Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production of Nanocellulose and Its Applications in Drug Delivery: A Critical Review

Nanocellulose, as a promising natural material, has recently received much attention because of its remarkable features including recyclability, biocompatibility, low risk of toxicity, and tunable surface properties. This review article first introduces three types of nanocellulose (nanocrystalline, nanofibrillar, and bacterial) and evaluates their production processes. In addition, contemporary research is discussed in the formulations of nanoparticles, tablets, hydrogels, and aerogels. As reported in the literature, the release time of nanocellulose-based systems varies from a few minutes to several days as they provide a controlled and sustained release. Thus, such systems have shown considerable potential for developing a novel generation of controlled drug delivery for different routes of administration (oral, transdermal, etc.). This review facilitates the selection of proper source and processing techniques for nanocellulose production while addressing opportunities and challenges ahead ending up w.
Mechanistic Study of Diatrizoic Acid Induced Proximal Tubule Cytotoxicity

xiii Chapter 1: Contrast Induced Acute Kidney Injury and Direct Cytotoxicity of Iodinated Radiocontrast Media on Renal Proximal Tubule Cells. 1 Abstract . 2 Introduction . 2 Radiocontrast Media . 3 Renal Pathogenesis . 7 Risk Factors . 10 Cytotoxicity. 15 Interventions for Cytotoxicity by Hydration, Drugs, and Natural Products . 24 Conclusions . 29 Chapter 2: General Methods, Materials, and Statement of Hypothesis . 30 The HK-2 Cell Model . 30 Experimental Protocol . 30 General Protocol for Western Blotting and OxyBlot® . 32 Seahorse XFe Assays . 33 Cell and Protein Normalization . 36 viii Statistical Analysis . 36 Statement of Hypothesis . 37 Chapter 3: Radiocontrast Agent Diatrizoic Acid Induces Mitophagy and Oxidative Stress Via Calcium Dysregulation . 39 Abstract . 40 Introduction . 40. 40 Introduction . 40 Methods. 42 Chemicals and Reagents . 42 Cell Line and Diatrizoic Acid (DA) Treatment . 43 Mitochondrial and Cell Viability . 43 Mitochondrial Isolation . 44 Oxyblot and Western Blot . 45 Seahorse XF Assays . 46 TNFα in Cell Media and Cell Lysate . 47 SOD Activity Assay . 48 Calcium Assays . 48 Statistical Analysis . 49 Results . 49 DA Effects on Mitochondrial and Cell Viability . 49 DA Effects on Mitochondrial Function and Energy Utilization . 51 DA Effects on Mitophagy . 56 DA Effects on Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress . 59 DA Effects on Oxidative Stress . 61 ix DA Effects on Mitochondrial Membrane Leakage and Apoptosis Initiation . 69 DA Effects on Calcium Homeostasis . 70 Discussion . 76 Conclusion . 97 Acknowledgments. 99 Chapter 4: Summary, Conclusions, and Future Directions. 100 Clinically Relevant Concentrations of DA is Cytotoxic to HK-2 Cells . 100 DA Alters Mitochondrial Function and Induces Mitophagy in HK-2 Cells . 101 DA Causes Oxidative Stress in HK-2 Cells . 103 DA Induces Apoptosis in HK-2 Cells . 105 DA Causes Dysregulation of Calcium Homeostasis in HK-2 Cells . 106 Conclusions . 107 Future Directions . 107 References . 110 Appendix A: Office of Research Integrity Approval Letter . 133 Appendix B: List of Abbreviations . 134 Appendix C: Vita . 139
An investigation of early childhood caries in the lower socio-economic areas surrounding Tygerberg Oral Health Centre in order to plan a community appropriate intervention strategy

The long waiting lists for general anaesthesia and sedation services for children with Early Childhood Caries (ECC) at the Tygerberg Oral Health Centre highlighted the problem of ECC in this area. This was confirmed by a retrospective study of patient records at the Centre. ECC is largely caused by a combination of lifestyle factors, especially feeding and oral hygiene practices. Socio-economic status and parental factors such as education and employment have also been shown to play a role in the development of ECC. In order to address this problem, a study was designed to determine the prevalence of ECC in children from the lower socio-economic communities which drain to the Tygerberg Oral Health Centre and assess the knowledge of the caregivers of these children. A total of 659 children were examined at crèches and schools as well as community health clinics. The children examined at the clinics accompanied others and did not have any health reason for the visit themselves. As the aetiology is largely behaviour-driven and children are dependent on their caregivers to meet their basic needs, 366 caregivers attending the community health clinics with their children, were interviewed to determine their practices and knowledge of oral health. A total of 83 health care workers at these clinics were also interviewed to assess their knowledge of oral health matters and determine the role that they can play in the prevention of this disease. A cross-sectional community survey was carried out by means of clinical assessments and structured interviews with the aid of questionnaires. The survey was divided into 3 parts: 1. Prevalence of ECC amongst the children 2. Knowledge of the caregivers about oral health care 3. Knowledge of health care workers at the clinics in these communities about ECC The prevalence study revealed that 71.6% of children in the study population presented with caries. This is extremely high and highlights the need for serious interventions. Parents/ caregivers were shown to be ill-informed regarding their children’s oral health care needs which include dietary and oral hygiene practices as well as how this disease can be prevented. It is clear that caregivers need to be educated regarding feeding practices, Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
The Use of Calcium and Magnesium Hydroxides in Acid Mine Drainage Treatment

Reagent grade of calcium and magnesium hydroxides were used in this study to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) sample. AMD sample was collected from a tin tailing pond that located in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak which as pH around 2.87 ± 0.01. pH values had increased after treated with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), respectively. The maximum pH values obtained was 11.35 ± 0.01 by using 1.0 g of Ca(OH)2 at interval time 5 min. For Mg(OH)2, the highest pH value can be obtained was 7.22 ± 0.01 by using 1.0 g at interval time 30 min. The concentration of heavy metals such as aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc were reduced after reaction with both materials. For examples aluminum concentration was reduced from 110.33 mg/L to 2.80 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L by using 1.0 g of Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2, respectively.
Antibacterial Activity of Extracts of Coprinopsis Cinerea, A Coprophilous Fungus Against Multidrug Resistant Nosocomial Pathogens

Our study explored Coprinopsis cinerea (C2), a coprophilous basidiomycetous fungus isolated from horse dung to combat beta-lactamase and carbapenamase producing multidrug resistant nosocomial pathogens in vitro. The isolated strain was cultivated under sub-merged fermentation (SmF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) for 10 days at 30°C and at pH 6 in dark. After the growth period, the extracellular metabolites were extracted using polar and non-polar solvents and the extracts were subjected for antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion, microbroth dilution and time-kill kinetics assay. The methanolic extract of fruit bodies and mycelial biomass of C. cinerea (C2) grown under wheat flour agar and wheat flour broth respectively, showed significant antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae with a zone of inhibition ranging between 10 and 14 mm in diameter. On the contrary, ethyl acetate seems to be the effective solvent for extraction of antimicrobial compounds from culture filtrate of Smf and SSF grown C. cinerea (C2). Among the solid substrates (agrowaste materials), wheat bran supported maximum growth and antimicrobial metabolite production with a significant zone of inhibition ranging between 20 and 22 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ethyl acetate extract of C. cinerea (C2) culture filtrate was 3.12-12.5 mg/mL and 6.25-25 mg/mL, respectively. The time-kill kinetics assay showed the extracted metabolites of culture filtrate was bactericidal in nature.
Resveratrol slows cell growth by targeting the Warburg effect and stimulating mitochondria metabolism

ii Acknowledgments. iv List of figures . ix List of tables . xii List of abbreviations . xiii Chapter 1 – Literature review . 1 1.1 General overview . 1 1.2 Resveratrol . 2 1.3 In vivo and in vitro targets of resveratrol . 3 1.3.1 Mitochondria . 5 1.3.1.1 Mitochondrial biogenesis . 5 1.3.1.2 Mitophagy . 6 1.3.1.3 Mitochondrial morphology . 8 1.3.1.3.1 Mitochondrial Network Analysis . 10 1.3.1.4 Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species . 12 1.3.1.5 Mitochondrial antioxidant defense systems . 13 1.3.2 Warburg effect . 16 1.3. 3 Hypoxia inducible factor . 18 1.3. 3.1 Cell metabolic regulation by HIF-1 . 20 1.3. 3.2 PHD downstream targets . 21 1.3. 4. NADPH oxidases . 22 1.4 Redox signaling . 24 1.4. 1 Hydrogen peroxide . 24 1.4. 1.1 Cysteine . 25 1.4. 1.2 Transitional metal centers . 26 1.4. 2 Hydrogen peroxide detection . 27 1.5 Cell culture . 31 1.5. 1 Background . 31 1.5. 2 Influence of O2 levels in cell culture . 33 1.5. 3 Influence of glucose levels in cell culture . 37 1.5. 4 Caveats of resveratrol’s in vitro studies . 38
Comparative Study for Usage of Coconut Water from Ripe and Unripe Coconut as a Substituent for Oral Rehydration Fluid

Coconut (Cocos nucfera) is one of the major plantation crops in Sri Lanka which accounts for approximately 12% of all agricultural produce in Sri Lanka. Our country owns the fourth position of world export of all kernel products and there are various other industries producing coconut related products. Coconut water is a clear liquid found in the interior of the coconut. In a healthy and undamaged coconut, the water is considered to be sterile and in spite of being a nutrient and electrolyte rich fluid, coconut water is considered as a waste by most of the coconut related industries. Acute diarrhoeal diseases are one of the leading causes of mortality in infants and young children in many developing countries. In most cases, death is caused by dehydration. This can be easily prevented by the introduction of an electrolyte rich rehydration fluid. Therefore, the major objective of this research was to analyze the feasibility of using coconut water as a rehydration fluid. A pilot study was conducted prior to the research project to identify the major areas through which coconut enter in to a randomly selected market. As per the results, four areas from four different districts namely, Padiyagampola (Rathnapura), Galle (Galle), Mathugama (Kaluthara) and Kurunegala (Kurunegala) were selected for sample collection. Three maturity states namely pre-matured (6-7 months after flowering), matured (11-12 months after flowering) and over-matured (13-14 months after
FORMULASI KRIM DARI EKSTRAK AIR DAUN ALPUKAT (Persea americana Mill.) SEBAGAI SEDIAAN ANTI JERAWAT

Acne is a common skin condition in the community. Inflammation of acne can be caused by the bacteria Propionibacterium acne, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus. Cream is a form of acne preparations that circulate on the market, usually cream contains various chemicals, one of the side effects can irritate the skin, thus it is necessary to solution the use of materials from plants that are as antibacterial. One of the herbs that have been scientifically proven to contain antibacterial agents and that can be used to treat acne is Avocado leaves (Persea americana Mill.). This study aims to form the water extract of avocado leaf (Persea americana Mill.) To be formulated in a stable anti-acne cream preparation and can inhibit the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Formulation of avocado leaves water extract cream was made at concentrations of 12.5%, 15%, 17.5%, 20%. The results of this study indicate that the cream of avocado leaves water extract is good and physically stable for 4 weeks of storage, and is effective as an anti-acne. It is expected that this study will provide information that the natural ingredients of avocado leaves can inhibit the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus as the cause of acne bacteria.
Metástasis placentarias de melanoma maligno materno

La aparicion de metastasis placentarias o fetales secundarias a un cancer materno es un hecho infrecuente, siendo el melanoma maligno el que con mayor frecuencia metastatiza a este nivel. Presentamos el caso de una paciente gestante que a los tres anos del diagnostico y tratamiento de un melanoma maligno, desarrollo metastasis cutaneas y viscerales que afectaron a la placenta aunque no al feto. El melanoma maligno no es el tumor mas frecuente en mujeres embarazadas, pero si el que tiene mayor capacidad de afectar a la placenta o al feto.
Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils from Different Organs of Tunisian Pituranthos chloranthus (Apiaceae)

Abstract The present study reports the variability of the chemical composition and the antioxidant properties of essential oils from an endemic species of North Africa “Pituranthos chloranthus”, collected from two locations of the South-East of Tunisia (Boughrara and Naffatia) at the fruiting stage. The essentials oils extracted from the seeds and stems by hydrodistillation were analysed by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Sixty-eight compounds were identified accounting for 90.4 to 99.7 % of the whole essential oil showing the predominance of monoterpene hydrocarbons. The most abundant compounds of the seeds oils of Boughrara and Naffatia were α-pinene (32.2 %; 37.7 %) and β-pinene (27.8 %; 30.7 %), respectively. β-Phellandrene (17.2 %; 11 %), α-phellandrene (14.1 %; 7.2 %), α-pinene (11 %; 8.9 %), β-pinene (8.1%; 6.5 %) and p-cymene (5.8 %; 8.7 %) were found to be the major compounds in the stems oils of Boughrara and Naffatia, respectively. The antioxidant activities of essential oils were evaluated by reducing power assay and metal chelating activity. The obtained results revealed that the stems oils collected from Naffatia showed the highest reducing power with an EC50 value of 192 μg/ml. However, the important metal chelating activity was measured for the stems essential oils collected from Boughrara (IC50= 43 μg/ml).
Structural Insight into the In Vitro Anti-Intravasative Properties of Flavonoids

We investigated the effect of 21 flavonoids in a three-dimensional in vitro system for their ability to inhibit gap formation by MCF-7 breast cancer spheroids in monolayers of lymphendothelial cells. Different representatives of the classes of flavones, flavonols, and flavanones were tested in the circular chemorepellent-induced defects (CCID)-assay. Bay11-7082, a known inhibitor of CCID formation served as the positive control. This study provides the first comparison of the potential of flavonoids to suppress features influencing the intravasation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells aggregates through the lymph endothelial barrier. The most significant effects were seen after incubation with the flavones luteolin, chrysin, and apigenin. Additional hydroxylation or methoxylation in positions 6 or 8, as expected, resulted in decreased activity. The tested flavanones remained without or low efficacy.
Facile synthesis of hierarchical hexagonal flower-like WO3·0.33H2O nanostructures with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

Abstract Novel hierarchical hexagonal flower-like WO3·0.33H2O nanostructures (HHFWNs) have been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. We found that the hierarchical architectures of WO3·0.33H2O are self-assembled by a number of regular-shaped nanosheets of size 10–20 nm, which are cross-linked in the interior of the micro-hexagonal-flower. According to the time-dependent morphology evolution process, a possible formation mechanism is put forward. The effects of PEG-400 and H2O2 on the product are also studied. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the obtained HHFWNs was investigated for the degradation of RhB under visible light illumination. The product exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity and has good stability and reproducibility. We believe that the present work will provide some ideas for further fabrication of other novel nanostructures and exploration of their applications.
Possible protective effect of quercetin against oxidative stress in liver from metabolic syndrome rats

Amac: Metabolik sendrom (MS), yuksek seker duzeyi ve insulin direnci ile iliskilendirilen tip 2 diyabetin tipine baglidir. Tiyoredoksin-1 (TRX-1) sitoplazma ve mitokondride yerlesmistir ve hucresel reaktif oksijen turlerini kontrol eder. Bu calismanin amaci, MS sicanlarin karacigerinde, MS ve oksidatif stres arasindaki iliskiyi ve kuersetinin TRX-1 baglantili oksidatif stres uzerindeki etkisini arastirmaktir. Gerec ve Yontem: Erkek Wistar sicanlar (200-250g agirliginda) kullanildi. Uc gruba ayrildilar. Kontrol grup, MS grup (935 mM sukroz iceren icme suyu) ve kuersetin uygulanmis (15 mg/kg/gun, gavaj ile) MS grup. TRX-1 protein seviyesi Western blot ile belirlenmistir. Bulgular: MS gruptaki aspartat transaminaz (AST), alanin transaminaz (ALT), laktat dehidrojenaz (LDH) seviyeleri Kon grubu ile karsilastirildiginda artti. MS grubundaki toplam-antioksidan-durumu (TAS), superoksit-dizmutaz (SOD), ve glutatyon-peroksidaz (GSH-Px) seviyeleri Kon grubu ile karsilastirildiginda azaldi. MS grubundaki toplam-oksidan-durumu (TOS) seviyesi Kon grubu ile karsilastirildiginda azaldi. MS grubundaki trigliserit, toplam-kolesterol ve LDL-kolesterol Kon grubu ile karsilastirildiginda artti. MS grubundaki TRX-1 seviyesi Kon grubu ile karsilastirildiginda azalirken TRX-1 aktivitesi ise dustu. Sonuc: Kuersetin tedavisi AST, ALT, LDH, ve TOS seviyelerini azaltirken GSH-Px, SOD, ve TAS seviyelerini artirdi. Ayrica, yag profili de kuersetin ile degisti. Sonuc olarak, Kuersetin tedavisi, MS grubundaki TRX-1 seviyesini ve aktivitesini onemli derecede artirdi. Bu veriler MS karacigerinde artmis olan oksidatif stresin kuersetin ile azalabildigini ileri surmektedir.
The Anatomy of Interest: Women in Undergraduate Computer Science

Introduction Lily was a first-year undergraduate computer science major who entered one of the top computer science departments in the country with a great deal of enthusiasm for the subject. Her interest was first sparked in high school, when she took an advanced placement computer science course at the suggestion of her guidance counselor. “As soon as I started taking that course in programming, I realized I loved it.I absolutely loved it,” she tells us in her first interview. Her enjoyment of a summer programming job solidified her decision to major in CS. She enjoyed “the challenges the programmer faces,” and found the problem-solving to be fun.
Power and politics in project management

Power and politics have played an integral part in history since the dawn of civilization. So it should come as no surprise to find it today within the confines of your own place of employment. This thought-provoking book sheds light on power and politics, specifically in how they relate to effectively managing projects. Since projects often exist outside the traditional business structure, project management practitioners frequently have an unstable base of power and must cultivate other methods of influence. Power and Politics in Project Management offers you something that is immediately useful in your day-to-day business dealingsa better and more sensitive set of warning signals for spotting and reacting appropriately to unseemly political ploys. Pinto presents a combination of theory and practice, laying a foundation of important guiding principles that put project politics in proper context. Once you understand how pervasive political behavior is, you will learn to take steps to minimize its potentially negative effects on your projects. This is a lifesaving book every seasoned or aspiring project management practitioner should have!
Influence of Potassium Doses on the Development of Chrysanthemum Plants

Background: The chrysanthemum is one of the main flowers cultivated in the world, comprises the main merchandise of all floriculture. The difficulty in expanding the crop is related to the lack of technical information about its cultivation, mainly on the nutritional needs. Aims: Evaluate the influence of potassium doses on the development of cutting chrysanthemum plants. Place and Duration of Study: Horticulture Sector of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Espírito Santo - Campus Itapina, between May 2017 and August 2017. Methodology: The experimental design was DIC (completely randomized design) with four treatments and twenty four replications considered useful plants within each plot. The treatments consisted of three diferent doses of potassium fertilization and one control: 0 kg.ha-1 of K2O (without any application of potassium); 60 kg.ha-1 of K2O (fertilizer used by producers in the region); 120 kg.ha-1 of K2O (recommended according to the amount of potassium in the soil analysis) and 240 kg.ha-1 of K2O (double the dose recommended by the soil analysis), being used as source potassium chloride. Results: The height of the plant presented an increasing linear, the results show that the dose of 240 kg.ha-1 of K2O was adequate in order to supply potassium in the ideal amount for the growth of chrysanthemum plants. When the diameter of the stem was evaluated, a quadratic model was generated with a maximum of 7.05 mm diameter of the stem when applied 179 kg.ha-1 of K2O. An increase in the number of leaves per plant was observed, from 27 at 0 kg.ha-1 dose of K2O to 51.75 at 240 kg.ha-1 dose of K2O. When estimating the ideal dose with the equation Ŷ = 277.7146 + 4.1805*x -0.0136*x², the dose of 153.69 kg.ha-1 of K2O provided the largest leaf area, reaching the value of 598.97 cm². The SPAD (Chlorophyll content) the linear model better explained the data with coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.79. The highest volume of fresh matter found was 81.56 grams with the dose of 203.22 kg.ha-1 of K2O. Through the adjusted model was verified that the dose that maximized the dry matter of the plant with 16.17 grams, was the dose of 161.66 kg.ha-1 of K2O. Conclusion: Doses between 150 and 240 kg.ha-1 of K2O provided positive results for the development of the plant, while doses under 150 kg.ha-1 presented unsatisfactory results.
Evaluating bioactive constituents and toxicological effects of aqueous extract of fermented Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds in rats

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the bioactive constituents and the toxicological profile of the aqueous fermented seed extract of P. macrophylla. Materials and Methods: The chemical constituents of fermented P. macrophylla were assessed using GC-MS. For acute toxicity study, one-time doses of up to 5000 mg/kg of the extract were orally administered to male and female rats whereas 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of the P. macrophylla extract were orally administered daily for 14 days in sub-acute toxicity investigation. Biochemical, haematological and lipid profiles were assessed following standard methods. Results: Bioactive compounds such as citronellol and oxirane, tetradecyl- (hexadecylene oxide) were identified in the extract. In acute toxicity test, no death or sign of toxicity was identified. For sub-acute study, ALT decreased significantly (p<0.05) while HDL-C had dose-dependent increases. No effect (p<0.05) on haematological parameters except on platelets was found. No histopathological changes were observed. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the extract of fermented P. macrophylla caused no toxic effects in the rats at the tested doses. Therefore, they may be termed safe for consumption and therapeutic uses.