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Removal of zirconium from its dilute aqueous solution using Aspergillus niger as a dried and living biomass was investigated. Through that, the effect of some operational parameters on biosorption, including pH, temperature, contact time, initial concentration of zirconium and dose of biomass, were studied. Based on the results, it was concluded that the uptake of zirconium by both dried and living biomasses is pH dependent, and maximum uptake was observed in pH = 3.1 for both biomasses. The maximum uptake capacity of the living biomass was obtained at 30°C. However, the biosorption of zirconium by dried biomass was not affected by temperature. The maximum uptake capacity for living and dried biomasses (78.8 mg/g and 142 mg/g, respectively) was obtained at equilibrium time of 120 min and 30 min, respectively. Equilibrium isotherms showed that adsorption of zirconium by living biomass follows the Freundlich model, and the uptake of dried biomass follows the Langmuir model. Kinetic studies showed that both kinds of biomass follow the second order kinetic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling process is very important and valuable to predict process outcome, especially bioprocesses which are intricate. Because of complex hydrocarbon compounds and oscillations happened in the medium of process, biodegradation of mazut has not already been investigated by mathematical models. In this study, an indigenous bacterium was isolated from oil contaminated soil to investigate biodegradation of mazut at different experimental conditions. Data resulted from mazut degradation, pH and electrical potential in the medium were recorded. Some reported kinetic models and combinations were investigated to practically model the process. In addition, a new equation that can predict various phenomena, was applied to functionalize changes of mazut concentration, pH, and electrical potential. Any of the kinetic models did not have potential for modeling behavior of mazut biodegradation at diferent conditions. Opposed to them, the novel equation was able to predict desirable parameter, using two variables and functionalize data by appropriate coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"nAbstract: Actinomyces species are normal residents of the mouth cavity, gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract. The genus consists of gram-positive bacteria, strictly anaerobic or microaerophilic. The bacteria are opportunists with a low virulence potential that cause actinomycosis only when the normal mucosal barriers are disrupted. The main purpose of this study was the isolation of Actinomyces strains and determining of their role in periodontal diseases. The present study was carried out on 100 patients with periodontal diseases referred to the Periodontic Department of Faculty of Dentistry. The sampling was done in 6 months with isolation of oral Actinomyces from microbial plaque and periodontal pocket. The samples were selected based on the following criteria: periodontal plaque with deep pocket (>3 mm), no antibiotic therapy for a period of at least two weeks, and lack of systemic diseases. One strain of Actinomyces viscosus and two strains of Actinomyces naeslundii were isolated from the patients with gingivitis and periodontitis. Of the 100 patients with gingivitis and periodontitis, aged between 18-57 years old, 46% were males and 54% were females. The peak incidence of the diseases (35%) was in the third age group (31-40) and the lowest incidence (10%) was in the first age group (

This research aimed to evaluate the clinical features and computed tomography (CT) scans associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). A total of 351 COVID-19 patients (100 AKI, 251 non-AKI) hospitalized at Imam Hossein Teaching Hospital affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were included. To investigate the factors associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients developing AKI, COX univariate and multivariate regression models were applied after controlling other confounding variables. C-reactive protein CRP, lactate, and procalcitonin levels were significantly higher in AKI patients than in non-AKI patients (P < .05). In addition, AKI patients had higher frequencies of lymphopenia and leukocytosis (P < .05). The troponin levels and WBC were the most significant factors for predicting mortality in patients with AKI. Our findings showed that AKI per se is much more important than any other prognostic factor affecting non-AKI patients. However, AKI patients with higher CRP, PCT, and lactate levels had a poor prognosis.  DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.7241.

Malaria affects the poorer regions of the world and is of tremendous health and economic burden for developing countries. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small vesicles released by almost any cells in the human body, including malaria infected red blood cells. Recent evidence shows that EVs might contribute to the pathogenesis of malaria. In addition, EVs hold considerable value in biomarker discovery. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of EV biology. So far most of our knowledge about EVs in malaria comes from in vitro work. More field studies are required to gain insight into their contribution to the disease and pathogenesis under physiological conditions. However, to perform research on EVs in low-income regions might be challenging due to the lack of appropriate equipment to isolate EVs. Therefore, there is a need to develop and validate EV extraction protocols applicable to poorly equipped laboratories. We established and validated two protocols for EV isolation from cell culture supernatants, rodent and human plasma. We compared polyethylene glycol (PEG) and salting out (SA) with sodium acetate for precipitation of EVs. We then characterized the EVs by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Western Blot, Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), bead-based flow cytometry and protein quantification. Both protocols resulted in efficient purification of EVs without the need of expensive material or ultracentrifugation. Furthermore, the procedure is easily scalable to work with large and small sample volumes. Here, we propose that both of our approaches can be used in resource limited countries, therefore further helping to close the gap in knowledge of EVs during malaria., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zoia, Yesodha Subramanian, Eriksson, Ravi, Yaghmaei, Fellay, Scolari, Walch and Mantel.)

Mobile phones are known as the most widely used electronic instruments, and an enormous number of discarded mobile phones are generated. The present work used a pure culture of Penicillium simplicissimum in a bubble column bioreactor to extract Cu and Ni from mobile phone printed circuit boards (MPPCBs) waste. Molasses was used as an efficient carbon source to enhance bioleaching efficiency and increase the cost benefits. The adaptation phase was done at Erlenmeyer flasks to reach 40 g/L of MPPCBs powder. The most significant parameters, including the mass of MPPCBs powder, aeration, molasses concentration, and their interaction, were optimized in order to leach the maximum possible Cu and Ni using central composite design in response surface methodology (RSM). The model p-values for Cu and Ni recovery were 0.0030 and 0.0348, respectively, emphasizing the model's accuracy. 96.94% of Cu was recovered under 8.8% (v/v) of molasses, aeration rate of 0.29 (l/min), and MPPCBs powder of 10 g/L. The optimized condition of Ni leaching was 1.9% (v/v) of molasses, aeration rate of 0.37 (l/min), and MPPCBs powder of 10 g/L, resulting in 71.51% recovery. The present article demonstrated the great potential of P. simplicissimum to improve metal recovery from e-waste utilizing molasses and bubble column bioreactors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study presented the fabrication of macro and micro-scale microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to generate bioelectricity from oxalate solution and monitor the biodegradation in a micro-scale MFC for the first time. The maximum generated power density of 44.16 W m -3 in the micro-scale MFC elucidated its application as a micro-sized power generator for implantable medical devices (IMDs). It is also worthwhile noting that for the macro-scale MFC, the significant amounts of open circuit voltage, oxalate removal, and coulombic efficiency were about 935 mV, 99%, and 44.2%, respectively. These values compared to previously published studies indicate successful oxalate biodegradation in the macro-scale MFC. Regarding critical challenges to determine the substrate concentration in microfluidic outlets, sample collection in a suitable time and online data reporting, an analogy was made between macro and micro-scale MFCs to elicit correlations defining the output current density as the inlet and the outlet oxalate concentration. Another use of the system as an IMD is to be a platform to identify urolithiasis and hyperoxaluria diseases. As a versatile device for power generation and oxalate biodegradation monitoring, the use of facile and cheap materials (< $1.5 per device) and utilization of human excreta are exceptional features of the manufactured micro-scale MFC., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: COVID-19 is a public health emergency with a high mortality rate and it reduces the patient's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) significantly. This effect is measured in the current study., Methods: In a cross-sectional study in Iran, 320 randomly selected treated patients from COVID-19 were studied. To collect the required data, we applied a questionnaire that included socio-demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and questions on the patients' HRQoL. Time trade-off (TTO) approach was used to measure the lost HRQoL attributed to COVID-19. Besides, we applied a two-limit Tobit regression model to determine the effects of the socio-demographic factors on patients' health utility and the visual analogue scale approach was used to estimate the perceived total current health status., Results: The overall mean (SE) and median (IQR) of the health utility values were 0.863 (0.01) and 0.909 (0.21) respectively. These values for the traders (those who were willing to lose a part of their remaining time of life to avoid the disease) were estimated at 0.793 (0.01) and 0.848 (0.17), respectively. The lowest amount of utility value belonged to the elderly (mean (SE) = 0.742 (0.04); median (IQR) = 0.765 (0.42)) and those living in rural areas (mean (SE)) = 0.804 (0.03); median (IQR) = 0.877 (0.30)). The univariate analysis showed that age, place of residence, and household size had a statistically significant effect on health utility. Moreover, findings of the regression analysis indicated that the participants' age and hospitalization status were the key determinants of COVID-19 health utility value., Conclusion: COVID-19 is associated with a substantial and measurable decrease in HRQoL. This decline in HRQoL can be directly compared with that induced by systemic health states.

Purpose : Suicide is a complex phenomenon that needs to be studied with a variety of approaches. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of attempted suicide with the phenomenology approach. Method : An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to analyse semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 16 participants (ages 19-57) who were recruited by means of purposive sampling from October to November 2017 at the Farshchian Psychiatric Hospital in Hamadan/Iran. Data analysis was conducted according to van Manen's phenomenological method. Results : Identified three themes and eight subthemes: Mental pain (subthemes: living through grief, internal conflict, the world is better without me), Social challenges (lack of social connection, financial problems, social support services) and Need for love and belonging (feeling understood , need of empathy). Conclusions : Outcomes and key implications of the study related primarily to improving the treatment experiences of suicide attempt survivors and other at-risk population, and also advancing suicide prevention efforts and to provide support for suicide attempt survivors.

In this study, indigenous cyanogenic bacterial strains were isolated on nutrient, minimal salt, and soil extract media at various culture conditions from two distinct landfills of e-waste, Iran. Based on their cyanide formation profiles, five most potent isolates were selected for optimization and to this end, the influence of the most effective factors on cyanide production including pH, glycine concentration and temperature were assessed using one-factor at a time method (OFAT). Initial pH of 7, glycine concentration of 2 g/L and temperature of 30°C were obtained as optimal conditions for most of the isolates. Additionally, two bioleaching processes were applied for each bacteria to detect the effect of optimal conditions on bioleaching and to assay their potential in the mobilization of copper. Under optimal conditions and pulp density of 1 g/L, copper recoveries were recorded as 96.73%, 82.49%, 81.17%, 41.72%, and 31.52% by S22, N13, N37, N23, and N41 respectively during 10 days which is approximately 1.5-5 times higher than the recovery obtained without optimization. During the optimization and the bioleaching process, the pH fluctuation of the flasks was monitored which validated the activity of the microorganisms., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study reports the fabrication of a new cathode electrode assembly using polyaniline (PANI) and graphene on a stainless steel mesh (SSM) as an alternative for the conventional expensive cathode of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). With respect to the previous efforts to propose an efficient and cost-effective alternative for platinum (Pt) catalysts and cathode electrodes, the present study investigates the assessment of different catalysts to elucidate the potential of the modified SSM cathode electrode for larger-scale MECs. In the case of feeding dairy wastewater to the MEC, the maximum hydrogen production rate and COD removal were obtained by SSM/PANI/graphene cathode and had the values 0.805 m 3 H 2  m -3 anolyte day -1 and 82%, respectively, at the applied potential of 1 V. These values were only 20% and 7% lower than those of the MEC with Pt on the carbon cloth cathode, respectively. The coulombic efficiencies of SSM/Pt and SSM/PANI/graphene were seen to be 64.48% and 56.67%, respectively. It was also concluded that the fabrication cost of the modified cathode was 50% lower than the conventional cathodes with Pt on the carbon cloth. Finally, the evaluation of the modified cathode performance was achieved based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy., (Copyright © 2019 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

There is a substantial volume of mobile phone waste every year. Due to the disadvantages of traditional methods, it is necessary to look for biological processes that are more eco-friendly and economical to recover metals from e-waste. Fungi provide large amounts of organic acids and dissolve metals but using sucrose in the medium is not economical. In this paper, the main objective is to find a suitable alternative carbon substrate instead of sucrose for fungi bioleaching of Ni and Cu in printed circuit boards (PCBs) of mobile phones using Penicillium simplicissimum. Four kinds of carbon sources (including sucrose, cheese whey, sugar, and sugar cane molasses) were selected. Also, pH and number of spores in inoculum were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) for all carbon sources. The results showed the simultaneous maximum recovery of Cu and Ni is not possible. For Cu recovery, sugar is the best economical and simplistic medium instead of sucrose. Maximum recovery of Cu (90%) gained at the pH of 7, 3.3 × 10 7 spores, and in sugar. The amount of Ni recovery (89%) was highest in molasses, at the pH of 2, and 10 6 spores. The results proved non-conventional carbon sources improve bioleaching efficiency and the possibility of industrialization., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Great advantages bestowed by mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) including high surface area, tailorable pore diameter and surface chemistry, and large pore volume render them as efficient tools in biomedical applications. Herein, MSNs with different surface chemistries were synthesized and investigated in terms of biocompatibility and their impact on the morphology of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells both in 2D and 3D culture systems. Bare MSNs (BMSNs) were synthesized by template removing method using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor. The as-prepared BMSNs were then used to prepare amine-functionalized (AMSNs), carboxyl-functionalized (CMSNs) and polymeric amine-functionalized (PMSNs) samples, consecutively. These nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential measurement, dynamic light scattering, BET (Brunauer, Emmett, Teller) analysis, and FTIR technique. In a 3D culture system, stem cells were encapsulated in alginate hydrogel in which MSNs of different functionalities were incorporated. The results showed good biocompatibility for both BMSNs and AMSNs in 2D and 3D culture systems. For these samples, the viability of about 80% was acquired after 2 weeks of 3D culture. When compared to the control, CMSNs caused higher cell proliferation in the 2D culture; while they showed cytotoxic effects in the 3D culture system. Interestingly, polymeric amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles (PMSNs) resulted in disrupted morphology and very low viability in the 2D cell culture and even less viability in 3D environment in comparison to BMSNs and AMSNs. This significant decrease in cell viability was attributed to the higher uptake values of highly positively charged PMSNs by cells as compared to other MSNs. This up-regulated uptake was evaluated by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy instrument (ICP-OES). These results uncover different interactions between cell and nanoparticles with various surface chemistries. Building on these results, new windows are opened for employing biocompatible nanoparticles such as BMSNs and AMSNs, even at high concentrations, as potential cargos for carrying required growth and/or differentiation factors for tissue engineering applications., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the effects of pregnancy on the presentation, management, surgical and obstetrics outcome of patients with acute appendicitis., Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted during a 2-year period from 2014 to 2016 in Shahid Faghihi hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. We enrolled all the pregnant individuals with acute appendicitis who required surgical appendectomy. We also enrolled age-matched controls of non-pregnant women undergoing open appendectomy during the study period. The presentation, clinical and laboratory characteristics, surgical and obstetrics outcomes were determined in both study groups and were further compared between them. In order to determine the determinants of outcome, we also ran a multivariate logistic regression model., Results: Overall we included a total number of 584 patients with presumed appendicitis among whom there were 58 (9.94%) and 526 (90.06%) non-pregnant individuals. The pregnant patients had significantly longer duration of symptoms ( p =0.038), lower temperature ( p =0.026), longer duration of hospital stay ( p =0.026) and higher rate of hospital admission longer than 2 days ( p =0.031). The complications of the surgical procedure were comparable between the two study groups except for the pneumonia which was significantly higher in pregnant patient ( p =0.041). After adjusting for confounders such as age and ethnicity, pregnancy remained significantly associated with lower temperature ( p =0.018), longer symptom duration ( p =0.042) and higher rate of pneumonia ( p =0.049)., Conclusion: Acute appendicitis during the pregnancy was associated with longer duration of symptoms, lower body temperature and higher rate of pneumonia. The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were comparable to the previously reported data., Competing Interests: None declared.

This study reports the fabrication of a microfluidic microbial fuel cell (MFC) using nickel as a novel alternative for conventional electrodes and a non-phatogenic strain of Escherichia coli as the biocatalyst. The feasibility of a microfluidic MFC as an efficient power generator for production of bioelectricity from glucose and urea as organic substrates in human blood and urine for implantable medical devices (IMDs) was investigated. A maximum open circuit potential of 459 mV was achieved for the batch-fed microfluidic MFC. During continuous mode operation, a maximum power density of 104 Wm(-3) was obtained with nutrient broth. For the glucose-fed microfluidic MFC, the maximum power density of 5.2 μW cm(-2) obtained in this study is significantly greater than the power densities reported previously for microsized MFCs and glucose fuel cells. The maximum power density of 14 Wm(-3) obtained using urea indicates the successful performance of a microfluidic MFC using human excreta. It features high power density, self-regeneration, waste management and a low production cost (<$1), which suggest it as a promising alternative to conventional power supplies for IMDs. The performance of the microfluidic MFC as a power supply was characterized based on polarization behavior and cell potential in different substrates, operational modes, and concentrations., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Optimization based on appropriate parameters can be applied to improve a process. Mazut degradation as a critical issue in environment requires optimization to be efficiently done. To provide biodegradation conditions, experiments were designed on the least interactions among levels of parameters consisting of pH, Tween 80, glucose, phosphorous source, nitrogen source, and time. Kinetic constants and biomass were calculated based on 16 assays, designed using Taguchi method, which constructed various mazut biodegradation conditions. Kinetics of mazut degradation by newly isolated bacteria Enterobacter cloacae closely followed second order kinetic model. Results of the 16 experiments showed that biomass was in the range of 0.019 OD600 to 2.75 OD600, and biokinetic constant was in the range of 0.2 × 10(-5) L/ (mg day) to 10(-4) L/ (mg day). Optimal level for each parameter was obtained through data analysis. For optimal biomass equal to 2.75 OD600, optimal pH, Tween80, glucose, phosphorous source, and time were 8.3, 4 g/L, 4 g/L, 9 g/L, and 10 days, respectively. For biokinetic constant equal to 1.2 × 10(-4) L/ (mg day), optimal pH, Tween80, glucose, phosphorous source, and nitrogen source were 8.3, 1 g/L, 4 g/L, 1 g/L, and 9 g/L, respectively. The optimum levels for biomass and biokinetic constant were the same except the levels of the Tween 80, and phosphorous source. Consequently, mazut may be more degraded with adjusting the conditions on the optimum condition.

Background: Biodegradation of free cyanide from industrial wastewaters has been proven as a viable and robust method for treatment of wastewaters containing cyanide., Results: Cyanide degrading bacteria were isolated from a wastewater treatment plant for coke-oven-gas condensate by enrichment culture technique. Five strains were able to use cyanide as the sole nitrogen source under alkaline conditions and among them; one strain (C2) was selected for further studies on the basis of the higher efficiency of cyanide degradation. The bacterium was able to tolerate free cyanide at concentrations of up to 500 ppm which makes it a good potentially candidate for the biological treatment of cyanide contaminated residues. Cyanide degradation corresponded with growth and reached a maximum level 96% during the exponential phase. The highest growth rate (1.23 × 10(8)) was obtained on day 4 of the incubation time. Both glucose and fructose were suitable carbon sources for cyanotrophic growth. No growth was detected in media with cyanide as the sole carbon source. Four control factors including, pH, temperature, agitation speed and glucose concentration were optimized according to central composite design in response surface method. Cyanide degradation was optimum at 34.2°C, pH 10.3 and glucose concentration 0.44 (g/l)., Conclusions: Bacterial species degrade cyanide into less toxic products as they are able to use the cyanide as a nitrogen source, forming ammonia and carbon dioxide as end products. Alkaliphilic bacterial strains screened in this study evidentially showed the potential to possess degradative activities that can be harnessed to remediate cyanide wastes.

Purpose: The thermodynamically favored complex between the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) and 1α,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 (1,25D3) triggers a shift in equilibrium to favor VDR binding to DNA, heterodimerization with the nuclear retinoid x receptor (RXR) and subsequent regulation of gene transcription. The key amino acids and structural requirements governing VDR binding to nuclear coactivators (NCoA) are well defined. Yet very little is understood about the internal changes in amino acid flexibility underpinning the control of ligand affinity, helix 12 conformation and function. Herein, we use molecular dynamics (MD) to study how the backbone and side-chain flexibility of the VDR differs when a) complexed to 1α,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 (1,25D3, agonist) and (23S),25-dehydro-1α(OH)-vitamin D3-26,23-lactone (MK, antagonist); b) residues that form hydrogen bonds with the C25-OH (H305 and H397) of 1,25D3 are mutated to phenylalanine; c) helix 12 conformation is changed and ligand is removed; and d) x-ray water near the C1- and C3-OH groups of 1,25D3 are present or replaced with explicit solvent., Methods: We performed molecular dynamic simulations on the apo- and holo-VDRs and used T-Analyst to monitor the changes in the backbone and side-chain flexibility of residues that form regions of the VDR ligand binding pocket (LBP), NCoA surface and control helix 12 conformation., Results: The VDR-1,25D3 and VDR-MK MD simulations demonstrate that 1,25D3 and MK induce highly similar changes in backbone and side-chain flexibility in residues that form the LBP. MK however did increase the backbone and side-chain flexibility of L404 and R274 respectively. MK also induced expansion of the VDR charge clamp (i.e. NCoA surface) and weakened the intramolecular interaction between H305---V418 (helix 12) and TYR401 (helix 11). In VDR&#95;FF, MK induced a generally more rigid LBP and stronger interaction between F397 and F422 than 1,25D3, and reduced the flexibility of the R274 side-chain. Lastly the VDR MD simulations indicate that R274 can sample multiple conformations in the presence of ligand. When the R274 is extended, the β-OH group of 1,25D3 lies proximal to the backbone carbonyl oxygen of R274 and the side-chain forms H-bonds with hinge domain residues. This differs from the x-ray, kinked geometry, where the side-chain forms an H-bond with the 1α-OH group. Furthermore, 1,25D3, but not MK was observed to stabilize the x-ray geometry of R274 during the > 30 ns MD runs., Conclusions: The MD methodology applied herein provides an in silico foundation to be expanded upon to better understand the intrinsic flexibility of the VDR and better understand key side-chain and backbone movements involved in the bimolecular interaction between the VDR and its' ligands.

Mazut as a source content of various hydrocarbons is hard to be degraded and its cracking could turn mazut into useful materials. Nevertheless degradation of mazut by routine methods is too expensive but application of indigenous microorganisms as biocatalysts could be effective and important to lower the costs and expand its consumption. Mazut biodegradation can be improved using various strategies; Therefore in this study newly isolated strain Enterobacter cloacae BBRC 10061 was used in a method of gradual addition of mazut into medium and its results were compared with simple addition method. To investigate degradation of mazut by BBRC 10061, influence of increase of mazut concentration was assayed based on gradual addition method. Also different kinetic models were used to evaluate kinetics of the process. Results showed that gradual addition method has been a beneficial technique for improvement of mazut degradation because bacterial induction to produce biosurfactant and essential enzymes for cracking mazut was higher during process. Although addition of more mazut increased the rate of biodegradation but percentage of degradation decreased. pH of medium decreased during biodegradation period while electric potential increased. Also the biodegradation kinetics was not fitted with the biokinetic models; therefore kinetics of biodegradation of mazut has to be studied by new models.