Maternal serum iron status, hepcidin and interleukin-6 levels in women with preeclampsia

Introduction: Preeclampsia can lead to a number of adverse maternal and perinatal effects. The association between iron status [serum iron, ferritin and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)], unsaturated iron-binding capacity, hepcidin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and preeclampsia is not fully understood.Objective: To assess the levels of iron status, hepcidin and interleukin-6 in women with preeclampsia compared with healthy pregnant women.Method: A case-control study (60 women were recruited in each group) was conducted at Saad Abuelela Maternity Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered through a questionnaire. The levels of iron status, hepcidin and IL-6 were measured using applicable methods.Results: There was no significant difference in the median [interquartile range (IQR)] of age, parity or body mass index between the two groups. Moreover, the median (IQR) of the iron status, hepcidin and interleukin-6 did not differ between women with preeclampsia and healthy controls. There were no significant correlations between haemoglobin, hepcidin and IL-6. There were also no significant correlations between serum iron, serum ferritin, hepcidin and IL-6. However, there was a significant positive correlation between hepcidin and IL-6 (r = 0.393, p = 0.002).Conclusion: In this study, women with preeclampsia had levels of iron status, hepcidin and IL-6 similar to those observed in healthy pregnant women. There was no significant correlation between iron status, hepcidin and IL-6

Thyroid disorders, epidemiology and outcome among patients in South Western region: Southern Saudi Arabia

Background: Thyroid gland may have a group of a medical condition that affects its main function. The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones. The released hormones go through the blood to many body organs for regulating their function, meaning that it is an endocrine organ. These hormones normally act in the body to regulate energy use, infant development, and childhood development. The study aimed to assess the epidemiology of thyroid disorders among cases in the south-western region, Saudi Arabia, and to assess the reporting quality for these cases data.Methods: A retrospective record based descriptive approach was used through reviewing medical records of all cases that were admitted and diagnosed as thyroid related disorders for different indications in the main hospital (king Khalid Hospital) during the period from January 2018 to January 2020. Data extracted throng pre-structured questionnaire including patient's bio-clinical data, preoperative radiological and laboratory investigations. Also, laryngoscope pre and post operatively was reviewed to record findings.Results: The study included 405 cases with thyroid disorders whose ages ranged from 15 to 71 years old with a mean age of 30.5±10.6 years. Females were 82.7% of the included cases, and 83.8% were Saudi. Thyroid related symptoms were recorded for 1-2 years among 58.1% of the cases and for more than 5 years among 15.8%. Thyroid enlargement was recorded for 73.1% of the cases. The multinodular enlargement was recorded for 53.5% of the cases followed with diffuse thyroid enlargement (27.3%). Regarding the type of surgery undergone, total thyroidectomy was the most recorded followed with lobectomy.Conclusions: The study revealed that the majority of the cases were females at middle age presented with benign lesions with Euthyroid status. The most important conclusion was the significant remarkable underreporting of the different clinical data for the cases with many missing items

Evaluation of Cell Cycle Arrest in Estrogen Responsive MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells: Pitfalls of the MTS Assay

Endocrine resistance is a major problem with anti-estrogen treatments and how to overcome resistance is a major concern in the clinic. Reliable measurement of cell viability, proliferation, growth inhibition and death is important in screening for drug treatment efficacy in vitro. This report describes and compares commonly used proliferation assays for induced estrogen-responsive MCF-7 breast cancer cell cycle arrest including: determination of cell number by direct counting of viable cells; or fluorescence SYBR®Green (SYBR) DNA labeling; determination of mitochondrial metabolic activity by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay; assessment of newly synthesized DNA using 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) nucleoside analog binding and Alexa Fluor® azide visualization by fluorescence microscopy; cell-cycle phase measurement by flow cytometry. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with ICI 182780 (Faslodex), FTY720, serum deprivation or induction of the tumor suppressor p14ARF showed inhibition of cell proliferation determined by the Trypan Blue exclusion assay and SYBR DNA labeling assay. In contrast, the effects of treatment with ICI 182780 or p14ARF-induction were not confirmed using the MTS assay. Cell cycle inhibition by ICI 182780 and p14ARF-induction was further confirmed by flow cytometric analysis and EdU-DNA incorporation. To explore this discrepancy further, we showed that ICI 182780 and p14ARF-induction increased MCF-7 cell mitochondrial activity by MTS assay in individual cells compared to control cells thereby providing a misleading proliferation readout. Interrogation of p14ARF-induction on MCF-7 metabolic activity using TMRE assays and high content image analysis showed that increased mitochondrial activity was concomitant with increased mitochondrial biomass with no loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, or cell death. We conclude that, whilst p14ARF and ICI 182780 stop cell cycle progression, the cells are still viable and potential treatments utilizing these pathways may contribute to drug resistant cells. These experiments demonstrate how the combined measurement of metabolic activity and DNA labeling provides a more reliable interpretation of cancer cell response to treatment regimens

Experimental and thermodynamic analysis of a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) of gasoline engine using swash-plate expander

This paper deals with the experimental testing of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) integrate in a 2 liter turbocharged gasoline engine using ethanol as working fluid. The main components of the cycle are a boiler, a condenser, a pump and a swash-plate expander. Five engine operating points have been tested, they correspond to a nominal heat input into the boiler of 5, 12, 20, 25 and 30 kW. With the available bill of material based on prototypes, power balances and cycles efficiencies were estimated, obtaining a maximum improvement in the ICE mechanical power and an expander shaft power of 3.7% and 1.83 kW respectively. A total of 28 steady-state operating points were measured to evaluate performance of the swash-plate expander prototype. Operating parameters of the expander, such as expander speed and expansion ratio, were shifted. The objective of the tests is to master the system and understand physical parameters influence. The importance of each parameter was analyzed by fixing all the parameters, changing each time one specific value. In these sensitivity studies, maximum ideal and real Rankine efficiency value of 19% and 6% were obtained respectively.This work is part of a research project called "Evaluation of bottoming cycles in IC engines to recover waste heat energies" funded by a National Project of the Spanish Government with reference TRA2013-46408-R.Galindo, J.; Ruiz Rosales, S.; Dolz Ruiz, V.; Royo Pascual, L.; Haller, R.; Nicolas, B.; Glavatskaya, Y. (2015). Experimental and thermodynamic analysis of a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) of gasoline engine using swash-plate expander. Energy Conversion and Management. 103:519-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2015.06.085S51953210

Determination of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and ammonia in ambient air using the passive sampling method associated with ion chromatographic and potentiometric analyses

Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and ammonia (NH3) were determined in the ambient air of Al-Ain city over a year using the passive sampling method associated with ion chromatographic and potentiometric detections. IVL samplers were used for collecting nitrogen and sulfur dioxides whereas Ogawa samplers were used for collecting ozone and ammonia. Five sites representing the industrial, traffic, commercial, residential, and background regions of the city were monitored in the course of this investigation. Year average concentrations of ≤59.26, 15.15, 17.03, and 11.88 μg/m3 were obtained for NO2, SO2, O3, and NH3, respectively. These values are lower than the maxima recommended for ambient air quality standards by the local environmental agency and the world health organization. Results obtained were correlated with the three meteorological parameters: humidity, wind speed, and temperature recorded during the same period of time using the paired t test, probability p values, and correlation coefficients. Humidity and wind speed showed insignificant effects on NO2, SO2, O3, and NH3 concentrations at 95% confidence level. Temperature showed insignificant effects on the concentrations of NO2 and NH3 while significant effects on SO2 and O3 were observed. Nonlinear correlations (R2 ≤ 0.722) were obtained for the changes in measured concentrations with changes in the three meteorological parameters. Passive samplers were shown to be not only precise (RSD ≤ 13.57) but also of low cost, low technical demand, and expediency in monitoring different locations

Plant genomics in Africa: present and prospects

Plants are the world’s most consumed goods. They are of high economic value and bring many health benefits. In most countries in Africa, the supply and quality of food will rise to meet the growing population’s increasing demand. Genomics and other biotechnology tools offer the opportunity to improve subsistence crops and medicinal herbs in the continent. Significant advances have been made in plant genomics, which have enhanced our knowledge of the molecular processes underlying both plant quality and yield. The sequencing of complex genomes of African plant species, facilitated by the continuously evolving nextgeneration sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics approaches, has provided new opportunities for crop improvement. This review summarizes the achievements of genome sequencing projects of endemic African plants in the last two decades. We also present perspectives and challenges for future plant genomic studies that will accelerate important plant breeding programs for African communities. These challenges include a lack of basic facilities, a lack of sequencing and bioinformatics facilities, and a lack of skills to design genomics studies. However, it is imperative to state that African countries have become key players in the plant genome revolution and genome derived-biotechnology. Therefore, African governments should invest in public plant genomics research and applications, establish bioinformatics platforms and training programs, and stimulate university and industry partnerships to fully deploy plant genomics, particularly in the fields of agriculture and medicine

Conception d'une antenne de tags UHF passifs

International audienc

An Ultrasound Assessed Extraction Combined with Ion-Pair HPLC Method and Risk Assessment of Nitrite and Nitrate in Cured Meat

An accurate IPC-UV method was developed and validated for the determination of nitrite (NI) and nitrate (NA) in meat products. The best separation was achieved on a phenyl-hexyl column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 µm) with a mobile phase composed of 25% acetonitrile and 75% buffer (2 mM disodium hydrogen phosphate and 3 mM tetrabutylammonium bromide, pH = 4). Eluents were monitored at 205 nm. Linearity ranges were 1.86 × 10−6–7.5 µg·ml−1 and 0.09–5.0 µg·ml−1 for NI and NA, respectively. The correlation coefficients were greater than 0.999 for NI and NA. This method was applied to a number of processed meat products in Riyadh (n = 155). NI ranged from 1.78 to 129.69 mg·kg−1, and NA ranged from 0.76 to 96.64 mg·kg−1. Results showed extensive use of NI and NA; however, concentrations were within the legal limit of Saudi Arabia except for one sample. Further, the risk assessment and dietary exposure have been estimated for both NI and NA

MMIC Doherty power amplifier for a 5W pico-cell base station in GaN HFET technology

4G standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) use non-constant envelope modulation techniques with high peak-to-average ratios. Power amplifiers (PA) implemented in such applications are forced to operate at a backed-off region from saturation. Thus, to reduce power consumption, a design of a high efficiency PA that can maintain the efficiency for a wider range of RF signals is required. In this paper, a two-way 10W Doherty amplifier designed in a compact 10×11.5mm2 monolithic microwave integrated circuit using GaN technology is presented. Suitable for a 4G LTE 5W pico-cell base station, which entails the frequencies from 2.62-2.69GHz, the design achieves high efficiencies of over 50% at both back-off and peak power regions without compromising on the stringent linearity requirements of 4G LTE standards. This demonstrates a 17% increase in power added efficiency at 6 dB back-off from peak power compared to conventional Class AB amplifier performance