Improvement in Tear Ferning Patterns of Sheep Tears After Addition of Various Electrolyte Solutions

Objective: This study aimed to improve the tear ferning (TF) patterns in the sheep tears after the addition of various electrolyte solutions in different proportions.Animal Studied: Sheep were located at a small farm in the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sheep had no ocular disorders or diseases, and none of the female sheep were pregnant.Methods: Tear samples (20 μl) were collected from the right eyes of seven healthy sheep (five female sheep and two male sheep; age 7–36 months with an average of 17.0 ± 10.3 months). A tear sample (1 μl) from each sheep was dried on a microscopic glass slide at 22°C and <40% humidity. The TF patterns were graded based on the five-point grading scale in 0.1 increments. Homogenous mixtures were prepared by mixing tears from each sheep (0.5 μl) with various electrolyte solutions in different proportions (1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10). A sample of each mixture (1 μl) was dried on a glass slide, and the TF patterns for each mixture were observed, recorded, graded, and compared with those of the corresponding pure sheep tears. In addition, each sheep tear sample (0.5 μl) was diluted with pure water (0.5 μl) and the TF images were recorded and graded to test the dilution effect.Results: General improvement was noted in TF grades after the addition of electrolyte solutions, ranging from 1.7–1.4 to 1.3–0.3 regardless of the ratio between the electrolyte solutions and sheep tears within the mixture. TF grades of sheep tear samples improved significantly after adding different volumes of calcium chloride solution. Similar improvements in TF grades were observed when magnesium chloride hexahydrate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate solutions were used as the electrolytes. Some improvements in the TF grades occurred with the addition of potassium chloride to sheep tear samples. There was little improvement in TF grades after the addition of sodium chloride solution.Conclusion: Tear ferning grades of sheep tear samples improved when mixed with a number of electrolyte solutions at different volumes, in particular with calcium chloride or magnesium chloride solutions. Some improvements in TF grades were seen with sodium dihydrogen phosphate or potassium chloride solution added as the electrolyte. Clearly, divalent electrolytes lead to a greater improvement in TF grades of sheep tear samples as compared with sodium dihydrogen phosphate or monovalent electrolytes.

Synthesis and Characterization of an Amphoteric Asphalt Emulsifier

A novel amphoteric asphalt emulsifier of octadecylbis(propanamide)-(3’-sodium phosphate-2’-hydroxypropyl)ammonium chloride was synthesised from the raw materials octadecylamine, acrylamide, epichlorohydrin and sodium dihydrogen phosphate. The tertiary amine octadecyl-bis(propanamide) was synthesised from octadecylamine and acrylamide (step 1). Sodium 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl phosphate (intermediate) was obtained from epichlorohydrin and sodium dihydrogen phosphate (step 2). The asphalt emulsifier was obtained from octadecyl-bis(propanamide)-tertiary amine and the intermediate by quaternisation reaction (step 3). The yield of the final product reached 94.90%. The structure was identified by FTIR, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The critical micelle concentration of the product is 1.46 × 10–5 mol L–1. The surface tension at CMC is 37.78 mN ν–1. The saturated adsorption amount of asphalt emulsifier is 2.72 × 10–3 mmol ν–2. The occupied area per asphalt emulsifier molecule at CMC is 0.611 nm2 mol–1. The surfactant is a fast-setting asphalt emulsifier.

Respiratory virus deterrence induced by modified mask filter

Airborne transmission of infectious respiratory pathogens is a significant health hazard for the general public as well as healthcare professionals. Face masks have been frequently utilized as safety measures to limit the transmission of these infectious aerosolized particles. However, the efficacy of face masks in reducing respiratory virus infectivity and pathogenicity is unknown. Improving the effectiveness of masks in blocking viruses is urgently needed. In this study, surgical mask filters were modified by coating the filters with 1, 3, or 5 M of sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and subsequently exposed to the aerosolized respiratory influenza viruses (A/H3N2, A/H5N1) generated by a nebulizer set. Mask filter modification significantly reduced the size and counts of filter pores, which enabled entrapment of 40–60% of aerosolized viruses (captured viruses) with more than 90% of the captured viruses losing their infectivity. Upon contact with the coated mask filters, both the captured viruses and the viruses that managed to bypass the filter pore (passed viruses) were found to be inactivated. Passed viruses demonstrated significantly reduced pathogenicity in mice as indicated by significantly reduced lung virus titers, bodyweight loss, and prolonged survival compared to bare control. These findings highlight the potential of modified mask filters for reducing viral activity and pathogenicity, which contributes to improving facial mask efficacy as well as limiting airborne pathogen transmission.

Synthesis of sodium ammonium hydrophosphate and sodium dihydrophosphate based on extraction phosphoric acid from Central Kyzylkum phosphorites

The aim of the research is the synthesis of sodium ammonium hydrogen phosphate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate based on purified extraction phosphoric acid. The acid was purified from accompanying impurities by precipitation methods using sodium carbonate and metasilicate, washed burnt phosphoconcentrate, barium carbonate, acid neutralization with gaseous ammonia. Pre-neutralization of the purified solution of monoammonium phosphate with sodium carbonate to the ratio Na2O:P2O5 = 0.44 and subsequent drying at a temperature of 50 °С allows to obtain sodium ammonium hydrogen phosphate tetrahydrate, and at 100 °С sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate. The individuality and purity of the synthesized substances was established by the methods of X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and scanning electron microscope.

Sorption of ions of some metals on synthesized weakly basic ion exchangers

The aim of the research is the synthesis of sodium ammonium hydrogen phosphate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate based on purified extraction phosphoric acid. The acid was purified from accompanying impurities by precipitation methods using sodium carbonate and metasilicate, washed burnt phosphoconcentrate, barium carbonate, acid neutralization with gaseous ammonia. Pre-neutralization of the purified solution of monoammonium phosphate with sodium carbonate to the ratio Na2O:P2O5 = 0.44 and subsequent drying at a temperature of 50 °С allows to obtain sodium ammonium hydrogen phosphate tetrahydrate, and at 100 °С sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate. The individuality and purity of the synthesized substances was established by the methods of X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and scanning electron microscope.

Facile Chemical Processing of Geloina coaxans Shell and Sodium dihydrogen Phosphate as Precursors to Produce Hydroxyapatite

This paper reports the synthesis of hydroxyapatite from Geloina coaxans shell and sodium dihydrogen phosphate as precursors by facile and simple method. Firstly, Geloina coaxans shell calcined at 1000 oC for 12 hours to produce lime or CaO. The chemical composition of Geloina coaxans shell calcined was analyzed using the XRF technique, and the result shows that the main component of Geloina coaxans shell calcined was calcium. Synthesis of hydroxyapatite has been done with stirring and aging time parameters and molar ratio of precursors was 1.67. The XRD patterns showed a specific peak of hydroxyapatite that appeared at 2θ=31.8 o and based on the XRD results on the aging time indicated that the rate of growth of HAp crystals was better and faster at aging for 12 hours. The crystal size of HAp obtained was 37 nm. The FTIR spectra of hydroxyapatite showed characteristics of hydroxyl and phosphate bands in sample spectra. The morphology of hydroxyapatite synthesized also was examined by SEM and the results showed spherical morphology.

OFAT versus DOE as two optimization protocols for the chromatographic analysis of some OTC pharmaceuticals carrying negative cardiovascular effects and administered by pregnant and breast-feeding females: Application to dose dependent effect

A simple HPLC technique has been utilized for rapid and sensitive quantitative analysis of two mixtures of drugs that are used during pregnancy and lactation. Drugs of the first mixture are used to manage gastrointestinal tract illness that are common during early stages of pregnancy, while pharmaceutical agents of the second mixture are administered over the counter as galactagogues or to overcome postpartum depression. Mixture I includes famotidine (FMT), ranitidine (RNT), nizatidine (NZT), and pantoprazole (PNT), which were separated on a C18 column using a mobile phase composed of methanol: 0.02 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate (60:40, v/v) of pH 6.9, adopting UV detection at 240 nm at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Mixture II on the other hand, consists of domperidone (DOM), metoclopramide (MET), and sulpiride (SUL). These drugs were eluted using the same column and flow rate as those in mixture I, using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: 0.075 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate (30:70, v/v) of pH 6 adopting a detection wavelength 270 nm. Two optimization protocols were utilized to optimize the chromatographic separation conditions, namely one factor at a time (OFAT) and design of experiments (DOE) where face centered cube response surface experimental design was chosen for this investigation. Comparison of the results obtained from both protocols reveals the accordance between them. Full validation procedure under guidance of United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) was applied to the proposed methods which enabled their application to separate the drugs of both mixtures in spiked rat whole blood samples and in vivo analysis of rat heart blood.