Abstract:Hypertrophic scars represent the most common complication resulting from burn injury, and their pathological hallmark is excessive deposition of fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix proteins. Calpain, a calcium-dependent endopeptidase, mediates fibroblast activation and collagen synthesis, leading to the development of certain fibrotic diseases; however, its role in hypertrophic skin scar formation following a burn injury remains unclear. In this study, a detailed evaluation of the expression and activity of calpain in skin fibroblasts obtained directly from patients with third-degree burns, who subsequently developed post-burn hypertrophic scars, was performed. Furthermore, the antifibrotic effect of targeted inhibition of calpain by PD150606 on post-burn skin scarring was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The mRNA and protein expression and activity of calpain were significantly higher in burn wound fibroblasts from patients than in normal cells. Selective inhibition of calpain by PD150606 significantly reduced the proliferation of burn wound fibroblasts as well as the mRNA and protein expression of calpain, transforming growth factor-beta 1, α-smooth muscle actin, type I and type III collagens, fibronectin, and vimentin in these cells. Furthermore, the molecular, histological, and visual effects related to post-burn scar suppression by PD150606 were verified in murine burn models. The results obtained herein highlight the pathophysiological role of calpain and indicate that calpain inhibition by PD150606 could serve as a new therapeutic strategy for preventing hypertrophic scar formation following burn injury.
Abstract:This study develops a validated model for agribusinesses to measure and manage the brand loyalty of farmer-customers. The Moolla brand loyalty model served as a theoretical foundation and applies 12 selected brand loyalty antecedents in three categories (behavioural, attitudinal and other antecedents) to measure and manage brand loyalty. A geographically stratified convenience sample collected data with a structured questionnaire from 167 farmers in the North West and Free State Provinces of South Africa. The structured model has a good fit (CFI=0.896; GFI=0.964), and agribusiness managers can use it confidently to implement managerial interventions to improve competitiveness via improved brand loyalty marketing strategies. These strategies should include managing towards improving the farmer customers Attitudes (α=0.833) by focusing on the antecedents Communication (0.86), Relationship Proneness (0.75), and Brand affect (0.70). The customers’ Behaviour (α=0.833) also requires managerial interventions using the variables, and their specific contributing antecedents Involvement (0.89), Culture (0.80), and Switching cost (0.79).
Abstract:Energy Efficiency & Life Time of Network play critical role in design of Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) and have been cross-layer design issues. Due to unique characteristics of WSN it is not possible, most of the time, to design common design solutions. Thus, energy efficiency and life time of network have been topics of paramount research importance even to till date. Researchers have been constantly applying wide variety of techniques like mathematical structures etc., to achieve improved energy efficiency and life time. In this context, this research paper is motivated to describe the taxonomy of techniques applied for maximizing energy efficiency & life time of network, detailed state-of-the art on the Tree, Chain, Cluster based approaches for maximizing energy efficiency and life time of WSN. As its contribution, this paper also presents a critical performance evaluation of representative protocols chosen from the category of Tree, Chain, and Cluster based approaches with respect to selected performance parameters. The performance evaluation also summarize the issues observed in case of application of Trees in WSN. Further, paper will be concluded by presenting a brief discussion about the feasibility study on application of Red Black Trees in WSN for maximizing energy efficiency and life time of network.
Abstract:Objective: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the most influential factors affecting graft survival. The aim in this study is to evaluate the preventive efficacy of the IL-18 Binding Protein (IL-18BP) in preventing ischemia/reperfusion injury in an autologous renal transplant model in rats.\nMethods: Group 1 (Sham): The abdomen will be opened and then closed again after a right nephrectomy. Group 2 (I/R): Following a right nephrectomy, the left kidney will be perfused with a 0.9% saline solution. Group 3 (I/R&UW;): Following a right nephrectomy, left kidney perfused with a University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. Group 4 (IL-18BP): IL-18BP (100µg/kg) will be administered intraperitoneally 30 minutes. The left kidney will be perfused with a UW solution. The left kidney will be removed after 24 hours for analysis. \nResults: When the serum and tissue cytokine levels were analyzed, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL1-β, IL-6 and IL-18 levels were found to be significantly decreased in the sham group when compared to the levels in the I/R group. Serum and tissue TNF-α, IL1-β, IL-6 and IL-18 levels were found to be significantly decreased in the treatment group compared to the levels in the I/R group. TAS levels were increased in the treatment group, whereas TOS and OSI levels were significantly decreased in the IL-18BP treatment group, and a histopathological evaluation revealed tubular degeneration in the same group. \nConclusion: The IL-18BP has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on renal I/R injury.
Abstract:Abstract\n Proteomics is the study of platelet proteins with the molecules that regulates unknown platelet functions associated diseases related to the platelets. Various application of proteomics includes: to study (a) whole platelet proteome in either resting or activated condition (b) platelet subproteomes granules and micro-particles (c) platelet PTMs (phosphosproteome, glycoproteome, palmitoylome). LCMS analysis was performed in Thermo Orbitrap fusion tribird mass spectrometer coupled with an EASY-NLC 1200 series system after the protein pellets were dissolved in urea buffer (8M urea/2M thiourea) and then sample concentration were evaluated utilizing Nanodrop. 34 de-novo proteins were identified and analysis was done. Fold change >1.5 considered as down-regulation of the protein expression in comparison to control group while fold change <0.98 consider as down-regulation of protein expression. Platelet proteomics provides astounding information about underline platelet-related diseases, though several other changes still remain to be studied. However, we are confident that the in-cooperation of the most recent advances in MS-based techniques in platelets proteomics studies will allow further description of the mechanisms implicated in diseases and find out new biomarkers or drug targets.\n\nKeywords: Proteomics, Platelets ,Human, Platelet additive solution
Abstract:The study intended to determine the proximate composition, caloric value, carbohydrate profile and selected minerals of the following cereal crops: Pigmented rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties (waxy-type purple rice ‘Ballatinao’ (PR) and non-waxy type red rice ‘Malagaya tapol’ (RR)), non-pigmented rice varieties (waxy type ‘Malagkit Songsong’ (MS) and non-waxy type ‘IR-64’), alday (Coix lachryma-Jobi L.) and Obatanpa x Lagkitan (OxL) variety corn (Zea mays L. ‘Los Baños Lagkitan’). Results revealed that all cereal crops exhibited a low moisture content (3.00-4.16%) which makes them store for a long time. IR-64 had the highest fat content of 4.76%, significant (p<0.05) to the values exhibited by adlay and OxL, but not significant (p>0.05) to the values of RR, PR and MS. It was also observed that adlay had the highest values for protein (11.94%), total ash (1.64%) and iron (1.59mg/100g). On the other hand, MS recorded the highest amount of fiber (3.40%) and RR contained the highest amount of zinc (1.76mg/100g) and caloric value (399.85 kcal/100g). OxL exhibited the highest carbohydrates among the samples. Carbohydrate profile analysis revealed that all rice varieties showed the highest amount (p<0.05) of starch content (84.45-85.45%) while adlay and MS recorded the highest amylose content (26.18%) and amylopectin content (76.63%), respectively. Overall, these cereal crops were shown to be rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals justifying their use in diets and potential use for future product development.
Abstract:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic forced a change of perspective in mental health professionals. COVID-19 leads to a full cascade of stress responses, causing activation of the endocrine stress axis at several levels and the production of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, as in many mental illnesses. The main objective of the study is to describe the profile of patients with COVID-19 infection attended by the Psychiatry Service during the first wave.Participants and procedureAn observational, retrospective study, based on a sample of patients who were admitted due to infection with COVID-19 was carried out. Clinical data was extracted from the medical records. 71 Individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and who were attended by a psychiatrist were recruited from an inpatient hospital in the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain.Results93% of the sample had a psychiatric diagnose, being adjustment disorder (44%) the most frequent. There was a significant association between a previous psychiatric history and a specific consultation on drug interaction with drugs used to treat COVID-19 and psychiatric medication (P=0.0036) and the use of corticosteroids and the need to prescribe psychiatric treatment (P= 0.012).ConclusionsThe current study suggests that specialists showed great concern for the possibility of drug interactions and that the use of corticosteroids predicted the need of further psychopharmacological treatment in COVID-19 patients.
Abstract:The experience of European organizations regarding the issues of forest industry sustainable development are analyzed in the article. The peculiarities in the implementation of forest industry sustainable development concepts are considered on the examples of Germany, Belgium, Finland and other leading EU states. \nAttention is accentuated on modernizing of the current legislation of Ukraine on the premises and aspirations of harmonizing the Ukrainian legislation with that of the EU in order to improve and implement progressive and efficient methods of forest management aimed at natural resources conservation and their inexhaustible consumption and restoration.\nThe work of the state specialized scientific institutions is analyzed, and the research areas of forest institutes have been determined, along with substantiation of their significance and input in further solving of tasks and perspectives of forestry development.
Abstract:Art has served as a communicative tool since its origins, as propaganda, as advertising, for business purposes. Art has been a profusely treated concept since the origins of mankind, posing certain challenges to research and whose intertextuality with other discourses is evident. \nThe relationship between communication and art has received considerable attention in scientific research and artistic production, with both disciplines drawing on each other\'s precepts. Thus, advertising takes artistic movements to the street, abandoning their traditional exhibition supports and becoming a powerful resource in advertising.\nIn this text, through the methodology of discourse analysis, we study the attribution to advertising of the basic aims of transtextual relations, pursuing the objectives of seeking authority and introducing the effect of complicity and recognition in the target audience and consumer. In this case, the result of the confluence between artistic guidelines and communicative purpose was an extensive persuasive campaign and the creation of a powerful brand image, which is analysed here and dissected in communicative and enterprise terms.
Abstract:The overwhelming volumes of data coupled with advanced software infrastructure at the disposal of Big Data analysts (Data Scientist) compared to that of yesteryears, should have made it easy for fruitful extrapolation and analysis of data. By so doing, obtain credible and meaningful information and scientific conclusions, thereby enhancing decision making. Big Data Analytics helps Organizations, Governments, Agencies, Institutions, Researchers, Businesses, and many more to harness their data and use it to identify new opportunities and scientific discoveries. The Hadoop Common is a set of standard utilities and libraries which handle other Hadoop modules. It ensures that the hardware failures are managed by the Hadoop cluster automatically. New statistical thinking, as well as computational methods, are required to face the challenges of Big Data head-on. One of the biggest problems associated with Facebook\'s data is the credibility or the authenticity of the data. Issues such as noise accumulation, incidental endogeneity, heterogeneity, and spurious correlations, together with balancing the statistical accuracy and computational efficiency associated with Big Data, need to look at before designing effective analytical procedures for examining and predicting Big Data. Facebook data is necessarily at best, a fuzzy source of truth, but that does not mean it cannot be used to make scientific discoveries or essential business decisions. Data analysts, businesses, and security agencies should, at best, analyze Facebook\'s data with other different sources of data before making any decisive decisions.