Health Risks in Different Age Group of Nitrate in Spring Water Used for Drinking in Harnai, Balochistan, Pakistan.

This study aims to determine the nitrate exposure and their health assessment in spring water used for drinking in Harnai. Total 24 water samples were collected from four springs used for drinking. Three samples from starting point and three from the end point of each spring were collected. DR/890 multi-parameter portable calorimeter was used for the measurement of nitrate. The concentration of nitrate was ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 mg/l with an average of 0.389 mg/l. The results show that the concentration of nitrate in spring water is 93%, and 99% less than permissible limits recommended by Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and World Health Organization (WHO), respectively. The values of physiochemical parameters like potential of Hydrogen (pH), Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) were ranged from 7.8 to 8.3, 564 to 749 µS/cm, and 36 to 479 mg/l with average values 8.025, 630.5 µS/cm, and 403.5 mg/l, respectively. The calculated mean chronic daily intake (CDI) in three age groups was found 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03 in adults, children, and infants, respectively. Hence, it is concluded that spring water used for drinking in Harnai was considered safe and do not pose any health hazards associated with nitrate.

Efficient biosensing through 1D silver nanostructured devices using plasmonic effect.

The current work explores the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a one dimensional (1D) silver nano-grating device, simulated on glass substrate, which can sense a very small change in the refractive index of an analyte adjacent to it. The most recent modeling technique finite element analysis is applied in this work by using a COMSOL RF module. The models of 1D grating devices of different slit widths with fixed periodicity and film thickness are simulated. The data is collected and then used to study higher refractive index unit per nanometer (RIU/nm) as well as the effect of the widths of the slits on the RIU. A number of investigations are done by the simulated data, like a dip in the transmission spectra of p-polarized light. This dip is due to SPP resonance with the variation of slit width. Furthermore, the most fascinating part of the research is the COMSOL modeling that provides an opportunity to look into factors affecting higher RIU/nm, while visualizing the cross-sectional view of the grating device and strong electric field enhancement at the surface of the metallic device. When the slit width is almost equal to half of the periodicity of the grating device, SPP resonance increases and it is at maximum for the slit width equal to two-thirds of the periodicity, because the coupling efficiency is at maximum.

Methane emissions and the microbial community in flooded paddies affected by the application of Fe-stabilized natural organic matter.

Redox chemistry involving the quinone/phenol cycling of natural organic matter (NOM) is known to modulate microbial respiration. Complexation with metals or minerals can also affect NOM solubilization and stability. Inspired by these natural phenomena, a new soil amendment approach was suggested to effectively decrease methane emissions in flooded rice paddies. Structurally stable forms of NOM such as lignin and humic acids (HAs) were shown to decrease methane gas emissions in a vial experiment using different soil types and rice straw as a methanogenic substrate, and this inhibitory behavior was likely enhanced by ferric ion-NOM complexation. A mechanistic study using HAs revealed that complexation facilitated the slow release of the humic components. Interestingly, borohydride-based reduction, which transformed quinone moieties into phenols, caused the HAs to lose their inhibitory capacity, suggesting that the electron-accepting ability of HAs is vital for their inhibitory effect. In rice field tests, the humic-metal complexes were shown to successfully mitigate methane generation, while carbon dioxide emissions were relatively unchanged. Microbial community analysis of the rice fields by season revealed a decrease in specific cellulose-metabolizing and methanogenic genera associated with methane emissions. In contrast, the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota and Actinomycetota, which are associated with NOM and recalcitrant organics, was higher in the presence of Fe-stabilized HAs. These microbial dynamics suggest that the slow release of humic components is effective in modulating the anoxic soil microbiome, possibly due to their electron-accepting ability. Given the simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and soil-friendly nature of complexation processes, Fe-stabilized NOM represents a promising approach for the mitigation of methane emissions from flooded rice paddies.

Lithium-based perovskites materials for photovoltaic solar cell and protective rays window applications: a first-principle calculations.

Perovskites are the key enabler materials for the solar cell applications in the achievement of high performance and low production costs. In this article, the structural, mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of rubidium-based cubic nature perovskite LiHfO3 and LiZnO3 are investigated. These properties are investigated using density-functional theory with the aid of CASTEP software by introducing ultrasoft pseudo-potential plane-wave (USPPPW) and GG-approximation-PB-Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functionals. It is investigated that the proposed compounds exhibit stable cubic phase and meet the criteria of mechanical stability by the estimated elastic properties. Also, according to Pugh's criterion, it is noted that LiHfO3 is ductile and LiZnO3 is brittle. Furthermore, the electronic band structure investigation of LiHfO3 and LiZnO3 shows that they have indirect bandgap (BG). Moreover, the BG analysis of the proposed materials shows that these are easily accessible. Also, the results for partial density of states (DOS) and total DOS confirm the degree of a localized electron in the distinct band. In addition, the optical transitions in the compounds are examined by fitting the damping ratio for the notional dielectric functions scaling to the appropriate peaks. At absolute zero temperature, the materials are observed as semiconductors. Therefore, it is evident from the analysis that the proposed compounds are excellent candidates for solar cells and protective rays applications.

First-principles calculations to investigate structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties of radium based cubic fluoro-perovskite materials.

Perovskite materials play a vital role in the field of material science via experimental as well as theoretical calculations. Radium semiconductor materials are considered the backbone of medical fields. These materials are considered in high technological fields to be used as controlling the decay ability. In this study, radium-based cubic fluoro-perovskite XRaF3 (where X = Rb and Na) are calculated using a DFT (density functional theory). These compounds are cubic nature with 221 space groups that construct on CASTEP (Cambridge-serial-total-energy-package) software with ultra-soft PPPW (pseudo-potential plane-wave) and GGA (Generalized-Gradient-approximation)-PBE (Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof) exchange-correlation functional. The structural, optical, electronic, and mechanical properties of the compounds are calculated. According to the structural properties, NaRaF3 and RbRaF3 have a direct bandgap with 3.10eV and 4.187eV of NaRaF3 and RbRaF3, respectively. Total density of states (DOS) and partial density of states (PDOS) provide confirmation to the degree of electrons localized in distinct bands. NaRaF3 material is semiconductors and RbRaF3 is insulator, according to electronic results. The imaginary element dispersion of the dielectric function reveals its wide variety of energy transparency. In both compounds, the optical transitions are examined by fitting the damping ratio for the notional dielectric function scaling to the appropriate peaks. The absorption and the conductivity of NaRaF3 compound is better than the RbRaF3 compound which make it suitable for the solar cell applications increasing the efficiency and work function. We observed that both compounds are mechanically stable with cubic structure. The criteria for the mechanical stability of compounds are also met by the estimated elastic results. These compounds have potential application in field of solar cell and medical. Objectives: The band gap, absorption and the conductivity are necessary conditions for potential applications. Here, literature was reviewed to check computational translational insight into the relationships between absorption and conductivity for solar cell and medical applications of novel RbRaF3 and NaRaF3 compounds.

A CPW fed quad-port MIMO DRA for sub-6 GHz 5G applications.

The present work investigates a novel four-port, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), single element dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) for sub-6 GHz band. The DRA is designed and fabricated into a symmetric cross shape and fed using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed. A single radiator with four ports is rarely found in the literature. The -10 dB impedance bandwidth covered by the antenna is from 5.52 GHz to 6.2 GHz (11.6%) which covers fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) bands N47 and wireless local area network (WLAN) IEEE 802.11a band. The isolation between orthogonal ports is about 15 dB while the isolation between opposite ports is 12 dB. The radiation pattern of the proposed antenna is bidirectional due to the absence of a ground plane below the DRA. The orthogonal modes excited in the DRA are [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] through the four symmetrical CPW feeds. The simulated and measured results of the proposed design show that MIMO characteristics are achieved by pattern diversity between the ports. Due to the perfect symmetry of the design, the proposed work could be extended to MIMO array applications as well.

Zirconium-based cubic-perovskite materials for photocatalytic solar cell applications: a DFT study.

The structural, electronic, optical, and mechanical characteristics of the cubic inorganic perovskites XZrO3 (X = Rb and K) based on Rb and K were studied using Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP)-based density functional theory (DFT) via the ultrasoft pseudo-potential (USP) plane wave and generalized gradient approximation (GGA)-Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange-correlation functional. The measured lattice parameters are 3.55 Å and 4.23 Å, and the band gaps of RbZrO3 and KZrO3 are 3.57 eV and 3.78 eV, respectively. Our results indicate that the compounds have indirect and wide bandgaps, making them useful for improving conductivity. It is observed that the compounds have anisotropic, ductile, and brittle natures. The anisotropic factor values of RbZrO3 and KZrO3 are 0.67067 and 0.87224, and their Poisson's ratios are 0.27356 and 0.25853, respectively. In terms of optical properties, they exhibited high optical absorption and conductivity and were active in the visible region for solar cell applications. These results indicate that they could be highly useful for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and other reflection purposes owing to their indirect bandgap. The results of our investigation of RbZrO3 and KZrO3 present them as favorable materials for solar cell and LED applications.

Lignin Metabolism by Selected Fungi and Microbial Consortia for Plant Stimulation: Implications for Biologically Active Humus Genesis.

Plant lignin is regarded as an important source for soil humic substances (HSs). Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether microbial metabolism on lignin is related to the genesis of unique HS biological activities (e.g., direct plant stimulation). Here, selected white-rot fungi (i.e., Ganoderma lucidum and Irpex lacteus) and plant litter- or mountain soil-derived microbial consortia were exploited to structurally modify lignin, followed by assessing the plant-stimulatory activity of the lignin-derived products. Parts solubilized by microbial metabolism on lignin were proven to exhibit organic moieties of phenol, carboxylic acid, and aliphatic groups and the enhancement of chromogenic features (i.e., absorbance at 450 nm), total phenolic contents, and radical-scavenging capacities with the cultivation times. In addition, high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed the shift of lignin-like molecules toward those showing either more molar oxygen-to-carbon or more hydrogen-to-carbon ratios. These results support the findings that the microbes involved, solubilize lignin by fragmentation, oxygenation, and/or benzene ring opening. This notion was also substantiated by the detection of related exoenzymes (i.e., peroxidases, copper radical oxidases, and hydrolases) in the selected fungal cultures, while the consortia treated with antibacterial agents showed that the fungal community is a sufficient condition to induce the lignin biotransformation. Major families of fungi (e.g., Nectriaceae, Hypocreaceae, and Saccharomycodaceae) and bacteria (e.g., Burkholderiaceae) were identified in the lignin-enriched cultures. All the microbially solubilized lignin products were likely to stimulate plant root elongation in the order selected white-rot fungi > microbial consortia > antibacterial agent-treated microbial consortia. Overall, this study supports the idea that microbial transformation of lignin can contribute to the formation of biologically active organic matter. IMPORTANCE Structurally stable humic substances (HSs) in soils are tightly associated with soil fertility, and it is thus important to understand how soil HSs are naturally formed. It is believed that microbial metabolism on plant matter contributes to natural humification, but detailed microbial species and their metabolisms inducing humic functionality (e.g., direct plant stimulation) need to be further investigated. Our findings clearly support that microbial metabolites of lignin could contribute to the formation of biologically active humus. This research direction appears to be meaningful not only for figuring out the natural processes, but also for confirming natural microbial resources useful for artificial humification that can be linked to the development of high-quality soil amendments.

Global impact and contributing factors in varicose vein disease development.

Varicose veins are convoluted, expanded, and stretched subcutaneous veins of the lower leg and are the most frequently reported medical condition. This condition has a higher prevalence in Western and developed countries. Inadequacy of the valves results in reflux of blood in the veins of the lower leg. The present study aims to describe the epidemiology and contributing factors (risk factors and pathological factors) in the development of varicose veins disease. PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were explored to include potential research and review articles. Finally, 65 articles were considered appropriate to include in the study. Pain, swelling, heaviness, and tingling of the lower limbs are the most common sign and symptoms caused by varicose veins while in some individuals it is asymptomatic. The Prevalence of varicose veins varies geographically. Currently, it is reported that globally about 2%-73% of the population is affected by varicose veins while the prevalence rate in Pakistan is 16%-20%. Different risk factors associated with the advancement of varicose veins are age, gender, occupation, pregnancy, family history, smoking, BMI and obesity, exercise, genetic factor, and current lifestyle. In varicose veins, some contributory elements may also play an important role in the disease development, incorporating constant venous wall aggravation, hereditary variation, and persistent venous hypertension. This condition has now turned into a curable issue that was previously viewed broadly as less important for treatment, determining the individual's satisfaction. Moreover, the mechanisms behind the risk factors involve diet, physical work, and hormonal contribution. These are more likely to be explored.

Integrative analysis reveals methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1-like as an independent shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in five different human cancers.

BACKGROUND: Defects in methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1-like (MTHFD1L) expression have earlier been examined in only a few human cancers. OBJECTIVES: Multi-omics profiling of MTHFD1L as a shared biomarker in distinct subtypes of human cancers. METHODS: In the current study, for the multi-omics analysis of MTHFD1L in 24 major subtypes of human cancers, a comprehensive in silico approach was adopted to mine different open access online databases including UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter, LOGpc, GEPIA, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Gene Expression across Normal and Tumor tissue (GENT2), MEXPRESS, cBioportal, STRING, DAVID, TIMER, and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). RESULTS: We noticed that the expression of MTHFD1L was significantly higher in all the analyzed 24 subtypes of human cancers as compared with the normal controls. Moreover, MTHDF1L overexpression was also found to be significantly associated with the reduced overall survival (OS) duration of Bladder urothelial cancer (BLCA), Head and neck cancer (HNSC), Kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). This implies that MTHFD1L plays a significant role in the development and progression of these cancers. We further noticed that MTHFD1L was also overexpressed in BLCA, HNSC, KIRP, LUAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features. Pathways enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of MTHFD1L-associated genes in five diverse pathways. We also explored few interesting correlations between MTHFD1L expression and its promoter methylation, genetic alterations, CNVs, and between CD8+ T immune cells level. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results elucidated that MTHFD1L can serve as a shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in BLCA, HNSC, KIRP, LUAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features.

Multi-Omics Analysis Identified TMED2 as a Shared Potential Biomarker in Six Subtypes of Human Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the leading cause of death worldwide. As a member of the transmembrane emp24 domain (Tmed)/p24 family of proteins, TMED2 expression variations have been documented earlier in only a few subtypes of human cancers, and the multi-omics profiling of TMED2 as a shared biomarker in different other subtypes of human cancers remains to be uncovered. METHODS: In the current study, TMED2 multi-omics analysis in 24 major subtypes of human cancer was performed using different authentic online databases and bioinformatics analysis including UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), GENT2, MEXPRESS, cBioportal, STRING, DAVID, TIMER, and CTD. RESULTS: In general, the TMED2 expression in 24 major subtypes of human cancers was higher relative to normal controls and was also strongly associated with the lower overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) duration of CESC, ESCA, HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, and LUAD patients. This implies that TMED2 plays a significant role in the development and progression of these cancers. Furthermore, the TMED2 overexpression was also correlated with different clinicopathological features of CESC, ESCA, HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, and LUAD patients. TMED2-associated genes network was involved in 3 diverse pathways, and finally, few stronger correlations were also explored between TMED2 expression and its promoter methylation level, genetic alterations, and CD8+ T immune cells level. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, via this in silico study, we have elucidated that TMED2 can serve as a shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in CESC, ESCA, HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, and LUAD patients of different clinicopathological features but, further in vitro and in vivo research should be carried out to confirm these findings.

Effects of Microbes from Coal-Related Commercial Humic Substances on Hydroponic Crop Cultivation: A Microbiological View for Agronomical Use of Humic Substances.

Here, coal-related humic substances (HSs) were examined to confirm whether sterilization treatments induce their inferior ability to stimulate lettuce in hydroponic cultivations. Interestingly, a drastic reduction in both lettuce biomass and microbial colony-forming units of the crop culture solutions was observed when the autoclaved HSs were treated. Some microbial genera (i.e., Bacillus and Aspergillus) identifiable in the bare HS-treated hydroponic systems were able to be isolated by direct inoculation of bare HS powders on conventional microbial nutrients, supporting that flourishing microbes in the hydroponic cultivations derive from bare HSs-treated. Moreover, coincubation of some isolated bacterial and fungal strains (i.e., Bacillus and Aspergillus genera) from HSs with lettuce resulted in a significant increase in plant biomass and enhanced resistance to NaCl-related abiotic stresses. Microbial volatile organic compounds renowned for plant stimulation were detected by using solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was finally confirmed that the isolates are capable of utilizing carbon substrates such as pectin and tween 20 or 40, which are relevant to those of microbes isolated from peat and leonardite (i.e., HS extraction sources). Overall, our results suggest that microbiological factors could be considered when commercial coal-related HSs are applied in hydroponic crop cultivations.

CTHRC1 expression is a novel shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of survival in six different human cancer subtypes.

According to the previous reports, the collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) causes tumorigenesis by modulating the tumor microenvironment, however, the evidence is limited to a few human cancer subtypes. In the current study, we analyzed and validated the CTHRC1 expression variations in 24 different human cancer tissues paired with normal tissues using publically available databases. We observed that CTHRC1 was overexpressed in all the 24 major subtypes of human cancers and its overexpression was significantly associated with the reduced overall survival (OS) duration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). This implies that CTHRC1 plays a significant role in the development and progression of these cancers. We further noticed that CTHRC1 was also overexpressed in HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, LUAD, STAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features. Pathways enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of CTHRC1 associated genes in seven diverse pathways. We also explored few interesting correlations between CTHRC1 expression and promoter methylation, genetic alterations, CNVs, CD8+ T immune cells infiltration, and tumor purity. In conclusion, CTHRC1 can serve as a shared diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HNSC, KIRC, LIHC, LUAD, STAD, and UCEC patients of different clinicopathological features.

An overview on the concentration of radioactive elements and physiochemical analysis of soil and water in Iraq.

In the last decade, radiation physics brought about a revolution in health science by improving scientific equipment and useful methodologies for measurement. Human beings are affected by ionizing radiations that radiate from radioactive elements. The quantity of radioactive elements is different inside and outside the earth's surface. Soil and water are exigencies of human lives which are contaminated by radioactive elements. These radioactive elements enter into the human body through drinking, eating and breathing. On reaching hazardous limits in the human body, these radioactive elements cause stomach cancer, lung cancer and leukemia. Measurement of radioactive elements in soil and water is helpful in monitoring the health issues caused by exposure to these elements. In Iraq, numerous studies about natural radioactivity, radon concentration and physiochemical parameters have been conducted by different researchers, of which most of the studies were conducted in Barsa, Nasirya, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Balad, Kirkuk, Erbil, Mosul and Dohuk cities. This article aims to review and compile the studies conducted in these cities of Iraq from 2011 to 2019. In most articles, high-purity germanium (HPGe), RAD7 and CR-39 detectors are used for radioactivity and radon measurement. These cities are located in the low-high folded and Mesopotamian zones. From this study, it can be concluded that radon concentration in soil and water was greater in the Mesopotamian and lower in the low-high folded zones. Higher concentrations of natural radioactivity in water and soil were found in the low-high folded zone in Iraq. However, most of the conducted studies show that concentrations of radon and natural radioactivity are above the permissible limits recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and World Health Organization (WHO). The values of physiochemical parameters were found to be greater in the Mesopotamian zone, but overall they are not above the permissible limits.

An overview on radiometric assessment and excess lifetime cancer risk of soil in Pakistan by using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare the natural radioactivity and excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) factor of soil in different regions of Pakistan during last decade. Soil contains various elements and compounds including naturally occurring radioactive elements (238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs). Human being, animals and plants are in health risk by contaminations of natural radioactivity in soil and environmental radiometric pollution. Transferring of large amount of the natural radioactive elements in human body by nutrients may cause carcinogenic effects in human body. Pakistani soil has six types as Indus Basin Soil, Bongar Soil, Khaddar Soil, Indus delta soil, Mountainous soil and Sandy Desert Soil. In some northern region of Pakistan, naturally occurring radioactive rocks like uranuium-238 and iridium concentrations present in Gharwandi, Aram, Kingri S, Vitakri Fort Munro, Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Sibbi districts. METHODS: In this reviewed data, gamma rays spectroscopy used to determine the concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K with the help of High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors. Only the data of HPGe detector collected because of comparisons of different regions of Pakistan. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Mostly, different gamma rays energy peaks of relevant daughter radionuclides of radioactive element were used such as the energy peak lines of daughter radionuclides 214Pb (295.21 and 352 KeV) and 214Bi (609 and 1,120 KeV) used for calculating the 226Ra concentration in soil. In the recent study, it is concluded that average values of concentrations of natural radioactivity in soil in central and north regions of Pakistan are higher than permissible limit but found permissible range in south region of Pakistan. Mean values of ELCR factor were found higher, equal and lower in central, north and south regions than permissible limit, respectively. Generally, no serious health hazard due to natural radioactivity in soil were found.

Fungal mycelia functionalization with halloysite nanotubes for hyphal spreading and sorption behavior regulation: A new bio-ceramic hybrid for enhanced water treatment.

Filamentous fungi are believed to remove a wide range of environmental xenobiotics due to their characteristically non-specific catabolic metabolisms. Nonetheless, irregular hyphal spreading can lead to clogging problems in treatment facilities and the dependence of pollutant bioavailability on hyphal surface features severely limits their applicability in water treatment. Here, we propose a scalable and facile methodology to structurally modify fungal hyphae, allowing for both the maximization of pollutant sorption and fungal pellet morphology self-regulation. Halloysite-doped mycelium architectures were efficiently constructed by dipping Aspergillus fumigatus pellets in halloysite nanotube-dispersed water. Ultrastructure analyses using scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that the nanotubes were mainly attached to the outer surface of the pellets. Fungal viability and exoenzyme production were hardly affected by the halloysites. Notably, nanotube doping appeared to be extremely robust given that detachments rarely occurred even in high concentrations of organic solvents and salt. It was also demonstrated that the doped halloysites weakened hyphal growth-driven gelation, thus maintaining sphere-like pellet structures. The water treatment potential of the hybrid fungal mycelia was assessed through both cationic toxic organic/inorganic-contaminated water and real dye industry wastewater clean-ups. Aided by the mesoporous halloysite sites on their surface, the removal abilities of the hybrid structures were significantly enhanced. Moreover, inherent low sorption ability of HNT for heavy metals was found to be overcome by the aid of fungal mycelia. Finally, universal feature of the dipping-based doping way was confirmed by using different filamentous fungi. Given that traditional approaches to effectively implement fungus-based water treatment are based mostly on polymer-based immobilization techniques, our proposed approach provides a novel and effective alternative via simple doping of living fungi with environmentally-benign clays such as halloysite nanotubes.

Recurrent priapism in sickle cell trait with protein S deficiency.

We report the case of a young Omani man, a regular blood donor, who presented twice in two months, with painful penile erection lasting more than 12 hours. The patient is known to have sickle cell trait [HbS 34.6%]. Although the first episode of penile erection settled with aspiration of blood and local injection of epinephrine, on the second occasion necessitated cavernosal glandular shunting. A subsequent investigation revealed a mild protein S deficiency. Although priapism is known to occur in sickle cell disease, it is unusual in sickle cell trait. Association of mild protein S deficiency with erythrocytosis could have precipitated the onset of priapism.

High-dose chemotherapy and peripheral hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is used to treat patients with relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma. In this retrospective study we report our experience with patients who underwent HDCT and ASCT. METHODS: All patients ≥15 years old with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma who underwent HDCT and ASCT between June 2001 and December 2013 were included. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients were identified. Median age at transplant was 22 years (range 15-49 years); 26 were men and 28 were women. Forty-eight patients (89%) underwent HDCT and ASCT after achieving a radiological response to salvage chemotherapy. The rate of radiological complete response to salvage chemotherapy was 13% and reached 50% within 3 months of ASCT in assessable patients. After a median follow-up of 25 months, 31 patients (57%) were still alive with no evidence of relapse or progression. Median event-free survival (EFS) was 24 months (95% CI 8.7-39.3) and 3-year EFS was 56%. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached and 3-year OS was 82.5%. Bulky mediastinal disease at relapse, hemoglobin level, and number of salvage regimens did not significantly impact EFS in univariate and multivariate analyses. After transplantation there was a trend towards longer EFS (30 vs. 24 months; p = 0.36) in patients with a longer time from the end of first-line treatment until relapse (≥12 vs. <12 months). The 100-day transplant-related mortality was 5.5%. CONCLUSIONS: HDCT and ASCT for relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma is safe. Our findings are consistent with published phase III results. Longer follow-up is warranted.