Effective decontamination of methylene blue from aqueous solutions using novel nano-magnetic biochar from green pea peels.

The conversion of agricultural waste into high-value carbon products has been an attractive area in waste management strategy. This study highlighted the synthesis and effectiveness of green pea peels (GPP), green pea biochar (GPBC), and nano-ferromagnetic green pea biochar (NFGPBC) by the ferrous/ferric co-precipitation synthesis method for eliminating cationic dyes molecules from solutions. The morphological, physicochemical, and structural properties of GPP, GPBC, and NFGPBC were approved by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Emission Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Bruneau Emmett Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM) analysis confirmed the NFGPBC magnetization performance. The capacity of each adsorbent for methylene blue removal was evaluated at various parameters of material dosage (50-250 mg/150 mL), pH (2-12), initial concentration (50-250 mg/L), contact time (0-90 min) and temperature (20-60 °C). The three developed adsorbent materials GPP, GPBC, and NFGPBC, possessed reasonable BET surface areas of 0.6836, 372.54, and 147.88 m2g-1, and the corresponding monolayer adsorption capacities of 163.93, 217.40, and 175.44 mg/g, respectively. The superior performances of GPBC and NFGPBC were due to their increased surface area compared with the parent green pea peels (GPP). The results from adsorption kinetics studies of all prepared materials were pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetics models. The thermodynamic parameters exhibited MB sorption's favorability, spontaneity, and endothermic nature. The NFGPBC material experienced Vander Waal forces, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions as predominant modes of the solid-liquid interaction. The regeneration, recycling, and reusability of the synthesized GPP, GPBC, and NFGPBC performed at five adsorption cycles revealed that NFGPBC demonstrated excellent cyclical performances attaining a minimum 8.9% loss in capacity due to paramagnetic properties. Thus, NFGPBC is a green, efficient, and eco-friendly material recommended for large-scale production and application in wastewater.

Pulmonary manifestations of immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing disease.

Immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related sclerosing disease (ISD) (also called IgG4-related systemic disease, IgG4-related disease or hyper-IgG4 disease) is a recently described systemic fibroinflammatory disease associated with elevated circulating levels of IgG4. Although initial descriptions of this disorder focused on its pancreatic presentation (autoimmune pancreatitis), it has become apparent that ISD is a systemic disease with many facets. The lesion of ISD is characterised by lymphoplasmacytic inflammation, fibrosis, phlebitis and increased numbers of IgG4-positive plasma cells. The disease can either be localised to one or two organs, or be present with diffuse multi-organ disease. Furthermore, lesions in different organs can present simultaneously or metachronously. In the thorax, lesions associated with ISD have been described in the lung parenchyma, airways and pleura, as well as the mediastinum. Data published to date suggest that ISD may account for a portion of various fibroinflammatory conditions of unknown cause encountered in the chest, including inflammatory pseudotumours, idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, fibrosing mediastinitis, inflammatory pleural lesions and, occasionally, airway disease. Some aspects of pulmonary manifestations attributed to ISD remain controversial and additional studies are needed to clarify the relationship along with the increasing relevance of this disorder to pulmonary medicine.

Structural basis for the coiled-coil architecture of human CtIP.

The DNA repair factor CtIP has a critical function in double-strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination, promoting the assembly of the repair apparatus at DNA ends and participating in DNA-end resection. However, the molecular mechanisms of CtIP function in DSB repair remain unclear. Here, we present an atomic model for the three-dimensional architecture of human CtIP, derived from a multi-disciplinary approach that includes X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and diffracted X-ray tracking (DXT). Our data show that CtIP adopts an extended dimer-of-dimers structure, in agreement with a role in bridging distant sites on chromosomal DNA during the recombinational repair. The zinc-binding motif in the CtIP N-terminus alters dynamically the coiled-coil structure, with functional implications for the long-range interactions of CtIP with DNA. Our results provide a structural basis for the three-dimensional arrangement of chains in the CtIP tetramer, a key aspect of CtIP function in DNA DSB repair.

Surface electromyographic evaluation of the neuromuscular activation of the inspiratory muscles during progressively increased inspiratory flow under inspiratory-resistive loading.

This study aimed to evaluate neuromuscular activation in the scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles using surface electromyography (EMG) during progressively increased inspiratory flow, produced by increasing the respiratory rate under inspiratory-resistive loading using a mask ventilator. Moreover, we attempted to identify the EMG inflection point (EMGIP) on the graph, at which the root mean square (RMS) of the EMG signal values of the inspiratory muscles against the inspiratory flow velocity acceleration abruptly increases, similarly to the EMG anaerobic threshold (EMGAT) reported during incremental-resistive loading in other skeletal muscles. We measured neuromuscular activation of healthy male subjects and found that the inspiratory flow velocity increased by approximately 1.6-fold. We successfully observed an increase in RMS that corresponded to inspiratory flow acceleration with ρ ≥ 0.7 (Spearman's rank correlation) in 17 of 27 subjects who completed the experimental protocol. To identify EMGIP, we analyzed the fitting to either a straight or non-straight line related to the increasing inspiratory flow and RMS using piecewise linear spline functions. As a result, EMGIP was identified in the scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles of 17 subjects. We believe that the identification of EMGIP in this study infers the existence of EMGAT in inspiratory muscles. Application of surface EMG, followed by identification of EMGIP, for evaluating the neuromuscular activation of respiratory muscles may be allowed to estimate the signs of the respiratory failure, including labored respiration, objectively and non-invasively accompanied using accessory muscles in clinical respiratory care.

Label-free photoacoustic imaging of human palmar vessels: a structural morphological analysis.

We analysed the vascular morphology of the palm using a photoacoustic tomography (PAT) instrument with a hemispherical detector array. The three-dimensional (3D) morphology of blood vessels was determined noninvasively. Overall, 12 females and 11 males were recruited as healthy volunteers. Their ages were distributed almost evenly from 22 to 59 years. In all cases, many vascular networks were observed just beneath the skin and were determined to be veins anatomically. To analyse the major arteries, the layer containing the subcutaneous venous network was removed from the image. The analysis focused on the common and proper palmar digital arteries. We used the curvature of these arteries as a parameter to analyse their morphologies. There was no significant difference in the curvature between genders when comparing the subjects as a whole. The blood vessel curvature increased with age. Good agreement was found between the 3D numerical analysis results and the subjective evaluation of the two-dimensional (2D) projection image. The PAT system enabled visualization of the 3D features of blood vessels in the palm and noninvasive analysis of arterial tortuousness.

A novel missense mutation (p.P52R) in amelogenin gene causing X-linked amelogenesis imperfecta.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a hereditary disease with abnormal dental enamel formation. Here we report a Japanese family with X-linked AI transmitted over at least four generations. Mutation analysis revealed a novel mutation (p.P52R) in exon 5 of the amelogenin gene. The mutation was detected as heterozygous in affected females and as hemizygous in their affected father. The affected sisters exhibited vertical ridges on the enamel surfaces, whereas the affected father had thin, smooth, yellowish enamel with distinct widening of inter-dental spaces. To study the pathological cause underlying the disease in this family, we synthesized the mutant amelogenin p.P52R protein and evaluated it in vitro. Furthermore, we studied differences in the chemical composition between normal and affected teeth by x-ray diffraction analysis and x-ray fluorescence analysis. We believe that these results will greatly aid our understanding of the pathogenesis of X-linked AI.

A computer-controlled contracture correction device with low-load and continuous torque: an animal experiment and prototype design for clinical use.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between mechanical stress and tissue response of the contracted knee joint in rats and to propose a new design of contracture correction device for clinical use. Wistar rats were operated on to immobilize their knee joints with a procedure causing periarticular bleeding and were kept in flexed position for 40 days. At day 40, the immobilizing wire was removed, and after day 43, the contracted knee joint had been treated with tunable corrective devices secured by an external fixation method to the rear limb. These devices consisted of four types of motor-driving system which provided several different low-load and continuous stretch torques. Measuring the angle of maximum knee extension, its effectiveness was assessed comparing with a lower load and control group of natural recovery course. The device also had a cyclic joint movement within the acquired range of motion and an oval cam mechanism producing a small distraction force to the joint along its long axis. The results showed that an appropriate range of low-load continuous torque was more effective to correct joint contracture. On the basis of the animal experiment, a new computer-controlled, gas-driven contracture correction device was developed for clinical trial. It was concluded that mechanical application in a condition with low and continuous torque is a useful treatment for fixed joint contracture.

Nanoscale Dynamics of Protein Assembly Networks in Supersaturated Solutions.

Proteins in solution are conventionally considered macromolecules. Dynamic microscopic structures in supersaturated protein solutions have received increasing attention in the study of protein crystallisation and the formation of misfolded aggregates. Here, we present a method for observing rotational dynamic structures that can detect the interaction of nanoscale lysozyme protein networks via diffracted X-ray tracking (DXT). Our DXT analysis demonstrated that the rearrangement behaviours of lysozyme networks or clusters, which are driven by local density and concentration fluctuations, generate force fields on the femtonewton to attonewton (fN - aN) scale. This quantitative parameter was previously observed in our experiments on supersaturated inorganic solutions. This commonality provides a way to clarify the solution structures of a variety of supersaturated solutions as well as to control nucleation and crystallisation in supersaturated solutions.

Visualization of tumor-related blood vessels in human breast by photoacoustic imaging system with a hemispherical detector array.

Noninvasive measurement of the distribution and oxygenation state of hemoglobin (Hb) inside the tissue is strongly required to analyze the tumor-associated vasculatures. We developed a photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system with a hemispherical-shaped detector array (HDA). Here, we show that PAI system with HDA revealed finer vasculature, more detailed blood-vessel branching structures, and more detailed morphological vessel characteristics compared with MRI by the use of breast shape deformation of MRI to PAI and their fused image. Morphologically abnormal peritumoral blood vessel features, including centripetal photoacoustic signals and disruption or narrowing of vessel signals, were observed and intratumoral signals were detected by PAI in breast cancer tissues as a result of the clinical study of 22 malignant cases. Interestingly, it was also possible to analyze anticancer treatment-driven changes in vascular morphological features and function, such as improvement of intratumoral blood perfusion and relevant changes in intravascular hemoglobin saturation of oxygen. This clinical study indicated that PAI appears to be a promising tool for noninvasive analysis of human blood vessels and may contribute to improve cancer diagnosis.

Coagulation activity is increased in the left atrium of patients with mitral stenosis.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the hemostatic status of the right and left atria in patients with mitral stenosis. BACKGROUND: Systemic thromboembolism is a serious major complication in patients with mitral stenosis. However, the pathogenesis of thromboembolism in mitral stenosis is not fully understood. METHODS: We determined the plasma levels of biochemical markers for platelet activity (platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin) and status of thrombin generation (fibrinopeptide A and thrombin-antithrombin III complex) and fibrinolysis (D-dimer and plasmin-alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor complex) in specimens of blood obtained from the peripheral vein and right and left atria of 12 consecutive patients with mitral stenosis who were undergoing percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty. RESULTS: Plasma levels of platelet factor 4, beta-thromboglobulin, D-dimer and plasmin-alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor complex in the patients did not differ significantly between the right and left atria, whereas levels of fibrinopeptide A and thrombin-antithrombin III complex in the left atrium were significantly higher than those in the right atrium (fibrinopeptide A in the left and right atria 19.35 +/- 4.64 and 6.31 +/- 0.75 ng/ml [mean +/- SE], respectively, p < 0.02; thrombin-antithrombin III complex in the left and right atria 11.45 +/- 2.29 and 3.98 +/- 0.60 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.01). Levels of fibrinopeptide A and thrombin-antithrombin III complex in the left atrium did not correlate with mean transmitral gradient, dimension of the left atrium or reciprocal of the mitral valve area. Peripheral blood plasma levels of von Willebrand factor antigen were significantly higher in the patients than in an age-matched control group of normal subjects (168 +/- 25% and 99 +/- 7%, respectively, p < 0.05) but showed no difference in the peripheral blood and right and left atria of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The coagulation system is activated in the left atrium of patients with mitral stenosis even during anticoagulation.

Effects of posture on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in patients with congestive heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to clarify which recumbent position is preferred by patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and to evaluate whether cardiac autonomic nervous activity is different among three recumbent positions (supine, left lateral decubitus, right lateral decubitus) in patients with CHF. BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether cardiac autonomic nervous activity is different among three recumbent positions in patients with CHF. METHODS: We studied 17 male CHF patients (66+/-7 years) and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects (66+/-7 years). Each subject underwent 24-h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. A channel was used to record the CM5 lead, and another to record the signal of the patient's posture with use of a newly developed small-sized detector (3.2 cm x 3.2 cm). By using spectral analysis of heart rate variability, frequency-domain measures were calculated and compared among the three recumbent positions. Normalized high-frequency (HF: 0.15 to 0.40 Hz) power was used as an index of vagal activity and the low frequency (0.04 to 0.15 Hz)/HF power ratio was used as an index of sympathovagal balance. RESULTS: In patients with CHF, the time for the right lateral decubitus position was two-fold longer than that for the supine and left lateral decubitus positions. The increased cardiac sympathetic activity and decreased vagal tone in CHF patients were normalized in the right lateral decubitus position. CONCLUSIONS: The right lateral decubitus position in patients with CHF may be a self-protecting mechanism of attenuating the imbalance of cardiac autonomic nervous activity.

Endothelin-1 production in coronary circulation in a new canine model of coronary thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether endogenous endothelin-1 (ET-1) production in coronary circulation is associated with acute coronary thrombotic events in vivo. To achieve this goal, we have designed a new experimental canine model of coronary thrombosis. METHODS: In vivo occlusive thrombus was induced by the intracoronary application of radiofrequency energy (660 kHz, 50 W) in closed-chest dogs. Pathological and immunohistochemical examinations of thrombosed coronary artery were performed. In 12 dogs, plasminogen activator was administered intravenously and serial measurements of ET-1, thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT) levels in plasma from the coronary sinus, aortic root and inferior vena cava were examined. RESULTS: Occlusive platelet-rich thrombi were attached to the deeply injured intimal surface. TAT and TXB2 increased rapidly soon after the intimal injury and declined after successful thrombolysis. In contrast, ET-1 in the coronary sinus was elevated after reperfusion and was significantly higher than in the aorta. Net ET-1 production in the coronary circulation showed a significant positive correlation with the peak TAT levels (r = 0.69, P < 0.05), but not with TXB2 or total occlusion time as an index of ischemic severity. CONCLUSIONS: Deep intimal injury leads to occlusive coronary thrombus. Thrombus formation and its subsequent lysis is associated with the activation and deactivation, respectively, of the coagulation cascade and platelets. Thrombin generation may stimulate ET-1 production in the coronary endothelium in acute coronary thrombotic events.

Time-resolved X-ray Tracking of Expansion and Compression Dynamics in Supersaturating Ion-Networks.

Supersaturation of a solution system is a metastable state containing more solute than can be normally solubilized. Moreover, this condition is thermodynamically important for a system undergoing a phase transition. This state plays critical roles in deposition morphology in inorganic, organic, polymer and protein solution systems. In particular, microscopic solution states under supersaturated conditions have recently received much attention. In this report, we observed the dynamic motion of individual ion-network domains (INDs) in a supersaturated sodium acetate trihydrate solution (6.4 M) by using microsecond time-resolved and high accuracy (picometre scale) X-ray observations (diffracted X-ray tracking; DXT). We found that there are femto-Newton (fN) anisotropic force fields in INDs that correspond to an Angstrom-scale relaxation process (continuous expansion and compression) of the INDs at 25 µs time scale. The observed anisotropic force-field (femto-Newton) from DXT can lead to new explanations of how material crystallization is triggered. This discovery could also influence the interpretation of supercooling, bio-polymer and protein aggregation processes, and supersaturated systems of many other materials.

Synthesis and antiulcer activity of N-substituted N'-[3-[3-(piperidinomethyl)phenoxy]propyl]ureas: histamine H2-receptor antagonists with a potent mucosal protective activity.

As an aim toward developing new antiulcer agents, new N-substituted N'-[3-[3-(piperidinomethyl)phenoxy]propyl]ureas were synthesized and evaluated for histamine H2-receptor antagonistic, gastric antisecretory, and gastric mucosal protective activities. A QSAR study showed that the most favorable N-substituents were electron-donating straight-chain alkyl groups of short length such as ethyl group from the viewpoint of dual action, i.e., gastric antisecretory and mucosal protective actions. Among the ureas studied, compounds 4, 5, and 8-10 were selected as candidates for further study.

Left ventricular function and coagulation activity in healed myocardial infarction.

We investigated the plasma levels of molecular markers for the thrombotic and fibrinolytic status in patients with healed myocardial infarction to determine the relation between left ventricular (LV) function and coagulation activity. Our findings demonstrated that the coagulation activity was increased in patients with healed myocardial infarction along with LV dysfunction, suggesting that anticoagulant therapy is considered in patients with severe LV dysfunction to prevent systemic thromboembolism.

Effect of mitral valvuloplasty in mitral stenosis on coagulation activity.

We investigated the plasma levels of molecular markers for the status of thrombin generation and fibrinolysis in patients with mitral stenosis before and after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty. Our results show that percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty results in decreased coagulation activity, suggesting that percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty is also useful for prevention of systemic embolism in patients with mitral stenosis.

Efficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into human cancer cell lines derived from digestive tract.

The efficiency of gene transfer into human cancer cells from digestive tract was evaluated using a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus (Ad) vector harboring a lacZ gene of E. coli as a reporter gene (AxCALacZ). Average percent X-gal staining of esophageal cancer cell lines was 46%, that of gastric cancer cell lines 82% and that of colon cancer cell lines 70% at 3 days after Ad vector infection. X-gal staining in vitro continued 2 months after infection. By the direct injection of adenovirus vector to the tumors in nude mice, a certain percentage of tumor cells was stained by the X-gal. Colon26 cell line infected with AxCALacZ was implanted in BALB/c mice immunized with AxCALacZ, and tumor growth was suppressed. We presume this was due to anti-adenoviral immunity.

Long-term survival in aged patients with corrected transposition of the great arteries.

Corrected transposition of the great arteries is a rare condition, and few patients with this abnormality survive past 50 years of age because of associated congenital defects or the subsequent development of atrioventricular valvular insufficiency or heart block or both. We describe four men with uncomplicated C-TGA. Our patients are of interest for the following reasons: (a) their condition is very rare; (b) the diagnosis of C-TGA traditionally has been verified through invasive cardiac catheterization procedures; however, in our latest two patients, recently developed noninvasive diagnostic techniques played the decisive role in the diagnosis of C-TGA; (c) in these modalities, they presented as a "natural experimental model" that the right ventricle submitted to a high systemic pressure load is capable of increasing muscle mass over long-term adaptation. Our four patients illustrate that patients with C-TGA, even with the associated cardiac anomalies, may live a normal life span with proper management.

Fundamental study on latex reagents for agglutination tests.

Competitive adsorption of Fab and Fc fragments on to particles revealed that the main driving forces for the adsorption of Fab and Fc fragments are ionic and hydrophobic forces, respectively. Latex particles were sensitized with antihuman C-reactive protein-antibody under a condition where ionic binding force was suppressed, and hence antibody was supposed to attach to the particles predominantly at the Fc site. The resulting latex indicated a high efficiency for the determination of C-reactive protein. Among the latexes used, a partially hydrolysed styrene-acrylamide copolymer latex was the best with respect to test efficiency and storage stability.