Data on cytotoxic and antibacterial activity of synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Malva sylvestris

The biosynthesis of materials using medicinal plants can be a low-cost and eco-friendly approach due to their extraordinary properties. Herein, we reported a facile synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Malva sylvestris. The surface morphology, functional groups, and elemental analysis were done to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity performance of the synthesized nanoparticles was analyzed by exposing nanoparticles to MCF-7 and Hep-G2 cancer cell lines through MTT colorimetric assay and the IC50 value was defined as 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial performance of synthesized nanoparticles against four different bacterial strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were assessed through microdilution broth method. The synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Malva sylvestris demonstrated higher antibacterial effects against Gram-positive strains with MIC values of 62.5 μg/mL and 125 μg/mL which increase the inhibitory percentage to more than 90%

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 and comparison with control patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In a large-scale study, 128176 non-pregnant patients (228 studies) and 10000 pregnant patients (121 studies) confirmed COVID-19 cases included in this Meta-Analysis. The mean (confidence interval CI) of age and gestational age of admission (GA) in pregnant women was 33 (28�37) years old and 36 (34�37) weeks, respectively. Pregnant women show the same manifestations of COVID-19 as non-pregnant adult patients. Fever (pregnant: 75.5%; non-pregnant: 74%) and cough (pregnant: 48.5%; non-pregnant: 53.5%) are the most common symptoms in both groups followed by myalgia (26.5%) and chill (25%) in pregnant and dysgeusia (27%) and fatigue (26.5%) in non-pregnant patients. Pregnant women are less probable to show cough (odds ratio OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.67�0.75), fatigue (OR: 0.58; CI: 0.54�0.61), sore throat (OR: 0.66; CI: 0.61�0.7), headache (OR: 0.55; CI: 0.55�0.58) and diarrhea (OR: 0.46; CI: 0.4�0.51) than non-pregnant adult patients. The most common imaging found in pregnant women is ground-glass opacity (57%) and in non-pregnant patients is consolidation (76%). Pregnant women have higher proportion of leukocytosis (27% vs. 14%), thrombocytopenia (18% vs. 12.5%) and have lower proportion of raised C-reactive protein (52% vs. 81%) compared with non-pregnant patients. Leucopenia and lymphopenia are almost the same in both groups. The most common comorbidity in pregnant patients is diabetes (18%) and in non-pregnant patients is hypertension (21%). Case fatality rate (CFR) of non-pregnant hospitalized patients is 6.4% (4.4�8.5), and mortality due to all-cause for pregnant patients is 11.3% (9.6�13.3). Regarding the complications of pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage (54.5% 7�94), caesarean delivery (48% 42�54), preterm labor (25% 4�74) and preterm birth (21% 12�34) are in turn the most prevalent complications. Comparing the pregnancy outcomes show that caesarean delivery (OR: 3; CI: 2�5), low birth weight (LBW) (OR: 9; CI: 2.4�30) and preterm birth (OR: 2.5; CI: 1.5�3.5) are more probable in pregnant woman with COVID-19 than pregnant women without COVID-19. The most prevalent neonatal complications are neonatal intensive care unit admission (43% 2�96), fetal distress (30% 12�58) and LBW (25% 16�37). The rate of vertical transmission is 5.3% (1.3�16), and the rate of positive SARS-CoV-2 test for neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 is 8% (4�16). Overall, pregnant patients present with the similar clinical characteristics of COVID-19 when compared with the general population, but they may be more asymptomatic. Higher odds of caesarean delivery, LBW and preterm birth among pregnant patients with COVID-19 suggest a possible association between COVID-19 infection and pregnancy complications. Low risk of vertical transmission is present, and SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in all conception products, particularly placenta and breast milk. Interpretations of these results should be done cautiously due to the heterogeneity between studies; however, we believe our findings can guide the prenatal and postnatal considerations for COVID-19 pregnant patients. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries

This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors

The effect of play-based occupational therapy on symptoms and participation in daily life activities in children with cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of play-based occupational therapy on symptoms and participation in daily life activities in hospitalized children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Method: A total of 25 children (mean age = 9.28 ± 0.95 years, range = 7�12 years) with cancer undergoing chemotherapy were enrolled and randomly assigned to a play-based occupational therapy group (n = 12) or control group (n = 13). The intervention group received eight 1-hour play-based occupational therapy sessions, and the control group received traditional occupational therapy services. Participation in daily life activities, therapy-related symptoms, pain, anxiety, and fatigue were evaluated. Results: Total mean scores of participation in daily life activities in the intervention group in the diversity of activities (p = 0.001, d = 1.39), intensity of participation (p = 0.001, d = 1.86), with whom done (p = 0.005, d = 1.22), enjoyment (p = 0.003, d = 1.33), and parents� satisfaction (p = 0.003, d = 1.33) were significantly higher than the control group. Symptoms decreased in both groups; however, this trend had a significant difference in the intervention group for the therapy-related symptom checklist (p = 0.001, d = 1.68), pain (p = 0.001, d = 1.61), anxiety (p = 0.001, d = 1.58), and fatigue (p = 0.002, d = 1.39) scores. Conclusion: A 2-week course of inpatient play-based occupational therapy is an effective approach in the reduction of cancer symptoms, therapy-related symptoms, and the participation facilitation, of children with cancer in daily life activities. © The Author(s) 2021

Asymmetric membranes: A potential scaffold for wound healing applications

10.3390/sym12071100Symmetry127110