Antioxidant activity, fatty acids characterization and oxidative stability of Gouda cheese fortified with mango (Mangifera indica L.) kernel fat.

Effect of mango kernel fat (MKF) on antioxidant characteristics and lipolysis of Gouda cheese was investigated. Milk fat (3.5%) was partially replaced with MKF i.e. 5, 10, 15 and 20% concentrations (T1, T2, T3 and T4). Cheese prepared from 100% milk fat served as control. Cheese samples were ripened for 90 days at 6 ± 1 °C and analysed at 0, 45 and 90 days of ripening. Total phenolic contents of control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 14 ± 0.35, 129 ± 0.75, 188 ± 2.52, 267 ± 10.61 and 391 ± 8.46 mg GAE/g. Total flavonoid content of control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 0.22 ± 0.03, 1.47 ± 0.09, 3.62 ± 0.15, 5.88 ± 0.35, 8.29 ± 0.63 mg quercetin equivalent/ml. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of control and experimental samples increased throughout the ripening period. DPPH free radicals scavenging activity of 90 days old control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 16.38 ± 0.0.26e, 30.47 ± 0.64d, 68.62 ± 0.91c, 73.29 ± 0.85b, 92.61 ± 1.44a %. HPLC characterization revealed the existence of mangiferin, caffeic acid, catechin, quercetin and chlorogenic acid in MKF fortified Gouda cheese. Fortification of MKF increased the concentration of C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 in cheese. The concentration of C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 in control were 24.55 ± 0.95, 1.76 ± 0.09 and 0.31 ± 0.02%. While, the concentration of C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 in T4 were 30.11 ± 1.34, 2.79 ± 2.79 and 0.92 ± 0.11%. MKF fortified Gouda cheese had better oxidative stability and sensory characteristics. These results evidenced that antioxidant capacity, unsaturated fatty acids and oxidative stability of Gouda cheese can be improved with MKF.

A review on epidemiology, global prevalence and economical losses of fasciolosis in ruminants.

Fasciolosis is an important plant borne trematode zoonosis in ruminants caused by the Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigentica, It is classified as a neglected tropical disease and found in more than 50 countries especially where sheep and cattle are reared. Fasciolosis is a serious animal health problems in many rural and urban areas of world, causing significant financial losses due to decrease in production and viscera condemnation in animals. Accurate diagnosis of fasciolosis is always remained a challenging task for the field practitioners. There is no comprehensive summary on the occurrence and distribution of the infection at international level. Therefore, we intended to provide a complete overview on the prevalence and epidemiology of fasciolosis in farm animals from a global prospective. It includes to map the global distribution of fasciolosis in different areas of the world to identify the endemic regions which may be a source of potential disease outbreak. The financial liability related to fasciolosis on the livestock production has also been addressed. For this purpose, the published data during 2000-2015 (15 years) on fasciolosis was reviewed and collected by electronic literature search of four databases including Google, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science. Data presented are contemplated to enhance our current understanding of the parasite's geographical distribution, host range, and economic losses. Information provided would be useful for the application of more effective control strategies against fasciolosis in different geo-economics regions of the world.

Cardiac Children Hospital Early Warning ScoreVersus the Inadequate Oxygen Delivery Index for the Detection of Early Warning Signs of Deterioration.

To assess the utility of the Cardiac Children's Hospital Early Warning Score (C-CHEWS) in the early detection of deterioration. DESIGN: Single-center longitudinal pilot study. SETTING: Pediatric cardiac ICU (PCICU), Aga Khan University. INTERVENTIONS: C-CHEWS and Inadequate Oxygen Delivery (IDO2) Index calculation every 2 hours. PATIENTS: A total of 60 children (0 d to 18 yr old). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A single-center longitudinal pilot study was conducted at PCICU. All postoperative extubated patients were assessed and scored between 0 and 11, and these scores were then correlated with the IDO2 index data available from the T3 platform. Adverse events were defined as a need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or reintubation, and death. A total of 920 C-CHEWS and IDO2 scores were analyzed on 60 patients during the study period. There were 36 males and 24 females, and the median age of the study population was 34 months (interquartile range, 9.0-72.0 mo). Fourteen patients (23.3%) developed adverse events; these included 9 reintubations and 5 cardiopulmonary arrests, resulting in 2 deaths. The area under the curve (AUC) for C-CHEWS scores fell in an acceptable range of 0.956 (95% CI, 0.869-0.992), suggesting an optimal accuracy for identifying early warning signs of cardiopulmonary arrest. Whereas, IDO2 showed no discriminatory power to detect the adverse events with an AUC of 0.522 (95% CI, 0.389-0.652). CONCLUSIONS: The C-CHEWS tool provides a standardized assessment and approach to deteriorating congenital cardiac surgery patients in recognizing early postoperative deterioration.

Amomum subulatum: A treasure trove of anti-cancer compounds targeting TP53 protein using in vitro and in silico techniques.

Cancer is a primary global health concern, and researchers seek innovative approaches to combat the disease. Clinical bioinformatics and high-throughput proteomics technologies provide powerful tools to explore cancer biology. Medicinal plants are considered effective therapeutic agents, and computer-aided drug design (CAAD) is used to identify novel drug candidates from plant extracts. The tumour suppressor protein TP53 is an attractive target for drug development, given its crucial role in cancer pathogenesis. This study used a dried extract of Amomum subulatum seeds to identify phytocompounds targeting TP53 in cancer. We apply qualitative tests to determine its phytochemicals (Alkaloid, Tannin, Saponin, Phlobatinin, and Cardic glycoside), and found that alkaloid composed of 9.4% ± 0.04% and Saponin 1.9% ± 0.05% crude chemical constituent. In the results of DPPH Analysis Amomum subulatum Seeds founded antioxidant activity, and then we verified via observing methanol extract (79.82%), BHT (81.73%), and n-hexane extract (51.31%) found to be positive. For Inhibition of oxidation, we observe BHT is 90.25%, and Methanol (83.42%) has the most significant proportion of linoleic acid oxidation suppression. We used diverse bioinformatics approaches to evaluate the effect of A. subulatum seeds and their natural components on TP53. Compound-1 had the best pharmacophore match value (53.92), with others ranging from 50.75 to 53.92. Our docking result shows the top three natural compounds had the highest binding energies (-11.10 to -10.3 kcal/mol). The highest binding energies (-10.9 to -9.2 kcal/mol) compound bonded to significant sections in the target protein's active domains with TP53. Based on virtual screening, we select top phytocompounds for targets which highly fit based on pharmacophore score and observe these compounds exhibited potent antioxidant activity and inhibited cancer cell inflammation in the TP53 pathway. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that the ligand was bound to the protein with some significant conformational changes in the protein structure. This study provides novel insights into the development of innovative drugs for the treatment of cancer disorders.

Predicting the effects of rare genetic variants on oncogenic signaling pathways: A computational analysis of HRAS protein function.

The HRAS gene plays a crucial role in regulating essential cellular processes for life, and this gene's misregulation is linked to the development of various types of cancers. Nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) within the coding region of HRAS can cause detrimental mutations that disrupt wild-type protein function. In the current investigation, we have employed in-silico methodologies to anticipate the consequences of infrequent genetic variations on the functional properties of the HRAS protein. We have discovered a total of 50 nsSNPs, of which 23 were located in the exon region of the HRAS gene and denoting that they were expected to cause harm or be deleterious. Out of these 23, 10 nsSNPs ([G60V], [G60D], [R123P], [D38H], [I46T], [G115R], [R123G], [P11OL], [A59L], and [G13R]) were identified as having the most delterious effect based on results of SIFT analysis and PolyPhen2 scores ranging from 0.53 to 69. The DDG values -3.21 kcal/mol to 0.87 kcal/mol represent the free energy change associated with protein stability upon mutation. Interestingly, we identified that the three mutations (Y4C, T58I, and Y12E) were found to improve the structural stability of the protein. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structural and dynamic effects of HRAS mutations. Our results showed that the stable model of HRAS had a significantly lower energy value of -18756 kj/mol compared to the initial model of -108915 kj/mol. The RMSD value for the wild-type complex was 4.40 Å, and the binding energies for the G60V, G60D, and D38H mutants were -107.09 kcal/mol, -109.42 kcal/mol, and -107.18 kcal/mol, respectively as compared to wild-type HRAS protein had -105.85 kcal/mol. The result of our investigation presents convincing corroboration for the potential functional significance of nsSNPs in augmenting HRAS expression and adding to the activation of malignant oncogenic signalling pathways.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Modified 316L Stainless Steel Alloy for Biomedical Applications Using Powder Metallurgy.

AISI 316L stainless steel (SS) is one of the extensively used biomaterials to produce implants and medical devices. It provides a low-cost solution with ample mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility compared to its counterpart materials. However, the implants made of this material are subjected to a short life span in human physiological conditions leading to the leaching of metal ions, thus limiting its use as a biomaterial. In this research, the addition of boron, titanium, and niobium with varying concentrations in the SS matrix has been explored. This paper explores the impact of material composition on modified SS alloy's physical and mechanical properties. The study's outcomes specify that the microhardness increases for all the alloy compositions, with a maximum increase of 64.68% for the 2 wt.% niobium added SS alloy. On the other hand, the tensile strength decreased to 297.40 MPa for the alloy containing 0.25 wt.% boron and 2 wt.% titanium additions compared to a tensile strength of 572.50 MPa for pure SS. The compression strength increased from 776 MPa for pure SS to 1408 MPa for the alloy containing niobium and titanium additions in equal concentrations.

Impact of Ga3+ Ions on the Structure, Magnetic, and Optical Features of Co-Ni Nanostructured Spinel Ferrite Microspheres.

Co-Ni ferrite is one of the crucial materials for the electronic industry. A partial substitution with a rare-earth metal brings about modification in crystal lattice and broadens knowledge in the discovery of new magnetic material. Current work reports a Ga3+ substitution in the Co-Ni ferrite with composition Co0.5Ni0.5Fe2-xGaxO4 (where x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0), herein referred to as spinel ferrite microspheres (CoNiGa-SFMCs). The samples were crystallized hydrothermally showing a hollow sphere morphology. The crystal phase, magnetic, morphology, and optical behaviour were examined using various microscopy and spectroscopic tools. While the XRD confirmed the phase of SFMCs, the crystallite size varied between 9 and 12 nm. The Tauc plot obtained from DRS (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy) shows the direct optical energy bandgap (Eg) of the products, with the pristine reading having the value of 1.41 eV Eg; the band gap increased almost linearly up to 1.62 eV along with rising the Ga3+ amount. The magnetic features, on the other hand, indicated the decrease in coercivity (Hc) as more Ga3+ is introduced. Moreover, there was a gradual increase in both saturation magnetization (Ms) and magnetic moment (nB) with increasing amount of Ga3+ till x = 0.6 and then a progressive decline with increases in the x content; this was ascribed to the spin-glass-like behavior at low temperatures. It was detected that magnetic properties correlate well with crystallite/particle size, cation distribution, and anisotropy.

Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Zirconium Nanoparticles: Advanced Leaps and Bounds in the Recent Past.

Many synthetic routes manufacture zirconium nanoparticles in metal oxide, nitride, and other combination forms. Coupled with other variables such as concentration, pH, and form of precursor used, the various synthetic methods support synthesizing the zirconium metal oxide nanoparticles with changed features. Various synthetic methods were studied, such as sol-gel, hydrothermal, laser ablation, and precipitation. All have different synthetic routes, different precursors and solvents were sued, and the product was characterized by SEM, TEM, photo luminance spectroscopy, UV-absorption spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction determined the crystal structure by identifying the crystal shape, arrangement of atoms, and spacing between them. SEM and TEM studied the particle size and morphology of nanoparticles. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and PL spectroscopy were used for the determination of optical properties of nanoparticles. Zirconium oxide nanoparticles have many applications in the medical field. The review study primarily focuses on the efficient combination of zirconium dioxide with other additive materials and functionalization techniques used to improve the material's properties, assisting the use of the material in hip arthroplasty and bone tissue applications. The development of sophisticated near-infrared (NIR) absorbing small molecules for useful phototheranostic applications was discussed in this paper.

Investigation of Coatings, Corrosion and Wear Characteristics of Machined Biomaterials through Hydroxyapatite Mixed-EDM Process: A Review.

Together, 316L steel, magnesium-alloy, Ni-Ti, titanium-alloy, and cobalt-alloy are commonly employed biomaterials for biomedical applications due to their excellent mechanical characteristics and resistance to corrosion, even though at times they can be incompatible with the body. This is attributed to their poor biofunction, whereby they tend to release contaminants from their attenuated surfaces. Coating of the surface is therefore required to mitigate the release of contaminants. The coating of biomaterials can be achieved through either physical or chemical deposition techniques. However, a newly developed manufacturing process, known as powder mixed-electro discharge machining (PM-EDM), is enabling these biomaterials to be concurrently machined and coated. Thermoelectrical processes allow the migration and removal of the materials from the machined surface caused by melting and chemical reactions during the machining. Hydroxyapatite powder (HAp), yielding Ca, P, and O, is widely used to form biocompatible coatings. The HAp added-EDM process has been reported to significantly improve the coating properties, corrosion, and wear resistance, and biofunctions of biomaterials. This article extensively explores the current development of bio-coatings and the wear and corrosion characteristics of biomaterials through the HAp mixed-EDM process, including the importance of these for biomaterial performance. This review presents a comparative analysis of machined surface properties using the existing deposition methods and the EDM technique employing HAp. The dominance of the process factors over the performance is discussed thoroughly. This study also discusses challenges and areas for future research.

Synthesis, Surface Nitriding and Characterization of Ti-Nb Modified 316L Stainless Steel Alloy Using Powder Metallurgy.

The powder metallurgy (PM) technique has been widely used for producing different alloy compositions by the addition of suitable reinforcements. PM is also capable of producing desireable mechanical and physical properties of the material by varying process parameters. This research investigates the addition of titanium and niobium in a 316L stainless steel matrix for potential use in the biomedical field. The increase of sintering dwell time resulted in simultaneous sintering and surface nitriding of compositions, using nitrogen as the sintering atmosphere. The developed alloy compositions were characterized using OM, FESEM, XRD and XPS techniques for quantification of the surface nitride layer and the nitrogen absorbed during sintering. The corrosion resistance and cytotoxicity assessments of the developed compositions were carried out in artificial saliva solution and human oral fibroblast cell culture, respectively. The results indicated that the nitride layer produced during sintering increased the corrosion resistance of the alloy and the developed compositions are non-cytotoxic. This newly developed alloy composition and processing technique is expected to provide a low-cost solution to implant manufacturing.

On the Effects of Process Parameters and Optimization of Interlaminate Bond Strength in 3D Printed ABS/CF-PLA Composite.

The scope of additive manufacturing, particularly fused deposition modelling (FDM), can indeed be explored with the fabrication of multi-material composite laminates using this technology. Laminar composite structures made up of two distinct materials, namely acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and carbon fiber reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA), were produced using the FDM process. The current study analyzes the effect of various printing parameters on the interfacial bond strength (IFBS) of the ABS/CF-PLA laminar composite by employing response surface methodology. The physical examination of the tested specimens revealed two failure modes, where failure mode 1 possessed high IFBS owing to the phenomenon of material patch transfer. Contrarily, failure mode 2 yielded low IFBS, while no patch transfer was observed. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that printing parameters were highly interactive in nature. After extensive experimentation, it was revealed that good quality of IFBS is attributed to the medium range of printing speed, high infill density, and low layer height. At the same time, a maximum IFBS of 20.5 MPa was achieved. The study presented an empirical relation between printing parameters and IFBS that can help in forecasting IFBS at any given printing parameters. Finally, the optimized printing conditions were also determined with the aim to maximize IFBS.

Balantidium coli in domestic animals: An emerging protozoan pathogen of zoonotic significance.

Balantidium coli (B. coli) is an emerging ciliated protozoan parasite of zoonotic importance which causes a disease balantidiasis in a variety of host species including pigs, camels, ruminants, equines and even human. This disease has a cosmopolitan distribution with high prevalence rates in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world due to favorable geo-climatic conditions for the development and survival of the parasite in these regions. Main reservoir hosts for this pathogen are pigs and animals; acquire infection mainly by the ingestion of the food or water contaminated with the porcine feces. The infected animal manifests clinical signs of anorexia, dehydration, profuse watery diarrhea and retarded growth. Wet mount slide prepared from intestinal scrapings and fecal material is used for the identification of trophozoites and cysts stages of this parasite. PCR can also be used to confirm the parasite. Secnidazole, oxytetracycline and metronidazole have varying efficacy against B. coli infection in various domestic animal species. There is no comprehensive literature available on the occurrence and distribution of the infection at international level. Therefore, the published data between 1989 and 2019 regarding this disease is critically analyzed to provide a detailed overview on this pathogen with special emphasis on geographical distribution of B. coli in domestic animals and different therapeutic agents used to treat this infection. This review will pinpoint the endemic regions which may be a source of potential disease outbreaks and will also help in application of more effectual control strategies against balantidiasis.

Adsorptive removal of acidic dye onto grafted chitosan: A plausible grafting and adsorption mechanism.

In the present research, a biopolymer Chitosan (C) grafted with ethylenediamine (EDA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were compared for the adsorption of Congo red dye from aqueous phase. The grafted chitosan product was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and point of zero charge to study the change in mechanical and thermal properties. The effects of process variables like adsorbent loading, initial dye concentration, initial solution pH, contact time and temperature on adsorption phenomena were investigated. The equilibrium isotherm data was analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, and the adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.992 and 0.991 for EDAC and MAC, respectively). The maximum adsorption capacity of EDAC and MAC for Congo red uptake calculated from Langmuir isotherm model was 1607 mg/g and 1143 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetics was studied using pseudo 1st and 2nd order models. Pseudo second order rate model provided the best fit for both grafted adsorbents with R2 ≥0.99. The values of Gibbs free energy (-9.628 and -8.878 kJ/mol), enthalpy (44.9 and 42.2 kJ/mol) and entropy (0.18 and 0.17 J/mol·K) revealed spontaneous and endothermic adsorption of Congo red onto EDAC and MAC surface. The pollutant adsorption test indicated that chitosan grafting with ethylenediamine is superior to Methyl acrylate grafting agent.

Date palm ash-MgAl-layered double hydroxide composite: sustainable adsorbent for effective removal of methyl orange and eriochrome black-T from aqueous phase.

Date palm ash (DPA) and MgAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) composites were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The DPA-MgAl-LDH (DPA/MgAl) composites were employed for the removal of methyl orange (MO) and eriochrome black-T (EBT) from aqueous phase. Incorporation of 33.33% (w/w) DPA into the layers of MgAl increased the surface area from 44.46 to 140.65 m2/g, which leads to the improved adsorption performance. The maximum adsorption capacity of DPA/MgAl (1:2) at 298 K was 242.98 and 425.16 (mg/g) for MO and EBT, respectively. The adsorption data of dyes were adequately fitted by a pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm model. The composite showed excellent reusability performance up to three cycles. Addition of DPA into MgAl-LDH resulted in an effective low-cost adsorbent for decontamination of dyes from wastewater. Graphical abstract ᅟ.