Non-target screening and prioritization of organic contaminants in seawater desalination and their ecological risk assessment.

The impact of desalination brine on the marine environment is a global concern. Regarding this, salinity is generally accepted as the major environmental factor in desalination concentrate. However, recent studies have shown that the influence of organic contaminants in brine cannot be ignored. Therefore, a non-targeted screening method based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC × GC-qMS) was developed for identifying organic contaminants in the desalination brine. A total of 404 compounds were tentatively identified from four seawater desalination plants (three reverse osmosis plants and one multiple effect distillation plant) in China. The identified compounds were prioritized based on their persistence, bioaccumulation, ecotoxicity, usage, and detection frequency. Twenty-one (21) compounds (seven phthalates, ten pesticides, four trihalomethanes) were then selected for further quantitative analysis and ecological risk assessment, including compounds from the priority list along with substances from the same chemical classes. Ecologically risky substances in brine include diisobutylphthalate and bis(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, atrazine and acetochlor, and bromoform. Most of the contaminants come from raw seawater, and no high risk contaminants introduced by the desalination process have been found except for disinfection by-products. In brine discharge management, people believed that all pollution in raw seawater was concentrated by desalination process. This study shows that not all pollutants are concentrated during the desalination process. In this study, the total concentration of pesticide in the brine increased by 58.42%. The concentration of ∑PAEs decreased by 13.65% in reverse osmosis desalination plants and increased by 10.96% in the multi-effect distillation plant. The concentration of trihalomethane increased significantly in the desalination concentrate. The change in the concentration of pollutants in the desalination concentrate was related to the pretreatment method and the chemical characteristics of the contaminants. The method and results given in this study hinted a new idea to identify and control the environmental impact factors of brine.

Assessment of pheniramine in alternative biological matrices by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Pheniramine is an over-the-counter antihistamine drug. Its accessibility and low cost made it more popular among drug abusers in Pakistan. In this study, pheniramine was quantified in both conventional and alternative specimens of twenty chronic drug abusers, aged 16-50 years, who were positive for pheniramine in comprehensive toxicological screening for drugs by gas chromatography with mass spectral detection in positive electron impact mode. Pheniramine was extracted from biological specimens using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was employed for quantification. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Poroshell120EC-18 (2.1 mm × 50 mm × 2.7 µm) column using water-acetonitrile in formic acid (0.1%) mobile phase in gradient elution mode with 500 µL/min flow rate. Positive electrospray ionization mode and multi-reaction monitoring with ion transitions m/z 241.3 → 195.8 and 167.1 for pheniramine and m/z m/z 247.6 → 173.1 for pheniramine-d6 were employed. The quantification method showed good linear ranges of 2-1000 ng/mL in blood, urine, and oral fluid; 2-1000 ng/mg in hair and 5-1000 ng/mg in nail with ≥ 0.985% coefficient of linearity. The retention time of pheniramine was 3.0 ± 0.1 min. The detection and lower quantification limits were 1 ng/mL and 2 ng/mL for blood, urine, oral fluid and hair whereas 2.5 ng/mg and 5 ng/mg for nail, respectively. Mean extraction recovery and ionization suppression ranged 86.3-95.1% and -4.6 to -14.4% in the studied matrices. Intra-day and inter-day precision were 4.1-9.3% and 2.8-11.2%, respectively. Pheniramine levels in specimens of drug abusers were 23-480 ng/mL in blood, 72-735 ng/mL in urine, 25-379 ng/mL in oral fluid, 10-170 ng/mg in hair and 8-86 ng/mg in nail specimens. Alternative specimens are of utmost significance in clinical and medico-legal cases. In this study, authors compared matrix-matched calibration curves to blood calibration curve and obtained results within ± 10%; thereby justifying the use of blood calibration curve for urine, oral fluid, hair, and nail specimens.

Economic and fast electro-flotation extraction of heavy metals from wastewater.

Fast electroflotation extraction of heavy metals from wastewater is described. The results of experimental investigations of the extraction of iron, aluminium and chromium hydroxides from aqueous solutions in the presence of surfactants of various natures and ions of calcium by electroflotation are presented. It was found that the presence of Ca2+ in the solution at a concentration of 0.5 g/L reduced the degree of electroflotation extraction of Al(OH)3, Fe(OH)3, Cr(OH)3 regardless of the nature of the electrolyte. The addition of surfactants in the system in the presence of Ca2+ increased the amount of extraction of the dispersed phase. The greatest effect is achieved with the help of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate, while the degree of extraction reached 98%. The high efficiency of the process of electroflotation extraction of the dispersed phase was due to the hydrophobization of the particle surface owing to the adsorption of surfactants on the surface of hydroxides. The recent method is useful to treat wastewater contaminated with aluminium, iron and chromium metal ions. The reason is that this method is very fast working within 20 min; Moreover, pH 7.0 working made this method ideal for utilisation in natural water treatment economically.

High Throughput Screening for Bioactive Components of Berberis baluchistanica Ahrendt Root and Their Functional Potential Assessment.

Berberis baluchistanica Ahrendt is a medicinal plant potentially known for the treatment of different diseases. The bioactive, antioxidant, nutritional components, and antimicrobial properties of crude ethanolic root extract of Berberis baluchistanica were evaluated in this study. The extract was analyzed for total phenolic, flavonoid, DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) scavenging ability, FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), nutritional, and antimicrobial potentials. The alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, coumarin, saponins, phenolics, flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids were confirmed. The extract possessed DPPH radical inhibition with the IC50 of 1.125 mg/mL and FRAP % reduction activity with IC50 (0.912 mg/mL). Total phenolic 19.897 ± 4.8141 mg GAE/g and flavonoid 12.9876 ± 0.8388 mg QE/g contents were confirmed in the root. The extracts exhibit good antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of food borne pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The highest inhibitory activity was against Escherichia coli23.30 ± 1.16 mm and lowest against Klebsiella pneumoniae7 ± 0.01 mm. Furthermore, the presence of various phytochemical constituents (plant secondary metabolites) was also confirmed with gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis. Results disclosed the occurrence of more than 70 compounds possessing various medicinal properties supporting the traditional uses of root of Berberis baluchistanica in various medical complications indigenously.

Comparison of organic matter (OM) pools in water, suspended particulate matter, and sediments in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China: Implication for dissolved OM tracking, assessment, and management.

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediments are important sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lake water. However, studies on what extent and how both sources affect DOM composition are lacking, which hampers DOM management. Herein, DOM, SPM-extracted particulate organic matter (POM), and sediment-extracted organic matter (SOM) were characterized and compared in terms of absorption spectral properties and chemical composition in Lake Taihu, a large cyanobacterial bloom-affected shallow lake. A statistical method was proposed to quantify the similarity of organic matter (OM) in the different states and to evaluate the potential effects of SPM and sediments on DOM. Results showed that POM and DOM were mainly composed of small-molecular-size and low-humified organic components (i.e., 27 %-38 % tryptophan-like and ~30 % protein-like substances), and most of them were derived from autochthonous sources. While tyrosine-like (57 %) and humic-like (27 %) substances were dominant in SOM. The OM similarity between POM and DOM was approximately 1.5 times higher than that between SOM and DOM, indicating the greater effect of SPM than sediments on DOM composition. High pH and low nitrogen (e.g., nitrate and ammonia) were positively correlated to the OM similarity between POM and DOM. Further, the findings indicated that nitrogen limitation enhanced the OM exchange between POM and DOM by promoting the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in cyanobacterial aggregates. The obtained findings highlighted the importance of SPM in shaping the DOM composition relative to sediments and facilitating the DOM management in bloom-affected lakes.

Epilepsy Milestones 2.0: An updated framework for assessing epilepsy fellowships and fellows.

OBJECTIVE: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited epilepsy fellowships, like other ACGME accredited training programs, use Milestones to establish learning objectives and to evaluate how well trainees are achieving these goals. The ACGME began developing the second iteration of the Milestones 6 years ago, and these are now being adapted to all specialties. Here, we describe the process by which Epilepsy Milestones 2.0 were developed and summarize them. METHODS: A work group of nine board-certified, adult and pediatric epileptologists reviewed Epilepsy Milestones 1.0 and revised them using a modified Delphi approach. RESULTS: The new Milestones share structural changes with all other specialties, including a clearer stepwise progression in professional development and the harmonized Milestones that address competencies common to all medical fields. Much of the epilepsy-specific content remains the same, although a major addition is a set of Milestones focused on reading and interpreting electroencephalograms (EEGs), which the old Milestones lacked. Epilepsy Milestones 2.0 includes a Supplemental Guide to help program directors implement the new Milestones. Together, Epilepsy Milestones 2.0 and the Supplemental Guide recognize advances in epilepsy, including stereo-EEG, neurostimulation, genetics, and safety in epilepsy monitoring units. SIGNIFICANCE: Epilepsy Milestones 2.0 address the shortcomings of the old Milestones and should facilitate the assessment of epilepsy fellowships and fellows by program directors, faculty, and fellows themselves.

Appraisal of a novel extraction technique for estimation of cadmium content in pea seedlings based on human health risk assessment.

In this study, a novel extraction and safety evaluation method for heavy metals based on different functions of plants was proposed, and an edible plant (pea) was used as the research material to explore the feasibility of the novel method. Pea sprouts were cultured in cadmium (Cd) concentrations of 0, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mg L-1, respectively. The Cd in pea sprouts was continuously extracted with 100 °C distilled water, 60% ethanol, 6% acetic acid, and simulated gastric juice. It was observed that highest amount of Cd (48.65-58.87%) was found in the extraction of roots with 6% acetic acid, followed by 100 °C distilled water (28.68-37.61%). While in stems, most of the Cd (70.73-85.39%) was extracted by 6% acetic acid. The recovery rate of the sequential chemical extraction technique employed in this experiment was between 93 and 106%. Compared with traditional methods, this study has its development potential in two aspects. First, it can determine which steps of sequential extractions of heavy metals in plants are the most harmful to humans. Secondly, corresponding measures can be taken to reduce heavy metals in vegetables used daily, such as soaking edible vegetables in vinegar for a short time. Novelty statement: In this study, a novel extraction and safety evaluation method for heavy metals based on different functions of plants was proposed, and an edible plant (pea) was used as the research material to explore the feasibility of the novel method. Compared with the commonly used extraction methods, the novel method is more reasonable and has greater development potential.

Determinants of Financial Empowerment Among Women in Saudi Arabia.

Increasing women's financial empowerment is important as they experience a lack of control over economic resources as compared to men. Although plenty of research evidence is available on the determinants of financial empowerment among women in developed countries, there is less known in the context of a traditionally male-dominated society like Saudi Arabia. The current study proposes a conceptual model that examines the role of financial literacy and financial socialization, in the development of financial self-efficacy, financial coping behaviors, and financial empowerment among Saudi women using social cognitive theory (SCT). Data are collected through a baseline survey from a sample of 1,368 women respondents who belong to the different segments of society ranging from female university students to women in the household to women working in different sectors in Saudi Arabia. We employed partial least squares (PLS) path modeling techniques using SmartPLS to test the hypotheses proposed in this study. The study found a significantly positive association between financial literacy, financial coping behavior, and financial well-being. Financial socialization is also significantly related to financial self-efficacy and financial empowerment. We also found the positive role of financial self-efficacy and financial coping behaviors in the development of financial empowerment. The practical implication of this study includes the provision of financial literacy education/training to Saudi women and increasing their financial socialization to improve their financial well-being.

Application of Text Mining in Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures: A Case Study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

BACKGROUND: Cancer risk assessment of complex exposures, such as exposure to mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is challenging due to the diverse biological activities of these compounds. With the help of text mining (TM), we have developed TM tools-the latest iteration of the Cancer Risk Assessment using Biomedical literature tool (CRAB3) and a Cancer Hallmarks Analytics Tool (CHAT)-that could be useful for automatic literature analyses in cancer risk assessment and research. Although CRAB3 analyses are based on carcinogenic modes of action (MOAs) and cover almost all the key characteristics of carcinogens, CHAT evaluates literature according to the hallmarks of cancer referring to the alterations in cellular behavior that characterize the cancer cell. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of these tools to support cancer risk assessment by performing a case study of 22 European Union and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority PAHs and diesel exhaust and a case study of PAH interactions with silica. METHODS: We analyzed PubMed literature, comprising 57,498 references concerning priority PAHs and complex PAH mixtures, using CRAB3 and CHAT. RESULTS: CRAB3 analyses correctly identified similarities and differences in genotoxic and nongenotoxic MOAs of the 22 priority PAHs and grouped them according to their known carcinogenic potential. CHAT had the same capacity and complemented the CRAB output when comparing, for example, benzo[a]pyrene and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene. Both CRAB3 and CHAT analyses highlighted potentially interacting mechanisms within and across complex PAH mixtures and mechanisms of possible importance for interactions with silica. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that our TM approach can be useful in the hazard identification of PAHs and mixtures including PAHs. The tools can assist in grouping chemicals and identifying similarities and differences in carcinogenic MOAs and their interactions. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6702.

Assessment of antibacterial and antifungal potential of Curcuma longa and synthesized nanoparticles: A comparative study.

Curcumin nanoparticles were most recently considered in medical research because of their antibacterial properties. The main objective of the study was to develop the green synthesis and antibacterial activity of curcumin nanoparticles using Curcuma longa. The processing of curcumin nanoparticles was carried out after the collection, identification, and extraction of curcumin. The effect of a sample on the synthesis of nanoparticles, such as curcumin aqueous concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mg/ml) and curcumin nanoparticles (5, 10, and 20 mg/ml), and the antibacterial effect of these nanoparticles on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the fungal strain Aspergillus niger. For examining antibacterial and anti-fungal activity disc diffusion method was performed, followed by the zone of inhibition. According to X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis, nanoparticles have spherical shapes and size of 42.64 nm. Results showed that a high dose of 20 mg/ml curcumin nanoparticles have more antibacterial activity than curcumin extracts in E. coli as it showed the largest diameter of zone of inhibition as compared to other doses. Other bacterial and fungal strains also showed significant results but E. coli was most prominent. The biosynthesis of curcumin nanoparticles using an aqueous extract of C. longa is a clean, inexpensive, and safe method that has not been used any toxic substance and consequently does not have side effects. Since several pathogenic species have acquired antibiotic resistance, the combination of curcumin with various nanoparticles would be beneficial in the cure of pathogenic diseases.

Isolation, structural features, in vitro antioxidant activity and assessment of complexation ability with ß-lactoglobulin of a polysaccharide from Borassus flabellifer fruit.

This research was intended to investigate the structural feature, antioxidative activity and interaction with ß-lactoglobulin (ß-lg) of a polysaccharide (P) isolated from Borassus flabellifer fruit thru aqueous extraction, protein elimination and chromatographic techniques. Polysaccharide P (molecular weight: 21,000 g mol-1) was constituted of arabinose, galactose, glucose, and rhamnose in a 50:24:20:6 M ratio alongside 9% (w/w) galacturonic acid. It encompassed a petite backbone entailing galacturonopyranosyl and rhamnopyranosyl units substituted with sizable side chains comprising of arabinofuranosyl, galactopyranosyl and esterified coumaric acid (CA) residues. Various series of oligosaccharides including (i) Gal1,2,4-9Ac5-29, (ii) Ara2-3Ac6-8, (iii) Gal3Ara1-3Ac13-17, (iv) Gal4-6Ara2Ac18-24, (v) Gal6Ara1Ac22 and (vi) Gal1Ara2CA1Ac7 and Gal1Ara3CA1Ac9 epitomizing polysaccharide structure were generated and characterised. Fraction P exhibited dose-dependent antioxidant activity and possessed a strong ß-lactoglobulin binding capability. Accordingly, B. flabellifer fruit offers an antioxidative polysaccharide having novel structure that can associate with ß-lg and, hence, useful in formulating novel food possessing adjustable composition.

Tuberculosis Resistance and Nanoparticles: Combating the Dual Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Macrophages for Tuberculosis Management.

Increasing drift in antimicrobial therapy failure against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), and the advent of extended resistant strains strongly demand discovery of mechanisms underlying development of drug resistance. The emergence of resistance against anti-TB drugs has reached an alarming level in various parts of the world, providing an active platform for the design of new targeted drug delivery. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have an important role in controlling TB pathogenesis. At macrophage activation, ROS that are produced inside macrophages directly kill resident bacteria. These ROS possess a dual character because they can kill macrophages along with the resident bacteria. Targeting these ROS can play a remarkable part in overcoming resistance of conventional drugs. Nanoparticles (NPs) have evolved as a potential drug carrier for targeted delivery and elimination of various resistance mechanisms against antimicrobials. Receptor-mediated targeting of macrophages via different NPs may be a promising strategy for combating drug resistance and enhancing efficacy of old-fashioned antimycobacterial agents.

Purification, Characterization and Thermodynamic Assessment of an Alkaline Protease by Geotrichum Candidum of Dairy Origin.

BACKGROUND: Alkaline proteases is the important group of enzymes having numerous industrial applications including dairy food formulations. OBJECTIVES: The current study deals with the purification and characterization of an alkaline serine protease produced by Geotrichum candidum QAUGC01, isolated from indigenous fermented milk product, Dahi. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total twelve G. candidum strains were screened for their proteolytic activity by using standard protease assay. The protease production from G. candidum QAUGC01 was optimized by varying physio-chemical conditions. The protease was purified by using two-step method: ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration chromatography. Protease was further characterized by studying various parameter like temperature, pH, modulators, metal ions and organic solvent. A thermodynamic study was also carried out to explore the half-life of protease. RESULTS: The G. candidum grew profusely at 25 °C and at an initial pH of 4.0 for 72 h of incubation producing 26.21 U/ml maximum extracellular protease. Protease revealed that Vmax and Km was 26.25 U.ml-1.min-1 and 0.05 mg.mL-1, respectively using casein as substrate. The enzyme was stable at a temperature range (25-45 °C) and pH (8-9). Residual enzyme activity was strongly inhibited in the presence of PMSF (7.5%). The protease could hydrolyze proteinaceous substrates, casein (98%) and BSA (95%). The thermodynamic studies explored that the half-life of the enzyme that was 106.62 min, 38.72 min and 15.71 min at 50, 60 and 70 °C, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Purified protease from G. candidum GCQAU01 is an ideal candidate for industrial application.

Phenolic contents-based assessment of therapeutic potential of Syzygium cumini leaves extract.

Syzygium cumini (S. cumini) is an evergreen tropical plant that is well recognized for its therapeutic potential of common diseases. In this study, the therapeutic potential and biomedical application of S. cumini are assessed in vitro and in vivo to find its effectiveness for different complications. The methanolic crude extract of S. cumini leaves were screened for total phenolic and flavonoid content. In vitro, the DPPH scavenging assay, XTT assay, prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin time were used to assess antioxidant, cytoprotective and thrombolytic activity of the S. cumini extract, respectively. The anti-inflammatory potential and the analgesic activity of the S. cumini extract were analyzed in rabbits by the Carrageenan induced paw edema method and the writhing method, respectively. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of considerable amounts of total phenolic (369.75 ± 17.9 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (75.8 ± 5.3 mgRE/g) content in the S. cumini extract. The DPPH assay demonstrated a higher antioxidant potential (IC-50 value of 133 µg/ml), which was comparable to the IC-50 of ascorbic acid (122.4 µg/ml). Moreover, the S. cumini extract showed a dose dependent cytoprotective effect against H2O2 treated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). S. cumini also possesses significant anticoagulant activity with a prothrombin time of 28.3 ± 1.8 seconds vs 15.8 ± 0.2 seconds of control, p<0.05. The leaf extract also demonstrated an analgesic effect in rabbits as indicated by the decrease in writhing (12.2 ± 1.7 control vs. 3.7 ± 0.6 treated) and anti-inflammatory activity in rabbits paw with a protection against inflammation of 64.1 ± 2.4%. Our findings suggest that the methanolic extract of S. cumini leaves has antioxidant, cytoprotective, anticoagulant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, and therefore, can be applied for treating cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

Chemically sulfated polysaccharides from natural sources: Assessment of extraction-sulfation efficiencies, structural features and antiviral activities.

The provisioning of compound libraries with a high degree of diversity and attractive pharmacological properties is a limiting step in drug development. This study reports the production of highly bioactive sulfated polysaccharides, originally present in a nonsulfated, dormant state in natural sources, and demonstrates their antiviral activity (human cytomegalovirus EC50 values of 2.34-7.77 µg/mL) at a low degree of cytotoxicity. Furthermore, data strongly suggested the inhibition of virus entry as the main mode of antiviral action. Remarkably, the utilized oleum-DMF reagent was able to generate a range of sulfated polysaccharides from various natural sources, possessing varying saccharide compositions, degrees of sulfation (0.4-1.7) and molecular masses (38-94,000 g/mol). Typically, in a matter of minutes, this reagent not only solubilized polysaccharides but also chemically converted their hydroxyl functionality into sulfates. The most active sulfated polysaccharide (EC50 of 2.62 µg/mL) proved to be a 94,000 g/mol branched glucan with sulfates at C-6/C-3,6/C-2,3,6 positions. In conclusion, the important determinants of such compounds' antiviral activity are: (i) degree of sulfation, (ii) molecular mass and (iii) structural features. Thus, our approach offers a huge prospect for the improvement of natural source-derived libraries based on biologically active polysaccharides with diversified chemical profiles.

Assessment of antiherpetic activity of nonsulfated and sulfated polysaccharides from Azadirachta indica.

Azadirachta indica leaf is used by Indian population for the healing of various diseases including viral infection. Herein, we analyzed the antiherpetic (HSV-1) activity of two polysaccharides (P1 and P2) isolated from the leaf of A. indica and their chemically sulfated derivatives (P1S and P2S). The molecular weights of P1S and P2S are 41 and 11 kDa, respectively. Sulfate groups are located at positions C3 of the Araf and C6 of both Galp and Glcp residues of the most active polysaccharide (P1S). These compounds were not cytotoxic in HEp-2 cells, up to 1000 µg/mL. Both P1S and P2S exhibited antiviral activity when used simultaneously to HSV-1, with 50% inhibitory concentration/selectivity index, respectively, of 31.1 µg/mL/>51.4 and 80.5 µg/mL/>19.8. P1S showed better inhibitory effect (91.8%) compared to P1 (50%), P2 (71.1%) and P2S (70%) at 200 µg/mL. Synthesis of viral protein showed a dose-dependent response and the nucleic acid synthesis was inhibited up to 25 µg/mL, by P1 and P1S and up to 50 µg/mL, by P2 and P2S. The antiviral effect is probably due to the interference of polysaccharides at the early stages of HSV-1 replication, including adsorption. Further studies are under way to get insight into the mechanism of action of the substances.

Curricular integration of social medicine: a prospective for medical educators.

In the United States, the health of a community falls on a continuum ranging from healthy to unhealthy and fluctuates based on several variables. Research policy and public health practice literature report substantial disparities in life expectancy, morbidity, risk factors, and quality of life, as well as persistence of these disparities among segments of the population. One such way to close this gap is to streamline medical education to better prepare our future physicians for our patients in underserved communities. Medical schools have the potential to close the gap when training future physicians by providing them with the principles of social medicine that can contribute to the reduction of health disparities. Curriculum reform and systematic formative assessment and evaluative measures can be developed to match social medicine and health disparities curricula for individual medical schools, thus assuring that future physicians are being properly prepared for residency and the workforce to decrease health inequities in the United States. We propose that curriculum reform includes an ongoing social medicine component for medical students. Continued exposure, practice, and education related to social medicine across medical school will enhance the awareness and knowledge for our students. This will result in better preparation for the zero mile stone residency set forth by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education and will eventually lead to the outcome of higher quality physicians in the United States to treat diverse populations.

Grouping chemicals for health risk assessment: A text mining-based case study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

As many chemicals act as carcinogens, chemical health risk assessment is critically important. A notoriously time consuming process, risk assessment could be greatly supported by classifying chemicals with similar toxicological profiles so that they can be assessed in groups rather than individually. We have previously developed a text mining (TM)-based tool that can automatically identify the mode of action (MOA) of a carcinogen based on the scientific evidence in literature, and it can measure the MOA similarity between chemicals on the basis of their literature profiles (Korhonen et al., 2009, 2012). A new version of the tool (2.0) was recently released and here we apply this tool for the first time to investigate and identify meaningful groups of chemicals for risk assessment. We used published literature on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-persistent, widely spread toxic organic compounds comprising of 209 different congeners. Although chemically similar, these compounds are heterogeneous in terms of MOA. We show that our TM tool, when applied to 1648 PubMed abstracts, produces a MOA profile for a subgroup of dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs) which differs clearly from that for the rest of PCBs. This suggests that the tool could be used to effectively identify homogenous groups of chemicals and, when integrated in real-life risk assessment, could help and significantly improve the efficiency of the process.

Status of neurology medical school education: results of 2005 and 2012 clerkship director survey.

OBJECTIVE: To survey all US medical school clerkship directors (CDs) in neurology and to compare results from a similar survey in 2005. METHODS: A survey was developed by a work group of the American Academy of Neurology Undergraduate Education Subcommittee, and sent to all neurology CDs listed in the American Academy of Neurology database. Comparisons were made to a similar 2005 survey. RESULTS: Survey response rate was 73%. Neurology was required in 93% of responding schools. Duration of clerkships was 4 weeks in 74% and 3 weeks in 11%. Clerkships were taken in the third year in 56%, third or fourth year in 19%, and fourth year in 12%. Clerkship duration in 2012 was slightly shorter than in 2005 (fewer clerkships of ≥4 weeks, p = 0.125), but more clerkships have moved into the third year (fewer neurology clerkships during the fourth year, p = 0.051). Simulation training in lumbar punctures was available at 44% of schools, but only 2% of students attempted lumbar punctures on patients. CDs averaged 20% protected time, but reported that they needed at least 32%. Secretarial full-time equivalent was 0.50 or less in 71% of clerkships. Eighty-five percent of CDs were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied," but more than half experienced "burnout" and 35% had considered relinquishing their role. CONCLUSION: Trends in neurology undergraduate education since 2005 include shorter clerkships, migration into the third year, and increasing use of technology. CDs are generally satisfied, but report stressors, including inadequate protected time and departmental support.

Low cost adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.

Water pollution due to organic contaminants is a serious issue because of acute toxicities and carcinogenic nature of the pollutants. Among various water treatment methods, adsorption is supposed as the best one due to its inexpensiveness, universal nature and ease of operation. Many waste materials used include fruit wastes, coconut shell, scrap tyres, bark and other tannin-rich materials, sawdust and other wood type materials, rice husk, petroleum wastes, fertilizer wastes, fly ash, sugar industry wastes blast furnace slag, chitosan and seafood processing wastes, seaweed and algae, peat moss, clays, red mud, zeolites, sediment and soil, ore minerals etc. These adsorbents have been found to remove various organic pollutants ranging from 80 to 99.9%. The present article describes the conversion of waste products into effective adsorbents and their application for water treatment. The possible mechanism of adsorption on these adsorbents has also been included in this article. Besides, attempts have been made to discuss the future perspectives of low cost adsorbents in water treatment.