting to power connected bio-nanosensors in a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). The bio-nanosensors are powered based on harvested energy from mechanical movements of the body, specifically the arms, joints, and heartbeats. A suite of these nano-enriched bio-nanosensors can be used to form microgrids for a self-powered wireless body area network (SpWBAN), which can be used in various sustainable health monitoring services. A system model for an SpWBAN with an energy harvesting-based medium access control protocol is presented and analyzed based on fabricated nanofibers with specific characteristics. The simulation results show that the SpWBAN outperforms and has a longer lifetime than contemporary WBAN system designs without self-powering capability

Rumex dentatus L. phenolics ameliorate hyperglycemia by modulating hepatic key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress and PPARγ in diabetic rats

Rumex dentatus L. is a flowering plant with promising therapeutic effects. This study investigated the antioxidant efficacy of phenolic compounds isolated from R. dentatus L. in vitro and by conducting density function theory (DFT) studies to explore the mechanisms of action. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects of polyphenols-rich R. dentatus extract (RDE) were investigated in type 2 diabetic rats. Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of R. dentatus resulted in the isolation of one new and seven known compounds isolated for the first time from this species. All isolated phenolics showed in vitro radical scavenging activity. The antioxidant activity of the compounds could be oriented by the hydrogen atom transfer and sequential proton loss electron transfer mechanisms in gas and water phases, respectively. In diabetic rats, RDE attenuated hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and liver injury and improved carbohydrate metabolism. RDE suppressed oxidative stress and inflammation and upregulated PPARγ. In silico molecular docking analysis revealed the binding affinity of the isolated compounds toward PPARγ. In conclusion, the computational calculations were correlated with the in vitro antioxidant activity of R. dentatus derived phenolics. R. dentatus attenuated hyperglycemia, liver injury, inflammation and oxidative stress, improved carbohydrate metabolism and upregulated PPARγ in diabetic ratsThis work has DGI Project no. CTQ2015-63997-C2, a generous allocation of computing time at the Centro de Computación Científica of the UAM is also acknowledge

Identification, characterization, and validation of NBS-encoding genes in grass pea

Grass pea is a promising crop with the potential to provide food and fodder, but its genomics has not been adequately explored. Identifying genes for desirable traits, such as drought tolerance and disease resistance, is critical for improving the plant. Grass pea currently lacks known R-genes, including the nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) gene family, which plays a key role in protecting the plant from biotic and abiotic stresses. In our study, we used the recently published grass pea genome and available transcriptomic data to identify 274 NBS-LRR genes. The evolutionary relationships between the classified genes on the reported plants and LsNBS revealed that 124 genes have TNL domains, while 150 genes have CNL domains. All genes contained exons, ranging from 1 to 7. Ten conserved motifs with lengths ranging from 16 to 30 amino acids were identified. We found TIR-domain-containing genes in 132 LsNBSs, with 63 TIR-1 and 69 TIR-2, and RX-CCLike in 84 LsNBSs. We also identified several popular motifs, including P-loop, Uup, kinase-GTPase, ABC, ChvD, CDC6, Rnase_H, Smc, CDC48, and SpoVK. According to the gene enrichment analysis, the identified genes undergo several biological processes such as plant defense, innate immunity, hydrolase activity, and DNA binding. In the upstream regions, 103 transcription factors were identified that govern the transcription of nearby genes affecting the plant excretion of salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, ethylene, and abscisic acid. According to RNA-Seq expression analysis, 85% of the encoded genes have high expression levels. Nine LsNBS genes were selected for qPCR under salt stress conditions. The majority of the genes showed upregulation at 50 and 200 μM NaCl. However, LsNBS-D18, LsNBS-D204, and LsNBS-D180 showed reduced or drastic downregulation compared to their respective expression levels, providing further insights into the potential functions of LsNBSs under salt stress conditions. They provide valuable insights into the potential functions of LsNBSs under salt stress conditions. Our findings also shed light on the evolution and classification of NBS-LRR genes in legumes, highlighting the potential of grass pea. Further research could focus on the functional analysis of these genes, and their potential use in breeding programs to improve the salinity, drought, and disease resistance of this important crop

A novel ultra local based-fuzzy PIDF controller for frequency regulation of a hybrid microgrid system with high renewable energy penetration and storage devices

A new ultra-local control (ULC) model and two marine predator algorithm (MPA)-based controllers; MPA-based proportional-integral-derivative with filter (PIDF) and MPA-based Fuzzy PIDF (FPIDF) controllers; are combined to enhance the frequency response of a hybrid microgrid system. The input scaling factors, boundaries of membership functions, and gains of the FPIDF con-troller are all optimized using the MPA. In order to further enhance the frequency response, the alpha parameter of the proposed ULC model is optimized using MPA. The performance of the pro-posed controller is evaluated in the microgrid system with different renewable energy sources and energy storage devices. Furthermore, a comparison of the proposed MPA-based ULC-PIDF and ULC-FPIDF controllers against the previously designed controllers is presented. Moreover, a vari-ety of scenarios are studied to determine the proposed controller’s sensitivity and robustness to changes in wind speed, step loads, solar irradiance, and system parameter changes. The results of time-domain simulations performed in MATLAB/SIMULINK are shown. Finally, the results demonstrate that under all examined conditions, the new ULC-based controllers tend to further enhance the hybrid microgrid system’s frequency time response

Genome-wide identification, characterization, and validation of the bHLH transcription factors in grass pea

Background: The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor is a vital component in plant biology, with a significant impact on various aspects of plant growth, cell development, and physiological processes. Grass pea is a vital agricultural crop that plays a crucial role in food security. However, the lack of genomic information presents a major challenge to its improvement and development. This highlights the urgency for deeper investigation into the function of bHLH genes in grass pea to improve our understanding of this important crop.Results: The identification of bHLH genes in grass pea was performed on a genome-wide scale using genomic and transcriptomic screening. A total of 122 genes were identified as having conserved bHLH domains and were functionally and fully annotated. The LsbHLH proteins could be classified into 18 subfamilies. There were variations in intron-exon distribution, with some genes lacking introns. The cis-element and gene enrichment analyses showed that the LsbHLHs were involved in various plant functions, including response to phytohormones, flower and fruit development, and anthocyanin synthesis. A total of 28 LsbHLHs were found to have cis-elements associated with light response and endosperm expression biosynthesis. Ten conserved motifs were identified across the LsbHLH proteins. The protein-protein interaction analysis showed that all LsbHLH proteins interacted with each other, and nine of them displayed high levels of interaction. RNA-seq analysis of four Sequence Read Archive (SRA) experiments showed high expression levels of LsbHLHs across a range of environmental conditions. Seven highly expressed genes were selected for qPCR validation, and their expression patterns in response to salt stress showed that LsbHLHD4, LsbHLHD5, LsbHLHR6, LsbHLHD8, LsbHLHR14, LsbHLHR68, and LsbHLHR86 were all expressed in response to salt stress.Conclusion: The study provides an overview of the bHLH family in the grass pea genome and sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and evolution of this crop. The report covers the diversity in gene structure, expression patterns, and potential roles in regulating plant growth and response to environmental stress factors in grass pea. The identified candidate LsbHLHs could be utilized as a tool to enhance the resilience and adaptation of grass pea to environmental stress

Dihydrophenazine:a multifunctional new weapon that kills multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and restores carbapenem and oxidative stress susceptibilities

AimsThe current work aims to fully characterize a new antimicrobial agent against Acinetobacter baumannii, which continues to represent a growing threat to healthcare settings worldwide. With minimal treatment options due to the extensive spread of resistance to almost all the available antimicrobials, the hunt for new antimicrobial agents is a high priority. Methods and resultsAn Egyptian soil-derived bacterium strain NHM-077B proved to be a promising source for a new antimicrobial agent. Bioguided fractionation of the culture supernatants of NHM-077B followed by chemical structure elucidation identified the active antimicrobial agent as 1-hydroxy phenazine. Chemical synthesis yielded more derivatives, including dihydrophenazine (DHP), which proved to be the most potent against A. baumannii, yet it exhibited a safe cytotoxicity profile against human skin fibroblasts. Proteomics analysis of the cells treated with DHP revealed multiple proteins with altered expression that could be correlated to the observed phenotypes and potential mechanism of the antimicrobial action of DHP. DHP is a multi-pronged agent that affects membrane integrity, increases susceptibility to oxidative stress, interferes with amino acids/protein synthesis, and modulates virulence-related proteins. Interestingly, DHP in sub-inhibitory concentrations resensitizes the highly virulent carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strain AB5075 to carbapenems providing great hope in regaining some of the benefits of this important class of antibiotics. ConclusionsThis work underscores the potential of DHP as a promising new agent with multifunctional roles as both a classical and non-conventional antimicrobial agent that is urgently needed.<br/

Prevalence of trachoma in four marakez of Elmenia and Bani Suef Governorates, Egypt.

PURPOSE: In 2015, to determine where interventions are needed to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem from Egypt, we initiated population-based prevalence surveys using the Global Trachoma Mapping Project platform in four suspected-endemic marakez (districts; singular: markaz) of the governorates of Elmenia and Bani Suef. METHODS: In each markaz, 30 households were selected in each of 25 villages. Certified graders examined a total of 3682 children aged 1-9 years in 2993 households, noting the presence or absence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) and trachomatous inflammation-intense (TI) in each eye. A total of 5582 adults aged ≥15 years living in the same households were examined for trachomatous trichiasis (TT). Household-level access to water and sanitation was recorded. RESULTS: Three of four marakez had age-adjusted TF prevalence estimates in 1-9-year olds of >10%; the other markaz had a TF prevalence estimate of 5-9.9%. Estimates of the age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of unmanaged TT in adults ranged from 0.7% to 2.3%. Household-level access to water and sanitation was high. (We did not, however, measure use of water or sanitation facilities.) Conclusions: Each of the four marakez surveyed has trachoma as a public health problem, with a need for implementation of the SAFE (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, environmental improvement) strategy. Further mapping is also required to determine the need for interventions in other areas of Egypt

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020