FLOURIDE REMOVAL FROM SEWAGE WATER USING CITRUS LIMETTA PEEL AS BIOSORBENT

Objective: The aim of this paper is to study the fluoride removal efficiency of the citrus limetta peel as low-cost biosorbent for defluoridation of sewage waste water.Methods: For finding the best operating condition for maximum removal of fluoride, batch wise experiments were performed at different contact times and keeping other parameters to be constant such as pH, initial fluoride concentration, and adsorbent dose. Various kinetic models such as intraparticle diffusion model, Bangham's model, Elovich model had been investigated for determining the suitable adsorption mechanism. The rate of adsorption of fluoride on citrus limetta peel has been determined by pseudo first-order and pseudo second order rate models. SEM analysis has been used for describing the surface morphology of the peel. The surface characterization of the citrus limetta peel has been investigated by using the FTIR and EDAX analysis.Results: The adsorption kinetics rate and the mechanism were best described by the pseudo-second order model and Bangham's model, respectively. The optimum pH, initial concentration, adsorbent dose and contact time were found to be 7, 20 mg/l, 10 g/l and 40 min. respectively for which there was maximum fluoride removal.Conclusion: The result obtained from the experiments show that the citrus limetta peel has proved to be a low-cost biosorbent for the defluoridation of the sewage waste water and has high fluoride removal efficiency.Keywords: Batchwise Biosorption Experiment, Bangham's Model, Langmuir Isotherm, SEM analysis, FTIR analysi

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans mediate Aβ-induced oxidative stress and hypercontractility in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

HSPG mitigates Aβ1-40-induced mitochondrial and cytosolic ROS production in VSMC under physiological oxygen concentration. To determine if differing levels oxygen impact ROS production in Aβ1-40 treated VSMC, cells were kept in 10 % oxygen (Panel A) or 1 % oxygen (conditions that are considered hypoxic; Panel B) in cell culture incubator with % 5 CO2. Primary human cerebral VSMC were pre-treated with heparin (15 U/mL), heparinase I (HpnI; 5 Sigma U/mL), or heparinase III (HpnIII; 2 Sigma U/mL) for 2 h, washed, loaded with Mitotracker Red CM-H2XRos, washed, and treated with Aβ1-40. In some cases, cells were pre-treated with heat-inactivated (HI) enzyme. Fluorescence was measured after 30 minutes. Results are representative of 3 independent experiments performed in triplicate. *p < 0.05 vs. vehicle-treated control. #p < 0.05 vs. comparison group. (JPEG 70 kb

Doppler ultrasound scoring to predict chemotherapeutic response in advanced breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Doppler ultrasonography (US) is increasingly being utilized as an imaging modality in breast cancer. It is used to study the vascular characteristics of the tumor. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the standard modality of treatment in locally advanced breast cancer. Histological examination remains the gold standard to assess the chemotherapy response. However, based on the color Doppler findings, a new scoring system that could predict histological response following chemotherapy is proposed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty cases of locally advanced infiltrating duct carcinoma of the breast were studied. The mean age of the patients was 44.5 years. All patients underwent clinical, Doppler and histopathological assessment followed by three cycles of CAF (Cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin and 5-Fluorouracil) chemotherapy, repeat clinical and Doppler examination and surgery. The resected specimens were examined histopathologically and histological response was correlated with Doppler findings. The Doppler characteristics of the tumor were graded as 1–4 for <25%, 25–50%, >50% and complete disappearance of flow signals respectively. A cumulative score was calculated and compared with histopathological response. Results were analyzed using Chi square test, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The maximum Doppler score according to the proposed scoring system was twelve and minimum three. Higher scores corresponded with a more favorable histopathological response. Twenty four patients had complete response to chemotherapy. Sixteen of these 24 patients (66.7%) had a cumulative Doppler score more than nine. The sensitivity of cumulative score >5 was 91.7% and specificity was 38.5%. The area under the ROC curve of the cumulative score >9 was 0.72.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Doppler scoring can be accurately used to objectively predict the response to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and it correlates well with histopathological response.</p

HP1-β is required for development of the cerebral neocortex and neuromuscular junctions

HP1 proteins are thought to be modulators of chromatin organization in all mammals, yet their exact physiological function remains unknown. In a first attempt to elucidate the function of these proteins in vivo, we disrupted the murine Cbx1 gene, which encodes the HP1-β isotype, and show that the Cbx1−/−-null mutation leads to perinatal lethality. The newborn mice succumbed to acute respiratory failure, whose likely cause is the defective development of neuromuscular junctions within the endplate of the diaphragm. We also observe aberrant cerebral cortex development in Cbx1−/− mutant brains, which have reduced proliferation of neuronal precursors, widespread cell death, and edema. In vitro cultures of neurospheres from Cbx1−/− mutant brains reveal a dramatic genomic instability. Our results demonstrate that HP1 proteins are not functionally redundant and that they are likely to regulate lineage-specific changes in heterochromatin organization

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

Inhibition of Protein Aggregation: Supramolecular Assemblies of Arginine Hold the Key

BACKGROUND: Aggregation of unfolded proteins occurs mainly through the exposed hydrophobic surfaces. Any mechanism of inhibition of this aggregation should explain the prevention of these hydrophobic interactions. Though arginine is prevalently used as an aggregation suppressor, its mechanism of action is not clearly understood. We propose a mechanism based on the hydrophobic interactions of arginine. METHODOLOGY: We have analyzed arginine solution for its hydrotropic effect by pyrene solubility and the presence of hydrophobic environment by 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonic acid fluorescence. Mass spectroscopic analyses show that arginine forms molecular clusters in the gas phase and the cluster composition is dependent on the solution conditions. Light scattering studies indicate that arginine exists as clusters in solution. In the presence of arginine, the reverse phase chromatographic elution profile of Alzheimer's amyloid beta 1-42 (Abeta(1-42)) peptide is modified. Changes in the hydrodynamic volume of Abeta(1-42) in the presence of arginine measured by size exclusion chromatography show that arginine binds to Abeta(1-42). Arginine increases the solubility of Abeta(1-42) peptide in aqueous medium. It decreases the aggregation of Abeta(1-42) as observed by atomic force microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experimental results we propose that molecular clusters of arginine in aqueous solutions display a hydrophobic surface by the alignment of its three methylene groups. The hydrophobic surfaces present on the proteins interact with the hydrophobic surface presented by the arginine clusters. The masking of hydrophobic surface inhibits protein-protein aggregation. This mechanism is also responsible for the hydrotropic effect of arginine on various compounds. It is also explained why other amino acids fail to inhibit the protein aggregation

Population‐based cohort study of outcomes following cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder diseases

Background The aim was to describe the management of benign gallbladder disease and identify characteristics associated with all‐cause 30‐day readmissions and complications in a prospective population‐based cohort. Methods Data were collected on consecutive patients undergoing cholecystectomy in acute UK and Irish hospitals between 1 March and 1 May 2014. Potential explanatory variables influencing all‐cause 30‐day readmissions and complications were analysed by means of multilevel, multivariable logistic regression modelling using a two‐level hierarchical structure with patients (level 1) nested within hospitals (level 2). Results Data were collected on 8909 patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 167 hospitals. Some 1451 cholecystectomies (16·3 per cent) were performed as an emergency, 4165 (46·8 per cent) as elective operations, and 3293 patients (37·0 per cent) had had at least one previous emergency admission, but had surgery on a delayed basis. The readmission and complication rates at 30 days were 7·1 per cent (633 of 8909) and 10·8 per cent (962 of 8909) respectively. Both readmissions and complications were independently associated with increasing ASA fitness grade, duration of surgery, and increasing numbers of emergency admissions with gallbladder disease before cholecystectomy. No identifiable hospital characteristics were linked to readmissions and complications. Conclusion Readmissions and complications following cholecystectomy are common and associated with patient and disease characteristics

The Commercial Potential of Aquaculture in Guyana

In this paper, it is advocated that agriculture is the most cost effective means of meeting increased demands for fish in Guyana. Its superiority over other forms of protein production systems is discussed. The development of aquaculture in Guyana is traced, and reasons are suggested for lack of significant progress. Recent positive developments are amplified by reference to two examples of fish culture, one intensive fresh water and the other extensive brackish water. Recommendations are made to ensure further developments