Search

Hydrogen sulfide is a highly flammable, acutely toxic, and extremely hazardous gas that must be captured and removed from a number of important gaseous and liquid streams. This long-standing challenge of capturing H2S has seen the rise of different materials used in different types of technologies over the years. Some of the well-known examples are alkanolamines used as absorbents and metal oxides used as adsorbents. This work presents an exhaustive review of the latest developments and emerging materials in this field, including ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, zeolites, carbon-based materials, metal organic frameworks, polymeric membranes, biological methods, advanced oxidation processes, etc. In addition to a detailed discussion of the state of the art, this review also provides a general technology map and identifies opportunities and challenges to guide future work.

Archimedes wave swing (AWS) is the first direct-drive wave energy converter (WEC). The AWS is coupled to a linear permanent magnet synchronous generator (LPMSG) and generates a variable magnitude, variable frequency voltage. This paper presents an improved version of direct model predictive control (DMPC) which called improved DMPC (I-DMPC) for a hybrid system containing WEC, supercapacitor (SC) energy storage system (ESS), and constant power load (CPL). This method is implemented based on discrete incremental model of generator and modified objective function, therefor steady-state error is reduced. Simulation results in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment show the proposed control can maintain stability of the system under different CPL demand and systems faults and improve robustness and fault-tolerant capability of the system in regular and irregular waves. The Comparing results with the conventional DMPC indicate, that by using I-DMPC, d-axis and q-axis errors under regular wave can be reduced 37.5% and 50%, respectively. Also, under irregular wave, I-DMPC reduce the peak of q-axis errors from 73A to 1.5 A when loss of one leg occurred.

Single-phase ground faults are the most common faults in medium-voltage distribution grids. High-impedance grid grounding using a special four-leg transformer is discussed in the paper. The transformer’s zero-sequence impedance differs from positive-sequence impedance and it is designed to compensate the earth faults currents in Medium Voltage (MV) distribution grids when single-phase ground fault occurs. The designed transformer can replace the traditional arc suppression coils (ASC) in the case where no distribution transformer neutral is available or distributed compensation is required. Alternatively, the transformer can operate in parallel with the ASC.

The objective of this study was to evaluate sleep quality and its relationship to cognitive factors among nurses. Sleep quality among nurses is an important issue, which requires more extensive study. Its correlation with cognitive ability has not been sufficiently considered. Five hundred forty nurses (66.3% female) working in 6 hospitals were selected as the sample of the study. Results show that nurses do not experience good quality of sleep. That is, 77.4% of the sample population of nurses have a poor quality of sleep, and nurses working the night shift have more sleep problems than other nurses. The results show that there is a relationship between dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep and metacognitive process and the quality of sleep, and that these variables can predict sleep quality. Based on the results of the study, it can be said that cognitive and metacognitive processes play an important role in sleep quality. Lack of sufficient sleep can create numerous problems for nurses and patients. Attention to the role of cognitive and metacognitive processes can help improve the sleep quality of nurses.

Background: Arsenic, an environmental pollutant, is a carcinogenic metalloid and also an anticancer agent. Objective: To evaluate the toxicity of arsenic nanoparticles in rat hepatocytes. Methods: Freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were exposed to 0, 20, 40, and 100 µM of arsenic nanoparticles and its bulk counterpart. Their viability, reactive oxygen species level, glutathione depletion, mitochondrial and lysosomal damage, and apoptosis were evaluated. Results: By all concentrations, lysosomal damage and apoptosis were clearly evident in hepatocytes exposed to arsenic nanoparticles. Evaluation of mitochondria and lysosomes revealed that lysosomes were highly damaged. Conclusion: Exposure to arsenic nanoparticles causes apoptosis and organelle impairment. The nanoparticles have potentially higher toxicity than the bulk arsenic. Lysosomes are highly affected. It seems that, instead of mitochondria, lysosomes are the first target organelles involved in the toxicity induced by arsenic nanoparticles.

Background Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a complication commonly associated with invasive angiographic procedures and is considered the leading cause of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury. CI-AKI can lead to a prolonged hospital stay, with a substantial economic impact, and increased mortality. The DyeVert™ PLUS EZ system (FDA approved and CE marked) is a device that has been developed to divert a portion of the theoretical injected contrast media volume (CMV), reducing the overall volume of contrast media injected and aortic reflux, and potentially improving long-term health outcomes. Objectives To assess the long-term costs and health outcomes associated with the introduction of the DyeVert™ PLUS EZ system into the UK health care service for the prevention of CI-AKI in a cohort of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3–4 undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography (DAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to compare these costs and outcomes with those of the current practice. Methods A de novo economic model was developed based on the current pathway of managing patients undergoing DAG and/or PCI and on evidence related to the clinical effectiveness of DyeVert™ in terms of its impact on relevant clinical outcomes and health service resource use. Clinical data used to populate the model were derived from the literature or were based on assumptions informed by expert clinical input. Costs included in the model were from the NHS and personal social services perspective and obtained from the literature and UK-based routine sources. Probabilistic distributions were assigned to the majority of model parameters so that a probabilistic analysis could be undertaken, while deterministic sensitivity analyses were also carried out to explore the impact of key parameter variation on the model results. Results Base-case results indicate that the intervention leads to cost savings (− £435) and improved effectiveness (+ 0.028 QALYs) over the patient’s lifetime compared with current practice. Output from the probabilistic analysis points to a high likelihood of the intervention being cost-effective across presented willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds. The overall long-term cost saving for the NHS associated with the introduction of the DyeVert™ PLUS EZ system is over £19.7 million for each annual cohort of patients. The cost savings are mainly driven by a lower risk of subsequent diseases and their associated costs. Conclusions The introduction of the DyeVert™ PLUS EZ system has the potential to reduce costs for the health care service and yield improved clinical outcomes for patients with CKD stage 3–4 undergoing angiographic procedures. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s41669-020-00195-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chahnimeh reservoirs are the main drinking water sources for the big cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Zabol, Zahak and Zahedan) and their water quality of may have a great influence on public health. Therefore, the aims of this study are to assess hydrogeochemical characteristics, and heavy metal(loid)s pollution in four Chahnimeh reservoirs using water quality pollution indices and principal component analysis. The concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, U, and Zn in 84 water samples were measured for two periods. Hydrogeochemical analyses, Piper and Gibbs diagrams, show a change in the water type from Na–HCO3 and Na–SO4 to Na–Cl, and a bit tendency of water–rock interaction to evaporation, from September 2017 to April 2018. Based on the heavy metal pollution index, heavy metal evaluation index, and contamination index, water quality of Chahnimeh reservoirs is decreased in order: reservoirs 2 > 3 > 4 > 1. The result of statistical analysis reveals that Mo content is affected by a geogenic origin, while Se and U indicate a quasi-independent behavior within the groups reflecting contribution of both geogenic and anthropogenic sources. HCO3 plays a significant role in distribution of Se and U. Also, Fe, Mn and Al oxy-hydroxides can control concentrations of Cu, Pb and Ni. Overall the obtained results indicated that the variation of water quality in the study area was related to climatic conditions, high evaporation, water–rock interaction, different land uses, drying Hamoun Lakes and anthropogenic effects in the Hirmand watershed. The current study reveals that the use of integrated methods such as statistical methods and heavy metal pollution indices to determine the water quality is very suitable.

Objectives Investigating sleep patterns and prevalence of sleep problems among children, particularly at the first year of school, is the main objective of the current study. After evaluating sleep pattern and common bedtime problems among children, a number of factors related to these issues were also addressed. Methods The statistical population of the cross-sectional study includes all the first-grade students of elementary schools around Kermanshah City in western Iran, among which a sample of 644 participants were selected. The sampling method was a multi-step clustering method and the obtained data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and binary logistic regression analyze. Results The results of the study show that 30.7% of the participating children suffer from resistance to falling asleep, 15.8% suffer from resistance to waking up from sleep, 13.9% suffer from waking up during sleep, 26.1% suffer from insufficient sleep, and finally 11.2% suffer from sleep-disordered breathing. Accordingly, sleep quality among 7.6% of the children was poor; this factor was 5.1% among girls and 10.3% among boys (P Conclusions Based on the results of the study, it can be said that 57% of the first-grade students suffer from at least one sleep problem. Poor sleep hygiene is an important predictor for sleep problem in the first-grade students.

Background Acute coronary syndrome patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy who need emergent or urgent cardiac surgery are at high risk of major bleeding, which can impair postoperative outcomes. CytoSorb®, a blood purification technology based on adsorbent polymer, has been demonstrated to remove ticagrelor from blood during on-pump cardiac surgery. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost utility of intraoperative removal of ticagrelor using CytoSorb versus usual care among patients requiring emergent or urgent cardiac surgery in the UK. Methods A de novo decision analytic model, based on current treatment pathways, was developed to estimate the short- and long-term costs and outcomes. Results from randomised clinical trials and national standard sources such as National Health Service (NHS) reference costs were used to inform the model. Costs were estimated from the NHS and Personal Social Services perspective. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSAs) explored the uncertainty surrounding the input parameters. Results In emergent cardiac surgery, intraoperative removal of ticagrelor using CytoSorb was less costly (£12,933 vs. £16,874) and more effective (0.06201vs. 0.06091 quality-adjusted life-years) than cardiac surgery without physiologic clearance of ticagrelor over a 30-day time horizon. For urgent cardiac surgery, the use of CytoSorb was less costly than any of the three comparators—delaying surgery for natural washout without adjunctive therapy, adjunctive therapy with short-acting antiplatelet agents, or adjunctive therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin. Results from the PSAs showed that CytoSorb has a high probability of being cost saving (99% in emergent cardiac surgery and 53–77% in urgent cardiac surgery, depending on the comparators). Cost savings derive from fewer transfusions of blood products and re-thoracotomies, and shorter stay in the hospital/intensive care unit. Conclusions The implementation of CytoSorb as an intraoperative intervention for patients receiving ticagrelor undergoing emergent or urgent cardiac surgery is a cost-saving strategy, yielding improvement in perioperative and postoperative outcomes and decreased health resource use. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s41669-019-00183-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We previously showed that folate liposomes of 5FU made from Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) induced cell death in HT-29 and HeLa cells more potently than bulk 5FU. Also, a primary 5FU liposomal formulation with phosphatidyl choline (PC) exhibited higher cytotoxicity in murine colon cancer cells. In the present study, optimization of 5FU PC liposome, mechanism of cell death induction in human cancer cell lines and its safety along with other assays have been employed for targeted PC liposomes of 5FU. Liposomes were prepared using thin layer method and optimization of preparation was assessed using central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). Folic acid (FA) was employed as the targeting ligand. Morphology of 5FU loaded liposomes and changes in their thermal behavior were assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity was explored using MTT assay in HT-29, Caco-2, HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. Cytotoxicity mechanism of the targeted delivery system was searched through the evaluation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm), the release of cytochrome c, the activity of caspase 3/7 and apoptosis and necrosis rate. Liposomes were spherical in shape and 5FU was successfully encapsulated into liposomes rather in an amorphous state. Our interesting results showed that in HT-29 cells targeted liposomes triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential, releasing of cytochrome c and promoting the substantial activity of caspase 3/7. In HeLa cells, however, targeted liposomes particularly activated necrosis pathway through the overproduction of ROS. Folate-liposomal 5FU showed significantly higher antitumor efficiency compared to free drug. The results of this study offer new prospects for cancer therapy with reducing systemic drug exposure and associated toxicities.

Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometry (AGRS) with its important applications such as gathering radiation information of ground surface, geochemistry measuring of the abundance of Potassium, Thorium and Uranium in outer earth layer, environmental and nuclear site surveillance has a key role in the field of nuclear science and human life. The Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS), with its advanced numerical unconstrained nonlinear optimization in collaboration with Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) provides a noteworthy opportunity for modern AGRS. In this study a new AGRS system empowered by ANN-BFGS has been proposed and evaluated on available empirical AGRS data. To that effect different architectures of adaptive ANN-BFGS were implemented for a sort of published experimental AGRS outputs. The selected approach among of various training methods, with its low iteration cost and non-diagonal scaling allocation is a new powerful algorithm for AGRS data due to its inherent stochastic properties. Experiments were performed by different architectures and trainings, the selected scheme achieved the smallest number of epochs, the minimum Mean Square Error (MSE) and the maximum performance in compare with different types of optimization strategies and algorithms. The proposed method is capable to be implemented on a cost effective and minimum electronic equipment to present its real-time process, which will let it to be used on board a light Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The advanced adaptation properties and models of neural network, the training of stochastic process and its implementation on DSP outstands an affordable, reliable and low cost AGRS design. The main outcome of the study shows this method increases the quality of curvature information of AGRS data while cost of the algorithm is reduced in each iteration so the proposed ANN-BFGS is a trustworthy appropriate model for Gamma-ray data reconstruction and analysis based on advanced novel artificial intelligence systems. Keywords: Artificial neural networks, BFGS training algorithm, Airborne gamma ray spectrometry, Nuclear site surveillance

Value is the importance or worth that we ascribe to the possession of objects for the purpose of gratifying our needs. Objects of no importance have no value. On the other hand, importance is a relative measure depending on additional benefits of the objects for us. Since more relative benefits come from exchange than subsistence, markets are formed. In other words, the additional value gained as a result of exchange is the main cause of market formation. Therefore, additional value and market formation are the result of a social economic process in which exchange plays the central role.

Gear systems are used to transmit power in the industry when accuracy and synchrony are needed and helical gear systems are used in more accurate and high-speed industries. It is important to ensure that these systems work faultlessly, therefore the detection of the crack location and situation is very efficient in the gear systems. In this research, a new approach is proposed to detect the multi crack location and length in the helical gear teeth. To this end, after giving an explanation of helical gear mesh stiffness and demonstrating the helical gear pair dynamic modeling, the transmission error ratio method is used to detect the cracks locations and lengths. Then, according to solved examples, when the cracks locations are far enough that their effects on the transmission error are completely separated, the cracked teeth and the lengths of cracks can be detected exactly, and when the cracks are in adjacent teeth, according to the cracks lengths and depths and their effects overlap, the number of cracks and their lengths can be detected exactly, approximately or absolutely undetectable.

Doxorubicin is a potent and broad-spectrum antineoplastic medication prescribed for both solid and hematological malignancies. Despite its value, the clinical use of doxorubicin is limited due to cardio-oncologic complication and cardiotoxic adverse effect. Among the mechanisms proposed for its toxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction has gained more attention. Therefore, if damaged mitochondria are replaced by normal efficient mitochondria, cardiac toxicity is expected to be reduced or improved. In this way, we have studied the efficiency of transplantation of freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes that have been damaged by doxorubicin.For this purpose, isolated mitochondria were characterized using mitochondrial complex II, membrane potential and swelling evaluations, and also fluorescence and electron microscopy. Afterward, the effect of mitotherapy on the damaged cardiomyocytes was investigated by using annexin V/PI staining, MTT, ROS, MMP, lipid peroxidation, GSH and ATP evaluations.Transplanted mitochondria could remarkably enter the neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Addition of mitochondria to the damaged cardiomyocytes, significantly increased cell viability by reducing the level of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, increasing of ∆Ψ, ATP and GSH contents and decreasing of apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Our results showed that mitotherapy has a significant restorative effect on cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin, which promises a better future to reduce the complications of cancer treatment.

BackgroundAlthough there is recognized that Targeted Temperature Management (TTM) can improve neurological outcomes and survival in patients resuscitated from out of hospital cardiac arrest, the cost-effectiveness of multiple methods of TTM is still uncertain.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Intravascular Temperature Management (IVTM) through Thermogard XP in targeted temperature management compared to surface cooling method after cardiac arrest in England.MethodsWe developed a multi-state Markov model that compared intravascular temperature management through Thermogard XP and the surface cooling method through two different devices including Blanketrol III and Arctic Sun 5000, over a short-term and lifetime horizon. Model input parameters were obtained from the literature and local databases. We assumed hypothetical cohort of 1,000 patients who need TTM after cardiac arrest per year in England. The outcomes were costs (in 2019 £) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), discounted at 3.5% annually. Deterministic and probabilistic analyses were undertaken to examine the effect of alternative assumptions and uncertainty in model parameters on the results.ResultsIn a simulated cohort of 1,000 patients who need TTM, the Thermogard XP resulted in direct cost savings of £2,339 and £2,925 (per patient) when compared with Blanketrol III and Arctic Sun 5000 respectively, and a gain of 0.98 QALYs over the patient lifetime. Total cost saving considering cohort of 1,000 patients is £2,339,479 and £ 2,925,109 when using IVTM through Thermogard XP compared with Blanketrol III and Arctic Sun 5000 respectively in life-time horizon. Results were robust against alternative assumptions, changes in values of input parameters, and alternative time horizons.ConclusionImplementation of intravascular temperature management using Thermogard XP can lead to cost-savings and improvement in patients’ quality of life versus surface cooling methods.

Neuropathic pain originates from illness or damage of the nervous system and affects the somatosensory system. Recently, many efforts have been made to illuminate the influences of neuropathic pain in different parts of central nervous system (CNS). However, the toxic consequences of neuropathic pain in glial cells, which involve in the control of pain is poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the molecular and cellular effects of neuropathic pain in the glial cells of rat brain. Induction of neuropathic pain in rats was associated with oxidative stress as evident by elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation as well as reversible glutathione (GSH) depletion in the glial cells. Moreover, neuropathic pain caused mitochondrial membrane potential collapse (∆Ψm%), lysosomal membrane rapture, and proteolysis, probably due to ROS-induced MPT pore opening. These toxic events could cause cytochrome c release from intermembrane space into the cytosole and trigger caspase activation pathway. Our finding confirmed that the activity of caspase-3 was significantly increased in the glial cells as a core component of the apoptotic machinery. In conclusion, the neuropathic pain induces ROS generation as the major cause of GSH depletion along with mutual mitochondrial/lysosomal potentiation (cross-talk) of oxidative stress in the glial cells. Subsequently, this toxic cross-talk can induce proteolysis and trigger apoptosis by caspase-3 activation in the glial cells of rat brain.

In the biofuel supply chain, there may be various and hybrid uncertainties that, if ignored, can lead to inefficient network design. In this study, a multi-objective robust fuzzy stochastic programming (MORFSP) model is proposed for designing biodiesel supply chain network (BSCN) under different and hybrid uncertainties. This model simultaneously minimizes total cost of the BSCN and total environmental impacts of activities of the network. Fixed costs and environmental impact of opening facilities are described as fuzzy variables. Demands, supplies, other costs and environmental impacts are considered as fuzzy scenario based variables. The proposed MORFSP model considers different risks, including possibilistic variability and scenario variability related to economic and environmental objective functions, and unsatisfied demand costs. This model is applied in a real case study to design a BSCN in Iran. Waste cooking oil (WCO), and some non-edible plants like Salvia lerifolia (SL) and Jatropha Curcas L. (JCL) are considered as sources of producing biodiesel. The proposed approach used for designing a four-echelon, multi-period, and multi-product, of BSCN. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed model for designing the BSCN under hybrid uncertainties.

As a recognized therapy to improve airway clearance, high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) is used to manage reduced vital capacity in patients with complex neuromuscular disorders (cNMD). This study aimed to investigate the budget impact of HFCWO versus chest wall physical therapy (CWPT) from a US-commercial payer perspective. In combination with a previously developed cost-effectiveness model, a budget impact model was developed to evaluate the incremental budgetary impact associated with introducing a HFCWO device over a 5-year time horizon. The model compared the cost implications associated with the commonly used CWPT procedure, as the current scenario, with a new scenario consisting of 80% of market share for HFCWO. The resource use and costs included in the analyses were costs associated with the HFCWO device (Vest™ System) and its consumables, patient training, and medical services such as hospitalization, medications, emergency room, and outpatient visits. The primary outcome measures included total and incremental budgetary impact per member per year (PMPY). In a hypothetical plan of 1,000,000 members (men: 49.2%), 2099 patients with cNMD were estimated to be eligible to receive airway clearance services over 5 years. The new scenario (HFCWO and CWPT [US$24 PMPY]) was cost-saving compared with the current scenario (CWPT only [$34 PMPY]) with a cost reduction of US$9.46 PMPY. The model estimated a net cost-saving of US$1,594,131 and US$9,591,343 over 1 and 5 years, respectively. This study suggests the HFCWO technique to manage the reduction in vital capacity in patients with cNMD would lead to favorable budget impact results.

Chahnimeh reservoirs, located in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the vicinity of Afghanistan border, are the main sources of drinking water for Zabol, Zahak, and Zahedan cities. Water quality and health risk assessment were evaluated based on water quality index (WQI) method (using analytical hierarchy process method), Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI, heavy metals), and hazard quotient (HQ). Eighty-four water samples were collected and analyzed in September 2017 and April 2018 from four Chahnimeh reservoirs. WQI results revealed that most of the water samples have a good quality (64.75–99.68). The CCME WQI for drinking water is varied from fair to excellent (69–100). Results of health risk assessment indicate that Se (Max HQingestion: 2.38) and As (Max cancer risk: 0.0005 and Max HQingestion: 2.89) and U (Max HQingestion: 0.16) have the highest contributions in chronic risks for both adults and children. Therefore, conducting water quality monitoring for at least 2 years is suggested crucial.

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart and circulatory disease and is the leading cause of death worldwide. The current diagnostic pathway can lead to patient complications and is also extremely costly. A new medical device, the CADScor System (Acarix AB), was developed for the acoustic detection of CAD before patients undergo invasive diagnostic procedures. Objectives Our objective was to assess the cost utility of the CADScor System for the diagnosis of CAD at an early stage in the diagnostic testing pathway in England. Methods A two-part economic model, consisting of a decision tree and Markov model, was developed to consider the cost utility (cost per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY] gained) of introducing the CADScor System for the diagnosis of CAD. The decision tree component explored the short-term costs and diagnostic outcomes associated with introduction of the test compared with the existing testing pathway. A Markov model was developed to explore the longer-term health and economic implications of the condition and original diagnosis, with costs and health effects estimated over different time horizons. Parameter uncertainty was explored in deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results Base-case results indicated that the CADScor System would result in cost savings (− £131 per patient) and a marginal increase in QALYs (0.00001) over a 1-year time horizon. Probabilistic results indicated that the intervention had a > 99% probability of being cost effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000 per QALY gained and 100% probability of being cost saving. Results from the deterministic sensitivity analyses indicated that variations in parameters related to the accuracy and cost of the CADScor System, and the prevalence of CAD, had the greatest impact on the overall results. The overall cost saving was estimated to be over £12.3 million per 100,000 eligible patient population. Conclusions The CADScor System is a potentially cost-saving test for the diagnosis of CAD. When initiated before the use of non-invasive cardiac imaging tests such as computed tomography coronary angiography, the test reduced costs to the healthcare service over various time horizons. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41669-021-00297-0.

Environmental pollutants and lifestyle both contribute to the rapidly increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) worldwide. Evidence suggests that exposure to environmental contaminants such as arsenic is associated with impaired glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. In the present study, isolated rat liver mitochondria (1 mg/ml) were co-exposed to low concentration of arsenic trioxide (ATO) ( IC

Background: Down syndrome (DS) screening has been integrated into prenatal care programs in Iran. Objectives: Using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) method, this study aimed to evaluate the economic aspects of combined first trimester screening in Iran. Methods: The population of this descriptive cross-sectional study included all pregnant women in Tehran, Iran. A decision tree model was used to determine the costs and benefits of diagnosing and averting a DS fetus through screening. Direct and indirect costs of diagnosis and the incremental living costs of DS children in 2019 were calculated from societal perspective and compared with each other. Results: The cost of identifying a fetus with DS in Iran is approximately equal to 611 million Tomans (about 25,000 USD), and the incremental living cost of DS children (benefits) was about 34 million Tomans (about 2,270 USD). The net monetary benefit was negative due to the lower incremental living cost of a DS child than the cost of finding the affected fetus. Conclusions: The result of this study showed the screening tests for DS needs revision and consideration in Iran, and due to the high cost of screening, coverage with insurance organization is necessary.

Brillouin fiber lasers (BFLs) are most often used as optical signal processing devices to reduce laser noise and increase coherence length [1] . BFLs made of silica typically require hundreds of meters of cavity length to provide the sufficient gain, leading to multi-mode operation. Hence, additional filtering applies to suppress the higher order modes. Realizing single-mode BFLs with small footprint and low threshold power requires a nonlinear medium with a large nonlinearity gain. Chalcogenide (ChG) fibers are excellent candidates for this purpose, with their nonlinearity that is 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than silica. So far, a few BFLs using ChG fibers have been proposed [2] – [4] . However, the proposed BFLs include a resonant cavity formed with standard optical fibers and optical fiber couplers (OFC) that are made of silica glass. Recently, ChG OFCs have been proposed [5] – [6] , providing the possibility to fabricate all-ChG fiber devices. Here, we propose the first all-ChG BFL, as well as the first all-ChG ring cavity. The proposed BFL is single-mode thanks to the short cavity length. The same cavity is also compatible with a wide spectral range of wavelengths owing to the all-ChG ring cavity structure, from the telecommunication band up to the mid-infrared.

Acrolein, a common environmental, food, and water pollutant, has been linked to the pathology of several diseases. This toxic substance is an unsaturated aldehyde and a major component of cigarette smoke and also produced during the processing of fat-containing foods. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of ellagic acid and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in acrolein-induced toxicity in mitochondria isolated from the rat liver. The mitochondria were exposed to different concentrations of acrolein for 40 min, then functionality was assessed. Contact with acrolein rapidly and remarkably depleted the intracellular glutathione and antioxidant capacity, because of increased ROS production and lipid peroxidation which may lead to the cell death. Mitochondria were then pre-exposed to different concentrations of ellagic acid, NAC, and IC50 concentration of acrolein. Consistent with the results, acrolein decreased GSH content and increased ROS level and lipid peroxidation, which led to ATP depletion and mitochondrial dysfunction. While ellagic acid has been able to reduce ROS and therefore the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), presumably via its antioxidant properties, we've not detected its favorable effect on GSH and ATP restoration and also on mitochondrial complex II function. However, NAC strongly decreased ROS, lipid peroxidation and MMP and improved GSH content and complex II activity. These results showed that ellagic acid while reported to possess some cellular protective properties, did not prevent mitochondria from being affected by acrolein during this in vitro study. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Ellagic acid is found in fruits, vegetables, and nuts which are revealed to possess strong antioxidant and protective properties. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, liver disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, and presumably, ellagic acid by its mitochondrial protective effects can be helpful in these chronic conditions. Acrolein is an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde that can be produced during cooking at high temperature. By increasing the ROS level and lipid peroxidation and depleting the glutathione content, acrolein induces cellular damage and mitochondrial toxicity. This toxicant is taken into account as a carcinogen and mutagen. In this study, the protective effect of ellagic acid in comparison with N-acetylcysteine has been investigated during the toxicity of acrolein in the rat liver mitochondria to look for evidence of whether it is useful or not through this insult.

Armchair phosphorene nanoribbons (APNRs) are known to be semiconductors with an indirect bandgap. Here, we propose to introduce new states in the gap of APNRs by creating a periodic structure of vacancies (antidots). Based on the tight-binding model, we show that a periodic array of vacancies or nanopores leads to the formation of an impurity band inside the gap region. We first present an analytical expression for the dispersion relation of an impurity band induced by hybridization of bound states associated with each single vacancy defect. Then, we increase the size of vacancy defects to include a bunch of atoms and theoretically investigate the effect of nanopores size and their spacing on electronic band structure, carrier transmission function, and thermoelectric properties. Our analysis of the power generation rate and thermoelectric efficiency of these structures reveals that an ANPR can be used as a superb thermoelectric power generation module.

Arsenic is found in soil, food, water and earth crust. Arsenic exposure is associated with chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes. One of complex effects of arsenic is on weight gain or loss. Involvement of arsenic in both weight loss and gain signaling pathways has previously been reported; however, too little attention has been paid to its weight reducing effect. Animal studies exhibited a role of arsenic in weight loss. In this regard, arsenic interference with endocrine system, leptin and adiponectin hormones as well as thermogenesis is more evidence. Apparently, arsenic-induced weight lossis generally meditated by its interaction with thermogenesis. In this review we have discussed the irregularities in metabolic pathways induced by arsenic that can lead to weight loss.

BackgroundTo inform researchers about the methodology and results of epidemic estimation studies performed for COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, we aimed to perform a rapid review.MethodsWe searched for and included published articles, preprint manuscripts and reports that estimated numbers of cumulative or daily deaths or cases of COVID-19 in Iran. We found 131 studies and included 29 of them.ResultsThe included studies provided outputs for a total of 84 study-model/scenario combinations. Sixteen studies used 3–4 compartmental disease models. At the end of month two of the epidemic (2020-04-19), the lowest (and highest) values of predictions were 1,777 (388,951) for cumulative deaths, 20,588 (2,310,161) for cumulative cases, and at the end of month four (2020-06-20), were 3,590 (1,819,392) for cumulative deaths, and 144,305 (4,266,964) for cumulative cases. Highest estimates of cumulative deaths (and cases) for latest date available in 2020 were 418,834 on 2020-12-19 (and 41,475,792 on 2020-12-31). Model estimates predict an ominous course of epidemic progress in Iran. Increase in percent population using masks from the current situation to 95% might prevent 26,790 additional deaths (95% confidence interval 19,925–35,208) by the end of year 2020.ConclusionsMeticulousness and degree of details reported for disease modeling and statistical methods used in the included studies varied widely. Greater heterogeneity was observed regarding the results of predicted outcomes. Consideration of minimum and preferred reporting items in epidemic estimation studies might better inform future revisions of the available models and new models to be developed. Not accounting for under-reporting drives the models’ results misleading.

Additional file 2: Table S1. Comparison between SarSA-Mod, SARC-F and EWGSOP.

We demonstrate the first all-chalcogenide Brillouin fiber laser. The laser is composed of an As2S3 optical fiber for nonlinear amplification and of an As2Se3 optical fiber coupler to form a resonant ring cavity.

Mitochondrial genome and functions are usually changed in cancers. Most classical anticancer agents interfere signaling pathways that influence mitochondrial upstream events and converge on these organelles to trigger cell death. Thus, drugs that directly target mitochondria constitute unique tools to bypass drug resistance. Metabolic reprogramming is a central feature of cancer cells that is intricately linked to mitochondria and provides unique opportunities for the development of drugs that target the Achilles’ heel of cancer. In this chapter, we will discuss the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells from mitochondrial perspective and evaluate the studies in which mitochondria have been targeted. For this purpose, mitochondria-related biochemical signaling pathways can be targeted in cancer cells using small molecules or based on the design of new mitochondriotropic formulations. In the following section, we discuss the use of small molecules to target the mitochondria of cancer cells.

The concept of mitotherapy has come from the ability of mitochondria to transfer between cells at physiologic or pathologic conditions. Promising results have been obtained from mitochondria transplantation studies in in vitro and in vivo models of diseases. In this regard, neurologic and cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and drug-induced toxicities have received more attention. Similar to other procedures, this approach, besides its advantages, has a number of limitations including the probability of immune reactions and the obligation for rapid isolation and usage of mitochondria during transplantation. Numerous studies are underway to addresses these limitations and to optimize the isolation and preservation of mitochondria along with modifications that permit enhanced delivery and internalization of these organelles into the recipient tissue and cells. In this chapter, a number of these studies and concerns regarding the mitochondria transplantation have been discussed.

Reduction/oxidation-dependent reactions affect many cellular functional pathways. Mitochondria are at the center of these processes, as mitochondria both generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that drive redox-sensitive events and respond to ROS-mediated changes in the cellular redox state. In this chapter, we discuss the regulation of cellular ROS, their modes of production and removal, and the redox-sensitive targets that are modified by their flux. In particular, we focus on the actions of redox-sensitive targets that change mitochondrial functions. We also consider the role of mitochondria in modulating these events, and discuss how redox-dependent events may contribute to the pathology of diseases by influencing mitochondrial function, particularly the involvement of mitochondrial ROS in diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Prisma Diagram.