scholarly journals A Microencapsulation Method for Delivering Tetrodotoxin to Bivalves to Investigate Uptake and Accumulation

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Laura Biessy ◽  
Kirsty F. Smith ◽  
Susanna A. Wood ◽  
Annabel Tidy ◽  
Roel van Ginkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Humic Acid ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Solid Particles ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Marine Biotoxins ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Microencapsulation Method

Most marine biotoxins are produced by microalgae. The neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) has been reported in many seafood species worldwide but its source is unknown, making accumulation and depuration studies in shellfish difficult. Tetrodotoxin is a water-soluble toxin and cannot be directly ingested by shellfish. In the present study, a method was developed which involved binding TTX to solid particles of humic acid and encapsulating them in agar-gelatin capsules. A controlled quantity of TTX-containing microcapsules (size range 20–280 μm) was fed to Paphies australis, a bivalve known to accumulate TTX in the wild. The TTX-containing microcapsules were fed to P. australis every second day for 13 days. Ten P. australis (including five controls fed non-toxic microalgae) were harvested after 7 days and ten after 13 days. Paphies australis accumulated TTX, reaching concentrations of up to 103 µg kg−1 by day 13, exceeding the European Food Safety Authority recommended concentration of 44 μg kg−1 in shellfish. This novel method will allow future studies to explore the effects, accumulation and depuration rates of TTX in different animals and document how it is transferred through food webs.

The Emerging Role of Nanosuspensions for Drug Delivery and Stability

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitesh Kumar Dewangan
Keyword(s):  
Water Solubility ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Aqueous Solubility ◽  
Active Surface ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Active Surface Area ◽  
Specific Interest ◽  
Advanced Therapies ◽  
Processing Techniques

: Poor solubility of some medicinal compounds is a serious challenge that can be addressed by using a nano-suspension for improved delivery. The nanoparticles enhance the bioavailability along with the aqueous solubility of the drug, which is accomplished by increasing the active surface area of the drug. The gained attention of the nanosuspension is due to its stabilization facility, which is achieved by polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), having a particular size range of 10 - 100 nm. Hence, these nanoparticles have the capacity of binding to the targeted with very low damage to the healthy tissues. These are prepared by various methods, such as milling, high-pressure homogenization, and emulsification, along with melt emulsification. Moreover, surface modification and solidification have been used to add specific properties to the advanced therapies as post-processing techniques. For many decades, it has been known that water solubility hampers the bioavailability and not all drugs are water-soluble. In order to combat this obstacle, nanotechnology has been found to be of specific interest. For elevating the bioavailability by increasing the dissolution rate, the methodology of reduction of the associated drug particles into their subsequent submicron range is incorporated. For oral and non-oral administration, these nanosuspension formulations are used for the delivery of drugs.

Perceived Causal Problem Networks: Reliability, Central Problems, and Clinical Utility for Depression

Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110392
Author(s):  
Lars Klintwall ◽  
Martin Bellander ◽  
Matti Cervin
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Causal Relations ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Causal Networks ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Personalized case conceptualization is often regarded as a prerequisite for treatment success in psychotherapy for patients with comorbidity. This article presents Perceived Causal Networks, a novel method in which patients rate perceived causal relations among behavioral and emotional problems. First, 231 respondents screening positive for depression completed an online Perceived Causal Networks questionnaire. Median completion time (including repeat items to assess immediate test–retest reliability) was 22.7 minutes, and centrality measures showed excellent immediate test–retest reliability. Networks were highly idiosyncratic, but worrying and ruminating were the most central items for a third of respondents. Second, 50 psychotherapists rated the clinical utility of Perceived Causal Networks visualizations. Ninety-six percent rated the networks as clinically useful, and the information in the individual visualizations was judged to contain 47% of the information typically collected during a psychotherapy assessment phase. Future studies should individualize networks further and evaluate the validity of perceived causal relations.

Abstract 064: 20-HETE Contributes to Vasoconstriction of Renal Microvessels and Sodium Retention in Cyp4a14-/- Mice, a Model of 20-HETE Dependent Hypertension

Hypertension ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit Gilani ◽  
Varunkumar Pandey ◽  
Joseph Zullo ◽  
Priyanka Mishra ◽  
John R Falck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Isotonic Saline ◽  
Urinary Sodium Excretion ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Arachidonic Acid Metabolite ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Kidney Weight ◽  
Doppler Flowmetry ◽  
In The Wild

20-HETE (20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid), is a cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A-derived arachidonic acid metabolite. 20-HETE has been linked to both pro-hypertensive (via increased vasoconstriction, vascular remodeling and vascular injury of renal microvessels) and anti-hypertensive (inhibiting ion transport in the distal nephron) functions. In this study we examined the effect of 20-SOLA (2,5,8,11,14,17-hexaoxanonadecan-19-yl-20-hydroxyeicosa-6(Z),15(Z)-dienoate), a water soluble antagonist of the actions of 20-HETE on renal hemodynamics and sodium (Na) excretion in Cyp4a14 knockout (CYP4a14-/-) male mice. The CYP4a14-/- male mice display hypertension accompanied by increased vascular 20-HETE levels. Administration of 20-SOLA (10mg/kg/day in drinking water) normalized blood pressure (BP) in male Cyp4a14-/- mice at day 10 of treatment (124±1 vs. 153±2 mmHg in untreated male Cyp4a14-/- mice; p<0.05). The normalization of blood pressure was accompanied by transient increase in the urinary sodium excretion in the Cyp4a14-/- male mice (8.3±0.7 vs. 5.8±0.5 μmol/g body weight/day; p<0.05). Importantly, 20-SOLA increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of Cyp4a14-/- mice (2.38±0.05 vs. 1.88±0.18 μL/min/mg kidney weight, p<0.05) as opposed to no changes observed in the wild type (WT: (2.26±0.18 vs. 2.33±0.20μL/min/mg kidney weight). Evaluation of the renal blood flow (RBF) by laser Doppler flowmetry showed that treatment with 20-SOLA increased the RBF in Cyp4a14-/- mice by 12.3±4%, which remained unaltered in the WT. Additionally, the pressure-induced myogenic tone of isolated preglomerular microvessels was significantly elevated in Cyp4a14-/- mice; 20-SOLA treatment prevented the increase in myogenic responses. The natriuretic response to an isotonic saline loading challenge (10% of body weight, IP) was significantly attenuated in the Cyp4a14-/- mice as compared to the WT (35.5±2.8 vs. 57.4±8.3 percentage of Na load, p<0.05); this was corrected by 20-SOLA (61.7±5.7 percentage of Na load, p<0.05). These results confirm that 20-SOLA normalizes blood pressure of Cyp4a14-/- male mice and demonstrates that this is associated with increases in GFR, RBF and natriuresis.

scholarly journals Population structure of Uncancylus concentricus (d'Orbigny, 1835) (Ancylidae, Pulmonata, Basommatophora) in the Multiple Use Reserve Martín García Island, Upper Río de la Plata, Argentina

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
SM Martín ◽  
AC Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Size Range ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
Variable Distribution ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Uruguay River

The present work analyzes the population dynamics of Uncancylus concentricus in natural conditions in the northeastern coastal area of the Multiple Use Natural Reserve Isla Martín García (Beach of Basural), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Martín García Island is located in the Upper Río de La Plata, to the south of the mouth of the Uruguay River (34° 11' 25" S and 58° 15'38" W). Monthly collections were made from August 2005 to December 2006. The size frequency of the U. concentricus population throughout the sampling period ranges from 1.2 to 8.3 m. The changes in the size frequencies throughout the months surveyed indicate a variable distribution pattern because of the increase and decrease in water flow, but we observed a peak in the frequency of individuals within the size range 3.5 to 4.5 mm in the population. It can be concluded that this species lives for at least a year in the wild since the juveniles are highly abundant in spring and summer.

Micropatterned array to assess the interaction of single platelets with platelet factor 4-heparin-IgG complexes

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (05) ◽  
pp. 862-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystin Krauel ◽  
Nikolay Medvedev ◽  
Raghavendra Palankar ◽  
Andreas Greinacher ◽  
Mihaela Delcea
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Imaging ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Platelet Factor 4 ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Platelet Factor ◽  
Ligand Density ◽  
Heparin Complexes ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Platelet Aggregates

SummaryWe report a strategy to generate by electron beam lithography high fidelity micropatterned arrays to assess the interaction of single platelets with immobilised ligands. As a proof-of-principle we functionalised the microarrays with platelet factor 4 (PF4)-heparin-IgG complexes. We embedded biotinylated water-soluble quantum dots into polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated micropatterned arrays and functionalised them via streptavidin to bind biotinylated ligands, here biotinylated-PF4/heparin complexes. The integrity of the PF4/heparin-complexes was shown by binding of anti-PF4/heparin antibodies. Ligand density was quantified by immunofluorescence and immunogold antibody labelling. Real-time calcium imaging was employed for read-out of single platelets activated on micropatterned surfaces functionalised with PF4/heparin-IgG complexes. With the smallest micropatterns (0.5x0.5 µm) we show that single platelets become strongly activated by binding to surface-immobilised PF4/heparin-IgG, while on larger micropatterns (10x10 µm), platelet aggregates formed. These findings that HIT antibodies can cause platelet activation on microarrays illustrate how this novel method opens new avenues to study platelet function at single cell level. Generating functionalized microarray surfaces to which highly complex ligands can be bound and quantified has the potential for platelet and other cell function assays integrated into high-throughput microfluidic microdevices.

scholarly journals A novel method to quantify gene set functional association based on gene ontology

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (70) ◽  
pp. 1063-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sali Lv ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Qianghu Wang ◽  
Shangwei Ning ◽  
Teng Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Ontology ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Functional Association ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Gene Set ◽  
Complex Disorders ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Novel Method

Numerous gene sets have been used as molecular signatures for exploring the genetic basis of complex disorders. These gene sets are distinct but related to each other in many cases; therefore, efforts have been made to compare gene sets for studies such as those evaluating the reproducibility of different experiments. Comparison in terms of biological function has been demonstrated to be helpful to biologists. We improved the measurement of semantic similarity to quantify the functional association between gene sets in the context of gene ontology and developed a web toolkit named Gene Set Functional Similarity (GSFS; http://bioinfo.hrbmu.edu.cn/GSFS ). Validation based on protein complexes for which the functional associations are known demonstrated that the GSFS scores tend to be correlated with sequence similarity scores and that complexes with high GSFS scores tend to be involved in the same functional catalogue. Compared with the pairwise method and the annotation method, the GSFS shows better discrimination and more accurately reflects the known functional catalogues shared between complexes. Case studies comparing differentially expressed genes of prostate tumour samples from different microarray platforms and identifying coronary heart disease susceptibility pathways revealed that the method could contribute to future studies exploring the molecular basis of complex disorders.

The effects of a water-soluble alpha tetra-substituted zinc phthalocyanine derivative onArthrospira platensis-M2 strain

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (08) ◽  
pp. 686-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armağan Günsel ◽  
Hatice Tunca ◽  
Ahmet T. Bilgiçli ◽  
Ali Doğru ◽  
M. Nilüfer Yaraşir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Arthrospira Platensis ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Zinc Phthalocyanine ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
Future Studies

In this study, we have analyzed the effect a newly synthesized water-soluble alpha tetra-substituted zinc phthalocyanine (Pc) compound on superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities and biomass accumulation in the Arthrospira platensis-M2 strain to test whether this compound could be used as an algaecide or not. We found that lower concentrations (3 μg mL[Formula: see text] and 6 μg mL[Formula: see text] of Pc compound were not toxic to algae cells, as indicated by enduring biomass accumulation during the study (7 days). Higher Pc concentrations, however, were toxic and inhibited biomass accumulation. This inhibition appeared on the fourth day and persisted during the study. At higher Pc concentrations, SOD activity decreased significantly, but APX and GR activity were not affected. These results may show that Pc applications did not cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in Arthrospira platensis-M2 cells. Our result suggests that higher Pc concentrations did not cause oxidative stress but biomass accumulation inhibited, possibly due to some different toxicity mechanism(s), which should be carried out in the future studies. As a result, we may offer use of this compound as a means to keep under control algal populations in natural environments.

MELT GRANULATION: AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL GRANULATION TECHNIQUES

INDIAN DRUGS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (03) ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
U.S Desai ◽  
◽  
P.D Chaudhari ◽  
D.B. Bhavsar ◽  
R.P. Chavan
Keyword(s):  
Solid Particles ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing ◽  
Water Soluble Polymers ◽  
Soluble Polymers ◽  
Manufacturing Operations ◽  
Processing Techniques ◽  
Fast Release ◽  
Melt Granulation ◽  
Hydrophobic Material

Melt granulation is a size enlargement process in which the addition of a binder that melts or softens at relatively low temperatures (about 60o C) is used to achieve agglomeration of solid particles in the formulation. The process utilizes materials that are effective as granulating agents when they are in the softened or molten state. This process can be used for the preparation of sustained released dosage forms by using lipophilic polymers, such as glycerol monostearate, a combination of a hydrophobic material such as a starch derivative and stearic acid. It also can be used to prepare fast release melt granules by utilizing water-soluble polymers and surfactants, such as PEG and poloxomers. Melt granulation is one of the most widely applied processing techniques in the array of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.

A Simple Method to Determine Cytotoxicity of Water-Soluble Organic Compounds and Solid Particles from Biomass Combustion in Lung Cells in Vitro

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 3959-3968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Zotter ◽  
Stéphane Richard ◽  
Marcel Egli ◽  
Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser ◽  
Thomas Nussbaumer
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Solid Particles ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Lung Cells ◽  
Simple Method

scholarly journals For Whom the Gamer Trolls: A Study of Trolling Interactions in the Online Gaming Context

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Cook ◽  
Rianne Conijn ◽  
Juliette Schaafsma ◽  
Marjolijn Antheunis
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Topic Modelling ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
League Of Legends

Abstract The present study aimed to expand our understanding of trolling interactions by examining 10,025 community-reported trolling incidents in the online game League of Legends to determine what characterizes messages sent by trolls, their teammates, and their opponents. To do this, we used a novel method blending content analysis and topic modelling. Contrary to extant literature, our study of complete trolling interactions found striking similarities between teammates’ and trolls’ chats, with both displaying the negative traits (e.g., exclusionary language) typically attributed to trolls. Findings also suggest that the transition from victim to perpetrator can occur extremely rapidly. This has important implications for the labelling of actors in trolling interactions, for future studies into the trolling cycle, and for theories of computer-mediated communication.

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