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Multifunctional wound dressings have been applied for burn injuries to avoid complications and promote tissue regeneration. In the present study, we fabricated a natural alginate-chitosan hydrogel comprising silymarin and green-synthesized zinc ‎oxide ‎nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Then, the physicochemical attributes of ZnO NPs and loaded hydrogels were analyzed. Afterward, wound healing efficacy was evaluated in a rat model of full-thickness dermal burn wounds. The findings indicated that ZnO NPs were synthesized via reduction with phytochemicals from Elettaria cardamomum seeds extract. The microscopic images exhibited fairly spherical ZnO NPs (35-45 nm), and elemental analysis verified the relevant composition. The hydrogel, containing silymarin and biosynthesized ZnO NPs, displayed a uniform appearance, smooth surfaces, and a porous structure. Moreover, infrared spectroscopy ‎identified functional groups, confirming the successful loading without adverse interactions. The obtained hydrogel exhibited great water absorption, high porosity, sustainable degradation for several days, and enhanced antioxidant capability of the combined loaded component. In vivo studies revealed faster and superior wound healing, achieving nearly complete closure by day 21. Histopathology confirmed improved cell growth, tissue regeneration, collagen deposition, and neovascularization. It is believed that this multifunctional hydrogel-based wound dressing can be applied for effective burn wound treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd and International Society of Burns Injuries. All rights reserved.)

Transmission of fungi in the air and its impact on health are regarded as important public health issues. Bioaerosols play an important role in causing or exacerbating infectious diseases, acute toxic effects, allergies, and cardiopulmonary symptoms. As many people use the public transportation system daily, it is necessary to determine the type and manner of dispersal and abundance of airborne fungi in public transport places. Three public transportation systems including a bus station, a train station, and an airport in Ahvaz city (Iran) were examined. At each of these stations, the air samples were taken from inside and outside the hall stations, and in-vehicle. A bio-stage Anderson sampler was used by suctioning air and passing it over a Petri dish containing culture medium Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Relative humidity (RH, %), temperature (T, ◦ C), and mass concentration of particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , and PM 10, μg/m 3 ) at the sampling points were measured. The highest concentration of airborne fungi was observed in the airport. The concentration of fungi in the ambient air was higher than that in the indoor air of halls and in-vehicle. In all sampling points, the ambient predominant airborne fungi were Cladosporium and Alternaria, while the indoor predominant airborne fungi were Cladosporium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. The indoor to outdoor ratio showed that the fungi were of an external origin. Due to the influence of the ambient air on indoor air, it is recommended to use proper ventilation and enhance the hygiene level of vehicles in public transportation systems to reduce exposure to environmentally pathogenic bioaerosols., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant natural substance, however, its effectiveness is limited primarily due to insufficient solubility and low oral bioavailability. This study aimed to formulate ginger extract into nanoemulsion (NE) to enhance therapeutic benefits against rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, ginger extract-loaded NEs were prepared by the spontaneous emulsification method. The NE that passed the thermodynamic stability analyses showed no phase changes or appearance of turbidity. They had an average droplet diameter of 76 ± 45 nm with a zeta potential of - 35 ± 12 mV. Besides, the high antioxidant activities (IC50 = 53.89 µg/mL), about ten times increment of the skin permeability, and no sign of skin irritancy were observed from the ginger-loaded NE. The anti-arthritic evaluations of RA-induced rats treated with ginger-loaded NE showed a significant decline in arthritic symptoms and the highest rate of paw edema inhibition (27.7 %). In addition, the level of involved inflammatory cytokines in the serum of rats was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) compared to the negative control, so that histopathological manifestations also approved the reduction of inflammation indications. Thus, the topical delivery of ginger-loaded NE can be an efficient approach for reducing inflammation and inhibit of RA symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Impaired wound healing is a severe complication of sufferers, related to prolonged wound closure, a high infection rate, and eventually disabilities of organs. To aid resolve this issue, we developed the electrospun polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan (PVA/CS) nanofibrous scaffold-loaded flaxseed extract. The scaffold containing 10 wt% of the extract indicated a three-dimensional cross-network with a nano-scale diameter (257 ± 37 nm) and smooth surface. Also, the relevant analyses confirmed high water absorption, porosity, and wettability of the scaffold. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), degradation, and mechanical studies revealed the intact presence and loading of the extract into the scaffold, the complete degradation over 48 h, and a high tensile elastic modulus. Besides, the advanced scaffold displayed remarkable anti-oxidant and could inhibit the growth of both Gram-positive and negative bacteria compared to the free PVA/CS scaffold. Desired fibroblast viability and blood compatibility of flaxseed-loaded scaffold endorsed the biocompatibility for wound zones. The in vitro studies showed that the flaxseed-loaded scaffold resulted in an accelerated wound healing process and 100 % closure of the scratched area within 48 h. The results obtained reveal that the flaxseed-loaded PVA/CS electrospun scaffold could be effectively applied for wound healing promotion., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cells sense and respond to the heterogeneous mechanical properties of their tissue microenvironment, with implications for the development of many diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, and aortic valve disease. Characterization of tissue mechanical heterogeneity on cellular length scales of tens of micrometers is thus important for understanding disease mechanobiology. In this study, we developed a low-cost bench-top microindentation system to readily map focal microscale soft tissue mechanical properties. The device was validated by comparison with atomic force microscopy nanoindentation of polyacrylamide gels. To demonstrate its utility, the device was used to measure the focal microscale elastic moduli of normal and diseased porcine aortic valve leaflet tissue. Consistent with previous studies, the fibrosa layer of intact leaflets was found to be 1.91-fold stiffer than the ventricularis layer, with both layers exhibiting significant heterogeneity in focal elastic moduli. For the first time, the microscale compressive moduli of focal proteoglycan-rich lesions in the fibrosa of early diseased porcine aortic valve leaflets were measured and found to be 2.44-fold softer than those of normal tissue. These data provide new insights into the tissue micromechanical environment in valvular disease and demonstrate the utility of the microindentation device for facile measurement of the focal mechanical properties of soft tissues., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Herein, we fabricated the antibacterial nanofibrous mats composed of cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers loaded with erythromycin-chitosan nanoparticles (Ery-CS NPs) intended for infected wound dressing. The Ery-loaded CS NPs were prepared by ionic gelation process and then incorporated into the CA electrospun nanofibers (NFs). Regarding physiochemical properties, the NPs and obtained mats were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), and contact angle measurement. The antimicrobial activity and cell viability of fibroblast cells were also evaluated. The results indicated that Ery was loaded into CS NPs with high encapsulation efficiency (95%). The CA NFs (17% w/v) incorporated with the Ery-CS NPs (12 wt%) displayed smooth homogenous morphology with 141.7 ± 91.7 nm average diameter. The relevant analyses confirmed that the NPs incorporated into NFs and provided high water holding capacity with high porosity. Finally, Ery-CS NPs/CA mats were able to inhibit the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as showed no cytotoxic effect on the human dermal fibroblast cells. Overall, our findings concluded that the proposed system could be potentially applied as the proper antibacterial mats for infected wound dressing applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Despite the recent advances in the treatment strategies of peripheral nerve system defects, peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is still one of the most important health issues with increasing incidence worldwide. The most commonly used treatment approaches are allografts, xenografts, and autologous, which have some drawbacks, including complications, limited source of the donor tissue, tubular collapse, and scar tissue formation. In this context, regenerative medicine has been introduced as a powerful approach to improve the healing process and obtain acceptable functional recovery in the injury site using living cells, scaffold, and bioactive (macro-) molecules. Amongst them, scaffold as a three-dimensional (3D) support biomaterial, structurally bridged the gap or site of injury in order to provide physical and chemical cues to promote correct reinnervation and functional regeneration. Amongst different scaffolding biomaterials, naturally occurring biological macromolecules (more especially proteins and polysaccharides)-based hydrogels exhibited promising results due to their fascinating physicochemical, as well as physiologically relevant properties. This review highlights the recent progress in the development of natural hydrogels-based neural scaffolds. Furthermore, PNI healing process, current status, and challenges are also shortly discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: Exposure of healthy subjects to ambient airborne dusty particulate matter (PM) causes brain dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sub-chronic inhalation of ambient PM in a designed special chamber to create factual dust storm (DS) conditions on spatial cognition, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress in the brain tissue., Methods: Adult male Wistar rats (250-300 g) were randomly divided into four groups: Sham (clean air, the concentration of dusty PM was <150 μg/m 3 ), DS1 (200-500 μg/m 3 ), DS2 (500-2000 μg/m 3 ) and DS3 (2000-8000 μg/m 3 ). Experimental rats were exposed to clean air or different sizes and concentrations of dust PM storm for four consecutive weeks (exposure was during 1-4, 8-11, 15-16 and 20-23 days, 30 min, twice daily) in a real-ambient dust exposure chamber. Subsequently, cognitive performance, hippocampal LTP, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and brain edema of the animals evaluated. As well as, inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress indexes in the brain tissue measured using ELISA assays., Results: Exposing to dust PM impaired spatial memory (p < 0.001), hippocampal LTP (p < 0.001). These disturbances were in line with the severe damage to respiratory system followed by disruption of BBB integrity (p < 0.001), increased brain edema (p < 0.001), inflammatory cytokines (p < 0.001) excretion and oxidative stress (p < 0.001) in brain tissue., Conclusions: Our study showed that exposure to ambient dust PM increased brain edema and BBB permeability, induced memory impairment and hippocampal LTP deficiency by increasing the inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the brain of the rats., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter which plays a significant role in various functions in the body, such as appetite, emotions, and autonomic functions. It is well known that biomarker 5-HT levels can be correlated to several diseases and disorders such as depression, anxiety, irritable bowel, and sleep trouble. Among various methods for detecting the 5-HT biomarker, electrochemical techniques have attracted great interest due to their low cost and ease of operation. However, sensitive and precise electrochemical detection of 5-HT levels is not possible using bare electrodes, thus requiring electrode modification. The present review aims to describe the different electroanalytical methods for 5-HT detection using various surface-modified electrodes such as glassy carbon, carbon fiber, diamond, graphite, and metal electrodes modified with conductive polymers. Perspectives and the modification of electrode surface using applied polymers for 5-HT detection have also been presented., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aimed to predict methylation status of the O 6 methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter status by using magnetic resonance imaging radiomics features, as well as univariate and multivariate analysis., Methods: Eighty-two patients who had an MGMT methylation status were included in this study. Tumors were manually segmented in the 4 regions of magnetic resonance images, 1) whole tumor, 2) active/enhanced region, 3) necrotic regions, and 4) edema regions. About 7000 radiomics features were extracted for each patient. Feature selection and classifier were used to predict MGMT status through different machine learning algorithms. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve was used for model evaluations., Results: Regarding univariate analysis, the Inverse Variance feature From Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix in whole tumor segment with 4.5 mm Sigma of Laplacian of Gaussian filter with AUC of 0.71 (P value = 0.002) was found to be the best predictor. For multivariate analysis, the Decision Tree classifier with Select from Model feature selector and LOG (Laplacian of Gaussian) filter in edema region had the highest performance (AUC, 0.78), followed by Ada-Boost classifier with Select from Model feature selector and LOG filter in edema region (AUC, 0.74)., Conclusions: This study showed that radiomics using machine learning algorithms is a feasible noninvasive approach to predict MGMT methylation status in patients with glioblastoma multiforme cancer., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cellulose acetate (CA) electrospun nanofibers are one of the most practical cellulosic material which normally applied as carriers for drug delivery and wound healing systems. In this study, CA and polycaprolactone (PCL) was applied to fabricate the electrospun nanofibrous for wound dressing application. Propolis is a resin-like macromolecule produced by honeybees from the buds and diverse plants. Among many applications of this macromolecule, it has been occasionally employed directly to the skin for wound healing applications. Herein, owing to the significance of propolis, CA/PCL nanofibers were impregnated with a propolis-extracted solution to reach antibacterial and antioxidant mat. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that electrospinning of 10% (w/w) CA along with 14% (w/w) PCL produced excellent nanofibers compared to the resultant nanofibers. Hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity nature of CA/PCL mats was measured using water contact-angle method before and after treatment with NaOH. The nanofibrous mats exhibited a high water absorption capacity of about 400%. Antioxidant effect was measured by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and propolis-CA/PCL presented a high antioxidant activity. Additionally, propolis-CA/PCL mats showed antibacterial activity against both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In conclusion, our results have confirmed that the propolis-impregnated CA/PCL mats have provided an appropriate surface for wound healing system., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study is pursuing our previous research, focused on some aspects of Nostoc entophytum ISC32 cell response to the stress caused by exposure to cadmium at the cellular and molecular levels. Variations in the antioxidant system (catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity) of N. entophytum ISC32 exposed to varying concentrations of Cd (2, and 5 mg/L) resulted in a significant increase in the activity of both catalase and peroxidase. Activity of these enzymes was, however, not significantly changed in the presence of Cd concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L. Levels of lipid peroxidation, as measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) assay, were observed in response to exposure to Cd (20 mg/L). There was, however, a sharp drop in both antioxidant and lipid peroxidation activities of Cd treated cells after 5 days exposure, likely in consequence of cellular damage. The content of chlorophyll a and phycobiliproteins of living cells were altered under Cd-induced conditions. TEM images of cyanobacterial cells treated with Cd showed cell surface alteration and modification along with altered cellular microcompartments. Cyanobacterial cells treated with Cd at concentrations below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) remained with no apparent structural changes. However, at a higher concentration of Cd (30 mg/L), a clear detachment effect was observed between the mucilage external layer and cell membrane which may be attributed to cell plasmolysis due to toxic effects of Cd. Subsequently, the thickness of the ring-shaped mucilage external layer increased likely as a result of the cell defense mechanisms against toxic concentrations of Cd. Characterization of cells treated with Cd (30 and 150 mg/L) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated cell shrinkage with varying degrees of distortion and surface wrinkling. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analysis suggested that Cd was not present as nanoparticles within the cell, but in the form of salt or other molecular structures. The up-regulation of chaperons was confirmed for GroEL and HtpG using real-time PCR and northern blot analyses. Interestingly, the expression of GroEL was markedly increased at lower Cd concentration (5 mg/L). However, the ISC32 strain accrued higher levels of HtpG transcript in response to an elevated concentration of Cd (15 mg/L). This pattern seems to be related to the fast and early induction of GroEL, which may be necessary for induction of other factors and heat shock proteins such as HtpG in Cd-treated Nostoc cells. The result of this study paves the way for a more detailed exploration of Cd effects on the defense mechanisms of cyanobacteria. Our research also shed some light on how cyanobacterial cells have evolved to respond to the heavy metal toxicity at the cellular, molecular and ultrastructural levels., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

C-Phycocyanin pigment was purified from a native cyanobacterial strain using a novel consecutive multi-step procedure and utilized for the first time for the green synthesis of phycocyanin-zinc oxide nanorods (PHY-ZnO NRs) by a simple, low-cost and eco-friendly approach. The PHY-ZnO NRs were characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential measurement, FTIR, SEM, TEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TGA), and EDX spectroscopy analysis. The UV-vis spectra showed an absorption band at 364 nm which is characteristic of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs). The rod-shaped PHY-ZnO NRs observed in the TEM and SEM images had an average diameter size of 33 nm, which was in good agreement with the size calculated by XRD. The elemental analysis of PHY-ZnO NRs composition showed that three emission peaks of zinc metal and one emission peak of oxygen comprised 33.88% and 42.50%, respectively. The thermogram of PHY-ZnO NRs sample exhibited the weight loss of biosynthesized nanoparticles registered to be 3%, emphasizing the purity and heat stability of zinc oxide nanorods coated with phycocyanin pigment-protein. MTT assay indicated that PHY-ZnO NRs had a less cytotoxicity on fibroblast L929 compared to the ZnONRs-treated cells. A remarkable increase in ROS level was measured in cells treated with ZnO at final concentrations of 100, 200 and 500 μg/ml (78 ± 7, 99 ± 8 and 116 ± 11, respectively). When it comes to PHY-ZnO NRs, a protective effect for phycocyanin was detected which declined the level of ROS content as confirmed by fluorescent microscopy. The distinctive features of phycocyanin for surface functionalization of ZnO nanoparticles deserve to be deemed as a nano-drug candidate for further researches., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study reports on the chemical composition of rainwater collected at three ground sites with varying degrees of pollution in Ahvaz, Iran, between January 2014 and February 2015. A total of 24 rainwater samples were analyzed for pH and concentrations of trace elements (Fe, Al, Pb, and Cd) and major ions (Na + , NH 4 + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , HCO 3 - , NO 3 - , Cl - and SO 4 2- ). Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify sources of the measured species. The equivalent concentration of the components followed the order of Ca 2+ > SO 4 2- > HCO 3 - > NH 4 + > Cl - > Na + > NO 3 - > Mg 2+ . The average pH of the rainwater samples was 6, and only three events exhibited acidic conditions below a pH of 5.6. The lowest and the highest average pH values were observed in the high traffic area (5.96) and industrial area (6.54), respectively. The highest and lowest Ca 2+ levels were observed in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. Na + , Mg 2+ , and SO 4 2- exhibited their highest and lowest concentrations in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. 70.36% of the total variance was due to anthropogenic species (Ca 2+ , SO 4 2- , Mg 2+ , NO 3 - , Cl - ), soil particles (Cl - , Na + , and HCO 3 - ), and biomass burning (NH 4 + , pH). The results of this study show that local anthropogenic sources and Middle Eastern Dust (MED) storms affect the rainwater chemistry strongly, which the latter stems from the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait, Iraq, and some parts of Iran., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The keratin macromolecule in wool fiber may be found in α-helix or β-sheet conformations besides a disordered portion. The physical and chemical treatments may cause transformations between α-helix and β-sheet conformations. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of lecithin treatment on the wool fiber using the micro-Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Characteristic bands found in the FTIR spectra of wool fibers including the amide A, amide B and amide I-III, which are assigned to the peptide bonds of wool keratin and arise from the amide bonds that link the amino acids. The lecithin treatment didn't affect the peak position of amide bands and only slightly influenced their intensity. It means that the lecithin treatment didn't change the chemical structure of wool fibers. The amide I and III regions, CC skeletal vibration region, and SS bonds vibration regions were analyzed with the Raman microscope. The results indicated the peak area of α-conformation increased gradually by lecithin treatment of the wool fiber, while the peak area of β-conformation decreased. Therefore, it seems that lecithin treatment of the wool fiber resulted in transformation of β-sheet to α-helix., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) provides information about the structures of gas-phase ions in the form of a collision cross section (CCS) with a neutral buffer gas. Indicating relative ion size, a CCS value alone is of limited utility. Although such information can be used to propose different conformer types, finer details of structure are not captured. The increased accessibility of IMS-MS measurements with commercial instrumentation in recent years has ballooned its usage in combination with separate measurements to provide enhanced data from which greater structural inferences can be drawn. This short review presents recent outstanding developments in scientific research that employs complementary measurements that when combined with IMS-MS data are used to characterize the structures of a wide range of compounds., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Electrospinning PLLA solutions from two oppositely charged nozzles gives a triangle of fibers, also called E-triangle, that assemble into yarns at the convergence point. The formed yarn at the E-triangle was taken up by a unit comprising a take up roller and coupled twister plate, which twist rate can be varied. At all twist rates, uniform and smooth fibers without any beads were formed. The apex angle of the deposited fibers at the E-triangle was larger at higher twist rates. By increasing the twist rate from 80rpm to 320rpm the orientation angle of fibers in the yarn changes from 18.8° to 41.5°. Increasing the twist rate revealed a higher polymer crystallinity likely due to the polymer orientation by the applied tension to the fibers. The ultimate strength and modulus of electrospun yarns were higher when prepared at higher twist rates. However, at the highest twist rates, the strength and modulus of electrospun yarns leveled off and even decreased slightly. The results revealed that the mechanical properties not only depend on the polymer crystallinity but also on the alignment of the fibers in the yarn and the angle at which they were deposited. These biodegradable materials are promising materials to be used in a wide range of applications where environmentally friendly products are required., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aerogels are an exceptional group of nanoporous materials with outstanding physicochemical properties. Due to their unique physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, aerogels are recognized as promising candidates for diverse applications including, thermal insulation, catalysis, environmental cleaning up, chemical sensors, acoustic transducers, energy storage devices, metal casting molds and water repellant coatings. Here, we have provided a comprehensive overview on the synthesis, processing and drying methods of the mostly investigated types of aerogels used in the biological and biomedical contexts, including silica aerogels, silica-polymer composites, polymeric and biopolymer aerogels. In addition, the very recent challenges on these aerogels with regard to their applicability in biomedical field as well as for personalized medicine applications are considered and explained in detail., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ahvaz, Iran ranks as the most polluted city of the world in terms of PM 10 concentrations that lead to deleterious effects on its inhabitants. This study examines diurnal, weekly, monthly and annual fluctuations of PM 10 between 2009 and 2014 in Ahvaz. Health effects of PM 10 levels are also assessed using the World Health Organization AirQ software. Over the study period, the mean PM 10 level in Ahvaz was 249.5 µg m -3 , with maximum and minimum values in July (420.5 µg m -3 ) and January (154.6 µg m -3 ), respectively. The cumulative diurnal PM 10 profile exhibits a dominant peak between 08:00-11:00 (local time) with the lowest levels in the afternoon hours. While weekend PM 10 levels are not significantly reduced as compared to weekdays, an anthropogenic signature is instead observed diurnally on weekdays, which exhibit higher PM 10 levels between 07:00-17:00 by an average amount of 14.2 µg m -3 as compared to weekend days. PM 10 has shown a steady mean-annual decline between 2009 (315.2 µg m -3 ) and 2014 (143.5 µg m -3 ). The AirQ model predicts that mortality was a health outcome for a total of 3777 individuals between 2009 and 2014 (i.e., 630 per year). The results of this study motivate more aggressive strategies in Ahvaz and similarly polluted desert cities to reduce the health effects of the enormous ambient aerosol concentrations.

Mounting evidence suggests that pulmonary exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) has a toxic effect on biological systems. A number of studies have shown that exposure to NPs result in systemic inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and leukocyte adhesion. However, significant knowledge gaps exist for understanding the key molecular mechanisms responsible for altered microvasculature function. Utilizing comprehensive LC-MS/MS and comparative proteomic analysis strategies, important proteins related to TiO2 NP exposure in rat plasma have been identified. Molecular pathway analysis of these proteins revealed 13 canonical pathways as being significant (p ≤ 0.05), but none were found to be significantly up or down-regulated (z>|2|). This work lays the foundation for future research that will monitor relative changes in protein abundance in plasma and tissue as a function of post-exposure time and TiO2 NP dosage to further elucidate mechanisms of pathway activation as well as to decipher other affected pathways., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are few data about the patient- and prosthesis-related factors influencing the hemodynamics of transcatheter heart valves (THVs). The objective of this in vitro study was to assess the effect of aortic annulus size and prosthesis oversizing on the valve hemodynamics and estimated leaflet bending stress of the Edwards SAPIEN balloon-expandable THV (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA)., Methods: The effective orifice area (EOA) of the 23-mm and 26-mm SAPIEN THVs were measured by Doppler echocardiography in a pulse duplicator under the following experimental conditions: (1) stroke volume of 20, 30, 50, 70, and 80 mL and (2) aortic annulus size of 19, 20, 21, and 22 mm for the 23-mm SAPIEN and 22, 23, and 24, and 25 mm for the 26-mm SAPIEN. The percentage of valve oversizing was calculated as follows: % OS = 100 × [(prosthesis nominal area - aortic annulus area)/aortic annulus area], where % OS is the percentage of oversizing. The leaflet bending stress was measured by high-speed camera imaging of the THV leaflet opening., Results: The 2 independent determinants of valve EOA were the aortic annulus diameter (R(2) = 0.33; P < 0.001) and the stroke volume (R(2) = 0.63; P < 0.001). The prosthesis size and % OS were not independently related to EOA. However, a larger % OS was independently associated with higher peak systolic leaflet bending stress (ΔR(2) = 0.11; P < 0.0001)., Conclusions: The hemodynamic performance of THV is in large part determined by the aortic annulus diameter in which the valve is deployed. Oversizing (up to 20% in area) has no significant effect on valve EOA but is associated with higher leaflet bending stress, which might promote faster structural valve degeneration in the long term., (Copyright © 2015 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)