ALBERT

Description: The regulatory role between ischemia related factors and antimicrobial peptides in congenital intra-abdominal adhesions has not yet been defined. The aim of this research was to investigate the appearance and relative distribution of VEGF, HBD-2, and HGF in congenital intra-abdominal adhesions compared with relatively healthy tissue controls. The study group material was obtained from 48 patients who underwent abdominal surgery due to partial or complete bowel obstruction. VEGF, HBD-2, and HGF were detected using immunohistochemistry methods and their relative distribution was evaluated by means of the semiquantitative counting method. The results were analyzed using nonparametric statistic methods. A moderate number of VEGF positive endotheliocytes were detected, but there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. In the experimental group, a moderate to high number of VEGF positive macrophages was observed. In control group tissues, such macrophages were seen in significantly lower number (U = 61.0, p = 0.001). The increase of VEGF positive cells indicates support of angiogenesis due to the hypoxic conditions in case of adhesion disease. The number of HBD-2 marked fibroblasts and macrophages was moderate to high, but only few positive endotheliocytes were observed. Persisting appearance of HBD-2 positive structures might be a result of the inflammatory process. Most specimens showed occasional HGF positive macrophages and fibroblasts and there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. The relatively weak appearance of HGF suggests that the lack of this factor promotes the formation of fibrotic changes in case of intra-abdominal adhesions.

Description: Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes in the genus Anopheles and is a major public health issue. Different species of Anopheles mosquitoes have different epidemiological characteristics, behaviors, and ecological requirements, and so an understanding of their biology and ecology in a particular area is critical for successful disease control. The aim of this study was to determine which environmental factors are associated with Anopheles larvae in a malaria-endemic area in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, which shares a border with Myanmar. In October 2016, we collected mosquito larvae and measured six environmental factors at 10 study sites located along Lam Pachi River, which flows through Huay Nam Nak village in Ratchaburi Province. We found two species of Anopheles larvae (An. subpictus sensu lato (s.l.) Grassi and An. barbirostris s.l. van der Wulp) at 7 of the 10 study sites, the numbers of which significantly differed between sites (p 〈 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the numbers of larvae of both species were significantly positively correlated with the dissolved oxygen level (p 〈 0.01) and significantly negatively correlated with the width of the river (p 〈 0.05) and pH (p 〈 0.01). By contrast, turbidity, water depth, and water temperature were not associated with larval abundance. Mosquito species which belong to genus Anopheles are considered to be of public health and medical importance. Therefore, Anopheles mosquito surveillance and control in the study sites are essential. This information will facilitate vector-borne disease control and improve our understanding of the biology of Anopheles vectors in rivers located along international borders, further reducing the number of patients in this malaria-endemic area.

Description: Infectious diseases are the critical problems of the world as a result of the emergence of different antimicrobial resistant microorganisms due to several reasons like misuses and repeating uses of antibiotics. Because of this, searching of new treatment method is important from natural substances to against those infectious diseases in both human and animals’ aspects. Among those plants, Sida rhombifolia has various roles against those infectious diseases through its different phytochemical components. The objectives of this study were assessing the antibacterial activity of the aqueous-methanol extract of the plant’s aerial part and knowing the phytochemical constituents of the plant. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that the extract of S. rhombifolia’s aerial part possesses flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, and quinines. In addition to this, the antibacterial activity of the plant extract was evaluated on five pathogenic bacteria species using agar well diffusion method at different concentrations of plant extracts. Minimum inhibition concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration determinations were done by tetrazolium chloride microtiter dilution assay. The inhibition zone of mean diameters ranging from 0.00 to 7.67mm against all test bacteria was significantly (p

Description: This study demonstrates the link between the modification of the solid-phase pharmaceutical substances mechanical structure and their activity in waters with different molar ratio «deuterium-protium». Mechanochemical transformation of the powders of lactose monohydrate and sodium chloride as models of nutrients and components of dosage forms was investigated by the complex of physicochemical and biological methods. The solubility and kinetic activity of substances dispersed in various ways showed a positive correlation with the solvent isotope profile. Substances dissolved in heavy water were more active than solutes in natural water. Differential IR spectroscopy confirmed the modification of substituents in the sample of lactose monohydrate, demonstrating physicochemical changes during mechanical intervention. The biological activity of the compounds was determined by the method of Spirotox. The activation energy was determined by Arrhenius. Compared with the native compound, dispersed lactose monohydrate showed lower activation energy and, therefore, greater efficiency. In conclusion, proposed data confirm the statement that mechanical changes in compounds can lead to physicochemical changes that affect chemical and biological profiles.

Description: Preeclampsia currently remains one of the leading causes of death and severe maternal morbidity. Although its prevalence is still underestimated in some places due to underreporting, preeclampsia is a disease that health professionals need to know how to deal with and take action. For this reason, the studies about the theme remain along with the advances in their understanding that often implies improvement and change of concepts and conducts. The complexity of its etiology is a challenge and requires further studies for its full understanding. Apparently, poor adaptation of the maternal organism to the conceptus, marked by the nonoccurrence of changes in the uterine spiral arteries, determines a series of systemic repercussions that compound the various forms of preeclampsia presentation. In recent years, the use of acetylsalicylic acid to prevent cases of early onset of the disease has been consolidated and, alongside, studies have advanced the development of accessible and effective methods of identifying women at risk of preeclampsia. The aim of this review is to discuss updates on the occurrence, concept, pathophysiology, repercussion, prevention, and prediction of preeclampsia.

Description: Assessment of river water quality is essential as it provides the knowledge required to make informed decisions. Therefore, water quality was determined at 15 tributary stations located along the Batang Baleh, Sarawak. Results of the study indicate that all tributaries were well-aerated (≈ 7.7 mg/L) with pH (≈ 7.3) and conductivity (≈ 37.3 μS/cm) values falling within acceptable ranges. However, there were tributaries that showed very high turbidity (〉 1000 NTU) and suspended solids (〉 800 mg/L) which were contributed by the soil erosion from logging activities in the watershed. Tributary stations associated with logging activities also showed significantly higher total phosphorus and organic nitrogen. Cluster analysis demonstrated that water quality at tributary stations along the Batang Baleh exhibited a longitudinal variation from upstream to downstream regions, particularly, dissolved oxygen, five-day biochemical oxygen demand, and nitrite-nitrate nitrogen, which were found higher in upstream region and steadily decreased towards the downstream region. Two stations located at Sg. Serani and Sg. Melatai were distinct from the other stations with the highest concentrations of turbidity, total suspended solids, organic nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce the pollutants in the tributaries of Batang Baleh for the health of the sensitive aquatic organisms.

Description: Concrete resistance to the destructive action of microorganisms is considered as a measure of its durability and is increasingly being raised as an important issue. We focused our study on the biodeterioration of concrete specimens widely used as a building material of urban houses by micromycetes isolated from the inner wall surface of the former military hospital in Kazan city, Tatarstan, Russia. Fungal community consists of 9 Penicillium isolates, 6 Aspergillus, 2 Trichoderma, and 1 isolate of Alternaria. First, we have identified two dominant isolates, Aspergillus fumigatus and Penicillium brevicompactum, and characterized their destructive properties according to the radial growth rate, antagonistic activity towards bacterial habitants of concrete, and production of organic acids. Then, we have demonstrated that five tested brands of high-strength concrete differ in bioreceptivity. The alterations in concrete resistances to compression and flexure after fungal attack were recorded at the trend level, mainly due to a short exposure time of concrete to fungal destructors in tests recommended by national Russian standard. Finally, using scanning electron microscopy we have shown that colonization of concrete by the dominant fungi includes their penetration into the thickness of concrete and germination in cracks. Elementary analysis revealed the decrease of calcium content on about 41% after fungal growth on the concrete in liquid phase and on 32% by superficial growth in comparison with the samples without fungal treatment.

Description: Nitrogen stress increases lipids content in microalgae, the main feedstock for algal biodiesel. Sodium tungstate was used in this study to implement nitrogen stress by inhibiting nitrate reductase (NR) in Dunaliella tertiolecta. The reduction of NR activity was accompanied by reduction of chlorophyll and accumulation of lipids. One-stage and two-stage culture strategies were compared. One-stage culture raised total lipids from 18% (control) to 39% (w: w); however, two-stage culture raised lipids to 50% in which neutral lipids were enhanced 2.14 times. To assess the quality of biodiesel produced, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) composition was studied. It showed a slight variation of unsaturation. In addition, some physical proprieties of biodiesel were estimated and showed that higher heating values were improved by tungstate treatment. In this study, we tried to shed light on some biological impact of NR inhibition in microalgae cells using sodium tungstate which could be exploited in the improvement of biodiesel production.

Description: The study assessed the pollution, biodegradation rates, and phytoaccumulation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), and Arsenic (As) in soils in the wet and dry seasons and compared them with set standards. Ten samples of 1kg each were randomly collected and mixed for each site that is the upgradient control site (10m2 strata design) and the downgradient contaminated site (16m2 strata design) to make a composite sample for each site. Three representative samples were collected and replicated for four months on both sites. Pot experiments were run with the same concentration levels of TPHs, Pb, As, and Cd. Each pot experiment was also replicated four times for tobacco compost, chicken droppings, Brassica juncea, and the control. Inductive Coupled Spectrometry, SPSS, ANOVA, t-test, normality, and post hoc tests were carried out for analysis. TPHs, Pb, As, and Cd concentrations were significantly higher (pPb〉Cd〉As. Bioremediation in a controlled experiment revealed that Chicken Droppings and Brassica juncea were effective in reclaiming TPHs, As, and Cd while Tobacco Compost was effective in reclaiming Pb. The highest mean concentrations of Pb, As, and Cd were found in Brassica juncea in the following increasing order: roots, stem, and leaves, respectively.