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Water pollution has become one of the most serious environmental issues recently, especially in relation to chemical-containing wastewater. Uncontrolled industrial waste, including large amounts of dye-containing wastewater from textile industries, needs intensive attention. In this work, the synthesis of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposite biogenic silica from Salacca zalacca leaf ash was conducted for the photo-Fenton-like degradation of dye waste. The use of Salacca zalacca leaf ash and the nanoflake form is the novelty of this work. The physicochemical characterization of the material was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-DRS) analyses, and photocatalytic activity of material was investigated in wet peroxidation of rhodamine B and batik wastewater. The results showed homogeneously dispersed Fe3O4 in SiO2 support with a nanoflake form, and a crystallite size of 44.9 nm was obtained. XRD investigation revealed the single phase of Fe3O4, which is consistent with the TEM analysis. The bandgap energy of 2.21 eV was reported from UV-DRS measurements, which influenced the increasing photocatalytic activity and reusability of the nanocomposite compared to pure Fe3O4. The photocatalyst showed the maximum degradation efficiency (DE) of 99.9% after 60 min, and the reusability feature was expressed, as there was an insignificant change in the DE over the fifth cycle of use. The material exhibited photocatalytic oxidation of batik wastewater as the removal of total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, and color reached 95.55%, 89.59%, and 90.00%, respectively.

Background: Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants frequently develop chronic lung disease (CLD). Meta-analyses suggest that early postnatal steroid administration may reduce this risk. Association of early cortisol insufficiency with subsequent CLD supports use of a lower stress steroid dose that may reduce complications associated with higher doses. We initiated a randomized, multicenter, controlled trial to determine whether a tapering course of stress dose steroid started on the first day would reduce the risk of CLD or death in ELBW infants. Methods: Infants with birth weight 501-1000 gm mechanically ventilated before 12 hours were eligible for the study. Infants with birth weight [is greater than] 750 gm also needed to receive Fi[O.sub.2] [is greater than or equal to] 0.30 and surfactant. Infants were randomized to receive dexamethasone (initial dose 0.15 mg/kg/d for 3 days, then tapered over 7 days) or placebo. In a factorial design, infants were also randomized to routine ventilator management or a strategy of minimal ventilator support to reduce mechanical lung injury. Results: After enrolling 220 patients (sample size estimate was 1200), the trial was halted for unanticipated adverse events. Steroid (n = 111) and placebo (n = 109) infants had similar clinical characteristics at randomization. Study Death or [O.sub.2] at PIE Steroid Drug CLD % 28 d % Rx % RX % Steroid 63 78 9 34 Placebo 69 94(*) 23(*) 51(*) Study Systolic Insulin GI Drug BP [is greater than] 80 RX % Perf % mmHg % Steroid 27 23 13 Placebo 4(*) 12(*) 3(*) (*) p = 0.05. The relative risk for the primary outcome, death or CLD at 36 postmenstrual weeks, was 0.92 (95% CI = 0.76-1.11). Fewer infants in the steroid group had pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE), required oxygen at 28 days, or had subsequent steroid treatment. Rates of severe intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity, and nosocomial infection were similar. Hypertension and hyperglycemia (insulin Rx) were more frequent in the steroid group. During the first 14 days, 14 (13%) infants in the steroid group and 3 (3%) infants in the placebo group had spontaneous gastrointestinal perforation without necrotizing enterocolitis. Perforation was associated with indomethacin exposure (p = 0.005) and there was an interaction between indomethacin and steroid (p = 0.04). No interaction was observed with ventilator strategy. Conclusion: The increased risk of gastrointestinal perforation, as well as other previously identified complications, should be considered in decisions regarding steroid treatment in ELBW infants. A R Stark, MD, FAAP, W Carlo, MD, FAAP, C Bauer, MD, FAAP E Donovan, MD, FAAP, W Oh, MD AAP, L Papile, MD, FAAP, S Shankaran, MD, FAAP, JE Tyson, MD, LL Wright, MD, FAAP, M Temprosa, K Poole, Ph, D.; for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network.3, A R Stark, MD, FAAP, W Carlo, MD, FAAP, C Bauer, MD, FAAP E Donovan, MD, FAAP, W Oh, MD AAP, L Papile, MD, FAAP, S Shankaran, MD, FAAP, JE [...]

Background: Abnormalities of myelin, which increases the efficiency of action potential conduction, are found in neurological disorders. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) demonstrates therapeutic efficacy against some of these conditions, however effects on oligodendrocyte (OL)s are not well known. Here, we examined the effects of KRG-derived components on development and protection of OL-lineage cells. Methods: Primary OL precursor cell (OPC) cultures were prepared from neonatal mouse cortex. The protective efficacies of the KRG components were examined against inhibitors of mitochondrial respiratory chain activity. For in vivo function of Rb1 on myelination, after 10 days of oral gavage into adult male mice, forebrains were collected. OPC proliferation were assessed by BrdU incorporation, and differentiation and myelination were examined by qPCR, western blot and immunocytochemistry. Results: The non-saponin promoted OPC proliferation, while the saponin promoted differentiation. Both processes were mediated by AKT and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. KRG extract, the saponin and non-saponin protected OPCs against oxidative stress, and both KRG extract and the saponin significantly increased the expression of the antioxidant enzyme. Among 11 major ginsenosides tested, Rb1 significantly increased OL membrane size in vitro. Moreover, Rb1 significantly increased myelin formation in adult mouse brain. Conclusion: All KRG components prevented OPC deaths under oxidative stress. While non-saponin promoted proliferation, saponin fraction increased differentiation and OL membrane size. Furthermore, among all the tested ginsenosides, Rb1 showed the biggest increase in the membrane size and significantly enhanced myelination in vivo. These results imply therapeutic potentials of KRG and Rb1 for myelin-related disorders.

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have found a variety of applications in numerous industrial, medical, and environmental fields s, attributable to recent advances in the nanotechnology field. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) have gained importance as metal oxide NPs due to their potential in various fields, particularly nanomedicine and other biomedicine fields. Several studies have confirmed that NPs produced via the biosynthesis route using natural resources have significant advantages such as fewer toxic contaminants, less subsequent complex chemical synthesis, environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and stability when compared to NPs produced by conventional methods, and its production with controlled shapes and sizes. Therefore, considerable effort is being expended to implement biological synthesis methods with these proven advantages. TiO2-NPs can be made using a variety of biological, chemical, and physical methods. Physicochemical methods are costly, emit high levels of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, and consume a lot of energy. On the other hand, the biological approach is an environmentally safe, cost-effective, dependable, convenient, and easy way to synthesize TiO2-NPs. In this review, the bio-mediated synthesis, as well as various biomedical applications of TiO2-NPs, were discussed.

Nanomedicine is ongoing current research in the applications of nanotechnology for cancer therapy. Simply from a technology perspective, this field of research has an enormous broadening and success to date. Recently, nanomedicine has also made inroads in the treatment of cancer. Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles are an emerging field of research because its targeting capacity is of great interest in the treatment of cancer. The responsive nanoparticles are efficient in encountering different internal biological stimuli (acidic, pH, redox, and enzyme) and external stimuli (temperature, ultrasounds, magnetic field, and light), which are used as smart nanocarriers for delivery of the chemotherapeutic and imaging agents for cancer therapy. In-depth, the responsive nanocarrier that responds to the biological cues is of pronounced interest due to its capability to provide a controlled release profile at the tumor-specific site. The outlook of this review focuses on the stimuli-responsive nanocarrier drug delivery systems in sequence to address the biological challenges that need to be evaluated to overcome conventional cancer therapy.

The recent increase in the use of graphene and its derivatives is due to their exceptional physicochemical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties as the industrial materials developed by involving graphene structures can fulfill future needs. In that view, the potential use of these graphene-containing nanomaterials in electronics applications has encouraged in-depth exploration of the electronic, conducting, and other functional properties. The protecting undifferentiated form of graphene has similarly been proposed for various applications, for example, as supercapacitors, photovoltaic and transparent conductors, touch screen points, optical limiters, optical frequency converters, and terahertz devices. The hybrid composite nanomaterials that undergo stimulus-induced optical and electrical changes are important for many new technologies based on switchable devices. As a two-dimensional smart electronic material, graphene has received widespread attention, and with that view, we aim to cover the various types of graphene oxide (GO)-based composites, linking their optical and electrical properties with their structural and morphological ones. We believe that the topics covered in this review can shed light on the development of high-yield GO-containing electronic materials, which can be fabricated as the field moves forward and makes more significant advances in smart optoelectronic devices.

Abstract Background Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is a type of age-related macular degeneration that can cause permanent vision loss. The purpose of this paper was to report the one-year outcomes of fixed-dosing aflibercept therapy for the treatment of PCV. Methods This was a prospective, single-arm, interventional case series study of 25 PCV patients; 12 pre-treated and 13 treatment-naïve patients. The patients were treated and monitored for 12 months. Each patient was administered with an aflibercept (2.0 mg) injection every month for the first 3 months (the loading phase), and thereafter, once every 2 months. At every follow-up visit, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) test, fundus examination, and optical coherence tomography for measuring the central subfield macular thickness (CSMT) were performed. Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography were conducted at baseline and at 4 and 12 months. Results After 12 months of aflibercept therapy, the mean BCVA of the patients significantly improved from 65.48 letters at baseline to 69.91 letters (p=0.001), and the CSMT significantly decreased from 406.92 um at baseline to 276.12 um (p

Aim To assess the biological effects, including odontoblastic differentiation of a novel light-curable material (TheraCal), on human dental pulp cells ( hDPCs). Methodology The hDPCs were isolated from freshly extracted, caries-free third molars. Ten discs of TheraCal and MTA (8 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height) were incubated in α-minimum essential medium (α- MEM) and the supernatant collected. Viability of hDPCs in response to TheraCal and MTA was measured using the WST-1 assay. RT- PCR and real-time PCR were used to detect the gene expression of dentine sialophosphoprotein ( DSPP) and dentine matrix protein-1 ( DMP-1). ALP staining and Alizarin red S staining were used to evaluate the expression of alkaline phosphatase ( ALP) and mineralization behaviour. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test were used to determine the statistically significant differences as a result of the variation in test materials ( P < 0.05). Results The effects of TheraCal and MTA on cell viability were similar except at the highest concentration. The mRNA level of DSPP increased significantly in the MTA group relative to the control at day 1 and 3 ( P < 0.05). Also, the mRNA level of DSPP increased significantly in the TheraCal group relative to the control at day 3 ( P < 0.05). The increased mRNA level of DMP-1 was 2.5-fold and 2.3-fold each in the MTA and TheraCal groups relative to the control ( P < 0.05). Cells exposed to MTA exhibited a 1.4-fold increase of ALP staining relative to control ( P < 0.05). In the mineralization assay, increased calcium nodule formation was twofold and 1.3-fold each in the MTA and TheraCal groups compared to the control ( P < 0.05). Conclusions TheraCal and MTA had the ability to induce odontoblastic differentiation and mineralization of hDPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gil-Sung Yoon, Won-Taek Oh, Yong-Min Chun, Il-Hyun Koh, Ho-Jung Kang, Yun-Rak Choi Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South KoreaCorrespondence: Yun-Rak ChoiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of KoreaTel +82-2-2228-2183Fax +82-2-363-1139Email YRCHOI@yuhs.acPurpose: Cubitus varus is a common triplane deformity in adults associated with supracondylar humeral fractures experienced as a child and consists of varus, extension, and internal rotation components. When corrective osteotomy is indicated, these three components should be measured precisely. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of radiographic and physical measurements of cubitus varus deformities in adults compared to values measured on three-dimensional (3-D) bone surface models of the adult bilateral humerus.Methods: Three-dimensional bilateral humerus models were developed using bilateral humerus CT images of 20 adult patients with cubitus varus. The varus, internal rotation, and extension components of the deformity were assessed by superimposing the 3-D bone model onto a mirror-image model of the contralateral normal humerus. Values obtained from the radiographic and physical measurements were compared with those from the 3D model. The reliability of each measurement was assessed by calculating correlation coefficients (CCs).Results: Radiographic measurements of the varus and extension components showed good reliability (CC = 0.796 and 0.791, respectively). Physical measurement of the varus component, however, showed only moderate reliability (CC= 0.539), while physical measurement of the extension and internal rotation components exhibited poor reliability (CC = 0.164 and 0.466, respectively).Conclusion: Varus and extension components of cubitus varus in adults can be reliably measured using conventional methods, whereas the internal rotation component cannot. Thus, 3-D methods with which to quantify the rotational component preoperatively might be needed when the correction of a rotational deformity is considered.Keywords: cubitus varus, preoperative evaluation, triplane measurement, computed tomography

In geotechnical engineering practice, unsupported vertical trenches are typically excavated in unsaturated soils. In this case, the variation of shear strength and hydraulic conductivity with respect to soil suction is key information to analyze the stability of an unsupported vertical trench. Most shear strength and hydraulic conductivity models use the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) as a main tool. Various models are available to determine SWCC, shear strength, and hydraulic conductivity for unsaturated soils. Scholars or practitioners use one the existing models in numerical analyses to estimate the stability of unsupported vertical trench considering rainfall events. However, limited studies have been undertaken to investigate the effect of SWCC and hydraulic conductivity functions on the stability of unsupported vertical trenches in unsaturated soils. In the present study, numerical stability analyses are carried out by using different SWCCs and hydraulic conductivity functions to investigate their influence on the estimated safe height and stand-up time of unsupported vertical trenches. The same shear strength model was used for entire numerical analyses.