Revolutionizing wastewater treatment: A review on the role of advanced functional bio-based hydrogels.

Water contamination poses a significant challenge to environmental and public health, necessitating sustainable wastewater treatment solutions. Adsorption is one of the most widely used techniques for purifying water, as it effectively removes contaminants by transferring them from the liquid phase to a solid surface. Bio-based hydrogel adsorbents are gaining popularity in wastewater treatment due to their versatility in fabrication and modification methods, which include blending, grafting, and crosslinking. Owning to their unique structure and large surface area, modified hydrogels containing reactive groups like amino, hydroxyl, and carboxyl, or functionalized hydrogels with inorganic nanoparticles particularly graphene nanomaterials, have demonstrated promising adsorption capabilities for both inorganic and organic contaminants. Bio-based hydrogels have excellent physicochemical properties and are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable, making them extremely effective at removing contaminants like heavy metal ions, dyes, pharmaceutical pollutants, and organic micropollutants. The versatility of hydrogels allows for various forms to be used, such as films, beads, and nanocomposites, providing flexibility in handling different contaminants like dyes, radionuclides, and heavy metals. Additionally, researchers also have shown the potential for recycling and regenerating post-treatment hydrogels. This approach not only addresses the challenges of wastewater treatment but also offers sustainable and effective solutions for mitigating water pollution.

The Effect of Intratumor Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Progression and Treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies. Even though many substantial improvements in the survival rates for other major cancer forms were made, pancreatic cancer survival rates have remained relatively unchanged since the 1960s. Even more, no standard classification system for pancreatic cancer is based on cellular biomarkers. This review will discuss and provide updates about the role of stem cells in the progression of PC, the genetic changes associated with it, and the promising biomarkers for diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The search process used PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases to identify the relevant and related articles. Articles had to be published in English to be considered. RESULTS: The increasing number of studies in recent years has revealed that the diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts is far greater than previously acknowledged, which highlights the need for further research to better understand the various cancer-associated fibroblast subpopulations. Despite the huge diversity in pancreatic cancer, some common features can be noted to be shared among patients. Mutations involving CDKN2, P53, and K-RAS can be seen in a big number of patients, for example. Similarly, some patterns of genes and biomarkers expression and the level of their expression can help in predicting cancer behavior such as metastasis and drug resistance. The current trend in cancer research, especially with the advancement in technology, is to sequence everything in hopes of finding disease-related mutations. CONCLUSION: Optimizing pancreatic cancer treatment requires clear classification, understanding CAF roles, and exploring stroma reshaping approaches.

The prevalence and risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome (PRIBS study) among adults in low- and middle-income countries: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Because of the plenty and abundance of risk factors and the expected increase in the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the world in general and in low- and middle-income countries in particular, this international cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 low- and middle-income countries according to our previous protocol, NCT05340400. Methods: Participants were recruited in the period from April 22, 2022 to June 14, 2022. The diagnosis of IBS was according to ROME IV. We determined the physical activity, daily stress, and fatigue of the participants. A large number of collaborators were chosen from different regions and institutions within each country to achieve diversity within the sample and reduce the probability of bias. Results: The prevalence of IBS appears to be higher in low- and middle-income countries (mean = 25.2%, range [6.2%-44.2%]) than in high-income countries, with a higher prevalence among Africans than Caucasians and Asians. The prevalence of IBS increased in the fourth decade by 32.1% and in the fifth decade by 31.1% (p-value < 0.001). In addition to the previously known risk factors for IBS such as female sex, smoking, psychological stress, and chronic fatigue, other risk factors were discovered such as chronic diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes, allergies to some substances, previous infection with COVID-19, and the participant having a first-degree relative with a patient. There are also some other modifiable risk factors, such as an abnormal body mass index (whether high or low), smoking, a protein- or fat-rich diet, drinking caffeine-containing beverages, and poor physical activity. Conclusions: Highlighting the prevalence and increasing risk factors of IBS in developing countries should draw the attention of those responsible for health care in these countries and reduce the risk factors.

Study of the relation between serum levels of long-acting penicillin and the inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: There is an evidence of a chronic inflammatory state in patients with chronic rheumatic valvular heart disease (RHD) as shown by high serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL6). Despite the efficacy of long-acting penicillin (LAP) in secondary prevention of rheumatic fever, its effect on this inflammatory state is still unknown. So, we sought to study the effect of LAP on the inflammatory markers, CRP and IL-6, in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease. RESULTS: Eighty RHD patients coming to our hospital's outpatient clinic for rheumatic fever secondary prophylaxis by regular administration of LAP were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into 3 groups: group A, 70 patients with RHD already on prophylactic LAP, group B, 10 patients with RHD who have not yet started prophylactic LAP, and group C, control group of 10 healthy individuals not known to have RHD. Serum levels of LAP, IL-6, and CRP were measured for the three groups. Group A had significantly lower IL-6 levels than group B (25.22 ± 33.50 vs. 126.1 ± 33.76nng/ml, respectively, p < 0.0001). IL-6 levels were significantly lower in control subjects compared to patients in group B (3.600 ± 2.319, 25.22 ± 33.50 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.0001). However, IL-6 levels in the control group were lower but non-significantly different compared to group A. CRP level was lower in group A than group B (8419 ± 4935 vs. 14400 ± 3375 mg/dl, respectively, p = 0.0002). CRP levels were significantly lower in control subjects compared to patients in group A and group B. IL-6 values were positively correlated with CRP values (r = 0.6387, p < 0.0001). CRP values were negatively correlated with LAP values (r = -0.5277, p < 0.0001). IL-6 values were negatively correlated with LAP values (r = - 0.4401, p < 0.0001). There was a highly significant difference between LAP level in compliant and non-compliant patients (1.045 ± 1.270 vs. 0.0785 ± 0.1057 ng/ml, respectively, p value < 0.0001). There was also a highly significant difference between CRP level in compliant and non-compliant patients (7640 ± 4558 vs. 13090 ± 4717 mg/dl, respectively, p = 0.005). Moreover, there was a significant difference between IL-6 levels in compliant and non-compliant patients (21.53 ± 32.70 vs. 47.40 ± 30.91 ng/ml, respectively, p value 0.03). CONCLUSION: Serum LAP has a strong negative correlation with IL-6 and CRP levels. Regular administration of LAP strongly ameliorates the inflammatory state seen in patients with RHD.

Long-term trends in ambient fine particulate matter from 1980 to 2016 in United Arab Emirates.

This paper presents the most comprehensive datasets of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for the UAE from 1980 to 2016. The long-term distributions of PM2.5 showed the annual average PM2.5 concentrations constantly exceeded the EPA and WHO guidelines. They varied from 77 to 49 µg/m3 with an overall average of 61.25 µg/m3. While the inter-annual variability in PM2.5 concentrations showed relatively a cyclic pattern, with successive ups and downs, it broadly exhibited an increasing trend, particularly, over the last 14 years. PM2.5 concentrations displayed a strong seasonal pattern, with greatest values observed during warm summer season, a period of high demand of electricity and dust events. The lowest values found in autumn are attributable to reduced demand of energy. Decreased atmospheric temperatures and high relative humidity coinciding with this period are likely to reduce the secondary formation of PM2.5. The spatial changes in PM2.5 concentrations exhibited gradual downward trends to the north and northeast directions. Airborne PM2.5 is prevalent in the southern and western regions, where the majority of oil and gas fields are located. PM2.5/PM10 ratio indicated that ambient aerosols are principally associated with anthropogenic sources. Peaks in PM2.5/CO ratio were frequently observed during June, July, and August, although few were concurrent with March. This indicates that secondary formation plays an important role in PM2.5 levels measured in these months, especially as the photochemical activities become relatively strong in these periods. The lowest PM2.5/CO ratios were found during September, October, and November (autumn) suggesting a considerable contribution of primary combustion emissions, especially vehicular emissions, to PM2.5 concentration. PM2.5 concentrations are positively correlated with sulfate levels. In addition to sea and dust aerosols, sulfate concentration in the coastal region is also related to fossil fuel burning from power plants, oil and gas fields, and oil industries. The population-weighted average of PM2.5 in UAE was 63.9 µg/m3, which is more than three times greater than the global population-weighted mean of 20 µg/m3.