Antimicrobial agents and packaging systems in antimicrobial active food packaging: An overview of approaches and interactions

tMost of the scientific studies and innovations in food packaging have focused on the inhi-bition or prevention of microbial growth as well as avoiding further microbial deteriorationof food products. Among current food packaging techniques, active packaging, particular-ity antimicrobial active packaging, has attracted much attention due to the diversity in thematerials used, the methods of application, and the variety of food products that can be pro-tected. Direct and indirect techniques can be utilized to introduce antimicrobial compoundsinto food packaging materials. The increasing importance of the application of antimicrobialpackaging has inspired a better understanding of these materials and the factors influenc-ing the effectiveness of antimicrobial systems. This article is a review on the materials usedfor delivering antimicrobial substances with a focus on their main mechanisms of actionand release when used for food contact applications. In this regard, the effects of antimi-crobial agents on packaging properties will be discussed. Many challenges, including thecontrolled release of antimicrobial agents and the development of active packaging mate-rials (mainly bio-based materials) with adequate barrier properties, transparency, tensilestrength and other characteristics to meet the requirements of food protection and foodsafety, still remain to be solved in these new approaches to antimicrobial active packaging

miR-608 rs4919510 C>G polymorphism decreased the risk of breast cancer in an Iranian subpopulation

Aim: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that function as oncogene or tumor suppressors. The single nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNAs potentially can alter miRNA-binding sites on target genes as well as affecting miRNAs expression. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of miR-608 rs4919510 C>G variant on breast cancer (BC) risk. Materials and Methods: This case-control study conducted on 160 women with BC and 192 age-matched healthy women. Genotyping of miR608 rs4919510 was done using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results: Our findings showed that GC genotype significantly decreased the risk of BC (odds ratio (OR) = 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28–0.88, p = 0.018) compared to CC genotype. Furthermore the G allele decreased the risk of BC (OR = 0.53, 95%CI 0.30–0.92, p = 0.024). No significant association was found between miR-609 genotypes and clinicopathological characteristics of BC patients (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that miR-608 polymorphism might be associated with decreased risk of BC in an Iranian subpopulation. Further large-scale studies with different ethnicities are needed to verify our findings

A study on the personalization methods of the web

Search engine personalization is one of the various deep personalization methods. It can be said that personalization systems that help users find the information they need requires the use of contextual and semantic information analysis techniques that exist in the field of data recovery such as web personalization and the process of optimizing the methods to get to web pages in a way that are consistent with the needs of each user. What helps the current problem of search engines and accelerate their performance, is providing a proper framework for finding the correct pattern considering great items in history of users. This approach improves the advising process of the search engines as well. The aim of this paper is to introduce some process improvement methods of correct patterns and analyze them. Here we will discuss the basic concepts of web personalization and consider the three approaches of web personalization and we evaluated the methods belonging to each of them.Keywords: personalization, search engine, user preferences, data mining method

Surgical outcomes in patients with anterior communicating artery aneurysms

AcomA aneurysms are complicated and high incidence lesions. The successful treatment depends on understanding the anatomical location of aneurysm. The early surgery and selecting the superior method of surgery and post-operative cares affect the surgical outcomes of these patients. In this study 30 patients who were admitted to Firoozgar Hospital in a 3-year period (2001-2004), undergone surgery. In all patients early surgery with Pterioneal method was confirmed. We apply the basic tenets of aneurysm surgery, including vascular control, sharp dissection, meticulous preservation of perforating arteries and intraoperative monitoring to lesions of the AcomA complex. This focus eliminates unnecessary operative manipulations and we prepare for any crises that might arise. The majority of patients (83.3) were in grade I or II (Hunt and Hess scale). The rate of mortality was 10. The results of this study demonstrated that the early surgery and selecting the superior method of surgery and post-operative cares improve the surgical outcome of ruptured AcomA aneurysms. © 2006 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Study the effect of echinacea purpurea extract on cellular delayed type hypersensitivity and splenocyte proliferation in BALB/c mice

Objective: Purple cone flower plant (Echinacea purpurea) is one of the most important Herbal products in many countries. Up to now a lot of experiments demonstrated the controversial effects of this herb on immune system . In this research we study the in vivo and in vitro effect of Iranian E.purpurea extract on cellular immunity. Materials and Methods: At first we determined the lethal dose of E.purpurea extract after intraperitoneal injection in BALB/c mice. Then we made five groups of mice and treat them by four times intraperitoneal injection of 1 ml extract at different doses (0, 0.4, 2, 10 and 50 mg/ml) during two weeks. Splenocyte proliferation response to extract was assessed by MTT method. Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) response was evaluated by priming mice with 1×108 Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC) injected subcutaneously in the back on day 7after treatment. Results: As a result no significant variation in weight and spleen index of test groups to control was observed. Splenocyte proliferation and DTH response of test groups to control increased significantly (p<0.05). Conclusion: However these data confirmed the results of previous studies, in addition presented the first results about significant increase in DTH response that could not be seen before. Scince the main reason of this difference refers to active compounds of herb extract, comparing effective component of this extract with that of E.purpurea cultivated in other geographical condition will consider as the next studies

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells exert in vitro immunomodulatory and beta cell protective functions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice model

Regenerative and immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) might be applied for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) treatment. Thus, we proposed in vitro assessment of adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs) immunomodulation on autoimmune response along with beta cell protection in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic C57BL/6 mice model. MSCs were extracted from abdominal adipose tissue of normal mice and cultured to proliferate. Diabetic mice were prepared by administration of multiple low-doses of streptozotocin. Pancreatic islets were isolated from normal mice and splenocytes prepared from normal and diabetic mice. Proliferation, cytokine production, and insulin secretion assays were performed in coculture experiments. AT-MSCs inhibited splenocytes proliferative response to specific (islet lysate) and nonspecific (PHA) triggers in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-17, and increased secretion of regulatory cytokines such as TGF-β, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 by stimulated splenocytes were also shown in response to islet lysate or PHA stimulants (P < 0.05). Finally, we demonstrated that AT-MSCs could effectively sustain viability as well as insulin secretion potential of pancreatic islets in the presence of reactive splenocytes (P < 0.05). In conclusion, it seems that MSCs may provide a new horizon for T1DM cell therapy and islet transplantation in the future. © 2015 Hossein Rahavi et al

A study of the photoneutron dose equivalent resulting from a Saturne 20 medical linac using Monte Carlo method

High energy linacs have several advantages including lower skin dose and higher dose rate at deep sighted tumors. But, at higher energies photonuclear reactions produce neutron contamination. Photoneutron contamination has been investigated from the early days of modern linacs. However, more studies have become possible using Monte Carlo codes developed in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the photoneutron spectrum and dose equivalent produced by an 18 MV Saturne linac at different points of a treatment room and its maze. The MCNP4C code was used to simulate the transport of photoneutrons produced by a typical 18 MV Saturne linac. The treatment room of a radiotherapy facility in which a Saturne 20 linac is installed was modeled. Neutron dose equivalent was calculated and its variations at various distances from the center of the X-ray beam was studied. It was noted that by increasing the distance from the center of the beam, fast neutrons decrease rapidly, but thermal neutrons do not change significantly. In addition, the photoneutron dose equivalent was lower for smaller fields. The fast photoneutrons were not recorded in the maze. It can be concluded that the fast photoneutrons are highly attenuated by concrete barrier, while the slow photoneutrons are increased. In addition, increasing the X-ray field size increases the photoneutron dose equivalent around the treatment room and maze. It seems that the walls play an effective role in increasing the photoneutron dose equivalent

Hypothesis for the management and treatment of the COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome and lung injury using mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a member of the coronaviridae that causes respiratory disorders. After infection, large amounts of inflammatory cytokines are secreted, known as the cytokine storm. These cytokines can cause pulmonary damage induced by inflammation resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and even death. One of the therapeutic approaches for treatment of ARDS is a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC). MSCs suppress inflammation and reduce lung injury through their immunomodulatory properties. MSCs also have the potential to prevent apoptosis of the lung cells and regenerate them. But our suggestion is using MSCs-derived exosomes. Because these exosomes apply the same immunomodulatory and tissue repair effects of MSCs and they don't have problems associated to cell maintenance and injections. For investigation the hypothesis, MSCs should be isolated from tissues and characterized. Then, the exosomes should be isolated from the supernatants and characterized. These exosomes should be injected into a transgenic animal for COVID-19. In the final section, lung function assessment, histological examination, micro-CT, differential leukocyte, viral load analysis, cytokine assay, and CRP level analysis can be investigated. COVID-19 treatment is currently focused on supportive therapies and no vaccine has been developed for it. So, numerous researches are needed to find potential therapies. Since the pathogenesis of this disease was identified in previous studies and can cause lung injury with ARDS, investigation of the therapeutic approaches that can suppress inflammation, cytokine storm and ARDS can be helpful in finding a novel therapeutic approach for this disease. © 202

Red cell distribution width elevation and sepsis in pediatric critically ill patients

Background: Recently, a relationship has been demonstrated between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality risk in critically ill patients although the exact mechanism of this association is still vague. However, the impact of changes in RDW on sepsis and its outcome in critically ill patients has not been widely studied. Therefore, we studied the prognostic impact of changes in RDW in critically ill pediatric patients with sepsis. Methods: A total of 304 patients who were admitted to pediatric intensive care unit were selected to participate in this study. The changes in RDW on the day of admission and 4 and 8 days after admission in PICU were documented and their relationship with SIRS positivity, sepsis, and mortality were analyzed. Results: The mortality rate in our patients was 10.5. In total, 39.8 of patients were SIRS positive and 50.4 fulfilled the criteria of sepsis. The mean of RDW at the time of admission, on Day 4 and on Day 8 of admission was 14.8, 16.1, and 16.6, respectively. At the time of admission, RDW had a significant correlation with mortality and SIRS positivity, but RDW measured on Days 4 and 8 of admission did not correlate with neither of them. Neither of RDW0, RDW4, nor RDW8 did correlate with sepsis criteria fulfillment. �RDW day 4-adm &gt; 0.2, �RDW day 8-adm &gt; 0.2, �RDW day 8-day 4 &gt; 0.2 exhibited no correlation with SIRS positivity, sepsis, and mortality. Conclusions:We found that an increase in RDW from baseline during the first 4 and 8 days after admission of critically ill pediatric patients did not correlate with their mortality, SIRS positivity, and sepsis. However, elevated baseline RDW is a valuable prognostic marker in patients with sepsis. © 2018, Archives of Pediatric Infectious Diseases