Development of nanofibrous scaffolds containing polylactic acid modified with turmeric and hydroxyapatite/vivianite nanoparticles for wound dressing applications

Damaging the outer layer of the body (the skin) has been a common issue for decades. Fabrication of nanofibrous membranes via the electrospinning technique for the sake of making the wound healing process more facile has caught a lot of interest. For this purpose, a polymeric scaffold of polylactic acid (PLA) was doped with nanoparticles with different concentrations of turmeric/hydroxyapatite/vivianite/graphene oxide. The obtained membrane was tested by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and XPS. The surface topography of the scaffold has experienced changes upon adding different concentrations of the nanoparticles. The contact angle was measured by water droplets. It accentuated change in CA starting from 43.9o for pure condition of PLA to 67.7o for PLA/turmeric/vivianite. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) test stated that the PLA scaffold features are thermally stable in relatively high-temperature conditions initiating from room temperature to about 300 °C, meeting the maximum loss in mass of about 5 %. The cell viability was carried out in prepared vitro for the sample which contains PLA/turmeric/vivianite/GO, it was elucidated that the IC50 was around 3060 μg/ml.

Experimental capabilities for liquid jet samples at sub-MHz rates at the FXE Instrument at European XFEL

The Femtosecond X-ray Experiments (FXE) instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL) provides an optimized platform for investigations of ultrafast physical, chemical and biological processes. It operates in the energy range 4.7-20 keV accommodating flexible and versatile environments for a wide range of samples using diverse ultrafast X-ray spectroscopic, scattering and diffraction techniques. FXE is particularly suitable for experiments taking advantage of the sub-MHz repetition rates provided by the EuXFEL. In this paper a dedicated setup for studies on ultrafast biological and chemical dynamics in solution phase at sub-MHz rates at FXE is presented. Particular emphasis on the different liquid jet sample delivery options and their performance is given. Our portfolio of high-speed jets compatible with sub-MHz experiments includes cylindrical jets, gas dynamic virtual nozzles and flat jets. The capability to perform multi-color X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) experiments is illustrated by a set of measurements using the dispersive X-ray spectrometer in von Hamos geometry. Static XES data collected using a multi-crystal scanning Johann-type spectrometer are also presented. A few examples of experimental results on ultrafast time-resolved X-ray emission spectroscopy and wide-angle X-ray scattering at sub-MHz pulse repetition rates are given.

1321 Repeat Colonoscopy: Incidence, Etiology, And Suggestions for Improvement

Aim

Colonoscopy is an invasive procedure. Repeating such a procedure has many implications in terms of risks, costs, increased workload and strains on hospital resources. The current study reports the incidence and aetiology of repeat colonoscopies and provides recommendations for improvement.

Method

The current study was conducted at North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) hospitals over a period of 1 year (January 1st to December 31st, 2019). All patients with a label of “Repeat” by JAG software system, were included in the primary analysis. Patients with colonoscopy after 52 weeks of the index procedure, were excluded. Two authors manually assessed the validity of the data and determined “True repeat rate” and aetiology.

Results

During the study period, 4717 colonoscopies were performed, where 187 were recorded as a repeat. Manual validation showed that true repeat cases were 355/4717 (7.52%). Moreover, 5% of the system labelled cases where not true repeats rather were escalated from sigmoidoscopy to colonoscopy. Analysis of the first 1000 colonoscopies detected 72 cases. Male to female ratio was 47:25 with a mean age of 66.26 ± 11.75(SD). The causes included further management of polyps (n = 30); poor bowel preparation(n = 22); inability to proceed (n = 9); anticoagulation (n = 8) and others (n = 3). Subgroup analyses of the polyp group showed that the reasons for repeating colonoscopy in such cases were appropriate.

Conclusions

An operational definition of the ‘Repeat coloscopy’ should be clearly established. Although most of the repeat colonoscopies for “further management of polyps” are appropriate, repeat due to poor bowel preparation and anticoagulation are clearly preventable.

The multilevel antibiotic-induced perturbations to biological systems: Early-life exposure induces long-lasting damages to muscle structure and mitochondrial metabolism in flies

Antibiotics have been increasingly used over the past decades for human medicine, food-animal agriculture, aquaculture, and plant production. A significant part of the active molecules of antibiotics can be released into the environment, in turn affecting ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical processes. At lower organizational scales, these substances affect bacterial symbionts of insects, with negative consequences on growth and development of juveniles, and population dynamics. Yet, the multiple alterations of cellular physiology and metabolic processes have remained insufficiently explored in insects. We evaluated the effects of five antibiotics with different mode of action, i.e. ampicillin, cefradine, chloramphenicol, cycloheximide, and tetracycline, on the survival and ultrastructural organization of the flight muscles of newly emerged blow flies Chrysomya albiceps. Then, we examined the effects of different concentrations of antibiotics on mitochondrial protein content, efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation, and activity of transaminases (Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase) and described the cellular metabolic perturbations of flies treated with antibiotics. All antibiotics affected the survival of the insects and decreased the total mitochondrial protein content in a dose-dependent manner. Ultrastructural organization of flight muscles in treated flies differs dramatically compared to the control groups and severe pathological damages/structures disorganization of mitochondria appeared. The activities of mitochondrial transaminases significantly increased with increased antibiotic concentrations. The oxidation rate of pyruvate + proline from isolated mitochondria of the flight muscles of 1-day-old flies was significantly reduced at high doses of antibiotics. In parallel, the level of several metabolites, including TCA cycle intermediates, was reduced in antibiotics-treated flies. Overall, antibiotics provoked a system-wide alteration of the structure and physiology of flight muscles of the blow fly Ch. albiceps, and may have fitness consequences at the organism level. Environmental antibiotic pollution is likely to have unwanted cascading ecological effects of insect population dynamics and community structure.

Design and implementation of a hospital information system for the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon

A case-mix hospital information system was designed and implemented in Palestine Red Crescent Society hospitals in order to support the network of Palestinian hospitals in Lebanon and to improve the health of refugees in the country. The system is based on routine collection of essential administrative and clinical data for each episode of hospitalization, relying on internationally accepted diagnostic codes. It is a computerized, user-friendly information system that is a stepping-stone towards better hospital management and evaluation of quality of care. It is also a useful model for the development of hospital information systems in Lebanon and in the Near East.

ADAMTS-13 levels in fresh, stored, and solvent detergent treated plasma

BACKGROUND

ADAMTS-13 is implicated in the pathophysiology of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Plasma exchange is thought to be effective through removal of a harmful substance or provision of a required material such as ADAMTS-13. As various methods are used to prepare plasma we determined the effects of storage and solvent detergent treatment on the ADAMTS-13 levels in plasma.

METHODS

Samples from fresh plasma and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) were stored at 22 degrees C and ADAMTS-13 levels were measured at 0, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. Samples were also taken from solvent detergent treated plasma (SDP) and cryosupernatant plasma (CSP). Total protein, albumin, fibrinogen and immunoglobulins were also measured.

RESULTS

In fresh plasma, the levels of both the 175 and 140 Kd subunits of von Willebrand factor were consistent at 1.38 and 1.35 OD units from 0 to 48 h indicating normal ADAMTS-13 activity. The Vitex SDP produced slightly more of the 140 Kd subunit than did Octapharma SDP which gave equivalent fragments. Cryosupernatant plasma was the same as normal plasma. None of these values changed over 48 h. There was a 28% decrease in FVIII in fresh plasma over 24 h. Fibrinogen and albumin were unchanged.

CONCLUSION

ADAMTS-13 levels are not significantly decreased by storage of plasma at room temperature for up to 48 h. Both CSP and SDP also contained essentially normal levels of ADAMTS-13 and therefore could be used for treatment of patients with TTP.

Cryoprecipitate production: the use of additives to enhance the yield

Cryoprecipitate is still widely used to treat hemophilia A in developing countries. However, the yield of factor VIII is relatively low averaging, i.e. only 50%. We have attempted to enhance the yield by adding sodium citrate to the plasma following the method of Shanbrom and Owens (Blood 98, 2001, 60a). Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) units were processed either as control plasma or after the addition of 10% sodium citrate. Cryoprecipitate was produced from both. After resuspension, calcium chloride was added to the citrated cryoprecipitate to correct for excess citrate prior to testing. The levels of FVIII and fibrinogen were determined in both preparations. The citrated cryoprecipitates had varying yields of fibrinogen and FVIII in the cryoprecipitate. The FVIII levels varied from 34% to 215% recovery. Fibrinogen ranged from 55.5% to 121.4%. We found that the addition of increasing amounts of CaCl2 to normal plasma raised the FVIII values from 1.0 to 4 U/ml. To determine the possibility of assay influence we added different quantities of CaCl2 to control plasma and measured the FVIII and activated partial thromboplastin time levels. Addition of citrate to plasma resulted in an increased total amount of cryoprecipitate much of which was citrate. Assays showed considerable ranges in the quantity of FVIII and fibrinogen. Activation of FVIII can be caused by addition of excess calcium.

Atracurium and pancuronium in renal insufficiency

The duration and possible accumulation of atracurium and pancuronium were studied in 59 patients (29 anephric and 30 normal) anaesthetized with 0.5% halothane in O2/N2O and supplemented by fentanyl. Equipotent doses of atracurium (0.5 mg.kg-1) and pancuronium (0.1 mg.kg-1) were given for intubation. Atracurium had a lower potency in anephric patients. The duration (first twitch response (TI) return to 20% of control) for atracurium was 28 min in anephric and 36 in normal patients. The corresponding mean times for pancuronium were 171 and 123 min, but with a very wide variation range 20-380 min and 45-360 min, respectively). The duration of up to 8 incremental doses of atracurium (0.1 mg kg-1) was 27-29 min in normal patients and of up to 13 increments was 25-34 min in anephric patients. Pancuronium (0.015 mg kg-1) was given in a maximum of 4 increments. In normal patients the mean durations were 40-56 min, and in anephric patients 65-100 min. The duration of pancuronium, but not of atracurium, was prolonged with repeated injections (up to 2.7 times) in anephric patients. After pancuronium the spontaneous recovery was significantly slower in anephric patients, while the induced recovery was rapid and reliable in all groups. We conclude that atracurium is a safe and reliable muscle relaxant in normal and anephric patients, while pancuronium in both groups has a disturbing variation in duration and, in addition, signs of significant accumulation in anephric patients. The use of a nerve stimulator is mandatory.