Resumo Nanopartículas (NPs) são partículas insolúveis com diâmetro inferior a 100 nanômetros. Dois métodos principais têm sido utilizados na terapia ortodôntica para evitar a aderência microbiana ou a desmineralização do esmalte: NPs são incluídas em adesivos ortodônticos ou resinas acrílicas (fluoro-hidroxiapatita, fluorapatita, hidroxiapatita, SiO2, TiO2, prata, nanopreenchimentos) e NPs são revestidas nas superfícies de equipamentos ortodônticos, ou seja, uma camada fina de TiO2 dopado com nitrogênio nas superfícies do braquete. Embora o uso de NPs em ortodontia possa tornar acessível modernos recursos, pesquisas anteriores analisaram as características antibacterianas ou físicas por um período limitado de tempo, variando de 24 horas a várias semanas, por isso devem ser compreendidos os limites dos estudos in vitro. A eficácia de longo prazo de materiais ortodônticos com base em nanotecnologia ainda não foi confirmada de forma conclusiva, o que exige mais estudos, bem como potenciais preocupações de segurança (efeitos tóxicos) associadas ao tamanho da NP.

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) are insoluble particles with a diameter of fewer than 100 nanometers. Two main methods have been utilized in orthodontic therapy to avoid microbial adherence or enamel demineralization. Certain NPs are included in orthodontic adhesives or acrylic resins (fluorohydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, hydroxyapatite, SiO2, TiO2, silver, nanofillers), and NPs (i.e., a thin layer of nitrogen-doped TiO2 on the bracket surfaces) are coated on the surfaces of orthodontic equipment. Although using NPs in orthodontics may open up modern facilities, prior research looked at antibacterial or physical characteristics for a limited period of time, ranging from one day to several weeks, and the limits of in vitro studies must be understood. The long-term effectiveness of nanotechnology-based orthodontic materials has not yet been conclusively confirmed and needs further study, as well as potential safety concerns (toxic effects) associated with NP size.

Abstract Background Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is recognized as a significant complication arising from diabetes mellitus (DM). Pathogenesis of DN is accelerated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which inhibits autophagy and contributes to disease progression. Autophagy is a highly conserved mechanism crucial in mitigating cell death induced by ER stress. Chrysin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, can be found abundantly in honey, propolis, and various plant extracts. Despite possessing advantageous attributes such as being an antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and anticancer agent, chrysin exhibits limited bioavailability. The current study aimed to produce a more bioavailable form of chrysin and discover how administering chrysin could alter the neuropathy induced by Alloxan in male rats. Methods Chrysin was formulated using PEGylated liposomes to boost its bioavailability and formulation. Chrysin PEGylated liposomes (Chr-PLs) were characterized for particle size diameter, zeta potential, polydispersity index, transmission electron microscopy, and in vitro drug release. Rats were divided into four groups: control, Alloxan, metformin, and Chr-PLs. In order to determine Chr- PLs’ antidiabetic activity and, by extension, its capacity to ameliorate DN, several experiments were carried out. These included measuring acetylcholinesterase, fasting blood glucose, insulin, genes dependent on autophagy or stress in the endoplasmic reticulum, and histopathological analysis. Results According to the results, the prepared Chr-PLs exhibited an average particle size of approximately 134 nm. They displayed even distribution of particle sizes. The maximum entrapment efficiency of 90.48 ± 7.75% was achieved. Chr-PLs effectively decreased blood glucose levels by 67.7% and elevated serum acetylcholinesterase levels by 40% compared to diabetic rats. Additionally, Chr-PLs suppressed the expression of ER stress-related genes (ATF-6, CHOP, XBP-1, BiP, JNK, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR by 33%, 39.5%, 32.2%, 44.4%, 40.4%, 39.2%, 39%, and 35.9%, respectively). They also upregulated the miR-301a-5p expression levels by 513% and downregulated miR-301a-5p expression levels by 65%. They also boosted the expression of autophagic markers (AMPK, ULK1, Beclin 1, and LC3-II by 90.3%, 181%, 109%, and 78%, respectively) in the sciatic nerve. The histopathological analysis also showed that Chr-PLs inhibited sciatic nerve degeneration. Conclusion The findings suggest that Chr-PLs may be helpful in the protection against DN via regulation of ER stress and autophagy.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Posterior urethral valves (PUVs) are the most common cause of congenital bladder obstruction in boys. Our aim was to assess the impact of early diagnosis and fulguration of PUVs on bladder function and compare their functional and urodynamic outcome with children who underwent delayed intervention. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 153 patients who underwent primary valve ablation from two tertiary hospitals between 2001 and 2018. Patients have been divided into 2 groups, group 1 included 69 patients who were detected antenatally and underwent early fulguration of PUVs while group 2 included 84 children presented postnatally and underwent delayed valve ablation. The recorded data throughout follow-up in renal function tests, urodynamics and changes in the upper urinary tracts were evaluated and compared. Results: Median age at time of valve ablation was 10 days in group 1 and 7 months in group 2. The median follow-up period was 6.5 and 7 years in group 1 and 2, respectively. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) developed in 15 (22%) boys in group 1 while in group 2 it was observed in 31 (37%), p=0.04. While Q-max, mean bladder capacity and post-void residual (PVR) volumes were comparable in both groups, percent PVR was significantly higher in group 2 (3.27 vs. 1.44, p=0.002). Detrusor overactivity was slightly different in both groups (p = 0.07). Conclusions: Compared to delayed intervention, primary ablation of PUVs during the early neonatal life possibly provides the optimum chance to have optimum renal function without impact on bladder function.

Resumo O Brasil é um dos principais produtores de óleo de palma, porém as lagartas desfolhadoras Opsiphanes invirae Hübner e Brassolis sophorae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) podem comprometer a produtividade dessa cultura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desenvolvimento e aspectos reprodutivos do parasitoide Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian & Margabandhu (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) em pupas desses desfolhadores da palma de óleo. Dez pupas de O. invirae ou de B. sophorae com até dois dias de idade, foram expostas, cada uma, ao parasitismo por 30 fêmeas de T. diatraeae , por 48 horas. O parasitismo e a emergência da progênie de T. diatraeae foram semelhantes em pupas de ambas as espécies de lepidópteros desfolhadores da palma de óleo. O ciclo de vida desse parasitoide foi mais curto em pupas de O. invirae (21,50 ± 0,42 dias) que com as de B. sophorae (27,60 ± 1,80 dias). O número de progênie (669,00 ± 89,62) e de imaturos mortos (217,13 ± 58,18) de T. diatraeae foram maiores em pupas de B. sophorae que naquelas de O. invirae com 447,83 ± 51,52 e 13,50 ± 5,23, respectivamente. A razão sexual e a longevidade de fêmeas e machos de T. diatraeae emergidos desses hospedeiros foram semelhantes. As características reprodutivas, especialmente, o número de indivíduos (progênie) de T. diatraeae foram melhores com pupas de B. sophorae que com as de O. invirae .

Abstract Brazil is a leading palm oil producer, but the defoliating caterpillars Opsiphanes invirae Hübner Brassolis sophorae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) can reduce the productivity of this crop. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development and reproduction of the parasitoid Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian & Margabandhu (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in pupae of these oil palm defoliators. Ten O. invirae or B. sophorae pupae with up to two days old were exposed each to 30 T. diatraeae females for 48 hours. Parasitism and emergence of the progeny of T. diatraeae were similar in pupae of both Lepidoptera defoliators. The life cycle of this parasitoid was shorter in O. invirae (21.50 ± 0.42 days) pupae than with those of B. sophorae (27.60 ± 1.80 days). The number of the progeny (669.00 ± 89.62) and dead immature (217.13 ± 58.18) of T. diatraeae were higher in B. sophorae pupae than in those of O. invirae with 447.83 ± 51.52 and 13.50 ± 5.23, respectively. The sex ratio and female and male longevity of T. diatraeae emerged from these hosts were similar. The reproductive traits, especially the number of individuals (offspring) of T. diatraeae were better with B. sophorae pupae than with those of O. invirae.

Abstract Shell model calculations based on large basis has been conducted to study the nuclear structure of 20 Ne, 22 Ne and 24 Mg nuclei. The energy levels, inelastic electron scattering form factors and transition probabilities are discussed by considering the contribution of configurations with high-energy beyond the model space of sd-shell model space which is denoted as the core polarization effects. The Core polarization is considered by taking the excitations of nucleus from the 1 s and 1 p core orbits and also from the valence 2 s 1 d shell orbits into higher shells with 4 ℏ ω . The effective interactions U S D A and U S D B are employed with s d shell model space to perform the calculation and the core polarization are calculated with M S D I as residual interaction. The calculated energy level schemes, form factors and transition probabilities were compared with the corresponding experimental data. The effect of core polarization is found very important for the calculation of B ( C 2 ) , B ( C 4 ) and form factors, and gives excellent results in comparison with the experimental data without including any adjustable parameters.

ABSTRACT Chemical profile analyses of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L., Asteraceae) edible parts (fleshy receptacle, inner bracts) as well as roots are compared with the commercially usable leaf extract using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS via chlorogenicacid as a marker. Overall polyphenolic constituents demonstrated by means of LC/MS profiling. The nutritional values and inulin contents of different assessed parts were investigated. The present study was designed to determine the effect of artichoke: leaves, bracts, receptacles and roots alcoholic extracts against CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity and hyperlipidemia in rats by means of histopathological and biochemical parameters. Serum liver enzymes levels of aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase and lipid peroxidase content (malondialdehyde MDA) were estimated. Blood glutathione, total cholesterol, triacylglycerides and high density lipid level were estimated in plasma. The ethanol extract of roots, leaves, bracts and receptacles were standardized to (0.82 ± 0.02, 1.6 ± 0.06, 2.02 ± 0.16 and 2.4 ± 0.27 mg chlorogenic acid/100 mg extract), respectively. The receptacle showed the highest content of polyphenols and exhibits the highest antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis of inulin in the receptacles of globe artichoke revealed high content of inulin (41.47 mg/g) dry extract. All artichoke parts contain comparable vitamins and minerals. Artichokes receptacles extract when taken in dose of (500 mg/kg/day) reduce the lesion caused by CCl4 alone more than groups receiving silymarin. Bracts and leaves extract exert nearly the same effect.

The 2(-4(chloro phenyl-1H- benzo[d]imidazol)-1-yl)phenyl)methanone (CBIPM) was synthesized and tested as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl solution using electrochemical and spectroscopy measurements. Results obtained showed that this compound has a good inhibition properties for mild steel corrosion in acidic medium which its inhibition efficiency value reaches 98.9 % at 10-3 M. So, the potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that the CBIPM has a mixed type inhibitor. In addition, it is shown that the obtained results were confirmed by the UV-vis spectroscopic measurements. It is found that the inhibitor forms a complex with Fe2+ ion. On the other hand, the experimental results were completed by quantum chemical calculations using DFT method at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. It is found that the theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement.

Abstract This paper uses an artificial neural network (ANN) and resilient back-propagation (Rprop) training algorithm to determine the optical constants of As30Se 70−x Sn x (0 ≤ x ≤ 3) thin films. The simulated values of the ANN are in good agreement with the experimental data. The ANN models performance was also examined to predict the simulated values for As30Se67Sn3 which was not included in the training and was found to be in accordance with the experimental data. The high precision of the ANN models as well as a great guessing performance have been exhibited. Moreover, the energy gap E g of As30Se 70−x Sn x (0 ≤ x ≤ 9) thin films were calculated theoretically.

The present work reports the occurrence and monitoring of 11 pharmaceuticals (i.e., caffeine, prazosin, enalapril, carbamazepine, nifedipine, gliclazide, levonorgestrel, simvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, diclofenac-Na and mefenamic acid) in surface water and in the influent and effluent of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and hospitals (HSPs). A total of 105 water samples were analyzed using solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-TOF/MS). The mean concentrations of the detected pharmaceuticals in STP influent and effluent ranged from < limit of quantification (LOQ) to 3909 ng L−1 and 12 to 577 ng L−1, respectively. The mean concentrations of the detected pharmaceuticals in the hospital influent and effluent ranged from 28 to 1644 ng L−1 and 20 to 1540 ng L−1, respectively. The highest concentration detected in the sampling points was 9099 ng L−1 for caffeine in influent STP. The presence of prazosin has never been reported before in literature. In this study, prazosin was detected in all studied samples, and the highest concentration was 525 ng L−1 in influent STP. Chemometric analysis was used to assess the presence of pharmaceuticals in samples.

This study compares smear, growth in Lowenstein-Jensen medium, and in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A total of 72 specimens from 72 patients with clinical symptoms of tuberculosis, including 70 sputum and two bronchial aspirate samples, were tested in parallel by smear, culture, and in-house PCR techniques. From these, 48 (66.6%) were negative by the 3 methods, 2 (2.8%) were smear positive and negative by culture and in-house PCR, 11 (15.3%) were both smear and culture negative, and in-house PCR positive, 7 (9.7%) were positive by the 3 methods, 2 (2.8%) were positive by smear and culture, and negative by PCR, 2 (2.8%) were positive by culture and PCR, but smear negative. After the resolution of discrepancies in PCR results, the sensitivity and specificity for in-house PCR technique to M. tuberculosis relative to the culture, were 81.8% and 81.9%, respectively. These results confirm that this method, in-house PCR, may be a sensitive and specific technique for M. tuberculosis detection, occurring in both positive and negative smear and negative cultures.

The objective of this population-based study was to estimate the liver morbidity attributable to Schistosoma mansoni infection by ultrasonography adopting the proposed standard protocols of the Cairo Meeting on Ultrasonography, 1991. We examined 2384 individuals representing 20 of the households of the rural population of the Ismailia Governorate, East of Delta, Egypt. Prevalence of S. mansoni and S. haematobium infections were 40.3 and 1.7 respectively. Portal tract thickening (PTT) grade 1, 2 and 3 considered diagnostic of schistosomal liver morbidity was detected in 35.1, 1.3 and 0.2 individuals respectively. Generally, ultrasonographically-detected pathological changes increased with age, but correlated with intensity of infection only in age group 20-59 years. Comparing individuals with and without S. mansoni infections in an endemic and a non-endemic community indicated no significant difference between the former and the latter in either case. In conclusion: ultrasonography had a limited value in estimating schistosomal liver morbidity in our population-based study where early grades of liver morbidly were prevalent. The criteria of diagnosing grade I portal fibrosis need to be revised as well as the staging system proposed by the Cairo Meeting on ultrasonography in schistosomiasis.