Partial purification of linoleic acid isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria isolated from milk

Abstract Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has attracted the attention of many researchers, especially that of microbial origin due to its biological importance to the consumer. The current study aims to extract LA Isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria from milk and to use the enzyme in the production of CLA. Selective media, including MRS and MRS-Dagatose, were used in isolating local strains. The selected bacterial isolates were tested for their ability to produce LA-Isomerase enzyme. The isolate with high enzymatic activity was selected. After extraction and partial purification of the enzyme, the optimal conditions for the production of conjugated fatty acid were studied, and the reaction products were diagnosed using GC-MS technology. It was found that 11 isolates have the ability to produce CLA at different concentrations, H1 isolate showed the highest production of conjugated fatty acid at a concentration of 120.45 g.ml-1, this isolate was selected as the source for enzyme extraction. The enzymatic activity of the crude extract and partially purified with ammonium sulfate was estimated using color methods at wavelength of 233 nm. The effect of the optimum conditions (pH, temperature, linoleic acid concentration and enzyme concentration) on the CLA product was studied using the partially purified LA Isomerase enzyme, the optimum conditions for production were 6.5, 45 °C, 100 g.ml-1 and 0.7 ml, respectively. The GC-MS technique showed the presence of a number of reaction products that are isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (C9T11, T9T12, T10C12) with different concentrations.

Resumo O Ácido Linoleico Conjugado (CLA) tem chamado a atenção de diversos pesquisadores, principalmente aquele de origem microbiana, devido à sua importância biológica para o consumidor. O presente estudo visa extrair a enzima LA Isomerase da bactéria Lactobacillus paracasei do leite e usar essa enzima na produção de CLA. Meios seletivos, incluindo MRS e MRS-Dagatose, foram usados no isolamento de cepas locais. Os isolados bacterianos selecionados foram testados quanto à sua capacidade de produzir a enzima LA-Isomerase. Foi selecionado o isolado com alta atividade enzimática. Após a extração e purificação parcial da enzima, as condições ideais para a produção de ácido graxo conjugado foram estudadas e os produtos da reação foram identificados usando a tecnologia GC-MS. Verificou-se que 11 isolados possuem capacidade de produzir CLA em diferentes concentrações. O isolado H1 apresentou a maior produção de ácido graxo conjugado, na concentração de 120,45 g.ml-1, e este isolado foi selecionado como fonte para extração enzimática. A atividade enzimática do extrato bruto e parcialmente purificado com sulfato de amônio foi estimada por métodos de coloração em comprimento de onda de 233 nm. O efeito das condições ótimas (pH, temperatura, concentração de ácido linoleico e concentração de enzima) no produto CLA foi estudado usando a enzima LA Isomerase parcialmente purificada e as condições ótimas para produção foram 6,5, 45 °C, 100 g.ml-1 e 0,7 mL, respectivamente. A técnica de GC-MS mostrou a presença de uma série de produtos de reação que são isômeros do ácido linoleico conjugado (C9T11, T9T12, T10C12) com diferentes concentrações.

Partial purification of linoleic acid isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria isolated from milk / Purificação parcial da enzima isomerase do ácido linoleico da bactéria Lactobacillus paracasei isolada do leite

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has attracted the attention of many researchers, especially that of microbial origin due to its biological importance to the consumer. The current study aims to extract LA Isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria from milk and to use the enzyme in the production of CLA. Selective media, including MRS and MRS-Dagatose, were used in isolating local strains. The selected bacterial isolates were tested for their ability to produce LA-Isomerase enzyme. The isolate with high enzymatic activity was selected. After extraction and partial purification of the enzyme, the optimal conditions for the production of conjugated fatty acid were studied, and the reaction products were diagnosed using GC-MS technology. It was found that 11 isolates have the ability to produce CLA at different concentrations, H1 isolate showed the highest production of conjugated fatty acid at a concentration of 120.45 g.ml-1, this isolate was selected as the source for enzyme extraction. The enzymatic activity of the crude extract and partially purified with ammonium sulfate was estimated using color methods at wavelength of 233 nm. The effect of the optimum conditions (pH, temperature, linoleic acid concentration and enzyme concentration) on the CLA product was studied using the partially purified LA Isomerase enzyme, the optimum conditions for production were 6.5, 45 °C, 100 µg.ml-1 and 0.7 ml, respectively. The GC-MS technique showed the presence of a number of reaction products that are isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (C9T11, T9T12, T10C12) with different concentrations.

O Ácido Linoleico Conjugado (CLA) tem chamado a atenção de diversos pesquisadores, principalmente aquele de origem microbiana, devido à sua importância biológica para o consumidor. O presente estudo visa extrair a enzima LA Isomerase da bactéria Lactobacillus paracasei do leite e usar essa enzima na produção de CLA. Meios seletivos, incluindo MRS e MRS-Dagatose, foram usados no isolamento de cepas locais. Os isolados bacterianos selecionados foram testados quanto à sua capacidade de produzir a enzima LA-Isomerase. Foi selecionado o isolado com alta atividade enzimática. Após a extração e purificação parcial da enzima, as condições ideais para a produção de ácido graxo conjugado foram estudadas e os produtos da reação foram identificados usando a tecnologia GC-MS. Verificou-se que 11 isolados possuem capacidade de produzir CLA em diferentes concentrações. O isolado H1 apresentou a maior produção de ácido graxo conjugado, na concentração de 120,45 g.ml-1, e este isolado foi selecionado como fonte para extração enzimática. A atividade enzimática do extrato bruto e parcialmente purificado com sulfato de amônio foi estimada por métodos de coloração em comprimento de onda de 233 nm. O efeito das condições ótimas (pH, temperatura, concentração de ácido linoleico e concentração de enzima) no produto CLA foi estudado usando a enzima LA Isomerase parcialmente purificada e as condições ótimas para produção foram 6,5, 45 °C, 100 µg.ml-1 e 0,7 mL, respectivamente. A técnica de GC-MS mostrou a presença de uma série de produtos de reação que são isômeros do ácido linoleico conjugado (C9T11, T9T12, T10C12) com diferentes concentrações.

Survival implications vs. complications: unraveling the impact of vitamin D adjunctive use in critically ill patients with COVID-19-A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Despite insufficient evidence, vitamin D has been used as adjunctive therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an adjunctive therapy in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study that included all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) between March 2020 and July 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their vitamin D use throughout their ICU stay (control vs. vitamin D). The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were the length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation (MV) duration, and ICU-acquired complications. Propensity score (PS) matching (1:1) was used based on the predefined criteria. Multivariable logistic, Cox proportional hazards, and negative binomial regression analyses were employed as appropriate. Results: A total of 1,435 patients were included in the study. Vitamin D was initiated in 177 patients (12.3%), whereas 1,258 patients did not receive it. A total of 288 patients were matched (1:1) using PS. The in-hospital mortality showed no difference between patients who received vitamin D and the control group (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.87-1.71; p = 0.26). However, MV duration and ICU LOS were longer in the vitamin D group (beta coefficient 0.24 (95% CI 0.00-0.47), p = 0.05 and beta coefficient 0.16 (95% CI -0.01 to 0.33), p = 0.07, respectively). As an exploratory outcome, patients who received vitamin D were more likely to develop major bleeding than those who did not [OR 3.48 (95% CI 1.10, 10.94), p = 0.03]. Conclusion: The use of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy in COVID-19 critically ill patients was not associated with survival benefits but was linked with longer MV duration, ICU LOS, and higher odds of major bleeding.

The cranial capacity of the Saudi population measured using 3D computed tomography scans.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the cranial capacity of members of the Saudi adult population across ages and genders. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study that used 488 Computed Tomography (CT) scans of heads (of which 275 males) to measure cranial volume. The CT slices 0.625 mm thick were uploaded using the freely available software "3D-Slicer", which then reconstructed the images and built a 3D module. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) cranial capacity of the males was 1481.6 (±110) cm3 (range: 1241-1723 cm3), whereas the cranial capacity of the females was 1375.4 (±104) cm3 (range: 1203-1678 cm3). This study showed that the males had a mean cranial capacity that was 7% greater than that of the females in this study. The average cranial capacity of the males between the ages of 31 and 40 years was statistically significantly larger to that of the males aged 61-80 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the average cranial capacity of the males was larger than that of the females. These study results can help to determine the normal cranial capacity of adults in Saudi Arabia. Further work should be carried out to aid in establishing reference data for the Saudi population.

Family caregivers' perspectives of cultural beliefs and practices towards mental illness in Zambia: an interview-based qualitative study.

Many elements of mental illness, including accessibility and utilization of mental health care, are influenced by societal cultural ideas. In Zambia, for example, traditional healers are not recognized, yet a large segment of the population continues to use their services due to their conviction. Despite this, studies on cultural beliefs and practices regarding mental illness in Zambia are scarce. Thus, this study is contextualized in Lusaka, Zambia, with the goal of filling a gap in the knowledge by exploring the cultural beliefs and practices surrounding mental illness as experienced by family caregivers caring for a next-of-kin with mental illness. Using a qualitative exploratory design, a purposeful sample of 15 family caregivers of next-of-kins diagnosed with mental illness were recruited. Data were collected via individual interviews, and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The analysis revealed four main themes: (1) prevailing beliefs on cause of mental illness; (2) encountering social support and neglect; (3) recognizing the need of professional help; and (4) seeking culturally influenced help. Findings show that traditional attributions (for example, being bewitched, demon possession and sexual relations with uncleansed widows) are deeply embedded in beliefs and descriptions of what causes mental illness. These beliefs were found to influence not only help-seeking practices but also how people perceived and related to families. Given that beliefs influence caregiver help-seeking, these findings have implications for culturally sensitive practice. The study recommends that public health practitioners consider cultural beliefs and practices when developing health promotion programs, and public health messages.

Apical status and prevalence of endodontic treated teeth among Saudi adults in Eastern province: A prospective radiographic evaluation.

Introduction: The main cause for developing periapical lesions (PA) is the root canal infection. The mentioned causes may play a role in not controlling it but are not a "true" cause. Objective: To determine apical status and prevalence of endodontic treated tooth using radiograph assessment in relation to quality of root canal treatment and clinical factors among Saudi adults in the Eastern province. Patients and methods: This prospective case series study included 2161 patients who received root canal treatment (RCT) at Dammam Specialized Dental Center, Dammam Medical Complex, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, between October 21, 2019 and April 22, 2020, after getting ethical approval from the Institutional Research Board (IRB). Saudi natives of either gender, age ≥ 18, with at least one fixed bridge or single dental crown evaluated on a clear, high-quality radiography image were recruited for the study. To determine the periapical state of root canal-filled teeth, the 'periapical index' (PAI) was used. All pertinent patient information was analyzed in SPSS verion-20 (IBM product, Chicago). Results: Out of 2161 cases, a PA lesion was present in 756 (35.0%). The prevalence of periapical lesions in endodontically treated teeth was 31.2%. PA lesion was associated with molar involvement (50.8% vs. 36.6%, p = 0.001), poor RCT quality (85.2% vs. 51.0%, p = 0.001), and smoking (13.6% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.028). According to logistic regression model, female gender, molar tooth, and poor RCT quality were more likely to expose PA lesion 1.5 times, 1.8 times, and 5 times, respectively. Conclusion: It is concluded that approximately 1/3rd of endodontically treated teeth are susceptible to the occurrence of periapical lesions in radiographic assessment, which are significantly associated with females, molars, and poor RCT quality, indicating a challenge for endodontists to improve their root canal assessment accuracy.

Translation and psychometric validation of the Arabic version of Summary of the Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) among pregnant women with gestational diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is a lack of validated tools to assess adherence to gestational diabetes (GDM) management plan among women with GDM. This study aimed to translate the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activity (SDSCA) into Arabic, culturally adapt it, and test its psychometric properties among women with GDM. METHODS: A multiphase study was used to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of SDSCA using the following steps: (1) cultural and linguistic validation; (2) content and face validity testing; (3) construct validity testing; and (4) internal validity testing. Nineghty pregnant women with GDM were recruited to meet the purpose of this study. RESULTS: The Arabic version of the adapted SDSCA tool revealed adequate content validity, satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74), and test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation coefficient = .67). Exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors that fit data satisfactory: diet, exercise, and blood glucose monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the adapted Arabic SDSCA tool is an easy, valid, and reliable tool to assess pregnant women's adherence to GDM management plan.

AUTOMATED ESTIMATION OF PATIENT'S SIZE USING AUTOWED TOOL AND INDOSECT PROGRAM: A DOSIMETRIC STUDY FOR PAEDIATRIC HEAD CT EXAMINATIONS.

Size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), which can be calculated by measuring the effective diameter (De) or water equivalent diameter (Dw) of the patient, is one of the recent approaches for verifying the individual doses during computer tomography (CT) examinations. This work aimed to compare the Dw estimated by the AutoWED tool and IndoseCT software and to investigate CT axial (ARH) and paediatric head (PH) protocols used in southern Saudi Arabia to calculate the dose received by paediatric patients using metrics of volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and SSDE. The distribution between the ARH and PH protocols was 57.8 and 42.2%, respectively. There was no significant difference in Dw values between the AutoWED tool and the IndoseCT program (0.13%). Including CT table or other objects during estimation of Dw can lead to variation up to 11.4%. The impact of selecting IndoseCT options to identify the border of the patient may be part of the explanation for these variations. A strong linear relationship was obtained between De and Dw in paediatric head size (R2 = 0.96). Using IndoseCT, for 0-1.5, 1.5-5 and 5.0-18 age groups (years), the Dw was found to be 13.2, 15.3 and 16.8 cm, respectively. The SSDE for the PH protocol was substantially lower than that of the ARH protocol. As a result, education of the individuals engaging in paediatric CT examinations is necessary for dose optimization.

Predictors of effective clinical teaching - nursing educators' perspective.

BACKGROUND: The clinical teaching is the core component of the nursing curriculum, the alarming pandemic rates brought uncertainty to clinical teaching, weighing the safety of patients, students, and faculty, which demanded essential modification in clinical teaching and resulted in challenges in relation to effective response to clinical teaching requirements. This study aimed to assess the effective clinical teaching from the nurse educators' perspective during the remote teaching that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study is a national Web-based descriptive study. Participants were recruited from five major Nursing Colleges in Oman. Descriptive and inferential as well as multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 127 nurse educators completed the survey with mean age of 43.9 (SD = 6.9) years. The overall effective clinical teaching score was 54.4 (SD = 10.9) which is considered acceptable, although the nurse educators in Oman reported the highest score on the safety dimension of the effective clinical teaching. Furthermore, females, doctoral prepared nurse educators, and those who acted as preceptors reported higher effective clinical teaching levels compared to their counterparts. The regression analysis showed that age, gender, and attending infection control training are significant predictors of effective clinical teaching. CONCLUSION: The paradigm shift in clinical teaching requires adequate measures including identification and appropriate training of clinical instructors and preceptors to meet clinical teaching demands in remote teaching. It is also important to take actions that promote and maintain the safety prioritization in bedside clinical teaching. These measures might positively impact on the nursing education process.

Simultaneously Acquired MRI Arterial Spin-Labeling and Interictal FDG-PET Improves Diagnosis of Pediatric Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Interictal FDG-PET scans are a routine diagnostic technique for the identification of epileptogenic foci in the presurgical work-up of medically refractory pediatric epilepsy. With the advent of PET/MR imaging, it has become possible to simultaneously acquire FDG-PET and arterial spin-labeling perfusion data. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the incorporation of arterial spin-labeling data with interictal FDG-PET could improve the diagnostic performance metrics of FDG-PET for identification of epileptogenic foci. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five pediatric patients with a mean age of 10.8 years were retrospectively included in this study. These patients all underwent PET/MR imaging to diagnose suspected focal epilepsy. RESULTS: When compared to interpretations of interictal FDG findings alone, FDG combined with arterial spin-labeling findings resulted in significantly decreased sensitivity (0.64 versus 0.52, P = .02), significantly increased specificity (0.50 versus 0.75, P = .04), and an increased positive predictive value (0.59 versus 0.75). The decreased sensitivity was found to be primarily driven by patients with extratemporal lobe epilepsy, as a subgroup analysis showed decreased sensitivity for patients with extratemporal epilepsy (0.52 versus 0.38, P = .04), but not for temporal epilepsy (0.83 versus 0.75, P = .16). Additionally, substantial agreement between focal FDG hypometabolism and arterial spin-labeling hypoperfusion was demonstrated with the Cohen κ (0.70, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that simultaneously acquired interictal FDG-PET and arterial spin-labeling data can improve the diagnosis of epileptogenic foci, especially in the setting of temporal lobe epilepsy where they improve specificity and positive predictive value, with preservation of sensitivity.

Partial purification of linoleic acid isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria isolated from milk.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has attracted the attention of many researchers, especially that of microbial origin due to its biological importance to the consumer. The current study aims to extract LA Isomerase enzyme from Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria from milk and to use the enzyme in the production of CLA. Selective media, including MRS and MRS-Dagatose, were used in isolating local strains. The selected bacterial isolates were tested for their ability to produce LA-Isomerase enzyme. The isolate with high enzymatic activity was selected. After extraction and partial purification of the enzyme, the optimal conditions for the production of conjugated fatty acid were studied, and the reaction products were diagnosed using GC-MS technology. It was found that 11 isolates have the ability to produce CLA at different concentrations, H1 isolate showed the highest production of conjugated fatty acid at a concentration of 120.45 g.ml-1, this isolate was selected as the source for enzyme extraction. The enzymatic activity of the crude extract and partially purified with ammonium sulfate was estimated using color methods at wavelength of 233 nm. The effect of the optimum conditions (pH, temperature, linoleic acid concentration and enzyme concentration) on the CLA product was studied using the partially purified LA Isomerase enzyme, the optimum conditions for production were 6.5, 45 °C, 100 µg.ml-1 and 0.7 ml, respectively. The GC-MS technique showed the presence of a number of reaction products that are isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (C9T11, T9T12, T10C12) with different concentrations.

Effect of Moringa oleifera Leaves against Hepatotoxicity Induced by Bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic compound with alterations in the liver, antioxidant enzymes, and reproductive hormones. The therapeutic potential of Moringa oleifera extract has recently been considered. The present study aimed to estimate the leaf extract of M. oleifera against hepatotoxicity induced by BPA. In total, 44 adult male rats were used in this study, and the experiment was conducted on 11 groups (4 animals per group). The rats were administrated (orally) with 5 and 10 mg/kg BPA and treated (orally) with 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg of the aqueous extract of M. oleifera. After 28 days of challenge, liver enzymes, including aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as a pathological study using the liver tissue sections were determined. The findings showed a significant (P≤0.05) increase in the AST, ALT, and ALP in the BPA groups with different histological changes that included the sclerosis of the bile duct surrounded by fibrocytes and lymphocytes infiltration. After treatment with M. oleifera, the liver enzymes and tissue returned to a normal state and showed non-significant (P≤0.05) differences, compared to the control group. According to the results, it can be concluded that the aqueous extract of M. oleifera has a great potential to prevent and improve liver damage of BPA.

A Study to assess the awareness and use of Silver Diammine Fluoride and Hall Technique among dental professionals and dental students in the Eastern Province.

BACKGROUND: A major shift has occured in the trend of dealing with dental caries from primary to secondary prevention, specially after SDF approval off-label by US FDA in recent years and Hall Technique (HT) in the last decade. OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of awareness and use of Silver Diammine Fluoride (SDF) and Hall technique among dental professionals in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a public hospital, metropolitan city of Middle Eastern region between March 15, 2019 & January 31, 2020. Dental practitioners were requested, with their consent, to fill up a digitally designed survey. Chi-square test on SPSS-20.0 was applied to compare frequency of awareness and use of SDF and HALL Technique among the survey participants. RESULTS: The awareness of SDF was found to be 73.6% among specialists, 54.9% among graduates and 29.6% among students whereas awareness of HALL technique for stainless steel crown in pediatric dentistry was found statistically similar in all participants groups i.e. 42.7% in students, 55.5% in graduates and 54.9% in specialist group (p = 0.125). CONCLUSION: The results show potential with regards to awareness of dental specialists & postgraduate residents but inadequate among general dentists and students though all were keen advocates and found committed to its use to help the community. It points towards a further need of the of education for all groups. Those non- invasive techniques are very useful tools in general but specifically during Covid-19 pandemic where they can play a major role in preventing the spread of infection, arresting decay, alleviating pain and anxiety without resorting to aggressive treatment like pulp treatment/extraction. Low response rate may be improved in future through the respondents' counselling and regular follow up.

Investigation on the Influence of Synovial Fluid and Vitreous Humour on Avulsion Wounds Healing in Rabbits.

In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of vitreous humour and synovial fluid on avulsion wound healing in a rabbit's model. The vitreous humour is a fluid that resembles gel consisting of approximately 98-99% water, little hyaluronic acid, glucose, collagen, anions, cations and ions. It is in the posterior eye chamber for the comparison with synovial fluid that consisted of hyaluronin, lubricin, proteinase, prostaglandins and collagenase. In this study, both synovial fluid and vitreous humour were collected from rabbits by aspiration of vitreous humour from the eye (postmortem) and arthrocentesis procedure was applied for collection of synovial fluid. Twelve adult rabbits were used in this study, they divided into three groups each group consisted of four animals wounded experimentally (an avulsion wound). Our results showed the influence of vitreous humour (group B) on healing of the wound is better than the synovial fluid (group C) in the clinical evaluation of shrinkage of the wound. The histo-pathologically changes also revealed that in the vitreous humour treated group (group B), the wound healing process proceeded better than other groups (control and synovial fluid groups). In conclusion, the histopathological and clinical observations demonstrated that application of vitreous humour on wound might be pivotal in improving the healing of avulsion wounds and establish a new tissue in rabbits.

Sprayed cultured autologous keratinocytes in the treatment of severe burns: a retrospective matched cohort study.

The standard treatment of burns is early excision followed by autologous skin grafting. The closure of extensive deep burns poses a considerable challenge. Cultured autologous keratinocytes have been used since 1981 in an effort to improve healing. However, the time required to culture the cells and the lack of a dermal component limit the expectations of outcome. Our aim was to compare the duration of hospital stay between patients who were treated with autologous skin grafts and cultured autologous keratinocytes and those who were treated with autologous skin grafting without cultured autologous keratinocytes. In this retrospective study all patients treated with cultured autologous keratinocytes between 2012 and 2015 were matched by size and depth of burn with patients not treated with cultured autologous keratinocytes. Multivariable regression was used to analyse associations between duration of hospital stay and treatment adjusted for age, mortality, size and depth of the burn. Then, we investigated the possibility of differentiation of human bone marrow stem cell line to keratinocyte- like cells as a future direction. The regression analysis showed a coefficient of 17.36 (95% CI -17.69 to 52.40), p= 0.32, for hospital stay in the treatment group, compared with the matched group. Our results showed no difference in the duration of hospital stay between the two treatments. Autologous stem cells should be considered as a future modality of burn management, although further studies are needed.

Le traitement de référence des brûlures est l'excision- greffe précoce, qui est problématique en cas d'atteinte étendue. La culture de kératinocytes autologues est utilisée depuis 1981 dans le but de répondre à cette problématique mais se heure au temps nécessaire à sa mise en oeuvre, ainsi qu'à l'absence de feuillet dermique, génératrice de séquelles. Cette étude a comparé la durée de séjour des patients traité par excision- greffe et culture de kératinocytes à celle des patients traités de manière conventionnelle. Les patients hospitalisés entre 2012 et 2015 ont été comparés à des patients de même surface et profondeur traités conventionnellement, en utilisant une analyse multivariée ajustée sur l'âge, la mortalité, la surface et la profondeur de la brûlure. L'analyse n'est pas significative (coefficient 17,36 ; IC95 -17,69 à 52,4 ; p= 0,32). Il serait utile d'étudier l'utilisation des cellules souches médullaires, différentiées en kératinocytes, dans un protocole de culture.

Adopting Machine Learning and Spatial Analysis Techniques for Driver Risk Assessment: Insights from a Case Study.

Traffic violations usually caused by aggressive driving behavior are often seen as a primary contributor to traffic crashes. Violations are either caused by an unintentional or deliberate act of drivers that jeopardize the lives of fellow drivers, pedestrians, and property. This study is aimed to investigate different traffic violations (overspeeding, wrong-way driving, illegal parking, non-compliance traffic control devices, etc.) using spatial analysis and different machine learning methods. Georeferenced violation data along two expressways (S308 and S219) for the year 2016 was obtained from the traffic police department, in the city of Luzhou, China. Detailed descriptive analysis of the data showed that wrong-way driving was the most common violation type observed. Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation in the ArcMap Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to develop violation hotspots zones to guide on efficient use of limited resources during the treatment of high-risk sites. Lastly, a systematic Machine Learning (ML) framework, such as K Nearest Neighbors (KNN) models (using k = 3, 5, 7, 10, and 12), support vector machine (SVM), and CN2 Rule Inducer, was utilized for classification and prediction of each violation type as a function of several explanatory variables. The predictive performance of proposed ML models was examined using different evaluation metrics, such as Area Under the Curve (AUC), F-score, precision, recall, specificity, and run time. The results also showed that the KNN model with k = 7 using manhattan evaluation had an accuracy of 99% and outperformed the SVM and CN2 Rule Inducer. The outcome of this study could provide the practitioners and decision-makers with essential insights for appropriate engineering and traffic control measures to improve the safety of road-users.

The protective effects of Terminalia laxiflora extract on hepato-nephrotoxicity induced by fipronil in male rats.

The present study was led to investigate the defensive role of Terminalia laxiflora extract (TLE) on fipronil (FPN) induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in male rats. Rats were administered with TLE (100 mg/kg) against the renal toxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by administration of FPN (10.5 mg/kg) for 30 days. At the end of the experimental period, the serum, liver, and kidneys were harvested and assessed for subsequent analysis. FPN administration to rats resulted in a significant elevation of serum transaminases, urea, and creatinine. Also, FPN-treated groups exhibited a marked reduction in total protein and albumin levels. Compared with the control group, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was elevated in groups treated with FPN, whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activities, and glutathione levels were distinctly reduced in this group. Significant increases in genomic DNA fragmentation and the expression level of the caspase-3 gene were also recorded. The biochemical result was supported by histopathological findings. Co-administration of TLE along with FPN significantly diminished the liver and kidney function tests decreased the level of lipid peroxidation, and enhanced all the antioxidant enzymes, while also diminishing the expression of caspase-3 and DNA laddering, indicating amelioration of DNA damage. These results indicate that TLE plays a vital role in diminishing FPN-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.

Ameliorative Effect Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Dermal Toxicity Induced By Lead Oxide In Rats.

BACKGROUND: Recently, several studies demonstrate the possible role of zinc oxide (ZnO) in the protection of several skin diseases, but less is known about the role of ZnO nanoparticles in the inflammatory skin disease. So, this study was designed to confirm the pivotal role of the nano zinc oxide cream in the alleviation of lead oxide (PbO) induced-allergic dermatitis in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two concentrations (1% and 6%) of ZnONPs creams were prepared and characterized prior to being used in the study. A total number of 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups. Group 1 (negative control), groups 2&3 (either 1% or 6% ZnONPs control groups), group 4 (PbO), groups 5&6 (co-treatment of each ZnONPs concentration+PbO). All rats in different groups were observed daily to determine the severity of dermal gross lesions. Histopathological studies, mRNA analysis, and oxidative stress evaluations were performed on the affected skin tissue. Immunohistochemical studies were performed to evaluate the expression of cluster of differentiation CD4, CD8 and intercellular adhesion molecules ICAM-1 in different groups. RESULTS: PbO caused extensive skin oxidative damage manifested by a significant increase in MDA level with a decrease in GSH content and CAT activity. The results of histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed that topical application of PbO for 14 days led to severe allergic dermatitis with remarkable elevations in the number of CD4+ T-helper, CD8+ T-cytotoxic lymphocytes, and ICAM-1 expression. On the other hand, noticeable improvements were recorded in all the previous toxicopathological parameters among the groups treated by either 1% or 6% ZnO-NPs cream. However, the best results were observed in the group treated with 1% ZnO-NPs cream. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that 1% of ZnO-NPs cream is safe when applied topically on the inflamed skin. Moreover, it had anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects so that, it is recommended to use the 1% ZnO-NPs cream to avert the dermal toxicity-induced by PbO.

Ultrastable and Biofunctionalizable Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles with Encapsulated Iron for Ferroptosis Assisted Chemodynamic Therapy.

We report the development of novel tumor-targeted conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNPs) carrying iron for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Tumor cell killing proceeds through ferroptosis, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) mechanism that is not dependent on external activation by, for example, light, as is the case in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The ferroptosis mechanism is also not heavily reliant on oxygen availability and is, therefore, promising for the treatment of hypoxic tumors. In this work, we apply this development to the case study of melanoma, a difficult to treat cancer in advanced stages due to resistance to chemotherapy. The iron-carrying CPNPs reported here are targeted to endothelin-B receptors (EDNRB) through endothelin-3 surface moieties (EDN3-CPNPs). Our results show excellent targeting to tumor cells that overexpress EDNRB, specifically for melanoma and bladder tumor cells. In these cases, efficient cell killing, over 80% at higher doses, was found. Conversely, tumor cells not targeted by the EDN3-CPNPs show little effects of CDT, with tumor cell death under 20% in most cases. The outcomes of our work demonstrate that EDN3-CPNPs enable ferroptosis-assisted CDT and present a new therapeutic avenue for tumor treatment.

Hepatocellular carcinoma response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation using automatically generated pre-therapeutic tumour volumes by a random forest-based segmentation protocol.

AIM: To demonstrate the feasibility of correlating pre-therapeutic volumes and residual liver volume (RLV) with clinical outcomes: time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: TTP was calculated from a database of 105 patients, receiving first-line treatment with TACE. TTP cut-off for stratifying patients into responders and non-responders was 28 weeks. Pre-treatment tumour and liver volumes were correlated with the TTP and OS following treatment. Univariate cox-regression model was used to assess whether these volumes could predict TTP and/or OS. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was used to compare the TTP between high and low volume groups for viable, necrotic, and total tumour. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed comparing the OS of 10 patients with the longest TTP (mean=122 weeks) in the responder group and 10 patients with the shortest TTP (mean=7 weeks) in the non-responder group. RESULTS: HCC in high tumour volume groups had a shorter TTP than lesions in low tumour volume groups (p=0.05, p=0.04, p=0.02, for enhancing, non-enhancing, total tumour groups, respectively). A negative (correlation coefficient [CC] 0.3) linear correlation between TTP and tumour volumes, and a positive linear correlation between TTP and residual liver volumes were also demonstrated (CC 0.3). Patients with the longest TTP had a higher OS than with the shortest TTP (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: This demonstrates the feasibility of predicting treatment response of HCC to TACE using volumetric measurements of pre-treatment lesion and the feasibility of correlating RLV with TACE outcome data in HCC patients.