SEQUENCE MODELING OF RAFT POLYMERIZATIONS WITH THE METHOD OF MOMENTS

Attempts to model the sequence structure of copolymers consisted of probabilistic functions that were incomplete and inaccurate. A novel technique to track sequence parameters is developed that determines not only copolymer composition, but sequence distribution as well. RAFT polymerizations are simulated with two independent and concurrent models to track MWD, conversion, copolymer composition, and sequence characteristics. Batch polymerizations are simulated with varying reactor conditions as a proof-of-concept to illustrate the power of the sequence model to track the composition of the polymer. Series of CSTR and PFR reactors with varying reactor conditions are then presented as applications to iteratively fine-tune copolymers with predetermined sequence and compositional structure

Scope of Social Work Practice for Families of Children with Down Syndrome

Social work practice takes place at micro, mezzo, and macro levels between persons with disabilities in families and other social institutions, such as schools, health systems, and welfare systems. Drawing from multidisciplinary theoretical sources, the article brings together social work and family therapy to develop a possible social work intervention for families of children with Down syndrome. The primary purpose of these interventions is to aid clients in alleviating problems and improving their well being. Social workers must think creatively about interventions that may help the individuals, couples, families, and groups or communities they serve. This research is using the literature study method. The results confirm that numerous concerns have to be addressed faced by children with Down syndrome. Toward various issues and challenges faced by people with Down syndrome and their families, social workers have the professional responsibility to provide services and intervention to increase the children with Down syndrome's social functioning and overall well-being of parents

Prosthetic Rehabilitation of a Patient with Limited Mouth Opening following Partial Maxillectomy and Lateral Rhinotomy for Sinonasal Adenocarcinoma: A Clinical Report

Adenocarcinomas of various types comprise 10 to 20% of all primary malignant neoplasms of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. They are thought to originate from seromucous glands of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses as well as the surface epithelium. Long-term prognosis is poor and patients usually die due to local spread with no metastasis. This clinical report describes a method for prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with sinonasal adenocarcinoma of maxilla following partial maxillectomy and lateral rhinotomy.&nbsp

In Vitro

Arnebia benthamii is a major ingredient of the commercial drug available under the name Gaozaban, which has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. In the present study, in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activity of different extracts of Arnebia benthamii were investigated. Antioxidant potential of plant extracts was evaluated by means of total phenolics, DPPH, reducing power, microsomal lipid peroxidation, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The highest phenolic content (TPC) of 780 mg GAE/g was observed in ethyl acetate, while the lowest TPC of 462 mg GAE/g was achieved in aqueous extract. At concentration of 700 µg/mL, DPPH radical scavenging activity was found to be highest in ethyl acetate extract (87.99%) and lowest in aqueous extract (73%). The reducing power of extracts increased in a concentration dependent manner. We also observed its inhibition on Fe2+/ascorbic acid-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) on rat liver microsomes in vitro. In addition, Arnebia benthamii extracts exhibited antioxidant effects on Calf thymus DNA damage induced by Fenton reaction. Cytotoxicity of the extracts (10–100 µg/mL) was tested on five human cancer cell lines (lung, prostate, leukemia, colon, and pancreatic cell lines) using the Sulphorhodamine B assay

Overcoming the challenges of cancer drug resistance through bacterial-mediated therapy.

Despite tremendous efforts to fight cancer, it remains a major public health problem and a leading cause of death worldwide. With increased knowledge of cancer pathways and improved technological platforms, precision therapeutics that specifically target aberrant cancer pathways have improved patient outcomes. Nevertheless, a primary cause of unsuccessful cancer therapy remains cancer drug resistance. In this review, we summarize the broad classes of resistance to cancer therapy, particularly pharmacokinetics, the tumor microenvironment, and drug resistance mechanisms. Furthermore, we describe how bacterial-mediated cancer therapy, a bygone mode of treatment, has been revitalized by synthetic biology and is uniquely suited to address the primary resistance mechanisms that confound traditional therapies. Through genetic engineering, we discuss how bacteria can be potent anticancer agents given their tumor targeting potential, anti-tumor activity, safety, and coordinated delivery of anti-cancer drugs

Validity of bioconjugated silica nanoparticles in comparison with direct smear, culture, and polymerase chain reaction for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens

Alireza Ekrami1, Ali Reza Samarbaf-Zadeh2, Azar Khosravi1, Behrooz Zargar3, Mohamad Alavi1, Mansor Amin2, Alireza Kiasat3 1Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, 2Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, 3Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran Background: Tuberculosis is a public health problem worldwide, and new easy to perform diagnostic methods with high accuracy are necessary for optimal control of the disease. Recently, fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNP) has attracted immense interest for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples using bioconjugated FSNP compared with microscopic examination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nested PCR, and culture as the gold standard. Methods: In total, 152 sputum specimens were obtained from patients who were suspected to have pulmonary tuberculosis. All samples were examined by the four techniques described. Results: The assay showed 97.1% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 91–99.2) and 91.35% specificity (CI 78.3–97.1). Furthermore, assays using variable bacterial concentrations indicated that 100 colony forming units/mL of M. tuberculosis could be detected. There were no differences between the results obtained from two types of mouse monoclonal antibody against Hsp-65 and 16 KDa antigens. Conclusion: We performed this assay in a large number of clinical samples to confirm the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the test and can recommend its application for diagnosis of M. tuberculosis. We believe that this method is more convenient for routine diagnosis of M. tuberculosis in sputum and will be more easily applicable in the field, and with sufficient sensitivity. Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, fluorescent silica nanoparticles, bioconjugation, IS611

In vitro and In vivo Validation of Folk Lore Claims of Thymus serpyllum

Traditional medicinal plants have a long history of therapeutic use. The beneficial health effects of medicinal plants is often attributed to their potent antioxidant activities due to the presence of secondary metabolites like the polyphenols, since diets rich in antioxidants are epidemiologically associated with a decreased incidence of age-related diseases in humans. Thymus serpyllum commonly known as Jawand in Kashmir is used as a culinary herb, as well as for aromatizing and traditional medicinal purposes. In the present study, the hexane, ethyl-acetate, ethanol, methanol and the aqueous extracts of Thymus serpyllum were studied for the antioxidant, antimicrobial and the anti inflammatory activities. The antioxidant activity was checked by four different methods- DPPH assay, lipid peroxidation assay of liver microsomes, lipid peroxidation assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. The ethyl-acetate, butanol, ethanol, methnol and the aqueous extracts of Thymus serpyllum showed good antioxidant activities, but the methanolic extract being the most active one causing 89.84%, 57.32%, 66.8% and 77.14% inhibition of the radical activity in DPPH assay, lipid peroxidation assay of liver microsomes, lipid peroxidation assay and the hydroxyl radical scavenging assay respectively. The antimicrobial activity was checked by broth micro dilution method. The ethyl-acetate and the methanolic extract were found to be active against bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative) and fungi with MIC values ranging from 2000 to 4000μg/ml. The anti inflammatory activity was assessed by using the model of carregeenen induced edema in rats. The butanolic extract was found to beneficial against inflammation, causing a reduction of 25.23% and 56.07% of edema at doses 250mg/Kg body weight and 500mg/Kg body weight respectively

Effect of water-soluble chitosan on the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of mild steel

This article outlines the role of chitosan as a potent inhibitor on mild steel in 3.65% NaCl. The protective ability of chitosan was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization (PP) mea- surements in 36.5% sodium chloride medium. The outcome of the experiment shows that mild steel in sodium chloride solution containing chitosan nanoparticles exhibit better cor- rosion protection than mild steel in NaCl solution alone because the anodic and cathodic site of the steel were blocked by chitosan nanoparticles, thereby minimising the incursion of the salt solution by forming a thin film on the mild steel surface. The inhibitive effi- ciency of chitosan nanoparticles was also studied using weight loss. The weight loss by mild steel in NaCl solution was found to be higher than those immersed in NaCl-chitosan nanoparticulate solutions. The loss in weight reduces as the concentration of chitosan nanoparticles increases, indicating the fortifying ability of chitosan nanoparticles. Results obtained show that chitosan could offer inhibition efficiency above 90%. The mixed inhibi- tion characteristic of chitosan was demonstrated by the Tafel curve. The Langmuir isotherm possesses an R 2 value of 0.9957 indicating the effectiveness of chitosan as an inhibito