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The aim of the present research is to investigate the effecting of pH parameter on the feasibility of lead removal from simulated wastewater using an electrochemical system. Electrocoagulation method is one of electrochemical technology which is used widely to treat industrial wastewater. Parameters affecting this operation, such as initial metal concentration, applied current, stirrer speed, and contact time of electroprocessing were taken as 155ppm, 1.5 Ampere, 150 rpm, 60 minutes respectively. While pH of the simulated wastewater was in the range of 2 to 12 in the experiments. It was found from the results that pH is an important parameter affecting lead removal operation. The best value of pH parameter is approximately (9.50) that gave higher removal efficiency larger than (99%).

• Methane diffusion in realistic kerogen structures follows highly tortuous pathways. • The barrier to methane transport in kerogen is further augmented by sorption forces. • Tortuosity increases by a factor up to 3.6 compared to an adsorption free tortuosity. • Langmuir isotherm can be used to quantify the impact of adsorption on diffusion. • The sorption dependent diffusion is implemented in a larger scale permeability model. Diffusion tortuosity is an important microstructural parameter for computing effective gas transport coefficients in porous media. In this study, a realistic kerogen structure was built to quantitatively establish a clear understanding of the adsorption impact on diffusion tortuosity in the organic materials of shale. A molecular simulation study was employed to reconstruct a Type II-D kerogen model on a computational platform. A structure of five kerogen macromolecules was obtained through a series of NVT – NPT ensembles. There was a thorough characterization of the porosity and pore size distribution of the final structure. A grand canonical Monte Carlo method was used to compute the adsorption of methane for a pressure range up to 40 MPa. Freundlich and Langmuir models were employed to further parameterize the adsorption capacity. A molecular dynamics diffusion study was performed on the kerogen-adsorbed molecule configurations to obtain the effective diffusion, which was then used to estimate the tortuosity. Methane molecules follow tortuous pathways of diffusion, imposed by the heterogeneity and confinement of kerogen. The tortuosity is further impacted by the adsorption effect. Kerogen-methane interactions increase this tortuosity by a factor as high as 3.6 compared to an adsorption-corrected tortuosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three young female patients with a history of generalized body pain were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They visited several specialities which related patients' symptoms to their previous diagnosis of fibromyalgia and were treated symptomatically. These patients developed a multitude of clinical features including fractures, hypertension, abnormal weight gain, proximal myopathic pain and bruising. They were seen by rheumatologists whose assessment was that their clinical features were not entirely due to fibromyalgia and suspected that patients have a possible underlying endocrine cause. Patients were referred to an endocrinologist for further tests with suspicion of Cushing's syndrome. Laboratory tests and imaging confirmed a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. Two of them had adrenal adenoma and one had iatrogenic corticosteroid use. These cases emphasize the need for thorough clinical evaluation for patients who are thought to have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Al Samsam et al.)

This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in individuals with obesity or overweight without diabetes. Obesity is a significant public health concern, associated with various comorbidities and reduced quality of life. Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, has emerged as a promising pharmacological intervention for weight management. This review synthesizes findings from multiple clinical trials, highlighting the impact of semaglutide on weight loss, metabolic parameters, and overall health outcomes in non-diabetic populations. The review also addresses methodological considerations, including study design, participant selection, and outcome measures, to assess the robustness of the evidence. Ethical considerations and potential conflicts of interest are discussed to ensure transparency in the research process. The findings indicate that semaglutide is associated with significant weight reduction and improvement in obesity-related health markers, suggesting its potential as a valuable treatment option for individuals struggling with obesity. Limitations of the current literature and recommendations for future research directions are also presented, emphasizing the need for further studies to explore the long-term effects and generalizability of semaglutide treatment in diverse populations., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Alanazi et al.)

Aims: Micellar systems have the advantage of being easily prepared, cheap, and readily loadable with bioactive molecular cargo. However, their fundamental pitfall is poor stability, particularly under dilution conditions. We propose to use simple quaternary ammonium surfactants, namely, hexadecylamine (HDA) and hexadecylpyridinium (HDAP), together with tripolyphosphate (TPP) anion, to generate ionotropically stabilized micelles capable of drug delivery into cancer cells., Methods: optimized mixed HDA/HDAP micelles were prepared and stabilized with TPP. Curcumin was used as a loaded model drug. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Moreover, their cellular uptake was assessed using flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy., Results: The prepared nanoparticles were found to be stable under dilution and at high temperatures and to have a size range from 139 nm to 580 nm, depending on pH (4.6-7.4), dilution (up to 100 times), and temperature (25 - 80 °C). They were effective at delivering their load into cancer cells. Additionally, flow cytometry indicated the resulting stabilized micellar nanoparticles to be non-cytotoxic., Conclusions: The described novel stabilized micelles are simple to prepare and viable for cancer delivery.

Purpose: Patients with hyperlipidemia treated with statins remain at a residual cardiovascular (CV) risk. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids hold the potential to mitigate the residual CV risk in statin-treated patients, with persistently elevated triglyceride (TG) levels., Method: We reviewed the current evidence on the use of icosapent ethyl (IPE), an omega-3 fatty acid yielding a pure form of eicosapentaenoic acid., Results: REDUCE-IT reported a significant 25% reduction in CV events, including the need for coronary revascularization, the risk of fatal/nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina, and CV death in patients on IPE, unseen with other omega-3 fatty acids treatments. IPE was effective in all patients regardless of baseline CV risk enhancers (TG levels, type-2 diabetes status, weight status, prior revascularization, or renal function). Adverse events (atrial fibrillation/flutter) related to IPE have occurred mostly in patients with prior atrial fibrillation. Yet, the net clinical benefit largely exceeded potential risks. The combination with other omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular DHA, eliminated the effect of EPA alone, as reported in the STRENGTH and OMEMI trials. Adding IPE to statin treatment seems to be cost-effective, especially in the context of secondary prevention of CVD, decreasing CV event frequency and subsequently the use of healthcare resources., Conclusion: Importantly, IPE has been endorsed by 20 international medical societies as a statin add-on treatment in patients with dyslipidemia and high CV risk. Robust medical evidence supports IPE as a pillar in the management of dyslipidemia., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of high-dose cholecalciferol (VD 3 ) supplements (50,000 IU/week) on selected circulating cytokines associated with cytokine storms in adults with vitamin D deficiency. This clinical trial, based in Jordan, included 50 participants receiving vitamin D 3 supplements (50,000 IU/week) for 8 weeks; the exact number was assigned to the control group. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrotic factor-α (TNF-α), and leptin were measured in serum at baseline and 10 weeks (wash out: 2 weeks). Our results revealed that vitamin D 3 supplementation significantly increased the serum levels of 25OHD, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1β, and leptin compared with baseline. In contrast, the serum level of TNF-α insignificantly increased in the group receiving vitamin D 3 supplementation. Although the observations of this trial may refer to a potential negative effect of VD 3 supplementation during cytokine storms, further trials are required to clarify the potential benefits of VD 3 supplement during cytokine storms.

Aqueous colloidal dispersions of water-insoluble polymers (APDs) avoid hassles associated with the use of organic solvents and offer processing advantages related to their low viscosity and short processing times. Therefore, they became the main vehicle for pharmaceutical coating of tablets and multiparticulates, a process commonly employed using pan and fluidized-bed machinery. Another interesting although less common processing approach is co-spray drying APDs with drugs in aqueous systems. It enables the manufacture of capsule- and matrix-type microspheres with controllable size and improved processing characteristics in a single step. These microspheres can be further formulated into different dosage forms. This systematic review is based on published research articles and aims to highlight the applicability and opportunities of co-spray drying drugs with APDs in drug delivery., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.)

Purpose: This randomised clinical trial (RCT) was created to assess the influence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (VD 3 ), omega-3 fatty acids (n-3FA) and their combination (D+) on glycated haemoglobin (A1c) levels in Jordanian peoples with vitamin D deficiency (VDD)., Participants and Methods: This RCT was designed to examine the follow-up (2 months) effect of either 50 000 IU VD 3 , 300 mg n-3FA, or the combination of the two supplements on glycated Haemoglobin (A1c) levels in 146 Jordanian women and men with VDD, aged from 25 to 55 years. The eligible participants were randomised into four groups: Control (C); VD 3 supplementation (50 000 IU of VD 3 was taken weekly) (D 3 ); n-3FA supplementation (300 mg of omega-3FA was taken daily) (n-3FA); VD 3 and omega-3 supplementation group (D+) with the same protocol as the previous two groups., Results: The combination therapy (n-3FA plus VD3) for 8 weeks significantly increased A1c levels (5.79 ± 0.34 vs 5.41 ± 0.33, P < .001). Tukey test for post hoc comparisons of A1c at follow-up showed that the A1c mean levels were remarkably higher in the D+ study group comparing to the control group (5.78 vs 5.38)., Conclusion: The intervention of n-3FA alone or in combination with high doses of VD 3 may lead to negative effects on glycaemic control or accelerate the insulin resistance's development in susceptible people for diabetes mellitus (type 2)., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)