Drop Weight Impact Studies on Rib-Knit RTM Laminates

Six types of weft rib knit preforms developed on a flat bed hand knitting machine from E-glass rovings of 300Tex have been used in this study. RTM laminates prepared from these six preforms were drop weight tested using a Dynatup CRC model with 830-1 data acquisition software. Glass/epoxy woven fabric composites with varied lay-up sequences were used for comparison and evaluation with these knit laminates under identical test conditions. Laminates from knits 'with' added reinforcements in the course direction have clearly exhibited characteristic failure modes and superior energy absorbing capabilities as compared to the corresponding woven counterparts

The modulatory effect of septilin on cytotoxicity of cisplatin in a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line

435-441Cisplatin (Csp) is a recurrently used chemotherapeutic drug but its use is inadequate due to undesirable adverse effects. In search of alternative medicine more attention has been given to phytochemicals. Septilin (Spt), a polyherbal drug and its therapeutic potential is huge but there is a scarcity of studies on its cytotoxic potential on cancer cells. The current study was designed to examine the effects of Spt in combination with Csp on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and normal human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines. Cell viability for Spt treated cells was studied using MTT assay. IC50 value of Csp on MCF-7 cells was found to be 10 µg/mL at 24 h. This dose was further used to study the combined effects of Csp with Spt on MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines. Maximum cytotoxicity of Spt on MCF-7 cells was observed at Spt 5 µg/mL. The mechanism of Spt induced cytotoxicity was studied using apoptosis assay. Spt did not show any cytotoxic effects on MCF-10 A normal human breast epithelial cells, indicating Spt has no effect on normal cells. Our findings suggest that Spt can be used in combination with an anticancer drug Csp to increase its efficacy and/or to minimize its side effects on normal cells

The modulatory effect of septilin on cytotoxicity of cisplatin in a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line

Cisplatin (Csp) is a recurrently used chemotherapeutic drug but its use is inadequate due to undesirable adverse effects. In search of alternative medicine more attention has been given to phytochemicals. Septilin (Spt), a polyherbal drug and its therapeutic potential is huge but there is a scarcity of studies on its cytotoxic potential on cancer cells. The current study was designed to examine the effects of Spt in combination with Csp on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and normal human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines. Cell viability for Spt treated cells was studied using MTT assay. IC50 value of Csp on MCF-7 cells was found to be 10 μg/mL at 24 h. This dose was further used to study the combined effects of Csp with Spt on MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines. Maximum cytotoxicity of Spt on MCF-7 cells was observed at Spt 5 μg/mL. The mechanism of Spt induced cytotoxicity was studied using apoptosis assay. Spt did not show any cytotoxic effects on MCF-10 A normal human breast epithelial cells, indicating Spt has no effect on normal cells. Our findings suggest that Spt can be used in combination with an anticancer drug Csp to increase its efficacy and/or to minimize its side effects on normal cells

Twin pregnancy with a complete hydatidiform mole and coexisting foetus

Coexistence of a viable foetus with a complete hydatidiform mole is a rare entity. Traditionally, termination of pregnancy was recommended because of severe maternal and foetal complications. Here we report a case of a 30 year old G2A1 at 27 weeks with a twin pregnancy with a complete hydatidiform mole and coexisting normal foetus who took home a healthy baby without any persistent trophoblastic disease. This case is presented for the rarity of occurrence and good outcome

Impact of a Health Fair on Student Organizations Providing Care to the Detroit Hispanic/Latinx Community and Barriers Affecting Patients of a Student-Run Clinic Primarily Serving this Population

Current literature shows Hispanic/Latinx populations in the U.S. face health inequities. Amigos Medicos (AM) Clinic, located in Southwest Detroit, is a student-run free clinic that addresses these issues through preventive health screenings. We hosted a health fair in 2022 and invited other student organizations in efforts to connect the community to resources. Our aim is to identify specific barriers faced by our population in receiving health care and to identify the impact of participation in the fair on those organizations. One survey was administered to patients attending clinic that identified health barriers they face. The other survey was administered to student organizations four months after the fair to assess representatives’ experiences. Data administered to organizations showed all (100%) student organization representatives believed the health fair brought increased awareness to the Detroit population about their respective student organization. The most identified limitations reported by the organizations in serving the community were financial constraints (43%) followed by limited space/resources (14%) and lack of volunteers (14%). Our response rate for the survey administered at the clinic is approximately 38% and data collection is ongoing. 66.67% of patients reported they do not have health insurance. 44% reported visiting a community clinic and 22% visit the Emergency Department. 22% indicated that lack of health insurance, language barriers, lack of transportation, or long wait-time for appointments increased the difficulty of accessing healthcare. Our research not only demonstrates unique challenges in working with Hispanic/Latinx populations but also the needs and barriers faced by the community

Exposure to an enriched environment promotes dendritic remodelling in hippocampal neurons affected by endogenous depression

Neuronal plasticity is enhanced in an enriched environment (EE) with more sensory and social interaction. In an animal model of endogenous depression, we have previously shown that EE has positive effects on spatial memory and hippocampus synaptic plasticity. However, nothing is known about how EE influences dendritic remodelling in hippocampal neurons affected by endogenous depression. In depressed rats, the impact of EE on hippocampus neuronal morphology was examined. Neonatal clomipramine exposure from postnatal days (PND) 8-21 days induced endogenous depression. The depressed-like rats were exposed to an enriched environment for two weeks in adulthood. Brains were then collected, stained with a modified Golgi-cox technique and, the hippocampal CA1 dendritic arborisation was evaluated using the Neurolucida software. Depression resulted in the atrophy of CA1 hippocampal neurons. The number of branching points and the overall number of dendritic intersections were reduced in depressed rats,. Exposure to an enriched environment significantly increased dendritic branching and the total number of dendritic intersections in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. The hippocampal pyramidal neuronal morphology of depressed rats improved after exposure to environmental enrichment. Neuronal plasticity and the development of novel therapeutic strategy will be improved by a greater understanding of how the environment affects neuronal morphology in depressed states

The Role of Serum Interleukin-6 Levels in Prognosticating Postoperative Complications After Cytoreductive Surgery for Ovarian Cancers: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been associated with adverse prognosis in ovarian cancer. Cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer has a higher risk of postoperative surgical complications (POCs). We aimed to find out if serum IL-6 is elevated preoperatively in patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer and if it can predict POCs. We also compared its trend with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in the early postoperative period. Materials and Methods: Fifty-one patients between 18–75 years, posted for elective ovarian cytoreductive surgery at a tertiary cancer hospital were included after taking informed consent. Serum IL-6 and CRP were done the day before surgery and repeated 24 and 72 hours post-surgery. All parameters that affect POCs were captured. POCs were graded using the Clavein Dindo classification. We recorded the length of the intensive care unit (ICU), hospital stay, and 30-day mortality. Appropriate statistical tests were used and p value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of 51 enrolled patients, 46 were included for data analysis after exclusions. The mean age of patients in this study was 49.76 +/- 12.42 years with a mean surgical duration of 302.39 +/- 127.04 minutes and mean blood loss of 332.6 +/- 274.71 mL. The incidence of POCs in our study was 21.7% (10/46 patients). Preoperative IL-6 was raised and was able to predict POCs with 70% sensitivity and 86% specificity at a cutoff value of 23.56 pg./mL (R2 = 0.71; AUC = 0.79). In patients who developed POCs, IL-6 values (1196.7+/-1461.4 pg./mL) peaked at 24 hours whereas CRP values (360 +/- 430.1 mg/L) peaked at 72 hours; thus, allowing early prognostication with IL-6. The cut-off value of serum IL-6 at 24 hours to predict POCs is 480 pg./mL (R2 = 0.50; AUC = 0.79) with 80% sensitivity and 89% specificity. Two patients died - on postoperative days 5 and 28 respectively. Conclusion: Preoperative IL-6 is raised in patients with ovarian cancer posted for cytoreductive surgery. A cut-off value of 23.56 pg./mL preoperatively and 480 pg./mL at 24 hours after surgery could predict postoperative surgical complications

Correlation functions quantify super-resolution images and estimate apparent clustering due to over-counting

We present an analytical method to quantify clustering in super-resolution localization images of static surfaces in two dimensions. The method also describes how over-counting of labeled molecules contributes to apparent self-clustering and how the effective lateral resolution of an image can be determined. This treatment applies to clustering of proteins and lipids in membranes, where there is significant interest in using super-resolution localization techniques to probe membrane heterogeneity. When images are quantified using pair correlation functions, the magnitude of apparent clustering due to over-counting will vary inversely with the surface density of labeled molecules and does not depend on the number of times an average molecule is counted. Over-counting does not yield apparent co-clustering in double label experiments when pair cross-correlation functions are measured. We apply our analytical method to quantify the distribution of the IgE receptor (Fc{\epsilon}RI) on the plasma membranes of chemically fixed RBL-2H3 mast cells from images acquired using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We find that apparent clustering of labeled IgE bound to Fc{\epsilon}RI detected with both methods arises from over-counting of individual complexes. Thus our results indicate that these receptors are randomly distributed within the resolution and sensitivity limits of these experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Hygrothermal performance of wood-hemp insulation in timber frame wall panels with and without a vapour barrier

An in situ experiment on a full-scale timber frame test building was carried out to study the hygrothermal performance of wood-hemp composite insulation in timber frame wall panels with and without a vapour barrier. The heat transfer properties and the likelihood of mould growth and condensation in the panels were compared. Step changes in the internal relative humidity were performed to explore the effects of high, normal and low internal moisture loads on the wall panels. No significant difference in the average equivalent thermal transmittance (U-values) between the panels with and without a vapour barrier was observed. The average equivalent U-values of the panels were close to the U-values calculated from the manufacturers’ declared thermal conductivity values of the insulation. The likelihood of condensation was higher at the interface of the wood-hemp insulation and the oriented strand board (OSB) in the panel without a vapour barrier. In terms of the parametric assessment of the mould germination potential, the relative humidity, the temperature and the exposure conditions in the insulation-OSB interfaces of the panel without a vapour barrier were found to be more favourable to the germination of mould spores. Nonetheless, when the insulations were dismantled, no mould was visually detected

Navigating Copper-Atom-Pair Structural Effect inside a Porous Organic Polymer Cavity for Selective Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

In recent times, selective hydrogenation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) to produce the novel difuranic polyol scaffold 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran (DHMF) has attracted the interest of the many researchers due to its peculiar symmetrical structure and its widespread application as a monomer for the preparation of cross-linked polyesters and polyurethane. Copper-based catalysts have been explored for selective catalytic hydrogenation; however, hurdles are still associated with the strongly reducing H2 atmosphere and oxidizing C–O bond that make the Cu0 and Cux+ surface active species unstable, limiting the rational design of highly efficient integrated catalyst systems. To address this, herein, we built catalytic systems for 5-HMF hydrogenation with stable and balanced Cu0 and Cux+ active surface species inside the nanocage of a catechol-based porous organic polymer (POP) endowed with large surface areas, impressive stabilities, and spatial restriction inhibiting nanoparticle aggregation. Batch reactor screening identified that a superior catalytic performance (DHMF selectivity of 98%) has been achieved with our newly designed Cu@C-POP at 150 °C temperature and 20 bar H2 pressure, which was also higher than that of other reported copper catalysts. Comprehensive characterization understanding with H2-TPR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study revealed that substantially boosted activity is induced by the presence of the bulk CuOx phase and atomically dispersed Cu species incorporating isolated Cu ions, which are further confirmed through the positive binding energy shift of Cu 2p3/2 XPS spectra (∼0.4 eV). The Cu environment in our catalytic systems comprises a predominantly square planar geometry (probably Jahn–Teller distorted OH), which we gleaned from the extended X-ray absorption for fine structure (EXAFS) analysis featuring two adjacent copper atoms with the valence state in between of 0 and +2, as validated by XANES absorption edge positions. EXAFS studies further revealed a lowering of the Cu coordination number for the most active Cu@C-POP-B catalyst, suggesting the presence of metal vacancies. Density functional theory calculations showed that the presence of Cu metal vacancies stabilized the reaction intermediates formed during 5-HMF hydrogenation and decreased the hydrogenation barriers, resulting in an enhanced catalytic activity of the Cu@C-POP-B catalyst