Noxious Environment Research Articles

Proanthocyanidins-Rich Fraction of Tamarindus Indica Maintained Redox Status of Environmental Toxicant-Induced Genotoxicity in Drosophila Melanogaster

Proanthocyanidin, a bioactive polyphenolic component of tamarin (Tamarindus indica L.), offers neuroprotective benefits with insufficient scientific evidence. This study evaluated the behavioral and molecular effect of proanthocyanidin-rich fraction on the gene expression level of antioxidant and aging enzymes in Drosophila melanogaster. The fruit flies were fed with the fraction at 1.5 and 2.5 mg/g diet for seven days, followed by exposure to 0.1 µg/g diet lead oxide for equivalent days. Negative geotaxis and survival assays were conducted on the flies. The expression level of phase II antioxidant enzymes and acetylcholinesterase were evaluated using rt-PCR to assess proanthocyanidin’s protection level and mechanism in Pb-induced neurotoxic D. melanogaster. The results show that the proanthocyanidins-rich fraction enhanced locomotor activity and the rate of emergence of flies even in the presence of eco-toxicant. The fraction also mitigated the harmful effect of Pb via the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase, as evidenced by the increase in the expression levels of the catalase and SOD genes in the noxious environment. Thus, the study provides insights into understanding the neuroprotection mechanism of proanthocyanidins-rich fraction against lead-induced neurotoxicity in D. melanogaster, which could be translated to humans when explored further.

Descending GABAergic pathway links brain sugar-sensing to peripheral nociceptive gating in Drosophila

Although painful stimuli elicit defensive responses including escape behavior for survival, starved animals often prioritize feeding over escape even in a noxious environment. This behavioral priority is typically mediated by suppression of noxious inputs through descending control in the brain, yet underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here we identify a cluster of GABAergic neurons in Drosophila larval brain, designated as SEZ-localized Descending GABAergic neurons (SDGs), that project descending axons onto the axon terminals of the peripheral nociceptive neurons and prevent presynaptic activity through GABAB receptors. Remarkably, glucose feeding to starved larvae causes sustained activation of SDGs through glucose-sensing neurons and subsequent insulin signaling in SDGs, which attenuates nociception and thereby suppresses escape behavior in response to multiple noxious stimuli. These findings illustrate a neural mechanism by which sugar sensing neurons in the brain engages descending GABAergic neurons in nociceptive gating to achieve hierarchical interaction between feeding and escape behavior.

A Review to Search Novel Antifungal Principles from Bioactive Plants: The Hidden Treasure

Now–a-days, fungal infections of the skin are very common in Bangladesh as like as the other countries in the world. Surprisingly, these infections have become very difficult to treat and cure permanently. We know that, skin takes part in many vital functions of the body as it is the largest organ. It maintains the temperature & salt-water balance and protects the internal organs from the external noxious environment. It is also involved in synthesis and excretion of many vital constituents of the body. Damage to the skin by various noxious stimuli like burns, injuries or infections are major concerns in Dermatology. At present, most of the health care providers in Bangladesh are facing serious problems due to the emergence of resistance to available anti-fungal drugs. The nature is considered as the hidden treasure of medicines. Innumerable natural compounds are used worldwide due to their acceptable margin of efficacy, safety & cost. The present review is involved to find out 24 (twenty four) bioactive plants used in rural Bangladesh as folklore medicines to treat various skin diseases including the fungal ones. Further researches are recommended immediately to identify, separate and assess the antifungal efficacy of bioactive principles present in these plants. Successful screening of the resistant fungal strains and their interaction with these bioactive compounds would also be an interesting era of study. Hopefully, the most promising compounds would be developed as newer medicines and manufactured commercially to combat the increasing burden of fungal epidemics. KYAMC Journal Vol. 13, No. 02, July 2022: 115-119

Investigation of photo-/electrocatalytic activity of hydrothermal synthesized novel copper ion-modulated bifunctional NiTe2 nanoflakes

Considering the significance of atomic-level modulations into nanoscale architectures have become unique, attractive ideas in the field of sensors and decontamination of organic pollutants from the noxious environment. In this work, a novel bifunctional copper ion-modulated nickel telluride nanoflakes are achieved by a hydrothermal method that is applied as a bifunctional catalyst for sensing the level of L-dopa and removing the organic dye pollutant from the environment. The facile processable Cu-NiTe2 nanoflakes are reported for the first time to enable the semiconductor fabrication as a bifunctional catalyst through a low-cost approach. The cation modulation of copper atoms effectively alters the NiTe2 crystal lattice and yields superior physicochemical nature of bifunctional Cu doped NiTe2 crystal structure. The Cu doped NiTe2 effectively shows the efficient separation of electron-hole pairs and enhanced light-harvesting performance, thus exhibits better photocatalytic activity for the crystal violet dye degradation in visible light radiation within 150 min, and nearly 98% degradation occurs for 5%Cu/NiTe2. The enhanced electrocatalytic sensing of L-dopa is attained for 5% Cu/NiTe2 and the concentration range from 0.9 × 10−6 to 9.9 × 10−6 M and the value of the limit of detection is 0.308 µMµA−1. The 5% Cu/NiTe2 catalyst showed good electrochemical sensing ability towards L-dopa.

Diminazen Aceturate Protects Pulmonary Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Inhibition of ADAM17-Mediated Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Shedding.

Lung ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is induced by pulmonary artery occlusion and reperfusion. Lung IR injury commonly happens after weaning from extracorporeal circulation, lung transplantation, and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy; it is a lethal perioperative complication. A definite therapeutic intervention remains to be determined. It is known that the enzyme activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is critical in maintaining pulmonary vascular tone and epithelial integrity. In a noxious environment to the lungs, inactivation of ACE2 is mainly due to a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) protein-mediated ACE2 shedding. Thus, we assumed that protection of local ACE2 in the lung against ADAM17-mediated shedding would be a therapeutic target for lung IR injury. In this study, we established both in vivo and in vitro models to demonstrate that the damage degree of lung IR injury depends on the loss of ACE2 and ACE2 enzyme dysfunction in lung tissue. Treatment with ACE2 protectant diminazen aceturate (DIZE) maintained higher ACE2 enzyme activity and reduced angiotensin II, angiotensin type 1 receptor, and ADAM17 levels in the lung tissue. Concurrently, DIZE-inhibited oxidative stress and nitrosative stress via p38MAPK and NF-κB pathways consequently reduced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. The underlying molecular mechanism of DIZE contributed to its protective effect against lung IR injury and resulted in the improvement of oxygenation index and ameliorating pulmonary pathological damage. We concluded that DIZE protects the lungs from IR injury via inhibition of ADAM17-mediated ACE2 shedding.

Actual Condition of Using the Noxious Environment around School and Welfare Service Demand of Adolescents

Actual Condition of Using the Noxious Environment around School and Welfare Service Demand of Adolescents

Prospective role of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in mediating GMG-ITC to reduce cytotoxicity in H2O2-induced oxidative stress in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells

The antioxidant and neuroprotective activity of Glucomoringin isothiocyanate (GMG-ITC) have been reported in in vivo and in vitro models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, its neuroprotective role via mitochondrial-dependent pathway in a noxious environment remains unknown. The main objective of the present study was to unveil the mitochondrial apoptotic genes’ profile and prospectively link with neuroprotective activity of GMG-ITC through its ROS scavenging. The results showed that pre-treatment of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells with 1.25 μg/mL purified isolated GMG-ITC, significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production level, compared to H2O2 control group, as evidenced by flow cytometry-based evaluation of ROS generation. Presence of GMG-ITC prior to development of oxidative stress condition, downregulated the expression of cyt-c, p53, Apaf-1, Bax, CASP3, CASP8 and CASP9 genes with concurrent upregulation of Bcl-2 gene in mitochondrial apoptotic signalling pathway. Protein Multiplex revealed significant decreased in cyt-c, p53, Apaf-1, Bax, CASP8 and CASP9 due to GMG-ITC pre-treatment in oxidative stress condition. The present findings speculated that pre-treatment with GMG-ITC may alleviate oxidative stress condition in neuronal cells by reducing ROS production level and protect the cells against apoptosis via neurodegenerative disease potential pathways.

Applications of Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology

Applications of Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology

New insights into the degradation mechanism of cellulose nitrate in cinematographic films by Raman microscopy

AbstractThe degradation of cellulose nitrate cinematographic films stored inside an aluminum can was studied by infrared spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. Cellulose nitrate image heritage is strongly susceptible to degradation, being a major conservation challenge. Infrared spectroscopy has been the traditional technique in the assessment of the polymer degradation, but new in situ diagnostic tools to monitor the initial stages of degradation are needed. In this work, cellulose nitrate films were produced and irradiated as aging references to understand how chemical changes were observed in Raman spectroscopy. In comparison with infrared spectroscopy, this technique confirmed the mechanisms proposed in the literature and, at advanced stages of degradation, provided new relevant information detecting an intense peak at 1046 cm−1 associated to nitric acid. Comparing these results with the cinematographic films, it was observed that the plasticizers, which identification was more straightforward using Raman microscopy, have contributions in the regions were chemical changes occur, making it difficult to draw conclusions. Nevertheless, nitric acid and silver nitrate peaks were found in Raman spectra confirming the unstable and noxious environment inside de aluminum can and proving that Raman microscopy can be a valuable complementary in situ technique for cellulose nitrate degradation studies.

Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA) of Mothers’ Perception on the Rights of Young Children with Developmental Delays

본 연구에서는 발달지체유아 권리 존중에 대한 어머니의 인식을 중요도와 실행도의 측면에서 살펴보고, 이를 IPA기법으로 분석함으로써 발달지체유아 권리 보장을 위해 우선적으로 고려되어야 할 요소를 탐색하였다. 이를 위해 2개 광역시와 5개도에 거주하는 발달지체유아 어머니들을 대상으로 조사를 실시하고, 224명의 응답 자료를 분석하였다. 그 결과, 첫째, 어머니들은 유아권리 존중의 중요도를 매우 높이 인식하였지만, 실행도는 그보다 유의하게 낮게 인식하였다. 둘째, 발달지체유아 권리의 중요도와 실행도 간 차이는 유아의 연령과 장애진단 여부에 따라 달리 나타났다. 셋째, 보호권과 발달권의 6가지 하위요소들이 집중 지원요소로 나타났고, 참여권의 모든 요소들이 저순위 지원요소에 포함되었다. 넷째, 발달지체유아의 권리 보장을 위해 우선적으로 고려해야 할 요소는 차별과 유해 자극으로부터의 보호, 유아의 개별적 요구와 놀이에 기반한 발달로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통해 발달지체유아 어머니들에게 자녀권리 존중의 중요성을 인식하고 그 실행정도를 점검하는 계기를 제공하였으며, 발달지체유아의 권리 증진을 위한 기초자료를 제공하였다.The purpose of this study was to identify elements that need to be supported for rights of young children with developmental delays. Through the study mother’s perception was analyzed about their children’s rights with IPA technique. The participants were 224 mothers whose children have developmental delays and they were selected. The results of this study were as follows. First, the importance level of mothers’ perception on their children’s rights was high, but the performance level was lower than that. Second, there was differences in mothers’ perception according to children’s age and diagnosis of disabilities. Third, it proved that 6 elements of protection rights and development rights were in the ‘Concentrate area’, and all the elements of participation rights were in the ‘Low priority area’ within IPA matrix. Fourth, protecting against discrimination or noxious environment, and supporting child’s individual needs were core elements. This study provided opportunities that mothers thought about their child’s rights. And it indicated practical discussion items to promote children‘s rights.

Lactobacillus casei stimulates phase-II detoxification system and rescues malathion-induced physiological impairments in Caenorhabditis elegans

Malathion, an organophosphorus insecticide, is renowned for its inhibitory action on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme that eventually leads to widespread disturbance in the normal physiological and behavioral activities of any organism. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are still an underexploited and inexhaustible source of significant pharmaceutical thrust. In the present study, Caenorhabditis elegans was employed to identify and characterize the indigenous LAB isolated from different traditional food against malathion-induced toxicity. The results demonstrated that malathion at its LD50 concentration decreased various C. elegans physiological parameters such as survival, feeding, and locomotion. Among the screened isolates, L. casei exhibited an excellent protective efficacy against malathion-induced toxicity by increasing the level of AChE and thereby rescued all physiological parameters of C. elegans. In addition, short-term exposure and food choice assay divulged that L. casei could serve as a better food to protect C. elegans from noxious environment. The expression analysis unveiled that L. casei gavage upregulated the phase-II detoxification enzymes coding genes metallothioneins (mtl-1 and mtl-2) and glutathione-S-transferase (gst-8) and thereby eliminated malathion from the host system. Furthermore, the upregulation of ace-3 along with down-regulation of cyp35a in the nematodes supplemented with L. casei could be attributed to attenuate the malathion-induced physiological defects in C. elegans. Thus, the present study reports that an indigenous LAB-L. casei could serve as a promising protective agent against the harmful effects of pesticide.

Ecological Factors and Adolescent Marijuana Use: Results of a Prospective Study in Santiago, Chile

Purpose: Despite the growing evidence that ecological factors contribute to substance use, the relationship of ecological factors and illicit drugs such as marijuana use is not well understood, particularly among adolescents in Latin America. Guided by social disorganization and social stress theories, we prospectively examined the association of disaggregated neighborhood characteristics with marijuana use among adolescents in Santiago, Chile, and tested if these relationships varied by sex. Methods: Data for this study are from 725 community-dwelling adolescents participating in the Santiago Longitudinal Study, a study of substance using behaviors among urban adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Adolescents completed a two-hour interviewer administered questionnaire with questions about drug use and factors related to drug using behaviors. Results: As the neighborhood levels of drug availability at baseline increased, but not crime or noxious environment, adolescents had higher odds of occasions of marijuana use at follow up, approximately 2 years later (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.16–1.66), even after controlling for the study’s covariates. No interactions by sex were significant. Discussion: The findings suggest that “poverty”, “crime”, and “drug problems” may not be synonyms and thus can be understood discretely. As Latin American countries re-examine their drug policies, especially those concerning decriminalizing marijuana use, the findings suggest that attempts to reduce adolescent marijuana use in disadvantaged neighborhoods may do best if efforts are concentrated on specific features of the “substance abuse environment”.

Glaucoma: role of neuroprotective agents

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy, considered as the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Glaucoma is characterized by selective death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and a progressive loss of vision. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most important risk factors for developing glaucoma and hence we mainly focus on lowering IOP to arrest the progression of glaucoma. However, many patients continue to demonstrate a clinically downhill course despite the control of initially raised IOP. In fact, some patients develop what is called normal tension glaucoma, not associated to an increased IOP. This emphasizes that several pressure-independent mechanisms are responsible for the development and progression of glaucomatous neuropathy and that high IOP and vascular insufficiency in the optic nerve head are only risk factors for the development of glaucoma, and are not the only target for the treatment of glaucoma. The reason is that the process of RGC death is thought to be biphasic, and the primary injury is followed by a slower secondary degeneration related to a noxious environment surrounding the apoptotic cells. This environment is characterized by changes in the extra-cellular ionic concentrations, increased amounts of free radicals, neurotrophins (NT) depletion and increased glutamate-induced excitotoxicity due to high extra-cellular glutamate levels, which binds to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors leading to an abnormally high intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Neuroprotection is a process that attempts to preserve the remaining cells that are still vulnerable to damage, and the main aim of neuroprotective therapy is to employ pharmacologic or other means to attenuate the hostility of the environment surrounding the degenerating cells, or to supply the cells with the tools to deal with this aggression, providing resilience to the insult. Several agents have been reported neuroprotective in glaucoma, both in clinical assays, such as Ca2+ channel blockers, and in experimental studies, such as betaxolol, brimonidine, NMDA antagonists, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, NT and Ginkgo biloba extract. Most neuroprotective agents for glaucoma have proved beneficial effects over RGC, not showing effects over IOP. However, when analyzing classically used medications for glaucoma, it becomes difficult to understand if its effect over the progression of glaucoma is due to neuroprotective pathways or by means of lowering IOP. The ideal anti-glaucoma drug would be one that when applied topically, reduces IOP, but also probes to reach the retina in appropriate amounts, and activates specific receptors in the retina to attenuate RGC death. In this review, we will examine currently advocated neuroprotective drug-based strategies in the potential management of glaucoma.

Targeting IL-11 signaling in colon cancer

Targeting IL-11 signaling in colon cancer

Safety During Plant Maintenance

The need for maintenance in a plant implies that there is some abnormality. If the plant runs or is allowed to run in an abnormal condition it may reach to a stage when dangers will lurk to either cause machine failure or injury to workmen. The value of good maintenance practice is therefore obvious. It obviates accidents. But actually doing maintenance of plant and equipment is likely to introduce its own typical hazards with level of risk sometimes high enough for special dangers to human life, because the jobs are performed at various elevations, many times in dangerous situations, and conditions e.g. extreme temperature conditions & in high concentration of noxious gas and dusty work environment. That is why commitment to safety rules is a must for maintenance personnel.

Neuroprotection in glaucoma.

Currently, glaucoma is recognised as an optic neuropathy. Selective death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) is the hallmark of glaucoma, which is also associated with structural changes in the optic nerve head. The process of RGC death is thought to be biphasic: a primary injury responsible for initiation of damage that is followed by a slower secondary degeneration related to noxious environment surrounding the degenerating cells. For example, retinal ishaemia may establish a cascade of changes that ultimately result in cell death: hypoxia leads to excitotoxic levels of glutamate, which cause a rise in intra-cellular calcium, which in turn, leads to neuronal death due to apoptosis or necrosis. Neuroprotection is a process that attempts to preserve the cells that were spared during the initial insult, but are still vulnerable to damage. Although not yet available, a neuroprotective agent would be of great use in arresting the progression of glaucoma. There is evidence that neuroprotection can be achieved both pharmacologically and immunologically. Pharmacological intervention aims at neutralising some of the effects of the nerve-derived toxic factors, thereby increasing the ability of the spared neurons to cope with stressful conditions. On the other hand, immunological interventions boost the body's own repair mechanisms for counteracting the toxic effects of various chemicals generated during the cascade. This review, based on a literature search using MEDLINE, focuses on diverse cellular events associated with glaucomatous neurodegeneration, and discusses some pharmacological agents believed to have a neuroprotective role in glaucoma.

La restructuration d'un espace urbain du sud-est asiatique : la Chinatown de Bangkok-Thaïlande

The Rehabilitation of an Urban Space in Southeast Asia : The Chinatown of Bangkok, Thailand. The historical nucleus of Bangkok, the Chinatown quarter, must now face the vicissitudes of a center city the growth of which has remained disorderly for much too long. Its inadequate network of streets has reached an alarming degree of congestion ; its pollution rate, its intolerable noise, and its shortage of parking space are at the very origin of the deterioration of its living quarters and noxious environment. Unofficial responses to the degradation of the site are aimed at saving the inherited urban structure with the implementation of rehabilitation projects.

Is expressed emotion cause or effect in the mothers of schizophrenic young adults?

The purpose of this study was to determine the most likely direction of influence between the symptom severity in schizophrenic young adults and the expressed emotion (EE) of their mothers. Specifically, the stability and cross-lagged effects of mothers' critical comments (CC) or emotional overinvolvement (EOI) and the severity of four symptom clusters were examined. Twenty-eight patients and their mothers were interviewed three times at 9 month intervals. Data were subjected to a form of structural equation modeling: cross-lagged panel analysis. Results suggest that maternal CCs and EOI both tend to be influenced by the patient's total symptom severity and are influenced significantly by negative symptoms, but not by positive symptoms. Also, the more severe the hostile-uncooperative symptoms in the patient, the more critical the mothers become over time. However, the greater the mother's EOI at time 1, the less severe the patient's hostile-uncooperative symptoms at time 3. The usual implication of the association between high EE and relapse, which was also found in this sample, is that high EE causes symptom exacerbation. The results of the current study suggest that CCs and EOI coded from the CFI do not reflect a noxious environment: rather, they appear to be more effect than cause.

Analgesia, sedação e bloqueio neuromuscular em UTI

A dor é um sintoma freqüentemente associado ao paciente crítico, O tratamento adequado desta condição está relacionado não apenas aos processos de humanização na UTI como também a modificar o prognóstico e reduzir os custos hospitalares. São apresentados métodos de avaliação da intensidade da dor e técnicas de tratamento, desenvolvidos pela equipe atuante na UTI. Exposição a um ambiente com grande sobrecarga de estímulos sensitivos, dolorosos, ruído, aspiração traqueal e a privação de sono pode requerer o uso de drogas para controlar a ansiedade e a inquietude. Além disso, algumas situações clínicas, tais como a ventilação mecânica, podem não dispensar a sedação para lograrem sucesso. A importância e as indicações clínicas do uso de relaxantes musculares são revistas.

N-Hexane polyneuropathy.

SummaryNinety‐three cases of intoxication polyneuropathy occured among household workers exposed to excess concentrations of the n‐hexane vapor over several months or more. The chief manifestation was polyneuropathy of glove‐and‐stocking type. According to the mode of involvement, they were classified into three groups: sensory polyneuropathy 53 cases, sensorimotor polyneuropathy 32 cases and sensorimotor polyneuropathy with amyotrophy 8 cases. Slight optic nerve involvements were observed in 8 cases. No symptoms or signs indicating lesions of the central nervous system and of spinal cord were discovered. In severely affected cases the symptoms progressed for about 2 months even after detachment from noxious environment. No constant significant abnormalities were revealed in the laboratory examinations including urinalysis, complete blood counts, liver function tests, S T S and cerebrospinal fluid studies. Biopsies of the peripheral nerve disclosed destruction of the myeline sheath with relatively well preserved axon. Muscle biopsies revealed that muscle tissue was largely replaced by fatty tissue and showed the features of neurogenic atrophy. Electromyography and conduction velocity of the peripheral nerve coincide with denervation and reinnervation processes of the nerve. Characteristic features of this disease are discussed in comparison with other intoxication polyneuropathies.