scholarly journals The Impact of Bilayer Rigidity on the Release from Magnetoliposomes Vesicles Controlled by PEMFs

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1712
Author(s):  
Jordan Trilli ◽  
Laura Caramazza ◽  
Patrizia Paolicelli ◽  
Maria Antonietta Casadei ◽  
Micaela Liberti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Actuation ◽  
Triggered Release ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Model Drug ◽  
Pulsed Electromagnetic ◽  
Stimuli Sensitive ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mechanical Actuation

Stimuli-sensitive nanocarriers have recently been developed as a powerful tool in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, detection, and gene transfer techniques. Among the external triggers investigated, low intensity magnetic fields represent a non-invasive way to remotely control the release of compounds from a magneto-sensitive carrier. Magnetoliposomes (MLs), i.e., liposomes entrapping magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), are studied due to their capacity to transport hydrophobic and hydrophilic agents, their easy production, and due to the ability of MNPs to respond to a magnetic actuation determining the triggered release of the encapsulated compounds. Here we investigated the design and optimization of the MLs to obtain an efficient on-demand release of the transported compounds, due to the magneto-mechanical actuation induced by applying low-intensity pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs). In particular we studied the effect of the bilayer packing on the ability of MLs, with oleic acid-coated MNPs encapsulated in the bilayer, to respond to PEMFs application. Three kinds of MLs are produced with an increasing rigidity of the bilayer, defined as Liquid Disorder, Liquid Order, and Gel MLs and the delivery of a hydrophilic dye (as a model drug) is investigated. Results demonstrate the efficacy of the magnetic trigger on high-ordered bilayers, which are unable to dampen the perturbation produced by MNPs motion.

scholarly journals Flexible Potentiometric Sensor System for Non-Invasive Determination of Antioxidant Activity of Human Skin: Application for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Phytocosmetic Products

Chemosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Aleksey V. Tarasov ◽  
Ekaterina I. Khamzina ◽  
Maria A. Bukharinova ◽  
Natalia Yu. Stozhko
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
Human Skin ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Silver Chloride ◽  
Potentiometric Sensor ◽  
Sensor System ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Pet Film ◽  
The Impact

In contemporary bioanalysis, monitoring the antioxidant activity (AOA) of the human skin is used to assess stresses, nutrition, cosmetics, and certain skin diseases. Non-invasive methods for skin AOA monitoring have certain advantages over invasive methods, namely cost-effectiveness, lower labor intensity, reduced risk of infection, and obtaining results in the real-time mode. This study presents a new flexible potentiometric sensor system (FPSS) for non-invasive determination of the human skin AOA, which is based on flexible film electrodes (FFEs) and membrane containing a mediator ([Fe(CN)6]3–/4–). Low-cost available materials and scalable technologies were used for FFEs manufacturing. The indicator FFE was fabricated based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film and carbon veil (CV) by single-sided hot lamination. The reference FFE was fabricated based on PET film and silver paint by using screen printing, which was followed by the electrodeposition of precipitate containing a mixture of silver chloride and silver ferricyanide (SCSF). The three-electrode configuration of the FPSS, including two indicator FFEs (CV/PET) and one reference FFE (SCSF/Ag/PET), has been successfully used for measuring the skin AOA and evaluating the impact of phytocosmetic products. FPSS provides reproducible (RSD ≤ 7%) and accurate (recovery of antioxidants is almost 100%) results, which allows forecasting its broad applicability in human skin AOA monitoring as well as for evaluating the effectiveness of topically and orally applied antioxidants.

scholarly journals Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Tool to Investigate Motor Cortex Excitability in Sport

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Fiorenzo Moscatelli ◽  
Antonietta Messina ◽  
Anna Valenzano ◽  
Vincenzo Monda ◽  
Monica Salerno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Motor Cortex Excitability ◽  
Invasive Method ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, since its introduction in 1985, has brought important innovations to the study of cortical excitability as it is a non-invasive method and, therefore, can be used both in healthy and sick subjects. Since the introduction of this cortical stimulation technique, it has been possible to deepen the neurophysiological aspects of motor activation and control. In this narrative review, we want to provide a brief overview regarding TMS as a tool to investigate changes in cortex excitability in athletes and highlight how this tool can be used to investigate the acute and chronic responses of the motor cortex in sport science. The parameters that could be used for the evaluation of cortical excitability and the relative relationship with motor coordination and muscle fatigue, will be also analyzed. Repetitive physical training is generally considered as a principal strategy for acquiring a motor skill, and this process can elicit cortical motor representational changes referred to as use-dependent plasticity. In training settings, physical practice combined with the observation of target movements can enhance cortical excitability and facilitate the process of learning. The data to date suggest that TMS is a valid technique to investigate the changes in motor cortex excitability in trained and untrained subjects. Recently, interest in the possible ergogenic effect of non-invasive brain stimulation in sport is growing and therefore in the future it could be useful to conduct new experiments to evaluate the impact on learning and motor performance of these techniques.

scholarly journals Therapist Characteristics and their Effect on Training Outcomes: What Counts?

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Branson ◽  
Roz Shafran
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Clinical Skill ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Therapist Characteristics ◽  
Training Outcomes ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Training

Background:Evidence exists for a relationship between individual characteristics and both job and training performance; however relationships may not be generalizable. Little is known about the impact of therapist characteristics on performance in postgraduate therapist training programmes.Aims:The aim of this study was to investigate associations between the grades of trainee Low-Intensity and High-Intensity cognitive behavioural therapists and individual characteristics.Method:Trainee Low-Intensity (n= 81) and High-Intensity (n= 59) therapists completed measures of personality and cognitive ability; demographic and course grade data for participants were collected.Results:Degree classification emerged as the only variable to be significantly associated with performance across assessments and courses. Higher undergraduate degree classifications were associated with superior academic and clinical performance. Agreeableness was the only dimension of personality to be associated (positively) with clinical skill. Age was weakly and negatively associated with performance.Conclusions:Relationships between individual characteristics and training outcomes are complex and may be context specific. These results could have important implications for the selection and development of therapists for Low or High-Intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) training.

scholarly journals Mobile Health (mHealth) and Advances in Noninvasive Diagnosis of Anemia: An Overview

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 042-047
Author(s):  
Thiago Mazzu-Nascimento ◽  
Danilo Nogueira Evangelista ◽  
Obeedu Abubakar ◽  
Emanuel Carrilho ◽  
Diego Furtado Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Noninvasive Diagnostics ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Palpebral Conjunctiva ◽  
Unified Health System ◽  
Bone Marrow Disease ◽  
Video Frames ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAnemia is a public health problem that can have different causes, such as iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency, inflammation, hemolytic anemias, and anemias associated with bone marrow disease. Anemia shows a decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin, a pigmented molecule in the erythrocytes. The objectives of this review were to highlight the impact of nutritional factors on morbidity and mortality caused by anemia and to present different non-invasive approaches that use a smartphone to analyze hemoglobin levels to detect anemia. According to the records of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, in the Portuguese acronym), ∼ 440,000 people checked in hospitals due to anemia between January 2015 and April 2020, with 215,000 deaths. The government spent ∼ 294 million Brazilian Reais (more than 50 million US dollars) on anemia hospitalization cases during this period. There is a worldwide search to provide noninvasive diagnostics and mobile health (mHealth) tools to help diagnosing anemia. The smartphone appears to be a viable device to detect anemia by a camera with colorimetric analysis of images providing a quantitative, instantaneous, and noninvasive result. These images can be obtained as a photograph or extracted from video frames. The review presents three different methods of detecting anemia using a smartphone: i) photoplethysmograph from video obtained from the tip of the index finger, ii) photo of the palpebral conjunctiva, and iii) fingernail photo app. Therefore, it seems urgent that these approaches may be applied in routine clinical diagnosis to allow remote, needy, low-tech locations to have access to anemia screening.

Numerical Research on FPSOs With Green Water Occurrence

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (01) ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Renchuan Zhu ◽  
Guoping Miao ◽  
Zhaowei Lin
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Floating Body ◽  
Incoming Wave ◽  
Model Case ◽  
Floating Structures ◽  
Design And Optimization ◽  
Head Waves ◽  
Wave Heights ◽  
The Impact

Green water loads on sailing ships or floating structures occur when an incoming wave significantly exceeds freeboard and water runs onto the deck. In this paper, numerical programs developed based on the platform of the commercial software Fluent were used to numerically model green water occurrence on floating structures exposed to waves. The phenomena of the fixed floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO) model and oscillating vessels in head waves have been simulated and analyzed. For the oscillating floating body case, a combination idea is presented in which the motions of the FPSO are calculated by the potential theory in advance and computional fluid dynamics (CFD) tools are used to investigate the details of green water. A technique of dynamic mesh is introduced in a numerical wave tank to simulate the green water occurrence on the oscillating vessels in waves. Numerical results agree well with the corresponding experimental results regarding the wave heights on deck and green water impact loads; the two-dimensional fixed FPSO model case conducted by Greco (2001), and the three-dimensional oscillating vessel cases by Buchner (2002), respectively. The research presented here indicates that the present numerical scheme and method can be used to actually simulate the phenomenon of green water on deck, and to predict and analyze the impact forces on floating structures due to green water. This can be of great significance in further guiding ship design and optimization, especially in the strength design of ship bows.

P-203 Applying artificial intelligence for ploidy prediction: The concentration of IL-6 in spent culture medium, blastocyst morphological grade and embryo morphokinetics as variables under consideration

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Aparicio Ruiz ◽  
L Bori ◽  
E Paya ◽  
M A Valera ◽  
A Quiñonero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Culture ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
General Description ◽  
Ann Model ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Morphokinetic Parameters ◽  
Testing Dataset ◽  
Standard Deviations ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Study question Would it be possible to predict embryo ploidy by taking into account conventional morphological and morphokinetic parameters together with IL-6 concentration in spent culture medium? Summary answer Our artificial neural network (ANN) trained with blastocyst morphology, embryo morphokinetics and IL-6 concentration distinguished between euploid/aneuploid embryos in 65% of the testing dataset. What is known already The analysis of spent embryo culture media represents the protein and metabolic state of the embryo and could be a non-invasive method of obtaining information about embryo quality. The impact of the presence/absence of several proteins in embryo culture samples over clinical results has been widely studied. The IL-6 is one of the most mentioned protein for its effect on embryo development, implantation and likelihood of achieving a live birth. In this initial attempt, we examined the predictive value for euploidy of a model that took into account the concentration of IL-6 in the spent culture medium. Study design, size, duration This prospective study included 319 embryos with PGT-A results. Out of the total, 127 were euploid and 192 aneuploid embryos. Concentration of IL-6 in spent embryo culture media (collected on the day of trophectoderm biopsy-fifth/sixth day of development), morphokinetic parameters (division time to 2 cells-t2; to 3 cells-t3, to 4 cells-t4; to 5 cells-t5 and time of blastocyst formation-tB) and blastocyst morphological grade (according to ASEBIR criteria) were considered to predict the embryo ploidy. Participants/materials, setting, methods Embryos were cultured in EmbryoScope. The chromosome analysis was performed using next-generation sequence technology. The concentration of IL-6 was measured in 20µL of spent embryo culture media with ELISA kits. Morphokinetic parameters were automatically annotated and the blastocyst morphology was evaluated by senior embryologists based on blastocele expansion, inner cell mass and trophectoderm quality. All the embryos were divided into 70% for training, 15% for validating and 15% for testing our ANN model with MatLab®. Main results and the role of chance The general description for the euploid embryo population was the following: 2% of the embryos were graded as A, 71% were graded as B and 28% were graded as C; the means and standard deviations were 25.32±2.97 hours (h) for t2, 35.33±5.15h for t3, 37.30±5.43h for t4, 48.24±6.62h for t5 and 103.93±12.8h for tB; and the average of IL-6 concentration was 1.51±0.70 pg/ml. The general description for the aneuploid embryo population was the following: 1% of the embryos were graded as A, 48% were graded as B and 51% were graded as C; the means and standard deviations were 26.13±3.51h for t2, 36.70±4.29h for t3, 38.20±4.24h for t4, 49.86±6.89h for t5 and 107.10±8.29h for tB; and the average of IL-6 concentration was 1.47±0.71 pg/ml. Our ANN model showed a higher general success rate as we increased the variables considered in the final prediction of euploid embryos. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for the testing dataset were: 0.60, 0.12 and 0.87 with morphokinetic parameters; 0.63, 0.24 and 0.93 with morphokinetics and IL-6 concentration; and 0.65, 0.16 and 0.96 with morphokinetics, IL-6 concentration and blastocyst morphological grade. Limitations, reasons for caution The low sensitivity and high specificity achieved in our models indicated that they were more capable of detecting aneuploid than euploid embryos. As this was a preliminary study, the small number of embryos included in the test (n = 48) was also a limitation. Wider implications of the findings The results showed that our model tended to classify the embryos as aneuploid. More euploid embryos would be necessary to train our model and achieve better results in the prediction of chromosomally normal embryos. Further studies with large number of embryos and additional variables could improve the non-invasive ploidy prediction. Trial registration number not applicable

The impact of direct-acting antivirals on liver fibrosis in Egyptian hepatitis C virus patients: a single center experience

QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Abdelaaty Abdelkader ◽  
Amira Mahmoud AlBalakosy ◽  
Ahmed Fouad Helmy Sherief ◽  
Mohamed Soliman Gado
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Liver Fibrosis ◽  
Transient Elastography ◽  
Liver Stiffness ◽  
Treatment Unit ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects approximately 170 million people worldwide, causing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and leading to liver transplantation and ultimately death. Accurate evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases is crucial, as liver fibrosis is important in order to make therapeutic decisions, determine prognosis of liver disease and to follow-up disease progression. Multiple non-invasive methods have been used successfully in the prediction of fibrosis; however, early changes in noninvasive biomarkers of hepatic fibrosis under effective antiviral therapy are widely unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes of transient elastography values as well as FIB-4 and AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) in patients treated with DAAs. Objectives The aim beyond this study is to evaluate the changes in liver stiffness in hepatitis C Egyptian patients before and at least one year after treatment with DAAs using transient elastography and non-invasive liver fibrosis indices as FIB-4 and APRI scores. Patients and methods The present study was conducted on 100 patients with chronic hepatitis C patients attended to Ain Shams University Hospitals, Viral hepatitis treatment unit between October 2017 and December 2018, who were followed-up during treatment and after treatment for at least one year (retrospective and prospective study). Total number of cases during the study period was 117 patients. 17 patients were excluded from the study due to missed follow-up. Eventually, 100 patients were enrolled in the study fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Results The mean age of our patients is 47.9 years with Male predominance (52 males and 48 females). There was a significant improvement of, platelets counts, ALT and AST levels, which in turn cause significant improvement in FIB-4 and APRI scores. There was a significant improvement of liver stiffness after end of treatment, regardless of the DAA regimen used, as evidenced by Fibroscan. Conclusion Fibrosis regression –assessed by non-invasive markers of fibrosis is achievable upon removal of the causative agent.

scholarly journals A pre-test post-test assessment of non-invasive keratograph break up time and corneal epithelial thickness after vaping

1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 2926-2933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin Munsamy ◽  
Bhavna Bhanprakash ◽  
Amina Sirkhot ◽  
Lufun Mlambo ◽  
Samukelisiwe Dlamuka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Corneal Epithelial ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Epithelial Thickness ◽  
Test Assessment ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Corneal Epithelial Thickness ◽  
Break Up ◽  
The Impact

Background: The effects of electronic cigarettes on the ocular surface has yet to be shown. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of e-cigarette use on the anterior corneal surface integrity.Methods: Forty three males and 21 females with an average of 21years were required to vape 0.05ml of e-liquid of 8mg nicotine concentration. Corneal epithelial thickness (CET) and Non Invasive Keratograph Tear Break up Time (NIKBUT) measurements were obtained prior to and post vaping. The Optovue iVue optical coherence topographer was used to measure central; superior; inferior; nasal and temporal CET and NIKBUT was assessed using the Oculus Keratograph 5M.Results: There was a mean increase for central corneal epithelial thickness of 0.3448 microns. The superior CET increased by 0.2414 microns. The inferior CET increased by 0.2931microns. The nasal CET increased by 0.2069 microns. The temporal CET increased by 0.2759 microns. The mean change in NIKBUT post-vaping was an increase of 1.40 seconds. All observations occurred at p > 0.05.Conclusion: The acute effect of e-cigarette use does not impact corneal epithelial thickness and non-invasive keratography tear break up time after 10 puffs mild exposure but more research is needed to assess if this remains the case with more frequent, higher exposure.Keywords: Pre-test post-test assessment, non-invasive keratograph breakup time, corneal epithelial thickness, vaping.

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