Adsorption of aqueous Cd(II) and Pb(II) on activated carbon nanopores prepared by chemical activation of doum palm shell

Non-uniformly sized activated carbons were derived from doum palm shell, a new precursor, by carbonization in air and activation using KOH, NaOH and ZnCl2. The activated carbon fibres were characterised by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis and evaluated for Cd(II) and Pb(II) removal. The 40-50 nm size, less graphitic, mesoporous NaOH activated carbon yielded high adsorption efficiency, pointing largely to the influence surface area. The performance of the KOH based activated carbon was arguably explained for the first time in terms of crystallinity. The efficiencies of the mesoporous ZnCl2-formulated activated carbon diminished due to the presence of larger particles. Batch adsorption of divalent metals revealed dependence on adsorbent dose, agitation time, pH and adsorbate concentrations with high adsorption efficiencies at optimum operating parameters. The equilibrium profiles fitted Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and kinetics favoured pseudo-second order model. The study demonstrated the practicability of the removal of alarming levels of cadmium and lead ions from industrial effluents

Chronic intermittent oxygen deprivation alters hippocampal cholinergic and glutamatergic system via oxido-inflammatory burden and HIF-1a/Bcl-2 activity in hypothyroid mice: Ameliorative role of Ginkgo biloba supplement

Background: Several investigations in recent years have reported a relationship between hypothyroidism or ischemia and central nervous system (CNS) beginning from fetal to adult life, but the effect of ischemia and hypothyroidism comorbidity on CNS and whether phytotherapeutic approach would attenuate this pathology remains unknown. Thus, the study investigated the role of ginkgo biloba supplement (GBS), a potent anti-oxido-inflammatory and neurorestorative plant-based product on hypoxic stress-induced neurobehavioral and neurophysiological alterations in hypothyroid mice, and the underpinning molecular mechanisms Methodology: Mice were orally pre-treated with Carbimazole (1.2 mg/kg) for 14 days to develop hypothyroidism. Post-hypothyroid induction, mice were treated orally with GBS (20 mg/kg) and levothyroxine (10 µg/kg) 1 hr before 20 min exposure to hypoxia (5 times daily) for 14 consecutive days. Symptoms of behavioral deficit and neuropsychiatry were evaluated in using different models. Thereafter, brain hippocampi were sectioned for biochemical assays, immunohistochemistry and histoarchitectural studies. Results: Herein, treatment with GBS suppressed spatial memory deficit and neuropsychiatric phenotypes and attenuated hippocampal cholinergic excitotoxicity by enhancing acetylcholinesterase enzyme and glutamatergic release in the hypothyroid mice following hypoxic stress exposure. The hippocampal endogenous antioxidant system was also upregulated with concomitant downregulation of inflammatory mediators. GBS treatment consequently regulated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to reduce corticosterone release. Additionally, our data showed that the suppressive impact of GBS on oxido-inflammatory mainstream decreases immunoexpression of hypoxic inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) and loss of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in the CA3 region with marked increase in viable neuronal cells and upregulated immunoexpression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) anti-apoptotic marker. Conclusion: Herein, we deduced that prolonged intermittent exposure to hypoxia in hypothyroidism may provoke further the psychological and physiological status in the hippocampal brain region. Meanwhile, reversal of these provocative effects by the GBS treatment might be playing an important effect to suppress the hypoxic/ischemic triggered neurobehavioral and neurophysiological alterations

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality