Synergistic optical sensing: Selective colorimetric analysis of copper in environmental and biological samples.

A groundbreaking optical sensing membrane has been engineered for the accurate assessment of copper ions. The pliable poly(vinyl chloride) membrane is formulated through the integration of sodium tetraphenylborate (Na-TPB), 4-(2-hydroxy-4-nitro azobenzene)-2-methyl-quinoline (HNAMQ), and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO), in conjunction with o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE). The sensor membrane undergoes a thorough investigation of its composition to optimize performance, revealing that HNAMQ serves a dual role as both an ionophore and a chromoionophore. Simultaneously, TOPO contributes to enhancing the complexation of HNAMQ with copper ions. Demonstrating a linear range for Cu2+ ions spanning from 5.0 × 10-9 to 7.5 × 10-6 M, the proposed sensor membrane showcases detection and quantification limits of 1.5 × 10-9 and 5.0 × 10-9 M, respectively. Rigorous assessments of potential interferences from other cations and anions revealed no observable disruptions in the detection of Cu2+. With no discernible HNAMQ leaching, the membrane demonstrates rapid response times and excellent durability. The sensor exhibits remarkable selectivity for Cu2+ ions and can be regenerated through exposure to 0.05 M EDTA. Successful application of the sensor in determining the presence of Cu2+ in biological (blood, liver and meat), soil, food (coffee, black tea, sour cherry juice, black currant, and milk powder) and environmental water samples underscores its efficacy.

Effect of a newly developed ready-to-use supplementary food on growth indicators in children with mild to moderate malnutrition.

OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of death among children younger than five years. In this study, we aimed to formulate a ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF), based on local food products, and investigate its efficacy on growth indicators in children with mild to moderate malnutrition. STUDY DESIGN: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. METHODS: This study was performed in six health centers in Shahr-e-Rey, Tehran, Iran, between April and October 2017. One hundred children, aged 24-59 months, with mild to moderate malnutrition (weight-for-height Z-score [WHZ] between -3 and -1) were randomly assigned to two groups to receive either 1-3 sachets of RUSF or normal diet for 8 weeks. All mothers and caregivers received nutrition education. Growth indicators including weight and height, WHZ, and body mass index (BMI), along with clinical outcomes, were assessed. RESULTS: Children who received RUSF had a significant increase in weight (1.44 ± 0.38 vs 0.7 ± 0.32 kg, respectively, P < 0.001), and BMI (1.2 ± 0.47 vs 0.35 ± 0.33 kg/m2, respectively, P < 0.001) compared with the control group. There was a greater daily weight gain during the first 4 weeks (P < 0.001) and throughout the study (P = 0.013) in the RUSF group. Daily height gain was considerably higher in the RUSF group during the first 4 weeks (P = 0.027). Children in the RUSF group had more improvement in WHZ (1.18 ± 0.41 vs 0.41 ± 0.31, P < 0.001) after supplementation. Besides, 92% of the RUSF and 12% of the control group reached to WHZ > -1 at the end of the study (P < 0.001). There was lower prevalence of diarrhea (12% vs 28.6%, respectively, P = 0.01) and marginally lower fever (16% vs 36.7%, respectively, P = 0.05) in the intervention than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A newly developed RUSF improved growth indicators and clinical outcomes in children with mild to moderate malnutrition. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: IRCT2017021315536N6 (registered at www.irct.ir).

The Effect of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Circulating Levels of Novel Adipokine Adipolin/CTRP12 in Overweight and Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Adipolin, the novel adipokine that is proposed to be reduced in diabetes, obesity and inflammation, may improve glycemic control. It is known that coenzyme Q10 could improve insulin sensitivity. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of Q10 supplementation on adipolin concentration and glucose metabolism in overweight and obese diabetic patients. Material & Methods: Sixty four patients with type 2 diabetes and 25

Reduction in asymmetric dimethylarginine plasma levels by coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: According to many studies, supplementation with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) yields beneficial results in terms of endothelial function in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite these promising results, data elucidating the effect of CoQ10 on plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), as a recently discussed cardiovascular risk factor, is lacking. This study was designed to investigate the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on endothelial function, specifically by evaluating plasma ADMA levels. METHODS: Sixty-four type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned to two groups; either receiving 200mg/d oral dose of CoQ10 (N.=31) or receiving placebo (N.=33) for 12 weeks. Clinical and biochemical assessments were performed before and after the trial for evaluating ADMA, serum nitrite and nitrate (NOx), hemoglobin A1c and lipid profile. RESULTS: The intervention resulted in a significant improvement in ADMA, NOx , low-density lipoprotein and hemoglobin A1c levels in CoQ10 compared to placebo group. Interestingly, difference in changes of these parameters were also significant (P=0.01, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSION: Supplementation with CoQ10 yields beneficial effects on ADMA levels, leading to decreased diabetic cardiovascular events.

The effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on metabolic status of type 2 diabetic patients.

AIM: Increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense contribute to pathogenesis and progression of type 2 diabetes. Consistent with this fact, it has been shown that diabetic patients have reduced coenzyme Q10 level. In this study we sought to compare the effect of coenzyme Q10 versus placebo on glycemic control and lipid profile in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 64 type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned to receive either 200 mg Q10 or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples were obtained and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL-C and HDL-C were measured. RESULTS: In this study no significant differences considering age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes duration, FPG, HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C were shown between two groups. Serum HbA1C concentration decreased in the Q10 treated group (8 ± 2.28 vs. 8.61 ± 2.47%) with no significant effect in the placebo group. Following intervention no differences have been shown regarding FPG, TG and HDL-C in Q10 treated group. Furthermore, mean differences of TC and LDL-C level were statistically altered between two groups (P value=0.027 and 0.039 respectively). CONCLUSION: In this study, Q10 treatment improved glycemic control, total and LDL cholesterol but these differences were associated with no favourable effects on TG and HDL-C.

Design of a new line in treatment of experimental rheumatoid arthritis by artesunate.

This study was aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potency of a new antimalarial drug, artesunate, in an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in Lewis rats.The intraperitoneally administration of artesunate (ARS) and methotrexate (MTX) were started on day 25 postimmunization and continued until final assessment on day 35. During this period, clinical examination was intermittent. The anticollagen type II antibody (CII Ab) and nitric oxide synthesis were measured. The paws and kness were then removed for histopathology and radiography assay. The biocompatibility of ARS and MTX were assessed using fibrosarcoma cell line. Our results showed that i.p. injection of artesunate to arthritic rats induced a significant reduction in paw edema. This beneficial effect was associated with a significant decrease in anti-CII antibody response compared with untreated rats. Histopathological assessment showed reduced inflammatory cells infiltrate in joints of treated rats, and tissue edema and bone erosion in the paws were markedly reduced following ARS therapy. Moreover, our radiographic results paralleled histological findings. Cytotoxicity analysis of ARS showed greater tolerability compared with MTX. Treatment with ARS significantly diminished nitric oxide formation in treated rats compared with untreated controls. Our findings revealed the therapeutic efficacy of artesunate in experimental rheumatoid arthritis compared with a choice drug (methotrexate). This result may recommend it as a second-line drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

A study of the prevalence of iron deficiency and its related factors in blood donors of Yazd, Iran, 2003.

Iron deficiency anaemia is an important limiting factor for the number of donations in regular donors. Limited data is available on the iron status in Iranian donors. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of iron deficiency and its related factors in blood donors at Yazd blood transfusion centre, Iran. In this descriptive study, 337 persons accepted for donation in 2003 were selected randomly. Haemoglobin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity and ferritin concentrations were measured. Results showed that the prevalence of reduction in iron stores increased with an increase in the number of donations (P = 0.0001), such that reduction in iron stores was seen in all regular female donors (100%) and 48% of regular male blood donors. The prevalence of iron deficiency in female and male regular donors was 78 and 28%, whereas 55.6 and 16% of these donors had iron deficiency anaemia. Just one blood donation resulted in a significant increase in the prevalence of iron deficiency in women (P < 0.05), but in men, a significant increase was seen only in regular donors (P < 0.05). It is therefore recommended that blood donors should be educated about iron deficiency, and research studies should be performed to determine the best method of iron supplementation with minimal complications for all regular blood donors and women of childbearing age on their first donation.

Culture filtrate of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii (CneF) as a novel anti-inflammatory compound in the treatment of experimental septic arthritis.

We examined the efficacy of the culture filtrate of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii (CneF) as a novel anti-inflammatory compound in experimental septic arthritis. Haematogenously infectious arthritis was induced in rats by a single intravenous injection of 109 CFU Staphylococcus aureus producing toxic shock syndrome toxin-1. CneF solution at two different doses (36 and 72 mg/kg, based on carbohydrate concentration) was administered intraperitoneally 2 h before bacterial inoculation in the prevention groups and simultaneously with the appearance of clinical signs in the therapeutic groups. CneF administration was continued at regular 48-h intervals for 10 injections. The results of clinical evaluation showed that CneF-treated rats were significantly protected from disease development compared with nontreated controls. This finding correlated with the results of histological and radiological assessments of the involved joints. Synovial hypertrophy, inflammatory cell infiltration, pannus formation and cartilage/bone destruction were found to be significantly decreased in the prevention and therapeutic groups compared with arthritic controls. The data suggest that CneF may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of septic arthritis.

Assessment of the histopathological lesions and chemical analysis of feral cats to the smoke from the Kuwait oil fires.

Twenty-six adult or subadult feral cats were collected from Kuwait approximately 8 months after the ignition of the Kuwait oil wells. These animals were obtained from two sources: 12 animals from Kuwait City, a relatively smoke-free area, and 14 from the city of Ahmadi, an area with heavy smoke. Animals were euthanized and a complete set of tissues consisting of all major organs was taken for histopathology. Samples of lung, liver, kidney, urine, and blood were also taken for toxicology. Histopathological lesions observed in the lung were mild accumulations of anthracotic pigment in the lungs of 17 cats. Hyperplasia of the bronchial and bronchiolar gland in 8 cats, and smooth muscle hyperplasia of bronchioles in 14 cats. Tracheal gland hyperplasia was observed in 7 cats, and minimal squamous metaplasia of the tracheal mucosa in 17 cats, Laryngeal lesions consisted of submucosal gland hyperplasia in 2 cats and squamous metaplasia of the mucosa in 5 cats. Hyperplasia of the nasal submucosal glands was observed in 6 animals. The pharyngeal mucosa as well as other organs and organ systems were normal in all cats. Atomic absorption analysis for 11 metals was performed; vanadium and nickel levels (two metals that were present in the smoke from the oil fires) are not indicative of substantial exposure to the oil fires. Based on the histopathological findings and toxicological analysis, it is felt that inhalation of air contaminated with smoke from the oil fires had little or no long-term effect on the animals examined.