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Background: The demand for total hip arthroplasty (THA) is quickly rising given the escalating global incidence of hip osteoarthritis, and it is widely accepted that the post-surgery rehabilitation is key to optimize outcomes. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a new telerehabilitation solution, ReHub, for the physical function and clinical outcome improvement following THA. The specific aims of this manuscript are to describe the study design, protocol, content of interventions, and primary and secondary outcomes and to discuss the clinical rehabilitation impact of the expected experimental results., Methods/design: This prospective, randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial will include 56 patients who had undergone primary THA. Patients are randomized to a control group (standard rehabilitation during the 2-week stay in the rehabilitation clinic followed by 3 weeks of unsupervised home-based rehabilitation) or an experimental group (standard rehabilitation during the 2-week stay in the rehabilitation clinic followed by 3 weeks of home-based ReHub-assisted telerehabilitation). The primary outcome is physical performance assessed through the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test. Secondary outcomes include independence level, pain intensity, hip disability, hip range of motion, muscle strength, and patient's perception of clinical improvement., Discussion: Proving the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a home-based telerehabilitation program for physical and muscle function following THA could support its systematic incorporation in post-surgical rehabilitation protocols, which should be tailored to the individual and collective needs., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04176315 . Registered on 22 November 2019. more...

Secondary Li-ion batteries have been paid attention to wide-range applications of power source for the portable electronics, electric vehicle, and electric storage reservoir. Generally, lithium-ion batteries are comprised of four components including anode, cathode, electrolyte and separator. Although separators do not take part in the electrochemical reactions in a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, they conduct the critical functions of physically separating the positive and negative electrodes to prevent electrical short circuit while permitting the free flow of lithium ions through the liquid electrolyte that fill in their open porous structure. Hence, the separator is directly related to the safety and the power performance of the battery. Among a number of separators developed thus far, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) porous membrane separators have been the most dominant ones for commercial Li-ion batteries over the decades because of their superior properties such as cost-efficiency, good mechanical strength and pore structure, electrochemical stability, and thermal shutdown properties. However, there are main issues for vehicular storage, such as nonpolarity, low surface energy and poor thermal stability, although the polyolefin separators have proven dependable in portable applications. Hence, in this review, we decide to provide an overview of the types of polyolefin microporous separators utilized in Li-ion batteries and the methods employed to modify their surface in detail. The remarkable results demonstrate that extraordinary properties can be exhibited by mono- and multilayer polyolefin separators if they are modified using suitable methods and materials., (© 2019 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.) more...

Radiotherapy (RT) as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer (BC), has caused a reduction of recurrences and BC-related deaths. But it has also induced cardiovascular mortality. Oxidative stress is the principle mediator of RT-induced heart disease, similar to many conventional cardiovascular risk factors. The aggregate effect of cardiovascular conditions, RT of heart substructures, implied techniques, and population cardiac mortality rates is not well understood. Due to uncertainties in this field, this article aims to briefly review the recommended strategies for risk assessment, plan optimization, and screening for prevention of RT-induced heart disease in BC patients., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) more...

We report on a quick, simple, and cost-effective solution-phase approach to prepare centimeter-sized morphology-graded vertically aligned Si nanowire arrays. Gradients in the nanowire diameter and shape are encoded through the macroscale substrate via a "dip-etching" approach, where the substrate is removed from a KOH etching solution at a constant rate, while morphological control at the nanowire level is achieved via sequential metal-assisted chemical etching and KOH etching steps. This combined approach provides control over light absorption and reflection within the nanowire arrays at both the macroscale and nanoscale, as shown by UV-vis spectroscopy and numerical three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations. Macroscale morphology gradients yield arrays with gradually changing optical properties. Nanoscale morphology control is demonstrated by synthesizing arrays of bisegmented nanowires, where the nanowires are composed of two distinct segments with independently controlled lengths and diameters. Such nanowires are important to tailor light-matter interactions in functional devices, especially by maximizing light absorption at specific wavelengths and locations within the nanowires. more...

Background: Beyond viral carriers which have been widely used in gene delivery, non-viral carriers can further improve the delivery process. However, the high cytotoxicity and low efficiency impedes the clinical application of non-viral systems. Therefore, in this work, we fabricated polyethylene glycol (PEG) coated, calcium doped magnetic nanograin (PEG/Ca(II)/Fe 3 O 4 ) as a genome expression enhancer., Methods: Monodisperse magnetic nanograins (MNGs) with tunable size were synthesized by a solvothermal method. The citrate anions on the spherical surface of MNGs capture Ca 2+ ions by an ion exchange process, which was followed by surface capping with PEG. The synthesized PEG/Ca(II)/Fe 3 O 4 was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) spectra, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). MTT test was utilized to assess the toxicity of PEG/Ca(II)/Fe 3 O 4 . Real time qPCR was applied for quantification of gene expression., Results: DLS spectra and TEM images confirmed a thin layer of PEG on the nanocarrier surface. Shifting the zeta potential in the biological pH window from -23.9 mV (for Fe 3 O 4 ) to ≈ +11 mV (for PEG/Ca(II)/Fe 3 O 4 ) confirms the MNGs surface protonation. Cytotoxicity results show that cell viability and proliferation were not hindered in a wide range of nanocarrier concentrations and different incubation times., Conclusion: PEGylated calcium doped magnetic nanograin enhanced PUC19 plasmid expression into E. Coli and GFP protein expression in HEK-293 T cells compared to control. A polymerase chain reaction of the NeoR test shows that the transformed plasmids are of high quality., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Hashemi et al.) more...

In this paper, a bottom-up hydrothermal route is reported for the synthesis of oxygen and nitrogen co-decorated carbon quantum dots (CQDs) using ammonium hydrogen citrate (AHC) as a single precursor. DLS data approved the formation of 4.0 nm (average size) CQDs. XRD pattern shows the interlayer spacing (002) of 3.5 Å for CQDs, which is exactly the same as that of crystalline graphite. XPS and FTIR spectra verified the formation of oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on the CQDs surface. Co-decorated carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine groups on the CQDs surfaces make them as promising polyelectrolyte for gene delivery. Toxicity assay showed a survival rate of 70% under different incubation times and up to 500 μg/mL. The highly water-soluble, stable fluorescence and low toxic CQDs increased the gene expression of DNA plasmid in E. coli bacteria 4-fold more than the control group., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) more...

Background: Chitosan has a biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic nature. The effectiveness of nano-chitosan films in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis has been confirmed previously in susceptible laboratory animals., Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chitosan-based biocompatible dressing in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis who were either nonresponsive to or had medical contraindications for conventional treatments., Materials and Methods: A total of 10 eligible patients were included in this single arm, single center study. The sterile chitosan film was immersed in saline serum and was cautiously extended over the wound to avoid air occlusion. Sterile Vaseline gauze was then applied and the film was kept on the wound site for 7 days and was repeated every week until the healing was completed. Complete clinical response was defined as complete re-epithelialization of the skin lesion as well as microscopic negative results for amastigote forms of Leishmania sp., Results: All patients showed either significant (30%) or complete (70%) improvement after 8 weeks of therapy and at 16 weeks post treatment all cases were completely cured. It was well tolerated and there were no product-related adverse events such as allergic reaction or infection. Moreover, no recurrences were observed in any patients after 6 months follow-up., Limitations: The lack of a control group, relatively small sample size and failure to evaluate the histological and molecular effects of chitosan were the limitations of this study., Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that chitosan can be safely and effectively used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. We were unable to find any previous clinical study in evaluating the efficacy of chitosan for cutaneous leishmaniasis on human subjects. Further studies are recommended to design a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial with more volunteers who infected with different species of Leishmania and various clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis., Competing Interests: None more...

Enhancement of physical and mechanical properties of the scaffolds is achieved via various methods including cross-linking and incorporation of nano particles. In the present research chitosan-based scaffolds firstly were reinforced with the incorporation of the graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles. The GO nanoparticles were synthesized from graphite successfully and were identified by TGA, XRD, SEM and FTIR analytical methods. Nanocomposite scaffolds based on chitosan with different percentages of the GO were prepared. The chitosan-GO nanocomposite scaffolds were then simultaneously sterilized and cross-linked in an autoclave and comprehensively characterized. In XRD measurements, the absence of the peak at 10° related to GO, is evidence that the GO layers are exfoliated. With increasing the GO concentration from 0 to 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%, physical and mechanical properties were improved, considerably. Seeding of the human articular chondrocytes on the nanocomposite scaffolds showed an increased proliferation with augmentation of the GO percentage particularly in prolonged cultivation periods (14 days). Investigation of the human articular chondrocyte morphology revealed a more spherical morphology of the cells on the cross-linked scaffolds for 21 days of culture in vitro., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.) more...

Evidence to justify survival benefit of local therapy of the breast (LT) for breast cancer patients who are metastatic at presentation (MBC) is weak. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of LT on survival in MBC patients. Patients who had received (1) radiotherapy, (2) surgery, (3) surgery and radiotherapy as LT, and (4) no LT in four groups of 25 were evaluated for 1- and 4-year cause-specific survival (CSS). One- and 4-year CSS in four groups were (1) 76% and 60%, (2) 84% and 56% (3) 80% and 52%, and (4) 48% and 16%, respectively. When controlling for age and site of metastasis as covariates, grouping significantly correlated with survival: F (3, 94): 2.93, P 0.04. Post hoc analysis revealed that the mean survival of group 2: ( M 23.39, SE 2.53) was higher than group 4: ( M 13.63, SE 2.52, P  = 0.03). Surgery as a single modality LT for MBC may provide survival benefit., Competing Interests: Compliance with Ethical StandardsThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. more...

Background Fenugreek seeds have shown antinociceptive effect in animal studies. This double-blind placebo controlled trial was designed to study the effect of fenugreek transdermal patch 10% (FDP) for management of inguinal hernia (IH) post-operative pain. Methods Standardized extract of fenugreek seeds was used for FDP formulation. Ninety patients treated with 10% FDP, diclofenac dermal patch 1% (DP) and placebo twice daily after IH surgery. The pain intensity score was evaluated using a visual analogue score (VAS) up to 48 h after operation. Morphine consumption and diclofenac suppository demand were evaluated too. Results The pain score was significantly reduced in FDP group in comparison with the placebo group. This effect was also significantly different from DP up to 6 h after surgery (p<0.05). Morphine consumption and diclofenc suppository demand were significantly decreased in FDP group (p<0.05). Conclusion In all, results of the present study indicated that FDP decreases pain score and demand for morphine in post-surgery patients in comparison to diclofenac patch, and this preparation could be a suit option as a natural antinociceptive agent for pain management. more...

Abortion in sheep and goats causes enormous economic losses. This study revealed the epidemiology of abortion caused by Brucella melitensis , Coxiella burnetii and Salmonella abortusovis in Baluchi sheep in Sistan region. In the autumn of 2015 and winter of 2016, a total of 78 aborted sheep fetuses were collected from all over the Sistan region. Risk factors, including location of livestock, history of abortion, gender of fetus, age of fetus, age of ewe and parity were obtained using a questionnaire. The results showed that 27 fetuses (35%) were infected with these organisms. Infection with B. melitensis , C. burnetii and S. abortusovis were identified respectively in 15 (19.2%), 13 (16.6%) and 1 (1.3%) fetus. Logistic regression analysis showed that infection with B. melitensis in male fetuses is higher than females (OR=3.73, P=0.040), also infection with C. burnetii in ≤2 years' ewes (OR=0.047, P=0.009) and 2-5 years' ewes (OR=0.197, P=0.069) is lower than ≥5 years' ewes. more...

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology and history of knee injury and its impact on activity limitation among football premier league professional referees in Iran., Methods: This was a descriptive study. 59 Football Premier League professional referees participated in the study. The knee injury related information such as injury history and mechanism was recorded. Injury related symptoms and their impacts on the activity limitation, ability to perform activities of daily living as well participation in sports and recreational activities was obtained through the Knee Outcome Survey (KOS)., Results: The results indicated that 31 out of 59 participants reported the history of knee injury. In addition, 18.6%, 22.4% and 81% of the referees reported that they had been injured during the last 6 months of the last year, and at some point in their refereeing careers, respectively. Results further indicated that 48.8% of the injuries occurred in the non-dominant leg and they occurred more frequently during training sessions (52%). Furthermore, the value of KOS was 85 ± 13 for Activities of Daily Living subscale and 90 ± 9 for Sports and Recreational Activities subscale of the KOS., Conclusions: Knee injury was quite common among the Football Premier League professional referees. It was also indicated that the injuries occurred mainly due to insufficient physical fitness. Therefore, it is suggested that football referees undergo the proper warm-up program to avoid knee injury. more...

The use of various chemical cross-linking agents for the improvement of scaffolds physical and mechanical properties is a common practical method, which is limited by cytotoxicity effects. Due to exerting contract type forces, chondrocytes are known to implement shrinkage on the tissue engineered constructs, which can be avoided by the scaffold cross-linking. In the this research, chitosan scaffolds are cross-linked with hydrothermal treatment with autoclave sterilization time of 0, 10, 20 and 30min, to avoid the application of the traditional chemical toxic materials. The optimization studies with gel content and crosslink density measurements indicate that for 20min sterilization time, the gel content approaches to ~80%. The scaffolds are fully characterized by the conventional techniques such as SEM, porosity and permeability, XRD, compression, thermal analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). FT-IR studies shows that autoclave inter-chain cross-linking reduces the amine group absorption at 1560cm -1 and increase the absorption of N-acetylated groups at 1629cm -1 . It is anticipated, that this observation evidenced by chitosan scaffold browning upon autoclave cross-linking is an indication of the familiar maillard reaction between amine moieties and carbonyl groups. The biodegradation rate analysis shows that chitosan scaffolds with lower concentrations, possess suitable degradation rate for cartilage tissue engineering applications. In addition, cytotoxicity analysis shows that fabricated scaffolds are biocompatible. The human articular chondrocytes seeding into 3D cross-linked scaffolds shows a higher viability and proliferation in comparison with the uncross-linked samples and 2D controls. Investigation of cell morphology on the scaffolds by SEM, shows a more spherical morphology of chondrocytes on the cross-linked scaffolds for 21days of in vitro culture., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.) more...

Significance: Unobtrusive vital signs monitoring is of major importance for various medical areas such as detection and treatment of sleep disorders, monitoring neonates and burned victims, home health care and smart home applications and wearables among others. Such applications call for monitoring methods in which the patient's natural state is less interfered with. An ideal device would be non-invasive, minimally restrictive, robust enough to compensate movements of the patients, and would operate without relying on the patient's full cooperation., Objective: This paper focuses on the design and development of an unobtrusive vital signs monitoring system particularly suited for long-term monitoring placed under the mattresses., Approach: The system is based on the magnetic induction sensing method, designed to infer presence on the bed, breathing and cardiac activity, and consists of two coils for excitation and detection. The new detection coil is based on a concentric planar gradiometer for canceling the primary field. The signal acquisition system has been designed using simple electronics to avoid ending up with a complex and expensive system. The experimental results were compared with reference signals coming from other known sensors with different technical bases for benchmarking and identifying the advantages and/or drawbacks of the new system regarding other techniques. The designed system was also studied in regards to safety standards and limitations for the exposure to the magnetic fields., Main Results: Experimental results confirm the suitability and safety of the sensor for long-term cardiac and respiratory monitoring. The system is able to detect respiration and cardiac activity as well as the presence on the bed and changes in position. more...

Studies on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have indicated several dysfunctions in the structure, and functional organization of the brain. However, findings have not been established as a general diagnostic tool yet. In this regard, current study proposed an automatic screening method for recognition of ASDs from healthy controls (HCs) based on their brain functional abnormalities. In this paradigm, brain functional networks of 60 adolescent and young adult males (29 ASDs and 31 HCs) were estimated from subjects' task-free fMRI data. Then, autism screening was developed based on characteristics of the functional networks using the following steps: A) local and global parameters of the brain functional network were calculated using graph theory. B) network parameters of the ASDs were statistically compared to the HCs. C) significantly altered parameters were used as input features of the screening system. D) performance of the system was verified using various classification techniques. The support vector machine showed superiority to others with an accuracy of 92%. Subsequently, reliability of the results was examined using an independent dataset including 20 ASDs and 20 HCs. Our findings suggest that local parameters of the brain functional network, despite the individual variability, can potentially be used for autism screening., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

Gelatin-graphene conductive biopolymer nanocomposites (CPCs) with ultralow percolation threshold are designed by reducing in situ graphene oxide nanosheets with ascorbic acid and suppressing the aggregation of the graphene nanosheets. The resulting conductive nanocomposites show a record-low electrical percolation threshold of 3.3 × 10(-2) vol%, which arises from the homogeneous dispersion of the graphene nanosheets within the gelatin matrix., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.) more...

By definition, antioxidants are molecules that inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. Therefore, such compounds have very important clinical roles. In this study alginate polymer was depolymerized by heat treatment. The resulting low molecular weight alginates were investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy, Viscometry, Dynamic light scattering and FT-IR spectroscopy techniques. Antioxidant properties of these heat products were studied by ABTS and superoxide radical scavenging assays. Results showed that heating caused breaks in the polymer chain and so generation of low molecular weight alginates. Antioxidant measurements confirmed antioxidant activity of alginate increased upon a decrease in molecular weight. Therefore, low molecular weight alginate produced by heating could be considered as a stronger antioxidant than alginate polymer. These products could be useful for industrial and biomedical applications., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

Delivering radiotherapy to the postmastectomy chest wall can be achieved using matched electron fields. Surgical defects of the chest wall change the dose distribution of electrons. In this study, the improvement of dose homogeneity using simple, nonconformal techniques of thermoplastic bolus application on a defect is evaluated. The proposed phantom design improves the capability of film dosimetry for obtaining dose profiles of a patient's anatomical condition. A modeled electron field of a patient with a postmastectomy inward surgical defect was planned. High energy electrons were delivered to the phantom in various settings, including no bolus, a bolus that filled the inward defect (PB0), a uniform thickness bolus of 5 mm (PB1), and two 5 mm boluses (PB2). A reduction of mean doses at the base of the defect was observed by any bolus application. PB0 increased the dose at central parts of the defect, reduced hot areas at the base of steep edges, and reduced dose to the lung and heart. Thermoplastic boluses that compensate a defect (PB0) increased the homogeneity of dose in a fixed depth from the surface; adversely, PB2 increased the dose heterogeneity. This study shows that it is practical to investigate dose homogeneity profiles inside a target volume for various techniques of electron therapy. more...

Background: Radiotherapy is frequently used in treatment approaches of pelvic malignancies. Nevertheless, it has some known systemic effects on blood cells and the immune system that possibly results in their susceptibility to infection. Probiotics are live microbial food ingredients that provide a health advantage to the consumer. Honey has prebiotic properties. The aim of this clinical trial was to investigate probable effects of probiotic or probiotics plus honey on blood cell counts and serum IgA levels in patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy., Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven adult patients with pelvic cancer were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive either: (1) Probiotic capsules (including: Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, and Streptococcus thermophiles) (n = 22), (2) probiotic capsules plus honey (n = 21) or (3) placebo capsules (n = 24) all for 6 weeks. Blood and serum samples were collected for one week before radiotherapy and 24-72 h after the end of radiotherapy., Results: White blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), platelet counts, and serum IgA level were not significantly changed in patients taking probiotic (alone or plus honey) during pelvic radiotherapy. The mean decrease in RBC count was 0.52, 0.18, and 0.23 × 10(6) cells/μL, WBC count was 2.3, 1.21, and 1.34 × 10(3) cells/μL and platelet count was, 57.6, 53.3, and 66.35 × 10(3) cells/μL for the probiotic, probiotic plus honey, and placebo groups, respectively. The mean decrease of serum IgA was 22.53, 29.94, and 40.73 mg/dL for the probiotic, probiotic plus honey, and placebo groups, respectively., Conclusion: The observed nonsignificant effect of probiotics may be in favor of local effects of this product in the gut rather than systemic effects, however, as a trend toward a benefit was indicated, further studies are necessary in order to extract effects of probiotics or probiotic plus honey on hematologic and immunologic parameters in patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy. more...

Chest radiography is a common diagnostic imaging test, which contains an enormous amount of information about a patient. However, its interpretation is highly challenging. The accuracy of the diagnostic process is greatly influenced by image processing algorithms; hence enhancement of the images is indispensable in order to improve visibility of the details. This paper aims at improving radiograph parameters such as contrast, sharpness, noise level, and brightness to enhance chest radiographs, making use of a triangulation method. Here, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization technique and noise suppression are simultaneously performed in wavelet domain in a new scheme, followed by morphological top-hat and bottom-hat filtering. A unique implementation of morphological filters allows for adjustment of the image brightness and significant enhancement of the contrast. The proposed method is tested on chest radiographs from Japanese Society of Radiological Technology database. The results are compared with conventional enhancement techniques such as histogram equalization, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, Retinex, and some recently proposed methods to show its strengths. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method can remarkably improve the image contrast while keeping the sensitive chest tissue information so that radiologists might have a more precise interpretation. more...

In this study, the biodegradation of total acid-extractable organics (TAOs), commonly called naphthenic acids (NAs), was investigated. An indigenous microbial culture containing algae and bacteria was taken from the surface of a tailings pond and incubated over the course of 120days. The influence of light, oxygen and the presence of indigenous algae and bacteria, and a diatom (Navicula pelliculosa) on the TAO removal rate were elucidated. The highest biodegradation rate was observed with bacteria growth only (without light exposure) with a half-life (t(1/2)) of 203days. The algae-bacteria consortium enhanced the detoxification process, however, bacterial biomass played the main role in toxicity reduction. Principal component analysis (PCA) conducted on FT-IR spectra, identified functional groups and bonds (representing potential markers for biotransformation of TAOs) as follows: hydroxyl, carboxyl and amide groups along with CH, arylH, arylOH and NH bonds., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

Introduction: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOn) have been used as carriers and sun-protecting agents for Teucrium polium L. extract to enhance sun protection. ZnOn was synthesized by hydrolyzing zinc acetate using sodium hydroxide with mean particle diameter less than 500 nm., Materials and Methods: Top flowerings of T. polium L. were extracted by percolation method with petroleum ether, chloroform, and 80% methanol consecutively. Methanolic extract was lyophilized and used as a flavonoid-rich fraction. Sunscreen was prepared by the reconstitution of 0.5 g of the lyophilized extract in water and mixing with 0.5 to 2 g zinc-oxide (ZnO). Sun protection factor (SPF) of the aqueous extract of T. polium, the prepared gel, as well as the zinc oxide suspension alone and in combination with each other was determined spectrophotometrically based on a modified Transpore(®) tape method., Results and Conclusion: Obtained results showed that the T. polium extract has a wide band of ultraviolet radiation (UV) spectrum absorption ranging from 250 nm to 380 nm. SPF of the combination product in the ultraviolet B (UVB) area was greater than 80, revealing a synergistic action between ZnO and T. polium. The adsorption of flavonoids of T. polium on Zinc-oxide nanoparticles (ZnOn) slowed down their release thereby lengthening their persistence on the skin and contributing to further duration of action. more...

This paper studies the partitioning and bioaccumulation of ten target metals ((53)Cr, Mn, Co, (60)Ni, (65)Cu, (66)Zn, As, (88)Sr, (95)Mo and Ba) from oil sands tailings pond water (TPW) by indigenous Parachlorella kessleri. To determine the role of extracellular and intracellular bioaccumulation in metal removal by P. kessleri, TPW samples taken from two oil sands operators (Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Albian Sands Energy Inc.) were enriched with nutrient supplements. Results indicate that intracellular bioaccumulation played the main role in metal removal from TPW; whereas extracellular bioaccumulation was only observed to some extent for Mn, Co, (60)Ni, (65)Cu, (88)Sr, (95)Mo and Ba. The FTIR scan and titration of functional groups on the cell surface indicated low metal binding capacity by indigenous P. kessleri. However, it is believed that the dissolved cations and organic ligand content in TPW (such as naphthenic acids) may interfere with metal binding on the cell surface and lower extracellular bioaccumulation. In addition, the total bioaccumulation and bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied during the cultivation period in different growth regimes., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) more...

This paper reports the removal of ten target metals of environmental concern ((53)Cr, Mn, Co, (60)Ni, (65)Cu, (66)Zn, As, (88)Sr, (95)Mo, and Ba) from oil sands tailings pond water. The organism responsible for removal was found to be an indigenous green micro-alga identified as Parachlorella kessleri by sequencing of the 23S rRNA gene. P. kessleri grew in tailings pond water samples taken from two oil sands operators (Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Albian Sands Energy Inc.), and enriched with low (0.24 mM NO(3)(-) and 0.016 mM PO(4)(-3)) and high (1.98 mM NO(3)(-) and 0.20mM PO(4)(-3)) concentrations of nutrient supplements (the most realistic scenario). The removal of (60)Ni, (65)Cu, As, (88)Sr, (95)Mo, and Ba from Syncrude tailings pond water was significantly enhanced by high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, whereas the high nutrient concentrations adversely affected the removal of Co, (60)Ni, As, (88)Sr, and Mo in samples of Albian tailings pond water. Based on ANOVA two-factor analysis, higher nutrient concentration does not always result in higher metal removal, and TPW source must also be considered., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) more...

Electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs) are considered as a state of the art in water filtration technology mainly owing to their high interconnected porosity and tunable pore size assumed to offer a very high permeability also selectivity. However, the extremely high surface area makes the ENMs prone to mechanical breakdown and lack of wettability lowering the filtration efficiency. Hence, any attempt to enhance both the mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of the ENMs is highly recommended. In the current study, the structural and transport properties of polyethersulfone (PES) ENMs were modified through incorporation of titania (TiO(2)) nanoparticles via a sol-gel approach. Presence of titania precursor increased the conductivity of the electrospun solution thereby optimized the structural features of the electrospun mat in terms of formation of very thin beadless nanofibers, a higher porosity and smaller pore size. Moreover, a significant rise in mechanical properties, thermal stability and switching from a highly hydrophobic membrane to a superhydrophilic one occur simultaneously. The combination of a more optimum porosity, very high mechanical properties and hydrophilicity leads to a significantly higher water permeability in the TiO(2)/PES ENMs encouraging us to propose it as a water filtration membrane with longer life span and lower energy consumption., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) more...

A series of 12-phosphotungstic acid (PWA) supported on various porous carriers, such as silica, alumina, titania, clay, and carbon were prepared, and their catalytic performance evaluated in the synthesis of imidazoles in solvent-free condition. It was found that PWA supported on silica (PWA/SiO(2)) showed higher activity compared to other catalysts. The observed behavior has more or less correlated with the acidic characteristic found through the potentiometrically titrated acidic sites and proton availability. The catalyst was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA/DSC, BET, and SEM. The presence of the Keggin structure can be followed by the above techniques, eliminating any doubt about the collapse of the supported anion. It can be observed that the process tolerates both electron donating and electron withdrawing substituents on the aldehyde with both benzil and benzoin. The general applicability of the method is demonstrated by using both benzylic and aromatic amines. The yields obtained were excellent without forming any side products such as trisubstituted imidazoles, which are normally produced in the presence of strong acids. The protocol developed using PWA/SiO(2) is superior in terms of process simplicity, reusable catalyst, high yields, short reaction time, and preclusion of toxic solvent. more...

The effect of morphology and surface characteristics of carriers were investigated for development of dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation of insulin-loaded poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microcapsules for sustained-release pulmonary delivery of insulin. Microcapsule/carrier powder mixtures were prepared consisting of insulin-loaded PLGA microcapsules and sorbitol or mannitol as the carriers with various particle surface morphologies prepared by spray-drying and freeze-drying techniques. Powders were assessed by particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy, surface area analyzer, atomic force microscopy, helium pycnometer, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetery, bulk and tapped densitometers. Aerosol dispersion of microcapsules was examined by a twin impinger using Spinhaler device. The flowability results showed that the lowest (27.51+/-2.24%) and the highest (48.53+/-3.36%) Carr's indices were obtained for the samples containing sieved mannitol and spray-dried mannitol, respectively. The in vitro inhalation properties of the powder mixture prepared using various carrier shape and surface morphology were different, suggesting that the separation of microcapsules from carrier was a determining step to improve inhalation properties of DPIs. The results showed that the highest fine particle fraction (18.3+/-1.65%) and fine particle dose (62.22+/-3.74 microg) were obtained for the microcapsules formulated with sieved mannitol and these values were the lowest when the sieved mannitol was replaced by sieved sorbitol (10.5+/-0.86% and 35.70+/-2.51 microg). It was concluded that optimization of surface roughness is a critical parameter in development of DPIs. It also suggested that the elongation of carrier particles may play an important role in determining the aerosolization properties of the microcapsules. It seems that decrease in crystalline content of carriers may contribute to a decreased in fine particle fraction delivered., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) more...

The pulmonary route is an alternative route of administration for the systemic delivery of peptide and proteins with short-half lives. A long-acting formulation of insulin was prepared by encapsulation of protein into respirable, biodegradable microcapsules prepared by an oil in oil emulsification/solvent evaporation method. Insulin-loaded PLGA microcapsules prepared as a dry powder inhaler formulation were administered via the pulmonary route to diabetic rats and serum insulin and glucose concentrations were monitored. Control treatments consisted of respirable spray-dried insulin (RSDI) powder administered by intratracheal insufflation, insulin-loaded PLGA microcapsules and NPH (long-acting) insulin administered by subcutaneous (SC) administration. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated that insulin administered in PLGA microcapsules illustrated a sustained release profile which resulted in a longer mean residence time, 4 and 5 fold longer than those after pulmonary administration of RSDI and SC injection of NPH insulin, respectively. Accordingly, the hypoglycemic profile followed a stable and sustained pattern which remained constant between 10 and 48 h. Results of the in vitro experiments were in good agreement with those of in vivo studies. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis indicated that microcapsules administration did not increase the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and total protein. However, histological examination of the lung tissue indicated a minor but detectable effect on the normal physiology of the rat lung. These findings suggest that the encapsulation of peptides and proteins into PLGA microcapsules technique could be a promising controlled delivery system for pulmonary administration., (Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.) more...

Biodegradable polymeric microspheres are ideal vehicles for controlled delivery applications of drugs, peptides and proteins. Amongst them, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has generated enormous interest due to their favorable properties and also has been approved by FDA for drug delivery. Insulin-loaded PLGA microparticles were prepared by our developed single phase oil in oil (o/o) emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Insulin, a model protein, was successfully loaded into microparticles by changing experimental variables such as polymer molecular weight, polymer concentration, surfactant concentration and stirring speed in order to optimize process variables on drug encapsulation efficiency, release rates, size and size distribution. A 2(4) full factorial design was employed to evaluate systematically the combined effect of variables on responses. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed spherical shapes, smooth surface morphology and microsphere structure without aggregation. FTIR and DSC results showed drug-polymer interaction. The encapsulation efficiency of insulin was mainly influenced by surfactant concentration. Moreover, polymer concentration and polymer molecular weight affected burst release of drug and size characteristics of microspheres, respectively. It was concluded that using PLGA with higher molecular weight, high surfactant and polymer concentrations led to a more appropriate encapsulation efficiency of insulin with low burst effect and desirable release pattern. more...

The purpose of this study was to propose a new preparation method to fabricate insulin-loaded poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles satisfying protein loading, release profiles, burst release, and particularly stability of the encapsulated protein. Insulin-loaded microcapsules were produced by a single phase o/o solvent evaporation method. The characteristics of the microcapsules were determined by various methods: the surface morphology and size of microparticles by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, insulin crystalinity and drug-polymer interactions by XRD, DSC, and FTIR, chemical integrity and aggregation of insulin using HPLC and SDS-PAGE, the protein secondary structure by far ultraviolet-circular dichroism (CD), the antigenicity activity of insulin with ELISA techniques. PLGA microparticles showed smooth surfaces with microcapsule. Encapsulation efficiency of 51% and constant insulin release rate with initial insulin burst release of 24% was obtained. Encapsulated and released insulin was in the intact form and it was dispersed in crystalline state in the polymer matrix. Ease of manufacturing under mild preparation conditions, high level of drug entrapment, desirable release pattern with relatively low initial burst effect and an ability to preserve protein structure are the advantages which are offered by the developed protein encapsulation method. more...

The large surface area, good vascularization, immense capacity for solute exchange and ultra-thinness of the alveolar epithelium are unique features of the lung facilitating systemic drug delivery via pulmonary administration. The efficacy and safety of many new and existing inhaled therapies may be enhanced through advanced controlled-release systems by using polymer particles. Poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is well known by its safety in biomedical preparations which has been approved for human use by the FDA. The optimum aerodynamic particle size distribution for most inhalation aerosols has generally been recognized to be in the range of 1-5 microns. PLGA microspheres, therefore, were prepared by a developed oil-in-oil solvent evaporation method and characterized. A four-factor, three levels Box-Behnken design was used for the optimization procedure with temperature, stirring speed, PLGA and surfactant concentration as independent variables. Particle size and polydispersity of microspheres were considered as dependent variables. PLGA microparticles were prepared successfully in desired size for pulmonary delivery by solvent evaporation method. It was found that the particle size of microspheres could be easily controlled. It was also proved that response surface methodology could efficiently be applied for size characterization and optimization of PLGA microparticles for pulmonary drug delivery. more...

This study investigated the leaching of monomers (Bis-GMA and TEGDMA) from nano-hybrid (Filtek Supreme) and flowable (Filtek Flow) dental composite resins cured with LED or conventional halogen curing lights, and immersed in saliva or water for 24 h. Nine disc specimens were made for each experimental group. After the polymerization process, the specimens were immersed in either water or saliva and incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Eluted Bis-GMA and TEGDMA monomers were detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data were analyzed using three-way ANOVA (p = 0.05) and the independent samples t test. TEGDMA (53.15-1 microg/L) was leached from the resins at a higher level than Bis-GMA (28-0.5 microg/L) (p < 0.01), regardless of the affecting factors: composite type, solvent (media) and type of curing light. In general, Filtek Flow resin released more TEGDMA than Filtek Supreme (p < 0.05), but the Supreme resin released more Bis-GMA than TEGDMA (p < 0.05). Halogen light induced greater monomer elution than LED light immersion in water. Saliva released more TEGDMA than water (p < 0.05). We conclude that (1) total leached TEGDMA was higher than total Bis-GMA, (2) saliva and halogen light (lower intensity than LED) leached more monomers from the resins, and (3) the flowable composite resin leached more TEGDMA than the nano-hybrid., ((c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) more...

The title compound, C(18)H(16)NOP·C(3)H(8)O, was synthesized by the reduction of (3-nitro-phen-yl)diphenyl-phosphine oxide in the presence of 2-propanol as recrystallization solvent. There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit. Each P atom is tetra-coordinated by three C and one O atom from two phenyl fragments, one aniline group and one double-bonded O atom in a distorted tetra-hedral geometry. C-H⋯π and N-H⋯π inter-actions are present. In the crystal structure, a wide range of non-covalent inter-actions consisting of hydrogen bonding [of the types of O-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O, with D⋯A distances ranging from 2.680 (3) to 3.478 (3) Å] and π-π [centroid-centroid distance of 3.7720 (15) Å] stacking inter-actions connect the various components into a supra-molecular structure. more...

Between April 2003 and February 2004, 98 samples of raw milk were obtained from milk tanks in one dairy plant in each of five regions in Iran. These were chosen with mean distances apart of 400 km, whereby they have different ecologies (temperature, relative humidity, etc.) and different agricultural products were used for animal feeding. Samples (24-25 per season) were laboratory heat treated and were analyzed for aflatoxin M1 with a validated High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system. The overall mean of all samples was 0.041-0.065 microg/L (95% confidence) and the adjusted mean based on statistical modification was 0.039 ppb: 61 samples had 0.000-0.050 microg/L, 29 samples were contaminated with 0.05-0.10 microg/L, and the remaining 8 samples had 0.1-0.39 microg/L. All of the samples were lower than Codex Alimentarius and FDA standards (0.5 microg/L). Levels of aflatoxin M1 were higher in winter and spring than in summer and autumn, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.07). However, the level of aflatoxin in milk from one region (Hamedan) was significantly lower (P<0.05) than in those of the other regions (Gorgan, Rasht, Shiraz, Tehran). more...

Background: Alpha-hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid (GA) and lactic acid (LA), are used in cosmetic patches. The important fact in cosmetic patches is its suitable adhesion and peel properties., Aim: The objective of this study was to prepare LA- and GA-containing cosmetic patches and evaluate in-vitro/in-vivo correlation of adhesion properties., Methods: Pressure-sensitive adhesives with different concentrations of GA and LA were cast on a polyethylene terephthalate film. The patches were evaluated for peel adhesive strength. On the basis of in vitro adhesion properties the patches were selected for wear performance tests and skin irritation potential., Results: The adhesion properties (adhesion to steel plate and skin) and cohesive strength tests indicated the substantial influence of GA and LA concentrations. Based on in vitro adhesion studies the patches containing 3% (w/w) GA were selected for in vivo studies. In vivo studies show that a formulation containing 3% GA displays good adhesion on the skin, but it leaves little residues on the skin. Skin Irritation studies on healthy human volunteers showed negligible erythema at the site of application after 48 h., Conclusion: The noninvasive patch test model was found useful for detecting irritant skin reactions to the cosmetic patch containing GA. Our results demonstrated a strong correlation between the adhesion to steel plate and adhesion to skin. But a weak correlation between the degree of adhesive residue on the skin in in vitro and in vivo tests was observed for the formulation containing 3% (w/w) GA. more...

Opiate abuse during pregnancy may result in abnormal nervous system function. In order to evaluate the effects of morphine on the development of the nervous system, the present study focused on the effects of maternal morphine consumption on neural tube development in Wistar rats. Female Wistar rats (250-300 g) were crossed with male rats and coupling time was recorded (embryonic day 0-E0). Experimental groups received 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 mg/ml of morphine in drinking water daily (14 ml water for each rat). Control group received tap water. On embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5), the animals were anesthetized and the embryos were surgically removed. The embryos were fixed in 10% formalin for 1 week. After this time, weights and lengths (antero-posterior axis--A-P) of the embryos were determined and then tissues were processed, sectioned, and stained in hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The sections were investigated for neural tube development by light microscope and MOTIC software. The decrease in "A-P" length and embryonic weight for the group that received 0.01 mg/ml morphine was significant. It seems that daily consumption of morphine sulfate could delay neural tube development. In addition, administration of 0.01 mg/ml of morphine led to damage to the regulated neuro-ectoderm layer and its thickness. This study showed that oral morphine consumption leads to neural tube defects, as indicated in the morphometric change and also reduction in weight and length of the embryos. These defects might affect the behavior of the animals. more...

This pilot study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of sevelamer hydrochloride as a phosphate binder in pediatric patients treated with dialysis. A 6-month open-label trial of sevelamer hydrochloride (Renagel) was initiated in 17 patients, aged 11.8+/-3.7 years, undergoing hemodialysis ( n=3) or peritoneal dialysis ( n=14). Following a 2-week washout period of the phosphate binders, serum phosphorus increased from 5.2+/-1.3 mg/dl to 7.5+/-2.2 mg/dl ( P<0.0002). After initiation of therapy with sevelamer hydrochloride, serum phosphorus levels decreased to 6.2+/-1.2 mg/dl ( P<0.01) during the first 8 weeks and final values were 6.3+/-1.5 mg/dl. Serum calcium concentration decreased during the washout period from 9.4+/-0.9 mg/dl to 8.9+/-1.5 mg/dl ( P<0.01); values remained unchanged thereafter. The serum calcium-phosphorus ion product decreased during the first 8 weeks and values did not change subsequently. Serum bicarbonate, parathyroid hormone, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels did not change. The initial prescribed dose of sevelamer hydrochloride was 121+/-50 mg/kg (4.5+/-5 g/day) and the final prescribed dose was 163+/-46 mg/kg (6.7+/-2.4 g/day). Sevelamer hydrochloride was well tolerated and without adverse effects related to the drug. more...