Chemiluminescence Technique Research Articles

Surveillance analysis of the effects of dietary and lifestyle determinants on plasma homocysteine levels by combining the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in a rural North Indian population

AimThe objective of the present study was to understand the effect of dietary and lifestyle determinants on plasma homocysteine levels by combining the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in a rural North Indian population. MethodsA total of 1634 participants were recruited under a major government sponsored research project through door to door survey. The participants (both men and women and aged 30–65 years) were recruited from a Mendelian population. Of these 1459 participants were considered for the present analysis, as they were neither on any kind of medication for high blood pressure, CAD, diabetes or any other disorder nor did they have any missing data. Informed written consent was obtained from all the participants. Data on dietary and other lifestyle factors was collected in face-to-face interview through structured interview schedules. 5 ml of intravenous blood was collected from all the participants for biochemical and molecular analysis. Homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 analysis was estimated through Immulite 1000 by chemiluminescence technique. Genetic variation in the MTHFR C677T genotype was analyzed using PCR-RFLP technique. ResultThe prevalence of hyperhomocystenemia (Hyphcy), folate and vitamin B12 deficiency was found to be 69.92%, 32.53% and 57.86% respectively. 677 T allele of MTHFR was found to be associated with Hyphcy. Men had significantly higher levels of homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 as compared to the women. Age was found to be positively associated with homocysteine levels among women. Lifestyle determinants were found to be associated with increased risk for Hyphcy among the men. ConclusionThe findings reveal that there is high frequency of vitamin B12 levels deficiency and Hyphcy in the studied population. This is likely to contribute to increased susceptibility to numerous disorders. Therefore, it is the need of the hour that the general population is made aware of the benefits of consumption of vitamin B12 rich foods and the same is promoted in the population.

Nonenzymatic chemiluminescence detection of circulating tumor cells in blood based on Au@luminol nanoparticles, hybridization chain reaction and magnetic isolation

Circulating tumor cell (CTC) analysis has great significance for cancer diagnosis and monitoring. However, selective capture and quantification of CTCs from whole blood remains challenging due to the extremely scare number of CTCs. Here, we developed a simple method for ultrasensitive detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) based on enzyme-free chemiluminescence reaction, hybridization chain reaction (HCR) signal amplification and magnetic enrichment and isolation. In this detection system, the CTCs-spectific aptamer AS1411 modified magnetic nanoparticles were employed to identify and isolate CTCs from whole blood samples; Au@luminol nanoparticles-HCR assembly (ALHA) containing multiple MUC1 aptamer (specific to a type of CTCs, MCF-7) acted as both the response signal and specific recognition element for sensing CTCs;. On the basis of the chemiluminescence properties of Au@luminol nanoparticles in K2S2O8 solution, the captured CTCs can be sensitively detected using enzyme-free chemiluminescence technique. Furthermore, due to the amplified effect of HCR, the detection sensitivity could be as low as 3 MCF-7 cells /mL. Sensitive, selective results and simple instrument made this method should be useful for further CTCs-related routine applications.

An experimental study of a very high-pressure diesel injector (up to 5000 bar) by means of optical diagnostics

The aim of this work is to investigate a novel very high-pressure diesel injector under different working conditions. Furthermore, the aim of this work is also to analyse the behaviour of the evaporation, mixing and combustion of a diesel spray in a quiescent environment at very high injection pressures. In order to achieve this, the injector was first characterized from 2500 bar to 4000 bar of injection pressure. Then, an experimental matrix was designed to study the high-pressure spray under (i) cold non-evaporating, (ii) evaporating non-reactive and (iii) reactive conditions under different injection pressures up to 5000 bar. The experiments were carried out in a constant volume cell equipped with optical accesses. This allowed the application of the schlieren, mie-scattering and OH* chemiluminescence techniques at high speed to quantify the propagation of the spray through the ambient gases. The injector used was a prototype single-hole axial injector working with reference diesel as the injection fluid. The results showed a strong dependency of the spray tip penetration on the injection pressure. In some conditions creating shock waves inside the chamber that would disrupt the spray flow, causing it to mix better. Although the higher exit velocities made the fuel travel faster, resulting in longer penetrations of both phases, it also caused the fuel to evaporate faster due to slightly better mixing, resulting in similar liquid length values. This increased momentum enhanced mixing, resulting also in shorter ignition delay times. The higher velocities caused the flame base to stabilise further from the nozzle, which led to longer lift-off lengths.

Quercetin increases bioavailability of nitric oxide in the jejunum of euglycemic and diabetic rats and induces neuronal plasticity in the myenteric plexus.

Considering the antioxidant, neuroprotective, inflammatory and nitric oxide modulatory actions of quercetin, the aim of this study was to test the effect of quercetin administration in drinking water (40mg/day/rat) on neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), overall population of myenteric neurons (HuC/D) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the jejunal samples from diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were distributed into four groups (8 rats per group): euglycemic (E), euglycemic administered with quercetin (E+Q), diabetic (D) and diabetic administered with quercetin (D+Q). Rats were induced to diabetes with streptozotocin (35mg/kg/iv) and, after 120days, the proximal jejunum were collected and processed for immunohistochemical (VIP, nNOS and HuC/D) and chemiluminescence (quantification of tissue NO levels) techniques. Diabetes mellitus reduced the number of nNOS-IR (immunoreactive) (p<0.05) and HuC/D-IR (p<0.001) neurons, however, promoted an increased morphometric area of nNOS-IR neurons (p<0.001) and VIP-IR varicosities (p <0.05). In D+Q group, neuroplasticity effects were observed on HuC/D-IR neurons, accompanied by a reduction of cell body area of neurons nNOS- and VIP-IR varicosities (p<0.05). The NO levels were increased in the E+Q (p<0.05) and D+Q group (p<0.001) compared to the control group. In conclusion, the results showed that quercetin supplementation increased the bioavailability of NO in the jejunum in euglycemic and mitigate the effects of diabetes on nNOS-IR neurons and VIP-IR varicosities in the myenteric plexus of diabetic rats.

Epidemiological, Clinical and Virological Characteristics of Patients with Hepatitis C in Morocco

Objectives: In Morocco, the exact and recent prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is not well-known, due to the lack of recent epidemiological studies of the general Moroccan population. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV and to describe the epidemiological, clinical and virological characteristics of patients infected with HCV diagnosed at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital in Rabat, Morocco.&#x0D; Methods: This was a prospective study, spread over a period of 3 years (April 2015 - April 2018). All patients with a positive anti-HCV serology were included in the study except those on hemodialysis. In addition to HCV serology, all patients included benefited from HIV serology as well as the Hbs antigen by a Chemiluminescent type Microparticle Immuno-Assay technique (Architect®, Abbott). RNA viral load and HCV genotyping was carried out using a real-time polymerase chain reaction.&#x0D; Results: We collected 14,944 samples, of which 269 had positive anti-HCV antibodies (1.8%). The average age of patients with positive HCV serology was 61 years, the sex ratio (Male/Female) was 1.4. Dental care was identified in 53% of the cases. Viral hepatitis C was identified in 82% of cases during a systematic check up. The main clinical signs reported in our series were asthenia (25% of cases) and subicterus (7% of cases).&#x0D; Conclusion and Implications for Translation: In Morocco, the exact prevalence of HCV infection is not well known, due to the lack of recent epidemiological studies of the general Moroccan population. Our study showed a prevalence of about 1.8% which is in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimation of between 1% and 2.49%.Our Epidemiological study provides important on the extent of the problem in Morocco, it raises the interest of mass screening and describes the populations at risk that will need to be identified as a priority.&#x0D; Key words: • Epidemiology • Diagnosis • Hepatitis C • Morocco • Risk factor • Military Hospital • Virology&#x0D; &#x0D; Copyright © 2020 Tagajdid et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Antioxidant Silver-based Biogenic Systems Generated from Arctium lappa Leaves

This work aims at designing through a �green� bottom-up strategy, four types of bio-based systems containing artificial cell membranes (with or without vitamin C) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) phyto-generated from aqueous extract of Arctium lappa leaves. The �green� approaches for AgNP synthesis, by using the vast bioreducing potential of plants are low-cost and eco-friendly procedures.Exploiting vegetal wastes as precursors for phyto-metallic nanoparticles has received attention from scientific community in the last years due to its significant economic and environmental impacts. UV-Vis absorption spectra demonstrated the biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles which exhibited a strong SPR peak located at 437 nm wavelengths. The formation of the biocomposites containing the �green� synthesized AgNPs has been demonstrated by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering measurements. DLS results highlighted the nanoscale size of the prepared �green� AgNPs. The physical stability of the obtained silver-based systems was evaluated through zeta potential values, based on electrophoretic mobility. The systems loaded with vitamin C proved to be more stable and showed enhanced antioxidant activities (between 72.3% to 88% evaluated by chemiluminescence technique). Our results demonstrated that these developed silver-based biogenic systems generated from Arctium lappa leaves could be used as antioxidant agents in various biomedical applications.

Chemiluminescence-based characterization of tail biogas combustion stability under syngas and oxygen-enriched conditions

After the biogas is upgraded to CH4, a waste stream (tail biogas) is obtained, which contains methane in the order of few to tens vol.%. However, the composition of tail biogases can be unstable, therefore, safety should be maintained during the onsite combustion processes. Accordingly, a process control system with various sensors needs to be introduced. This study aims to analyze the experimental limits of flame stability using the chemiluminescence technique during the premixed combustion of low calorific tail biogas (mixture of CH4 with 15–30 vol% concentration in CO2) by adding oxygen or syngas. For the experimental investigation, a flat flame burner mounted in an enclosed combustion chamber was used. The stability of the flame was analyzed via the lift-off height by capturing the flame chemiluminescence from the excited OH* (282.9 nm), CH* (387.1 nm), and C2* (514.0 nm) radicals.This study reveals that the chemiluminescence spatial intensity of species such as OH*, CH*, and C2* is enhanced with an increase in the addition of syngas and oxygen. The peak position of the emission intensities in the flame shifts depending on the composition of gases, showing the existence of unstable flame that can reach its blow-off limit. When syngas is added, an excess of air leads to an increase in flame lifting; however, an O2 surplus results in more stable flame with minimized lifting. Moreover, it was determined that the lifting height of the flame is higher when syngas is added as compared to O2 enrichment. Finally, the flue gas emissions, such as CO and NOx, were examined and the most influential formation parameter was determined.

Utilisation of the chemiluminescence method to measure the radiation dose enhancement caused by gold nanoparticles: A phantom-based study

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are being investigated extensively for their role as radiosensitisers. Studies have shown that they are effective dose enhancing agents. One of the main factors that enables AuNPs to function as dose enhancing agents is their ability to generate reactive oxygen species under X-ray irradiation. In this study, we investigated this issue utilising a chemiluminescence technique with 3’-(p-aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) in a phantom. First, we examined the time variation and dose response of the fluorescence intensity of APF for spherical 50 nm AuNPs exposed to a 6 MV photon beam. The APF reagent was added to the AuNPs suspension in a small tube fixed in a water phantom. The fluorescence intensities of APF were measured using a microplate reader. Next, based on the APF response, we evaluated the dose enhancements caused by AuNPs in a 6 MV flattening filter (FF) and flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beams and doses of either 2, 4, or 6 Gy. While the time variation of APF fluorescence intensity without AuNPs was less than 5% after X-ray irradiation, we observed an increase in the fluorescence intensity over time in the presence of AuNPs without the radiation. The APF signals had a linear response to X-ray irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. The measured dose enhancement ratios for the FFF beam were significantly higher than that for the FF beam in the presence of 30 μg/ml AuNPs. This result shows APF can successfully detect differences in dose enhancement between the FF and FFF beams using AuNPs. In conclusion, the chemiluminescence technique using APF is a useful and simple method to estimate the level of dose enhancement caused by nanoparticles in a phantom.

Seroprevalences of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies among Ghana\u2019s healthy population

Autoantibodies, which are antibodies that target self-epitopes, have considerable diagnostic, prognostic and predictive value in specific autoimmune diseases. Various infectious agents have been linked via numerous mechanisms to the formation of different autoantibodies. Therefore, estimating the prevalence of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies in different populations is of high importance. Different genetic and environmental pressures, such as these found in Ghana’s different geographical provinces, may affect the prevalence of autoantibodies. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of a diverse panel of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies among the healthy Ghanaian population and investigated possible environmental and genetic predispositions for autoantibodies and autoimmunity. The sera of 406 healthy individuals were obtained from Greater Accra, Upper West, Eastern and Volta regions. Multiplexed assay and chemiluminescent immunoassay techniques were utilized to assess the presence of a panel of autoantibodies and anti-infectious antibodies. We found a high prevalence of anti-HSV-1 IgG (91–100%), anti-EBNA IgG (81–93%) and anti-EBV-VCA IgG (97–100%) antibodies. The prevalence of ANA (at least one of: anti-dsDNA; anti-chromatin; anti-ribosomal-P; anti-Ro/SSA; anti-La/SSB; anti-centromere B; anti-Sm; anti-Sm/RNP; anti-Scl-70; anti-Jo1; anti-DFS70) was estimated at 14%. An inverse association between anti-HSV-2 antibodies and ANA (p = 0.044; adjusted OR = 0.398; CI [0.162–0.975]) was found, after adjusting for differences in gender, age, and familial history of autoimmune diseases. A trend towards reduced seroprevalence of anti-dsDNA antibodies among subjects who were positive for anti-HSV-2 antibodies was also noted (p = 0.1). In conclusion, the inverse association between anti-HSV-2 antibodies and ANA positivity suggests a possible protective role of HSV-2 infection against autoimmunity.

Increased Arginase Expression and Decreased Nitric Oxide in Pig Donor Lungs after Normothermic Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion.

An established pig lung transplantation model was used to study the effects of cold ischemia time, normothermic acellular ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) and reperfusion after lung transplantation on l-arginine/NO metabolism in lung tissue. Lung tissue homogenates were analyzed for NO metabolite (NOx) concentrations by chemiluminescent NO-analyzer technique, and l-arginine, l-ornithine, l-citrulline and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The expression of arginase and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms in lung was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. EVLP preservation resulted in a significant decrease in concentrations of NOx and l-citrulline, both products of NOS, at the end of EVLP and after reperfusion following transplantation, compared to control, respectively. The ratio of l-ornithine over l-citrulline, a marker of the balance between l-arginine metabolizing enzymes, was increased in the EVLP group prior to reperfusion. The expression of both arginase isoforms was increased from baseline 1 h post reperfusion in EVLP but not in the no-EVLP group. These data suggest that EVLP results in a shift of the l-arginine balance towards arginase, leading to NO deficiency in the lung. The arginase/NOS balance may, therefore, represent a therapeutic target to improve lung quality during EVLP and, subsequently, transplant outcomes.

In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory, Anticancer (MCF-7, 3T3, and HeLa Cell Lines), and Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay and FTIR Analysis of the Extract and Fractions of the Whole Plant of Heliotropium europaeum.

In this study, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, brine shrimp lethality, and FTIR studies were evaluated. The oxidative burst assay using the chemiluminescence technique, MTT assay, brine shrimp lethality assay, and FTIR analysis were the methods used for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory, anticancer, brine shrimp lethality, and FTIR studies, respectively. The whole-plant butanol fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WBFHE) showed anti-inflammatory activity on ROS having IC5014.7 ± 2.5 while the extract and other fractions of the whole plant of Heliotropium europaeum exhibited no anti-inflammatory activity. None of the extract and fractions of the whole plant of Heliotropium europaeum exhibited anticancer (MCF-7, 3T3, and HeLa cell lines) activities. The whole-plant aqueous fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WAFHE) and whole-plant butanol fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WBFHE) showed lethality at high concentration while at low concentration, no toxicity was shown. The whole-plant methanolic extract of Heliotropium europaeum (WMEHE) and whole-plant n-hexane fraction of Heliotropium europaeum (WHFHE) exhibited no toxicity. FTIR interpretation showed the functional groups for the aromatic compounds, phenols, carboxylic acids, esters, alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, alkyl halides, sulfate esters, phosphines, silanes, nitriles, thiols, amines, phosphoric acids, and nitro compounds.

Association between prolactin serum levels and cognitive function in chronic schizophrenia patients

Introduction. Several studies have explored the relationship between serum prolactin levels, symptomatology, and cognitive dysfunction in individuals at high risk for psychosis and patients with a first psychotic episode. However, the relationship between such variables is poorly understood in the case of chronic patients. Objective. To assess the relationship between prolactin levels, neuropsychological impairment, and symptom severity in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Method. A total of 31 patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia were evaluated between May and December 2018. The age range was 18 to 60 years, with patients receiving antipsychotic treatment during a month at least. Data was obtained from clinical records, interviews, clinimetry, and with the application of the PANSS and the MCCB battery. For the prolactin measurement, the analysis was performed on a sample of 500 microliters of serum, with a chemiluminescence technique. Results. The sample was comprised mostly by men (77.4%), with a mean age of 37.65 years, 13.29 years of formal education, and disease duration of 11.58 years. No correlations were observed between prolactin levels and PANSS components and subscales. Only in male patients is there a negative correlation was found between prolactin levels with the overall combined score of the MCCB battery and cognitive domains of reasoning and verbal learning. Discussion and conclusions. Men diagnosed with schizophrenia may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of hyperprolactinemia on cognition. These preliminary data have clinical implications for close monitoring of prolactin and cognitive decline in males with schizophrenia. Theoretically, these data are suggestive of a protective effect of hormones in women with this condition.

ANTIOXIDANT, METABOLIC AND ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF TRITERPENOIDS COMBINATION WITH CYTOSTATICS

Objective: To study the effect of betulin derivatives combination with 5-fluorouracil or hydrazine sulfate on the ROS generation, the SOD and LDH activity using rat blood, as well as the effect of combination drugs on Ehrlich carcinoma in experiments on mice.&#x0D; Methods: We used a chemiluminescence technique to study the ROS generation, and spectrophotometry to determine the MDA level and the SOD and LDH activity. The model of transplanted Ehrlich ascites carcinoma was investigated on mice using a cytological analysis of ascitic fluid cells according to Pappenheim`s method.&#x0D; Results: In vitro experiments on rat blood at the doses of 2, 5 and 10 μg per ml revealed the dose-dependent effect of combination drugs on the antioxidant properties. In plasma, the ROS generation and the MDA level increased by 10-300% in comparison with control at the doses of 5 and 10 μg per ml only. Still, the SOD and LDH activity in general increased by 10-130% in comparison with control under the action of the studied combination drugs. The study on mice showed the effectiveness of a combination of triterpenoids and cytostatics in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma therapy. The state and behavior of the animals improved, the volume of ascites fluid decreased by 40-50% after treatment for 10 d.&#x0D; Conclusion: The combination of betulin derivatives with cytostatics can be used as antitumor drugs in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma therapy that is due to metabolic plasticity, increased ROS generation in enhanced antioxidant enzyme protection.

Impact of Thyroid Dysfunction on Red Cell Indices in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: The role of thyroid gland is to regulate the hematopoiesis in the bone marrow, which is carried out by inducing erythropoietin gene expression. The study aimed to compare red cell indices among different thyroid dysfunction disorders patients in our setup. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted in Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi in Clifton campus from January 2017 to September 2017. To maintain confidentiality, patient’s identification was deleted. Total number of recruited patients was 485, out of which 117 were labeled as hyperthyroid, 169 were hypothyroid and 199 were euthyroid. Subjects for all three groups were between 20-60 years old. TSH level of patients were determined by VITROS® ECiQ immunoassay analyzer by Enhanced chemiluminescence technique. Data analysis was done on SPSS 20 while, mean and Standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables. Percentages and frequencies were calculated for categorical variables and an independent t-test was applied to see significant differences among the groups. Results: Comparison between hyperthyroid and hypothyroid groups revealed a statistically significant difference in the mean hemoglobin (p=0.036) and hematocrit (p=0.022). A statistically significant difference was also found in the RBC count (p=0.043) and hematocrit (p=0.032) while comparing hyperthyroid and euthyroid groups. There was no statistical difference between hypothyroid and euthyroid patients for any of the hematological parameters. Conclusion: There was a proven association between thyroid dysfunction and erythropoiesis, which caused hematological indices to fluctuate, therefore hematological parameters, should be monitored in patients with thyroid diseases.

In vitro anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and in vivo anti-arthritic properties of stem bark extracts from Nauclea pobeguinii (Rubiaceae) in rats

Objective: To explore the immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-arthritic activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Nauclea pobeguinii stem bark. Methods: For in vitro assays, the production of reactive oxygen species (chemiluminescence technique), the proliferation of T cells (liquid scintillation counter method), as well as the inhibition of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, protein denaturation, and free radicals [DPPH, ABTS and nitric oxide (NO) inhibition methods] were evaluated. For in vivo assays, a polyarthritis model was induced by complete Freund’s adjuvant in rats. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of Nauclea pobeguinii stem bark were administered orally at 150 and 300 mg/kg. After 28 days of treatment, the total blood was taken to quantify the hematological parameters and the serum was used to evaluate the biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, phenylalnine ammonialyase, and proteins) and oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione and NO), and then the knee joint was removed for histological analysis. Results: The extracts of Nauclea pobeguinii significantly reduced the production of intra- and extracellular reactive oxygen species and decreased T cell proliferation. They had an inhibitory effect on cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and protein denaturation, and both extracts had antioxidant capacity on DPPH, ABTS and NO. Both extracts alleviated joint inflammation and pain sensitivity after complete Freund’s adjuvant injection, reduced alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, NO and malondialdehyde levels, increased protein concentration, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione activity, and restored the cytoarchitecture of the joint after complete Freund’s adjuvant injection. Conclusions: The aqueous and methanolic extracts of Nauclea pobeguinii have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-arthritic properties.

An Investigation into Phenomena of Vitamin D Status and its Associationwith Different Bio-Chemical Parameters: Pakistani Population Based Study

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is related to substandard health. The frequency of vitamin D deficiency may be rising, however populace based patterns are uncertain. Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the status of vitamin D level and its association with biochemical parameters like Uric Acid, LDH, ALP, SGPT, SGOT, total bilirubin, urea, creatinine, calcium, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, sugar in our healthy population. Materials and method: The study was the analytically observational. A total of 271 healthy subjects was randomly included (male and female) that came to examine the basic medical checkup in MINAR cancer hospital. Biochemistry parameters were analyzed on Chemistry Analyzer by Merck. The enhanced chemiluminescent immunometeric technique was applied to measure vitamin D level in the subjects. Results: Vitamin D deficiency was investigated more in females (84.8%) as compared to males (62.8%) with significant variation (p=0.000) and in age group 1-26 years as compared to other age groups with significant variation (p=0.008). The weak negative correlation of vitamin D level with uric acid (p=0.031, r=-0.156) in the whole population was observed. No significant correlation was found between vitamin D level and other biochemical parameters ALP, SGPT, SGOT, total bilirubin, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL, creatinine, urea, sugar, LDH. Conclusion: The deficiency of vitamin D level was high in female (84.8%) in gender and 1-26 years (82%) in age groups of southern Punjab inhabitants. Significant week negative correlation of vitamin D level with uric acid was also investigated.

Determination of high sensitive cardiac troponin I 99th percentile upper reference limits in a healthy Pakistani population.

Objective:This study aims to establish the 99th percentile upper reference limits of high sensitive cardiac troponin I in a healthy Pakistani population.Methods:It was an Observational cohort study carried out in Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology Rehman Medical Institute Peshawar, over the period of one year (January 2019- December 2019). Total 299 cardio-healthy males and females were interviewed and taken past medical history. Based on history, clinical examination, echocardiogram and laboratory data including results of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriureteric peptide (NT-proBNP), subjects with possible subclinical diseases were excluded. High Sensitive Cardiac Troponin I (hs-cTtrop I) was analysed on Abbot ARCHITECT STAT ci8200 using chemiluminescent immunoassay technique. The 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) of hs-cTtrop I was determined using a non-parametric statistic, while gender specific results were compared.Results:In this study, 178 males (59.5%) and 121 females (40.5%) were included. The median Interquartile ranges (IQR) of age was 57 (11.6) for males and 56 (13) for females. The 99th percentile URL hs-cTtrop I was found to be 33.9 ng/L, while gender specific values were 38.41ng/L and 15.73ng/L for males and females, respectively (p= 0.0045).Conclusion:High sensitivity cardiac troponin I 99th percentile URL in our study population was found to be 33.9 ng/L with gender specific values being 38.41 ng/L and 15.73ng/L for males and females respectively. Troponin I in males was substantially high in comparison with females.

Biological properties of a biomaterial obtained from Syzygium aromaticum

Studies performed on Essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum (EOSa) from the Romanian market indicate a relative content of 73.18% in Eugenol. Due to this compound, the antioxidant activity determined with chemiluminescence technique, using luminol as a witness, give an average value of 98%. Studies performed on cell line THP-1, reveal that if this cell line is treated with EOSa, after 24 h of exposure at a concentration of minimum 0.05 μL/mL EOSa, then 27% of tumor cells are found in the apoptosis stage. Increasing EOSa concentration in the culture media of THP-1 cells up to 10 μL/mL does not affect the level of apoptotic cells. This value remains constant for the concentrations of EOSa situated in the range of (0.05 ÷ 10)μL/mL. The flowcitometry studies show that, if the concentration of EOSa increase up to 10 μL/mL, then 16% of THP-1 are found in the stage of necrosis. The biological tests performed in vitro reveal a high antioxidant activity of Syzygium aromaticum oils and a possible antitumor effect induced by apoptosis, due to the high content of Eugenol from bioproduct.

Liquid crystal biomimetic nanosystems loaded with vegetal extracts

This article is aimed to design new antioxidant phyto-nanosystems based on liposomes and vegetal extracts of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and mint (Mentha piperita L.). The lipid vesicles were obtained by thin film hydration method, and vegetal extracts of sage or mint were incorporated both in hydrophobic and in aqueous compartments of these lipid systems. The obtained phyto-containing liposomes were characterized by UV–Vis absorption and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements, and their antioxidant activity was assessed through chemiluminescence technique. The obtained artificial lipid bilayers loaded with phyto-extracts exhibited impressive antioxidant properties.

Two-line ([formula omitted]/[formula omitted]) chemiluminescence technique for equivalence ratio mapping in turbulent stratified flames

Equivalence ratio fluctuations play an important role in exploring and controlling flame dynamic instabilities such as thermoacoustic combustion instabilities associated with lean premixed gas turbine (GT) engines. However, it is difficult to reliably measure local equivalence ratio, and so we often make estimates based on the ratios of chemiluminescent emissions. Recent studies have reported that equivalence ratio varies with chemiluminescence intensity ratio of CH* and CO2* in the visible spectrum (431 and 410 nm, respectively). A methodology based on this relationship is adopted in the present study to construct equivalence ratio maps for a series of turbulent premixed and stratified methane/air flames under globally lean conditions (mean or global equivalence ratio, ϕ¯=0.75), over a range of stratification with ϕ spanning 0.375–1.125 for the highest level of stratification. In contrast with the previously used CH*/OH* method, the current technique allows for a single visible range camera to be used for chemiluminescence imaging. A comparison of the current estimated equivalence ratio with previously calculated local equivalence ratio from Raman-scattering measurements shows that the two-line chemiluminescence technique can be reliably used to determine equivalence ratio in the instantaneous reaction zone of turbulent flames even at higher turbulence levels and mixture stratification conditions.