A document by Hana Barazandeh. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by Eray Guler. Click on the document to view its contents.

Fe3O4-loaded ion exchange resin composites (Fe3O4@Resin) were optimally constructed through ion exchange and co-precipitation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ on strong acid ion exchange resin. The as-synthesized Fe3O4@Resin composite was sophisticatedly characterized and investigated for 10B/11B separation including effect of pH, kinetics and isotherms through batch adsorption experiments which can be well described by pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir model. In the chromatographic column packed with Fe3O4@Resin, 10B was selectively retained with a high dynamic separation factor of 1.312. Considering the consistency between simulated and experimental breakthrough curves within Fe3O4@Resin packed column, chromatographic 10B/11B separation performance was simulated under various conditions which were further optimized by Box-Behnken design. Consequently, the annual yield of 10B reached the maximum of 612 g with feed concentration of 7.567 g·L−1, flow rate of 38.57 mL·min−1, and column size of 2.2×45 cm (I.D. × length). In addition, five-cycle adsorption/regeneration experiments demonstrated its merit of reusability.

A new method for integrated ionic liquid (IL) and absorption process design is proposed where a rigorous rate-based process model is used to incorporate absorption thermodynamics and kinetics. Different types of models including group contribution models and thermodynamic models are employed to predict the process-relevant physical, kinetic, and thermodynamic (gas solubility) properties of ILs. Combining the property models with process models, the integrated IL and process design problem is formulated as an MINLP optimization problem. Unfortunately, due to the model complexity, the problem is prone to convergence failure. To lower the computational difficulty, tractable surrogate models are used to replace the complex thermodynamic models while maintaining the prediction accuracy. This provides an opportunity to find the global optimum for the integrated design problem. A pre-combustion carbon capture case study is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the method. The obtained global optimum saves 14.8% cost compared to the Selexol process.

Aim: Awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) includes general knowledge of CKD and its risk factors. The current study aimed at assessing the public knowledge of CKD by using a validated tool. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. The target population of this study was lay public, and health professionals were excluded from the study. Proportional numbers of study participants were included from each sub-city based on their total population size. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Frequencies, table’s percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to describe participants’ responses: Independent T-test and one way ANOVA statics was used to identify factors associated with public knowledge of CKD. Results: A total of 350 individuals were approached, 301 of whom completed and returned the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 86%. In this study, the mean (S.D.) knowledge score of participants was 11.12 (±4.21), with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 22. Concerning the distribution of the CKD knowledge score, half of the respondents score 11 and less. One way ANOVA revealed that educational level had a significant effect on knowledge of CKD. Respondents who had an educational background of degree had relatively higher knowledge scores than the other category participants (P-value= 0.015). An independent t-test was also performed but failed to reveal any association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge score. Conclusions: The general knowledge level of the Ethiopian population about CKD and its risk factors is low. Currently, non-communicable disease such as diabetes and hypertension becomes public health concern and are one of the significant risk factors for CKD. As the study indicated, even these groups of populations were not adequately informed regarding their increased risk of developing CKD. Keywords: chronic kidney disease, public knowledge, Ethiopia

Adsorption of CO2 from post-combustion flue gas is one of the leading candidates for globally-impactful carbon capture systems. This work highlights opportunities and limitations of sub-ambient CO2 capture processes utilizing a multi-stage separation process. A hybrid process design using a combination of pressure-driven separation of CO2 from flue gas followed by CO2-rich product liquefaction to produce high purity (>99%) CO2 at pipeline conditions is considered. The economic viability of applying pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes using fiber sorbent contactors with internal heat management were found to be most influenced by the productivity of the adsorption system. Three exemplar fiber sorbents (MIL-101(Cr), UiO-66, and zeolite 13X) were considered for application in the sub-ambient process of PSA unit. MIL-101(Cr) and UiO-66 fiber composites were estimated to have costs of capture as low as $61/tonne CO2.

Background: Since the pathophysiology of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) remains unclear, health care providers often struggle with these patients, especially with a different ethnic and/or cultural background. These challenges are insufficiently addressed in their training and in the organization of care. Aim: To improve health care provider-patient interaction focused on MUS patients in general and in ethnic minorities and refugees in particular through a systematic review of syndromal definitions and epidemiology and organization of care of MUS patients. Methods: Screening of PubMed, Web of Science, Cinahl and Cochrane Library on the keywords ‘Medical unexplained (physical) symptoms (MUPS)’, ‘Somatoform disorder’, ‘Functional syndrome’, ‘Diversity’, ‘Migrants’, ‘Ethnicity’, ‘Care models’, ‘Medical education’, ‘Communication skills’, ‘Health literacy’ Results: Different case definitions result in markedly different epidemiologic estimates for MUS patients. Nevertheless, they are prevalent in a wide range of health care settings. Literature offers evidence of the effectiveness of structural frameworks in approaching MUS patients. Organization of MUS care needs to transcend different levels of care: specialist tertiary and secondary care and primary care involving different qualifications of caregivers need to be aligned. Conclusion: The systematic review identified significant gaps and shortcomings in organization of care. These need to be addressed in order to improve outcomes. Keywords: Medical unexplained (physical) symptoms (MUPS), Somatoform disorder, Functional syndrome, Diversity, Migrants, Ethnicity, Care models Message for the clinic: - Medically unexplained symptoms are highly prevalent but case definitions hamper both recognition and a proper approach. - MUS are ill understood in both the general population as in migrants and refugees. - Interdisciplinary and integrated care through a biopsychosocial model is mandatory.

Trichinellosis is a worldwide disease that is considered emerging and neglected. Several hosts have been recognized around the world, however, there is a lack of knowledge of the role of free-range mammals in Chile. Herein we examined 555 individuals among American minks (Neovison vison Schreber, 1777. n = 100) and several myomorph rodent species (Muridae and Cricetidae. n = 455) from southern Chile with artificial digestion and molecular analyses. Rodents were captured in agricultural and wild protected areas, while minks were captured in mixed agricultural and unprotected wild areas. One rat (0.24%) in the Ñuble Administrative Region and seven minks (8.2%) in the Los Ríos Region were infected with Trichinella spiralis Owen, 1835. Our results suggest that native rodents are of low or null importance in the reservoir of T. spiralis in Chile. Conversely, our results suggest that T. spiralis is circulating in minks, but with low prevalence. Further studies are needed to assess whether minks are maintaining T. spiralis life cycle or are a dead-end host of this parasite in Chile. This study represents the first record of T. spiralis in a mustelid mammal in South America, increasing the number of free-range species that could participate in the reservoir.

Xylan and cellulose are the two major constituents in numerous types of lignocellulose. Thus, bifunctional enzyme incorporated xylanase/cellulase activity has attracted considerable attention since it has great cost savings potential. Recently, a novel GH10 family enzyme XynA identified from Bacillus sp. was found to degrade both cellulose and xylan. To understand its molecular catalytic mechanism, here we first solve the crystal structure of XynA at 2.3 Å. XynA is characterized with a classic (α/β)8 TIM-barrel fold (GH10 domain) flanked by the flexible N-terminal domain and C-terminal domain. XynA has a longer N-terminal and C-terminal than most other GH10 family enzymes. The important thing is that the activity of our N-terminal truncated XynA_ΔN37 is significantly improved. And we found that the C-terminus is crucial to protein expression in solution. Protein thermal shift and enzyme activity assays reveal that conserved residues Glu182 and Glu280 are both important for catalytic activities of XynA, which is verified by the crystal structure of XynA with double mutant E182A/E280A. Molecular docking studies of XynA with xylohexaose and cellohexaose, together with site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme activity assay, demonstrate that Gln250 and His252 are indispensable to bifunctional activity. These results elucidate the structural and biochemical features of XynA, providing clues for further modification of XynA for industrial application.

Objective To investigate the detection ability of flexible magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (ME-NBI) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade two or worse (CIN2+) compared with colposcopy. Design Multicenter, prospective, non-randomized, paired comparison study. Setting Three Japanese medical centers. Population Japanese women. Methods Eligible patients had positive PAP smear test results, suspicious high-grade CIN in previous colposcopy, or definitive CIN3 diagnosed previously. A gastrointestinal endoscopist examined the cervix using ME-NBI in an endoscopy room and, subsequently, a gynecologist blinded to the ME-NBI findings performed colposcopy in a different room. CIN2+ locations were documented in a scheme immediately after each examination. Punch biopsy samples were obtained from all areas diagnosed as CIN2+ with both methods and from one normal area. The reference standard was the presence of at least one histological diagnosis of CIN2+ among all biopsy specimens. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the detection sensitivity of patients with CIN2+, comparing ME-NBI and colposcopy. Results We enrolled 88 patients. The detection sensitivity for patients with CIN2+ was not statistically different between the two methods (both: 79%, 95% CI: 66%–88%). For diagnosing CIN2+, ME-NBI tended to show a higher sensitivity than colposcopy (69% vs. 58%, respectively), while its specificity tended to be lower vs. colposcopy (55% vs. 70%, respectively). Patients reported significantly less discomfort and embarrassment with ME-NBI vs. colposcopy. Conclusion ME-NBI showed comparable sensitivity to colposcopy for detecting CIN2+ lesions, and ME-NBI was more patient-acceptable.

Objectives: Maxillary sinus fungal balls (MSFBs) mostly occur in older individuals and demonstrate female predominance. Early diagnosis is important to avoid treatment delays. This study aimed to elucidate the differences in clinical and imaging presentation of MSFB with and without intralesional hyperdensity (IH). Design and setting: This was a retrospective review in a tertiary medical center. We retrospectively identified 588 patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery procedures for MSFB between 2005 and 2018. The clinical characteristics and computed tomography (CT) findings including the presence of complete or partial opacification, IH, and odontogenic pathology were reviewed. Participants: 588 MSFB patients Results: Patients with unilateral MSFB had a mean age of 57.4 years and demonstrated female predominance (64.63%). The overall female-to-male ratio was highest at 51-60 years (2.02) and rose to 2.60 in MSFB with IH only. Compared to those with IH, MSFB without IH was significantly more common in males (OR = 2.496; P < .0001), in those with diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 2.094; P = .010) and adjacent maxillary odontogenic pathology (OR = 1.697; P = .030). Complete opacification on CT was less common in MSFB without IH (OR = 0.617; P = .025). Conclusion: The highest female-to-male ratio for MSFB at 51-60 years corresponded to the age of menopause. Patients with MSFB without IH were more likely to have DM, no female predominance, adjacent maxillary odontogenic pathology, and partial opacification of the sinus, compared to those with IH. These clinical features may aid earlier identification of MSFB without IH.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene variants. Previously, 94.21% of variants were identified using Sanger sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. To investigate the remaining variants, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed in four patients with PKU with unknown genotype to identify deep intronic or structural variants. Three novel heterozygous variants (c.706+368T>C; c.1065+241C>A; and c.1199+502A>T) were identified in a deep PAH gene intron. The c.1199+502A>T variant was detected in 60% (6/10) PKU patients. In silico prediction showed that the three deep variants may impact splice site selection and result in inclusion of a pseudo-exon. The c.1199+502A>T PAH minigene and reverse transcription PCR of blood RNA in a patient with PKU and compound heterozygous variants (c.1199+502A>T/ c.1199G>A) confirmed that the c.1199+502A>T variant creates a novel branch point and leads to the inclusion of a 25 bp in PAH mRNA (r.1199_2000ins1199+538_1199+562). Furthermore, the c.1199G>A mutation leads to the retention of an additional 17 nt in the PAH mRNA transcript (r.1199_2000ins1199+1_1199+17). These results expand the PAH genotypic spectrum and highlight that deep intronic analysis of PAH can improve genetic diagnosis in undiagnostic patients.

Background Claims of influenza vaccination increasing COVID-19 risk are circulating. Within the I-MOVE-COVID-19 primary care multicentre study, we measured the association between 2019–20 influenza vaccination and COVID-19. Methods We conducted a multicentre test-negative case-control study at primary care level, in study sites in five European countries, from March–August 2020. Patients presenting with acute respiratory infection were swabbed, with demographic, 2019–20 influenza vaccination and clinical information documented. Using logistic regression we measured the adjusted odds ratio (aOR), adjusting for study site and age, sex, calendar time, presence of chronic conditions. The main analysis included patients swabbed ≤7 days after onset from the three countries with <15% of missing influenza vaccination. In secondary analyses, we included five countries, using multiple imputation with chained equations to account for missing data. Results We included 257 COVID-19 cases and 1631 controls in the main analysis (three countries). The overall aOR between influenza vaccination and COVID-19 was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.66–1.32). The aOR was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.58–1.46) and 0.92 (95%CI: 0.51–1.67) among those aged 20–59 and ≥60 years, respectively. In secondary analyses, we included 6457 cases and 69272 controls. The imputed aOR was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79–0.95) among all ages and any delay between swab and symptom onset. Conclusions There was no evidence that COVID-19 cases were more likely to be vaccinated against influenza than controls. Influenza vaccination should be encouraged among target groups for vaccination. I-MOVE-COVID-19 will continue documenting influenza vaccination status in 2020-21, in order to learn about effects of recent influenza vaccination.

By studying invasive species, evolutionary geneticists have been able to simultaneously inform management strategies and quantify rapid evolution in the wild. The role of genomics in invasion science is increasingly recognised, and the growing availability of reference genomes for invasive species is paving the way for whole-genome resequencing studies in a wide range of systems. Here, we survey the literature to assess the application of whole-genome resequencing data in invasion biology. For some applications, such as the reconstruction of invasion routes in time and space, sequencing the whole genome of many individuals simply increases the accuracy of existing methods. In other cases, population genomic approaches such as haplotype analysis can permit entirely new questions to be addressed and new technologies to be applied. To date whole-genome resequencing has only been applied to a handful of invasive systems, but these studies have highlighted important roles for processes such as balancing selection and hybridization that allow invasive species to reuse existing adaptations and rapidly overcome the challenges of a foreign ecosystem. The use of genomic data does not constitute a paradigm shift per se, but by leveraging new theory, tools, and technologies, population genomics can provide unprecedented insight into basic and applied aspects of invasion science.

Recent development of ecological studies has been fueled by the introduction of massive information based on chromosome-scale genome sequences, even for species whose genetic linkage was previously not accessible. This was enabled mainly by the application of Hi-C, a method for genome-wide chromosome conformation capture which was originally developed for investigating long-range interaction of chromatins. Performing genomic scaffolding using Hi-C data is highly resource-demanding in elaborate laboratory steps for sequencing sample preparation, building primary genome sequence assembly as an input, and computation for genome scaffolding using Hi-C data, followed by careful validation. This article summarizes existing solutions for these steps and provides a test case of its application to a reptile species, the Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura picta). Among frequently exerted metrics for evaluating scaffolding results, we investigate the validity of completeness assessment using single-copy reference orthologs and report problems with the widely used program pipeline BUSCO.

\cite{2010}La legislazione europea e il suo recepimento nella normativa nazionale incoraggiano lo sviluppo e l'uso di sistemi modellistici di qualità dell'aria che sono considerati di primaria importanza nelle valutazioni preliminari di qualità e utili per completare il contenuto informativo delle misure dirette. Il funzionamento dei modelli di dispersione consiste nel simulare gli effetti di una o più sorgenti di emissione in termini di concentrazione degli inquinanti emessi in corrispondenza di fissati recettori.

The role of isolation of left posterior wall in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation on top of pulmonary vein isolation is still debatable. There are still technical issues for achieving complete left posterior wall isolation and durability of the lesions is probably the main limiting factor for promoting a successful clinical outcome

Non-A non-B aortic dissections are an infrequent occurrence and represent a small proportion of aortic dissections. Treating this life-threatening medical emergency often requires surgeons to undertake some one of the most challenging surgical or endovascular cases in medicine. This literature review aims to define and classify non-A non-B dissections, describe their epidemiology as well as their pathology. This review also aims to discuss the range of surgical techniques employed in their treatment and management and to investigate the patient outcomes associated with each technique.

Background: Caveolin is a cholesterol-dependent essential component located in caveolae. Several studies have been shown CAV-1 SNP related to cardio-metabolic parameters in animal models, however there is few studies in humans. Importantly, there is no study has investigated the interaction between CAV-1 rs3807992 gene and dietary pattern on CVDs risk factors in Iranian population. Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted on 404 overweight and obese females with mean age of 36 years. Dietary intake obtained from FFQ with 147 items. The CAV-1 genotype was measured by the PCR-RFLP method. The anthropometric measurements, serum lipid profile and inflammatory markers were measured. Results: There was a significant interaction between CAV-1 rs3807992 and healthy dietary pattern on HDL (P interaction=0.03), TC/HDL (P interaction=0.03) and hs-CRP (P interaction=0.04); in A-allele carriers, higher adherence to the healthy dietary pattern was related to higher level of HDL and lower TC/HDL and hs-CRP. As well as, the significant interactions were observed between CAV-1 rs3807992 and unhealthy dietary pattern in relation to TG (P interaction = 0.001), AST (P interaction = 0.01) and MCP-1(P interaction = 0.01); A-allele carriers were more adherence to the unhealthy dietary pattern to lower levels of TG, AST and MCP-1. Conclusions: Our study showed that CAV-1 rs3807992 SNP interacts with adherence to unhealthy or healthy dietary patterns to influence several cardio-metabolic risk factors in obese and overweight females. Further large prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings

Background: Arterial stiffness (AS) indicates the initial stage of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which associated with modifiable and lifestyle risk factors. We aimed to examine the association of AS with anthropometric indices, lipid profiles, and physical activity. Methods: 658 healthy middle-aged adults selected and anthropometric indices (body mass index (BMI), waist circumferences (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), neck circumferences (NC), a body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), body-fat mass (BFM), visceral-fat, fat-free mass(FFM), lipid profiles, and PA were measured. Arterial Stiffness measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and central augmentation index (cAIx). Results: Our results show, cf-PWV positively associated with TGs (β = 0.10, p = 0.01) and in anthropometric indices corelated with, WC (β = 0.11, p = 0.02), WHR (β = 0.09, p = 0.03), WHtR (β = 0.1, p = 0.02), and BRI (β = 0.09, p = 0.04). cAIx was independently positive association with cholesterol (β = 0.08, p = 0.03), WC (β = 0.1, p = 0.03), WHR (β = 0.09, p = 0.02), ABSI (β = 0.09, p = 0.01), BRI (β = 0.08, p = 0.05), visceral-fat area (β = 0.09, p = 0.03) and BFM (β = 0.08, p = 0.04) and negatively associated with PA (β = -0.08, p = 0.03). Conclusions: WC, WHR, and BRI were associated with both cf-PWV and cAIx. TGs and WHtR associated with cf-PWV, while cAIx was associated with ABSI, so improving these indices may be helpful to prevent CVD.

Our analysis as described in this research letter highlights the fact that age outweighs many other factors in people with T2DM in relation to mortality from SARS-CoV-2 virus, once infected. This fact should be taken into account in relation to the vaccination programme against coronavirus-19 in people with T2DM in the UK and elsewhere.

Background: Diabetes mellitus with coexisting hypertension contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the patients’ physical activity status and the type of cooking oil consumed by patients in their daily routine on glycemic profile, lipid profile, the hypertensive profile of the patients, and the length of stay, and overall cost of the treatment. Methods: A prospective observational study. All the patients referred to the medicine department of the three different hospitals located in Moga, City Punjab and those hospitalized due to diabetes mellitus (type-I and type-II) with coexisting hypertension were asked to participate in the study. Results: The patients’ mean age was found to be M= 53.85, SD= 11.54 years. Out of 1914 patients, 914 were male (47.8%); it was observed that the majority of the patients 525 (27.43%) in North India using butter or ghee- clarified butter as edible oil, followed by mustard oil 517 (27.01%) patients. About 345 (18.03%) of the patients consume soybean oil, whereas 226 (11.81%) of the patients like sunflower oil. Discussion: This study explored that cooking oil and physical activity are associated with length of stay in days & overall cost of the treatment, respectively. Our study results revealed that the type of oil compared with the treatment’s overall cost was significant for olive oil, soybean oil, and groundnut oil. Conclusion: The study revealed that moderate and low physical activity increases the length of stay compared to high physical activity. The consumption of olive oil as a regular food habit in daily routine decreases patients’ length of stay with diabetes with coexisting hypertension when doing the high physical activity but increases the overall cost of treatment.

The influence of maximum principal stress level on true-triaxial unloading behaviors and the failure mechanism of sandstone samples were comprehensively investigated by laboratory tests and discrete element simulations. The results show that the level of σ1 at unloading point significantly affects the deformation and failure characteristics of sandstone samples under true-triaxial unloading conditions. As the level of σ1 at unloading point increases, the ultimate bearing capacity of sandstone sample is increasingly strengthened, while the sample collapses more easily during the unloading process, and the failure mode of sandstone sample changes from mixed tensile-shear failure to shear failure. With the increase in the level of σ1 at unloading point, the accumulative micro-cracks at the unloading point and micro-crack generation rate during the unloading phase exhibit an increasing trend, while the sum of micro-cracks at the unloading phase and the ratio between the amount of tensile micro-cracks and shear micro-cracks roughly show a downward trend. The formation of macro fracture in sandstone sample is closely related to the stress conditions and material inhomogeneity. The tensile fracture in the upper right part of sample when the level of σ1 is relatively low should be attributed to the superiority in tensile contacts between particles in terms of contact number and corresponding tensile force.

Objective: Frailty among the elderly refers to those with limited daily activity secondary to their physical, mental, psychological and/or social limits, in addition to comorbid diseases. The use of drugs with anticholinergic burden (ACB) may lead to both unexpected adverse effects and an increased risk of frailty. In this study, we evaluated the effect of anticholinergic burden on frail patients admitted to the geriatric outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods: Included in this prospective study were 125 frail patients aged 65 and above who presented to geriatric outpatient clinics between March and November 2016. The Fried Criteria were applied for the diagnosis of frailty in patients, with five clinical properties were assessed individually in each patient. The Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale was used to calculate the anticholinergic burden score for each patient. Results: A total of 125 elderly frail patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 76.746.67 years. The patients were composed of 77 (61.6%) women and 48 (38.4%) men. The effect of ACB was evaluated in the frail patients. In the frail patient group, 71 patients (56.8%) used no drugs with ACB, while 54 patients (43.2%) had a history of using drugs with ACB. Patients in the two frail group were evaluated based on the presence of anticholinergic burden. The mean walking speed was found to be significantly different in the two groups (p<0.001). The weight of the patients in ACB present and none groups were compared with a t-test, and the difference between them was found to be significant (p<0.05), and weight loss was found to be greater in patients with ACB present group. Conclusion: Use of drugs with an anticholinergic burden may be a risk factor for frailty by decreasing walking speed.