Polyaniline modified magnetic nanoparticles coated with dicationic ionic liquid for effective removal of rhodamine B (RB) from aqueous solution

Polyaniline (PANI) modified magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) nanocomposites coated with newly synthesized dicationic ionic liquid (DICAT) forming MNP-PANI-DICAT were successfully synthesized as a potential material for the removal of Rhodamine B (RB) from water samples. The synthesized material was successfully characterized using a few techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Several parameters have been optimized to enhance the efficiency of the removal process. The adsorption kinetics were investigated and the results showed that MNP-PANI-DICAT was best fitted to a pseudo-second order model for the adsorption of RB. As for the isotherm studies, Temkin''s model was found to fit well with the adsorption isotherm of RB on MNP-PANI-DICAT. Other than that, thermodynamics results showed negative values of ΔG° for the adsorption of RB, which indicated that the process is thermodynamically feasible, spontaneous and chemically controlled at lower temperature. The negative value of enthalpy ΔH° (−40.41) indicated that the adsorption was an exothermic process. The percentage removal of RB was found to be 94.7% by MNP-PANI-DICAT under optimized conditions.

Schematic diagram of the removal procedure of RB on MNP-PANI-DICAT.     

Observations on the Effect of Electronic Needle Container on Adherence to Adalimumab

Digestive Diseases and Sciences -     

Non‐invasive tear break‐up time in normal Malays

Background : Tear stability in normal Malays with consideration of gender and age has not been reported. In this study, we measured tear stability in normal Malays using the non‐invasive tear break‐up time (NIBUT). Methods : Forty‐eight Malay subjects aged seven to 60 years were recruited from among the staff, their children and students of the faculty. NIBUT was measured by noting the time taken for distortions to appear in a reflected image of a grid pattern formed on the corneal surface. Results : The mean NIBUT of the sample was 15.8 ± 9.4 (SD) seconds. The median was 14.6 seconds with range of 4.2 seconds to 48.6 seconds. The majority (73 per cent) of subjects had NIBUT values between six and 20 seconds. There was no significant difference in NIBUT values between males and females but there was a decrease of NIBUT with age. Conclusion : The NIBUT values found in this study are comparable to those reported for Asian populations but much less than those of Western populations. Our findings point to the need for local clinical studies in contact lens and contact lens‐related research as tear physiology of the local population may not be the same as in Western populations.     

Fat intake and its relationship with pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Malaysia

Background: Fat intake has been shown to play a role in the etiology of breast cancer, but the findings have been inconsistent. Objective: To assess the association of premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risk with fat and fat subtypes intake. Methodology: This is a population based case-control study conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from January 2006 to December 2007. Food intake pattern was collected from 382 breast cancer patients and 382 control group via an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and a broad range of potential confounders was included in analysis. Results: This study showed that both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risk did not increase significantly with greater intake of total fat [quartile (Q) 4 versus Q1 OR=0.76, 95% CI, 0.23-2.45 and OR=1.36, 95% CI, 0.30-3.12], saturated fat (ORQ4 to Q1=1.43, 95% CI, 0.51-3.98 and ORQ4 to Q1=1.75, 95% CI, 0.62-3.40), monounsaturated fat (ORQ4 to Q1=0.96, 95% CI, 0.34-1.72 and ORQ4 to Q1=1.74, 95% CI, 0.22-2.79), polyunsaturated fat (ORQ4 to Q1=0.64, 95% CI, 0.23-1.73 and ORQ4 to Q1=0.74, 95% CI, 0.39-1.81), n-3 polyunsaturated fat (ORQ4 to Q1=1.10, 95% CI, 0.49-2.48 and ORQ4 to Q1=0.78, 95% CI, 0.28-2.18), n-6 polyunsaturated fat (ORQ4 to Q1=0.67, 95% CI, 0.24-1.84 and ORQ4 to Q1=0.71, 95% CI, 0.29-1.04) or energy intake (ORQ4 to Q1=1.52, 95% CI, 0.68-3.38 and ORQ4 to Q1=2.21, 95% CI, 0.93-3.36). Conclusion: Total fat and fat subtypes were not associated with pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer risk after controlling for age, other breast cancer risk factors and energy intake. Despite the lack of association, the effects of total fat and fat subtypes intake during premenopausal years towards postmenopausal breast cancer risk still warrant investigation.     

Anti-angiogenic effects of dietary isothiocyanates: mechanisms of action and implications for human health

Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are electrophilic compounds derived from plants and are thought to play a major role in the potential chemopreventive effects associated with high intake of cruciferous vegetables. ITCs are also being evaluated for chemotherapeutic activity in early phase clinical trials. In addition to their effects on carcinogen metabolism and cancer cell survival and proliferation, ITCs have been shown to effectively interfere with angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Angiogenesis is the development of a new blood supply from existing vasculature and is required for tumours to develop beyond a small size limit determined by the diffusion limit for oxygen. Inhibition of angiogenesis may play a key role in the potential chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic activity of ITCs. In this review we highlight recent data demonstrating that ITCs have anti-angiogenic activity and identify potential molecular targets for these effects, including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), activator protein 1 (AP1) and tubulin. We also discuss these findings in light of the potential chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic effects of ITCs.