Comparison of Efficacy of Fermented Garlic and Orlistat (Lipase Inhibitor) in Obesity Management Using an Experimental Rodent Model.

BACKGROUND: Black garlic, also known as fermented garlic, is a useful food that may have therapeutic benefits. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of fermented garlic and orlistat therapy on obese rats. METHODS: A total of 40 male albino rats (245-250 g) were fed either an HFD (n = 32) or a normal diet (n = 8) for 6 weeks; therefore we randomly assigned the rats into: group I (normal diet), group II (HFD), groups III and IV (HFD with fermented garlic), and group V (orlistat for) 6 weeks. Two different dosages of fermented garlic (481.2 mg/kg and 963.3 mg/kg) were administered. Afterward, blood was collected, body weight was measured, and tissue was collected for further analysis. RESULTS: Both the orlistat and black garlic groups showed a significant reduction in BMI, lipid profiles, and insulin levels compared with the baseline. The orlistat group showed significant elevation (p < 0.005) in body weight, organ weight, lipids, and liver parameters, with histopathological findings. The administration of black garlic improved the inflammatory markers with all other parameters. CONCLUSION: The fermented garlic and orlistat reinstated all of the investigated parameters significantly (p < 0.05), especially body weight and lipid profiles, and induced histopathological changes compared to the drug orlistat. Additionally, it showed anti-obesity-related therapeutic impacts compared with the orlistat drug. Black garlic provides a reliable and effective treatment for obesity compared to orlistat.

Comparison of graft uptake by underlay and overlay technique in myringoplasty.

BACKGROUND: About 80% of tympanic membrane tears consequential of middle ear infections or trauma restore spontaneously. Myringoplasty is the procedure to fix the perforation which fails to heal. It is of two types; overlay and underlay techniques. In former technique graft is placed lateral to the fibrous sheet of the tympanic membrane while in underlay technique the graft is placed medial to the tympanic membrane remnant. The published success rates of underlay and overlay myringoplasty varied. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of graft uptake by underlay and overlay technique in patients undergoing myringoplasty. METHODS: This randomized control trial including 80 patients was carried out at Otorhinolaryngology department of Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from April 2016 to September 2017. Patients going through myringoplasty for tympanic perforations were randomly allocated into two groups. Group-A underwent underlay while Group-B underwent overlay myringoplasty. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 20 to 40 years with a mean of 29.58±5.92 years with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. Hearing improvement was significantly higher (97.5% vs. 77.5%) in patients undergoing underlay versus overlay myringoplasty. The frequency of effectiveness in terms of graft uptake was significantly higher in patients undergoing underlay (95.0% vs. 57.5%) as compared to overlay myringoplasty. CONCLUSION: The underlay procedure is more effective in terms of graft uptake and lesser complications as compared to overlay myringoplasty.

Adsorption properties of advanced functional materials against gaseous formaldehyde.

Intense efforts have been made to eliminate toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments, especially formaldehyde (FA). In this study, the removal performances of gaseous FA using two metal-organic frameworks, MOF-5 and UiO-66-NH2, and two covalent-organic polymers, CBAP-1 (EDA) and CBAP-1 (DETA), along with activated carbon as a conventional reference material, were evaluated. To assess the removal capacity of FA under near-ambient conditions, a series of adsorption experiments were conducted at its concentrations/partial pressures of both low (0.1-0.5 ppm/0.01-0.05 Pa) and high ranges (5-25 ppm/0.5-2.5 Pa). Among all tested materials at the high-pressure region ㅐ (e.g., at 2.5 ppm FA), a maximum adsorption capacity of 69.7 mg g-1 was recorded by UiO-66-NH2. Moreover, UiO-66-NH2 also displayed the best 10% breakthrough volume (BTV10) of 534 L g-1 (0.5 ppm FA) to 2963 L g-1 (0.1 ppm FA). In contrast, at the high concentration test (at 5, 10, and 25 ppm FA), the maximum BTV10 values were observed as: 137 (UiO-66-NH2), 144 (CBAP-1 (DETA)), and 36.8 L g-1 (CBAP-1 (EDA)), respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model was observed to be a better fit of the adsorption data than the Freundlich model under most of the tested conditions. The superiority of UiO-66-NH2 was attributed to the van der Waals interactions between the linkers (framework) and the hydrocarbon "tail" (FA) coupled with interactions between its open metal sites and the FA carbonyl groups. This study demonstrated the good potential of these advanced functional materials toward the practical removal of gaseous FA in indoor environments.

The unique features of non-competitive vs. competitive sorption: Tests against single volatile aromatic hydrocarbons and their quaternary mixtures.

The adsorption characteristics of four aromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., benzene, toluene, xylene, and styrene) onto ground-activated carbon were investigated both independently and as a mixture of the four at <10 Pa partial pressures (e.g., 0-100 ppm concentration range). The maximum sorption capacities for benzene, toluene, styrene, and xylene were measured both as a sole component and as a mixture (at 10 Pa). In the former, the values were approximately 123, 184, 272, and 238 mg g-1, respectively. In contrast, the latter values were 5, 52, 222, and 248 mg g-1 respectively, showing dramatic reduction in lighter compounds (below C7) relative to heavier ones (above C8). The mechanistic detail of sorption has been explained in terms of Henry's law and Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Elovich isotherm models. The linearized Langmuir adsorption isotherm analysis showed three sorption pressure regions: low (<1 Pa, retrograde), intermediate (1-4 Pa), and high (4-10 Pa). As such, the outcome of this study offers a unique opportunity to acquire detailed information on the dramatic and dynamic effects of the sorptive interaction between competing sorbates, along with a common sorption process between sorbent and sorbate at 298 K.

The effect of diverse metal oxides in graphene composites on the adsorption isotherm of gaseous benzene.

The effective removal technique is necessary for the real world treatment of a hazardous pollutant (e.g., gaseous benzene). In an effort to develop such technique, the adsorption efficiency of benzene in a nitrogen stream (5 Pa (50 ppm) at 50 mL atm min-1 flow rate and 298 K) was assessed against 10 different metal oxide/GO composite materials (i.e., 1: graphene oxide Co (GO-Co (OH)2), 2: graphene oxide Cu (GO-Cu(OH)2), 3: graphene oxide Mn (GO-MnO), 4: graphene oxide Ni (GO-Ni(OH)2), 5: graphene oxide Sn (GO-SnO2), 6: reduced graphene oxide Co (rGO-Co(OH)2), 7: reduced graphene oxide Cu (rGO-Cu(OH)2), 8: reduced graphene oxide Mn (rGO-MnO), 9: reduced graphene oxide Ni (rGO-Ni(OH)2), and 10: reduced graphene oxide Sn (rGO-SnO2)) in reference to their pristine forms of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The highest adsorption capacities (at 100% breakthrough) were observed as ~23 mg g-1 for both GO-Ni(OH)2 and rGO-SnO2, followed by GO (~19.1 mg g-1) and GO-Co(OH)2 (~18.8 mg g-1). Therefore, the GO-Ni(OH)2 and rGO-SnO2 composites exhibited considerably high capacities to treat streams containing >5 Pa of benzene. However, the lowest adsorption capacity was found for GO-MnO (0.05 mg g-1). Alternately, if expressed in terms of the 10% breakthrough volume (BTV), the five aforementioned materials showed values of 0.50, 0.46, 0.40, 0.44, and 0.39 L g-1, respectively. The experimental data of target sorbents were fitted to linearized Langmuir, Freundlich, Elovich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Accordingly, the non-linear Langmuir isotherm model revealed the presence of two or more distinct sorption profiles for several of the tested sorbents. Most of the sorbents showed type-III isotherm profiles where the sorption capacity proportional to the loaded volume.

Competitive adsorption of gaseous aromatic hydrocarbons in a binary mixture on nanoporous covalent organic polymers at various partial pressures.

Covalent-organic polymers (COPs) are recognized for their great potential for treating diverse pollutants via adsorption. In this study, the sorption behavior of benzene and toluene was investigated both individually and in a binary mixture against two types of COPs possessing different -NH2 functionalities. Namely, the potential of COPs was tested against benzene and toluene in a low inlet partial pressure range (0.5-20 Pa) using carbonyl-incorporated aromatic polymer (CBAP)-1-based diethylenediamine (EDA) [CD] and ethylenetriamine (DETA) [CE]. The maximum adsorption capacity and breakthrough values of both COPs showed dynamic changes with increases in the partial pressures of benzene and toluene. The maximum adsorption capacities (Amax) of benzene (as the sole component in N2 under atmospheric conditions) on CD and CE were in the range of 24-36 and 33-75 mg g-1, respectively. In contrast, with benzene and toluene in a binary mixture, the benzene Amax decreased more than two-fold (range of 2.7-15 and 6-39 mg g-1, respectively) due to competition with toluene for sorption sites. In contrast, the toluene Amax values remained consistent, reflecting its competitive dominance over benzene. The adsorption behavior of the targeted compounds (i.e., benzene and toluene) was explained by fitting the adsorption data by diverse isotherm models (e.g., Langmuir, Freundlich, Elovich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich). The current research would be helpful for acquiring a better understanding of the factors affecting competitive adsorption between different VOCs in relation to a given sorbent and across varying partial pressures.

A comparison of figure of merit (FOM) for various materials in adsorptive removal of benzene under ambient temperature and pressure.

To effectively remove gaseous pollutants from air using sorbents, a thorough knowledge of the actual sorption performance is needed at ambient conditions rather than at unrealistically high-pressure conditions, as is commonly presented in the literature. To this end, the sorbent capacities of gaseous benzene were evaluated at a constant sorbent bed inlet pressure (50 ppm or ~5 Pa) in 1 atm of N2, room temperature (298 K), a fixed flow rate (50 mL min-1), and equal outlet sampling intervals (5 min). The benzene adsorption patterns were investigated against six sorbent types in a total of 17 different forms: 1- zeolite in five forms: beads (ZB), ground to 212 µm (ZG212), beads ground to 300 µm (ZG300), coarsely ground/washed zeolite (ZWc), and coarsely ground/washed/thermally treated zeolite (ZTc), 2- activated carbon in two forms: 212 µm (ACd212) and granular (ACdg), 3- Carbopack-X (CX), 4- Tenax TA (TA), 5- used black tea leaves of 150 or 300 µm in three forms: dry (TD150/TD300), wet (TW150/TW300), and wet dust (TWd), and 6- used ground coffee in either dry (CD) or wet forms (CW). Accordingly, the largest adsorption capacities at 5 Pa (e.g., >10 mg g-1) were observed for ACd212 (79.1) and ACdg (73.6). Moderate values (e.g., 5 < < 10 mg g-1) were obtained for ZG212 (7.98), CX (6.79), ZG300 (5.70), and ZB (5.58), while the remainder were far lower at < 5 mg g-1 (e.g., tea leaves, ground coffee, TA, ZWc, and ZTc). The experimental benzene capacities of the tested sorbents were further assessed by the Langmuir, Henry's law, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Elovich isotherm models. The linearized Langmuir adsorption isotherms of ACd212, ACdg, and CX showed the presence of more than one adsorption site (i.e., retrograde at the lowest pressures and two others at higher pressures). However, TA, zeolite, tea leaves, and ground coffee exhibited a type-V isotherm, wherein the sorption capacity continued to increase with loaded volume (i.e., multilayer adsorption). Thus, ACd212 has the best figure-of-merit based on a high 10% breakthrough volume (BTV) and low cost for real-world applications.

Airborne volatile aromatic hydrocarbons at an urban monitoring station in Korea from 2013 to 2015.

The concentrations of C6-C10 volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) in air were measured at an urban air quality monitoring station in Jong-Ro, Seoul, Korea, between 2013 and 2015. Their temporal patterns (e.g., diurnal, intraweek, daily) were assessed individually and collectively as groups of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and xylene (BTESX); total aliphatic hydrocarbon (TALHC: C2-C12); total aromatic hydrocarbon (TARHC: C6-C10); and total hydrocarbon (THC: C2-C12). The highest mean AHC concentrations over the 3-year study (in ppb (v/v)) were observed for toluene (6.0 ±â€¯4.3), followed by the xylenes (1.5 ±â€¯1.3), ethylbenzene (0.85 ±â€¯0.93), benzene (0.73 ±â€¯0.77), and styrene (0.16 ±â€¯0.30) nL/L. The mean ppbC ((v/v), nL∙atm∙C/nL∙atm) values for BTESX, TALHC, TARHC, and THC were 65.8, 113, 77.7, and 191 ppbC, respectively. For most AHC species (e.g., toluene, styrene, and BTESX), only weak seasonal trends were observed in contrast to temporally varying species like nitric oxide (NO) (e.g., 26.3 ppb (January-February) vs. 8.5 ppb (July-August) during weekdays in 2013). Furthermore, toluene and NO concentrations were much higher (up to a factor 3) on weekdays than on Sunday for most weeks. This might reflect reduced anthropogenic activities on Sunday.

Long-term trends in airborne SO2 in an air quality monitoring station in Seoul, Korea, from 1987 to 2013.

Atmospheric concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) was intermittently measured at an air quality monitoring (AQM) station in the Yong-san district of Seoul, Korea, between 1987 and 2013. The SO2 level was compared with other important pollutants concurrently measured, including methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM10). If split into three different periods (period 1, 1987-1988, period 2, 1999-2000, and period 3, 2004-2013), the respective mean [SO2] values (6.57 ± 4.29, 6.30 ± 2.44, and 5.29 ± 0.63 ppb) showed a slight reduction across the entire study period. The concentrations of SO2 are found to be strongly correlated with other pollutants such as CO (r = 0.614, p = 0.02), which tracked reductions in reported emissions due to tighter emissions standards enacted by the South Korean government. There was also a clear seasonal trend in the SO2 level, especially in periods 2 and 3, reflecting the combined effects of domestic heating by coal briquettes and meteorological conditions. Although only a 16% concentration reduction was achieved during the 27-year study duration, this is significant if one considers rapid urbanization, an 83.2% increase in population, and rapid industrialization that took place during that period. IMPLICATIONS: Since 1970, a network of air quality monitoring (AQM) stations has been operated by the Korean Ministry of Environment (KMOE) for routine nationwide monitoring of air pollutant concentrations in urban/suburban areas. To date, the information obtained from these stations has provided a platform for analyzing long-term trends of major pollutant species. In this study, we examined the long-term trends of SO2 levels and relevant environmental parameters monitored continuously in the Yong-san district of Seoul between 1987 and 2013. The data were analyzed over various time scales (i.e., monthly, seasonal, and annual intervals). The results obtained from this study will allow us to assess the effectiveness of abatement strategy and to predict future concentrations trends in association with future abatement strategies and technologies.