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This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) and carbon black in micro and nanoscales incorporated into an epoxy adhesive matrix for gamma-ray attenuation. The composites were prepared via a simple and cost-effective synthesis method. The grain size of powder NPs was measured using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the particle size was about 20 ± 5 nm and 31.46 ± 2 nm for carbon and Fe 2 O 3 , respectively. The morphological properties were characterized by a scanning electron microscope, which indicated the excellent dispersion of NPs, which blocked almost all pores of the composite and increased the capability of radiation attenuation. In addition, the chemical composition of samples using energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) and the compressive strength were measured. Furthermore, the linear and mass attenuation coefficients were determined experimentally for incident photon energies of 59.51-1408.01 keV emitted from γ-ray sources using the sodium iodide scintillation detector NaI. A comparison was conducted between the experimental data and theoretical results that obtained from XCOM software, examined the validity of the experimental results. The relation deviation rate was found to vary between 0.0008 and 2.83%. Furthermore, the measurement of the relation deviation rate between the linear attenuation coefficients of micro and nano composites revealed a range of values between 1 and 25%. Also, shielding parameters such as half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), and effective atomic number (Z eff ) were measured. Moreover, the equivalent atomic number (Z eq ), absorption, and exposure buildup factors for prepared samples were calculated. The results showed that the incorporation of Fe 2 O 3 NPs enhanced the shielding capability of the composites, as evidenced by the significant reduction in gamma-ray transmission. The composite materials exhibited excellent mechanical strength, making them suitable for practical applications in radiation shielding. Furthermore, it was determined that the elevation in N-Fe 2 O 3 concentration resulted in a direct increase in the linear attenuation coefficient, from 0.314 to 0.519 cm -1 at 0.5951 MeV and from 0.099 to 0.124 cm -1 at 0.662 MeV. Nevertheless, a slight increase was discerned in the identified mass attenuation coefficients at 0.1332 and 0.1408 MeV. The experimental data for MFP, HVL, and TVL demonstrate that the EFeC4 sample exhibits optimal performance, with values of 1.9, 1.3, and 4.4 cm at 0.5951 MeV, and at 0.661 MeV, the values are 8.04, 5.57, and 18.52 cm, while at 0.1408 MeV, the values are 12.06, 8.36, and 27.78 cm, respectively. Overall, this research highlights the potential of iron oxide-carbon/epoxy composites as efficient and reliable materials for gamma-ray protection in various fields, including nuclear power plants, medical facilities, and space exploration., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study helps in managing waste glass and greening the environment by incorporating laboratory waste glass into mortar production to make an eco-friendly shielding material against gamma rays. The efficiency of using waste glass powder as a cement replacement or addition in mortar production was studied by using two waste glass sizes: micro glass (particle size range from 10.09 to 24.73 μm) and nano glass (particle size range from 10.57 to 26.42 nm) to design different mortar specimens with varying percentages of fine glass powder from 0 to 30%. Compressive strength and flexure strength were evaluated to determine mechanical properties. The results indicated that adding WGP to mortar positively affects the characteristics of cementitious composites. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients of the samples were experimentally determined using a NaI detector and various radioactive sources (Am-241, Ba-133, Eu-152, Cs-137, and Co-60) with gamma energies ranging from 59.53 to 1332 keV. The obtained coefficients were then compared to the theoretical values of the composites using XCOM software to verify their accuracy. Additionally, the half-value layer, tenth-value layer, mean free path, and effective atomic number were computed. Furthermore, the results revealed that the mortar sample with 30% nano additive glass was the most effective in reducing gamma radiation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The combination of nanoemulgel and phytochemistry has resulted in several recent discoveries in the field of topical delivery systems. The present study aimed to prepare nanoemulgel based on turmeric ( Curcuma longa ) and neem ( Azadirachta indica ) against microbial infection as topical drug delivery. Olive oil (oil phase), Tween 80 (surfactant), and PEG600 (co-surfactant) were used for the preparation of nanoemulsion. Carbopol 934 was used as a gelling agent to convert the nanoemulsion to nanoemulgel and promote the control of the release of biological properties of turmeric and neem. The nanoemulsion was characterized based on particle size distribution, PDI values, and compatibility using FTIR analysis. In contrast, the nanoemulgel was evaluated based on pH, viscosity, spreadability, plant extract and excipient compatibility or physical state, in vitro study, ex vivo mucoadhesive study, antimicrobial properties, and stability. The resulting nanoemulsion was homogeneous and stable during the centrifugation process, with the smallest droplets and low PDI values. FTIR analysis also confirmed good compatibility and absence of phase separation between the oil substance, surfactant, and co-surfactant with both plant extracts. The improved nanoemulgel also demonstrated a smooth texture, good consistency, good pH, desired viscosity, ex vivo mucoadhesive strength with the highest spreadability, and 18 h in vitro drug release. Additionally, it exhibited better antimicrobial properties against different microbial strains. Stability studies also revealed that the product had good rheological properties and physicochemical state for a period of over 3 months. The present study affirmed that turmeric- and neem-based nanoemulgel is a promising alternative for microbial infection particularly associated with microorganisms via topical application.

In this study, three Gemini cationic surfactants related to thiazol-2-amine with three hydrocarbon chain lengths including 3-hexylthiazol-3-ium (TAC6), 3-dodecylthiazol-3-ium (TAC12) and octadecylthiazol3-ium (TAC18) were prepared. Surfactant structures were confirmed with IR and 1 HNMR Spectroscopies. Critical micelle concentrations for all surfactants in 15% DMSO-Water solvent were measured using conductometric, refractometric, and densitometric techniques. Thermodynamics parameters were computed and explained. Also, enhancing properties of all surfactants were indicated under the effect of two concentrations, 0.001 M and 0.01 M, of six inorganic salts including Cl - , Br - , I - , Co +2 , Cu +2 , and Mn +2 radicals using conductivity and refractive index measurements. All techniques used to measure critical micelles concentration showed a good convergence in measuring CMC values and the behavior of all surfactants in 15% DMSO-water solvent. Increasing the binding constant of the counter ion and association constant reflects the effect of hydrocarbon chain length increment on enhancing micelle formation, where TAC 18 was shown as the lowest CMC in all applied measurements. Modeling the density of all surfactant solutions under study indicates an increase in hydrophobic polarizability with an increase in the molecular weight of the surfactant. Inorganic salts decreased the CMC of all surfactants with the increase in Gibbs free energy of micellization which ensures easier formation of more stable micelles in the presence of a salt solution. The effect of salts on decreasing CMC for all surfactants under study was arranged in the following order: Mn +2  < Cu +2  < Co +2 for cationic radicals and I -  < Br -  < Cl - for anionic radicals., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this study, we investigated a novel polymer nano-composite, PS-PbO, containing two distinct nano-sizes of lead oxide nanoparticles (PbO-A and PbO-B), in addition to the bulk size (PbO-K). These nanoparticles were embedded separately in a polystyrene (PS) matrix at different weight percentages (10%, 15%, 25%, and 35%) using roll mill mixing and compressing molding. Our evaluation focused on the radiation attenuation ability of PS-PbO and the effect of particle size, considering gamma-ray energies ranging from 0.06 to 1.3 MeV (from sources like 241 Am, 133 Ba, 137 Cs, and 60 Co). The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was determined by analyzing samples of the synthesized composite with different thicknesses. Then, various shielding parameters were calculated, including total molecular, atomic, and electronic cross-sections (σ mol , σ atm , σ el ), as well as the effective atomic number and the electron density (Z eff and N eff ). Surprisingly, modifying PbO particle sizes had a significant impact on shielding efficiency. For instance, the composite with 25 wt% of the smallest PbO-B particles showed a 26.7% increase in LAC at 0.059 keV compared to the composite with 25 wt% of PbO-K (larger particles). Notably, the LAC peaked at low energy (0.059 keV), close to the K-edge of Pb, where interaction is directly proportional to Z 4 . With increasing PbO concentrations, the LAC of PS-PbO composites increased steadily. Additionally, as PbO concentration increased, the composite's effective atomic number Z eff and the electron density N eff increased, leading to a greater total Gamma-ray interaction cross-section. Furthermore, when comparing the Half-Value Layers of the novel nanocomposite to traditional lead shielding, a 70% reduction in mass was observed. Notably, the composite containing the smallest nano-size of PbO exhibited the highest radiation-shielding efficiency among all combinations and could therefore be used to create inexpensive and lightweight shields., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the principal catechin in green tea, exhibits diverse therapeutic properties. However, its clinical efficacy is hindered by poor stability and low bioavailability. This study investigated solid particle-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate (WPI) and sodium caseinate (NaCas) as carriers to enhance the bioavailability and intestinal absorption of EGCG. Molecular docking revealed binding interactions between EGCG and these macromolecules. The WPI- and NaCas-stabilized emulsions exhibited high encapsulation efficiencies (>80%) and significantly enhanced the bioaccessibility of EGCG by 64% compared to free EGCG after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Notably, the NaCas emulsion facilitated higher intestinal permeability of EGCG across Caco-2 monolayers, attributed to the strong intermolecular interactions between caseins and EGCG. Furthermore, the emulsions protected Caco-2 cells against oxidative stress by suppressing intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. These findings demonstrate the potential of WPI- and NaCas-stabilized emulsions as effective delivery systems to improve the bioavailability, stability, and bioactivity of polyphenols like EGCG, enabling their applications in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Sechium edule , commonly known as chayote is known for its low glycemic index, high fiber content, and rich nutritional profile, which suggests it may be beneficial for individuals with diabetes. While research specifically examining the impact of chayote on diabetes is limited, this study screened its biological impacts by using different biomarkers on streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ-ID) rats. The ethanolic extract of the Sechium edule fruits was assessed for different phytochemical, biochemical, and anti-diabetic properties. In the results, chayote extract had high phenolic and flavonoid contents respectively (39.25 ± 0.65 mg/mL and 12.16 ± 0.50 mg/mL). These high phenolic and flavonoid contents showed high implications on STZ-ID rats. Altogether 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract considerably reduced the blood sugar level and enhanced the lipid profile of the STZ-ID rats. Additionally, they have decreased blood urea and serum creatinine levels. Besides, the levels of SGOT, SGPT, LDH, sodium, and potassium ions were significantly lowered after the administration period. More importantly, the electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters such as QT, RR, and QTc which were prolonged in the diabetic rats were downregulated after 35 days of administration of S. edule extract (400 mg/kg). And, the histological examination of the pancreas and kidney showed marked improvement in structural features of 200 and 400 mg/kg groups when compared to the diabetic control group. Where the increase in the glucose levels was positively correlated with QT, RR, and QTc (r 2  = 0.76, r 2  = 0.76, and r 2  = 0.43) which means that ECG could significantly reflect the diabetes glucose levels. In conclusion, our findings showed that the fruit extract exerts a high potential to reduce artifacts secondary to diabetes which can be strongly suggested for diabetic candidates. However, there is a need to study the molecular mechanisms of the extract in combating artifacts secondary to diabetes in experimental animals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Radioactive iodine isotopes especially 131 I are used for diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer diseases. Due to the leak of radioactive iodine into the patient's urine in turn, the wastewater would be contaminated, so it is worth preparing a novel adsorption green material to remove the radioactive iodine from wastewater efficiently. The removal of 127 I and 131 I contaminants from aqueous solution is a problem of interest. Therefore, this work presents a new study for removing the stable iodine 127 I - and radioactive iodine 131 I from aqueous solutions by using the novel nano adsorbent (Nano ZnO/MWCNTs) which is synthesized by the arc discharge method. It is an economic method for treating contaminated water from undesired dissolved iodine isotopes. The optimal conditions for maximum removal are (5 mg/100 ml) as optimum dose with shacking (200 rpm) for contact time of (60 min), at (25 °C) in an acidic medium of (pH = 5). After the adsorption process, the solution is filtrated and the residual iodide ( 127 I - ) is measured at a maximum UV wavelength absorbance of 225 nm. The maximum adsorption capacity is (15.25 mg/g); therefore the prepared nano adsorbent (Nano ZnO/MWCNTs) is suitable for treating polluted water from low iodide concentrations. The adsorption mechanism of 127 I - on to the surface of (Nano ZnO/MWCNTs) is multilayer physical adsorption according to Freundlich isotherm model and obeys the Pseudo-first order kinetic model. According to Temkin isotherm model the adsorption is exothermic. The removal efficiency of Nano ZnO/MWCNTs for stable iodine ( 127 I - ) from aqueous solutions has reached 97.23%, 89.75%, and 64.78% in case of initial concentrations; 0.1843 ppm, 0.5014 ppm and 1.0331 ppm, respectively. For the prepared radio iodine ( 131 I - ) solution of radioactivity (20 µCi), the dose of nano adsorbent was (10 mg/100 ml) and the contact time was (60 min) at (pH = 5) with shacking (200 rpm) at (25 °C). The filtration process was done by using a syringe filter of a pore size (450 nm) after 2 days to equilibrate. The removal efficiency reached (34.16%) after the first cycle of treatment and the percentage of residual radio iodine was (65.86%). The removal efficiency reached (94.76%) after five cycles of treatment and the percentage of residual radio iodine was (5.24%). This last percentage was less than (42.15%) which produces due to the natural decay during 10 days., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the application of radiation-shielding materials. One promising research avenue involves using free-lead metal oxides/polymer composites, which have been studied for their radiation shielding and characterization properties. This study reinforced the dimethylpolysiloxane (silicone rubber) composites with micro- and nano-sized particles of tin oxide, cadmium oxide, and bismuth oxide as additive materials. The composites were tested with 20 and 50 weight fractions, and their attenuation coefficients were measured using a NaI(TI) detector at gamma-ray energies ranging from 59.54 to 1408.01 keV. Also, the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites were observed and compared with those of free silicone rubber. The results showed that the 50% nano metal oxide/SR composites exhibited better thermal stability and attenuation properties than the other composites, also possessing unique attributes such as lightweight composition and exceptional flexibility. Consequently, this composite material holds immense potential for safeguarding vital organs, including the eyes and gonads, during radiological diagnosis or treatment procedures. Its exceptional ability to absorb a significant portion of incident rays makes it an invaluable asset in the field of radiation protection., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study investigates the gamma radiation shielding properties of cement-ball clay matrix composites doped with micro- and nano-sized cadmium oxide (CdO) particles. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was determined using a sodium iodide (NaI) detector and five radioactive point sources with energies ranging from 59.5 to 1408 keV. The LAC values obtained were compared to the XCOM database and found to be in good agreement. The composites' half-value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Z eff ), equivalent atomic number (Z eq ), and absorption buildup factor (EABF) were determined. The results showed that the addition of CdO particles improved the radiation-shielding behavior of the composites and increasing the weight fraction of CdO particles increased the shielding effectiveness. The results also illustrated that when nano-sized CdO particles were compared to their micro-sized counterparts, there was a significant enhancement in radiation shielding effectiveness. For instance, a composite material composed of 50% cement, 41.7% ball clay, and 3.8% nano CdO at an energy level of 0.0595 MeV exhibited a remarkable 12.2% increase in attenuation, surpassing the performance of the micro-sized sample with an equivalent concentration. Similarly, another composite consisting of 50% cement, 33.3% ball clay, and 16.7% nano CdO demonstrated a significant 15.4% increase in attenuation at the same energy level, when compared to the micro-sized sample. The study demonstrates the potential of CdO-doped cement-ball clay matrix composites for gamma radiation shielding applications., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) was obtained through a compression molding technique, and incorporated with different filler weight fractions (0, 10, 15, 25, and 35%) of bulk WO 3 , and two different WO 3 nanoparticle sizes (45 nm and 24 nm). The radiation attenuation ability of the new category of polymer composite HDPE/WO 3 was evaluated using gamma-ray energies ranging from 59.53 up to 1332.5keV of four radioactive sources 241 Am, 133 Ba, 137 Cs, and 60 Co. The mass attenuation coefficients μ m , the total molecular cross-section σ mol , the effective atomic cross-section σ atom , the total electronic cross-section σ el , the effective atomic number Z eff , electron density N eff , the half value layer (HVL), the tenth value layer (TVL), and the relaxation length were investigated. The obtained results of the gamma-ray attenuation parameters exhibited an outstanding influence of the size and weight fraction of WO 3 filler on the gamma-ray shielding ability of the HDPE composite. A significant improvement was detected at low gamma-ray energies. The HVL of the synthesized HDPE composites is compared with that of pure lead as a conventional shielding material. HDPE composite filled with the smaller size of WO 3 nanoparticle shows good improvement in the attenuation parameters, which suggests promising applications in radiation protection and gamma-ray shielding., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sheets of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) loaded with magnesium oxide in micro and nano were synthesized with different weight percentages of micro-MgO (0,5,10,20 and 30% by weight) and nano-MgO (5 and 30%) and shaped in form of disc and dog bone shape. The morphological, mechanical, and attenuation characteristics of each concentration were determined. The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of the prepared discs were calculated using a well-calibrated scintillation detector and five standard gamma-ray point sources ( 241 Am, 133 Ba, 137 Cs, 60 Co and 152 Eu). The LAC was theoretically calculated for HDPE/micro-MgO composites using XCOM software. A good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results was observed. The comparison between micro and nano-MgO as a filler in HDPE was evaluated. The results proved that the loaded nano-MgO in different proportions of HDPE produced greater attenuation coefficients than its micro counterpart. The addition of nano MgO with different weight percentage led to a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of HDPE, the ultimate force and ultimate stress increased as the concentration of nano MgO increased, and the young modulus of HDPE also increased with increasing concentration of micro and nano MgO., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Due to the present industrial world, the risk of radioactivity is notably increasing. Thus, an appropriate shielding material needs to be designed to protect humans and the environment against radiation. In view of this, the present study aims to design new composites of the main matrix of bentonite-gypsum with a low-cost, abundant, and natural matrix. This main matrix was intercalated in various amounts with micro- and nanosized particles of bismuth oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ) as the filler. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) recognized the chemical composition of the prepared specimen. The morphology of the bentonite-gypsum specimen was tested using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images showed the uniformity and porosity of a cross-section of samples. The NaI (Tl) scintillation detector was used with four radioactive sources ( 241 Am, 137 Cs, 133 Ba, and 60 Co) of various photon energies. Genie 2000 software was used to determine the area under the peak of the energy spectrum observed in the presence and absence of each specimen. Then, the linear and mass attenuation coefficients were obtained. After comparing the experimental results of the mass attenuation coefficient with the theoretical values from XCOM software, it was found that the experimental results were valid. The radiation shielding parameters were computed, including the mass attenuation coefficients (MAC), half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP), which are dependent on the linear attenuation coefficient. In addition, the effective atomic number and buildup factors were calculated. The results of all of these parameters provided the same conclusion, which confirms the improvement of the properties of γ-ray shielding materials using a mixture of bentonite and gypsum as the main matrix, which is much better than using bentonite alone. Moreover, bentonite mixed with gypsum is a more economical means of production. Therefore, the investigated bentonite-gypsum materials have potential uses in applications such as gamma-ray shielding materials.

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is one of the member of IL-17 family consisting of other five members (IL-17B to IL-17F). The Gamma delta (γδ) T cells and T helper 17 (Th17) cells are the major producers of IL-17A. Aberrant signaling by IL-17A has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury, chronic airway diseases, and cancer. Activation of the IL-17A/IL-17 receptor A (IL-17RA) system regulates phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT serine/threonine kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) mediated signaling pathways. The IL-17RA activation orchestrates multiple downstream signaling cascades resulting in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukins (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, chemokines (C-X-C motif) and promotes neutrophil-mediated immune response. Considering the biomedical importance of IL-17A, we developed a pathway resource of signaling events mediated by IL-17A/IL-17RA in this study. The curation of literature data pertaining to the IL-17A system was performed manually by the NetPath criteria. Using data mined from the published literature, we describe an integrated pathway reaction map of IL-17A/IL-17RA consisting of 114 proteins and 68 reactions. That includes detailed information on IL-17A/IL-17RA mediated signaling events of 9 activation/inhibition events, 17 catalysis events, 3 molecular association events, 68 gene regulation events, 109 protein expression events, and 6 protein translocation events. The IL-17A signaling pathway map data is made freely accessible through the WikiPathways Database ( https://www.wikipathways.org/index.php/Pathway : WP5242)., (© 2022. The International CCN Society.)

This study aims to explore the radiation protection properties of white mortars based on white cement as a binder and Bi 2 O 3 micro and nanoparticles in proportions of 15 and 30% by weight as replacement sand. The average particle size of micro- and nano-Bi 2 O 3 was measured using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The cross-sectional morphology and distribution of Bi 2 O3 within the samples can be obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), showing that nanoscale Bi 2 O 3 particles have a more homogeneous distribution within the samples than microscale Bi 2 O 3 particles. The shielding parameters of the proposed mortars were measured using the HPGe detector at various γ-ray energies emitted by standard radioactive point sources 241 Am, 133 Ba, 60 Co, 137 Cs, and 152 Eu. The experimental values of the prepared mortars' mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) match well with those determined theoretically from the XCOM database. Other shielding parameters, including half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), effective electron density (N eff ), effective atomic number (Z eff ), equivalent atomic number (Z eq ), and exposure buildup factor (EBF), were also determined at different photon energies to provide more shielding information about the penetration of gamma radiation into the selected mortars. The obtained results indicated that the sample containing 30% by weight of nano Bi 2 O 3 has the largest attenuation coefficient value. Furthermore, the results show that the sample with a high concentration of Bi 2 O 3 has the highest equivalent atomic numbers and the lowest HVL, TVL, MFP, and EBF values. Finally, it can be concluded that Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles have higher efficiency and protection compared to microparticles, especially at lower gamma-ray energies.

In the current study, the gamma-radiation-shielding characteristics of novel gypsum-lime-waste marble-based mortars reinforced with micro-PbO and nano-PbO powders were investigated. In total, seven mortar groups, including a control mortar (named GLM), were prepared. The other groups contained10, 20, and 30 wt.% of both micro-PbO and nano-PbO as a waste marble replacement. This study aimed to explore the effect of particle size and concentrations of PbO powders on the γ-ray-shielding capability of GLM mortars. For this purpose, an HPGe detector and five standard radioactive point sources ( 241 Am, 133 Ba, 137 Cs, 60 Co, and 152 Eu) were employed to measure different shielding parameters, including the linear attenuation coefficient (μ), mass attenuation coefficient (μ m ), mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), and tenth-value layer (TVL), for the prepared samples in the energy range between 59.53 keV to 1408.01 keV. On the basis of μ m values, other significant shielding parameters such as effective atomic number (Z eff ), effective electron density (N eff ), equivalent atomic number (Z eq ), and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were also computed to explore the potential usage of the proposed mortars as radiation protective materials. The results reported that the smallest HVL, TVL, and MPF, as well as the largest attenuation values, were obtained for mortars reinforced by nano-PbO compared to those containing micro-PbO. It can be concluded from the results that the mortar samples containing nano-PbO had a remarkably improved gamma-radiation-shielding ability. Thus, these mortars can be used for radiation shielding on walls in nuclear facilities to reduce the transmitted radiation dose.

Reinforced polymer composites are a recent type of advanced shielding material that has been studied experimentally and theoretically. This work described the protection properties of silicon rubber filled with nano and micro tin oxide (II). These shielding materials are evaluated by parameters such as mass attenuation coefficient, linear attenuation coefficient, mean free path, effective atomic number, and buildup factor. The morphology and mechanical properties of silicon rubber, which is reinforced with tin oxide (II) particles in terms of weight fraction and size, have been studied. The results explain that the mass attenuation coefficient increases as tin oxide (II) concentration increases at a particular photon energy. It was found that the shielding properties of nano tin oxide (II) composites are more effective than micro tin oxide (II) composites against gamma rays. The effective atomic number values increase by increasing tin oxide (II) and so on equivalent atomic number. On the other hand, increasing tin oxide (II) weight fraction led to an increase in buildup factor maximum, which proved that tin oxide (II) concentration has significant effectiveness in radiation protection., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aim: This study aimed to assess the role of Tight junction proteins (TJPs) and claudins in smokers with and without COPD compared to healthy individuals., Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic respiratory disease, including various inflammatory mediators. The prime etiological element in the development of COPD is cigarette smoking. The lung airway epithelium comprises beneficial immunological barriers to draw in insults, such as environmental particulates, cigarette smoke, etc. Tight junctions (TJ) connected by transmembrane proteins determine epithelial permeability. Cigarette smoke is indicated to defect TJ integrity. The possible involvement of the airway epithelium in the pathogenesis of COPD has recently become apparent; however, its detailed mechanisms remain elusive. The integrity of airway epithelium is crucial for airway homeostasis; defective airway barrier activity contributes to COPD., Objective: In the present study, the objective was to investigate mRNA expression levels of TJP's like TJP-1, TJP-2, TJP-3, Tight junction-associated proteins-1, claudin-1, claudin-3, claudin-4, claudin-7, claudin-10, claudin-15, claudin-19, and claudin-25 from blood samples of smokers with COPD and compared them with smokers without COPD and healthy individuals., Methods: The mRNA expressions were evaluated by the quantitative PCR method., Results: The gene expressions of these TJPs were significantly down-regulated, specifically in COPD patients with a history of smoking (Smokers with COPD). Besides, FEV% was also established for these patients. Similarly, smokers with COPD showed a significant increase in the expression levels of transcription factors, like ZEB-1, ZEB-2, PDGFA, and HDGF, compared to COPD patients without a history of smoking (smokers without COPD) and the healthy subjects., Conclusion: In conclusion, cigarette smoke disrupts TJ of the human airway epithelium, and the transcriptional factors counteract this smoke-induced COPD. Thus, TJPs may serve as protective elements for airway epithelial homeostasis during COPD., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The use of radiation is mandatory in modern life, but the harms of radiation cannot be avoided. To minimize the effect of radiation, protection is required for the safety of the environment and human life. Hence, inventing a better shield than a conventional shielding material is the priority of researchers. Due to this reason, this current research deals with an innovative shielding material named EKZ samples having a composition of (epoxy resin (90-40) wt %-kaolin clay (10-25) wt %-ZnO-nano particles (0-35) wt %). The numerous compositional variations of (epoxy resin, kaolin clay, and ZnO-nano particles on the prepared EKZ samples varied the density of the samples from 1.24 to 1.95 g/cm 3 . The radiation shielding parameter of linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), and radiation protection efficiency (RPE) were measured to evaluate the radiation diffusion efficiency of newly made EKZ samples. These radiation shielding parameters were measured with the help of the HPGe detector utilizing the three-point sources (Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60). The obtained results exposed that the value of linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and radiation protection efficiency (RPE) was maximum, yet the value of half value layer (HVL), and tenth value layer (TVL), were minimum due to the greater amount of kaolin clay and ZnO-nanoparticles, whereas the amount of epoxy resin was lesser. In addition, it has been clear that as-prepared EKZ samples are suitable for low-dose shielding applications as well as EKZ-35 showed a better shielding ability.

The use of functional foods' phytochemicals in the chemoprevention of different cancer diseases has become one of the hot scientific areas in the clinical nutrition field. For instance, the Khalas palm cultivar (KPC; Phoenix dactylifera ) is one of the natural sustainable resources that have high bioactivity and functionality. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative activity and mode of action of KPC's different parts on prostate (Pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells at a molecular level. In the methods, KPC's leaves, seeds, and fruits' chemical composition and phytochemical analysis were analyzed. Also, the cytotoxic effects of each extract were assessed against pc3 and panc1 cell lines. Besides, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle analysis, and gene expression of both Cap3 and Cap9 were studied. The obtained results indicated that KPC leaves extract exhibited the highest significant ( P < 0.01) anti-proliferation activity against the utilized cancer cell lines compared to fruits and seeds extracts. Also, there were significant ( P < 0.05) differences in the phenolic contents, flavonoid of compounds, and antioxidant power of the leaves when compared to the seeds and fruits. Additionally, the highest cytotoxic effect (lowest IC 50 ) was recorded with leave extract than seeds and fruits. Meanwhile, the seeds extract induced ( P < 0.05) the apoptosis and arrested cells in the G2/M phase as well as up-regulated the gene expression of the apoptotic-related genes (Casp3 and Casp9) compared to the control group. In conclusion, this study showed that the presence of bioactive components in the KPC different parts extracts have the significant ability to induce the apoptotic pathway that could down-regulate the proliferation of prostate (pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells. The pathway mechanism of action was induced by the phytol molecule presented in its leaves extract., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ghazzawy, Gouda, Awad, Al-Harbi, Alqahtani, Abdel-Salam, Abdein, Al-Sobeai, Hamad, Alsberi, Gabr and Hikal.)

In this work, morphological and attenuation parameters of gamma ray protection were studied. Dimethyl polysiloxane (Silicon Rubber) Mixed with micro-size and nano-size lead oxide particles at different weight percentage were prepared. The morphological structure of PbO/SR composites was investigated by SEM test, according to SEM images the nano PbO particles are more uniform micro PbO particles. The radiation attenuation test was carried out using 3" × 3" NaI (TI) detector for (Am-241), (Cs-137), (Co-60), (Ba-133), and (Eu-152). The effect on attenuation property of SR-PbO shown that the increase of PbO filler significantly increases the linear attenuation coefficient and improve the other radiation protection parameters especially at low gamma energy. It's found that a significant agreement between the experimental result and theoretical result from Xcom program. In this study it's found matrix filled with nano-PbO have higher gamma shielding ability compared to micro-PbO matrix at the same filler concentration. It can say that SR-nano PbO has a higher radiation protection than SR-micro PbO compositions., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Low cost scintillation detectors as compared with HPGe detectors are considered to be one of most important radiation detection tools. Therefore, these detectors can be manufactured in different shapes and work at room temperature without any cooling systems, which added an extra advantage to it. This work presents a study of a cubic detector with a rectangular cavity in different experimental setup geometries, using standard point-like gamma-ray sources, where the efficiency of the detector in these geometries was the target to be studied. According to this aim, the data from the experimental measurements was used to determine the detector efficiency. An analytical calculation of the detector efficiency was done by using a new mathematical expression, this mathematical expression depends on the efficiency transfer technique and effective solid angle calculations. To support the mathematical model, the source-to-detector arrangement was simulated by Geant4 Monte Carlo code. All the compared efficiency results were found to be promising and trusted based on the calculated deviation percentages., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by inflammation in the alveoli, subsequent deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and myofibroblasts, and an impaired fibrinolytic system. Here, we describe major hematological changes, the IL-17A-mediated p53-fibrinolytic pathway, and the high throughput hits of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis during the progression of pulmonary fibrosis and the therapeutic potential of curcumin against disease progression. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to BLM, followed by curcumin intervention after 24 and 48 h. Mice were sacrificed after 7 days to validate the hematological parameters, molecular pathways, and proteomics. Various techniques such as western blotting, immunofluorescence, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining, and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the proposed theory. LC-MS analysis was performed using a Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The Schrödinger approach was used to perform the in silico molecular docking studies. BLM-exposed mice exhibited gradual weight loss and altered lung morphology; however, these were reversed by curcumin treatment. Significant changes in the hematological parameters confirmed the severity of BLM exposure in the mice, and expression of IL-17A-mediated p53-fibrinolytic system components and alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) apoptosis further confirmed the pathophysiology of pulmonary fibrosis. Differentially expressed proteins were characterized and mapped using the proteomics approach. A strong interaction of curcumin is observed with p53, uPA, and PAI-I proteins. The key role of IL-17A-mediated inflammation in the impairment of the p53-fibrinolytic system and AEC apoptosis was confirmed during BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Therapeutic efficacy of curcumin exhibited a protective role against the progression of pulmonary fibrosis, which promises potent therapeutic modality to target the IL-17A-mediated p53-fibrinolytic system during pulmonary fibrosis.

This work aimed to study the solvation properties of newly synthesized cationic surfactants: 1-hexyl-1-methyl-1 H -imidazol-1-ium bromide (R 6 Im), 1-dodecyl-1-methyl-1 H -imidazol-1-ium bromide (R 12 Im), N , N , N -tributylhexan-1-aminium bromide (R 6 N 4 ), and N , N , N -tributyldodecan-1-aminium bromide (R 12 N 4 ) in water and ethanol-water solvents with a 0.237 mole fraction of ethanol at 298.15 K using conductivity, refractive index, surface tension, and density measurements. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) for the synthesized surfactants was determined and discussed. Thermodynamic parameters including association constant, molal volume, and polarizability were calculated and discussed. Some surface properties of surfactants including excess surface concentration and minimum area per molecule were also calculated and discussed. A good agreement was found between the CMC values obtained from different techniques, such as conductivity, refractive index, and surface tension. Imidazolium surfactants had been proved to decrease the CMC and increase the association constant with the increase of ethanol mole fraction, while tributylamine had been proved to increase the CMC and decrease the association constant with the increase of ethanol mole fraction. Also, imidazolium surfactants had been proved to have higher CMC than tributylamine, which may be related to higher solvation of imidazolium surfactants than that of tributylamine. Both surfactants (R 12 Im) and (R 12 N 4 ) were proved to have lesser CMC., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by acute inflammation and tissue injury results in dysfunction of the alveolar epithelial membrane. If the epithelial injury is severe, a fibroproliferative phase of ALI can develop. During this phase, the activated fibroblast and myofibroblasts synthesize excessive collagenous extracellular matrix that leads to a condition called pulmonary fibrosis. Lung injury can be caused by several ways; however, the present review focus on bleomycin (BLM)-mediated changes in the pathology of lungs. BLM is a chemotherapeutic agent and has toxic effects on lungs, which leads to oxidative damage and elaboration of inflammatory cytokines. In response to the injury, the inflammatory cytokines will be activated to defend the system from injury. These cytokines along with growth factors stimulate the proliferation of myofibroblasts and secretion of pathologic extracellular matrix. During BLM injury, the pro-inflammatory cytokine such as IL-17A will be up-regulated and mediates the inflammation in the alveolar epithelial cell and also brings about recruitment of certain inflammatory cells in the alveolar surface. These cytokines probably help in up-regulating the expression of p53 and fibrinolytic system molecules during the alveolar epithelial cells apoptosis. Here, our key concern is to provide the adequate knowledge about IL-17A-mediated p53 fibrinolytic system and their pathogenic progression to pulmonary fibrosis. The present review focuses mainly on IL-17A-mediated p53-fibrinolytic aspects and how curcumin is involved in the regulation of pathogenic progression of ALI and pulmonary fibrosis.

Antioxidant activity, lipid oxidation, fatty acid composition and volatile compounds of duck eggs supplemented with clove extract were monitored over the salting period. The results indicated that application of clove extracts significantly reduced 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and anisidine values as well as the conjugated dienes levels during curing. Clove extracts along with salting time had significant effects on the fatty acid composition. The predominant fatty acid in salted duck eggs supplemented with clove extracts for 14 day of the salting process was oleic acid, followed by palmitic acid and arachidonic acid. Additionally, treated eggs exhibited a higher docosahexaenoic acid content than that of control. The results of SPME GC-MS showed the presence of 46 and 37 volatiles in the treated eggs. Eugenol, as the primary bioactive component of clove, was detected in salted eggs supplemented with clove extracts. In addition, analyzing the results obtained through electronic nose showed that clove extract brought significant changes in salted eggs flavor components., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standardsThe authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

COPD is a chronic airway inflammatory disease characterized mainly by neutrophil airway infiltrations. The neutrophil airway inflammation is mainly mediated through a key player like the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17A which is involved in the modulation of p53-fibrinolytic system. This study was undertaken to examine the molecular changes for the expressions of IL-17A and p53-fibrinolytic system in smokers with or without COPD. Blood and serum samples were collected from ten patients of smokers having COPD and ten samples from smokers without COPD and ten healthy control subjects. Western blot analyses were performed to evaluate the expressions of IL-17A, p53 and PAI-1. Apoptosis was assessed by immunoblot for cleaved caspase-3. In addition, FEV% was also determined of these patients. qRT-PCR was done to detect the gene expression study from the blood samples on p53-fibrinolytic components. A significant difference was found in the expression levels of IL-17A in smokers with COPD patient when compared to smokers without COPD and the control subjects. Similarly the smokers with COPD showed significant increase in the fibrinolytic component PAI-1 as well as in expression levels of p53 when compared to smokers without COPD and normal subjects. Increased cleaved caspase-3 may also promote apoptosis.The expression pattern of the IL-17A in chronic obstructive pulmonary distress syndrome samples was increased as compared of those of normal samples, and their main role in the regulation of and p53-fibrinolytic system makes these components as a predictive prominent component in smokers with COPD.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most advanced form of acute lung injury (ALI). This is characterized by bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and severe hypoxemia. According to Berlin definition of ARDS, this is defined based on the timings, radiographic changes, edema formation, and severity on the PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio. During ARDS, the loss of integrity of the epithelium causes the septic shock. The degree of epithelial injury is the major prognostic marker of ARDS. In addition to this, inflammatory cell migration, fibro-proliferation, and activation of apoptosis also play an important role in the pathophysiology of ARDS. The alveolar epithelial cell is the prime target during injury where this cell either undergo apoptosis or epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Injury to the AECs triggers the changes in the DNA fragmentation and activation of certain apoptotic markers such as caspases at the same time some cells undergo biochemical changes and loses its epithelial morphology as well epithelial biomarkers and gain mesenchymal biomarkers and morphology. In both the cases, the fibrinolytic system plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the disease process efficiently. This review highlights the research evidence of apoptosis and EMT in lung development, injury and its prognosis in ARDS thereby to develop an effective strategy for the treatment of ARDS.

Bleomycin (BLM) induced cellular damage causes inflammation in the alveolar compartment and impairment of fibrinolytic system leads to alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis. Here, we describe novel inflammatory pathway associated with p53-fibrinolytic system and apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells and pharmacological efficiency of curcumin against this action. In the present study we used C57BL/6 mice. The specific dose and time interval of curcumin were analyzed to assess the intervention. Experiments were designed to investigate the IL-17A mediated modulation in the alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and injury. Various techniques such as Western blot, RT-PCR, Immunohistochemistry were used for this study. We observed that the BLM-induced lung injury and its progression were successfully regulated by the effective dose and time intervention of curcumin. There was also decreased expression of chemokines, p53, and fibrinolytic components such as PAI-1 and increased uPA, uPAR expression, and decreased alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis, which indicates the IL-17A mediated novel inflammatory pathway. It is confirmed that the IL-17A involved in the modulation of p53-fibrinolytic system and epithelial cell apoptosis in BLM induced mice. The cross-talk between the inflammatory, fibrinolytic, and apoptotic pathways were resolved by curcumin intervention. This pathway and intervention could serve as a modern therapy to resolve the complications to cure the lung injury and its progression., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17A modulates the expression of Akt in bleomycin (BLM) administered alveolar basal epithelial cells, the mechanism behind which remains unclear. This investigation was carried out to assess IL-17A mediated down-regulation of Akt expression and the pivotal role of curcumin as a regulatory molecule. Alveolar basal epithelial cells were treated with BLM and IL-17A and curcumin was administered as an intervention to regulate the BLM-induced oxidative damage. Cell proliferation was evaluated by clonogenic assay. Akt phosphorylation and total Akt expressions were studied using western blot analysis. Cell proliferation reduced upon treatment with BLM and this phenomenon was reversed in cells upon administration with curcumin. Administrations of BLM and IL-17A to the alveolar basal epithelial cells showed significant down-regulation of Akt expression which was reversed by treatment with curcumin. BLM and IL-17A mediated inflammation was intervened effectively with curcumin. Results of this study suggest the probable use of curcumin as an anti-inflammatory therapeutic for lung injury.

Given the association between subclinical hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome, we wanted to explore if high-fat, simple-carbohydrate (HFSC) diet affects hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis. One-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed with control (C) and HFSC (T) feed (n = 18 each), respectively, for 5 months. There was a significant increase in triiodothyronine in the T group (13.5%) compared with the age-matched C group by the fifth month. Thyroid-stimulating hormone was significantly higher (1 month: 1.9-fold; 3 months: 2.66-fold; 5 months: 3.5-fold) from the first to fifth months in the T group compared with age-matched C group. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) gene expression showed significant decrease (1 month: 83.2%; 5 months: 40.7%) in the T group compared with the age-matched C group. TRHR 1 showed significant decrease in the T group compared with the age-matched C group throughout the study (1 month: 82.8%; 3 months: 45.7%; 5 months: 75.2%). However, TRHR 2 showed dynamic change during the study. Initially there was significant (1 month: 0.104-fold) downregulation, followed by significant upregulation (3 months: 3.6-fold) and downregulation (0.73-fold) by the fifth month in the T group compared with the age-matched C group. There was marked depletion of functional follicular cells and colloid substance in the thyroid glands of the T group by the fifth month compared with the C group. Leptin receptors ObRa (1 month: 48.25%; 5 months: 88%) and ObRb (1 month: 46.9%; 5 months: 63.3%) were significantly downregulated in the T group compared with the age-matched C group in the first and fifth months of feeding the respective diets. The expression of p-STAT3, a transcription factor known to have a role in energy balance, intermediate metabolism, and leptin signalling was seen to decrease significantly (6.25-fold) in the hypothalamus of the T group compared with the age-matched C group. In conclusion, HFSC feed disrupts the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis in male C57BL/6J mice.

Bleomycin-mediated inflammatory pathway is known to play an important role in the up regulation of oxidative stress. IL-17A is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in the modulation of fibrosis. The complex underlying mechanism for the said phenomenon remains unclear. This newly defined investigation was designed to understand the changes associated with 1L-17A mediated up-regulation of p53 and PAI-1 expression and the role of curcumin in attenuating this process. A549 cells were treated with bleomycin (BLM) and IL-17A to induce the inflammatory response in vitro. Curcumin, a known anti-inflammatory bioactive compound was administered as an intervention. Cytotoxicity in the treatment groups was assessed using Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cell migration was evaluated using scratch assay. Protein expressions were studied using Western blot analysis for the downstream effector molecules of IL-17A mediated inflammatory pathways. In MTT assay, BLM treatment showed cytotoxicty upto 88% at a concentration of 1000 μM after 48 h of treatment. Cell migration assay results revealed that curcumin blocked the migration of cells to the area of the scratch. BLM treatment to the cells significantly induced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17A, which in turn modulated p53-PAI-1 expression. Bioactive compound curcumin showed anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity. Curcumin also regulated the BLM and IL-17A mediated changes in p53-PAI-1 expression. Curcumin has the ability to regulate inflammatory cytokines during BLM-induced injury and their effect on p53-PAI-1 expression. It can be used as a potential anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrinolytic component for intervening the epithelial cell damage.Very little information is provided till date on the inflammatory mechanism controlling the fibrinolytic system in acute lung injury (ALI). Damage to alveolar epithelial cells during ALI is important in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Most forms of ALI are characterized by defective alveolar fibrinolysis, inflammation, and fibrotic lesions. Recent reports show that alveolar epithelial cells express uPA, uPAR, and p53-mediated changes inhibit epithelial cell viability contributing to ALI. Thus, the roles of pulmonary epithelial cells in the inflammatory cascades activated after noninfectious injury, and the key signaling mediators of this process were actively investigated in this study. This investigation revealed that curcumin is an effective inhibitor of BLM-induced inflammation, apoptosis, and migration of basal alveolar epithelial cells. These results throw an insight into the possibility of developing curcumin as a novel therapeutic for ALI., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

By routinely and systematically being able to perform quantitative stem-loop reverse transcriptase (RT) followed by TaqMan® minor-groove binding (MGB) probe, real-time quantitative PCR analysis on exfoliated enriched colonocytes in stool, using human (Homo sapiens, hsa) micro(mi)RNAs to monitor changes of their expression at various stages of colorectal (CRC) progression, this method allows for the reliable and quantitative diagnostic screening of colon cancer (CC). Although the expression of some miRNA genes tested in tissue shows less variability in normal or cancerous patients than in stool, the noninvasive stool by itself is well suited for CC screening. An miRNA approach using stool promises to offer more sensitivity and specificity than currently used genomic, methylomic, or proteomic methods for CC screening.To present an application of employing miRNAs as diagnostic markers for CC screening, we carried out global microarray expression studies on stool colonocytes isolated by paramagnetic beads, using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 3.0 Array, to select a panel of miRNAs for subsequent focused semiquantitative PCR analysis studies. We then conducted a stem-loop RT-TaqMan® MGB probes, followed by a modified real-time qPCR expression study on 20 selected miRNAs for subsequent validation of the extracted immunocaptured total small RNA isolated from stool colonocytes. Results showed 12 miRNAs (miR-7, miR-17, miR-20a, miR-21, miR-92a, miR-96, miR-106a, miR-134, miR-183, miR-196a, miR-199a-3p, and miR214) to have an increased expression in stool of CC patients, and that later TNM stages exhibited more increased expressions than adenomas, while 8 miRNAs (miR-9, miR-29b, miR-127-5p, miR-138, miR-143, miR-146a, miR-222, and miR-938) showed decreased expressions in stool of CC patients, which becomes more pronounced as the cancer progresses from early to late TNM stages (0-IV).

This article illustrates the importance of melt curve analysis (MCA) in interpretation of mild nutrogenomic micro(mi)RNA expression data, by measuring the magnitude of the expression of key miRNA molecules in stool of healthy human adults as molecular markers, following the intake of Pomegranate juice (PGJ), functional fermented sobya (FS), rich in potential probiotic lactobacilli, or their combination. Total small RNA was isolated from stool of 25 volunteers before and following a three-week dietary intervention trial. Expression of 88 miRNA genes was evaluated using Qiagen's 96 well plate RT 2 miRNA qPCR arrays. Employing parallel coordinates plots, there was no observed significant separation for the gene expression (Cq) values, using Roche 480® PCR LightCycler instrument used in this study, and none of the miRNAs showed significant statistical expression after controlling for the false discovery rate. On the other hand, melting temperature profiles produced during PCR amplification run, found seven significant genes (miR-184, miR-203, miR-373, miR-124, miR-96, miR-373 and miR-301a), which separated candidate miRNAs that could function as novel molecular markers of relevance to oxidative stress and immunoglobulin function, for the intake of polyphenol (PP)-rich, functional fermented foods rich in lactobacilli (FS), or their combination. We elaborate on these data, and present a detailed review on use of melt curves for analyzing nutigenomic miRNA expression data, which initially appear to show no significant expressions, but are actually more subtle than this simplistic view, necessitating the understanding of the role of MCA for a comprehensive understanding of what the collective expression and MCA data collectively imply., (Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Scintillation crystals are usually used for detection of energetic photons at room temperature in high energy and nuclear physics research, non-destructive analysis of materials testing, safeguards, nuclear treaty verification, geological exploration, and medical imaging. Therefore, new designs and construction of radioactive beam facilities are coming on-line with these science brunches. A good number of researchers are investigating the efficiency of the γ-ray detectors to improve the models and techniques used in order to deal with the most pressing problems in physics research today. In the present work, a new integrative and uncomplicated numerical simulation method (NSM) is used to compute the full-energy (photo) peak efficiency of a regular hexagonal prism NaI(Tl) gamma-ray detector using radioactive point sources situated non-axial within its front surface boundaries. This simulation method is based on the efficiency transfer method. Most of the mathematical formulas in this work are derived analytically and solved numerically. The main core of the NSM is the calculation of the effective solid angle for radioactive point sources, which are situated non-axially at different distances from the front surface of the detector. The attenuation of the γ-rays through the detector's material and any other materials in-between the source and the detector is taken into account. A remarkable agreement between the experimental and calculated by present formalism results has been observed.

Melanoma differentiation-associated gene 7 (MDA-7/IL-24) exhibits cytotoxic effects on tumor cells while sparing untransformed cells, and Bcl-x(L) is reported to efficiently block the induction of cell death by MDA-7/IL-24. The expression of Bcl-x(L) is regulated at the level of RNA splicing via alternative 5' splice site selection within exon 2 to produce either the pro-apoptotic Bcl-x(s) or the anti-apoptotic Bcl-x(L). Our laboratory previously reported that Bcl-x RNA splicing is dysregulated in a large percentage of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. Therefore, we investigated whether the alternative RNA splicing of Bcl-x pre-mRNA was modulated by MDA-7/IL-24, which would suggest that specific NSCLC tumors are valid targets for this cytokine therapy. Adenovirus-delivered MDA-7/IL-24 (Ad.mda-7) reduced the viability of NSCLC cells of varying oncogenotypes, which was preceded by a decrease in the ratio of Bcl-x(L)/Bcl-x(s) mRNA and Bcl-x(L) protein expression. Importantly, both the expression of Bcl-x(L) and the loss of cell viability were "rescued" in Ad.mda-7-treated cells incubated with Bcl-x(s) siRNA. In addition, NSCLC cells ectopically expressing Bcl-x(s) exhibited significantly reduced Bcl-x(L) expression, which was again restored by Bcl-x(s) siRNA, suggesting the existence of a novel mechanism by which Bcl-x(s) mRNA restrains the expression of Bcl-x(L). In additional mechanistic studies, inhibition of SRC and PKCδ completely ablated the ability of MDA-7/IL-24 to reduce the Bcl-x(L)/(s) mRNA ratio and cell viability. These findings show that Bcl-x(s) expression is an important mediator of MDA-7/IL-24-induced cytotoxicity requiring the SRC/PKCδ signaling axis in NSCLC cells., (© 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

Gamma-ray detectors are widely used in many fields like environmental measurements, medicine, space science, and industry, where the detector geometrical, total, photopeak efficiencies and peak-to-total ratio could be required. The calculation of the detector efficiency depends mainly on the value of the geometrical efficiency, which depends on the solid angle subtended by the source-detector system. The present work introduces a direct analytical method to calculate the geometrical and total efficiencies of CdZnTe gamma-ray detector using off-axis isotropic radiating γ-ray [point, disk, and cylindrical] sources. To test the validity of the present work, the results are compared with some published data and also to prove how much it is important to determine the efficiency of difficult gamma-ray detection arrangement.

A new theoretical approach was used to calibrate and calculate the full-energy peak efficiency of the NaI (Tl) detectors based on the direct statistical method proposed by Selim and Abbas for cylindrical detectors. In addition, the self-attenuation of the source matrix, the attenuation by the source container and the detector housing materials were considered in the mathematical treatment. Results were compared with those measured by a cylindrical NaI (Tl) detector with resolution (FWHM) at 662 keV equal to 7.5 %. (152)Eu aqueous radioactive spherical sources covering the energy range from 121 to 1408 keV were used. In comparison, the calculated and the measured full-energy peak efficiency values were in good agreement.

To calibrate the co-axial HPGe semiconductor detectors, we introduce a new theoretical approach based on the Direct Statistical method proposed by Selim and Abbas (1995, 1996) to calculate the full-energy peak efficiency for cylindrical detectors. The present method depends on the accurate analytical calculation of the average path length covered by the photon inside the detector active volume and the geometrical solid angle Ω, to obtain a simple formula for the efficiency. In addition, the self attenuation coefficient of the source matrix (with a radius greater than the detector's radius), the attenuation factors of the source container and the detector housing materials are also treated by calculating the average path length within these materials. (152)Eu aqueous radioactive sources covering the energy range from 121 to 1408 keV were used. Remarkable agreement between the measured and the calculated efficiencies was achieved with discrepancies less than 2%., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effect of benzaldehyde, 2-hydroxybenzoyl hydrazone derivatives on the corrosion of aluminium in hydrochloric acid has been investigated using thermometric and polarization techniques. The inhibitive efficiency ranking of these compounds from both techniques was found to be: 2>3>1>4. The inhibitors acted as mixed-type inhibitors but the cathode is more polarized. The relative inhibitive efficiency of these compounds has been explained on the basis of structure of the inhibitors and their mode of interaction at the surface. Results show that these additives are adsorbed on an aluminium surface according to the Langmuir isotherm. Polarization measurements indicated that the rate of corrosion of aluminium rapidly increases with temperature over the range 30-55 degrees C both in the absence and in the presence of inhibitors. Some thermodynamic data of the adsorption process are calculated and discussed.