Optimization of isotropic MoS2/PES membranes for efficient treatment of industrial oily wastewater.

Elimination of tiny oil droplets nearly miscible with wastewater can be realized using membrane technology through ultrafiltration. The novelty of this work was to blend different phases of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) in isotropic polyethersulfone (PES). We prepared isotropic PES membranes by optimizing nonsolvent vapour-induced phase separation (VIPS). Membranes were blended with MoS2 nanosheets of different phases to promote separation performance and antifouling resistance. FE-SEM revealed the flower-like surface morphology of MoS2 nanosheets. HR-TEM of MoS2 revealed 2H domains in the monolayer, flakes of a few layers and a d-spacing of 0.22 nm. Raman spectroscopy could be used to distinguish mixed-phase MoS2 from single-phase MoS2. Isotropic PES membranes modified with 70% 1T/2H MoS2 had a significantly high permeance to pure water (6911 kg m-2 h bar). The same membrane possessed a high efficiency of oil rejection of 98.78%, 97.85%, 99.83% for emulsions of industrial crude oil at 100, 1000 and 10 000 mg L-1, respectively. Removal of oil droplets from wastewater was dominated by a mechanism based on size exclusion. Isotropic PES modified with 2H MoS2 possessed superior oleophilicity, which resulted in low rejection of crude oil. Modified membranes showed excellent fouling resistance for three successive filtration cycles, as evidenced by enhanced antifouling parameters. Our study reveals how the phase composition of MoS2 nanosheets can significantly affect the performance of isotropic PES membranes during the ultrafiltration of oily wastewater.

Recent advances in functional micro/nanomaterials for removal of crude oil via thermal effects.

Crude oil is one of the most widely used energy and industrial raw materials that is crucial to the world economy, and is used to produce various petroleum products. However, crude oil often spills during extraction, transportation and use, causing negative impacts on the environment. Thus, there is a high demand for products to remediate leaked crude oil. Among them, oleophilic and hydrophobic adsorbents can absorb crude oil through thermal effects and are research hotspots. In this review, we first present an overview of wettability theory, the heating principles of various thermal effects, and the theory of reducing crude oil viscosity by heating. Then we discuss adsorbents based on different heating methods including the photothermal effect, Joule heating effect, alternating magnetic field heating effect, and composite heating effect. Preparation methods and oil adsorption performance of adsorbents are summarized. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of various heating methods are briefly summarized, as well as the prospects for future research.

Robust, self-adhesive and anti-bacterial silk-based LIG electrodes for electrophysiological monitoring.

Flexible wearable electrodes have been extensively used for obtaining electrophysiological signals towards smart health monitoring and disease diagnosis. Here, low-cost, and non-conductive silk fabric (SF) have been processed into highly conductive laser induced graphene (LIG) electrodes while maintaining the original structure of SF. A CO2-pulsed laser was utilized to produce LIG-SF with controlled sheet resistance and mechanical properties. Laser processing of SFs under optimized conditions yielded LIG-SF electrodes with a high degree of homogeneity on both, top and bottom layers. Silk fibroin/Ca2+ adhesive layers effectively promoted the adhesive, anti-bacterial properties and provided a conformal contact of LIG-SF electrodes with human skin. Compared with conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes, LIG-SF electrodes possesses a much lower contact impedance in contact with human skin enabling highly stable electrophysiological signals recording. The applicability of adhesive LIG-SF electrodes to acquire electrocardiogram (ECG) signals was investigated. ECG signals recordings of adhesive LIG-SF electrodes showed excellent performance compared to conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes at intense body movements while running at different speeds for up to 9 km over a duration of 24 h. Therefore, our proposed adhesive LIG-SF electrodes can be applied for long-term personalized healthcare monitoring and sports management applications.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SICKLE CELL NEPHROPATHY AND SOME BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF HAEMOLYSIS AMONGST PATIENTS WITH SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA IN KANO, NORTHWESTERN NIGERIA.

Introduction: Advancements in the care of patients with sickle cell anaemia have led to significant improvement in survival with many patients reaching adulthood. As they age, long-term complications of the disease manifest in them, notable amongst which is nephropathy which is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in them. There is limited information about sickle cell nephropathy and some biochemical markers of haemolysis that can detect it early in our setting. This study aimed to determine the relationship between some indirect markers of haemolysis and sickle cell nephropathy. Methodology: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional one where 204 adolescent and adult patients with sickle cell anaemia attending the clinic of AKTH Kano were recruited. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized. Blood samples were taken for determination of serum bilirubin, LDH, and reticulocyte count. Spot urine was used to quantitatively determine albumin to creatinine ratio. Data collated was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Result: Two hundred and four (204) participants were enrolled in to the study. Their mean age was 19.6±5years. Females were the majority 131/204 (64.2%). The median (IQR) serum lactate dehydrogenase, bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and reticulocyte count were 607.0(487.3-758.5) U/L, 54.5(37.0-119.0) umol/L, 16.0(11.3-29.0) umol/L and 4.0(3.0-8.4%) respectively. Sickle cell nephropathy was found in 29/204 (14.2%). There were positive significant associations between sickle cell nephropathy with raised serum bilirubin and serum lactate dehydrogenase (p-value = 0.02 and 0.032 respectively). Conclusion: Sickle cell nephropathy is common amongst patients with sickle cell anaemia and raised serum bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase are predictors of sickle cell nephropathy.

Development and Evaluation of a Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System for Sinapic Acid with Improved Antiviral Efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.

This study aimed to develop a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNE) for sinapic acid (SA) to improve its solubility and antiviral activity. Optimal components for the SA-SNE formulation were selected, including Labrafil as the oil, Cremophor EL as the surfactant, and Transcutol as the co-surfactant. The formulation was optimized using surface response design, and the optimized SA-SNE formulation exhibited a small globule size of 83.6 nm, high solubility up to 127.1 ± 3.3, and a 100% transmittance. In vitro release studies demonstrated rapid and high SA release from the formulation. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed improved bioavailability by 2.43 times, and the optimized SA-SNE formulation exhibited potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. The developed SA-SNE formulation can enhance SA's therapeutic efficacy by improving its solubility, bioavailability, and antiviral activity. Further in silico, modeling, and Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD)-based studies revealed that SA could interact with and inhibit the viral main protease (Mpro). This research contributes to developing effective drug delivery systems for poorly soluble drugs like SA, opening new possibilities for their application via nebulization in SARS-CoV-2 therapy.

Spontaneous Formation of 3D Breast Cancer Tissues on Electrospun Chitosan/Poly(ethylene oxide) Nanofibrous Scaffolds.

Three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture has attracted a great deal of attention as a result of the need to replace the conventional two-dimensional cell cultures with more meaningful methods, especially for understanding the sophisticated nature of native tumor microenvironments. However, most techniques for 3D tissue culture are laborious, expensive, and limited to spheroid formation. In this study, a low-cost and highly effective nanofibrous scaffold is presented for spontaneous formation of reproducible 3D breast cancer microtissues. Experimentally, aligned and non-aligned chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibrous scaffolds were prepared at one of two chitosan concentrations (2 and 4 wt %) and various electrospinning parameters. The resulting fabricated scaffolds (C2P1 and C4P1) were structurally and morphologically characterized, as well as analyzed in silico. The obtained data suggest that the fiber diameter, surface roughness, and scaffold wettability are tunable and can be influenced based on the chitosan concentration, electrospinning conditions, and alignment mode. To test the usefulness of the fabricated scaffolds for 3D cell culture, a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was cultured on their surfaces and evaluated morphologically and biochemically. The obtained data showed a higher proliferation rate for cells grown on scaffolds compared to cells grown on two-dimensional adherent plates (tissue culture plate). The MTT assay revealed that the rate of cell proliferation on nanofibrous scaffolds is statistically significantly higher compared to tissue culture plate (P ≤ 0.001) after 14 days of culture. The formation of spheroids within the first few days of culture shows that the scaffolds effectively support 3D tissue culture from the outset of the experiment. Furthermore, 3D breast cancer tissues were spontaneously formed within 10 days of culture on aligned and non-aligned nanofibrous scaffolds, which suggests that the scaffolds imitate the in vivo extracellular matrix in the tumor microenvironment. Detailed mechanisms for the spontaneous formation of the 3D microtissues have been proposed. Our results suggest that scaffold surface topography significantly influences tissue formation and behavior of the cells.

A review of the role of infections in the aetiology of haemolysis in patients with sickle cell diseases: pathogenesis, management, and prevention

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with chronic haemolysis, immuno-suppression and susceptibility to infections, which may trigger infection-associated haemolysis (IAH). SCD patients are vulnerable to anaemic effect of IAH due to vicious interaction between pre-existing 'inherited' chronic haemolysis and 'acquired' IAH. IAH in SCD manifests as febrile haemolytic crisis with clinical and laboratory features of severe anaemia or pancytopenia. Clinico-pathological perspectives of IAH in SCD are fragmented. This review presents a comprehensive but concise overview of pathogenesis, management and prevention of IAH in SCD. Methodology and results: Online literature search using search terms such as 'sickle cell disease, viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal, infections, hyperhaemolytic crisis, haemophagocytic syndrome, severe anaemia, pancytopenia' in various combinations was done on PubMed/Medline, Google, Google-Scholar and Bing. Overall, 112 relevant publications were retrieved, which included 109 peer reviewed journal articles, 2 World Health Organization (WHO) technical reports, and 1 edited text book. A range of bacterial (Bartonella spp, Mycoplasma spp., Mycobacterium avium complex), viral (Dengue, SARS-CoV-2, Parvovirus-B19, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus), parasitic (Plasmodium spp., Babesia spp.), and fungal (Histoplasma spp.) infections were associated with IAH in SCD. There are two broad types of IAH in patients with SCD; infection associated extra-medullary haemolysis (IAEMH) and infection associated intra-medullary haemolysis (IAIMH). While IAEMH is associated with severe anaemia due to intravascular haemolysis caused by red cell invasion, oxidative injury, auto-antibodies, and/or pathogen-haem interaction, IAIMH is associated with haemophagocytic tri-lineage destruction of haematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow. Conclusion: Various microbial pathogens have been associated with IAH in SCD. SCD patients with fever, severe anaemia or pancytopenia should be investigated for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of IAH, which is a lifethreatening haematological emergency for which transfusion therapy alone may not suffice. Prompt and sustainable termination of IAH may require therapeutic combination of transfusion, anti-microbial chemotherapy, and immune modulation therapy. SCD patients should also receive counselling on hygiene, barrier protection against vectors, routine chemoprophylaxis for locally endemic diseases, and immunization for vaccine-preventable infections as a long-term preventive strategy against IAH.

Starch Nanoparticles for Enhancement of Oral Bioavailability of a Newly Synthesized Thienopyrimidine Derivative with Anti-Proliferative Activity Against Pancreatic Cancer.

PURPOSE: This research aimed to improve water solubility and oral bioavailability of a newly synthesized thienopyrimidine derivative (TPD) with anti-pancreatic cancer activity by loading on starch nanoparticles (SNPs). METHODS: TPD was synthesized, purified and its ADME behavior was predicted using Swiss ADME software. A UV spectroscopy method was developed and validated to measure TPD concentration at various dosage forms. SNPs loaded with TPD (SNPs-TPD) were prepared, characterized for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), entrapment efficiency, in-vitro release, and in-vivo animal study. RESULTS: The Swiss ADME results showed that TPD can be administered orally; however, it has low oral bioavailability (0.55) and poor water solubility. The significant regression coefficient of the calibration curve (r2 = 0.9995), the precision (%RSD < 0.5%) and the accuracy (99.46-101.72%) confirmed the efficacy of the developed UV method. SNPs-TPD had a spherical monodispersed (PDI= 0.12) shape, nanoparticle size (22.98 ± 4.23) and good stability (-21 ± 4.72 mV). Moreover, FT-IR and DSC revealed changes in the physicochemical structure of starch resulting in SNPs formation. The entrapment efficiency was 97% ± 0.45%, and the in-vitro release showed that the SNPs enhanced the solubility of the TPD. The in-vivo animal study and histopathology showed that SNPs enhanced the oral bioavailability of TPD against solid Ehrlich carcinoma. CONCLUSION: SNPs-TPD were superior in drug solubility and oral bioavailability than those obtained from TPD suspension.

Construction of 2D layered TiO2@MoS2heterostructure for efficient adsorption and photodegradation of organic dyes.

In this work, heterostructures of coupled TiO2@MoS2with different phases of MoS2were synthesized via hydrothermal technique. The prepared materials were thoroughly characterized using various techniques, including XRD, SEM, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller, XPS, Zeta potential and UV-vis spectroscopy. The optimized nanocomposites were tested for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl Orange (MO) under visible light as well as the adsorption of Rhodamine b (RhB) and methelene blue (MB) dyes. The TiO2@1T/2H-MoS2heterostructures exhibited a narrow bandgap compared to the other studied nanomaterials. A remarkable photodegradation efficiency of TiO2@1T/2H-MoS2was observed, which completely degraded 20 ppm of MO after 60 min with high stability over four successive cycles. This can be assigned to the formation of unique heterostructures with aligned energy bands between MoS2nanosheets and TiO2nanobelts. The formation of these novel interfaces promoted the electron transfer and increased the separation efficiency of carriers, resulting in high photocatalytic degradation. Furthermore, the adsorption efficiency of TiO2@1T/2H-MoS2was unique, 20 ppm solutions of RhB and MB were removed after 1 and 2 min, respectively. The superior adsorption performance of the TiO2@1T/2H-MoS2can be attributed to its high surface area (279.9 m2g-1) and the rich concentration of active sites. The kinetics and the isothermal analysis revealed that the TiO2@1T/2H MoS2heterstructures have maximum adsorption capacity of 1200 and 970 mg g-1for RhB and MB, respectively. This study provides a powerful way for designing an effective photocatalyst and adsorbent TiO2-based nanocomposites for water remediation.

Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor-Based Fe2O3@MWCNTs for Ivabradine Drug Determination in Pharmaceutical Formulation, Serum, and Urine Samples.

Ivabradine hydrochloride (IVR) is a medically important drug because of its ability to lower the heart rate. Techniques reported for IVR determination were expensive, laborious, besides being of poor selectivity. In this study, iron oxide @ carbon nanotube (Fe2O3@MWCNTs) nanocomposite and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) were synthesized and used in the fabrication of carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) for the potentiometric detection of IVR in biological and pharmaceutical samples. CPEs of the best sensor were formulated from graphite (41 wt%) as a carbon source, MIP (3 wt.%) as an ionophore, Fe2O3@MWCNTs (5 wt%) as a modifier, and nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE, 51 wt.%) as a conductive oil so-called plasticizer. The best sensor exhibits a Nernstian slope (response) of 56 mV decade-1 within the IVR concentration range from 1.0 × 10-3 M to 9.8 × 10-8 M with high selectivity against interfering species (ascorbic, maltose, glucose, lactose, dopamine, glycine) over those reported earlier. The use of Fe2O3@MWCNTs together with MIP in the electrode formulation was found to improve the limit of detection (LOD) from 630 to 98 nM along with high reversibility, a short response time of 30 s, and a good lifetime of more than 2 weeks. The sandwich membrane (SMM) method was used to quantify the H-bonding complexing strength of the MIP binding sites for IVR with Log ß ILn = 11.33. The constructed sensors were successfully applied for the IVR determination in blood serum, urine, and commercial formulations (Savapran®) with high sensitivity.

Insights of doxorubicin loaded graphene quantum dots: Synthesis, DFT drug interactions, and cytotoxicity.

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) such as graphene quantum dots (GQDs), graphene oxide nanosheets (GO), single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, MWCNTs) exhibit different drug loading capacities, release rates, and targeting abilities. This explains the reported discrepancy of their associated therapeutic efficiencies when used as drug carrier systems. In this study, for the first time, two different types of GQDs named GQDs1 and GQDs2 were synthesized, fully characterized, loaded with the chemotherapeutic Doxorubicin (DOX) and compared with other CNMs under the same conditions. The effects of shape (spheres, tubes and sheets), size (30-180 nm), and surface charge (-64.9 to -11.85 mv) of the synthesized CNMs on DOX loading and release efficiency as well as cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells were investigated. Furthermore, the biosafety of the synthesized GQDs was studied both at the in vitro level using human WI-38 cells and at the in vivo level at low and high doses of 5 and 20 mg/Kg using healthy female Wister rats. Results revealed that GO nanosheets showed the highest DOX loading capacity reaching 2.85 mg/mg while GQDs1 exhibited the highest release rate of 78.1%. The in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation indicated that the smallest spherical nanomaterial among the tested CNMs, namely GQDs1 was the most efficient one on delivering DOX into the cells and inhibiting their proliferation. Regarding the biosafety, all CNMs displayed no noticeable cytotoxicity against WI-38, except for GQDs2. Moreover, hematological, biochemical and histological assessment of both kidneys and livers of treated rats assured the high biosafety level. We also present new insights on the first principle calculations investigating the adsorption of DOX on GO and GQDs. The calculations showed that DOX molecules adsorbed almost equally on both nanoforms, however, the flaky nature of our GO monolayers allowed for sandwich-like structures to exist making its loading capacity superior over GQDs. Based on this comprehensive study, GQDs is the most promising type of the tested CNMs to be used in further studies.

t-Butyl calixarene/Fe2O3@MWCNTs composite-based potentiometric sensor for determination of ivabradine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations.

Ivabradine hydrochloride (IVB) has shown high medical importance as it is a medication for lowering the heart rate for the symptomatic chronic heart failure and symptomatic management of stable angina pectoralis. The high dose of IVB may cause severe and prolonged bradycardia, uncontrolled blood pressure, headache, and blurred vision. In this study, a highly sensitive carbon-paste electrode (CPEs) was constructed for the potentiometric determination of IVB in pharmaceutical formulations. t-Butyl calixarene (t-BCX) was used as an ionophore due to its ability to mask IVB in the cavity via multiple H-bonding at the lower rim, as estimated quantitatively by the sandwich membrane method (Log ßILn = 8.62). Besides, the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with Fe2O3 nanoparticles (Fe2O3@MWCNTs) as an additive for the paste electrode significantly improved the detection limit of the sensor up to 36 nM, with Nernstian response of 58.9 mV decade-1 in the IVB linear dynamic range of 10-3-10-7 M in aqueous solutions. The constructed sensors showed high selectivity against interfering species that may exist in physiological fluids or pharmaceutical formulations (e.g. Na+, K+, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Ba2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Cr3+, Sr2+, glucose, lactose, maltose, glycine, dopamine, and ascorbic acid). The sensors were successfully employed for IVB determination in the pharmaceutical formulations (Savapran®).

Tailored CNTs Buckypaper Membranes for the Removal of Humic Acid and Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a robust material and proven as a promising candidate for a wide range of electronic, optoelectronic and environmental applications. In this work, two different methods were utilized for the preparation of CNTs exhibiting different aspect ratios via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The as-prepared CNTs were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2adsorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy in order to investigate their morphological and structural properties. Free-standing CNTs "buckypaper" membranes were fabricated, characterized and tailored to meet the requirements of two applications, i.e., (1) the removal of humic acid (HA) from water and (2) separation of oil-in-water emulsions. It was revealed that the hydrophobic buckypapers showed high separation performance for Shell oil-in-water emulsions filtration, with up to 98% through the accumulation of oil droplets onto the membrane surface. The absorption capacity of buckypaper membranes for various organic liquids (oil, chloroform and toluene) was evaluated over 10 absorption cycles to investigate their recyclability and robustness. Moreover, surface modification was introduced to the pristine CNTs to increase their surface hydrophilicity and improve the pure water permeability of buckypapers. These modified buckypapers showed high flux for HA solutions and excellent HA rejection efficiency up to 95%via size exclusion and electrostatic repulsion mechanisms.

Untapped Potential of Polymorph MoS2: Tuned Cationic Intercalation for High-Performance Symmetric Supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors have been the key target as energy storage devices for modern technology that need fast charging. Although supercapacitors have large power density, modifications should be done to manufacture electrodes with high energy density, longer stability, and simple device structure. The polymorph MoS2 has been one of the targeted materials for supercapacitor electrodes. However, it was hard to tune its phase and stability to achieve the maximum possible efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate the effect of the three main phases of MoS2 (the stable semiconductor 2H, the metastable semiconductor 3R, and the metastable metallic 1T) on the capacitance performance. The effect of the cation intercalation on the capacitance performance was also studied in Li2SO4, Na2SO4, and K2SO4 electrolytes. The performance of the electrode containing the metallic 1T outperforms those of the 2H and 3R phases in all electrolytes, with the order 1T > 3R > 2H. The 1T/2H phase showed a maximum performance in the K2SO4 electrolyte with a specific capacitance of 590 F g-1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s-1. MoS2 showed a good performance in both positive and negative potential windows allowing the fabrication of symmetric supercapacitor devices. The 1T MoS2 symmetric device showed a power density of 225 W/kg with an energy density of 4.19 Wh/kg. The capacitance retention was 82% after 1000 cycles, which is an outstanding performance for the metastable 1T-containing electrode.

Influence of Surface Micro-Patterning and Hydrogel Coating on Colloidal Silica Fouling of Polyamide Thin-Film Composite Membranes.

In this work, colloidal fouling by silica particles of different sizes on micro-patterned pristine and poly-(N-isopropylacylamide)-coated polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes was studied. The competing impacts of surface micro-patterning vs. surface chemical modification on enhancing antifouling propensity in unstirred dead-end filtration conditions were systematically explored. Spatially selective deposition of silica microparticles (500 nm), driven by unequal flow distribution, was observed on micro-patterned membranes such that silica particles accumulated preferentially within the surface pattern's valleys, while keeping apexes regions not fouled. This interesting phenomenon may explain the substantially enhanced antifouling propensity of micro-patterned PA TFC membranes. A detailed mechanism for spatially selective deposition of silica microparticles is proposed. Furthermore, micro-imprinted surface patterns were revealed to influence deposition behavior/packing of silica nanoparticles (50 nm) resulting in very limited flux decline that was, almost, recovered under influence of triggering stirring stimulus during a continued silica filtration experiment. The current findings provide more insights into the potency of surface micro-patterning consolidated with hydrogel coating toward new fouling-resistant PA TFC membranes.

Wet chemistry route for the decoration of carbon nanotubes with iron oxide nanoparticles for gas sensing.

In this work, we investigated the parameters for decorating multiwalled carbon nanotubes with iron oxide nanoparticles using a new, inexpensive approach based on wet chemistry. The effect of process parameters such as the solvent used, the amount of iron salt or the calcination time on the morphology, decoration density and nanocluster size were studied. With the proposed approach, the decoration density can be adjusted by selecting the appropriate ratio of carbon nanotubes/iron salt, while nanoparticle size can be modulated by controlling the calcination period. Pristine and iron-decorated carbon nanotubes were deposited on silicon substrates to investigate their gas sensing properties. It was found that loading with iron oxide nanoparticles substantially ameliorated the response towards nitrogen dioxide.

Lateral thoracic artery as recipient vessel for head and neck free flap reconstruction in the vessel depleted neck: A case report.

Vessel depleted necks present a challenge to identifying suitable recipient vessels for microvascular head and neck reconstruction. Many alternative recipient vessels have been described. The purpose of this report is to describe the feasibility of using the lateral thoracic artery as a recipient vessel for head and neck free flap reconstruction in vessel depleted necks. In this report we describe surgery for a 62 year old male with osteoradionecrosis of the right mandibular body in which we performed right segmental mandibulectomy with free fibular flap reconstruction in a vessel depleted neck. We used the lateral thoracic artery which was ~10 cm in length. It provided good reach to the neck, proper blood flow, and acceptable vessel diameter of ~1.5 mm at 6 cm above the clavicle. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative course and the flap was viable and well healed at 2 months follow-up. The lateral thoracic artery could be considered as one of the options for recipient vessels for microvascular reconstruction in patients with vessel depleted necks.

Revealing the role of the 1T phase on the adsorption of organic dyes on MoS2 nanosheets.

Herein, different phases of MoS2 nanosheets were synthesized, characterized and tested for dye removal from water. The influence of the MoS2 phases as well as the 1T concentration on the adsorption performance of organic dyes MO, RhB and MB was deeply investigated. The results revealed that the 1T-rich MoS2 nanosheets have superior adsorption performance compared to other 2H and 3R phases. The kinetic results of the adsorption process demonstrate that the experimental data followed the pseudo-second order equation. Meanwhile, the adsorption of dyes over the obtained materials was fitted with several isotherm models. The Langmuir model gives the best fitting to the experimental data with maximum a adsorption capacity of 787 mg g-1. The obtained capacity is significantly higher than that of all previous reports for similar MoS2 materials. Computational studies of the 2H and 1T/2H-MoS2 phases showed that the structural defects present at the 1T/2H grain boundaries enhance the binding of hydroxide and carboxyl groups to the MoS2 surface which in turn increase the adsorption properties of the 1T/2H-MoS2 phase.

Betahistine dihydrochloride transdermal delivery via optimized thermosensitive gels: percutaneous absorption evaluation using rat growth as a biomarker.

The aim of this study was to develop and optimize a betahistine dihydrochloride (BH) thermoreversible bioadhesive gel intended for transdermal delivery. The gels were obtained via cold method. A full factorial design was employed to investigate the joint effect of Poloxamer 407 concentration (18 and 20%), adhesive polymer type (Polyvinyl pyrolidone, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and Carbopol 934), and adhesive polymer concentration (0.5 and 1.5%) on gelling temperature, viscosity at 37 °C, and adhesion strength. Data collected were analyzed using multiple linear regression. A desirability index approach with relative importance weight was used to choose the most desirable formulation. F4 (20% Poloxamer+1.5% Carbopol) was selected for further characterization. F4 released 96.97% drug in 12 h across hairless rat skin. F4 gelation temperature and time were 36 ± 0.35 °C, and 6 ± 0.7 min, respectively. F4 adhesive force was 8835.68 dyne/cm2. F4 was tested for its appetite suppressing effect in a rat model and it was evaluated histopathologically. Rats' chow intake and weight gain was significantly decreased with no signs of inflammation or lipolysis when the optimized BH gel formulation, F4, was compared with untreated animals and animals treated with BH free gel. The results suggest that BH is percutaneously absorbed from the gel base and that the BH gel is tolerable. The desirability index approach with relative importance weight of responses was effective in determination of the optimum formulation. BH is systemically effective and well-tolerated when applied topically in hydrogel-based systems. The Carbopol-Poloxamer gel is a promising modality for transdermal delivery of BH.

A comparative study on the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using hybridized 1T/2H, 1T/3R and 2H MoS2 nano-sheets.

MoS2 is a very attractive material and has been well studied for potential applications in various areas. However, due to the wide variety of factors affecting the molecular and electronic structure of MoS2, several contradictory reports about the adsorptive and photocatalytic properties of such materials have been published. In most of these reports, the effect of the actual phase of the materials on the properties was neglected. Here, different phases of MoS2 nanosheets (1T/2H, 1T/3R and 2H) have been obtained using the hydrothermal method with different Mo : S molar ratios and different autoclave filling ratios. The obtained materials have been thoroughly characterized using Raman, UV-vis, powder XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS measurements in order to accurately identify the existing phases in each material. A comparative study of the photocatalytic organic dye degradation efficiency under white light irradiation has been conducted using methyl orange to correlate the different activity of each material to the respective phase composition. The results indicate a much higher performance of the 1T/2H phase compared to the 2H and 3R phases. Detailed computational studies of the different phases revealed the emergence of mid-gap states upon introducing 1T sites into the 2H lattice. This leads to the improvement of the photocatalytic activity of 1T/2H compared to the other prepared materials.