A Comparative Study of Cr(VI) Sorption by Aureobasidium pullulans AKW Biomass and Its Extracellular Melanin: Complementary Modeling with Equilibrium Isotherms, Kinetic Studies, and Decision Tree Modeling.

Melanin as a natural polymer is found in all living organisms, and plays an important role in protecting the body from harmful UV rays from the sun. The efficiency of fungal biomass (Aureobasidium pullulans) and its extracellular melanin as Cr(VI) biosorbents was comparatively considered. The efficiency of Cr(VI) biosorption by the two sorbents used was augmented up to 240 min. The maximum sorption capacities were 485.747 (fungus biomass) and 595.974 (melanin) mg/g. The practical data were merely fitted to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The kinetics of the biosorption process obeyed the pseudo-first-order. Melanin was superior in Cr(VI) sorption than fungal biomass. Furthermore, four independent variables (contact time, initial concentration of Cr(VI), biosorbent dosage, and pH,) were modeled by the two decision trees (DTs). Conversely, to equilibrium isotherms and kinetic studies, DT of fungal biomass had lower errors compared to DT of melanin. Lately, the DTs improved the efficacy of the Cr(VI) removal process, thus introducing complementary and alternative solutions to equilibrium isotherms and kinetic studies. The Cr(VI) biosorption onto the biosorbents was confirmed and elucidated through FTIR, SEM, and EDX investigations. Conclusively, this is the first report study attaining the biosorption of Cr(VI) by biomass of A. pullulans and its extracellular melanin among equilibrium isotherms, kinetic study, and algorithmic decision tree modeling.

Pseudomonas alcaliphila NEWG-2 as biosorbent agent for methylene blue dye: optimization, equilibrium isotherms, and kinetic processes.

In comparison to physicochemical and chemical methods, microbial dye biosorption is regarded as an eco-effective and economically viable alternative and is a widely applied method due to its high efficiency and compatibility with the environment. Therefore, the idea of this study is to clarify to what extent the viable cells and the dry biomass of Pseudomonas alcaliphila NEWG-2 can improve the biosorption of methylene blue (MB) from a synthetic wastewater sample. The array of Taguchi paradigm has been conducted to ascertain five variables affecting the biosorption of MB by broth forms of P. alcaliphila NEWG. The data of MB biosorption were familiar to the predicted ones, indicating the precision of the Taguchi model's prediction. The maximum biosorption of MB (87.14%) was achieved at pH 8, after 60 h, in a medium containing 15 mg/ml MB, 2.5% glucose, and 2% peptone, with sorting the highest signal-to-noise ratio (38.80). FTIR spectra detected various functional groups (primary alcohol, α, ß-unsaturated ester, symmetric NH2 bending, and strong C-O stretching) on the bacterial cell wall that participated in the biosorption of MB. Furthermore, the spectacular MB biosorption ability was validated by equilibrium isotherms and kinetic studies (the dry biomass form), which were derived from the Langmuir model (qmax = 68.827 mg/g). The equilibrium time was achieved in about 60 min, with 70.5% of MB removal. The biosorption kinetic profile might be adequately represented by pseudo-second order and Elovich models. The changes in the bacterial cells before and after the biosorption of MB were characterized using a scanning electron microscope. As realized from the aforementioned data, the bacterium is a talented, effective, eco-friendly, and low-cost bio-sorbent for the decolorization and remedy of an industrial effluent containing MB from an aqueous environment. The current outcomes in the biosorption of MB molecules promote the use of the bacterial strain as viable cells and/or dry biomass in ecosystem restoration, environmental cleanup, and bioremediation studies.

Wheat husk-based sorbent as an economical solution for removal of oil spills from sea water.

Oil spills are a significant threat to the marine ecosystem that requires immediate removal from the oceanic environment. Many technologies have been employed to clean up oil spills. Of these, adsorption has scored a prominent success due to the high efficiency, economic viability, environmental friendship, and ease of application. The utilization of agricultural waste to produce biosorbents have been considered as an ecofriendly and efficient approach for removing oil. Thus, a new low-cost oil adsorbent was prepared via esterification of the wheat straw (Str) with a hydrophobic benzoyl group, the resulting copolymer (Str-co-Benz) was characterized by FTIR, TGA, DSC, and SEM and used at laboratory scale. The oil spill cleanup process was conducted using a crude oil-natural seawater system under different adsorption conditions such as oil concentration, adsorbent dose, agitation time and speed. Equilibrium studies were performed to determine the capacity of the prepared materials for crude oil adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to describe the experimental isotherms. The reliability of the data was examined and evaluated via application of response surface methodology program. The results showed that oil adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fitted well with Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 10.989 and 12.786 g/g for Str and (Str-co-Benz), respectively. Overall, the modified wheat husk is an effective platform for removing oil from marine ecosystems due to low cost, biodegradability, simple synthesis and fast removal. Moreover, the resulted solid can be used as a fuel in some industrial processes such as steam boilers and brick production incinerators.

Novel fabricated low-cost hybrid polyacrylonitrile/polyvinylpyrrolidone coated polyurethane foam (PAN/PVP@PUF) membrane for the decolorization of cationic and anionic dyes.

Dyes are recalcitrait organic pollutants threatening the aquatic environment and human health. In the present study, a novel low-cost hybrid membrane was fabricated by coating polyurethane foam (PUF) with polyacrylonitrile/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PAN/PVP) via phase inversion technique from casting solutions consisting of PAN and PVP with Dimethyl formamide (DMF) and applied for removal of cationic (Methylene Blue (MB)) and anionic (Methyl Orange (MO)) dyes from aqueous solutions. The as-prepared membrane was first characterized by Scan Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), etc. Then, batch experiments were conducted to optimize the adsorption conditions, including contact time, adsorbent dose, dyes concentration, and pH. The dye removal results fitted with pseudo first and second-order kinetics; Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms' models. The maximum dye decolorization was approximately 97% and 95% within 60 and 120 min using 0.5 and 1 g of the fabricated composite for MB and MO, respectively. The kinetic studies showed rapid sorption dynamics following a second-order kinetic model. In addition, dye adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm with monolayer maximum adsorption capacity of 6.356 and 3.321 mg/g for MO and MB dye, respectively. Thus, the novel hybrid membrane is promising as a cheap and efficient adsorbent for the removal of both cationic and anionic dyes from wastewater. The current study demonstrated a new avenue to achieve efficient management of dyes in aquatic environments.

Wound dressing of chitosan-based-crosslinked gelatin/ polyvinyl pyrrolidone embedded silver nanoparticles, for targeting multidrug resistance microbes.

Wound dressing composed of chitosan, based crosslinked gelatin/ polyvinyl pyrrolidone, embedded silver nanoparticles were fabricated using solution casting method. The membrane was characterized by FTIR, SEM and TGA. Glutaraldehyde (0.5 %) was used for the crosslinking of membrane components and associated with 7-folds boosted mechanical performance, 28 % more hydrolytic stability, 3-folds thickness reduction and morphological roughness. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis, XRD and TEM for an average size of 9.9 nm. The membrane with higher concentration of silver nanoparticles showed maximum antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria; and the measured inhibition zones ranged from 1.5 to 3 cm. The activity of the particles ranged from severe to complete reduction in Penicillin, Erythromycin and Macrolide family's resistance genes expression such as ß-Lactamase, mecA and erm. This developed membrane can serve as promising and cost-effective system against severe diabetic and burn wound infections.

Rhizofiltration system consists of chitosan and natural Arundo donax L. for removal of basic red dye.

Arundo donax L. (A. donax) plant, which are naturally grown, is capable of removing heavy metals, toxins and dyes from the environment. In addition the cell structure A. donax enable the whole to make phytoremdation for the most of environmental pollutions. For that reasons, the A. donax cells were obtained and dispersed in polymer compost to form what is called bio-chemical/dye removing system. In details; Polymeric beads were fabricated from natural low cost materials of chitosan (Cs), A. donax (cells), gelatin (GP) and poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) to be applied as a powerful sorbent for CI Basic Red 14 dye. The morphological structure of the fabricated beads was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the results revealed that most immobilized A. donax cells into beads and micro-clusters are formed inside the beads. The effect of experimental variables such as sorbent dose, initial dye concentration, pH, and contact time were investigated. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were applied to describe sorbent-dye sorption system. Equilibrium isotherms of CI Basic Red 14 dye on the fabricated beads were obtained, where the first-order rate model is more appropriate.

Health-related quality of life in childhood cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become an increasingly important measure of research and treatment outcomes across all medical specialties. However, to date, there has not been an in-depth review of research relevant specifically to HRQoL in the populations of children and adolescents with cancer. In this review, the authors examine the effects of cancer on HRQoL from diagnosis to remission/survivorship and the end of life. DESIGN: A literature search was conducted using Medline and PsycINFO for articles published from 2002 to 2011. Studies included patients from diagnosis to remission and also the terminally ill. Twenty-nine studies specifically addressing HRQoL were selected after reaching consensus and study quality check. RESULTS: Children who are newly diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment or are terminally ill have impaired HRQoL. Survivors of childhood cancer have high HRQoL (with the exception of those who experienced medical comorbidity or PTSD). The authors found that demographic differences, cancer types, and treatment regimens, all significantly influence the negative impact of cancer on patients' HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: There are specific and identifiable impacts of childhood cancer on patients' HRQoL that are significant and complex across the span of the illness. There is a need for continued research in many areas related to this population, especially related to those with terminal illness in order to improve patient care.

Cognitive functions and cognitive styles in young euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidences suggest that bipolar disorder patients do not return to premorbid functioning levels during the inter-episode periods. Cognitive deficits may impair patients working and functioning status and may also have negative impact on other aspects of thinking. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in patients with bipolar disorder in euthymic state and to explore any evident cognitive style problems. METHOD: Case-control naturalistic study 60 patients with bipolar I disorder in euthymic state according to DSM-IV were recruited and subdivided into two groups each contains of 30 patients; (Group BPM) euthymic patients with recent manic episode, and Group BPD euthymic patients with recent depressive episode. Both groups were further compared with control group (Group C) consisted of 30 frequency matched healthy volunteers. Groups were subjected to the following: 1-clinical psychiatric examination, 2-Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia Scale (MES) for patients' group (BPD), 3-Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (MAS) for patients' group (BPM), 4-assessment of euthymic state of mood included both MAS and MES, 5-MMSE, MTS and CDT were performed to assess cognitive functions, 6-cognitive styles evaluation included Fear of Failure, Hopelessness Scale, (the Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale SDAS-9 and Arabic Anger Scale. RESULTS: Definite cognitive function impairment and different patterns of cognitive style were detected in case groups. MMSE, MTS and CDT scores were statistically significant. Fear of Failure Scale Scores were higher in BPM; 16 (53.33%) reported severe intensity compared to 16 (53.33%) of BPD Group reporting moderate intensity and 30 (100%) of the control group reporting only mild intensity of fear of failure with statistically significant differences. Although patients were in euthymic state; Hopelessness Scale discriminated between those with affective disorders and controls and other scores for hostility SADS-9 and Arabic Anger Scale. Moreover, measures of cognitive styles showed differences among patients of the case groups who joined psychotherapy program in their management (28) compared to those who did not (32). LIMITATION: Cognitive impact of psychotropic drugs could not be eliminated since the current study is naturalistic study. CONCLUSIONS: Those with BAD in euthymic state suffer from cognitive dysfunction and some aspects of cognitive styles that may negatively interfere with their performance. Psychotherapeutic programs should consider these findings in their approaches for better impact on patients' quality of life and overall treatment outcome.

Quality of life in obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a profound impact with a high disease burden. In order to truly understand the scope of the effect OCD has on the patient population, one must take into account not only the relentless symptoms beleaguering the patients but also examine their overall ability to enjoy their life. Quality of life (QOL) assessments/improvements are becoming an increasingly important component of healthcare, especially in the mental health field. This review examines QOL in OCD, as well as the influence of comorbidities, and the impact that OCD treatment has on QOL. We searched MEDLINE/PUBMED and PsycINFO databases from 1980-2011 using keywords "obsessive compulsive disorder" OR "OCD" AND "quality of life" OR "QOL." Fifty-eight studies meeting specific selection criteria were ultimately included in this review. The results show that QOL in OCD is significantly impaired when compared to QOL in the general population and in patients with other psychiatric and medical disorders. Likewise, QOL in OCD also appears to be largely affected by comorbid conditions, which should be taken into account when developing a treatment plan. Furthermore, QOL in OCD has been shown to improve with medications and with both individual and group psychotherapy, albeit not to the levels enjoyed by community norms. QOL assessment in both clinical and research settings is important to examine the disease burden, to monitor treatment effectiveness, and to determine full recovery from OCD. Treatment providers should strive to not only reach symptom abatement, but also to assure that patients have regained satisfaction and functioning in their daily lives.

Development and validation of the Individual Burden of Illness Index for Major Depressive Disorder (IBI-D).

This study aims at developing a single numerical measure that represents a depressed patient's individual burden of illness. An exploratory study examined depressed outpatients (n = 317) followed by a hypothesis confirmatory study using the NIMH STAR*D trial (n = 2,967). Eigenvalues/eigenvectors were obtained from the Principal Component Analyses of patient-reported measures of symptom severity, functioning, and quality of life. The study shows that a single principal component labeled as the Individual Burden of Illness Index for Depression (IBI-D) accounts for the vast majority of the variance contained in these three measures providing a numerical z score for clinicians and investigators to determine an individual's burden of illness, relative to other depressed patients.

A descriptive analysis of quality of life using patient-reported measures in major depressive disorder in a naturalistic outpatient setting.

PURPOSE: Major depressive disorder (MDD) negatively impacts different aspects of an individual's life leading to grave impairments in quality of life (QOL). We performed a detailed analysis of the interaction between depressive symptom severity, functioning, and QOL in outpatients with MDD in order to better understand QOL impairments in MDD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 319 consecutive outpatients seeking treatment for DSM-IV-diagnosed MDD at an urban hospital-based outpatient clinic from 2005 to 2008 as part of the Cedars-Sinai Psychiatric Treatment Outcome Registry, a prospective cohort study of clinical, functioning, and patient-reported QOL outcomes in psychiatric disorders using a measurement-based care model. This model utilizes the following measures: (a) Depressive symptom severity: Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR); (b) Functioning measures: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), Work and Social Adjustment Scale, and the Endicott Work Productivity Scale; and (c) Quality of Life measure: Quality of Life, Enjoyment, and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q). RESULTS: QOL is significantly impaired in MDD, with a mean Q-LES-Q score for this study population of 39.8 % (SD = 16.9), whereas the community norm average is 78.3 %. Regression modeling suggested that depressive symptom severity, functioning/disability, and age all significantly contributed to QOL. QIDS-SR (measuring depressive symptom severity), GAF, and SDS (measuring functioning/disability) scores accounted for 48.1, 17.4, and 13.3 % (semi-partial correlation values) of the variance in Q-LES-Q, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that impairment of QOL increases in a monotonic fashion with depressive symptom severity; however, depression symptom severity only accounted for 48.1 % of the QOL variance in our patient population. Furthermore, QOL is uniquely associated with measures of Functioning. We believe these results demonstrate the need to utilize not only Symptom Severity scales, but also Functioning and Quality of Life measures in MDD assessment, treatment, and research.

Quality of life: the ultimate outcome measure of interventions in major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Quality-of-life (QOL) assessment and improvement have recently been recognized as important components of health care, in general, and mental health care, in particular. Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have a significantly diminished QOL. METHODS: Using a Medline search of relevant keywords for the past 26 years, this article reviews the empirical literature to provide information regarding QOL measurement, impairment, impact of comorbidity, and treatment effects in MDD. RESULTS: Studies showed that QOL is greatly affected by depression. Severity of depression is also a major contributor to further reduction in QOL when depression is comorbid with other psychiatric and medical disorders. Treatment for MDD has been shown to improve QOL in the acute treatment phase, but QOL remains low compared to healthy controls even when symptoms are in remission following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MDD suffer from poor QOL even after reduction of symptom severity. Clinicians should therefore include QOL assessment as an important part of treating depression. More research is needed to examine the factors contributing to poor QOL in MDD and to develop interventions to ameliorate it. Additionally, future treatment studies of MDD with or without comorbid disorders should track QOL as the ultimate outcome measure of treatment success.

Oxytocin role in enhancing well-being: a literature review.

OBJECTIVES: Oxytocin (OT) has long been implicated in maternal bonding, sexual behavior and social affiliation behaviors. This paper reviews the wide effects of oxytocin and its key role in well-being. METHODS: Studies were identified through Medline, Pubmed, and PsychINFO search of the English-language literature from the past sixty years (1959 to 2009) using the key word "oxytocin" in human studies. Of the 287 articles identified, 102 were selected for review. RESULTS: OT induces a general sense of well-being including calm, improved social interactions, increased trust, and reduced fear as well as endocrine and physiological changes. Some central effects of OT are temporary and its release is associated with induction of secondary biochemical actions which mediate long-term benefits including blood pressure reduction, calm and affiliative behavior. As OT release is augmented by touch and physiological support so the hormone is involved in both the cause and benefits of social interactions. Just as OT has widespread effects in factors encompassing well-being, its dysfunction is associated with morbidity and decreased quality of life as observed neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and social phobias. CONCLUSIONS: Oxytocin (OT) is of potential use in enhancing interpersonal and individual well-being, and might have more applications in neuropsychiatric disorders especially those characterized by persistent fear, repetitive behavior, reduced trust and avoidance of social interactions.