Solid-phase extraction of folic acid from pharmaceutical formulations using modified magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

ABSTRACT. A new analytical approach was suggested for the extraction and determination of folic acid in pharmaceutical samples using solid-phase microextraction. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles modified with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (Fe3O4@SDBS) were used for the adsorption of folic acid (FA) from an aqueous solution and determined spectrophotometrically at λmax of 365 nm. The chemical and physical conditions that may affect the efficiency of extraction were studied and optimized, such as the pH of the solution, surfactant and adsorbent amount, extraction time, and desorption factors. A good linearity range of 0.2-6 μg/mL with correlation coefficient higher than 0.999 and limit of detection of 0.08 μg/mL were obtained, in addition to high extraction efficiency of 98% and enrichment factor 15. The method exhibited good accuracy and precision with recoveries ranged 98-102% and intraday precisions of best than 3.5% at all concentrations. The method was successfully applied for the determination of folic acid in pharmaceutical samples within a limited separation time.   KEY WORDS: Folic acid, MNPs, Extraction, SDBS, Spectrophotometry, Solid phase extraction   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2022, 36(2), 291-302.                                                                 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v36i2.

Status of wonder women: challenges for young future women entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous difficulties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study is aimed to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering primary data from Labor Force Survey,(2014-15), UN Women, (2016), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.(2015),The little data book on financial inclusion, (2015), Women Economic Participation and Empowerment Status Report, (2016-2015), this study provides recommendations, assisting the federal and provincial agencies to introduce women friendly laws to reduce gender biases as well as to take notes on gender -specific measure to ease the business environment for women in Pakistan

Status of Wonder Women: Challenges for Young Future Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan face numerous difficulties in their successful business career and poses unusual status and intensity. These challenges affect women entrepreneurs differently depending on diverse situations. This study aimed is to shed light on the challenges affecting women to get success in business and to point out the issues faced by them while being entrepreneurs. It highlighted the challenges confronted by Pakistani business women and to open discussion which may empower researchers to get the clear scenario of occupations and industry down to the four-digit code. Gathering secondary data from Labor Force Survey-2014-15, UN Women (2016), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 2015, the little data book on financial inclusion 2015, Women Economic Participation and Empowerment Status Report, (2016-2015), this study provides recommendations assisting the federal and provincial agencies to introduce women friendly laws to reduce gender biases as well as to take note on gender specific measure to ease the business environment for women in Pakistan.

Development of Metal Matrix Composites Using Microwave Sintering Technique

In this book chapter, aluminum (Al)-based metal matrix composites (AMMCs) with various reinforcing ceramic particles, such as SiC, Si3N4, and Al2O3, were produced by microwave sintering and subsequent hot extrusion processes. The role of various nano/micro-sized reinforcements in altering the structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the microwave-extruded composites was systematically studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that the main components were Al, SiC, Si3N4, and Al2O3 for the studied Al-SiC, Al-Si3N4, and Al-Al2O3 composites, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping confirm the homogeneous distribution of reinforcing particles in the Al matrix. Mechanistic studies revealed that the Al-Si3N4 metal matrix composite exhibited superior hardness, ultimate compression/tensile strength, and Young’s modulus, while having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion compared to other studied Al composites. Findings presented are expected to pave the way to design, develop, and synthesize other aluminum-based metal matrix composites for automotive and industrial applications

Generation and Culture of Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells from Human Peripheral Blood.

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in these individuals. However, the recent identification of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), generated from circulating endothelial progenitors in adult peripheral blood, may circumvent this limitation by offering an endothelial-like, primary cell surrogate for patient-derived endothelial cells. Beyond their value to understanding endothelial biology and disease modeling, BOECs have potential uses in endothelial cell transplantation therapies. They are also a suitable cellular substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via nuclear reprogramming, offering a number of advantages over other cell types. We describe a method for the reliable generation, culture and characterization of BOECs from adult peripheral blood for use in these and other applications. This approach (i) allows for the generation of patient-specific endothelial cells from a relatively small volume of adult peripheral blood and (ii) produces cells that are highly similar to primary endothelial cells in morphology, cell signaling and gene expression

CVAK104 is a Novel Regulator of Clathrin-mediated SNARE Sorting

Clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) mediate transport between the plasma membrane, endosomes and the trans Golgi network. Using comparative proteomics, we have identified coated-vesicle-associated kinase of 104 kDa (CVAK104) as a candidate accessory protein for CCV-mediated trafficking. Here, we demonstrate that the protein colocalizes with clathrin and adaptor protein-1 (AP-1), and that it is associated with a transferrin-positive endosomal compartment. Consistent with these observations, clathrin as well as the cargo adaptors AP-1 and epsinR can be coimmunoprecipitated with CVAK104. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of CVAK104 in HeLa cells results in selective loss of the SNARE proteins syntaxin 8 and vti1b from CCVs. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of CVAK104 in Xenopus tropicalis causes severe developmental defects, including a bent body axis and ventral oedema. Thus, CVAK104 is an evolutionarily conserved protein involved in SNARE sorting that is essential for normal embryonic development

Assessing the predictive value of neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio for ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients

BackgroundAcute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains a substantial global health challenge, contributing to increased morbidity, disability, and mortality. This study aimed at investigating the predictive value of the neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio (NPAR) in determining intensive care unit (ICU) admission among AIS patients.MethodsA retrospective observational study was conducted, involving AIS cases admitted to a tertiary hospital in Jordan between 2015 and 2020. Lab data were collected upon admission, and the primary outcome was ICU admission during hospitalization. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 29.ResultsIn this study involving 364 AIS patients, a subset of 77 (21.2%) required admission to the ICU during their hospital stay, most frequently within the first week of admission. Univariable analysis revealed significantly higher NPAR levels in ICU-admitted ischemic stroke patients compared to those who were not admitted (23.3 vs. 15.7, p < 0.001), and multivariable regression models confirmed that higher NPAR (≥19.107) independently predicted ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.85, 95% CI: 1.83–12.83). Additionally, lower GCS scores and higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were also associated with increased likelihood of ICU admission. In terms of predictive performance, NPAR showed the highest accuracy with an AUC of 0.885, sensitivity of 0.805, and specificity of 0.854, using a cutoff value of 19.107. NPAR exhibits an AUC of 0.058, significantly outperforming NLR (Z = 2.782, p = 0.005).ConclusionNPAR emerged as a robust independent predictor of ICU admission in ischemic stroke patients, surpassing the predictive performance of the NLR

Transcript analysis reveals a specific HOX signature associated with positional identity of human endothelial cells.

The endothelial cell has a remarkable ability for sub-specialisation, adapted to the needs of a variety of vascular beds. The role of developmental programming versus the tissue contextual environment for this specialization is not well understood. Here we describe a hierarchy of expression of HOX genes associated with endothelial cell origin and location. In initial microarray studies, differential gene expression was examined in two endothelial cell lines: blood derived outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) and pulmonary artery endothelial cells. This suggested shared and differential patterns of HOX gene expression between the two endothelial lines. For example, this included a cluster on chromosome 2 of HOXD1, HOXD3, HOXD4, HOXD8 and HOXD9 that was expressed at a higher level in BOECs. Quantative PCR confirmed the higher expression of these HOXs in BOECs, a pattern that was shared by a variety of microvascular endothelial cell lines. Subsequently, we analysed publically available microarrays from a variety of adult cell and tissue types using the whole "HOX transcriptome" of all 39 HOX genes. Using hierarchical clustering analysis the HOX transcriptome was able to discriminate endothelial cells from 61 diverse human cell lines of various origins. In a separate publically available microarray dataset of 53 human endothelial cell lines, the HOX transcriptome additionally organized endothelial cells related to their organ or tissue of origin. Human tissue staining for HOXD8 and HOXD9 confirmed endothelial expression and also supported increased microvascular expression of these HOXs. Together these observations suggest a significant involvement of HOX genes in endothelial cell positional identity

Autophagy contributes to BMP type 2 receptor degradation and development of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterised by an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure which almost invariably leads to right heart failure and premature death. More than 70% of familial PAH and 20% of idiopathic PAH patients carry heterozygous mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) type 2 receptor (BMPR2). However, the incomplete penetrance of BMPR2 mutations suggests that other genetic and environmental factors contribute to the disease. In the current study, we investigate the contribution of autophagy in the degradation of BMPR2 in pulmonary vascular cells. We demonstrate that endogenous BMPR2 is degraded through the lysosome in primary human pulmonary artery endothelial (PAECs) and smooth muscle cells (PASMCs): two cell types that play a key role in the pathology of the disease. By means of an elegant HaloTag system, we show that a block in lysosomal degradation leads to increased levels of BMPR2 at the plasma membrane. In addition, pharmacological or genetic manipulations of autophagy allow us to conclude that autophagy activation contributes to BMPR2 degradation. It has to be further investigated whether the role of autophagy in the degradation of BMPR2 is direct or through the modulation of the endocytic pathway. Interestingly, using an iPSC‐derived endothelial cell model, our findings indicate that BMPR2 heterozygosity alone is sufficient to cause an increased autophagic flux. Besides BMPR2 heterozygosity, pro‐inflammatory cytokines also contribute to an augmented autophagy in lung vascular cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate an increase in microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (MAP1LC3B) levels in lung sections from PAH induced in rats. Accordingly, pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) from end‐stage idiopathic PAH patients present an elevated autophagic flux. Our findings support a model in which an increased autophagic flux in PAH patients contributes to a greater decrease in BMPR2 levels. Altogether, this study sheds light on the basic mechanisms of BMPR2 degradation and highlights a crucial role for autophagy in PAH. © 2019 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland