Comparative efficacy of Parthenium hysterophorus (L.) derived biochar and iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticle on heavy metals (HMs) mobility and its uptake by Triticum aestivum (L.) in chromite mining contaminated soils.

In this study we investigated the efficacy of a novel material parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) biochar (PBC), iron doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (nFe-ZnO), and biochar modified with nFe-ZnO (Fe-ZnO@BC) to adsorb heavy metals (HMs) and reduce their uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a highly chromite mining contaminated soil. The co-application of the applied soil conditioners exhibited a positive effect on the immobilization and restricted the HMs uptake below their threshold levels in shoot content of wheat. The maximum adsorption capacity was because of large surface area, cation exchange capacity, surface precipitation, and complexation of the soil conditioners. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed porous smooth structure of parthenium weed derived biochar that helped in HMs adsorption, increase the efficiency of soil fertilizers and nutrients retention which help in the enhancement soil condition. Under different application rates the highest translocation factor (TFHMs) was obtained at 2 g nFe-ZnO rate followed the descending order: Mn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb. The overall TFHMs was found <1.0 indicating that low content of HMs accumulation in roots from soil slight transferred to shoot, thus satisfying the remediation requirements.

Wheat is considered as an important staple food which is grown in a chromite mining contaminated soil containing toxic HMs releasing from weathering of mafic and ultramafic rocks in the study area. The present research work is significantly beneficial in identifying the efficiency of treatment technologies to immobilize toxic HMs in soil. Parthenium weed derived biochar and biochar modified with nFe-ZnO (Fe-ZnO@BC) reduce the HMs uptake by wheat plant.

Partitioning risk factors for embolic stroke of undetermined source using exploratory factor analysis.

BACKGROUND: Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) accounts for up to 25% of strokes. Understanding risk factors associated with ESUS is important in reducing stroke burden worldwide. However, ESUS patients are younger and present with fewer traditional risk factors. Significant global variation in ESUS populations also exists making the clinical picture of this type of stroke unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: ESUS patients were pair matched for age, sex, and ethnicity with a group of all other strokes (both n = 331). Exploratory factor analysis was applied in both groups to 14 risk and clinical factors to identify latent factors. In ESUS patients, two latent factors emerged consisting primarily of heart-related variables such as left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, reduced ejection fraction, and increased left atrial volume index, as well as aortic arch atherosclerosis. This is in comparison to the all other strokes group, which was dominated by traditional stroke risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the existence of a unique pattern of risk factors specific to ESUS. We show that LVWMA and corresponding changes in left heart function are a potential source of emboli in these patients. In addition, the clustering of aortic arch atherosclerosis with left heart factors suggests a causal link. Through the application of exploratory factor analysis, this work contributes to a further understanding of stroke mechanisms in ESUS.

Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization With Gelatin Sponge Microparticles Treated for BCLC Stage B Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Single Center Retrospective Study.

Gelatin sponge particles are commonly used in the conventional transarterial chemoembolization (c-TACE) as an adjuvant embolizing agent for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are few reports regarding the clinical applications of gelatin sponge microparticles (GSMs) as a main embolizing agent in the treatment of HCC. This retrospective study aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B HCC treated with intra-arterial injection of 350 to 560 µm GSMs mixed with anticancer agents.Twenty-four patients with unresectable BCLC stage B HCC without any prior treatment underwent transarterial chemoembolization with gelatin sponge microparticles (GSMs-TACE) of diameter 350 to 560 µm mixed with lobaplatin. The mixture was injected into tumor-feeding arteries until the sluggish flow in selective artery. Safety was measured by assessing complication rate, and efficacy was reflected by assessing response to mRECIST therapy and overall survival. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.All 24 BCLC stage B HCC patients showed good tolerance to the procedure. The mean follow-up period was 27 months and mean number of TACE treatments per patient was 3.7 sessions (range 1-10) during the follow-up period. Postprocedure complications were mild and treated by symptomatic treatment. Six months and 1 year overall survival rates were 100% and 87.5%, respectively. Overall median survival time was 25 months (95%CI: 21.06-28.95 months).GSMs-TACE is a safe and effective method for BCLC stage B HCC patients.