Graphene-Fe3O4-TiO2 ternary composite: an efficient visible light catalyst for the removal of organic pollutants

A facile synthesis technique was employed for producing magnetic graphene-TiO2 photocatalyst (GO-Fe3O4-TiO2). The synthesis method involves combination of sol-gel and assembling processes. The magnetic composite was characterized by, XRD, SEM, FESEM and UV-DRS analysis. The as synthesized material showed higher photocatalytic activity towards methylene blue (MB) degradation as compared with that of pure TiO2 and GO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite. Magnetic property of the nanocomposite defines it to be easily separable for repeated applications. These attractive physical properties and efficient photocatalytic activity quote GO-Fe3O4-TiO2 nanocomposite as a promising photocatalyst under sunlight for practical use in wastewater treatment to control water pollution

Studies on Erosion Wear Behaviour of Al-3Mg-10SiC Composite

Aluminum based metal matrix composites (MMCs) offer potential for advanced structural applications when high specific strength and modulus, as well as good elevated temperature resistance along with light weight, are important. In the present work, aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composite Al-3Mg-10SiC, developed using a stir casting technique is studied for wear behavior.Aluminium matrix composites finds its application in various fields like automobiles, aircraft, space equipment, structural components etc.Tribological characterization of aluminium matrix composites is critical for increasing its life and performance, particularly in fields of automobiles, aerospace and tooling, where failures from friction and wear can be catastrophic.Wear and friction manifest ultimately in loss of money in the form of energy loss and material loss. It leads to decrease in national productivity. Reduction in wear losses thus becomes essential forquality life. Thus tribology knowledge is important and significant for capital saving and hence this particular composite has been studied for tribological properties. Solid particle erosion on Al-3Mg-10SiC was conducted under various parameters. Microstructural characterization of the surfaces and cross sections, micro-hardness measurement, X - ray diffraction studies were also studied.Implementation of design of experiments through Taguchi and statistical techniques in analyzing the erosion behavior ofcomposites is discussed. The dependence of the wear rate on the parameters is studied and the wear mechanism is investigated by electron microscopy. Variation of cumulative mass lose for different impingement angles were plotted and analysed.Initial mass loss is high, then it becomes sluggish and again after sometime there is sharp increase in mass loss. This increase is attributed to development of porous regions on the surface and tearing of grains on the surface. Individual effects of control parameters are also analysed.It was clear from the Taguchi analysis that, of allthe parameters affecting the wear rate, “velocity” is the most significant parameter while parameter “angle” also has some significant effect. Surface roughness is also measured. It is evident that the predicted ANN results show a good agreement with the experimental sets.The optimized ANN structure further permits to study the effect of each of the control input parameters. The hardness and tensile strength were also measure

ANTIDIABETIC AND ANTIDYSLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF ETHYL ACETATE FRACTIONS OF XYLOCARPUS GRANATUM AND XYLOCARPUS MOLLUCCENSIS ON HIGH FRUCTOSE HIGH FAT AND HIGH SUCROSE HIGH FAT FED-LOW DOSED STREPTOZOTOCIN TREATED DIABETIC RATS

Objectives: The present study was carried out to investigate the antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic effect of standardized fractions of X. granatum (CDR-134 F194) and X. molluccensis (CDR-267 F018) by measuring the status of blood glucose, serum insulin, lipid levels, hepatic and renal function markers of high fructose high fed streptozotocin treated rats and high sucrose high fat diet fed-low dosed Streptozotocin treated diabetic rats.Methods: Male rats of Sprague Dawley strain of body weight around 150 g when kept on high fructose high fat diet and high sucrose high fat diet for two weeks, respectively, showed abnormal glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia and obesity and at this stage when streptozotocin was given intraperitoneally at 45.0 mg/kg body weight caused persistent hyperglycemia in them addition to dyslipidemia along with impairment in their hepatic and renal functions.Results: The standardized fractions of X. granatum (CDR-134 F194) and X. molluccensis (CDR-267F018) when given to these high fructose high fat fed low dosed streptozotocin treated diabetic rats or high sucrose high fat diet fed-low dosed streptozotocin treated diabetic rats for 10 consecutive days showed significant improvement in their glucose intolerance, decline in their serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol levels. These CDR-134 F194 and CDR-267 F018 treated rats also showed elevation in their HDL-cholesterol levels and improvement in their hepatic and renal functions as evidenced by decline in SGOT, SGPT, urea, uric acid and creatinine levels.Conclusion: The present study thus concludes that the antidiabetic efficacy of standardized fractions of X. granatum (CDR-134 F194) and X. molluccensis (CDR-267F018) have favorable effect in bringing down the severity of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, decline the increased level of renal and hepatic function markers and also improving glucose tolerance activity

Genetic association of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a North Indian population

Background: Cytokines regulate the expression of inflammatory molecules which destabilize the atheromatic plaques. This study focuses on studying the association of inflammatory cytokine polymorphisms like TNF-α -308 (G/A), TNF-β +252 (A/G), IL-6 -174 (G/C) and IL-6 -597 (G/A), and IFN-ɣ +874 (T/A) with coronary artery disease (CAD) among north Indian patients. Materials and methods: 143 CAD and 137 normal healthy controls were recruited in this study. DNA extraction was carried out by high salting out method. TNF-α -308 (G/A) (rs1800797), TNF-β +252 (A/G) (rs909253), IL-6 -174 (G/C) (rs1800795), IL6 -597 (G/A) (rs1800797), and IFN-ɣ +874 (T/A) (rs2430561) SNPs were genotyped by TaqMan®SNP genotyping assays. Different statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v 22.0 and SNPStats. p≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: Significant risk association with CAD was found for TNF-α -308 (G/A) “A” allele (OR =5.6, CI 1.8-17.4, p=0.001) and TNF-β +252 (A/G) “G” allele (OR=3.4, CI=1.9-6.0, p<0.001). However, no statistical significance was found for IL-6 -174 (G/C) or IL6 -597 (G/A), with CAD. TNF-α -308 (G/A), and TNF-β +252 (A/G) haplotype “GG” “AG” increased CAD risk significantly (GG haplotype, adjusted OR = 2.6, CI 1.4-5.0, p=0.003 and AG haplotype OR =8.5, CI 2.2-33.35, p=0.002) after adjustments for age, sex, TC, TG, HDL, APOB, smoking and diet. Discussion: The present study found significant risk association for TNF-α -308 (G/A), and TNF-β +252 (A/G) genotypes, alleles and haplotypes, with CAD in a North Indian Population

ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC AND ANTIDYSLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY IN ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF THE FRUITS OF XYLOCARPUS GRANATUM AND XYLOCARPUS MOLUCCENSIS

Objectives: Although various species of Xylocarpus i. e. Granatum, moluccensis are known for their medicinal properties. Yet, its anti-diabetic activity remains to be defined. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antidyslipidemic activity in ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits of X. granatum and X. moluccensis on validated animal models as well as in-vitro glucose uptake stimulatory effect and their cytotoxicity effect in L6 skeletal muscle cells.Methods: The ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits of X. granatum and X. moluccensis were administered to diabetic groups daily up to 10 days for prolonged study. Biochemical parameters notably glucose tolerance, insulin level, lipid profile were assessed. The ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits of X. granatum and X. moluccensis were also tested for glucose uptake effect by skeletal muscle cells in the concentration dependent manner.Results: The present study show that the ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits of X. granatum as well as X. moluccensis are effective in improving glucose tolerance, declining blood glucose as well as serum cholesterol and triglycerides levels in low dosed streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and dyslipidemic hamsters, respectively. These fractions were also found efficient in increasing glucose uptake by L6 skeletal muscle cells but did not show any effect on cell viability of L6 skeletal muscle cells.Conclusion: Based on the results, the present study revealed that ethyl acetate fraction of the fruits of X. granatum and X. moluccensis lowered blood glucose profile by increasing the glucose uptake by L-6 and this may be the possible mechanisms for the antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic action

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

Cross-protection induced by highly conserved human B, CD4+, and CD8+ T-cell epitopes-based vaccine against severe infection, disease, and death caused by multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created one of the largest global health crises in almost a century. Although the current rate of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections has decreased significantly, the long-term outlook of COVID-19 remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with the mortality rate still substantially surpassing even that recorded for influenza viruses. The continued emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), including multiple heavily mutated Omicron sub-variants, has prolonged the COVID-19 pandemic and underscores the urgent need for a next-generation vaccine that will protect from multiple SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.MethodsWe designed a multi-epitope-based coronavirus vaccine that incorporated B, CD4+, and CD8+ T- cell epitopes conserved among all known SARS-CoV-2 VOCs and selectively recognized by CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells from asymptomatic COVID-19 patients irrespective of VOC infection. The safety, immunogenicity, and cross-protective immunity of this pan-variant SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were studied against six VOCs using an innovative triple transgenic h-ACE-2-HLA-A2/DR mouse model.ResultsThe pan-variant SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (i) is safe , (ii) induces high frequencies of lung-resident functional CD8+ and CD4+ TEM and TRM cells , and (iii) provides robust protection against morbidity and virus replication. COVID-19-related lung pathology and death were caused by six SARS-CoV-2 VOCs: Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma or P1 (B.1.1.28.1), Delta (lineage B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529).ConclusionA multi-epitope pan-variant SARS-CoV-2 vaccine bearing conserved human B- and T- cell epitopes from structural and non-structural SARS-CoV-2 antigens induced cross-protective immunity that facilitated virus clearance, and reduced morbidity, COVID-19-related lung pathology, and death caused by multiple SARS-CoV-2 VOCs

Global, regional, and national burden of tuberculosis, 1990–2016: results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2016 Study

Background Although a preventable and treatable disease, tuberculosis causes more than a million deaths each year. As countries work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030, robust assessments of the levels and trends of the burden of tuberculosis are crucial to inform policy and programme decision making. We assessed the levels and trends in the fatal and non-fatal burden of tuberculosis by drug resistance and HIV status for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. Methods We analysed 15 943 site-years of vital registration data, 1710 site-years of verbal autopsy data, 764 site-years of sample-based vital registration data, and 361 site-years of mortality surveillance data to estimate mortality due to tuberculosis using the Cause of Death Ensemble model. We analysed all available data sources, including annual case notifications, prevalence surveys, population-based tuberculin surveys, and estimated tuberculosis cause-specific mortality to generate internally consistent estimates of incidence, prevalence, and mortality using DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool. We assessed how the burden of tuberculosis differed from the burden predicted by the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, average years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Findings Globally in 2016, among HIV-negative individuals, the number of incident cases of tuberculosis was 9·02 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8·05–10·16) and the number of tuberculosis deaths was 1·21 million (1·16–1·27). Among HIV-positive individuals, the number of incident cases was 1·40 million (1·01–1·89) and the number of tuberculosis deaths was 0·24 million (0·16–0·31). Globally, among HIV-negative individuals the age-standardised incidence of tuberculosis decreased annually at a slower rate (–1·3% [–1·5 to −1·2]) than mortality did (–4·5% [–5·0 to −4·1]) from 2006 to 2016. Among HIV-positive individuals during the same period, the rate of change in annualised age-standardised incidence was −4·0% (–4·5 to −3·7) and mortality was −8·9% (–9·5 to −8·4). Several regions had higher rates of age-standardised incidence and mortality than expected on the basis of their SDI levels in 2016. For drug-susceptible tuberculosis, the highest observed-to-expected ratios were in southern sub-Saharan Africa (13·7 for incidence and 14·9 for mortality), and the lowest ratios were in high-income North America (0·4 for incidence) and Oceania (0·3 for mortality). For multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, eastern Europe had the highest observed-to-expected ratios (67·3 for incidence and 73·0 for mortality), and high-income North America had the lowest ratios (0·4 for incidence and 0·5 for mortality). Interpretation If current trends in tuberculosis incidence continue, few countries are likely to meet the SDG target to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030. Progress needs to be accelerated by improving the quality of and access to tuberculosis diagnosis and care, by developing new tools, scaling up interventions to prevent risk factors for tuberculosis, and integrating control programmes for tuberculosis and HIV

Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries

Child growth failure (CGF), manifested as stunting, wasting, and underweight, is associated with high 5 mortality and increased risks of cognitive, physical, and metabolic impairments. Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the highest levels of CGF globally. Here we illustrate national and subnational variation of under-5 CGF indicators across LMICs, providing 2000–2017 annual estimates mapped at a high spatial resolution and aggregated to policy-relevant administrative units and national levels. Despite remarkable declines over the study period, many LMICs remain far from the World Health 10 Organization’s ambitious Global Nutrition Targets to reduce stunting by 40% and wasting to less than 5% by 2025. Large disparities in prevalence and rates of progress exist across regions, countries, and within countries; our maps identify areas where high prevalence persists even within nations otherwise succeeding in reducing overall CGF prevalence. By highlighting where subnational disparities exist and the highest-need populations reside, these geospatial estimates can support policy-makers in planning locally 15 tailored interventions and efficient directing of resources to accelerate progress in reducing CGF and its health implications