Effect of Chemical Surface Texturing on the Superhydrophobic Behavior of Micro–Nano-Roughened AA6082 Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces on 6082 aluminum alloy substrates are tailored by low-cost chemical surface treatments coupled to a fluorine-free alkyl-silane coating deposition. In particular, three different surface treatments are investigated: boiling water, HF/HCl, and HNO₃/HCl etching. The results show that the micro-nano structure and the wetting behavior are greatly influenced by the applied surface texturing treatment. After silanization, all the textured surfaces exhibit a superhydrophobic behavior. The highest water contact angle (WCA, ≈180°) is obtained by HF/HCl etching. Interestingly, the water sliding angle (WSA) is affected by the anisotropic surface characteristics. Indeed, for the HF/HCl and the HNO₃/HCl samples, the WSA in the longitudinal direction is lower than the transversal one, which slightly affects the self-cleaning capacity. The results point out that the superhydrophobic behavior of the aluminum alloys surface can be easily tailored by performing a two-step procedure: (i) roughening treatment and (ii) surface chemical silanization. Considering these promising results, the aim of further studies will be to improve the knowledge and optimize the process parameters in order to tailor a superhydrophobic surface with an effective performance in terms of stability and durability.     

Potential of two nucleic acid amplification assays for quantifying mycobacterial load in respiratory and non-respiratory specimens: a prospective study

Quantification of bacillary load plays a critical prognostic role in tuberculosis patients. This study evaluated the potential of the Cepheid GeneXpert (GX) MTB/RIF and the BD ProbeTec system as quantitative assays. The time to positivity (TTP) measured by the Mycobacterial Growth Index Tube system was compared to the cycle threshold (C_t) of GX MTB/RIF and the Metric Other than Acceleration (MOTA) scores generated by the ProbeTec system. Out of 714 samples examined, 44 culture confirmed cases were identified. The C_t values in 21 respiratory samples showed a high linear fit with the TTP in liquid culture (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.9, P value < 0.0001), which was not the case in 23 non-respiratory samples. In both types of specimens, the MOTA scores did not correlate with the TTP in liquid culture. This indicates the suitability of GX as a quantitative measurement of mycobacterial load in respiratory but not non-respiratory specimens.     

Factors Affecting the Stability of Nanoemulsions—Use of Artificial Neural Networks

Purpose  

The aim of this study was to identify the dominant factors affecting the stability of nanoemulsions, using artificial neural networks (ANNs).     

Subcutaneous immunization with a novel immunogenic candidate (urease) confers protection against Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis infections

Brucellosis is a world prevalent endemic illness that is transmitted from domestic animals to humans. Brucella spp. exploits urease for survival in the harsh conditions of stomach during the gastrointestinal infection. In this study, we examined the immune response and the protection elicited by using recombinant Brucella urease (rUrease) vaccination in BALB/c mice. The urease gene was cloned in pET28a and the resulting recombinant protein was employed as subunit vaccine. Recombinant protein was administered subcutaneously and intraperitoneally. Dosage reduction was observed with subcutaneous (SC) vaccination when compared with intraperitoneal (IP) vaccination. rUrease induced mixed Th1–Th2 immune responses with high titers of specific IgG1 and IgG2a. In lymphocyte proliferation assay, splenocytes from IP and SC‐vaccinated mice displayed a strong recall proliferative response with high amounts of IL‐4, IL‐12 and IFN‐γ production. Vaccinated mice were challenged with virulent Brucella melitensis, B. abortus and B. suis. The SC vaccination route exhibited a higher degree of protection than IP vaccination (p value ≤ 0.05). Altogether, our results indicated that rUrease could be a useful antigen candidate for the development of subunit vaccines against brucellosis.     

SARS-CoV-2, surgeons and surgical masks

The exact risk association of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for surgeons is not quantified which may be affected by their risk of exposure and individual factors. The objective of this review is to quantify the risk of COVID-19 among surgeons, and explore whether facemask can minimise the risk of COVID-19 among surgeons. A systematised review was carried out by searching MEDLINE to locate items on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or COVID-19 in relation to health care workers (HCWs) especially those work in surgical specialities including surgical nurses and intensivists. Additionally, systematic reviews that assessed the effectiveness of facemask against viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19, among HCWs were identified. Data from identified articles were abstracted, synthesised and summarised. Fourteen primary studies that provided data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection or experience among surgeons and 11 systematic reviews that provided evidence of the effectiveness of facemask (and other personal protective equipment) were summarised. Although the risk of COVID-19 could not be quantified precisely among surgeons, about 14% of HCWs including surgeons had COVID-19, there could be variations depending on settings. Facemask was found to be somewhat protective against COVID-19, but the HCWs’ compliance was highly variable ranging from zero to 100%. Echoing surgical societies’ guidelines we continue to recommend facemask use among surgeons to prevent COVID-19.     

Association between the -2518G/A polymorphism in the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) gene and hypertension in Tunisian patients

ObjectivesMonocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1:CCL2) has been demonstrated to be involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and hypertension. This study was aimed to investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at ?2518 of the MCP-1 gene promoter region is associated to hypertension in a sample of Tunisian population.Design and methodsA total of 290 Tunisian patients with hypertension and 390 normotensive controls were included in the study. The SNP of the MCP-1 gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis.ResultsA significant difference in genotype distribution and allele frequency was observed between patients and controls. Patients with hypertension had a frequency of 7.2% for the GG genotype, 35.2% for the AG genotype and 57.6% for the AA genotype. Normotensive subjects had a frequency of 3.6% for the GG genotype, 29.7% for the AG genotype and 66.7% for the AA genotype (χ² = 8.02, p = 0.01). The hypertension patient group showed a significant higher frequency of the G allele compared to the controls [0.24 vs. 0.18; OR (95%CI), 1.46 (1.11–1.91), p = 0.004]. The association between the ?2518 G/A polymorphism of MCP-1 gene and hypertension remained significant after adjustment for other well-established cardiovascular risk factors.ConclusionThe present study showed a significant and independent association between the ?2518G/A polymorphism of the MCP-1 gene (presence of G allele) and hypertension in the Tunisian population.     

First experience of the use of a generic of plerixafor in peripheral blood stem cell mobilization in multiple myeloma and lymphoma patients

Mobilization failure in patients is a major therapeutic concern which makes subsequent ASCT impossible. A new growth factor called Plerixafor (Mozobil®) developed by the pharmaceutical industry (Sanofi-aventis, France), is a chemoreceptor antagonist, CXCR4 type, which disrupts the interaction of SDFI and CXCR4, thereby enhancing the effect of G-CSF mobilization and is especially indicated for mobilization failure. Currently, there is a generic of plerixafor developed by the pharmaceutical industry (Hetero Drugs Ltd, India). The brand name of this medicine is Mozifor®. The objective of this study was to evaluate if generic plerixafor has the same efficacy and safety as originator plerixafor when used with G-CSF in the mobilization of PBSCs for autologous ASCT in multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphoma failure patients. The 32 patients received plerixafor were divided in two groups. The first group concerns the 11 consecutive patients prospectively received generic plerixafor (Mozifor®) in the period between January to July 2020. These were compared with a retrospective control cohort (second group n = 21) who had been treated between 2009 and 2019 with originator plerixafor (Mozobil®). For the Mozifor® group, the mean CD34+ was 4.54x10⁶/kg(1.56-6.79), the median time to achieve an absolute neutrophil count >0.5 G/L was 13 days (range: 8–21). The median time to self-sustained platelet count >20 G/L was 15 days (range: 8–24). For the Mozobil® group, the mean CD34+ was 3.1x10⁶/kg (0.56-8.91) (p=0.86), the median time to achieve an absolute neutrophil count >0.5 G/L was 10 days (range 7–23). The median time to self-sustained platelet count >20 G/L was 13 days (range: 7–29). Our study showed that the generic of plerixafor was practically identical to that of the originator (Mozobil®) with no significant difference (p = 0.52). This study demonstrates the safety and feasibility of mobilization PBSC with generic plerixafor in ASCT in MM and lymphoma. Although these outcomes are encouraging, prospective comparison with other traditional auto-HCT regimens used for patients with MM and lymphoma is warranted.