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AbstractWater is the most crucial element for living, and the lack of pure and clean water has increased globally. Hence, the need for water remediation from different pollutants is a must. Developing different techniques to accomplish water purification is expanding every day. Chitosan is a biodegradable and eco-friendly biopolymer which is extensively used in various applications. Here, we focus on using chitosan nano complexes with ferrites, graphene, silver, and silica nanoparticles as novel, cheap, accurate, biocompatible, reusable, and fast nano-complexes. Different synthesis protocols were used to obtain Chitosan-nano complexes. Various techniques were used to characterize and test the synthesized nanocomplexes, such as UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder-X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer—Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The chitosan-based nanocomplexes are used for water purification and detecting different chemical pollutants such as heavy metals, organic and dyes contaminations, and eliminating different pathogenic microorganisms from the environment.

Background Acute severe pre-eclampsia (PE) requires urgent antihypertensive therapy to reduce the incidence of adverse outcome. There is currently very limited evidence for the role of nitric oxide donors as antihypertensive therapy for acute severe PE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of nitroglycerin compared to labetalol in terms of acute control of blood pressure in severe PE.Patients and methods Two hundred patients with severe PE were admitted prepartum to the ICU to stabilize blood pressure. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups; Group N received nitroglycerin intravenous infusion (1 mg/ml) and Group L received labetalol intravenous infusion (10 mg/ml). The starting infusion rate was 5 ml/hr and was titrated to stabilize systolic blood pressure at 130–140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure at 80–90 mmHg (study end point).Results Reduction of blood pressure at 90 minutes to the desired end point was achieved in 96% and 87% of the patients by nitroglycerin and labetalol infusion respectively. Nitroglycerin showed significantly faster control and lower incidence of persistent hypertension. The number of attacks of hypotension was comparable between both the groups. Headache, flushes, and tachycardia were significantly higher in N group compared to the L group, while bradycardia was significantly lower in the N group compared to the L group. Fetal side effects were comparable between the two groups.Conclusion Nitroglycerin can be considered an important alternative to labetalol for controlling the blood pressure in acute severe PE.

ABSTRACTBackground: Patients with chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis have many anesthetic considerations with general anesthesia and limitation of ability to receive regional anesthesia due to coagulopathy and low platelets count.Our study aims to compare the combination of the Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (ILIH) nerve block with the Transverse Abdominis Plane block (TAB) versus the Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (ILIH) nerve block alone as a sole anesthetic technique in hepatic patients with liver cirrhosis for surgical repair of inguinal hernia.Methods: Sixty patients known to have chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis undergoing unilateral repair of inguinal hernia were randomly assigned to two equal groups:Group (T) received ipsilateral transverse abdominis plane block (TAB) ultrasound-guided (US) in combination with Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (ILIH) nerve block intraoperatively.Group (I) received US-guided ipsilateral Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block only intraoperatively.The degree of pain was evaluated using the VAS score for pain hourly for the first 6 h and at 12, 18, and 24 h postoperatively. Need for LA infiltration into surgical field or the conversion to GA was assessed. Onset of sensory block, duration of analgesia, the use of rescue analgesia and its total dose in 24 hours, the patient’s and surgeon’s satisfaction and any adverse events were recorded. Liver functions were measured 24 h postoperatively.Results: The duration of analgesia was significantly longer in group (T) (14.27 ± 2.5 hours) than in group (I) (11.81 ± 2.9 hours; p = 0.039). The total required dose of acetaminophen in first 24 hours was higher in group (I) (1.1 ± 0.81 gm) than in group (T) (0.6 ± 0.94 gm; p = 0.021).There was no significant difference between groups in onset of sensory block, need for LA infiltration, need for GA, or incidence of postoperative side effects. Patients’ satisfaction was statistically better in group T compared to group I whereas there was no statistical significant difference between both groups regarding surgeon’s satisfaction.Conclusion: Combined Transverse Abdominis plane block (TAB) with Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (ILIH) nerve block has longer duration of analgesia and less dose of rescue analgesia with more patient satisfaction than the use of Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric (ILIH) nerve block in surgical repair of inguinal hernia in chronic hepatic patients with liver cirrhosis.

Culex pipiens mosquitoes are transmitters of many viruses and are associated with the transmission of many diseases, such as filariasis and avian malaria, that have a high rate of mortality. The current study draws attention to the larvicidal efficacy of three methanolic algal extracts, Cystoseira myrica, C. trinodis, and C. tamariscifolia, against the third larval instar of Cx. pipiens. The UPLC-ESI-MS analysis of three methanol fractions of algal samples led to the tentative characterization of twelve compounds with different percentages among the three samples belonging to phenolics and terpenoids. Probit analysis was used to calculate the lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90). The highest level of toxicity was attained after treatment with C. myrica extract using a lethal concentration 50 (LC50) of 105.06 ppm, followed by C. trinodis (135.08 ppm), and the lowest level of toxicity was achieved by C. tamariscifolia (138.71 ppm) after 24 h. The elevation of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and reduction of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) enzymes confirm the larvicidal activity of the three algal extracts. When compared to untreated larvae, all evaluated extracts revealed a significant reduction in protein, lipid, and carbohydrate contents, verifying their larvicidal effectiveness. To further support the observed activity, an in silico study for the identified compounds was carried out on the two tested enzymes. Results showed that the identified compounds and the tested enzymes had excellent binding affinities for each other. Overall, the current work suggests that the three algal extractions are a prospective source for the development of innovative, environmentally friendly larvicides.

The current work discusses the production and characterization of new biodegradable nanoparticles for biomedical applications based on insect chitosan. Chitosan has numerous features due to the presence of primary amine groups in repeating units, such as antibacterial and anticancer activities. When polyanion tripolyphosphate is added to chitosan, it creates nanoparticles with higher antibacterial activity than the original chitosan. In this study, the ionic gelation technique was used to make wasp chitosan nanoparticles (WCSNPs) in which TEM and FTIR were used to investigate the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles. In addition, the antibacterial activities of chitosan nanoparticles against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated. The extracted wasp chitosan exhibited high solubility in acetic acid and met all standard criteria of all characterization testes for nanoparticles; the zeta potential indicated stable WCSNPs capable of binding to cellular membrane and increasing the cellular uptake. The produced WCSNPs showed growth inhibition activity against all tested strains, and the bacterial count was lower than the initial count. The inhibition percent of WCSNPs showed that the lowest concentration of WCSNPs was found to be effective against tested strains. WCSNPs’ antibacterial activity implies that they could be used as novel, highly effective antibacterial agents in a variety of biological applications requiring antibacterial characteristics.

The use of gold nanorods (GNRs) as a contrast agent in bioimaging and cell tracking has numerous advantages, primarily due to the unique optical properties of gold nanorods which allow for the use of infrared regions when imaging. Owing to their unique geometry, Au NRs exhibit surface plasmon modes in the near-infrared wavelength range, which is ideal for carrying out optical measurements in biological fluids and tissue. Gold nanorod functionalization is essential, since the Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide CTAB gold nanorods are toxic, and for further in vitro and in vivo experiments the nanorods should be functionalized to become optically stable and biocompatible. In the present study, gold nanorods with an longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) position around 800 nm were synthesized in order to be used for photoacoustic imaging applications for stem cell tracking. The gold nanorods were functionalized using both thiolated poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) to stabilize the gold nanorods surface and a CALNN–TAT peptide sequence. Both ligands were attached to the gold nanorods through an Au–sulfur bond. CALNN–TAT is known as a cell penetrating peptide which ensures endocytosis of the gold nanorods inside the mesenchymal stem cells of mice (MSCD1). Surface modifications of gold nanorods were achieved using optical spectroscopy (UV–VIS), electron microscopy (TEM), zeta-potential, and FTIR. Gold nanorods were incubated in MSCD1 in order to achieve a cellular uptake that was characterized by a transmission electron microscope (TEM). For photoacoustic imaging, Multi-Spectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) was used. The results demonstrated good cellular uptake for PEG–CALNN–TAT GNRs and the successful use of modified gold nanorods as both a contrast agent in photoacoustic imaging and as a novel tracking bioimaging technique.

Quantitative cellular in vitro nanoparticle uptake measurements are possible with a large number of different techniques, however, all have their respective restrictions. Here, we demonstrate the application of synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence imaging (XFI) on prostate tumor cells, which have internalized differently functionalized gold nanoparticles. Total nanoparticle uptake on the order of a few hundred picograms could be conveniently observed with microsamples consisting of only a few hundreds of cells. A comparison with mass spectroscopy quantification is provided, experimental results are both supported and sensitivity limits of this XFI approach extrapolated by Monte-Carlo simulations, yielding a minimum detectable nanoparticle mass of just 5 pg. This study demonstrates the high sensitivity level of XFI, allowing non-destructive uptake measurements with very small microsamples within just seconds of irradiation time.

Background and aim: Vasoplegic syndrome (VS) is a frequent complication following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) requiring escalating dose of vasopressor support. The guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (MB) could be an attractive alternative treatment in such cases. This study examines the efficacy and safety of using MB compared to the commonly used norepinephrine in VS in pediatric population following CPB. Methods: Forty patients of pediatric age group who developed VS following CPB for elective corrective cardiac surgeries received 0.5 μg/kg/min norepinephrine intravenous infusion for 5 min without improvement (Time 1). Patients were randomly assigned to two equal groups. Group MB received 1.5 mg/kg methylene blue by intravenous infusion over 20 min. Group N did not receive MB. Norepinephrine infusion was continued in both groups and titrated according to the response of patients with a maximum dose of 2 μg/kg/min (Time 2). Heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) were calculated in both groups. Side effects related to the study drug were recorded. Results: Time 2 values of norepinephrine dose were significantly lower in MB group compared to N group. Time 2 values of MAP were significantly higher in MB group compared to N group with a significant decrease in HR in MB group compared to N group. No change in the rhythm was detected in the two groups. Time 2 values of CVP were higher in MB group compared to N group. Time 2 values of CO and CI were significantly lower in MB group compared to N group and SVR and SVRI were significantly higher in MB group compared to N group. Time 2 values of MPAP were comparable in both groups and showed no significant change. No side effects from using MB were recorded as pulmonary edema and respiratory distress. Conclusion: In this study, MB showed superior efficacy and safety in managing VS in pediatrics following CPB compared to the conventionally used norepinephrine.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using alanine–glutamine (Aln–Gln) dipeptide as a supplement to control diabetes in liver transplanted patients. Patients and methods: Eighty patients aged >18 yr admitted to ICU after receiving right lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), had a previous history of diabetes or had a new onset diabetes (NODM) were enrolled in this prospective randomized double blind study. Patients were randomized into two groups and assigned to receive parenterally an equal dose of amino acids either with alanyl-glutamine dipeptide in the dose of 0.5 g/kg/d (group AG) or without alanyl-glutamine dipeptide (control group C). This regimen started at day 1 postoperative in diabetic patients or when new onset diabetes has been diagnosed in non-diabetic and continued till day 9 with measuring the incidence of hyperglycemia, hyperglycemic episodes, total insulin requirements/day, infectious episodes, ICU and hospital length of stay, and 6 month mortality rate. Results: The hyperglycemic episodes were significantly less in AG group patients than in control group patients (29 vs 38). Hyperglycemia requiring insulin therapy in AG group was significantly less (22 vs 28 patients). Also those who required decreasing TPN requirements were significantly lesser in the AG group (7 vs 11 patients). Insulin requirements per day in the AG group were significantly lower (53 ± 11 vs 78 ± 9 IU). The number of episodes of nosocomial infection per patient was lower in the AG group than in the control group (20 vs 28). The decrease in nosocomial infections in patients receiving AG was related mainly to a decrease in the incidence of pneumonia (7 vs 11). The ICU length of stay (LOS) was significantly lower in the AG group than in the control group (7.81 ± 2.98 vs 10.43 ± 4.67 day) Conclusion: Our study showed that using AG supplementation in liver transplanted patients who have either a history of diabetes or NODM, reduces the insulin requirements, hyperglycemic episodes, infectious events and ICU stay.

Background: Blood lipid-regulating and cell proliferation-regulating genes have both been connected to the development of coronary artery disease (CAD),we aimed to find the correlation between CDKN2A rs3088440, HNF1A rs55783344CT gene polymorphisms and CAD. Methods : One hundred and six participants were subjected to this casecontrol study; case group I: patients with CHD and control group II: Normal healthy people. Subjects underwent a comprehensive history and physical examination, standard laboratory tests, and coronary angiograms. CDKN2A rs3088440 and HNF1A rs55783344CT gene polymorphisms was done by (PCR-RFLP).Results: CT genotype and CT+TT of HNF1AC were statistically Signiant higher in CAD cases than controls. T allele of HNF1AC was much higher in CAD cases than controls, with a significant difference between 2 groups. Proportion of those with the CDKN2A GA+AA genotype in the CAD patients was significantly higher than in the control group. Also, the frequency of the CDKN2A A allele was significantly different between CAD cases and controls.Conclusions: Coronary heart disease (CHD) has a complex etiopathogenesis and a multifactorial origin. SNPs are potential risk factors of CHD. CDKN2A rs3088440 (G>A) and HNF1A rs55783344CT gene polymorphisms be a factor in pathogenesis of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: urinary stones are one of the most prevalent urological diseases worldwide. Aim: this study aimed to evaluate the effect of multimedia on dietary regimen for patients with urinary system stones. Design: A quasi experimental study. Setting: The study conducted at the Student Educational Hospital and Urology Department at Tanta Universal Teaching Hospital and both are affiliated to Tanta University Hospital. Subjects: A convenience sample of 60 adult conscious patients diagnosed with urolithiasis. Tools: Three tools were enrolled in the study for data collection: Tool (I) Socio-demographic and clinical data tool, Tool (II): Patients' knowledge assessment questionnaire, Tool (III): patients' perception assessment regarding using multimedia questionnaire. Results: there was a highly statistical significant difference in Patients' knowledge levels after application of multimedia through period of the study, pretest was (6.6%) which developed to (78.3%) posttest then become (80%) in follow up also the majority of the studied patients (81.7%) had satisfaction regarding using multimedia and only (18.3) didn't have satisfaction. Conclusion: the multimedia improved patients' knowledge and there was an increase in patients' satisfaction regarding using multimedia in health education. Recommendation: it was recommended that using multimedia and audio-visual materials in continuous health education regarding dietary regimen for urinary tract stone as it is important in improvement of patients' knowledge and nursing role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of climate change, environmental degradation caused by the unabated and indiscriminate usage of synthetic nematicides, there is urgent demand to develop safe alternatives for management of nematode diseases. In this respect, this study aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate novel chitinolytic rhizobacteria as biocontrol agents against Meloidogyne incognita infecting Capsicum annuum L. Among seventeen chitinolytic bacterial isolates, which were isolated from nematode suppressive soil, five isolates exhibited high chitinolytic activity. These isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA gene analysis as Chryseobacterium daecheongense (isolate AB1), Bacillus toyonensis (isolate AB2), Pseudomonas lini (isolate AB3), Lactobacillus helveticus (isolate AB4) and Klebsiella oxytoca (isolate AB5). In vitro studies revealed that maximum nematode mortality (100%) was recorded for isolates AB3 and AB5; while maximum egg hatching inhibition (90.86 and 86.27%) in AB3 and AB4, respectively. Under field conditions, maximum inhibition in gall formation, female numbers, egg-mass production, developmental stages and final population of juveniles in soil, was recorded for AB3, AB4 and AB5 isolates, respectively. The accumulation of phenolic compounds, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase in pepper leaves were induced by different bacterial treatment which played a significant role in resistance of the plant to biotic stress. The histological study showed poor formation of regular giant cells in pepper roots treated with chitinolytic bacterial strains. Root transverse section of pepper plants infected with M. incognita and treated with isolates AB3 and AB4 showed maximum healthy pattern and less necrotic points compared to the control. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that among the tested bacterial stains, P. lini (AB3), L. helveticus (AB4) and K. oxytoca (AB5) showed high biocontrol prospects against M. incognita and could be introduced and formulated as a promising, affordable and safe bionematicides. Moreover, C. daecheongense (AB1) was recorded for the first time for its nematicidal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]