CircRNAs have the potential to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of lipid diseases

CircRNAs have the potential to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of lipid diseases, and further study and development is needed in the future. Further advancements, for example, are required in disease-oriented critical circRNA screening technology, which can analyze differentially expressed circRNAs in different tissues and screen out the key circRNAs, providing valuable biomarkers for diagnosis or targets to treat lipid disorder diseases. We need to figure out how to modulate circRNA expression upstream, such as biogenesis and decay, or how to directly upregulate or downregulate certain circRNA expression, setting the framework for clinical intervention in certain critical circRNA in the etiology of certain lipid disorders illness. Understanding the principles governing circRNAsponging mciroRNAs is critical because it will aid in the development of new nucleic acid treatments for lipid diseases.Engineered circRNA with bulged miRNA binding sites effectively sponged the miRNA132/212 family and attenuated myocardial hypertrophy with a low dosage requirement, extended half-lives, high efficiency, and stability when compared to the antagomir, suggesting that it has exciting potential as a novel therapeutic tool. These studies will pave the way for circRNAs to be employed as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets for lipid diseases in the clinic.

A few attempts to increase the amount of a drug coated onto the microneedles

As an approach of painless administration, coated microneedles (MNs) have an increasing attention on the drug loading capacity to meet higher drug dosage requirement. In this work, the solid and coated MNs were successfully fabricated using hot-compaction process and dipping with a dam board reservoir. The maximum drug loading of different height, arrays and coating solutions reached 118 μg, which was hundreds of times the unmodified coated MNs. The in vitro drug delivery was also evaluated and the result revealed that the coated MNs fabricated could achieve about 90% drug delivery efficiency. The insulin-coaded MNs holding 0.5 IU of insulin were fabricated with dipping method, which had the same therapeutic effect on diabetic mice compared with the injection of the same dose. All the results demonstrated that coated MNs could meet the dosage needs of diseases by improving the height, arrays and coating solutions.

Using ferric sulfate, sodium hydroxide, and chitosan to harvest marine microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and recycling the culture medium

Microalgae are widely used in biofuels, medicine, food, and feed industries. However, harvesting microalgal biomass is a major difficulty that hinders their industrial application. In this study, three flocculants (ferric sulfate, sodium hydroxide, and chitosan) were used to harvest the marine microalga Chlorella vulgaris, and floc characteristics including flocculation efficiency, concentration factor, and flocs morphology were studied. The results showed that the tested flocculants can efficiently harvest C. vulgaris. The flocculation efficiencies of ferric sulfate (0.9 g/L), sodium hydroxide (0.6 g/L), and chitosan (30 mg/L) were 93.4% ± 0.8%, 96.5% ± 0.6%, and 98.8% ± 1.3% within 70, 100, and 12 min, respectively. The total carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids contents in C. vulgaris were not influenced by the test flocculants after harvesting. When compared with fresh f/2 medium, the recycled medium could also efficiently support C. vulgaris growth. Among the three flocculants tested, chitosan was ideal owing to its high efficiency, low dosage requirement, short harvesting time, and reutilization of culture medium.

Selection of Iron-based Additives for Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion of Sludge using the Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach

Enhancement of anaerobic digestion is vital for substrate solubilization and increased biogas production at a reduced cost. The use of several iron-based additives has proven effective in improving overall bio-digester performance during anaerobic digestion sludge. This study evaluates different iron-based additives for the selection of the best additive from the alternatives using a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) approach. The weights of the attributes were computed with the entropy weight technique and the ranking of the alternatives were performed using order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. Five attributes and thirteen frequently used alternatives were selected for evaluation. The result showed that additive cost and dosages were assigned the highest weight of 62.37 % and 27.46 %, respectively. Based on the performance scores of 99.15 %, 20 mg/L of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs-20) ranked best (number 1) among considered alternatives for enhancement of anaerobic digestion of sludge. The outcome of this evaluation agrees with previous experimental results and suggests that the choice of an effective iron-based additive should be based on its biogas enhancement potential and cost-effectiveness (low dosage requirement and low price).

Comparison of Dosage Requirement of Erythropoietin Stimulating Agent (ESA) in Maintenance of Hemoglobin Concentration in patients undergoing twice weekly versus thrice weekly Hemodialysis in Pakistani Population

Anemia is one of the major complications of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and also increases morbidity and mortality. Anemia in patients with CKD can be due to two major reasons; iron deficiency or erythropoietin insufficiency. Erythropoietin Stimulating Agent (ESAs) administration is the mainstay in treating anemia if the patient is iron sufficient. However, higher doses of ESAs have been associated with increased cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. We conducted this study to see how much erythropoietin is required in our setting in iron sufficient patients to maintain hemoglobin(Hb) level and the effect of dialysis frequency on ESA doses. Methods and Findings: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Nephrology at Ziauddin University Hospital. Patients’ charts were reviewed for Hb levels and doses of ESA to maintain Hb between 10-12 mg/dl. Patients were excluded if they had iron deficiency, malignancy, were on immunosuppressive agents, had renal transplant, and with Hb >12 mg/dl or <10 mg/dl and their ferritin levels, transferrin saturation, hemoglobin concentration, frequency of hemodialysis and ESA dosage were monitored. We also compared these variables between patients undergoing hemodialysis thrice weekly with those undergoing hemodialysis twice a week. A total of 105 patients were analyzed. 24 were excluded as they did not match the inclusion criteria. 81 patients were included in the study. 36 (44.4%) were males and 45 (55.6%) were females. Mean age of the patient was 56.47 ± 11.72 years. The average dose of ESA was 106.91 ± 61.47 for patients undergoing hemodialysis thrice weekly and 183.94 ± 116.71 for patients undergoing hemodialysis twice a week. Significant difference was found to exist between dosage of patients undergoing thrice weekly dialysis versus twice weekly dialysis(p=<0.001). Our study has limitations. First our study only looked at Hb levels, iron stores and dosages of ESA, while other factors like Parathyroid Hormone(PTH) levels and Vitamin B12 were not considered that may have a role in anemia of chronic renal disease. In addition, it was a study limited to one center only and a multicenter trial should be taken to validate the results. We have reported one aspect of dialysis vintage i.e. high ESA dosage requirement Conclusion: We found that patients undergoing hemodialysis three times a week require recommended dosage of ESA; however those undergoing hemodialysis less than three times a week require higher dosage of ESA to maintain Hb level. Here we report significant effect of hemodialysis on ESA dosage to maintain same level of Hb.

Levothyroxine Dosage Requirement During Pregnancy in Well-Controlled Hypothyroid Women: A Longitudinal Study

<p><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Untreated maternal hypothyroidism can have adverse effects on both the mother and fetus, but it can potentially be prevented by adequate levothyroxine replacement. This study was conducted to determine what percentage of hypothyroid pregnant women who were taking levothyroxine needed to adjust their medication dosage, and when and how much it should be increased.</p><p><strong>METHODS</strong><strong>:</strong> In this longitudinal study, 81 well-controlled hypothyroid women (TSH≤ 2.5 mIU/L) were monitored throughout pregnancy. Thyroid function tests were performed before conception, after the first missed menstrual period, in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and one month after delivery. Levothyroxine dosage was adjusted according to TSH levels measured. <strong> </strong></p><p><strong>RESULTS</strong><strong>:</strong> Of the 81 pregnancies studied, the pregnancy outcomes were 74 full-term births, six abortions and one pre-term birth. The levothyroxine dosage needed to be increased in 84% (CI95%= 74-90) of the pregnancies (OR=5.2, CI95%= 2.9-9.4). Most levothyroxine dose adjustments were made in the first trimester of gestation. The levothyroxine requirement increased 50% (CI95%= 41-59) in the first trimester, 55% (CI95%= 45-64) in the second trimester and 62% (CI95%= 52-72) in the third trimester. Levothyroxine dosage was decreased for 6 cases (7.4%), and no adjustment was made for 7 women (8.6%).</p><p><strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong><strong>:</strong> Increases in levothyroxine dosage administered in pregnancy appear to be indispensible in the majority of patients with well-controlled hypothyroidism, especially in the first trimester. However, this change was not universal and levothyroxine dosage decreased in a few cases and remained unchanged in others.</p>

FTIR SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES ON CROSS LINKING OF SU-8 PHOTORESIST

The usage of chemically-amplified, negative tone SU-8 photoresist is numerous, spanning industrial, scientific and medical fields. Hence, in this study, some preliminary studies were conducted to understand the dosage and heat treatment requirements of the SU-8 photoresist essential for pattern generation using X-ray lithography. In this work, using Synchrotron as the X-ray source, SU-8 photoresist was characterized for X-ray lithography in terms of its process parameters such as X-ray exposure dose, post exposure bake (PEB) time and temperature for various photoresist thicknesses which is considered worthwhile in view of applications of SU-8 for the fabrication of very high aspect ratio micro structures. The process parameters were varied and the resultant cross linking of the molecular chains of the photoresist was accurately monitored using a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrometer and the results are discussed. The infrared absorption peak at 914 cm-1 in the spectrum of the SU-8 photoresist was found to be a useful indicator for the completion of cross linking in the SU-8 photoresist. Results show that the cross linking of the SU-8 photoresist is at a higher rate from 0 J/cm3 to 30 J/cm3 after which the peak almost saturates regardless of the PEB time. It is a good evidence for the validation of dosage requirement of SU-8 photoresist for effective completion of cross linking, which in turn is a requirement for efficient fabrication of micro and nano structures. An analogous behavior was also observed between the extent of cross linking and the PEB time and temperature. The rate of cross linking declines after a certain period of PEB time regardless of PEB temperature. The obtained results also show a definite relation between variation of the absorbance area of the peak at 914 cm-1 and the X-ray exposure dose.