Combined sub-threshold dosages of phenobarbital and low-frequency stimulation effectively reduce seizures in amygdala-kindled rats

Low-frequency stimulation (LFS) is a potential therapy utilized in patients who do not achieve satisfactory control of seizures with pharmacological treatments. Here, we investigated the interaction between anticonvulsant effects of LFS and phenobarbital (a commonly used medicine) on amygdala-kindled seizures in rats. Animals were kindled by electrical stimulation of basolateral amygdala in a rapid manner (12 stimulations/day). Fully kindled animals randomly received one of the three treatment choices: phenobarbital (1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 mg/kg; i.p.; 30 min before kindling stimulation), LFS (one or 4 packages contained 100 or 200 monophasic square wave pulses, 0.1-ms pulse duration at 1 Hz, immediately before kindling stimulation) or a combination of both (phenobarbital at 3 mg/kg and LFS). Phenobarbital alone at the doses of 1, 2 and 3 mg/kg had no significant effect on the main seizure parameters. LFS application always produced anticonvulsant effects unless applied with the pattern of one package of 100 pulses, which is considered as non-effective. All the seizure parameters were significantly reduced when phenobarbital (3 mg/kg) was administered prior to the application of the non-effective pattern of LFS. Phenobarbital (3 mg/kg) also increased the anticonvulsant actions of the effective LFS pattern. Our results provide an evidence of a positive cumulative anticonvulsant effect of LFS and phenobarbital, suggesting a potential combination therapy at sub-threshold dosages of phenobarbital and LFS to achieve a satisfactory clinical effect.     

Magnetic nanocomposite based on polyacrylic acid and carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal for the removal of cationic dye

The development of safe and cost-effective methods for the treatment of dye polluted wastewater has been a great concern among researchers. Herein, we developed a nanocomposite (M3D–PAA–CCN) based on polyacrylic acid (PAA) crosslinked with magnetic 3D crosslinkers (M3D) and carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals (CCN), for the removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. Acrylic-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were covalently linked to the polymer chains via the form of the 3D crosslinker to introduce magnetic properties into the as-synthesized nanocomposite. The addition of highly dispersive CCN reduced the gel-like properties of the nanocomposite and instead incorporated a diffusive nature, which was more desirable for adsorbents. The surface morphology of the nanocomposite was analyzed by FESEM and the size of the nanocomposite particles was found to be in the range of 60–90 nm. The chemical functionalities and compositions were determined by XPS, FTIR, and EDX analyses whereas TGA confirmed the thermal stability of M3D–PAA–CCN. The maximum adsorption capacity of the M3D–PAA–CCN (332 mg g⁻¹) was measured higher than that of M3D–PAA (114 mg g⁻¹) to a cationic methylene blue (MB) dye indicating the significant contribution of CCN. The adsorption capacity of the as-synthesized M3D–PAA–CCN was found to be highly pH-dependent and the adsorption capacity increased with the increase of pH owing to the greater negative charge as indicated by the higher zeta potential. The adsorption kinetics of MB on the composites was found to follow the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption capacity was also investigated as a function of concentration to figure out the adsorption mechanism using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir model fitted the adsorption process better as suggested by the relatively smaller nonlinear chi-square value obtained from the fitting parameters.

A low-cost, highly efficient, and recyclable magnetic nanocomposite has been developed from polyacrylic acid and carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals for the removal of cationic dyes from the wastewater.     

The effectiveness of a life style modification and peer support home blood pressure monitoring in control of hypertension: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background

Death rates due to hypertension in low and middle income countries are higher compared to high income countries. The present study is designed to combine life style modification and home blood pressure monitoring for control of hypertension in the context of low and middle income countries.

Methods

The study is a two armed, parallel group, un-blinded, cluster randomized controlled trial undertaken within lower income areas in Kuala Lumpur. Two housing complexes will be assigned to the intervention group and the other two housing complexes will be allocated in the control group. Based on power analysis, 320 participants will be recruited. The participants in the intervention group (n = 160) will undergo three main components in the intervention which are the peer support for home blood pressure monitoring, face to face health coaching on healthy diet and demonstration and training for indoor home based exercise activities while the control group will receive a pamphlet containing information on hypertension. The primary outcomes are systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Secondary outcome measures include practice of self-blood pressure monitoring, dietary intake, level of physical activity and physical fitness.

Discussion

The present study will evaluate the effect of lifestyle modification and peer support home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure control, during a 6 month intervention period. Moreover, the study aims to assess whether these effects can be sustainable more than six months after the intervention has ended.

     

Molecular and epidemiological trends of human bocavirus and adenovirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Bangladesh during 2015 to 2019

Virus associated diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of children morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh. Human bocavirus (HBoV) has been reported as a potential pathogen of children's diarrhea worldwide. However, due to its frequent association with other gastroenteric pathogens, its role as diarrhea causative agent remains to be defined. This study focuses to detect the incidence of HBoV and adenovirus (AdV) and to determine the molecular and epidemiological characteristics of HBoV and AdV. Between January 2015 to January 2019, 290 fecal specimens were collected from diarrheal children in Bangladesh. All fecal specimens were tested for HBoV and AdV by conventional polymerase chain reaction and sequencing methods. HBoV was detected in 7.24% (21 of 290) of the stool samples, as a sole virus in 71.42% (15 of 21) of the positive samples. AdV was detected in 4.82% (14 of 290) of the samples. The most common clinical symptoms of HBoV infected patients were diarrhea (100%) and vomiting (57%). All of the isolates of HBoV were from HBoV1 and AdV were from AdV41, AdV5, AdV7, and AdV8. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first epidemiological and molecular analysis report of HBoV from clinical specimens in Bangladesh. In the future, more studies are needed to clarify the role of HBoV as diarrheal pathogens.     

A two-dimensional crystal growth in anatase titania nanostructures driven by trigonal hydronium ions

Two-dimensional growth or high-energy faceting during a wet-chemical nanocrystal growth involves a dynamic surfactant functionalization that selectively allows a particular crystal plane to grow and simultaneously, passivates others from evolving. Here, by simply controlling the concentration of hydronium ions in a liquid-phase deposition reaction, the two-dimensional growth of a few atoms thick and (001) facet in anatase titania nanostructures can be achieved. The morphology can be modified from nanocube to nanobelt and nanosheet by increasing the hydronium ion concentration. Raman analysis reveals that the trigonal hydronium ions attach to the growing planes of anatase TiO₂via a dative bonding, projecting atom-thick and large-scale (001) faceted nanobelts and nanosheets.

Hydronium ion projects a two-dimensional crystal growth in anatase TiO₂ nanostructure.     

Obesity-related behaviors of Malaysian adolescents: a sample from Kajang district of Selangor state

This study aims to determine the association between obesity-related behaviors (dietary practices, physical activity and body image) and body weight status among adolescents. A total of 382 adolescents (187 males and 195 females) aged 13 to 15 years in Kajang, Selangor participated in this study. Majority of the respondents were Malays (56.0%), followed by Chinese (30.1%) and Indians (13.9%). Dietary practices, physical activity and body image of the adolescents were assessed through the eating behaviors questionnaire, two-day dietary record, two-day physical activity record and multi-dimensional body image scale (MBIS), respectively. Body weight and height were measured by trained researchers. The prevalence of overweight and obesity (19.5%) was about twice the prevalence of underweight (10.5%). About two-thirds of the respondents (72.3%) skipped at least one meal and half of them (56.2%) snacked between meals with a mean energy intake of 1,641 ± 452 kcal/day. More than half of the respondents (56.8%) were practicing sedentary lifestyle with a mean energy expenditure of 1,631 ± 573 kcal per day. Energy intake (r = 0.153, P < 0.05), physical activity (r = 0.463, P < 0.01) and body image (r = 0.424, P < 0.01) were correlated with BMI. However, meal skipping, snacking and energy expenditure per kg body weight were not associated with body weight status. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that body image, physical activity and energy intake contributed significantly in explaining body weight status of the adolescents. In short, overweight and obesity were likely to be associated not only with energy intake and physical activity, but also body image. Hence, promoting healthy eating, active lifestyle and positive body image should be incorporated in future obesity prevention programmes in adolescents.     

Does retinal vascular geometry vary with cardiac cycle?

Purpose. Changes in retinal vascular parameters have been shown to be associated with systemic vascular diseases. In this study, we assessed the physiologic variations in retinal vascular measurements during the cardiac cycle. Methods. Fundus images were taken using electrocardiogram-synchronized retinal camera at nine distinct cardiac points from 15 healthy volunteers (135 images). Analyses of retinal vessel geometric measures, including retinal vessel caliber (individual and summary), tortuosity, branching angle, length-diameter ratio (LDR), and optimality deviation, were performed using semiautomated computer software. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to obtain the means and to estimate the variation of each cardiac point compared with cardiac point 1. Results. There was a significant variation of the caliber of the individual arteriolar and venular vessels. However, there was no significant variation found for vessel caliber summary, represented by the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and the central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE). There was also no significant variation found for tortuosity and branching angle, and LDR showed none or very little variations at different cardiac points: variations in caliber ranges between 0 and 4.1%, tortuosity 0 and 1.5%, branching angle 0 and 3.5%, and LDR 0 and 2%; all values for variations, P > 0.1; linear trend, P > 0.5; and nonlinear trend, P > 0.8. Conclusions. This study showed that there were minimal variations in the CRAE, CRVE, tortuosity, and branching angle that are clinically used for two-dimensional measures of retinal vascular geometry during cardiac cycles. However, there was significant variation in the caliber of the individual vessels over the cardiac cycle.     

Engineering Properties of Waste Sawdust-Based Lightweight Alkali-Activated Concrete: Experimental Assessment and Numerical Prediction

Alkali activated concretes have emerged as a prospective alternative to conventional concrete wherein diverse waste materials have been converted as valuable spin-offs. This paper presents a wide experimental study on the sustainability of employing waste sawdust as a fine/coarse aggregate replacement incorporating fly ash (FA) and granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) to make high-performance cement-free lightweight concretes. Waste sawdust was replaced with aggregate at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 vol% incorporating alkali binder, including 70% FA and 30% GBFS. The blend was activated using a low sodium hydroxide concentration (2 M). The acoustic, thermal, and predicted engineering properties of concretes were evaluated, and the life cycle of various mixtures were calculated to investigate the sustainability of concrete. Besides this, by using the available experimental test database, an optimized Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was developed to estimate the mechanical properties of the designed alkali-activated mortar mixes depending on each sawdust volume percentage. Based on the findings, it was found that the sound absorption and reduction in thermal conductivity were enhanced with increasing sawdust contents. The compressive strengths of the specimens were found to be influenced by the sawdust content and the strength dropped from 65 to 48 MPa with the corresponding increase in the sawdust levels from 0% up to 100%. The results also showed that the emissions of carbon dioxide, energy utilization, and outlay tended to drop with an increase in the amount of sawdust and show more the lightweight concrete to be more sustainable for construction applications.